Thinking of booking Princess....can anyone give me details about the kids program????

[Yellowlily]

Wondering if I can get some details on Princess CL kids program. We have a 5 YO who is a seasoned cruiser and loves kids programs so I hope not to disappoint. Maybe where I could find a youth program schedule and how many kids will be on board? We are going during spring break time, so I am guessing there will be some kiddos her age. Don't want to go on a ship where kids are not present. Thanks in advance!

[Scrapchick]

I'm on the Star Princess right now and my 10 year old DD has been on a dozen Princess cruises. Their kids clubs are excellent, well run, very professional and perfectly pitched to each age group. The club varies from ship to ship in terms of facilities. The Star kids club is large and very spacious with an outdoor area as well. The Diamond and Sapphire are also very well equipped.

 

The hours are 9-1, 2-5 and 7-10 usually, though the evening hours here are 6-10, maybe because there are so many port days.

 

I have all the daily programs for the Shockwaves 8-12 group, but not the younger group. There are about 140 kids on board at the moment in the 3-12 groups.

 

We are extremely happy with the kids club program on Princess and can't get our DD to want to leave...

 

There will be kids on board during the main school vacation times, but very few during school time.

 

Is there anything specific you want to know? We have another week to go so I can try to find out. What ship are you considering?

[Flipflopsnfrozendrinks]

Hi, I wanted to mention the Jr Chef at Sea program. The kids get to go down in the galley with the pastry chef and learn how to decorate a cake. To get in, you have to talk to the head of the kids program (not just your age group, but the head of the whole program) at orientation on the first night. I had to leave dinner to sign the kids up and they were # 7 and 8 out of 10. Also, closed toed shoes and long pants (capris will work if necessary) are required. Each child is allowed one adult to go with him/her. Same dress code for the adults. Just so you are prepared... Have a great time, it was a highlight of the kids trip.

 

FWIW, My kids are also seasoned cruisers and felt that Princess's program was not up to par with RCCL or Celebrity. They felt more like they were being babysat than interacted with. By the end of the week, the staff still did not know which kids I was there to pick up, and there were not that many kids in the program that I could see.

Kim

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We thought it was one of the best kids program

[Cruisin' Chick]

My daughter has been on four Princess cruises so far (that's after three Carnival ones) at age 5, 7, 8 and 13. Only on that first one was there few kids as it was mid-February. She was one of three 5-yr-olds so the program wasn't as fill of activites as the other times.

 

For the next two cruises (Alaska in August and Hawaii during holiday break), there were plenty of kids and a full program,including the science oriented ones produced through a partnership with the California Science Center. Last December she hanged with the teens, sometimes in the teen center, sometimes at the pool watching the movies, sometimes watching the night time entertainment.

 

Don't have any recent programs for the Pelicans (the young group), just for the teen group (on my blog listed below).

 

When you first get to your cabin, there should be a packet of info for the program with registration info and a day-by-day listing of activities.