flcruisechick16 Posted September 28, 2015 #1 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Hi Everyone, I am hoping for some feedback from anyone that has taken their little ones on Celebrity. We have 2 children who will be 4 and 6 at the time of the sailing. We love to cruise and have cruised only Disney with the kids, but several other lines without. We love princess when it is just us adults, but were thinking of trying out celebrity since we like the itinerary better. Disney prices have just been insane this year and were thinking of trying one of the adult lines with the kids. That being said, would the children enjoy a cruise on celebrity? Are they somewhat kid friendly, like in the dining room and stuff. Are children allowed in the pool (s)? Are there activities that they would enjoy? Also we are looking at either a standard balcony or concierge class balcony. Does anyone know how the beds are arranged with 4 in a cabin? It says there is a sofa bed so does that sleep 2 (my kids are small but don't think they would fit in a twin)? Or is there an upper berth somewhere? We looked into Holland as well but saw they have the 4th bed right over our bed, we wouldn't like that. Thanks so much for any insight you can give. We are looking into the Jan 2 Reflection Western. Caroline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigJH Posted September 28, 2015 #2 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Room set up is ideal for kids with either a sofa bed and pull out trundle bed underneath ot a sofa bed with pullman above, ours were slightly older (11 and 6) and there were no issues... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty9 Posted September 28, 2015 #3 Share Posted September 28, 2015 A lot depends on when you book your cruise. If it's during a time when school is in session, there are VERY few kids on Celebrity cruises. From our experience after cruising Celebrity at least 35 times, on all their ships and on different lengths of itineraries, we have found that you can count on one hand the number of kids on board when school is in session. If you book during school vacations, there will be more kids, but not nearly as many as you find on lines like RCI and of course, Disney. They do have the kid's club all the time, and it's rated pretty high by kids and parents, but when we cruised with my goddaughter who was 5 at the time, and we cruised on a 7 day cruise during school time, there were exactly 3 other kids her age on board---a few babies and toddlers under age three but not much more----, so the kid's club activities weren't nearly as much as during other times. You will be welcomed on board, and kids who are toilet trained can go in the pool, but there is not a children's pool that's shallow for the young ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted September 28, 2015 #4 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Celebrity is "family friendly", so no worries...your kids will be welcomed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCruisers Posted September 28, 2015 #5 Share Posted September 28, 2015 (edited) My granddaughters had two favorite cruise lines when they were young -- Princess and Celebrity! No worries -- Celebrity is very child friendly! :) LuLu Edited September 28, 2015 by OCruisers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Keith1010 Posted September 28, 2015 #6 Share Posted September 28, 2015 When our children were young we took them on Celebrity many times and they had a wonderful time. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norwegianwood57 Posted September 28, 2015 #7 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Celebrity is "family friendly", so no worries...your kids will be welcomed! Not by adult cruisers. Stay with Royal Caribbean. Many of us travel when school is in session for that very reason, to get an adult only holiday. Holidays are different, then you can expect families. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkjretired Posted September 28, 2015 #8 Share Posted September 28, 2015 (edited) Not by adult cruisers. Stay with Royal Caribbean. Many of us travel when school is in session for that very reason, to get an adult only holiday. Holidays are different, then you can expect families. Celebrity is a very family friendly line and there are more and more children traveling on other than school holidays due to alternate school schedules and home schooling. Usually as in this case, the only complainers are those who have never taken children on a Celebrity cruise. My children grew up on Celebrity and preferred them over other lines. They have excellent children's programs which seem to be more individualized than other lines. My child has learning disabilities and the counselors are wonderful. Edited September 28, 2015 by dkjretired Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianDee Posted September 28, 2015 #9 Share Posted September 28, 2015 There's the odd adult Celebrity cruiser here who makes a point of posting her dislike of children and families sailing on her Celebrity, but thankfully for those of us who like to vacation with our children and grandchildren, most cruisers seem to be welcoming and receptive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Small_Stuff Posted September 28, 2015 #10 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Our kids first cruised Celebrity when they were 7 and 8. Since that time they have been on lots of Celebrity cruises some with lots of other children and others with just a handful. Either case they love the kids programs and the staff who adjusted there routine depending upon the number of kids present. The wait staff in the main dining room has been amazing - from paper frogs to impromptu sundaes. Try and get a family stateroom - they are usually provided to families of 5 or more, but our family of 4 has had one several times. They are roomier with more storage and privacy dividers between kids and parent sleeping areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curiouscat Posted September 28, 2015 #11 Share Posted September 28, 2015 they have a kids club.. of course busier when school is out.. they have pools for families but do have an adults only solarium w pool and Jacuzzis... Check out the deck plan to see what is kid friendly and not...and they will be accommodating to children in the dining room. I think Celebrity is a fit for children if they're well traveled. then it should be no problem :D CC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flcruisechick16 Posted September 28, 2015 Author #12 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Thank you all so much for all the feedback. I am hoping the one poster who implied that they don't want children around is the exception. I think my kids are pretty well traveled, we have been all over the eastern US, museums, monuments, historic sites etc. Also, the dates we are looking at is just after New Years, so my children will be off of school until the middle of that week, so thinking perhaps others will be off as well. Hoping we don't get the dirty looks from those that don't want children around because it sounds like otherwise the cruise would be a perfect fit. Someone posted about a family room, I didn't see that option when trying to choose that cabin. Is it an Oceanview? Or veranda? Thanks again!! Looking forward to trying out a great new cruise line. So far have loved Disney, HAL and Princess the best. Have heard great things about celebrity. Caroline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flcruisechick16 Posted September 28, 2015 Author #13 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Not by adult cruisers. Stay with Royal Caribbean. Many of us travel when school is in session for that very reason, to get an adult only holiday. Holidays are different, then you can expect families. Yikes, hope your position is not the norm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkjretired Posted September 28, 2015 #14 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Yikes, hope your position is not the norm. It is definitely not the attitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flcruisechick16 Posted September 28, 2015 Author #15 Share Posted September 28, 2015 It is definitely not the attitude. Thank you so much! I appreciate it :). I try to take my children on various trips and I truly believe that seeing the world is a large part of their education. And it doesn't always have to be a crazy commercial party. I am ok with a more refined and relaxing trip to amazing ports. And I will make sure they are on their best behavior Caroline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disneyneighbor Posted September 28, 2015 #16 Share Posted September 28, 2015 It's usually not a problem with the little ones! It is often a case where the parent does not watch their children. The children are sometimes turned loose with no parental supervision. EVERYONE here has seen that !:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonedaddy Posted September 28, 2015 #17 Share Posted September 28, 2015 It's usually not a problem with the little ones! It is often a case where the parent does not watch their children. The children are sometimes turned loose with no parental supervision. EVERYONE here has seen that !:) I have to agree kids are not a problem - I have raised 4 (youngest now 14), but the unsupervised and disrespectful ones are. You have them everywhere. If the little kids become whiney they are no fun for anyone including the parents so let them chill and have some room service and go to kids clubs instead of forcing them to eat in the dining venues. Just my two cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Got2Cruise Posted September 29, 2015 #18 Share Posted September 29, 2015 The pool setup is NOT family friendly. I actually felt sorry for the kids. Out of three pools only one allows kids. It's the smallest one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuinseog Posted September 29, 2015 #19 Share Posted September 29, 2015 We had a Concierge class room on the Solstice, and I believe the sofa had a trundle. I would suggest, if you can, to get one of the rooms on the "hump" so you have a little more room with two little ones. The staff was wonderful with our 2yo daughter. She was too young for the kids' activities, but everywhere we went the staff were so kind and thoughtful toward her. We have booked another cruise with Celebrity because we were so impressed with them. For dinner in the MDR, they did get her order from a special kid-friendly menu and brought it right away...I want to say it was at the same time or just after the appetizer. That was a nice touch. Make sure to stop by Cafe al Bacio in the afternoons for some free milk and cookies. Our daughter really loved that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flcruisechick16 Posted September 29, 2015 Author #20 Share Posted September 29, 2015 The pool setup is NOT family friendly. I actually felt sorry for the kids. Out of three pools only one allows kids. It's the smallest one. So which pool can the kids actually swim in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norwegianwood57 Posted September 29, 2015 #21 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Yikes, hope your position is not the norm. It is the norm, but most will not say it here and certainly not as consistently as I will. No kids unless it is holiday time. Plenty of other cruiselines that offer so much more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hmaok Posted September 29, 2015 #22 Share Posted September 29, 2015 So which pool can the kids actually swim in? I know on the Alaskan cruises, kids can swim in the indoor pool during certain time periods. We will be taking advantage of that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notsomadhatter Posted September 29, 2015 #23 Share Posted September 29, 2015 I know on the Alaskan cruises, kids can swim in the indoor pool during certain time periods. We will be taking advantage of that! On our Sept 11 Solstice cruise there were three hours daily (two in the morning and one in the afternoon) that were posted as family hours. They definitely do this on cruises in cold weather. However, the OP is considering a cruise just after New Year's so I'm not thinking it will apply to them. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drinkspackageexpert Posted September 29, 2015 #24 Share Posted September 29, 2015 It is the norm, but most will not say it here and certainly not as consistently as I will. No kids unless it is holiday time. Plenty of other cruiselines that offer so much more. Other cruise lines may very well offer more but the price tag attached to it is considerably higher and I for one fully intend to enjoy my cruise with my 4 children, regardless of the "children are not welcome"brigade. I know what to expect and so do my children They will be reminded that bad behaviour will not be tolerated....BY ME!! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkjretired Posted September 29, 2015 #25 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Other cruise lines may very well offer more but the price tag attached to it is considerably higher and I for one fully intend to enjoy my cruise with my 4 children, regardless of the "children are not welcome"brigade. I know what to expect and so do my children They will be reminded that bad behaviour will not be tolerated....BY ME!! :D Enjoy your cruise, that poster has no idea what he is talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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