Cruising with Tween and Teen

[linz98144]

Last time we sailed Celebrity was a decade ago; we had a baby and preschooler. 

We're now looking at a cruise this summer and our children will be 9 and almost 13. 

Curious how the kids' clubs work onboard? 

Do kids sign themselves in and out, are meals with the camp, how are the activities? 

Also are they willing to move kids up to a different age group if it is very close to their birthday(2 weeks)? 

Thanks for any advice you can provide. We're excited to get back to X! 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Welcome back to Celebrity!  Would be helpful to know the ship.  Facilities vary by ship and class.

 

From Celebrity's FAQ's:

Children ages 3-9 must be signed in and out of the Celebrity Youth Program. Children ages 10-12 are free to come and go as they please but are required to sign themselves in and out. Children ages 13-17 may come and go as they please.

 

 

 

Edited April 7 by Georgia_Peaches

[linz98144]

Thank you. It's the Reflection out of Ft. Lauderdale 

[cruisestitch]

49 minutes ago, linz98144 said:

Last time we sailed Celebrity was a decade ago; we had a baby and preschooler. 

We're now looking at a cruise this summer and our children will be 9 and almost 13. 

Curious how the kids' clubs work onboard? 

Do kids sign themselves in and out, are meals with the camp, how are the activities? 

Also are they willing to move kids up to a different age group if it is very close to their birthday(2 weeks)? 

Thanks for any advice you can provide. We're excited to get back to X! 

I think keeping the almost 13-year-old with the younger group is better than having them with the group that goes up to age 17

[Purplsmurf]

Unless something has changed, they will go by current age and not let them go up even if they are close to their birthday 

[cruisetonowhere10]

53 minutes ago, Purplsmurf said:

Unless something has changed, they will go by current age and not let them go up even if they are close to their birthday 

That’s been my experience as well.  

[linz98144]

1 hour ago, Purplsmurf said:

Unless something has changed, they will go by current age and not let them go up even if they are close to their birthday 

Thank you. Do you have any other information on the kids services? 

[Butterfly0822]

Took my 12 year old on Reflection twice last year -- she was in the kids club with the 10-12 year olds and had a blast. I don't believe she had an option for the teen space since she wasn't 13. (She will be 13 on our cruise in a couple weeks and she is nervous to "move up" by I assured her she will be just fine!)

 

The complimentary club hours are in three hours intervals -- 9am to noon, 2pm to 5pm, and 7pm to 10pm. They have late night hours available from 10pm to 1am for $6/hour. No food during those times. 

 

I think you can pay for the lunch or dinner hours and they will take the kids -- it wasn't something we ever looked at?

 

They do a couple of scavenger hunts around the ship in groups. I was nervous about having her roaming around on the ship but she had a really good time. I saw her group go by me in the atrium and I just watched -- they were all well behaved and having fun trying to get that they needed for the hunt! I read her the riot act about safety and behavior. 

 

They played video games, did some robotics (big STEM focus), danced, and had activities on the ship like a movie night where they took over the alcoves on the lawn.... And a hilarious silent disco..... 

 

She made nice friends and still keeps in touch with a couple of them. 

[Butterfly0822]

One more thought -- you will have to sign off on whether your 12 year old has the privilege to come and go from the kids club. It's not automatic. Some parents only sign off on specific "field trip" events outside the club area but their kids can't check in and out at will. 

 

On Apex my kid made a really nice friend and they enjoyed going to Oceanview to find soft serve or come to Eden to see the nighttime shows. We always had a plan so I knew where she was, but that privilege to come and go is not a given for my kid. I have to know who she is with and where she is going.

 

Have a great cruise! Enjoy!

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 4/7/2024 at 6:47 PM, cruisestitch said:

I think keeping the almost 13-year-old with the younger group is better than having them with the group that goes up to age 17

Last week we sailed on Reflection with our just-turned-13 DS, and the kids in the 13-17 club looked much older than him. We've only seen one other kid his age in the club, but neither he, nor my son stuck around. We've seen a few groups of kids of similar age running around, but I think they were cruising together. Other kids appeared super extroverted and were running around in a group doing digital scavenger hunt and other activities together. Mine's an extreme introvert when with strangers, so it was a no go for him.

 

On 4/7/2024 at 5:56 PM, linz98144 said:

Also are they willing to move kids up to a different age group if it is very close to their birthday(2 weeks)? 

I don't know but my kid says they checked his name that one time he stayed in the club to play some video games.