Adventure Beach on Voyager

[cruisingram1]

I have found the photos on voyager-class.com to be very helpful, but still having a problem visualizing the chidlren's pool area on the Voyager. We are traveling with my 2 granddaughters who will be 6 and 8 by cruise date. Are the water activities at Adventure Beach age appropriate for them? Does RCCL list an age for this area? The photos show three pools. One looks like a splash pool for children in diapers, around pool of undetermined depth that could be a fun option and a third pool to catch the kids coming off the slide (?). Is the circle pool deep enough to swim in? Is there in fact a slide other than the one in the baby pool? Are any of the other pools on the main deck appropriate for children who can swim, but like to be able to touch bottom and still be able to breathe.. in other words.. not 5 feet deep? Our experience on the Diamond Princess was there was no pool that was shallow enough for any of the adults in our party to stand comfortably and swim with the girls and the kid pool was totally out of the way and in a VERY windy part of the ship. Are the children's pools in total shade as the photos look? We are hoping for a more child-friendly pool area. Thanks for your input.

[nidaco]

Cruisingram1-We just sailed the AOS. The AOS I believe has the same set-up for Adventure Beach. The silver slide goes into about a foot of water. It may even be less. Small children like my ds (3.5 years) and older children like my dd (8 years) had a blast with it. The other round pool is about two feet. My three year old was fine in it and you have to be potty trained for all the pools. There's also a larger slide which which is open from 3:00-5:00 PM on port days and days at sea from 11-4:00. There is a counselor from Adventure ocean who mans the large water slide. That person also checks to make sure that a parent/guardian is around in the area. This area is also completely covered so if you're worried about sun exposure this is the place to be. We spent our afternoons there when the large blue waterslide was open. Both of my kids (different ages) loved it! My little one did go on the big blue slide but either my dh or I went with him. Enjoy!:)

[cruisingram1]

Thank you, Nidaco, for your reply. Sounds like this part of the ship will be a great draw for my granddaughters. Glad to hear that your 8 year old had fun too and that it is not necessarily just for toddlers. I was a little disappointed that it was covered, but you're right.. it's a great place to hang out when the sun is strong. We were really disappointed with the Princess pools. This setup sounds much more kid-friendly.

[crusinmama06]

Yes I agree with Nidaco, your grandchildren seem to be the right age for that area. :) The kids who complain about it seem to be in the tween category and up....but the 10 and under ages seem to love it.

 

Next cruise, if the children's pool area is very important to you, try the Freedom Class on RCCL. And probably even the new Genesis class (coming out in 2009)

[cruisingram1]

Cruisnmama6, Unfortunately, I found this board AFTER making our cruise reservations and I admit to not doing all my homework in terms of the differences between Voyager and Freedom class ships. Choice of cruise this time was dependent on spring break and easier travel arrangements. (Galveston seemed a little easier than Florida during April) The Freedom class ships with the H2O zone would definitely be an attraction. There's always next time! This is cruise no. 4 for the 7 year old, no. 3 for the 5 year old, but it's the first time we're not sailing out of Los Angeles. And if money were no object, the count would be higher.

[nidaco]

Cruisingram1-I also haven't been on the Freedom class ships. Personally, I think it would be too large for me. My dh would love to try the Freedom class but for now (since I do the travel arrangements) we'll stick with the Voyager class. Your grandskids will truly enjoy the ship. There's the miniature golf (my ds loved), the rock climbin wall (my dd loved), in-line skating, ice skating, Adventure Ocean (camp), and of course the pools (main and Adventure Beach). My dd loved Adventure Ocean in the eveining. The second it was 7PM she excused herself from dinner and I brought her to camp. She begged to stay to 2:00 AM but midnight was our limit.

[cruisingram1]

Great synopsis of cruise activities for my granddaughters. (Thanks... that was my next question :p ) Our last cruise was Princess and I honestly did not find there to be that much to "officially" entertain other than the kid's club. That is not to say they were bored; they made their own fun, but the ship itself was not that kid oriented. The VOS does sound like it has a good many options geared specifically for children. My youngest gd will not be six until after we cruise so they will not be in the same group unless RCCL is flexible with age. But not sure the almost 6 yr old would fit in with the 6-8 group and doubt the 8 yr old would want to hang with the 3-5's. Hoping they are okay without a sibling in the same group. But still curious.. are the main pools on the Voyager shallow enough for an adult to stand in - well, an adult who is not 6 foot, that is?

[wrp96]

The main pools have a shelf around them (water is between 6-12 inches deep there) and then there is a drop off into the deeper portion. I cannot stand up in the main pools and I am 5'4". In the Solarium pool area (adults only pool area), there are steps into the water and I can usually touch bottom with at least my toes for a portion of that pool.

[cruisingram1]

I wonder if there is a physical reason why the pools on ships do not normally have a traditional shallow and deep end configuration. Perhaps its the physics of a huge body of water on a deck needing to be evenly weighted and not right or left side heavy. If you're 8 years old, standing in a pool does not seem to be an option on any ship. (Actually, I couldn't stand in them either.) A 12" "shelf" is a good option though if you're a decent swimmer which my granddaughters are.

[wrp96]

It's a space issue more than anything. The pools are not that big. There really isn't enough room to incorporate a true shallow end and a true deep end into the pools. If your children are good swimmers they should be fine in the pools. If they need a break the edge is very close and they can hold onto that, which is what I do when I need a break.