Eclipse with kids???

[defeser]

I am considering the Celebrity Eclipse on April 7, 2012...Eastern Caribbean...for my wife, 8 yr. old son, 5 yr. old daughter, and myself. We have sailed on NCL and Carnival before and have enjoyed both. I'm considering something a little more "upscale" for our next cruise. My only concern is if this ship is "family friendly?" We are not a partying-type family, but our children enjoy the pools (including water slides or splash areas) and a good kids camp program. Can those of you, with children, who have previously sailed on the Solstice ships, PLEASE share your opinions and experiences with us??? Thanks guys!!! And happy sailing!!!

[ecclescat]

Have just returned from Eclipse transatlantic with 13 year old son - he loved the kids club (XClub). Also cruised with celebrity when he was 10 (Ensigns) - same thing, barely saw him.

 

Go to the Cruise Critic party, and see if you can get a Bridge tour.

[jerseygirl3]

I am considering the Celebrity Eclipse on April 7, 2012...Eastern Caribbean...for my wife, 8 yr. old son, 5 yr. old daughter, and myself. We have sailed on NCL and Carnival before and have enjoyed both. I'm considering something a little more "upscale" for our next cruise. My only concern is if this ship is "family friendly?" We are not a partying-type family, but our children enjoy the pools (including water slides or splash areas) and a good kids camp program. Can those of you, with children, who have previously sailed on the Solstice ships, PLEASE share your opinions and experiences with us??? Thanks guys!!! And happy sailing!!!

 

Considering it will be Easter week, I think it's a safe bet that there will be more families with children onboard.

 

We were on Eclipse two months ago and loved it! There are no children's water slides, or a children's pool area per se (unless it was hidden somewhere,I didn't see it). But I've heard only good things about the children's program on Celebrity.

 

I would think that given the ages of your children, they won't need too many "bells and whistles" and Mommy and Daddy will surely enjoy this ship.

 

Jo-Ann

[rebeccalouiseagain]

My son's favorite cruise line is Celebrity. Your 5 year old and 8 year old will have an absolute ball.

[Scrapchick]

We've been on the Eclipse.. No slide, but "pop up" water fountains out by the pool, a great kids club and lots of fun activities. The Fun Factory is great and the staff are excellent. It is more upscale, but not snobby. There will be kids on an Easter sailing but not as many as some of the other lines. There were 40 kids on our recent Millennium sailing in April 2011. We've been on the Eclipse, Equinox and will be on the Silhouette in August with our 9 year old. She loves all the Celebrity ships and so do we.

 

Check out the Family Board and also do a search for posts on the Celebrity kids clubs. I have written about it before and so have others.

 

I don't think you'll have any regrets... The kids will be in different groups as Celebrity breaks them down 3-5, 6-8 and 9-11. The older kids do scavenger hunts, go to the ice cream bar, get taken to the evening shows etc.... there's also the hot glass show and the Lawn Club, which is fun for outdoor activities. Really a wonderful ship.

 

It isn't RCL or Carnival, but it is family friendly and you'll have a blast.

[Infi]

You'll find plenty of kids on Celebrity during spring break weeks, at least a few hundred. Celebrity may not market themselves as a family-oriented line, but their kids program has always been a hidden gem IMHO.

[dkjretired]

Celebrity has great childrens programs and the fact you will be on the ship over Easter will insure lots of them on the cruise.

[Slark]

Our son (11) loved Eclipse! We were on a spring break cruise and there were over 700 kids onboard, but you barely noticed them if you didn't want to. Super programs, and ours loved the hot glass show. Only drawback is the absence of any kind of slide, but that was very minor in our kid's view. (No Murano for kids either, but we didn't miss it.)

 

We did the Epic last year which has, well, lots of slides, kids, bowling, etc. Bottom line; our son is looking forward to another "X" cruise, not NCL.:D

[chessbriar]

My 5 year old just loves the S class ships. Kids club is great and one of the two main pools is about 3 feet deep. She doesn't swim well and the shallower pool was a real plus. She also loved the wet zone.

[btak]

We cruised with our 11 year old son and 7 year old daughter on the Solstice in March. Although the number of kids and activities was toned down compared to other lines and ships, we all had a fabulous time. If you do choose the Eclipse, here are two suggestions:

1. Register the kids for the Fun Factory as soon as you board and have them attend the first evening's activities. There was a Fun Factory table set up just to the left of the welcome cocktails as we boarded and the staff greeted our kids so warmly, they couldn't wait to check out the facilities. We were given a personal tour before it got busy, the kids bonded with the staff and made a few new friends right away, and they were hooked. Well worth the effort!

2. Choose early or select dinner seating. We had late seating and the children's programming really conflicted with our dinner time. Our kids LOVED dining in the MDR, but missed a lot of things in the Fun Factory they would have been able to participate in had we eaten earlier. Next time, we'll choose early seating and they can enjoy the best of both!

 

Enjoy whatever cruise you choose!

[Scrapchick]

We were on the Millennium last month with our 9 year old DD. There weren't a lot of kids on board for the most part and it was a wonderful cruise. There were several tables near ours in the dining room with kids on them. We were sat by the window and across from us was a table of 5 adults and they would lean in and start looking over at our daughter and obviously commenting on things whenever she did anything, whether it was take a bathroom break, or say hi to a passing friend. Once a friend joined us for dinner and that was the topic of much conversation on the next table. it was obvious from the way they looked directly at us while they were talking and I could hear them referring to our DD. She's been on over 20 cruises and is very well behaved and appropriate around other adults. I was one step away from going over to this table of adults and asking them what the problem was. I couldn't tell if they liked her or disliked her but she was a topic of conversation on their table nearly every evening and it was pretty rude.

[Birdie1810]

Did anyone pay the extra fee for the VIP Kids Pass? What was the cost? Was it worth it? My son is 6yrs old. We are looking forward to our Celebrity Cruise.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I did the VIP pass and it was a good value. But honestly I don't remember what it cost. I think it is about $100 and includes unlimited babysitting, a backpack and other little goodies and special ship tours. If your child is going to go every night after 10PM, have dinner with the kids and lunch with the kids (port days)- there is a fee for these things of $6.00 per hour. So if your son is like mine and practically lives there (by choice- he loves it)...its worth it.

[Birdie1810]

Thanks for the feedback. I think he'll want to play with others kids and spend time in the Fun Factory.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

To the OP... Celebrity is my all time favorite cruise line and I have traveled each and every time on there with my son. He started cruising on Celebrity at age 6 months and he is now 10- we've done a total of 6 cruises on Celebrity and have had an absolutely wonderful time with no complaints from him or me.

 

So I know you will love your cruise and there are always people with differing opinions on children... so this is common on these boards but don't think for one minute that one or two grumpy people on these boards reflect the majority of cruise passengers. I have found Celebrity cruisers to be very nice and polite overall.

[Jade13]

We are not a partying-type family, but our children enjoy the pools (including water slides or splash areas) and a good kids camp program.quote]

 

There are no water slides or splash areas.

[reesciteach]

I was on the April 24th Solstice with my almost 7 and 4 year olds. this was our first X cruise having previously cruised on Disney, RCCL, Princess, and NCL. Although this cruise was nice, the kids club areas were extremely small by comparison to the other ships we've been on. The employees in the Fun Factory were great, but the activities were just ok. Celebrity has not made the preferred list for us next time we cruise and I would not recommend it to friends. Next time I'll go with RCCL or Disney.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I agree that if you like Royal and Disney then you probably aren't going to like Celebrity. Celebrity is a relaxing cruise line where people like to veg out. It isn't a kiddie ship. However from my son's perspective (he is now 10)- heaven on earth is Celebrity Fun Factory and he has done Royal 2x and Disney. He loves every cruise though.. just Celebrity the most.

[MaggieAtSea]

My first cruise was the Solstice. It was boring because the counselors weren't all that fun and the kids club didn't have that much fun to do there. The ship had launched just so maybe it was still getting its act together.

My second cruise was the Summit. That was fun because the counselors were nice, there were fun things to do on board for me and I met some friends I looked forward to seeing each day.

My third cruise was Disney Wonder. They had a cool slide IN the kids club, they also had fun water things to do and pirate night and the kids club at their private island was also fun.

I just took my fourth cruise on the Adventure of the Seas. I liked it... especially the big water slide... though it wasn't open all that much.

 

And now a word from mom:

AoS had 900 kids on board during our spring break and you would have never known. The smaller Summit was outfitted with very peppy, outgoing counselors. And I have to concur with ds, the Solstice did not have a particularly friendly staff and all they pointed to for fun in the kids club were the video games.

We only put our son in the kids club 2-2.5 hours a day as we like to do a lot of things as a family when we take a vacation. We couldn't get him out of Disney's club, but the ship was just a bit too "Disney" for his parents, even with the adult-only area.

We have our sights set on, perhaps, the Eclipse for next spring break... but we're wary as the Solstice was not all that great. Still, maybe her sister has worked some things out and the staff has warmed up a bit on this one.

 

Happy sailing.

:cool:

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I was worried that my son (then 8, almost 9) wouldn't like the Equinox FF because it didn't look like the ones on Millenium class ships- but he never wanted to leave. I think you have to look at the daily schedule of activities because they do do other things besides video games but my son did like playing video game with the other kids. He loved it but he is really social and just likes making new friends. He also loves the counselors and they were great on Equinox. So as you say, maybe they hadn't gotten their act together on Solstice.

[alj1208]

We sailed on Eclipse in March with our 4.5 year old DS. We had sailed Celebrity previously as a couple without a child and loved it. We were thrilled that we can still enjoy X with our child in tow. It's true that the ship is designed for adults, but to be sure, there are many things that make it family-friendly, if not family-CENTRIC.

 

I also believe the child care is better on Celebrity because there are fewer kids. My son got lots of individual and personal attention in the Fun Factory. He has ADHD and does not do well in situations that are overly stimulating. I explained this to the Fun Factory staff, and they made sure to give him a little extra support where needed. He had a great time, and I left them a big tip a the end!

 

You should also know that the Fun Factory was not a wild, crowded place with people running around in costumes. For the "Shipmates" group, ages 3-5, it was more like a very nice nursery school or kindergarten. They had tons of nice craft projects, movement activities, and more.

 

Eclipse also gets very high marks for child safety. The sliding glass doors in the balcony cabins have second locks at the very top that children can't reach. We also had a very strict rule that DS wasn't allowed on the balcony alone for any reason. He really loved being out there with either me or DH, watching us arriving and leaving the various ports. All the railings were glass, both in the cabins and out on the decks (at least the decks we saw). There is NO WAY a child could climb them.

 

Finally, on the Eclipse, you don't feel like you're in a theme park; it's a swanky, sophisticated vibe. The only "negative," if there was one, was the fact that weren't many activities on board for the whole family to enjoy together. That didn't bother us too much. Our son loved the Fun Factory, the pool, and the fountains. He also loved getting soft-serve ice cream at outdoor cafe near the pool.

 

I would personally rather have a more upscale experience on X and sacrifice some of the "family" offerings available on other lines.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I did Royal Independence of the Seas a few years ago because I wanted to try it purely for my son.

 

I had fun, met nice people and played lots of trivia.

 

Cons tacky decor, sculptures by the buffet/pool were horrible eye sore.

Pool was ice cold no one swam in the main pool the entire cruise.

(Kids pool was warm and we enjoyed that)

 

My son did like this cruise but I have discovered that he likes every cruise!

 

So now I pick the itinerary I want and make sure there is at least a youth program. If Mom's happy- he's happy.

[tophatgirl]

We sailed on Eclipse in March with our 4.5 year old DS. We had sailed Celebrity previously as a couple without a child and loved it. We were thrilled that we can still enjoy X with our child in tow. It's true that the ship is designed for adults, but to be sure, there are many things that make it family-friendly, if not family-CENTRIC.

 

I also believe the child care is better on Celebrity because there are fewer kids. My son got lots of individual and personal attention in the Fun Factory. He has ADHD and does not do well in situations that are overly stimulating. I explained this to the Fun Factory staff, and they made sure to give him a little extra support where needed. He had a great time, and I left them a big tip a the end!

 

You should also know that the Fun Factory was not a wild, crowded place with people running around in costumes. For the "Shipmates" group, ages 3-5, it was more like a very nice nursery school or kindergarten. They had tons of nice craft projects, movement activities, and more.

 

Eclipse also gets very high marks for child safety. The sliding glass doors in the balcony cabins have second locks at the very top that children can't reach. We also had a very strict rule that DS wasn't allowed on the balcony alone for any reason. He really loved being out there with either me or DH, watching us arriving and leaving the various ports. All the railings were glass, both in the cabins and out on the decks (at least the decks we saw). There is NO WAY a child could climb them.

 

Finally, on the Eclipse, you don't feel like you're in a theme park; it's a swanky, sophisticated vibe. The only "negative," if there was one, was the fact that weren't many activities on board for the whole family to enjoy together. That didn't bother us too much. Our son loved the Fun Factory, the pool, and the fountains. He also loved getting soft-serve ice cream at outdoor cafe near the pool.

 

I would personally rather have a more upscale experience on X and sacrifice some of the "family" offerings available on other lines.

 

Awesome reply. Going with my almost 6 y/o and her cousin, 6, this December. First cruise ever and I just want her to have fun....Also, anyone know if they will allow her to be bumped up to the 6-8 group? She will be 3 months shy of 6 and her cousin will be 2 months past 6. I would hate them to be separated (what is the point of a family vacation then?) or to be stuck in the 3-5 group as they will both be in kindergarden. Thanks!

[John73]

This past summer I was on a Celebrity cruise and lucky enough to be seated wtih a Celebrity employee that managed the new ship 'sail-outs'. She talked at length about the Celebrity kids programs and how great they were. I was so impressed that I've recommended Celebrity to my sister and her 2 year old for some upcoming cruises. It may not be called out strongly, but it seems Celebrity has a great program for kids.

[Jo and Rob]

We sailed on Eclipse in March with our 4.5 year old DS.

Finally, on the Eclipse, you don't feel like you're in a theme park; it's a swanky, sophisticated vibe. Our son loved the Fun Factory, the pool, and the fountains. He also loved getting soft-serve ice cream at outdoor cafe near the pool.

 

 

ICE CREAM!! I'm interested to find out more about the outdoor cafe. As far as I know there is the pay for icecream (no thanks) and free ice cream in the buffet. Am I discovering a venue by the pool where the children don't have to get dressed out of their costumes to get an ice cream? (is it complementary?)

 

This was one real bonus of Independence and Allure of the Seas, the fact that they could get soft serve ice cream by the pool it would be great if Eclipse had this too!