Reflection With Kids

[defeser]

My family consists of my wonderful wife, 11 yr. old son, 8 yr. old daughter, and me. We are taking a cruise right after Christmas (December 27) to celebrate my wife's 40th birthday. I just put an ocean view cabin on hold and have until tomorrow to pay in full. We have sailed on NCL, Carnival, and RCCL as a family. This would be our first family cruise on Celebrity. FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SAILED WITH KIDS ON THE REFLECTION OR OTHER SOLSTICE CLASS SHIP, PLEASE SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH ME. I'm figuring there will be more families on this sailing due to the sailing date of December 27? Thanks for your input!

[ladylemondrop]

We have taken four cruises with Celebrity with our boys, aged 11 and 16 now, and they always love it, there are less activities for them than RCCL, (no climbing walls or zip lines) but, there is a decent kids club, a sports area, a small gaming arcade, and the pool where they can swim.

 

My advice when taking children cruising is this - plan some fun stuff to do onshore, that will keep their interest, so do your homework - we look for bike tours, or anything that keeps them active and entertained rather than just churches etc. let them eat at the buffet if they find mealtimes boring, so you can enjoy your meal at a more relaxed pace. Check out my blog link below, there are some photos and short videos of our time on Reflection with them.

 

Lastly, ask if they have a Family Verandah cabin available, it is much much bigger than standard cabin, with a seperate master bedroom for you ;)

[ama]

We sailed on Silhouette in June (first time on Celebrity). We typically sail Princess, NCL, and RCL. The atmosphere on the ship is more upscale and we thought the food was better. There's definately less kids on board compared to our other cruise experiences - but I personally think this is an advantage. My kids are younger (4 and 7). The counselors are wonderful and they enjoyed the kids club a lot. Again - enough kids for my kids to make friends - and they got much more personal attention from the counselors. They had many activities - like pirate night etc. that they enjoyed.

 

There isn't going to be much other stuff (like movies under the stars, rock climbing etc.) - but we found the pool much less croweded then any of our previous cruises, so they had a lot of fun in the pool.

 

Service was great, and everyone treated my kids nicely. All the kids we encountered were well behaved and all seemed to be having a good time. We were on an 11 night cruise (only 2 sea days) - so we were gone in port most days. We used the kids clubs in the evenings and during the afternoons of the sea days as well.

 

My kids had a great time. I will say the entertainment is not as strong as other lines - but my kids enjoyed the Cirque-type show and the juggler. We did not take them to the other shows as they usually preferred the Kids club.

 

Since you're sailing during a holiday time - I'm sure there will be plenty of kids on board. Enjoy your cruise!

[helen haywood]

Try reading this thread. It is the Roll Call for your sailing. Perhaps you can ask about other children during this sailing.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2058890

[cdbaum]

My 9 year old daughter has been in the Fun Factory on almost every current Celebrity ship, most recently Reflection. She loves the counselors and atmosphere on Celebrity. In fact she prefers it to Disney because there are less kids and more freedom. All of the staff in the kids programs have child care or educational training and appear to enjoy what they do.

 

It probably depends on the type of child also. In her case she is quite happy doing something independently or just reading a book if it isn't full of kids. But she does really like the scavenger hunts, pirate night, the talent show etc.

[Queen of Oakville]

I haven't sailed yet ... still another month to go.

 

When you sail Royal ... do your kids love the rock wall, flow rider, mini golf, etc. If they do and that is a major part of their fun (i.e. they will hate a ship without those things) ... then stick to the family ships.

 

However, if your kid's don't take advantage of those activities, then they won't miss them on X.

 

From the countless threads I've read here, X offers an excellent kid's club. And yes, there will be more kids on holiday sailings.

 

 

 

It's just a question of which line better suits your family. From what I have read here, I know my kids will love X.

[Snowescapee]

My nephews cruised for the first time this past January. There were less than 50 kids on the ship. They LOVED it. The individual attention they got in the FunFactory, the attention the ship staff gave them...everyone went out of their way to make them feel special. the Captain was in the Fun Factory every day interacting with the kids and talking to them...they preferred being there than with us in the evenings! They enjoyed the shows (magicians, illusionist, etc). I think it depends on the kids - in my opinion there isn't so much going on to over stimulate them and they get to indulge in more "grown up" stuff for the week which made them feel super special!

[wallie5446]

The Reflection is a great ship, and Celebrity a wonderful cruise experience. That said, IMHO, a Celebrity cruise will require more direction for the kids and interaction with them, from Mom & Dad. Yes they have a kids program to keep them busy just like the other lines you have sailed on, a video game room, basketball court, and a pool. A Celebrity cruise is more about relaxing and recharging for us.

 

Our DD, now 32, sailed on Celebrity the first time in 1994, 4 other lines, went to work for RCCL in 2004. Celebrity is still her favorite to sail on.

 

ps: A New Year's sailing tends to have fewer young cruisers than a Christmas sailing.