Activities with Kids NOT at the kids club?

[MommyOTwins]

Hi all,

 

We have a cruise booked with two other families on the Discovery Princess in Alaska this summer, and have three kids age 10, 10 and 6.  We are used to sailing Disney Cruise Line and I know Princess won't be anything like that, but I've read a number of encouraging posts on this forum and we're going to give it a whirl. The thing is, most of the posts I've read about Princess with kids rave about the kids club, and while I will let my kids do the club sometimes, vacation time is family time for me, and I am trying to plan on some activities we can all do together.  Looking at patters from Discovery princess, I'm getting nervous and just not sure what all they can do on our three sea days (two sea days plus Victoria, which I count as a sea day because the ship doesn't even dock until 7pm). Hoping some of you may be able to answer some of these questions.

 

1. Are the evening shows in the theater kid appropriate?  I know not geared toward kids like Disney, but they like musicals--just want to make sure there is not "adult" content. How about the comedians--do they keep the humor "clean" and would a kid get any of the jokes? 

2. Can kids go to bingo, or is that considered adult-only due to the gambling aspect?  They are allowed on Disney to do the bingo so long as an adult is with them, but not sure if Princess rules are different.

3. Do any lounges on the ship cards, chess, board games or anything like that to play as a family, or should we bring our own? 

4. I think my kids would like the game shows, but a lot of them seem to be in "club" type locations--are those venues adult only? 

5. Annoyingly, Discovery Princess does not have an indoor pool.  Are the outdoor pools well heated?  My kids would brave the cold air temps to swim if the water itself is warm. 

6. Are hot tubs in the main pool area adult only (I know the retreat and sanctuary are adult only, but asking about the main pool--sometimes hot tubs are age 12 and up depending on how hot they heat them, but on Disney for example, the hot tubs are kid friendly)?

7. I hear the puppy thing in Alaska where they bring Iditarod dogs on the ship is a must-do.  What port day is that usually on?  Want to make sure we don't miss it as it seems one of the activities closest geared toward kids.  Is there anything else like it that would be fun for the kids to see?

 

Thanks everyone, and please no comments that we should just change to a different cruise line.  I know NCL, RCCL, Disney etc. have more kid-friendly activities than Princess, but as mentioned, we are traveling with two other families and they are set on Princess, plus we are past pay-in-full date now anyway. So just trying to make the best of it and find what options are available to us as a family on Princess.  Thanks again!

[skynight]

1. All shows and guest entertainers are family friendly. All game events are also family friendly. Exceptions the marriage game, and maybe majority rules trivia. In both of these games passengers may get off color.

2. Don't think there is any restriction of youth attending bingo with their parents. On their own doubtful they would be allowed to purchase cards.

 4. Yes, evening game shows are either in the Vista Lounge or Princess Live. Both of these are lounges that serve alcoholic beverages. They are not adults only, but it is possible that they may be asked to leave if not accompanied by an adult. Really depends on the activity. Example, karaoke is generally limited to adults and maybe older teens. While youth can probably watch they may not not be able to sing. The youth center pre-covid did have their own karaoke. There may be other games that are offered during the daytime in the Piazza area such as ring toss, paper airplane contest, egg drop contest. I have seen youth in these activities. 

5. Don't count on well heated pools. They may be somewhat heated.

6. Don't know if there is a restriction posted, but I have seen youth in the hot tubs on other ships.

 

The Discovery Princess is a new ship and this is its first season in Alaska. Comments are based on experience on other ships.

 

 

[skynight]

3. The ship may have some games but best to bring your own. No cards. No card rooms. You have to find a table somewhere on the ship to play games. During the daytime one of the lounges when not in use, tables around the pools, tables on the aft deck, Piazza. You have to look around.

[JF - retired RRT]

54 minutes ago, skynight said:

3. The ship may have some games but best to bring your own. No cards. No card rooms. You have to find a table somewhere on the ship to play games. During the daytime one of the lounges when not in use, tables around the pools, tables on the aft deck, Piazza. You have to look around.

There are lots of seating areas all over the ship where you &/or the kids can sit and play games.

[Coffeeluvr05]

We do not travel with kids (ours are grown) but I don't think there are restrictions as long as kids are accompanied by an adult in the lounges when games are being played.  Trivia is fun for the whole family...at least I think so!  We sailed once during a holiday period where there were a lot of families on Board and I seem to recall there being games in the Piazza that all could join in too.  Like folding a paper airplane and seeing who could fly it the furthest.  There were other fun games in the Piazza like that too.  I think it really depends on the cruise director and their staff TBH. There are also ping pong tables.  Some of the entertainment in the Princess Theater is really good and I would consider most of the comedy clean.  Not all kids would get the comedy but it is mostly clean.

[donswife]

Princess also has the huge movie screen in the pool area, and show lots of different movies, sometimes recorded concerts, and sports events.  

When we went, the puppies came on board in Skagway. Princess does a great job with Alaska specific programming.  When we went, they had a naturalist, a folktale/poetry/music performer, Libby Riddles, and a lumberjack presentation.  All of these would be great for the kids.  If you are going to Glacier Bay, there will be a special junior ranger program for the kids.

[dog]

Stick to Disney if you want to please kids. Older crowd on Princess. The Discovery is a beautiful ship, but I did not see much last week for kids

on board. Maybe more offering in summer?

[MommyOTwins]

Thanks all!  Sounds like as long as we are with the kids we can go to most activities, which is the plan anyway--I wouldn't send them off on their own except to the kids club, but was hoping there was something we could do together rather than just sending them to be locked away in the club all day!  It'll be an adjustment for sure but we're setting expectations that this is a different kind of cruise.  The Alaska programming sounds great--that's really what we want to do is go see Alaska as a family.  

[dog]

I did see a couple of craft sessions in the patter last week.  Too cold for pools but some used them in Vancouver.

summer could be a lot different.

[cruzin4us]

Go to the Naturalist talks

Bring a Puzzle

Go on scavenger hunts

Play Board Games & Cards

We play a game on long road trips.   It's worth a $1 a point (or nothing if you prefer).   

Make a list of things you can see on your cruise (both on the ship and off the ship).    For instance,

the 1st person to see a whale gets $1

the 1st person to see another cruise ship gets $1 (and on and on)

a bear

a glacier

an iceberg 

a totem pole

an eagle

a bear

You get the idea.....it keeps kids looking up and out

 

On the ship (be creative):

a man holding 2 cups of coffee

a women in a red dress

a couple holding hands

[dog]

Ages 10, 10 & 6-take electronics with you,

[Shelly97060]

We have been cruising on Princess as a family since 2005, my kids were 9 and 12 when we started.  When they were younger my kids enjoyed kids club activities- they would review the list if daily activities the club was offering and pick what interested them. Sometimes they stayed the full day, other times just an hour or so. It depended on their interests.

 

In addition they enjoyed the arts and crafts offered in the patter ( varies by voyage),  cards, games and puzzles checked out from the onboard library, we brought them each binoculars to watch for wildlife, stargazing ( on ships that offered), Movies under the Stars, the shows- especially comedians and Magicians, mini golf on the putting green, basket ball, shuffle board, some ships have “giant chess” boards which they got a kick out of, bocci ball, ping pong… there really is a lot to do! 

[Homosassa]

Just an FYI for the OP:

 

You might want to look at MSC in the future.

 

They are geared to be a family cruise line, i.e.; not a dump the kids at a kids' club, but geared to families that spend time with the kids.

 

While they do have a children's program, there are scheduled activities throughout the day that are specifically designed for families to do together. These can range from a ship wide scavenger hunt, craft projects or group games (like Trivia).

 

Just remember, they are an Italian cruise line with an international clientele and ,no, they are not Carnival, NCL, Royal Caribbean, etc. 

 

 

[travelhound]

When are you sailing? We will be on the Discovery with our 11 year old daughter on July 10th. I'm not worried about finding things for her to do. We were just on the Oasis for spring break and although there were many kind centered activities, she like doing the trivia games and karaoke too. We could have done bingo but just never seemed to make it there. She has been on 11 cruises and this will be her first Princess, however we've been on many Princess cruises and have no doubt there will be enough for you to do as a family. They also seem to have a lot of Alaska themed activities that will be unique to this sailing and a partnership with Discovery Channel that is interesting. We too are bringing binoculars and will have her out on the deck checking out the scenery. I know you don't want to use the kids' club too much, but don't discount that they need some time away from us too. 🙂 Our daughter still likes to go to the kids' club and as an only child, she finds friends there that give her an experience we cannot. We make her act so grown up all of the time that sometimes she just needs to be a kid.

 

I am also interested in the puppies in the piazza activity. I hope that is a real thing that happens every sailing. We were going to do an excursion that included a visit to sled puppies but if it's on the ship, that would be redundant and I don't want to schedule an excursion when that is happening on the ship.

 

I have a complete opposite opinion than Homosassa on MSC. We did a Caribbean cruise with them when my daughter was 6. My least favorite cruise out of 36 and we won't sail them again. But, that's why it's called an opinion and not fact. 

 

I'm sure whatever you decide to do with the kids, they will enjoy Alaska, the cruise, and spending time with their family. You can't lose.

[MommyOTwins]

On 5/14/2022 at 11:21 PM, travelhound said:

When are you sailing? We will be on the Discovery with our 11 year old daughter on July 10th. I'm not worried about finding things for her to do. We were just on the Oasis for spring break and although there were many kind centered activities, she like doing the trivia games and karaoke too. We could have done bingo but just never seemed to make it there. She has been on 11 cruises and this will be her first Princess, however we've been on many Princess cruises and have no doubt there will be enough for you to do as a family. They also seem to have a lot of Alaska themed activities that will be unique to this sailing and a partnership with Discovery Channel that is interesting. We too are bringing binoculars and will have her out on the deck checking out the scenery. I know you don't want to use the kids' club too much, but don't discount that they need some time away from us too. 🙂 Our daughter still likes to go to the kids' club and as an only child, she finds friends there that give her an experience we cannot. We make her act so grown up all of the time that sometimes she just needs to be a kid.

 

I am also interested in the puppies in the piazza activity. I hope that is a real thing that happens every sailing. We were going to do an excursion that included a visit to sled puppies but if it's on the ship, that would be redundant and I don't want to schedule an excursion when that is happening on the ship.

 

I have a complete opposite opinion than Homosassa on MSC. We did a Caribbean cruise with them when my daughter was 6. My least favorite cruise out of 36 and we won't sail them again. But, that's why it's called an opinion and not fact. 

 

I'm sure whatever you decide to do with the kids, they will enjoy Alaska, the cruise, and spending time with their family. You can't lose.

We’ll be on July 29.  Thanks for the reassurance… hard for me to get away from my comfort zone of Disney.  I read another thread that the puppies on the ship are now on the pool deck rather than atrium but good to know it is happening!

[atobols]

Our first Princess cruise was when our kids were 10 and 12.  Electronic devices, movies on the stateroom TV, and the kids club were their favorites.  I would advise taking your own cards and travel games if you want to be sure there is something you can play together.  Everything on the ship is variable.  We've now been on 5 Princess cruises with our kids and every cruise is different.  They loved the naturalist for Hawaii, they hated the naturalist on board for Alaska.  Sometimes the comedians are hilarious and pre-teens loved it, our last cruise had a boring comedian.  One time there was a magic show my boys loved. 

 

With COVID and cruising being so unpredictable, I wouldn't count on the cruise line to provide entertainment outside the kids club.  We've done two cruises with Princess since the restart.  The entertainment crew was obviously struggling on both of them due to sickness, under-staffing, and last minute changes.  There probably will be something your kids enjoy but I have no idea what that might be.  We'll be doing another cruise in less than a month and while I know we're going to love it, I also have no idea what to expect based on our last two cruises.

 

ETA: Alaska specific things my boys enjoyed.  Eagles - we loved watching them and looking for them in the trees while docked.  We also went to the eagle sanctuary.  Whales - we took binoculars and watched them off the ship from our balcony, also went on a whale watch excursion in Juneau.  Glacier Bay - NPS rangers come on the ship and they bring junior ranger books so the kids can get their badge.  Salmon berries - we went to a national park that had something to do with totem poles, my kids had no interest in the totem poles.  What they did love were the salmon berries at the edge of the bay.  The park ranger took my kids out there, pointed out the berries and picked some for my kids to eat.  There was a crowd of about 10 kids out there picking and eating salmon berries.  That was the highlight of the day for my kids.

Edited May 17, 2022 by atobols

[INeedAMaiTai]

My kids have only known Princess.  Started when my oldest was 1 year old (she's now 15), and have always had a great time even outside the kid center.  We always play the games and I haven't experienced where they were unwelcome anywhere.

1. I only took my kids to the musical shows, and if I wanted to see the comedian, I didn't take chances and would take them to the kid area before; but the music ones are great!

2. I have taken my kids to bingo many times.  They find it boring though, but it is allowed.

3. I have not been since covid, but they used to have some games in the library area, and cards you could get from the passenger services desk.  We always take a couple of decks with us anyway, and Catchphrase so we could play as a family. 

4. Club settings are only that in the later hours unless specified.  We spend most of our time with ship entertainment in the bars, and it has been perfect. 

5. From what I remember about our last Alaska cruise was the pools were not heated, but the hot tubs were fun. 

6. Hot tubs are for anyone!  Sure, there might be some people who don't want to see kids in them, but they are welcomed to use it.  I wouldn't let them go alone, but with an adult present, it's just fine.  There were many of times where I sat on a lounge chair reading while the four kids (ages 5-12 at the time) were in the hot tub.

 

Hope this helps and enjoy!

 

[dreaminofcruisin]

On 5/14/2022 at 11:21 PM, travelhound said:

 I know you don't want to use the kids' club too much, but don't discount that they need some time away from us too. 🙂 Our daughter still likes to go to the kids' club and as an only child, she finds friends there that give her an experience we cannot. We make her act so grown up all of the time that sometimes she just needs to be a kid.

 

 

We were just on a Carnival cruise with DGS--(age 5 - first cruise). We had to 'learn' this idea too. As much as we think we're wonderful company....the kids often would rather spend time with other kids. He had such fun meeting other kids in the kids club and then thought it so cool when he would run into them with us in the buffet or off the ship at a beach. I think a mix of both works out well!

 

Years ago, when my DS went on his first cruise---age 12, his favorite part of the cruise? Having the upper bunk in a mini-suite! You just never know what they will think is fun...😃