First Family Cruise with toddler on Celebrity

[just_us_three]

Hi All,

My husband and I are taking our DS (age 3) on the Eclipe this winter, and I was wondering if there are other's out there that have taken their young ones on a Celebrity cruise. Could you tell me what you thought and what you experienced? Any advice? This is our son's first cruise. Thanks

[themorrices]

Hi All,

My husband and I are taking our DS (age 3) on the Eclipe this winter, and I was wondering if there are other's out there that have taken their young ones on a Celebrity cruise. Could you tell me what you thought and what you experienced? Any advice? This is our son's first cruise. Thanks

Hi there, we are just about to go on our 1st cruise on Saturday aboard the Eclipse with our kids, 3, 5 and 12.

I will try and post a review when we get back for more info but reading the posts, it seems that most people with kids had a fantastic time!

 

Wendy

[just_us_three]

Thanks Wendy,

I look forward to your thoughts. BTW, can I ask what kind of stateroom you opted for?

[queenL]

We recently spent 2 weeks on the Summit for back to back cruises. I have a 3 yr old also. I wrote a review of the kids program if you search my old posts. I enjoyed the cruises, we did utilize the kids club from time to time. Overall it was a good experience.

[expatmama]

we just got back from two weeks aboard the century in Europe with our 14 month old. I know shes younger than your child, but we did check out some of the 3-6 age range stuff

 

while the activities werent too exciting, the play area was great, and there was a staff member there from late morning to late evening. while everyone says X is for the older crowd, i discovered that everyone LOVED having the baby around. I was worried that at dinner or at trivia or at events that people would be upset at her, but everyone (staff included) just wanted to play with her

 

on a nice note, DD took her first steps in the middle of a trivia game. the staff member had a cake sent to our table with his congratulations.... it was very sweet. the staff were all amazing with her

[mrs.mobster]

We took DD on her first cruise (on X Summit) last Jan a week before her 1st bday. Everyone loved having her around, she had a fantastic time. We are taking her again this Jan (on X Eclipse), just before her 2nd bday. Obv, since she wasnt and wont be still, old enough for the kids program, I cant comment on that. But for you, I would take advantage of that for sure. DD loved getting out and exploring ports, seeing new places, and even just walking around the ship and trying new foods at the all day buffets ;)

[drblue]

Hi All,

My husband and I are taking our DS (age 3) on the Eclipe this winter, and I was wondering if there are other's out there that have taken their young ones on a Celebrity cruise. Could you tell me what you thought and what you experienced? Any advice? This is our son's first cruise. Thanks

We travelled recently on the Celebrity Equinox (a sister ship to the Eclipse) with our 3 year old son, and he absolutely loved it, but especially the FUN FACTORY, which is the children's area. They had a lot of interactive activities for them. They did simple coloring activities, and more advanced costume parties. The staff was extremely enthusiastic. These kids also participated in unique activities only available to them and a few chaperone parents (including myself). For example, kids got a special bridge tour with the captain, and they also had a specific performance of the hot blown-glass show, in which they made beautiful glass rocketships and dolls, just for the kids. In addition, they got to go to the formal kitchens and worked with a special chef to create their own pizza, which we then ate at our exclusive dinner party. I also remember that the staff trained and organized the kids to participate on a kid talent show, which was then presented in one of the formal theaters for the parents, and it was also announced to the general public.

My son begged us every day to take him to the Fun Factory because he could not get enough of it. They hours were alaso very convenient since they were open most of the day, and even longer at sea days.

 

If you feel that the staff in the children's facilities were extraordinary, please remember that they do nos share on the general tips provided by hte ship. So, reward them generously, if you feel it is appropriate from your point of view.

[just_us_three]

Wow, thank you all so much for your advice and experiences. We are getting more and more excited to go and I'm getting the notion that our DS will be more than happy with the kid's program. :D

Thanks again everyone who posted!

[just_us_three]

Wendy, I read your review of your cruise and it was very helpful. I'm hoping my 3 yr loves it as much as yours did. Thank you for being so detailed, really great. I can totally appreciate that the young kiddies do much slower activities, especially arts and crafts and dress up. Great review for those of us cruising with kids!

[alj1208]

We decided to take our DS on Eclipse this winter also. He will be 4.5. We made our decision based on the positive reviews of Celebrity's kids programs on this message board.

[just_us_three]

We decided to take our DS on Eclipse this winter also. He will be 4.5. We made our decision based on the positive reviews of Celebrity's kids programs on this message board.

Which sailing ate you taking? We're going Feb 5 thru 12.

[alj1208]

We're going March 5. We'd love to hear/read your impressions following your cruise. Have a great time.

[House-of-P]

We leave Sunday for our first post-baby cruise. I was excited until I read on Frommers that non-potty trained kids are NOT allowed in pools on Celebrity. Moms, help a sister out... will Baby be able to swim with DH and me? We are on a 20 day trip with only 5 stops!!!

[beachchick]

We leave Sunday for our first post-baby cruise. I was excited until I read on Frommers that non-potty trained kids are NOT allowed in pools on Celebrity. Moms, help a sister out... will Baby be able to swim with DH and me? We are on a 20 day trip with only 5 stops!!!

 

Currently, Celebrity does not have pool/water facilities on any of its ships that allow non-potty trained youngsters (or incontinent any age for that matter). No, your baby will not be able to swim with you and your DH, not even in swim diapers. It's a CDC and health department regulation because small cruise ship pools are very different from large public pools on land.

 

Some parents buy and bring a teeny blowup pool that they use either on their balcony or in an out of the way spot on the pool or kids deck. You "fill" it with a few inches of water and then drain it either down the shower drain in your cabin or down the maintenance drains, usually in a cleaning closet, on deck. Those drains are different from the regular drains around the deck. Ask for help from the pool deck staff, who will show you how to fill and where to drain the small amount of water. That's really going to be your best bet if water access is important.

 

beachchick

[kitty9]

I'm a frequent Celebrity cruiser and can tell you they do not allow infants or non-potty trained toddlers in the pool. And, they definitely enforce that rule. I was just on Celebrity last week and saw a couple with their infant in the pool and security came and told them to leave the pool. They were not happy, but complied, for a while. Went back in the pool the next day, and again, security came and made them leave. I overheard the security person tell them that if they were in the pool again with the infant, they would report to the Captain, and he could take action/

 

It's been well discussed on this board that no line will allow non-potty trained kids in any pool, unless it's one of those baby splash zones. So it's just not Celebrity.

 

You say you're on a 20 day cruise, so I'm guessing it's a crossing? If so, you really shouldn't worry as the weather will not be conducive to swimming. If you're doing a crossing from Europe to Florida, it won't be warm enough to swim for probably 15 of your twenty days.

[TW0589]

I see this is an old thread, but thought I'd see if it could be revived. We are taking our 3 y/o son on the Celebrity Reflection in March. Would love to hear if anyone else has traveled on Celebrity with a toddler and what you thought. Or anyone traveling with a toddler any time soon.

[Bear2006]

Three weeks ago we were on the Celebrity Infinity to Alaska with our 3 and 5 year old boys. They loved the cruise! They keep asking when we are going again.

 

They were both went to the Fun Factory on sea days and some evenings. They begged to go everyday. The Shipmates group is for ages 3-5. They had themes for the day so on pirate day they did face painting and got bandanas and pirate hats. On our sailing there were around 2000 people on board and 300 kids under 18. I asked how many 3-5 year olds on board and they told me 29 total. I would say that only around 15 at the most were there at any one time and usually it would be around 8 kids with two counselors.

 

The crew was really welcoming to our kids and seemed to enjoy having the kids around. We took our kids to a couple of the shows and they loved the singing, dancing and the aerialists. One son eats everything so it wasn't a problems while our other son is really picky. It wasn't too hard to find things that he would eat. I hope you have a great time!

[TW0589]

Bear2006,

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. That's really encouraging to us. Our son is 3 y/o and we thought about Disney, but he's still a little afraid of costumed characters, so we may save Disney for later.

 

I'm glad to hear your boys like the Fun Factory and especially the shows. Our son loves music but he's sensitive to loud sounds, so we may try it - from the back.

 

Did you eat with your kids in the dining room? Our son is well "restaurant-trained" but the multiple courses might be a little long for him. I'm not worried about finding food he'll eat, just keeping him patient in his seat while it's served. I don't want to dine on deck every night.

 

Did you use babysitting at all?

 

Tyra

[GreenEyedBandita]

Thanks for the reviews. My daughter is 5 and we will be sailing out on Celebrity Summit, and I was kind of worried about the activites on board...I know she will LOVE LOVE the costume parties and talent show. Hoepfully, they have that on the Summit as well.

[Bear2006]

Bear2006,

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. That's really encouraging to us. Our son is 3 y/o and we thought about Disney, but he's still a little afraid of costumed characters, so we may save Disney for later.

 

I'm glad to hear your boys like the Fun Factory and especially the shows. Our son loves music but he's sensitive to loud sounds, so we may try it - from the back.

 

Did you eat with your kids in the dining room? Our son is well "restaurant-trained" but the multiple courses might be a little long for him. I'm not worried about finding food he'll eat, just keeping him patient in his seat while it's served. I don't want to dine on deck every night.

 

Did you use babysitting at all?

 

Tyra

 

We didn't end up eating in the dining room. Our boys are pretty well behaved and can sit for 45 minutes at a restaurant but after that they get too restless. We were worried about not being able to finish the meal. So we ended up taking them to the buffet for dinner around 6:30. Then checking them into the Fun Factory at 7. We would walk by the Main Dining Room to look at the menu to see what we wanted. My DH and I would write what we wanted on a piece of paper and give it to the room steward. Room service would deliver the meal within 30 minutes (we would tip whoever delivered the food 3 or four dollars - you can get change at the guest services desk). We ate on our balcony and looked for whales. If the show was a musical then we would get the kids 15 minutes before the show started which was around 8:30 or 9:00. we always sat in the back in case one of our kids got restless, which they didn't. They cheered and clapped when everyone else did. If it was the comedian or some other entertainer we would walk around the boat or go to the casino until around 9:30 or 10:00. Then we would pick up the kids. So we never needed a babysitter after 10 pm.

 

We also ordered room service breakfast almost every morning. The paper that you hang on the door was in the back of the folder/binder that has the ship info in it. It was so nice to have coffee/juice/croissant and pastries/cereal and milk delivered to the cabin. That way if the kids slept in DH and I could sip coffee on the balcony. If they woke up they could eat before getting cranky. Sometimes they were full with the room service breakfast, sometimes we would go an hour later after everybody was up and dressed to the buffet breakfast so we could have a big breakfast so we would be ready for a long day. One day the kids were full so we dropped them off at the fun factory for 45 minutes and DH and I went to eat breakfast.

 

I would also recommend asking the room steward to clear the drinks in the small fridge and take them away. Within five minutes of walking in the room our 3 year old had opened the fridge and picked up a little glass bottle that had alcohol in it. Luckily we were watching him so I leaped across the bed to grab it out of his hands. As soon as the steward came to introduce herself we told her what had happened and we wanted everything taken away. She immediately took everything away and out of the room.

 

I would recommend going to the open house on the Fun Factory the embarkation day. You can walk around and meet the counselors. I was impressed that they buy a lot of supplies for the counselors. For example, when it was meet the captain day, the kids met the captain and they gave the kids paper captain hats to keep. My son wore his around the boat for the next day or two. On treasure day they had little treasures that the kids could keep. On pirate day they had cloth bandanas and sturdy thick paper hats the kids got to keep. And they did face painting on several days.