Kids on Celebrity

[Talex831]

My son 11 will be on his 4th X cruise in April. We’ve also done 4 Carnival and 8 Disney. His favorite his X. He loves the specialty restaurants, and just hanging with me playing cards, swimming, exploring the ships, etc. The only thing he misses from Carnival is a sports deck and water slides. We try to do activities in ports to make up for that. He’s over the Disney cruises as he says, “There are too many kids.” He’s never gone to the kids’ clubs on any of the lines, he’s just never wanted to.

 

 

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[villauk]

I just talked to Celebrity. They said they will find their cruise history based on their name and DOB. No need to save the card. Plus, if you have a high status already on RC, you can give the equivalent status to them on Celebrity without the required # of points. My kids, for example, will be Elite regardless because they are Diamond on RC.

 

If they are not over 18, then they will not be Elite as you have to be over 18 to obtain any status on X, whether they are Diamond on Royal or not (our kids are Diamond and Elite in their own right on both lines, but only the older is entitled to be Elite). As others have said, don’t bank on X getting it right where computer systems are concerned - their track record isn’t the best. Don was just advising from past experience as he has children that X disputed were on cruises and had to prove they were entitled to points ;).

[nicstress]

I realize they have to be 18. Their only computer errors as far as points has always been in my favor ;) So not worried and the kids will we Elite regardless if the computers work or not.

 

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[GingerEva]

Been reading this thread from the beginning. I feel that this cruise (Celebrity Silhouette 9 nights Southern Caribbean) would be a good fit for my 2 children, 8 & 10 years old. (their first language is french and bigger kids club could be overwhelming for them.)

I am just a little worried about my sister's son who will be 2 years old by the time we set sail (if we end up booking the cruise ;)).

I have read in some forums that kids under 3 cannot go in the pools?

Is that true?

if you've been on an X cruise have you seen any toddlers at all? In the pool?

Your feedback would be highly appreciated.

thanks in advance,

Sophie

[MightyMike]

As parents, many of us think Disney is better for kids because of the structured activities and the nostalgia. I don't think the kids necessarily have the same appreciation for that.

 

One thing you can say for sure is that Disney and Royal Caribbean will have more kids on board. But that also means they have more lines. Flowriders and rock-climbing walls are fun, but keep in mind a vast majority of your time for those activities is spent waiting in line.

 

The other thing you can say for sure is that Disney and Royal Caribbean ships were designed with kids in mind. They each have substantial portions of a deck devoted exclusively to kids. This was more of an afterthought on Celebrity ships. Especially on its older ships, Celebrity had to find a way to retrofit kids' space into existing ships.

[Queen of Oakville]

I've probably replied to this thread already as it looks like it has been around for a while.

 

Every kid is different and you have to know your kids. If they need to be around other kids and need constant entertainment or stimulation - this is NOT the cruise for them. You are probably better of on Royal or NCL or Carnival.

 

If your kids are more mature, happy being on their own and don't need constant stimulation - they may like/love celebrity.

 

My kids now 10 and 12, have probably been cruising since 4 and 6. They are spoiled and have been on Disney, Royal, Carnival, HAL and Celebrity. They LOVE celebrity. They like that the kid's club is not packed with yelling, screaming kids. They like that they can have alone time. They are happy reading a book, or playing on their ipads. They enjoy good food and love the service they get on Celebrity.

 

We gave the kids the choice of 11 nights on Summit or 9 nights on Anthem of the Seas. They chose Summit. They enjoy their time on the Royal ships and they will flowride, zip line, rock climb .... and enjoy all of it. But they still chose Celebrity if given a choice.

[Queen of Oakville]

I just talked to Celebrity. They said they will find their cruise history based on their name and DOB. No need to save the card. Plus, if you have a high status already on RC, you can give the equivalent status to them on Celebrity without the required # of points. My kids, for example, will be Elite regardless because they are Diamond on RC.

 

Good to know. My kids have C&A #s but was told they could not get CC #s. I thought they were missing out, but you are right, as they accrue their Royal status it will benefit them here.

[Queen of Oakville]

Just as there are some adults that would prefer NCL or Carnival over Celebrity, there are kids who would prefer Celebrity over Disney or Royal.

 

Just read a few more replies on the previous pages. I really don't get why some people have a hard time wrapping their head around this. There isn't one cruise line that appeals to everyone in an age group. Celebrity isn't for every adult and Disney isn't for every kid.

 

It's not a perfect rule, but parents who enjoy celebrity are more likely to be raising kids who would prefer celebrity over other cruise lines.

[albeachrealtor]

We are taking our 7 year old on Celebrity Equinox in August. It will be his 7th cruise, but first on X. We did DCL in 2015 and it was money wasted IMHO. He was 4.5 years old and DCL was clean, kind, bright and kid oriented, but he was scared of the characters and only spent 1 hour in the kids club. The pools on DCL were ALWAYS packed because it seemed like some kid pooped in one pool or another each day and that meant ALL the passengers had to be in one small pool. I swear I walked from one side of the pool to the other and never got wet because I just stepped on people's heads.

We have had our son on NCL 4 times already. Personally, I like NCL the best, but I have been cruising on NCL since the mid 90s.

 

I am glad to hear that people are raving about the kids club on X. Hopefully we can convince him to go and spend a few hours each day.

 

I have seen somewhere that X has an "adults only" show. I guess it is kind of cirque style. It is the ONE show that he wants to see while on the ship. He has been attending broadway style musicals since he was 1.5 years old and sits quietly, in awe, of the performance. He understands that performers may not always wear the same type (or amount) of clothing that we normally wear also. Unless the performers are fully nude or having sex on the stage, I would like for him to be able to attend. Has anyone had any experience with the "adult only" show?

[albeachrealtor]

Also, are the walls and/or ceilings metal like they are in other ships? We bring magnets to hang towels, bathing suits, beach bags etc.

[davekathy]

Also, are the walls and/or ceilings metal like they are in other ships? We bring magnets to hang towels, bathing suits, beach bags etc.

Yes to both walls and ceiling. Including the cabin door.

[Covepointcruiser]

We are taking our 7 year old on Celebrity Equinox in August. It will be his 7th cruise, but first on X. We did DCL in 2015 and it was money wasted IMHO. He was 4.5 years old and DCL was clean, kind, bright and kid oriented, but he was scared of the characters and only spent 1 hour in the kids club. The pools on DCL were ALWAYS packed because it seemed like some kid pooped in one pool or another each day and that meant ALL the passengers had to be in one small pool. I swear I walked from one side of the pool to the other and never got wet because I just stepped on people's heads.

We have had our son on NCL 4 times already. Personally, I like NCL the best, but I have been cruising on NCL since the mid 90s.

 

I am glad to hear that people are raving about the kids club on X. Hopefully we can convince him to go and spend a few hours each day.

 

I have seen somewhere that X has an "adults only" show. I guess it is kind of cirque style. It is the ONE show that he wants to see while on the ship. He has been attending broadway style musicals since he was 1.5 years old and sits quietly, in awe, of the performance. He understands that performers may not always wear the same type (or amount) of clothing that we normally wear also. Unless the performers are fully nude or having sex on the stage, I would like for him to be able to attend. Has anyone had any experience with the "adult only" show?

 

Kids are not kept from the cirque show. There are restrictions of where they can sit for this and other shows. Kids are restricted from shows with adult language or adult comedy.

[Denny01]

We are taking our 7 year old on Celebrity Equinox in August. It will be his 7th cruise, but first on X. We did DCL in 2015 and it was money wasted IMHO. He was 4.5 years old and DCL was clean, kind, bright and kid oriented, but he was scared of the characters and only spent 1 hour in the kids club. The pools on DCL were ALWAYS packed because it seemed like some kid pooped in one pool or another each day and that meant ALL the passengers had to be in one small pool. I swear I walked from one side of the pool to the other and never got wet because I just stepped on people's heads.

We have had our son on NCL 4 times already. Personally, I like NCL the best, but I have been cruising on NCL since the mid 90s.

 

I am glad to hear that people are raving about the kids club on X. Hopefully we can convince him to go and spend a few hours each day.

 

I have seen somewhere that X has an "adults only" show. I guess it is kind of cirque style. It is the ONE show that he wants to see while on the ship. He has been attending broadway style musicals since he was 1.5 years old and sits quietly, in awe, of the performance. He understands that performers may not always wear the same type (or amount) of clothing that we normally wear also. Unless the performers are fully nude or having sex on the stage, I would like for him to be able to attend. Has anyone had any experience with the "adult only" show?

 

Great post. DCL has a number of postiives, but has taken full advantage of its characters and charges cost close to double what other Lines charge for the same cruise. Our grandkids loved the Celebrity kids club. we adults sometimes think our kids need constant (expensive) stimulation, while our kids get a kick out of playing in the box we brought the expensive gift in. enough of that. By the way, Celebrity kids programs do go beyond playing in a box.....

 

As you propbably well know, you’ll need to be with your kid for a while at the kid club until they understand a ‘talking rat’ doesnt’ suddenly show up and scare the heck out of them. That thing scares me!

 

As to entertainment, unfortunately, companies have to restrict kids from programs instead of defining what the level of language and so on and letting parents decide. I was saddened that our daughters’ friends couldn’t watch a show that handled sensitive subjects, but would have the full library of hack and slash videos. Because of outrage from some parents, horrified that their child saw a boob, even after being warned of content, so the company has to ban kids.

 

We used the ship’s babysitting a few times. Both times, the sitters were from the youth programs and well trained, and the kids knew them.

 

Den

[Wirral]

My granddaughter has traveled with myself and her parents on about 5 occasions all on Celebrity. She will be 8 on our next cruise in October. She loves the club and would happily spend all her time there. However we also want her to get something out of the travel, so we tend to do half day on shore and half in club. She has always been treated well by the staff in the dinning room but we also expect a certain standard of behavior from her. It is part of her learning experiences to know how to behave in different environments. All I can say is that she ia always really excited about going on a cruise. As our we!

[villauk]

My granddaughter has traveled with myself and her parents on about 5 occasions all on Celebrity. She will be 8 on our next cruise in October. She loves the club and would happily spend all her time there. However we also want her to get something out of the travel, so we tend to do half day on shore and half in club. She has always been treated well by the staff in the dinning room but we also expect a certain standard of behavior from her. It is part of her learning experiences to know how to behave in different environments. All I can say is that she ia always really excited about going on a cruise. As our we!

 

Our youngest celebrated his 5th birthday on his first cruise and both of our kids have been sailing ever since. Fast forward to 11 years later and his upcoming 26th cruise, we were saying that perhaps next next it would just be the three of us as our eldest is off to university in the autumn and he may want to go on holiday with his new friends. Well ironically he said that he may go with his friends, however can we ensure we book a cruise for when he’s back home for the summer as he’d like to go on that one too :rolleyes: :D. Looks like we’ll still be paying double :confused::hearteyes:.

[BINDY31]

I don’t travel with kids so cannot fill you in on activities etc.....but...... the kids I have seen on Celebrity all seem to be having a great time. There a never loads of kids onboard but the feedback I have heard is that kids club is fantastic!!!!. I have seen the kids on their treasure hunts etc...but have NEVER seen them running amok. Celebrity seem to cater for the kids really well...I am sure you will all have a great time if you cruise with them.

[Cruise a holic]

We brought our granddaughters with us on the Summit and the "camp" was fair. They were 8 and 11. The girls went to the camp for about a hour a day- but preferred hanging with us by the pool-

 

It isn't a royal Caribbean type camp and kids activities are very limited. They had a great time with us on the cruise- No rock climbing walls, ice skating, wave pools or elaborate camp. So if the kids expect that level of activity they may not be happy.

[JennAngel9]

My 4 and 6 year olds have been on 6 Celebrity cruises so far (7th coming up in April) and absolutely love it. They have a great time at the kids club.

 

Just as Celebrity isn't the right choice for all adults, it won't be the right choice for all kids either. But those on these boards with kids who've actually sailed Celebrity typically report that their kids love it.

 

Mike

 

Hi Mike... Is there any chance you've posted reviews or posts anywhere that touch on your experience with Fun Factory/VIP/Babysitting or anything else related to having 2yos and 4yos on board? We are taking our kids on a cruise with child-centers/activities for the first time ever and I'd love to know what you recommend. :)