Celebrity in Europe with kids?

[StarSeven7]

We just got back from our first cruise a month ago, on the Disney Wonder, and we loved it! We're thinking of doing a Mediterranean cruise in the summer of 2021 to celebrate my 40th birthday (combined with a land trip). I'm not interested in DCL for this trip because 1) it's way too expensive and 2) we're not particularly interested in the DCL ports since we've done most of them on our own already. I found a cruise on Celebrity that I'm interested in that has more unique ports that are all new to us. I would not hesitate to book it if it were just DH and I but we will be traveling with our kids - DD will be 11 at the time and DS will be 8. My kids absolutely loved DCL and they love all things Disney but they really enjoy other non-Disney vacations that we take as well. They're generally well-behaved kids but they're pretty high energy so I'm a bit worried about them being in a more adult-focused environment like Celebrity. Will there be a decent amount of kids on a summer Mediterranean cruise? I'm worried I will feel stressed if people are looking down on our kids if they're not always perfectly behaved. I know the kids clubs won't be like the Oceaneer's Club but I think they would be fine - my kids generally like any activities. How are the kid's meals on Celebrity? They're both fairly picky eaters but if there are a few kid-friendly options we should be okay. I'm not sure we would do a lot of the sit-down dinners, we would probably end up at the buffets most nights. It looks like there are later stays at some of the ports and we prefer to not have super long dinners. We don't need rock-climbing walls, ice skating rinks, etc to keep our kids entertained and DH and I love to sit outside and/or listen to relaxing music. It feels like Celebrity would be a good fit for us if we felt confident that the kids would be okay! Can anyone provide any feedback? Thanks!

 

[fredandkell]

We didn't do Celebrity (we did DCL) but we rarely used the ship's amenities at all in the Med when my kids were 8 and 11. I say go for it!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We haven't done Celebrity to the Med, but we've done two Celebrity southern Caribbean cruises with DS12 (he was 11 on his first one) and he enjoyed them. The kids club is much, much smaller than DCL's and they have more limited hours. If your kids are ok doing more low-key activities and being with smaller groups of kids, they should be fine. My DS12 actually prefers the more quiet atmosphere of Celebrity (and also loves that there is a full basketball court on the Summit). Just know, other than the kids club, there really aren't any other kid activities on the ships. The kids menus are fine and they do have a ton of choices for picky eaters of all ages.

 

[StarSeven7]

We haven't done Celebrity to the Med, but we've done two Celebrity southern Caribbean cruises with DS12 (he was 11 on his first one) and he enjoyed them. The kids club is much, much smaller than DCL's and they have more limited hours. If your kids are ok doing more low-key activities and being with smaller groups of kids, they should be fine. My DS12 actually prefers the more quiet atmosphere of Celebrity (and also loves that there is a full basketball court on the Summit). Just know, other than the kids club, there really aren't any other kid activities on the ships. The kids menus are fine and they do have a ton of choices for picky eaters of all ages.

Thanks! Did your son get bored outside of the kids club at all? I'm not concerned about the port days but there is one sea day on this itinerary that I'm unsure of. Did other adults look down upon kids at all or were they tolerant?

 

[disneylove69]

I did Celebrity on a Nrthn Europe cruise. I think the average age of a passenger was like 76. They really onlycatered to those with $$$$. I saw very few children. Only activities were towel folding, jewelry making which 4 people had to share 1 tool and you didnt even get the supplies to make a 1 pr of earrings and a lot of trivia which they limited who could attend. I would not do Celebrity again. If it's just for a floating hotel then you will be ok.

 

[Intr3pid]

Part of it depends on whether you are cruising during the school holidays.

Our 14-night December holiday cruise aboard the Millennium had about 400 kids on board - but apparently the one immediately prior, just 20. On the holiday cruises, the ship is very family friendly. For example, the Solarium had family hours, the crew organized family camp-out nights, and the kids clubs were very busy when open.

Entertainment will be an issue, but the Med cruises mitigate it with a lot of interesting ports. And as long as your kids have good chemistry between them, they will have a fun time.

 

[StarSeven7]

Part of it depends on whether you are cruising during the school holidays.

Our 14-night December holiday cruise aboard the Millennium had about 400 kids on board - but apparently the one immediately prior, just 20. On the holiday cruises, the ship is very family friendly. For example, the Solarium had family hours, the crew organized family camp-out nights, and the kids clubs were very busy when open.

Entertainment will be an issue, but the Med cruises mitigate it with a lot of interesting ports. And as long as your kids have good chemistry between them, they will have a fun time.

It would be July so definitely school holidays timE! My kids are really good entertaining themselves but they do love interacting with other kids!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Thanks! Did your son get bored outside of the kids club at all? I'm not concerned about the port days but there is one sea day on this itinerary that I'm unsure of. Did other adults look down upon kids at all or were they tolerant?

If DS12 wasn't in the kids club, he was on deck 12 playing basketball. If your kids will be happy in the kids club, they should be fine. They will have kids club programming on the sea day. There really isn't anything else scheduled for children on the ship. On our sea days, the pool was PACKED and not enjoyable at all. If you only have one sea day, perhaps bring some cards or crafts or other things the kids could do in the room or out on deck? Celebrity is seriously low-key.

 

[StarSeven7]

If DS12 wasn't in the kids club, he was on deck 12 playing basketball. If your kids will be happy in the kids club, they should be fine. They will have kids club programming on the sea day. There really isn't anything else scheduled for children on the ship. On our sea days, the pool was PACKED and not enjoyable at all. If you only have one sea day, perhaps bring some cards or crafts or other things the kids could do in the room or out on deck? Celebrity is seriously low-key.

Thanks, good to know! My DH and I are completely happy to just read a book and lounge by the pool all day but the kids really prefer more activity. Maybe they would just prefer to stay in the club all day then! Ha! We had one sea day on our Disney cruise and they did beg to be in the club all day. I had thought we were going to do more family activities together but they really preferred to be there! DH and I spent much more time by the adult pool than we anticipated!