Activities for Kids on Board and Icecream

[leonardjan]

Hi,

 

We've cruised 5 times with our 9 and 12 year old boys, but never on Princess. We've done Disney, RCI and Carnival. We would like to try Princess, but have some questions. What kinds of activities are there for kids? Is the pool salt water or fresh water? Is the sundae bar open 24 hours - or is it restricted times? The ice cream is a big thing for my kids as they have allergies and it is one of the rare times they can have it - but are the machines those soft service vanilla/chocolate machines, or do you actually dip a scoop into a bucket of ice cream? Is there a ping pong machine, pool table, or gigantic chess board?

 

Sorry - may seem like silly questions - but want to try a different itinerary and longer cruise - but don't want to be disappointed!

 

J Lo

[gkressin]

- The pools are fresh water.

 

- The outside ice cream bar called Scoops is not free and is open 11am-5:30pm and 7pm-10:30pm. We didn't get any, so not sure exactly what type of ice cream served, but pretty sure it wasn't the soft serve from machines. You could get free ice cream scoops (not soft serve) in the Horizon Court every day from 3:30 - 4:30. Different flavors every day. Here are some of the ones we saw/tasted: chocolate chip, banana, maple pecan, coffee. Some toppings available.

 

- There were ping pong tables and giant chess. Did not see pool, but did not go in any of the kid club areas.

[Toto2Kansas]

Never seen a pool table onboard a Princess ship, unless you can count the one I saw on the CEILING of the sports bar on one of them. LOL

 

As for ice cream.................OMG, if you look down the page, you will see so many responses to the complaints on ice cream not being available for free except for about an hour a day or in the diningroom at meal time.

 

I sure hope this doesn't turn into another ice cream compaint thread. ARGH!

[Toto2Kansas]

Forgot to post the link to the longggggggggggggggggggggg ice cream complaint thread.

Happy reading: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=388893&page=5

[Tatka]

There was pool table on Princess Cay island.

 

We played ping-pong, it's a nice area, but I'd recommend to bring own rackets, because the ones they had were very worn out.

[pollyanno]

Hi,

 

We've cruised 5 times with our 9 and 12 year old boys, but never on Princess. We've done Disney, RCI and Carnival. We would like to try Princess, but have some questions. What kinds of activities are there for kids? Is the pool salt water or fresh water? Is the sundae bar open 24 hours - or is it restricted times? The ice cream is a big thing for my kids as they have allergies and it is one of the rare times they can have it - but are the machines those soft service vanilla/chocolate machines, or do you actually dip a scoop into a bucket of ice cream? Is there a ping pong machine, pool table, or gigantic chess board?

 

Sorry - may seem like silly questions - but want to try a different itinerary and longer cruise - but don't want to be disappointed!

 

J Lo

 

I think the kids'll find plenty to do if they go to the kids club activities available to them and as long as they schedule their ice cream cravings around when it's available, they oughta be satisfied and if they're not and abundant ice cream was the deal breaker, whether my kids would have a good time or not, I'd be willing to pay the price for it at times when it cost extra.. but if they have allergies that won't let them have ice cream at home, I am kinda curious 'bout what it is about a cruise that makes it OK. food allergies usually have unpleasant consequences if they're ignored and I would think.. if it was me.. I'd prefer to suffer the consequences of indulging in forbidden foods at home and go to greater pains than usual to avoid the foods I was allergic to on vacation.. maybe that's just me. :)

 

anno

[leonardjan]

Hi,

 

My kids are allergic to nuts and most ice creams say "may contain nuts" so we avoid them at home. On RCI and Carnival (but no Disney), they had a self-serve machine that served soft vanilla or chocolate ice cream or yoghurt. Since the product was made by pouring chocolate/vanilla milk into a dedicated machine, it was completely safe - and one of the few times we can have ice cream. So ... it will be a big deal to my kids. It sounds like the Princess ice cream is scooped out of containers - which will be a no no for my kids!

 

J Lo

[daddy03]

Just returned from CB with 3 kids:

 

- The ice cream is scooped.

- There is ping pong and giant chess. I doubt there would be pool since the swaying of the ship can affect the game

- The kids programs run 9-12 2-5 and 7-10 on sea days. On port days they have babysitting w/limited programs 8-5. I found they showed movies and did crafts primarily on port days. Princess Cays has a fenced off area with kids activities. They had a digging contest and sand castle building contest. Other activities included a talent contest, video games, bubble blowing, lots of different crafts like bead making, tshirt painting.

- Pool is fresh water

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Just returned from CB with 3 kids:

 

- The ice cream is scooped.

- There is ping pong and giant chess. I doubt there would be pool since the swaying of the ship can affect the game

- The kids programs run 9-12 2-5 and 7-10 on sea days. On port days they have babysitting w/limited programs 8-5. I found they showed movies and did crafts primarily on port days. Princess Cays has a fenced off area with kids activities. They had a digging contest and sand castle building contest. Other activities included a talent contest, video games, bubble blowing, lots of different crafts like bead making, tshirt painting.

- Pool is fresh water

 

There are no pool tables on Princess. Royal Caribbean has them on a couple of ships. They are self leveling so if the ship moves it doesn't affect the balls on the table. The Norweigan Pearl is coming out soon with a bowling alley. That sounds like fun. lol

 

Bill

[Pam in CA]

There is excellent ice cream available for hours every day -- just not soft-serve or dispensed individually through a machine. Let the Maitre D know when you board about the allergies and he will make arrangements for "safe" ice cream for your kids. Princess will prepare specialized ice cream for your kids if you ask for it. I know that there is really good free ice cream available during lunch, during the afternoon and during the evening. It's not available 24/7.

[Cruisin' Chick]

If you go during a time when there are many kids (when most schools are out), there are plenty of activities, including some that are in connection with the California Science Center (such as dissecting squid: the kids loved this, according to my girl who was 8 at the time).

[emdia43]

The basketball court seemed to be the most popular spot for older kids on CB. The court time is divided between playing Paddle tennis- think playing tennis with a big pingpong bat, and basketball and they do have competitions at times up there. The movies during the daytime on Movies under the Stars screen were well attended by kids- it is fun to float around the pool and watch, or lounge on one of the deckchairs and eat popcorn. The 9 yr old will probably be pleased with the kids activities,the 12 yr old may be a little more difficult to entertain,not old enough for teen things but too old for the kiddie stuff. We never made it up to the putt putt golf course,but we usually enjoy some time on them. I only ate icecream in the buffet restaurant,but from what I saw passing the Scoops bar outside,it was like a mini Baskin Robbins .

[leonardjan]

Hi everyone,

 

Thanks for the information. It sounds like the ice cream won't be safe - does anyone know how to contact Princess to find out directly about the food? I've tried calling - people who answer the phones don't seem to have a lot of information about ships - just prices.

 

Thanks.

 

J Lo

[rebeccalouise]

Princess was not rated as highly as Carnival, RCI, Celebrity or Norwegian in the kids department. To get an idea, read some books on the subject. There are recent ones available in the library. That's how I do my research.

Small kids love organized activities and my five year old loved Princess but I think it is lacking for older kids- especially if they have been on the lines you mentioned.

 

As for free ice cream- it is dipped. Although, I am not sure if they offer any soft serve at the pay stand outside by the pool.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I know there is a miniature golf course on the Sapphire and Island. Probably on some of the other ships...not sure which ones you're looking at.

 

If your child is 13 by the time of sailing, they can take part in the teen program, which has its own area and activities. If not, they're probably be in the middle group, usually it's 8-12 (but may change based on which ship and how many kids onboard). Met some of the 12 year olds in the program with my 8 yr old (she's 9 today!) and they seemed quite happy.