Here at Vision Cruise, it is important to us that all passengers enjoy their cruise – from ages 1 to 100. That’s why we have put together a guide focusing on the little ones and the kids onboard entertainment available on some of the most popular cruise ships.
Kids Clubs
Carnival Cruises:
Kids attending Camp Carnival are split into 3 age groups: 2-5 years, 6-8 years and 9-11 years. Activities, led by trained counselors, include dancing, arts and crafts, movies, toy-time and video-gaming. If you want a night away from the kids they can also stay for tea where they receive their own menu with favourites like mac&cheese and chicken nuggets.
MSC:
MSC offers two kids clubs on-board their ships: Mini Club, for ages 3-6 and Juniors Club, for ages 7-11. These clubs offer children on-board to socialise with others their own ages whilst taking part in arts and crafts, group games, sports, video-gaming and dance classes and performances.
We all know teens don’t always love hanging round with Mum and Dad, so MSC also offer clubs for 12-14 year olds, and 15-17 year olds where ice-breaking activities are available for teens to meet new people who they can experience their holiday with.
P&O:
P&O offer 4 different clubs from ages 2 up to 17: Splashers (2-4), Surfers (5-8), Scubas (9-12) and H20 (13-17). There are varying activities available based on which club children are involved in, in order to meet the needs and level of play of each group.
Royal Caribbean:
Royal Caribbean aren’t short of kid’s club on their range of ships – with 6 different clubs available for all ages, your children will never run out of things to do on-board. Activities include science experiments, crafts, sports and themed nights, with each activity tailored to the ages of the children in each club.
Movies and Stage Productions
Carnival Cruises:
Available on Carnival Vista, IMAX movies show Hollywood blockbusters, recent hit films and IMAX shorts. These do come at an additional cost however if you’re children are lost for something to do (which is highly unlikely on-board a Carnival cruise!) they can always relax in the IMAX theatre to fill the time.
Also offering a thrill theatre – full of special seats which allow you to not only watch but experience the movie – and a seaside theatre – where blankets and popcorn are available for you to enjoy whilst you snuggle up and watch a film next to the pool (or even in it)! Taking place on many Carnival cruises, The Hasbro Game Show brings your favourite child-hood games to life – fun for all ages!
MSC:
The 4D cinema on-board MSC ships provides fun entertainment for kids all day long. There are also performances of 80 different original productions on-board across the MSC fleet – with each cruise offering at least 6 different shows. If you’re cruising from July 2017 onwards on-board the MSC Meraviglia you will have the chance to experience two unique shows created exclusively for MSC by Cirque De Soleil
P&O:
Showing some of the most spectacular shows at sea – on-board P&O ships you will see West End and Broadway compilations, as well as tributes to well known stars. P&O also offer on-board cinemas featuring classics alongside new releases, many of which are yet to be released in the UK.
Royal Caribbean:
With Tony Award winning shows on-board, kids travelling on Royal Caribbean will never be bored. Showing Mamma Mia, Cats, Saturday Night Fever, We Will Rock You and Grease over the variety of ships available. Water and Ice shows are also available in Aquatheatres and Ice rinks on-board. So make sure you check if these features are available on your ship before you travel to prepare for the amazing performances!
Sports and Activities
Carnival Cruises:
Included in the price of your cruise, kids can spend time taking part in many on-board sports and activities. Suitable for older kids, Dodgeball is available on-board the Breeze, Magic and Vista ships. Physical challenges and scavenger hunts are also available for both kids and adults to enjoy or if you want to pit the kids against the adults you can take part in Battle of the Ages.
MSC:
All ships in the MSC fleet are different, however most include the facilities for the following activities: basketball, football, mini golf, table football, table tennis, tennis and volleyball – tournaments are also held by the entertainment team for most of these activities. MSC also host a Sea Party which involves teams partaking in water games and group dances. Guaranteed to make a splash, a variety of water sports and team games are available in the pool areas, lead by the entertainment team.
P&O:
Both dance classes and sports tournaments are available on-board P&O cruises which allows kids to get involved with something they may never have tried before and helps them learn new skills.
Royal Caribbean:
Royal Caribbean ships offer a huge range of sports and activities for children to take part in! For example, their FlowRider, available on certain ships, allows passengers to try surfing or boogie boarding the waves on a surf simulator. Also available on certain ships is the Seaplex – an arena offering activities from dodgems to circus school. Strap on your skates on-board all Oasis, Voyager and Freedom class ships and prepare for some icy fun in the ships ice rink.
Younger Kids
Carnival Cruises:
Possibly more suitable for the younger sailors, there are a variety of Dr.Seuss themed activities for children on-board to get involved in. Including Bookville, the SEUSS-A-PALOOZA Parade and the SEUSS-A-PALOOZA Story Time. Available on the Carnival Vista and Carnival Freedom, Bookville is filled top to toe with fantastic books to help kids explore their imagination. The parade and story time activities are available on all ships and include everyone’s favourite characters from the Dr.Seuss books! Sit down for breakfast with the characters and take a trip to the whimsical world of Dr.Seuss – eat your very own green eggs and ham breakfast or choose from many of the other crazy breakfast choices on the truly unique menu.
MSC:
Join Mini Club, an exclusive club reserved for children below 2 years old – a safe and secure environment allowing children to meet and play with others their own age. Educational and developmental toys are prominent in this club allowing children to take part in activities: Let’s Speak English, Rhythm and Music and Mini Olympic Games.
P&O:
On P&O, Splashers is the youngest club available to 2-4 year olds. This club includes a ball pool, outdoor play areas and holds puppet shows for its guests. If needed, P&O family friendly ships all have night nursery’s, open from 6pm-2am and available to children between 6 months and 4 years – pagers are given to parents in case their child wakes or the staff need to contact the parents for any reason.
Royal Caribbean:
Royal Babies and Royal Tots clubs are available for ages 6-18 months and 18-36 months. These clubs give the younger passengers to opportunity to engage with others and play on-board the ship. They include interactive sessions with music, toys and learning activities. Children must be accompanied for these 45 minute sessions, however there is a nursery where children can be dropped off and cared for by trained professionals.