Kids Clubs & In Room Child Care

[nothriver]

We are looking at a southbound Alaska cruise for June and it looks to me like the childrens program starts at age 5 and there is no in room childcare available at all. Can someone please confirm this?

 

My mother would love to cruise Regent again but as the mother of a 4 yr old, I'm not pleased about spending so much money on a cruise and being unable to do anything but entertain my child who is the youngest of the grandchildren, while the rest of my extended family enjoys all the the Marnier has to offer.

 

I have decided on Celebrity instead but my mother keeps looking at the Regent brochure longingly. Marnier is a lovely ship and yes it would be the trip of a lifetime for my parents 50th anniverisary, but I just can't get past the no child care issue.

[ridolphi]

You are right nothriver. Regent does a pretty good job when they have children onboard and the counselors are quite good, but there is no designated area for them, they usually use one of the lounge areas not in use during the day. They do not offer in room babysitting to my knowledge, nor do they offer any evening programs to my knowledge for kids. We've had kids onboard when we've been on occasionaly, and they are usually with their parents.

 

Yes, RSSC would be a great option for your parents 50th with an extended family, but you would definitely be responsible for your 4 year old.

 

I think your choice of Celebrity is a good alternative for the whole family and I'm sure your parents would have a great time, especially since they will be with their family. Maybe you and your family could split the cost of upgrading them to a Sky Suite, or above which would give them a larger room with a Butler and other amenities to help make it more special for them (maybe you have already done this).

 

I personally would do Celebrity in this case over Regent, as they have an excellent children/teen program and it gives adults lots of adult time, but yet the whole family can share meals and excursions.

 

Just my opinion.

[nothriver]

Thank you for sharing your opinions JoAnn.

 

My mother thought she read somewhere that Regent kids programs started at age 4, and I definately read somewhere in the brochure about "childrens programs from toddlers to teens" and I've never considered age 5 a toddler - a little bit of a marketing stretch from Regent in that comment if in fact they start at age five, so I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.

 

I think overall Celebrity will be a good fit for this family trip, but maybe I should start planning another cruise for just my parents now so Mom can look forward to a RSSC in the future.

[ronsex]

I've cruised a couple times on the Mariner with friends who have 2 young children, one and three at the time of the cruise and Regent did have babysitting service available.

 

The second cruise we did together we arranged for sitting service every night of the 24 day cruise so the adults could enjoy quiet time together. Arrangements were made with the reception desk and the fee was $25.00 per hour which was charged to their cabin account. In all cases it was either one of the ladies from the reception desk or the lady from the computer room who provided the actual service.

 

The ladies do it on their own time and collect the entire fee. My friends were totally satisfied with the service and certainly appreciated being able to dine with the rest of us.

[ridolphi]

Well you learn something new everyday. Thats certainly good information to know, I for one, as said above, did not think that RSSC had in room babysitting.

[linda_22003]

Our first cruise on Regent had the "Club" feature but very few children onboard, and the parents we spoke to were disappointed about that. Regent is not really geared toward small children, in my experience. At this point in our lives, that's one thing we really like about it. If we had small children it would not be our selection.

[Travelcat2]

If this will be your parent's 50th anniversary, why should they be babysitting? A cruise on Regent for the two of them would be lovely. Your family could go on a different cruise and your child would have a wonderful time. If you schedule it right, you could meet up at some ports. Just a thought!

[nothriver]

If this will be your parent's 50th anniversary, why should they be babysitting?

 

I guess I didn't make myself clear. My parents are taking the whole family on a cruise for their 50th anniversary because they want to celebrate this milestone with their children and grandchildren. I never mentioned that they would be babysitting! I simply wanted to clarify if babysitting was available from the staff at Regent. I thought I read either in their brochure or on the website that specifically stated no in room child care was available. Not sure now if that was a general statement or something specific to the southbound Alaska cruise I was interested in. I thought that was odd that they would not offer this service, because most cruises do offer this service. As a previous poster mentioned, usually it is staff that does the baby sitting for a set fee. I'm wondering if this service is maybe specific to each cruise. I originally posted in the evening after Regent offices were closed and I never did get them called back to clarify the policy so I still don't know for certain one way or another.

 

In any case, I just booked Celebrity today. I really think it will be a much better fit for all three generations in our family, especially the grandkids, ages 4, 5, 15, and 22.

 

I really appreciate all the responses. I'm tempted to call Regent tomorrow and find out about the child care, just out of curiosity.

[orchestrapal]

Good luck on Celebrity which sounds perfect for your group.

Many on Regent are happy to have as few children as possible

as well as as little smoking.

Sounds like you made a good move. Enjoy!:)

[Travelcat2]

I really did misread that post. Sorry:( I do agree that many passengers on Regent prefer having a minimum number of children on board. Children are expected on cruises during the summer and school holidays (there are many of Alaska cruises).

 

Hope you enjoy Celebrity!