Celebrity with 3 & 5 yr olds?

[2preschoolers]

Do you see many younger kids on Celebrity? We were on Carnival Liberty this past January and they loved Camp Carnival. So how is the kids club with Celebrity?

 

It looks like the Solstice and Eclispe may have a a nice area for kids at the pool....that would be a huge bonus! Has anyone been and maybe tell me if the pools are kid friendly?

 

What type of shows are offered in the evenings on those ships?

 

And do they offer kids menus in the dining rooms?

 

Thank you!!

[mynextcruise]

Hi--we just got back from a B2B on the Solstice with our 9 yr old daughter. She first went on Celebrity when she was 4 & LOVED the Fun Factory---and she had a great time this time, too. The counselors were marvelous--lots to do for the little ones. The dining room does have a children's menu with all the usual kid's items---but you can order from the main menu, too. The 'Everyday' portion (left side of the menu) has salmon, chicken, rice, mashed potatoes, broccoli, carrots etc--which are some of the things my daughter likes (and liked when she was four). So you can 'mix & match' when/if you want them to eat something besides chicken fingers & hot dogs etc.

There is a pool area/fountain area for kids---but it is pretty small---although most are on ships. There is a 'Cirque du Soleil' style show that the kids really enjoyed---I'm not sure if the other shows would appeal to your girls..perhaps the Dance show or the Broadway songs one? We also enjoy listening the the musians that are out & about....and getting cookies & milk at the coffee bar :). Any other questions, ask away.

[jdymiller]

We took our grandchildren on an Alaskan cruise and they loved every minute. The counselors were great and kept them entertained. Many nights they ate at the camp rather than spending time in the dining room and they preferred the pizza and movie! They were never bored. Judy

[Larabelle]

We just came back from a 10 night Eastern Med trip on the Equinox with 2 four year olds and an eight year old. They loved the Fun Factory. I brought all these cute outfits for evening dinners and didn't use many of them since the kids preferred going to camp instead of sitting through 3 course meals with the adults. Most times when we went to pick them up, they would tell us they were not ready to leave. As for the pools, the outdoor area had a deeper pool where you couldn't touch the bottom with a shallow "family" pool next door. The four year olds could stand in the family pool and the water went up to their upper arms if I remember correctly. Right next to the family pool is a fountain area where the kids enjoyed sitting / standing and laying down as the water shot up.

[2preschoolers]

Thanks!! All great info!! I think my main concern was that, perhaps, many of Celebrity's passengers wouldn't appreciate having kids around. I recall, about 10 yrs ago, going on a Celbrity ship from NY to Bermuda in May and we were the youngest people on the ship! (DH and I). By 8pm nobody was out & about, nobody in the bars, etc. I just figured if it catered to more of an older crowd, maybe they would frown upon people having kids there.

 

So a question about dining - is the kids club open at dinner time? Example - can we get the kids fed quickly (in the dining room) and then drop them in the kids club while we finish eating?

 

And how are the lines for buffets at bkfst/lunch?

[80sramfan]

Do you see many younger kids on Celebrity? We were on Carnival Liberty this past January and they loved Camp Carnival. So how is the kids club with Celebrity?

 

It looks like the Solstice and Eclispe may have a a nice area for kids at the pool....that would be a huge bonus! Has anyone been and maybe tell me if the pools are kid friendly?

 

What type of shows are offered in the evenings on those ships?

 

And do they offer kids menus in the dining rooms?

 

Thank you!!

 

Just back from teh Eclipse and the fun factory was great. My daughter aged 10 loved it and the counselors

[mynextcruise]

There were 500 kids on our Solstice 6/20 cruise & 700 on the 6/27---so plenty of families on board. The kid's club has regular hours (no charge) of 9am-noon, 2-5pm & 7-10pm. On sea days they are open from 12-2--but it's quiet time & you must take your child out sometime to feed them lunch. On port days the kid's club will take the kids to lunch, but there is a charge during that time ($6/hr, I think). The club is also open from 5-7pm & the kids will be fed dinner--but there is usually a charge...but they do have a couple 'specials'---I don't think there was a charge on 'Make your own Pizza' night. My daughter ate with the kid's club several nights---other nights she ate with us & then went to the club while we fiinished dinner.

Also, after 10pm, there is a 'Slumber party' from 10-1am, with a $6/hr charge.

[mizer9549]

Thanks!! All great info!! I think my main concern was that, perhaps, many of Celebrity's passengers wouldn't appreciate having kids around. I recall, about 10 yrs ago, going on a Celbrity ship from NY to Bermuda in May and we were the youngest people on the ship! (DH and I). By 8pm nobody was out & about, nobody in the bars, etc. I just figured if it catered to more of an older crowd, maybe they would frown upon people having kids there.

 

So a question about dining - is the kids club open at dinner time? Example - can we get the kids fed quickly (in the dining room) and then drop them in the kids club while we finish eating?

 

And how are the lines for buffets at bkfst/lunch?

 

We just came back from the Eastern Med on the Equinox. Celebrity was very kid friendly, and in a way that seemed better than Carnival to me. They seemed to have a good balance of quality service for the adults and effective facilities for the kids. We were able to sign our kids up for the Kid's Club Dinner program. We utilized this when we were going to the specialty restaurants and felt the kids would not be willing to sit through the evening. An important note is that you can request the councilors to allow your kids to pick their own food rather than just getting the planned offering. My kids are picky eaters but after the first meal we spoke to the staff and they were able to get whatever they wanted, which please them to no end. You could also drop them off after dinner, and they have a slumber party daily that allows them to stay until 1am. We never had them stay past 10pm, but it seemed that there were some kids there late.

 

The lines were not bad at all for breakfast / lunch at the buffet.

[phoenix_dream]

We took my youngest son on cruises from the time he was two, most of them on Celebrity. As respects others not wanting kids around, it all depends on how they behave. If their parents perform their parental duties appropriately, no one should have a problem. You may be pleasantly surprised to see your kids behavior kick up a notch if they know what is expected of them. You will not see nearly as many children on Celebrity as other cruiselines, but there are always some children, and always something for them to do. But if you want a large child contingent and many play options, I would choose another line.

[2theship]

I must admit that my information is a little out of date as our daughters are older now but Celebrity was always their favorite cruise line. Although there were plenty of kids on board to play with, the ship was not overrun with them, making a much more pleasant time for my girls.

 

The staff was incredible with them, especially in the dining room. They offer a separate kids menu but they are welcome to order from either menu. Unlike other cruiselines, the kids menu was more than just chicken nuggets and pizza. Basically, it offered simpler versions of that night's adult menu.