Why are there "family hours" in the Solarium?

[hrhdhd]

I enjoy the adults-only Solarium. I use it in the late afternoon, when supposedly I should be getting ready for dinner. I'd like to enjoy childfree time, too, and do not appreciate having to guess if "family hours" will be announced during a cruise (when the website states otherwise).

[Laura Hodges Bethge]

To accommodate guests under the age of 16 during colder weather, the Solarium does offer family hours on select sailings in Alaska, The Baltics and Antarctica from 5-7 p.m. daily. Our goal always is for everyone to have a positive experience. While there are some instances where this could change, we will do our best to make sure you have ample notice to make sure you can plan around this for a better cruise experience. 

[zitsky]

I like having children on board.  The problem with Family Hours in the Solarium is that, in my experience, neither the parents, not the children are considerate of other passengers.

 

Often, the Solarium pool is full of children so it's unusable by adults for 2 hours.  And I've had the experience of families not wanting to share the hot tubs when there was clearly room for more people.  

 

Is Celebrity telling adult cruisers to go elsewhere during this time, because that's the message I'm getting?

[hrhdhd]

Thank you for the reply. I regret to inform you that "family hours" are not limited to the sailings you identified. Another example of the lack of consistency at Celebrity.

 

Full transparency would indicate that the hours you say are the actual ones should be noted on the website so people can have the information before booking and sailing.

[DaKahuna]

6 hours ago, Laura Hodges Bethge said:

To accommodate guests under the age of 16 during colder weather, the Solarium does offer family hours on select sailings in Alaska, The Baltics and Antarctica from 5-7 p.m. daily.

 

 This does not explain why there were family hours on a Panama Canal sailing,  There was definitely no cold weather, unless you consider low to mid 80's cold weather.  

 

 

[zitsky]

6 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 This does not explain why there were family hours on a Panama Canal sailing,  There was definitely no cold weather, unless you consider low to mid 80's cold weather.  

 

 

Celebrity also needs to do something about small children in the hot tubs.  Many parents think they are kiddie pools.  This is very unsafe and could expose Celebrity to legal liability.

[buchhalm]

What IS needed is staff empowerment. Most staff members are doing absolutely nada about shouting kids, kids in adult-only areas, diaper babies (and young kids) in the hot tubs erc (and don't even mention chair hoggers).

Staff is afraid of customer complaining about them, even if they (the staff members) are only trying to enforce the rules.

Edited July 23 by buchhalm

[3boyz2keep]

There were family hours on our Caribbean cruise. We had toddlers in the hot tub outside of family hours as well. It was a challenge to be in the hot tub trying to carry on adult conversations.

[zitsky]

9 minutes ago, 3boyz2keep said:

There were family hours on our Caribbean cruise. We had toddlers in the hot tub outside of family hours as well. It was a challenge to be in the hot tub trying to carry on adult conversations.

You know, that was pretty mean of you, taking over an adults only space while a family was trying to use the “kiddie pool”.  🙂

[jcroc]

If anything I wouldn't care if the solarium opened up to families for more hours and find it weird when venues other than bars exclude children. Kids on board makes for a much more balanced experience IMO, and stops ships from feeling like they're floating retirement homes. I love older people on cruises too, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to feel like I'm only travelling with a bunch of grumpy "you kids get off my lawn!" types.

 

I love having kids around and I've never been bothered by kids in years of cruising, and find the ones who do complain about kids are the same sorts who constantly complain about everything else anyway and will never be satisfied, kids or not. 

 

I've rarely seen any of these "badly behaved kids" on Celebrity, and in general I see far more rude or badly behaved adults than kids on cruises.

[canderson]

1 hour ago, jcroc said:

If anything I wouldn't care if the solarium opened up to families for more hours and find it weird when venues other than bars exclude children. Kids on board makes for a much more balanced experience IMO, and stops ships from feeling like they're floating retirement homes.

The Solarium was originally one of the few designated 'quiet spaces' available on a ship, which is why days and hours are supposed to be limited for kids.  You don't need to be a geriatric case to appreciate a bit of peace and quiet now and again.  Frankly, I think a lot of people have become sensory junkies.  Unlike the DAWG, we don't all need constant audio stimulation to be sure we're alive! 😁 (Hey, it's YOUR avatar, after all!).  Balance is when you can have either stimulus or not have it by moving yourself to an appropriate environment.  If there are no spaces specifically set aside where one can move where it's avoidable, then how is that 'balanced'?

 

Understanding that few children could reasonably be expected to be playing in a pool area without a fair bit of noise, Celebrity originally blocked these Solarium areas off for use by adults only, and expected them to operate with a bit of audio decorum as well, but that's slipped a great deal over the years.  It's still implied in the advertising, though:

 

On the Resort Deck, you’ll find one of the most popular spots on every Celebrity Ship—the adults-only Solarium. The Solarium features a pool and hot tubs for your relaxation. Relax on a luxurious lounger while you enjoy your favorite book or perfect the art of napping. Grab a light bite for breakfast or lunch at The Spa Café and Juice Bar or order your favorite beverage or cocktail from your waiter. The Solarium offers a perfectly serene atmosphere where you can restore both your tan and your sanity.

[Bill La]

They must figure the blue plate special crowd are all going to dinner at 5. I don't get to pool until after lunch.

[zitsky]

6 hours ago, Bill La said:

They must figure the blue plate special crowd are all going to dinner at 5. I don't get to pool until after lunch.

I’m making a list for all my fans of words that Celebrity says means something else.

 

1) infinite veranda

2) unlimited

3) adult only 

 

@jcroc I live in a neighborhood with kids.  I like kids.  But not 24 hours a day or when they splash me in the Solarium pool and they call me “old and fat”.  😂

Edited July 24 by zitsky

[hrhdhd]

9 hours ago, jcroc said:

If anything I wouldn't care if the solarium opened up to families for more hours and find it weird when venues other than bars exclude children. Kids on board makes for a much more balanced experience IMO, and stops ships from feeling like they're floating retirement homes. I love older people on cruises too, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to feel like I'm only travelling with a bunch of grumpy "you kids get off my lawn!" types.

 

I love having kids around and I've never been bothered by kids in years of cruising, and find the ones who do complain about kids are the same sorts who constantly complain about everything else anyway and will never be satisfied, kids or not. 

 

I've rarely seen any of these "badly behaved kids" on Celebrity, and in general I see far more rude or badly behaved adults than kids on cruises.

Bless your heart.

[Jim_Iain]

On 7/22/2024 at 2:36 PM, DaKahuna said:

 

 This does not explain why there were family hours on a Panama Canal sailing,  There was definitely no cold weather, unless you consider low to mid 80's cold weather.  

 

 

I have to say that I believe they have had family hours on almost all cruises I've been on,   TA, Iceland/Greenland Cruise, South American Cruises, TP's, California Coastal etc.   

 

OK I don't personally use the inside pool but just notice it when I walk through. 

[D. B.]

18 hours ago, jcroc said:

If anything I wouldn't care if the solarium opened up to families for more hours and find it weird when venues other than bars exclude children. Kids on board makes for a much more balanced experience IMO, and stops ships from feeling like they're floating retirement homes. I love older people on cruises too, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to feel like I'm only travelling with a bunch of grumpy "you kids get off my lawn!" types.

 

I love having kids around and I've never been bothered by kids in years of cruising, and find the ones who do complain about kids are the same sorts who constantly complain about everything else anyway and will never be satisfied, kids or not. 

 

I've rarely seen any of these "badly behaved kids" on Celebrity, and in general I see far more rude or badly behaved adults than kids on cruises.

If I wanted a "Balanced Experience" I would take a Disney Cruise.

[DaKahuna]

48 minutes ago, D. B. said:

If I wanted a "Balanced Experience" I would take a Disney Cruise.

 

 Or Royal Caribbean. 

 

[zitsky]

I don’t need to cruise Disney.  I just need everyone to be considerate of others and share common spaces.  I do love kids most of the time.