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Cruising With
Kids - Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Adventure Ocean
Information from Royal Caribbean
Cruise Line on their youth program, Adventure Ocean. |
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ROYAL CARIBBEAN HAS FAMILY
SUITES AND ADJOINING STATEROOMS TO ACCOMMODATE UP TO 8 PEOPLE
Royal Caribbean International combines learning and fun
on cruises with "Edu-tainment" (educational entertainment) through
its "Adventure Ocean" Youth Program
Fun isn't just for adults at Royal
Caribbean. We offer exciting programs for guests of all ages,
starting at just 6 months old! And you can feel confident leaving
your children, over three years of age, with us because every member
of our staff holds a college degree in education or other related
field, or has qualified experience in working with children.
From 6-36 months of age, our tiniest guests and their parents are
invited to participate in the Fisher-Price Aqua Babies and Aqua Tots
Programs. Developed by Fisher-Price exclusively for Royal Caribbean
International, these activities are hosted by trained youth staff. A
parent or caregiver MUST accompany children during activity
sessions.
Kids from 3-17 may take part in our complimentary Adventure Ocean®
Youth Program. Adventure Ocean was specially designed to blend
educational activities with just plain fun. To participate in our
Adventure Ocean programs, children must be three years of age and
potty-trained (diaper and pull-up free).
NEW Fisher-Price®
Aqua Babies & Aqua Tots
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If you're a kid, then
our Adventure Ocean Youth Program is just for you. It's a
specially-designed complimentary program for kids from 3 to 12 and teens
from 13 to 17. Using what's known as “Edu-tainment, Adventure Ocean
blends educational activities, daily itineraries, ports of call, games,
individual and team sports, art, performance and a general good time
into a unique onboard experience for children, teens and parents. The
"family" vacation concept will never be the same again. With Adventure
Ocean, there are activities for the whole family, plus parents get a bit
of free time to themselves and kids get some time to have all kinds of
fun.
That fun
includes special meals, a TV station with programming dedicated to kids,
and lots of great play areas. Royal Caribbean cruises are designed to
bring families closer together and for EVERYONE to have the time of
their life!
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Adventure Ocean staff members hold a 4-year College
Degree in Recreation, Education or a related field.
Well-supervised play areas
Exclusive teen centers – “cool” hang-out places for
young adults
Edu-tainment programs – promoting learning and
encouraging fun
Family activities – games and challenges to bring
families together
Special kids' menus
Available babysitting
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The free "Adventure Ocean" program
blends make-believe, educational activities, itineraries, port of
call, habitats, games, sports, art and more for a cruise experience
the younger set will not soon forget.
"A cruise is a time of relaxation and play for all ages. Our
edu-tainment programs, however, seamlessly blend into the daily
schedule of the vacation experience so that young cruisers can’t help
but have fun while they learn important lessons about the earth,
destinations, culture, history, animal life and people around them,"
says Charly McDonald, Adventure Ocean Specialist, Royal Caribbean
International.
The Adventure Ocean experience can include the following exciting and
fun activities: Adventure Science, where specially trained staff
provides interactive science experiments; Adventure Art, which
acquaints kids with divers cultures through art; Adventure Family, in
which parents and other family members participate in fun,
team-oriented challenges, such as The Parent Trap Show or a Treasure
Hunt; and Sail Into Story Time where stories are brought to life
through hands-on activity and role-playing. In addition to these
specialized "adventures," there’s plenty of traditional, fun
activities on hand like dancing, story time, beach parties, Hermit
Crab hunts, sandcastle building and seashell collecting, to name a
few.
Adventure Ocean programs are divided by age group: Aquanauts (3-5);
Explorers (6-8); Voyagers (9-12) and Navigators (13-17). Adventure
Ocean staff members hold college degrees in either education,
recreation or a related field, and/or have career experience working
with children 3-17, and are on hand to supervise every program.
120,000
children ( give or take a few ) sail each year, so Royal Caribbean has
added an "Adventure Ocean" dining plan. Available on all their ships,
the program gives children the option of dining with their new found
friends and the ship's youth staff from a complete child's menu in
either the Windjammer Cafe, Solarium or Johnny Rockets restaurant.
Available on select evenings from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m, the service is
scheduled three times on a seven night cruise and once or twice on
shorter voyages.
Recent fleet-wide
enhancements to the Adventure Ocean program include:
- Opening Adventure Ocean 30 minutes before departure of all
morning shore excursions, which allows parents the flexibility to
choose whether to take their children on a shore excursion or
enjoy the day with adult family members and friends.
- Adding a fifth age group for guests from ages 15-17.
- Developing a new group for children ages 12 - 14, Navigators,
separate from the Voyagers, ages 9 - 11 years.
- Creating the Adventure Ocean Computer Center, with
age-appropriate software and staff-guided tutorials on all current
and pending Voyager-class and Radiance-class ships.
- Eliminating the $4 charge for child services while ships are in
port from noon until sailing.
- Extending the teen program hours past 2:00 a.m.
- Providing an Adventure Ocean Potion card, which allows children
up to 18 years of age to enjoy 12 of their favorite non-alcoholic
drinks, including "mocktails," which are available in the teen
nightclubs, at a cost of $24.95, affording a considerable savings.
In a partnership
deal with toy company Fisher-Price, Royal Caribbean International
lowered the entry-level age on its onboard kids programs from
three years to six months and has developed two new series of
45-minute daily enrichment playgroups for the line’s youngest
passengers.
Royal Caribbean reaches out to families with deal with
Fisher-Price
The Aqua Tots
sessions were created for toddlers ages 18 months to 3 years while
Aqua Babies is aimed at infants and babies ages 6 months to 18
months. Sessions will feature music, storytelling and the use of
Fisher-Price toys and games; parents (or caregivers) must attend
the sessions with their young ones. In addition, Royal Caribbean
will add Fisher-Price TV programming to the line’s in-cabin
television lineup.
The Aqua Babies
and Aqua Tots program will debut on the Explorer of the Seas this
month and will expand fleetwide by the end of 2005.
Hours of supervised children's activities (ages 3-11) (Times may
vary on each ship.)
At sea:
9:00 am-noon
2:00 pm-5:00 pm
7:00 pm-10:00 pm
In port:
30 minutes prior to the first shore excursion-5:00 pm.
If sailing, 9:00 am-sailing.
Evenings in port, 7:00 pm-10:00 pm.
Hours of programming (ages 12-17)
Activities for teens are offered throughout the day. Times may
vary. On certain evenings the youth staff supervises dinner for
kids ages 3-11.
Aquanauts (ages 3-5)
Activities include:
Adventure Art
Adventure Science
Sail into Storytime
Talent Show
Finger Painting
Un-birthday Party
Pajamarama Movie Night
Face Painting
Carnival Night
Bingo
And much, much more
Explorers (ages 6-8)
Activities include:
Adventure Science
Adventure Art
Adventure Family Activities
Talent Show
Ice Cream Parties
Pirate Night
Dancin' through the Decades
Wacky Olympics
Adventure Sports
Country Western Hoedown
And much, much more
Voyagers (ages 9-12)
Activities include:
Adventure Sports
Adventure Science
Adventure Art
X-Games
Adventure Family Activities
Karaoke
Adventure Challenge Series
Talent Show
Movie Mania
Adventure Theater
And much, much more
Navigators (ages 13-14)
Activities include:
Adventure Sports
Karaoke
Adventure Theater
Backstage Tour
Pool Parties
Dancing
Talent Show
Adventure Art
Scavenger Hunts
Themed Parties
And much, much more
Guests ages 15-17
Activities include:
Adventure Sports
Pool Parties
Karaoke
Fetch It
Hook It Up
Battle of the Sexes
Majority Rules
Themed Parties
Pool Parties
Late Night Movies
Dancing
NOTE: Activities vary from ship to ship. All children must be
toilet trained to participate.
Babysitting
Group sitting is available on all ships and is supervised by the
youth staff. The service is offered from 10:00 pm-1:00 am each
evening in the youth facilities. Children must be three years of
age, potty trained and pull-up and diaper free to enter the youth
facilities and participate in activities. The rate is $5 per hour
per child.
In-stateroom sitting must be booked through the Purser's/Guest
Relations Desk at least 24 hours in advance. It cannot be booked
prior to the cruise vacation, and there is no guarantee that
sitters will be available. The service is offered from 8:00 am
until 2:00 am. Children must be at least one year old. Approximate
rate: $8/hour for one or two children within the same family or
$10/hour for three children within the same family.
Programs, activities, times and prices are subject to change
without notice.
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The above
information is presumed to be timely, but may not be up-to-date
and is subject to change without notice.
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agency member of the Cruise Line International Association.
All other material © 2005 Travel
Direct Corporation
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