Any input on kid's program on Majesty?

[IndyMisty]

We just booked two cabins on the Majesty for myself, my fiance and our three boys, sailing 9-24-06. Does ayone have any info/help/clues about the children's program. I realize there won't be as many kids onboard as a summer or holiday sailing. Any help would be great. Thanks.

[KeystoneCruiser]

Indymisty: What are the ages of the boys. That can help us provide you with better information.

 

Basically, the kids programs are the same on all NCL ships. They are open in the evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and the kids are grouped by age with age appropriate activities. (2-5, 6-9 and 10-12 I believe) Children must be potty trained or else you will be given a beeper to come and change the child as needed. There are also daytime hours during sea days. During times in port and between 10:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m., they have group babysitting for a charge but you must register in advance for that. (If the child is not potty trained, you cannot leave the ship if the child is in group babysitting because the beepers do not work off the ship.)

 

I believe the daytime hours are 9-12 and 1-5 while at sea.

 

My daughter has been to the kids club on all four of our cruises and has loved it each time. Not wanting to leave each night at pick-up time!

[IndyMisty]

They are 8, 9 and 10. The oldest just turned ten last month, I have a feeling he'll want to stay with his brothers in that age category. I know they don't "bump up" mature kids, but will sometimes let an older kid stay with a sibling in lower age category. Anyway. On RCCL, they had their own lanyards, they could sign themselves out and they had a blast. Now on NCL, they can't do that. And I've found out the kid's program closes while in port. We sit at St. George's for three day straight! I'm not sure what they'll do and I certainly don't want to have to pay at least $11 an hour if I want to go shopping without dragging them along. This is beginning to seem like a bad idea. I should have stayed with RCCL.

[KeystoneCruiser]

KID’S CREW HOURS

Sea days:

9 am – noon

2 pm – 5 pm

7 pm – 10 pm

 

According to a post on another thread, the Group sitting is $5 per hour.

 

NCL is VERY strict about their kids club ages. There have been many reports on here over the year about people who have tried to move their children up or down and NCL has steadfastly maintained that the age at the time of sailing is the age group they are in.

 

I personally like the idea of kids not being able to sign themselves in and out of kids crew. Children 12 and under have no business being able to do that. In this day and age, safety has to take precedence over conveinence.

[jimswims]

Our Kids really enjoyed the Kids Crew on the Majesty in the summers of 2004 and 2005. The kids now are 11 and 8.

 

The Majesty is a smaller ship and they did all of their activities in the Disco, in the back of the ship next to the fitness center. They played games, watched movies, painted t-shirts, and had a blast!

 

All of the kids met in this area (except for the 3-5 year olds). and my kids were in their age groups but they sometimes combined the groups based on numbers last year (6-9, 10-12).

 

On the Spirit this year it was different because age groups were in different areas. They loved Kids Crew! My daughter did have a tough time the first night because her big brother was in a diffeent room. She was fine after the first night though.

[IndyMisty]

I've had most of my questions answered from NLC.com and from fellow CC members, but I still have to know.....WHAT DOES THE KID'S PROGRAM STAFF DO FOR THOSE FOUR DAYS WHILE SITTING IN BERMUDA??? Does anyone else see this as odd??? It seems on most other itineraries to other caribbean ports or even Alaska, the boat stops one place, cruises to another, stops there, cruises to another.... I understand why the program would close while in port. But this itinerary is so completely different! We sit from Tuesday 9am until noon on Friday! So parents are forced to pay an hourly charge for "group babysitting" while the boat sits in port. Are there no kid's program activites at all for those four days that are included with the price of their ticket onboard?

 

PLEASE HELP???

[jimswims]

I've had most of my questions answered from NLC.com and from fellow CC members, but I still have to know.....WHAT DOES THE KID'S PROGRAM STAFF DO FOR THOSE FOUR DAYS WHILE SITTING IN BERMUDA??? Does anyone else see this as odd??? It seems on most other itineraries to other caribbean ports or even Alaska, the boat stops one place, cruises to another, stops there, cruises to another.... I understand why the program would close while in port. But this itinerary is so completely different! We sit from Tuesday 9am until noon on Friday! So parents are forced to pay an hourly charge for "group babysitting" while the boat sits in port. Are there no kid's program activites at all for those four days that are included with the price of their ticket onboard?

 

PLEASE HELP???

 

Kids Crew is available from 7-10 pm and for after hours 10pm to 1:00am (for a fee) when in Bermuda. For us, it was a family vacation and there was so much to do in Bermuda, we were all out exploring our favorite island.

 

There were certainly some kids in the group baby sitting while in port, not many though.

 

On the 3 cruises that our children have been with us, we have looked at the Kid's Crew Program as a nice perk that is available and we have used it and have been very satisfied. We have not looked at the program as "included in the price of their ticket" as you have said. The program has always exceeded our expectations and has made our family vacations a nice mix of family and adult time.

[IndyMisty]

I have been on cruises with adults whose children were glued to their hip and they couldn't have been more ecstatic about it. That's great for them. But my children want to go and see and do. Their first cruise on RCCL spoiled them I suppose. I barely saw them and they had the time of their lives. That's us. That's what we look froward to. I'll take them to the beach in Bermuda one day, just like I took them to the beach in Cozumel and again in Nassau. But that won't be their first choice. They would rather be in "camp" playing with other children, making crafts, playing games, exploring the ship with the kid counselors. That's what I'm paying for when I bought their tickets. If it wasn't included, there would be a surcharge on every hour of every day the kid's program was open.

 

Imagine the boat docking at an island and the pools on the boat closing. If you wanted to swim in the pools/hot tubs onboard, you had to pay a $5 fee per hour per person. The reasoning being...hey, there's beaches on the island, there's stuff to do on the island, that's what you came for right? A cruise ship IS NOT just transportation to ports of call.

 

I just don't understand there being no kid's program for four days straight while the boat sits docked. Just those 3 hours late a night is a pretty handy time to insure there wouldn't be any kids to bother the counselors.

 

They'll be dissappointed. I already am.

[jimswims]

Hi IndyMisty:

 

My kids have not experienced The Kids Program on RCCL or another line yet. From what I hear it is different.

 

I will say that the 2 times that we were on the Majesty and this past summer on the Spirit, the session that had the most kids was the 7-10 pm session both when were were in port and when we were at sea.

 

I hope that you, your fiance, and kids still have a good time.

[macdays1]

I understand your dilemma with the Kids Crew, however, there is so much for the boys to do while in Bermuda. Take them to the forts. They would love that, I'm sure. The Crystal Caves and the Aquarium and Zoo are a great place for them too. Those are other options besides a beach day. You and your boyfriend can have time in the evenings to yourself for dinner and a show if they go with the other kids. Just a suggestion.

[pathubia]

My daughter loved the Kids Crew when she was younger. If you are looking for things to do with the kids in Bermuda there is helmet diving, my kids loved that and swimming with the dolphins, pricey but worth the money. We love to snorkle at Tobacco Bay.....

[pathubia]

I had friends on last weeks sailing, they said there were only 12 kids in the Kids Crew....I dont think there will be many more than that on your sailing.

[IndyMisty]

I figured the kid count would be LOW! That's why I'm hoping the 9 and 10 year olds won't be separated. They're only 3 months apart and ever since they were little (before the adoption was final) they've been raised more like twins. Anyway, thanks.

 

This is a last minute vacation for all of us, we're driving from Indy to Boston, with not alot of moolah to spare. I'm just not sure how much we can budget for excursions. A 10 minute walk from the dock to the beach we can handle. Museums and helmet dives and dolphin swims might not be doable. But we'll try. It seems like it might be cheaper than leaving them on the boat, at $11 an hour....a five hour stay would cost well over $60 when they add the 15% service fee. Thanks for all your suggestions.

[fkfad]

Indy,

 

We have been on many cruises and have always found cheap ways to have fun. Walking to the nearest beach, carrying our own bottles of water or soda (which we take on board with us), carrying snacks, walking through the shops watching the interesting characters, etc. It is always fun, the kids always enjoy themselves, and we can't wait to go back! Just don't forget the sunscreen!

[IndyMisty]

I remember relaxing in a beach chair watching my kids play in the surf at one of Cozumel's beaches. I glanced up at the beach bar where I heard quite a bit of commotion and loud music. Unbeknownst to me, there was an impromptu "best boobs" contest going on and my kids were oblivious. (Think wet t-shirt contest without the wet and without the t-shirt!) The area was seedy and I should have paid for a taxi ride to a better beach, but I was a single mom on an even tighter budget back then. I enjoyed the people-watching, the kids enjoyed the beach and we didn't have to spend a dime!!!

[jimswims]

One of our favorite things to do in St George is to walk out to the "Cut". This is where the ship comes in to the Harbor. Wait till you experience this from the ship...it is really tight and you think that you are going to hit. You want to be on deck when you arrive in Bermuda.

 

There is a fort there and it is fun to explore a bit. If you continue to walk past the fort you will come to another fort and a small beach. I forget the name of this beach, it is small and has a great amount of sea glass and pottery that has been broken up by the waves and the rocks. We spent about 2 hours there collecting the glass and broken pottery for our collection at home. We had a blast....!

 

We did not swim at the beach since this was during a tropical storm and the waves were really big.

 

If you keep walking, you will wind up at St. Catherine's Beach and a large fort, that may have things to see inside. Nice beach as well.

 

We found a lot to do and see in St. George that did not cost us anything. It is really a good place for walking around and exploring.

 

Have fun!

[trvlqueen]

We went on the Majesty in 2003 ... at an off time ... and while the kid count was low, my kids had so much fun in the Kids Crew that all they have wanted to do since is cruise again ... we've been on about 1 cruise a year since then. NCL does a great job with the kids ... 2 of mine are very introverted, but even they beg to run straight to the KC when we board (they'd rather check that out than see the cabin when we first get on).

 

We just got back from Bermuda in May ... it was beautiful! Had dd8 and dd11 with me on the trip (my 5yo wanted to go to Grandma's instead). They had a ball in Bermuda. There really isn't anything there that isn't family friendly during the day ... and KC is open at night if you want to go out and live it up. You can rent scooters, hit the fort (watch out for sheep piles!), the aquarium is cool ... and there are even some neat caves and things you can find to explore if you're out running around. There's a free ferry that runs between the Hamilton Princess and the Fairmont Southampton (check the schedule so you don't get stuck at one place or the other) so you can get a nice "harbor cruise" in at low cost. There is a jet ski tour that runs from the Fairmont Southampton's dock ... your kids are old enough to really have a ball ... they give you time to run fast on the jet ski and play, take you over and show you a reef, run around and play again, head to a shipwreck, run and play, see world's smallest drawbridge, etc. It's about 1 1/2 hours and I think cost about $90 for two on a ski. (less for a single rider ... maybe $65?) There's also a great (very kid friendly) steakhouse right next to the dock ... it was the kid's favorite place to go (no, not on Freestyle dinng list, but well worth it and the cost of the cab ride back).

 

Have fun and don't worry about not having full access to KC ... they honestly won't miss it during the day ... and neither will you!