Everything You Wanted to Know About Adventure Ocean but Were Afraid You'd Get Flamed!

[EggDropErin]

Okay, maybe not everything...

 

I have some time here at work, so I thought I'd pretend like I'm working to post the Adventure Ocean Youth Program section out of the 2006-2007 RCI Travel Agent Guide. I'm mostly going to type the FAq because most of the other stuff can be found on the RCI website. Here goes....

 

Every year, more and more kids are sailing with Royal Caribbean International. One of the big reasons is our complimentary, award-winning Adventure Ocean Program. We combine a little education with a whole lot of entertainment and voila - Edu-tainment! The program is broken down into five different age groups with activities designed accordingly. The younger kids can participate in Adventure Art by Crayola and Adventure Science activities, while teens can hang out in a less-structured atmosphere.

 

The People Behind the Program

In addition to keeping your kids thoroughly entertained, our Adventure Ocean Staff members have each been specially trained to keep your kids safe. Each staff member holds a four-year degree in education, recreation, or a related major from an accredited college or university. All are certified in CPR. Staff members have an extensive background in working with large groups of children ages 3-17, and from three to five years' experience working in team situations. So relax- your kids are in good hands.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Royal Caribbean's Adventure Ocean Program is one of the most comprehensive youth activity programs in the vacatioin industry. Run by exceptional, energetic and college-educated staff, the program is tailored to fit five separate age groups. The Adventure Ocean Program is included in the price of your cruise vacation, so all activities are free!

 

What are the program hours?

 

At Sea: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m./2 p.m. to 5 p.m./7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Dinner: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. (on certain nights). In Port: Thirty minutes prior to the first shore excursion until 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Late Night Party Zone: 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. (There is a $5 charge per hour/per child for the Late Night Party Zone only).

 

What are the hours of programming for ages 12-17?

 

Activities for teens are offered throughout the day. Times may vary.

 

Are there special dinners for kids?

Yes. On certain evenings the youth staff supervise dinner for kids ages 3-11. Special dinners are also planned for 12-14 and 15-17-year-olds.

 

Is swimming included in the adventure ocean program?

 

No. However, children are allowed to swim at any time with adult supervision. children must be fully toilet trained and pull-up diaper free to enter pools and whirlpools.

 

Is there a special teen area on the ship for kids?

 

All Royal Caribbean International ships have a supervised youth center for children. The center features games, toys, movies, books, and other activities.

 

Is there a special area on the ship for teens?

 

All Royal Caribbean ships, except Empress of the Seas, have teen nightclubs that feature video screens, music, a dance floor and lounge area, games, and other activities.

 

Are there video arcades on the ships? Is there a fee?

 

There are traditional video arcades on all Royal Caribbean ships. There is a nominal fee for video tokens.

 

Can I bring a stroller or a playpen onboard?

 

Yes, as long as it can be stored in a stateroom.

 

Does Royal Caribbean provide cribs?

 

Yes. Approximate dimensions are 2' x 3'; availability is limited and crib must be requested in advance.

 

Re: Babysitting

 

Group sitting, known onboard as the Late Night Party Zone, is available on all ships and is supervised by the youth staff. The service is offered from 10:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. in the youth facilites. Children must be three years of age, toilet trained and pull-up and diaper free to participate in the program or enter the facilities. Rate is $5 per hour, per child

 

In-stateroom sitting must be booked through the Purser's/Guest Relations Desk at least 24 hours in advance. It cannont be booked prior to the cruise vacation and there is no guarantee that sitters will be available. The service is offered from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 a.m. Children must be at least one year old. Approximate rate: $8/hour for one or two children within the same family, or $10/hour for three children within the same family.

 

Times and prices are subject to change without notice. Payment must be made in cash.

[Calicruisefamily]

What does RC have for the kids to do in the 9-11 group ? My daughter was in the 6-8 group last year and had a great time.

Thanks for any info from anyone :)

Voyager W. Caribbean 12/16/06 "Our First AFT"

Voyager E. Caribbean 11/05

S.S. Azure Seas Baja 11/90

[KMagz]

What does RC have for the kids to do in the 9-11 group ? My daughter was in the 6-8 group last year and had a great time.

 

We're just back from Mariner and had one child in the 6-8 and another in the 9-11. There is a lot of overlap in the programs so your daughter will be familiar with most of the activities. Once of the changes for the 9-11's was addition of (I think) karaoke and/or a talent show. There was also a rock and roll party. Late at night, when there are few kids in one or both of those age groups, they even combined them.

 

The *biggest* change is that you can opt to have your 9 - 11 year old sign themsleves out of Adventure Ocean. There is a release form you'll need to fill out.

 

My kids, though apprehensive at first, could not be pulled away from Adventure Ocen by the 2nd day!

 

Enjoy

 

Ken M

[NotQuiteChicago]

How about the programs for the 3 yr olds? Our next cruise my daughter will be 3 1/2. What are the opinions of in-room sitting vs the 10 p.m -1 a.m activities?

 

TIA

[bailey5697]

Is there a list of activities that we could get daily so my daughter could choose what activities she would like to do? She would probably prefer to stay with us, but if I knew something cool was going on in the AO, she would go for sure.

[RoofingPrincess]

I believe I saw a rack of flyers with activities near the purser's desk when I was on the Explorer. We didn't have any kids in our group, so I don't know for sure, but I think I recall hearing (probably on these boards) that each night either the kids bring the next day's list back from AO, or it's left in the cabin -- like a Compass for the kids...

[kmdress]

Our kids (currently ages 3, 13,14)have loved every age group of Adventure Ocean. Your stateroom attendant will leave the cruise compass and a program card for the appropriate age in your room each night. The younger programs offer a pager/beeper if you wish. We've always elected to take the pager and only ever got called once when our son decided he wanted to leave early (over tired!!) It is wonderful to have a few hours a day of peace, quiet, and sun! Karen

[BearySweet2Cruise]

Okay, maybe not everything...

 

 

What are the hours of programming for ages 12-17?

 

Activities for teens are offered throughout the day. Times may vary.

twice on enchantment there was a teen movie (dd 12) that started at midnight and ended at 2:30 AM

 

 

Is swimming included in the adventure ocean program?

 

No. However, children are allowed to swim at any time with adult supervision. children must be fully toilet trained and pull-up diaper free to enter pools and whirlpools.

 

My DD attended a pool party just for the teens and it was in the solarium from 8:30Pm till 10Pm (enchantment) July 27th sailing

 

Are there video arcades on the ships? Is there a fee?

 

There are traditional video arcades on all Royal Caribbean ships. There is a nominal fee for video tokens.

 

Be careful, if your kids seapass is not locked out for charges they can swipe their card and unknowingly generate a huge bill quickly :eek:

 

 

 

Have a happy vacation :)

[happysinglemom]

The *biggest* change is that you can opt to have your 9 - 11 year old sign themsleves out of Adventure Ocean. There is a release form you'll need to fill out.

 

My son was 11 on our cruise, and loved AO. They played a game called "Gaga ball" and you would have thought that the kids were being paid to play they loved it so much. I never allowed him to sign out though - too big a ship for me to fee comfortable with that. This year will be different - he is 13, and will have more freedom.

[2boxers]

A few years ago my kids used the 9-11 and 12-14 ? groups, and loved it. We ended up paying for the after 10:00 care for the younger one, I think then it was $5 hour. He really enjoyed it.

 

Our last trip was on the Empress and as stated does not have much for the teens, my 14 y/o found enough other kids to keep him busy, but the 16 y/o was with us a lot. This was also in October, so not as many kids on board.

 

I have seen more toddlers and kids under 9 crying and having melt downs because it was time to leave AO and go to bed or spend time with mom and dad:eek: . They truly enjoy it, I never felt a concern about the care my kids recieved. I still meet the kids at AO when they have late night activities to walk them back to the cabin.

[bailey5697]

My son was 11 on our cruise, and loved AO. I never allowed him to sign out though - too big a ship for me to fee comfortable with that. This year will be different - he is 13, and will have more freedom.

 

Thank you for saying that. I agree, for my dd who is only 9 that is too young to have sign out privileges. JMO

[forpaws]

Just a little bit of info on our experience with AO on Sovereign--I had read all the rave reviews on AO prior to sailing so I knew a little bit of what to expect. What I found in all actuality on Sovereign was that it was a very loosely run program, and adult supervision was rarely in place for the 12-14's and the 15-17's. The supervision tended to show up when the hour got later, but there was no consistency to it.

 

From the stories the kids told me, I felt that sometimes the atmosphere was somewhat out of control. Now..granted...I'm listening to the stories of kids and did not experience it first hand, but the kids had no reason to make up the stories they told me. They saw some kids being "bullied" by other kids, thrown out of their seats, pushed around, etc.

 

My niece also told me that she went up to a circle of kids talking and was told by the kids to go away, it was only for 15-17 year olds. Her 13 yr old brother was in the group, and when she pointed that out, they told her "they'd" made an exception for him. My nephew also told me that he saw a kid get mooned by another :eek:--which reaffirmed my opinion that it was loosely run and without adult oversight. After that, I was a little hesitant to let them go to it, but they use pretty good judgment for teenagers, and I had them check in with me more often after that incident.

 

The basketball court hours were restricted to the kids after a certain hour, but that was never enforced as the court was always taken up by adults.

 

Now...before the flames start...we really are a laid back group of travelers...so we can go with the flow as needed. But I had a sense of unease with the teen center on Sovereign, and I just feel that parents need to know that, at least on this ship, they may want to keep a little more watchful eye on their teens in AO and not just assume that everything's under control there. :)

[bailey5697]

Now...before the flames start...we really are a laid back group of travelers...so we can go with the flow as needed. they may want to keep a little more watchful eye on their teens in AO and not just assume that everything's under control there. :)

 

Wow, it sounds like they have created a place for teens to 'Hang Out' but perhaps not be supervised properly?

 

I hope this isn't true for the younger programs. :(

[KarinaGW]

My kids had a ball in AO on Voyager...they were 15& 16 at the time (2002 - I actually am curious to see how they enjoy sailing as "adults" when we go in May). I have most of the kids compasses (for all ages) from that cruise. Obviously, things will have changed some, but it should give you an idea of the activities. You can find them at:

 

http://cafekarina.org/cruise/scans.html

[dodygirl]

Well it definitely sounds like a great program.. I have a 5 & 8 year old (well he turns 8 the day we sail out) and I hope they enjoy it. Do the stats posted reflect the FOS too ?

[cavkc]

We cruised on Brilliance earlier this month with our 2 boys aged 13 and 14. They have cruised with us before on Celebrity and they felt that X were much better organised.

 

On several occasions they would turn up for an evening activity to find that no-one was there from the ships staff, this obviously led to a lot of bored kids who had been looking forward to an event. RCI has come under a lot of stick for unruly children/teens onboard however if they cancel programmes at the last minute, this will certainly contribute.

 

On a few occasions when I went up to check on them there was no-one present from the adventure staff, so I would concur with the previous poster that the teens and younger groups are often left unsupervised.

 

That said, our boys are very sensible and had a fabulous time.

[jo_mackinmecrazy]

After nine various years cruising upon ships in RCI's fleet I am sad to say

that I have officially aged out of the Adventure Ocean Youth Program.

 

From being raised by a former residential summer camp director my family's

standards for youth programs were probably higher than most. RCI

exceeded all expectations by giving me confidence, education, and life long

friendships.

To my mother the youth program was a complementary child care service, but

to me the program has helped me grow into the person I am today.

At the age of 6 I got to perform in my first pirate day performance

onboard the Enchantment's stage. Now I'm a competitive figure skater and

love to perform in front of crowds. Every year I got older and even made it

to the front of the stage to perform the infamous Thursday Pirate day

performance. At the age of nine I got to participate in my first walk for

the Make-A-Wish program. I also started to collect teddy bears instead of

presents at my birthday parties to give to the local children's hospital.

I've learned that there are people fighting just to survive another day,

because RCI connected with the Make-A-Wish Program and showed me the importance of helping others. At the age of 10 I

learned how to make goo from the Adventure Ocean science program which lead me to become interested in science. Where in 2009 I attended X-Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in AL. At the age of 16 one of the counselor's

let me help her with the Explorer's. This past summer I was a camp

counselor and got to live in a cabin with 14 girls and be the counselor I

used to look up to. At 17 a parent left their child in the hot tub with my

friend and I. I taught her how to swim and last May I became a certified

lifeguard.

From my first pirate day performance at 6 to my 18th birthday cruise (which

never really happened because my mom forgot my passport), RCI has been

through it all.

Finally, I have declared my major and am studying Elementary Education at

Cabrini College so I can become the educators I once admired.

Thank you Royal Caribbean for providing a safe and educational youth

program. I am so sad that I'm growing older, but I look forward to my first

cruise as an adult this Saturday on the Grandeur.

Thank you RCI for great service and hope to cruise with you for years to

come!

Royal Caribbean is the cruise line for families. I never thought that a weeks vacation every year has made me into a person I am today, but it has. I've learned more about myself than I ever had at school.

[ARCruisinNana]

After nine various years cruising upon ships in RCI's fleet I am sad to say

that I have officially aged out of the Adventure Ocean Youth Program.

 

From being raised by a former residential summer camp director my family's

standards for youth programs were probably higher than most. RCI

exceeded all expectations by giving me confidence, education, and life long

friendships.

To my mother the youth program was a complementary child care service, but

to me the program has helped me grow into the person I am today.

At the age of 6 I got to perform in my first pirate day performance

onboard the Enchantment's stage. Now I'm a competitive figure skater and

love to perform in front of crowds. Every year I got older and even made it

to the front of the stage to perform the infamous Thursday Pirate day

performance. At the age of nine I got to participate in my first walk for

the Make-A-Wish program. I also started to collect teddy bears instead of

presents at my birthday parties to give to the local children's hospital.

I've learned that there are people fighting just to survive another day,

because RCI connected with the Make-A-Wish Program and showed me the importance of helping others. At the age of 10 I

learned how to make goo from the Adventure Ocean science program which lead me to become interested in science. Where in 2009 I attended X-Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in AL. At the age of 16 one of the counselor's

let me help her with the Explorer's. This past summer I was a camp

counselor and got to live in a cabin with 14 girls and be the counselor I

used to look up to. At 17 a parent left their child in the hot tub with my

friend and I. I taught her how to swim and last May I became a certified

lifeguard.

From my first pirate day performance at 6 to my 18th birthday cruise (which

never really happened because my mom forgot my passport), RCI has been

through it all.

Finally, I have declared my major and am studying Elementary Education at

Cabrini College so I can become the educators I once admired.

Thank you Royal Caribbean for providing a safe and educational youth

program. I am so sad that I'm growing older, but I look forward to my first

cruise as an adult this Saturday on the Grandeur.

Thank you RCI for great service and hope to cruise with you for years to

come!

Royal Caribbean is the cruise line for families. I never thought that a weeks vacation every year has made me into a person I am today, but it has. I've learned more about myself than I ever had at school.

 

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. My granddaughters have been a part of AO since they were 3 with several cruises each year. They are now 6 and 7.

[setsail]

Jo crazy, you will go far in life. Xcellent post::)

[onlyonetrevorfrancis]

Hello

 

Sorry if this is a really obvious question but our son will be four on our Baltic cruise next year so is there a facility at AO where he can go and play with some toys while one of us (mum and dad) are with him or would we have to leave him in one of the programmes if he wanted to play.

 

Thank you

[jmf123]

"Adventure Ocean Made Me Who I Am Today"

 

Thank you for your excellent post, outlining your enriched life via Adventure Ocean, that is awesome! Love your screen name too! Wishing you all of life's best and many more cruises! :)