Cruising with young children these days? What’s it like?

[wesnliz]

Wife and I are vaxed , kids age 1, 3 are not. I know rccl is about the only one that’s an option these days with kidz

 

What’s this experience like these days? How limited will the kids be? Kids activities off limits? Child sitting? Any and all information welcome.

[twangster]

Aside from cursing, the guy who runs Royal Caribbean Blog.com is taking his kids on Mariner this weekend.  Expect some feedback and reports soon over at that site.

 

From what I've seen AO is open.  Kids expected to mask.  Venues around the ship are designated vax only or "everyone".  When you and your wife have dropped the kids at AO you are free to visit any venue since you are vaxxed.  Once your kids are with you, your group is limited to only "everyone" venues.  

 

MDR has designated floors for vax vs. unvaxxed.  To eat with your kids in the MDR your group goes to the unvaxxed floor.  Some ships limit My Time MDR to vax only, so no kids.  

 

Many destinations have rules that visitors must be vaxxed.  In some destinations unvaxxed kids can only leave the ship on a Royal excursion (no self exploring or doing your own thing with your kids).  If you put your kids in AO you and your wife can self-explore off the ship.

 

Different testing standards for unvaxxed kids such as no antigen allowed so make sure you read up on test requirements.

[sabres431]

17 minutes ago, twangster said:

Different testing standards for unvaxxed kids such as no antigen allowed so make sure you read up on test requirements.

This isn't correct.  Antigen is allowed for kids now.

[Tapi]

1 hour ago, wesnliz said:

I know rccl is about the only one that’s an option these days with kidz

 

What’s this experience like these days? How limited will the kids be?

Royal isn’t the only option these days with kids. We sailed a few weeks ago on MSC aboard the Meraviglia from Miami and we had an absolutely fantastic time! 

 

Both of my kids are too young to be vaccinated, so in addition to the PCR test that they were required to take 72 hours before departure, they were required to take an additional test right at the cruise terminal before boarding (I believe Royal has a similar requirement). It was a quick test. We had to wait at a designated waiting area inside the terminal for about 20-30 minutes for the results, and once we had them, we were allowed to proceed to regular check in and boarding. Interestingly, we were given a 10:00am check in time to allow extra time for the additional testing step, but that also meant that we were onboard and in our cabin before noon. 

 

The kids club was open with a full list of activities. Kids were required to wear a mask and extra sanitation protocols were in place before they could go in. Pools, water park, ropes course, and video arcade were all open without limitations outside of the health and safety protocols. The kids went to the kids club for an hour or two every day and had a good time. We also purchased an entertainment card for them to use at the 4D simulator, F1 race car simulator, bowling alley, and video arcade. The only thing that we noticed was different from previous cruises on MSC was the lack of a few kid activities like the talent show and the parade down the galleria. 
 

At the private island, passengers were allowed to roam freely without mask requirements. We enjoyed our day there tremendously and even rented jet skis for the day. 
 

The only places that were “off limits” to the kids were a few venues that were designated for “vaccinated adults only”, but none of these had any negative impact on our enjoyment of the cruise as these were not venues that we frequented anyway. 

 

Besides the safety and health protocols in place, the cruise felt pretty much like any other cruise, and the kids had a wonderful time. We were also grateful for MSC’s “kids sail free” program which allowed us to cruise for a ridiculously low price.  
 

Based on what I’ve read, the current experience with kids on Royal is similar to what we experienced on MSC last month. Our next Royal cruise will be in February and I’m hopeful that, by then, the kids will be vaccinated and/or safety protocols will have eased as well. 

Edited October 8, 2021 by Tapi

[twangster]

15 minutes ago, sabres431 said:

This isn't correct.  Antigen is allowed for kids now.

 

Protocols change frequently.  Exactly why OP should research what will be accepted for his situation.  

[AustinCruise]

21 minutes ago, sabres431 said:

This isn't correct.  Antigen is allowed for kids now.

Yes, the rules are changing frequently.

 

kids now require a antigen OR pcr prior to cruse departure day AND a PCR test at the port. 

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center/getting-ready-to-cruise

Edited October 8, 2021 by AustinCruise

[wesnliz]

Is the kids club/nursery still active? 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

22 minutes ago, wesnliz said:

Is the kids club/nursery still active? 

you may want to look at the most recent reviews by people who have cruised with the kids.