Celebrity in Europe, with kids (low season)

[jaykat]

My family and I (Dh, dd15, ds 12) have cruised twice before (Royal, Carnival) and are thinking about a Mediterranean cruise this year. I like the itinerary for a September cruise on Celebrity Reflection. I know that late September is not school holiday season for kids in US/UK/Europe as it is for us in Australia, so there would not be many (or perhaps any??) kids on board.

 

So my question is: would there be much for my kids to do on the ship if there are not very many other kids their age? (there are 2 sea days on this cruise)

I realise that Celebrity doesn't have the activities of some of the other cruise lines. Has anyone had experience cruising with kids in the off season? Are there places on the ship that the kids are not allowed to go? Also, I have read very mixed reviews of the entertainment. If there is not great (or age appropriate) entertainment, what is there for the kids to do in the evenings?

 

All input, suggestions and experiences greatly appreciated!:)

(and I have already had a look at the Roll Call for this cruise and there are no kids mentioned)

[20pluscruises]

My family and I (Dh, dd15, ds 12) have cruised twice before (Royal, Carnival) and are thinking about a Mediterranean cruise this year. I like the itinerary for a September cruise on Celebrity Reflection. I know that late September is not school holiday season for kids in US/UK/Europe as it is for us in Australia, so there would not be many (or perhaps any??) kids on board.

 

So my question is: would there be much for my kids to do on the ship if there are not very many other kids their age? (there are 2 sea days on this cruise)

I realise that Celebrity doesn't have the activities of some of the other cruise lines. Has anyone had experience cruising with kids in the off season? Are there places on the ship that the kids are not allowed to go? Also, I have read very mixed reviews of the entertainment. If there is not great (or age appropriate) entertainment, what is there for the kids to do in the evenings?

 

All input, suggestions and experiences greatly appreciated!:)

(and I have already had a look at the Roll Call for this cruise and there are no kids mentioned)

 

Kids are not allowed in the adult pool, Murano, casino and late night comedy...they are welcome in all other areas of the ship. They also have xbox and teen areas in the evenings.

 

Our roll call for the Christmas cruise was all geared toward the children getting together. It was the priority on that roll call...best meeting/getting to know one another times were for the kids. That was the first time I've seen this happen. :confused:

[johnb0529]

Not familiar with the activities on Celebrity for children, as I don't have any, but I have taken a couple cruises in September in the Med and have seen very few children...only a couple on the entire ship.

 

On our last Med Cruise we didn't see any children the entire cruise, until disembarkation day, when we saw 2...we were kinda like "where did they hide them for 12 days?"

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I sailed with my then 12 year old son last May 2013 on an 8 night California coastal cruise and there were probably only three kids total. There were never any kids in the teen program but it was open for his use- although there was no counselor in there. The youth program was open as well and those girls(counselors)had to sit there whether anyone showed up or not.

 

The ship was the Solstice, which is also an S-class ship. My son and I got into a groove of trading off doing things that I like (trivia) and what he likes ping pong and Uno. We really had fun and I'm sure you will in Europe.

 

The ships are lovely. The pools and hot tubs are nice. We love "Bistro on Five" which is a bargain at $5 per person surcharge. They made yummy made to order crepes, sandwiches and desserts. It's open for breakfast lunch dinner and late night snacks. "Qsine" is on Reflection and it is really a treat- your kids will love it.

 

Our two favorite cruise lines are Celebrity and Princess and we've sailed Royal twice in the past year but that isn't my son's favorite. So I think your kids will have a good time on Celebrity even if there are no kids.

 

As for Europe- my son and I did do Europe last January on the Serenade of the Seas and he loved Europe and surprisingly liked taking the bus tours. I was surprised that there were lots of kids on that cruise (January 3-January 15th)

Edited January 17, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[nojoke]

we sailed the Equinox B2B Med./TransAtlantic in Nov/Dec 2013. There were very few children, but quite often we saw a little group of 8-10 with the attendant getting ice cream, or on their way around the ship with head gear like crowns, chef hats, etc. So the ship does provide activities regardless of the number of children.

[Antonintassie]

Hi

 

We sailed on the Royal Princess during this time in 2013 and Celebrity ship was in the same ports normally.

 

One thing is there are very few sea days and full on port stops ,we had been to most of the cities before except Turkey so we had some local knowledge.

 

Our teenage son loved Europe and the days ashore some prior research makes them fun and enjoyable.

 

The Celebrity s class ship passengers we saw where mainly retired people as was our ship but they seemed to have more families and teens than the Royal Princess.

 

Our son just chilled out on the sea days ( only 3 ) and recharged for the next port as did we ,you do alot of walking in Europeon cities .

 

 

Entertainment on our ship was good ( magic and comedy )but pretty tame certainly nothing to worry about with a teen .

 

It is a great time to go to Europe the weather is stable and not to hot ,the Euro holiday season is over .

 

Make time for Barcelona and Venice if these are your start or stop ports great cities for families

 

 

 

My family and I (Dh, dd15, ds 12) have cruised twice before (Royal, Carnival) and are thinking about a Mediterranean cruise this year. I like the itinerary for a September cruise on Celebrity Reflection. I know that late September is not school holiday season for kids in US/UK/Europe as it is for us in Australia, so there would not be many (or perhaps any??) kids on board.

 

So my question is: would there be much for my kids to do on the ship if there are not very many other kids their age? (there are 2 sea days on this cruise)

I realise that Celebrity doesn't have the activities of some of the other cruise lines. Has anyone had experience cruising with kids in the off season? Are there places on the ship that the kids are not allowed to go? Also, I have read very mixed reviews of the entertainment. If there is not great (or age appropriate) entertainment, what is there for the kids to do in the evenings?

 

All input, suggestions and experiences greatly appreciated!:)

(and I have already had a look at the Roll Call for this cruise and there are no kids mentioned)