Royal Caribbean Kids Clubs: Everything You Need to Know
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Royal Caribbean is one of the top cruise lines in the family vacation market. Many people know the cruise line for its impressive offering of activities and entertainment for the whole family. You don’t need to worry about your kids getting bored. From mini golf to surf simulators and water parks to zip lines, there’s more than enough to keep your children entertained for weeks at a time.
But, they also offer one of the best children’s programs in the cruise industry.
If you’re trying to decide if Royal Caribbean is suitable for you and you’re family, keep reading to learn about their exceptional kid’s clubs.
Royal Caribbean Kids Clubs
Kids love going on cruises, and Royal Caribbean is the perfect cruise line for kids of all ages.
Their Kids Clubs are top-notch, with plenty of activities to keep children entertained. Plus, with a highly trained staff watching your kids, you can relax and enjoy your cruise knowing that your children are in good hands.
As a parent, it’s always a concern that older kids can be a little rougher.
Thankfully, Royal Caribbean separates children into six age groups:
- Royal Tots & Babies: 6- 36 months
- Aquanauts: 3-5 years
- Explorers: 6-8 years
- Voyagers: 9-12 years
- Youngers Teens: 13-14 years
- Older Teens: 15-17 years
Each age group has a dedicated space where parents can drop off their kids to play.
Parents can relax knowing trained professionals supervise their children. Among other requirements, every youth staff member must have a four-year university degree or equivalent education along with three years of qualified experience working with children.
Adventure Ocean Kids Club
Adventure Ocean is the youth club on Royal Caribbean ships.
The club is open every day of the cruise, including embarkation day.
The operation hours on embarkation day vary. In our experience, Adventure Ocean opens at 8 pm on the first day of the cruise.
It’s important to know that the hours of operation are different for port days and sea days.
On port days, Adventure Ocean is open from:
- 9 am – 12 pm
- 2 pm – 5 pm
- 7 pm – 10 pm
On sea days, the kid’s club is open most of the day. Usually, the club will open 30 minutes before the first shore excursion until 5 pm and open again from 7 pm to 10 pm. The flexible hours on port days mean parents have plenty of time to drop off children before taking a shore excursion.
As always, it’s best to check with the staff for exact times as they may vary by cruise ship.
As a bonus, there’s no cost to use the service during regular hours.
But if you want to keep your kid later while you party around the ship, Adventure Ocean provides group sitting service between 10 pm – 2 am. The cost for the service is a reasonable $7/hour per child. It’s important to note that the service only applies to children aged three and older, and all children must be toilet trained.
Royal Caribbean’s Adventure Ocean is split into three rooms:
- Aquanauts: For ages 3-5 years
- Explorers: For ages 6-8 years
- Voyagers: For ages 9-12 years
Each room has an activities area with age-appropriate games and entertainment:
Aquanauts For Children Aged 3-5 years
Little Aquanauts can enjoy finger painting, creating bubbling potions, musical activities, building blocks, space night, and more.
Parents can also opt to borrow a pager so that the Royal Caribbean Adventure Ocean staff can quickly get in touch if needed. The pager is a huge relief for parents who know that staff can contact them in cases of emergency.
Explorers For Children Aged 6-8 years
Explorers can look forward to pajama parties, hands-on science projects, parades, pirate nights, ice cream parties, and talent shows.
Voyagers For Tweens Ages 9-12 years
Voyagers participate in backstage tours, sports, karaoke, science experiments, tournaments, and video games. You can give your child the right to sign themselves out at this age. Although many parents prefer to know where their kids are, the option provides tweens a bit of freedom.
Royal Babies & Royal Tots
Group Sessions
Royal Caribbean International is one of the only cruise lines with services for children under three.
The cruise line offers Royal Babies for children ages 6 to 18 months and Royal Tots for children ages 18 to 36 months.
The program provides interactive group sessions with toys and learning activities. The sessions are 45 minutes long, and you must accompany your children.
But, if you’re looking for a babysitting service, Royal Caribbean
Royal Babies & Tots Nursery
The Royal Babies & Tots Nursery is a paid babysitting service on many, but not all, Royal Caribbean cruise ships.
The service runs from 9 am until midnight at the cost of $6/hour per child from 9 am to 6 pm and $8/hour per child from 6 pm to midnight. The nursery is an excellent solution for parents who need some time to relax by the pool, spend the day in port, or catch a show in the Royal Theatre.
The nursery staff is certified and trained in accordance with Florida State Regulation, so you won’t need to worry about your child’s care. While in the nursery, staff can give bottles, feed children, and change diapers.
The number of staff at the nursery varies, but there are always at least two caretakers. As a rule, the ratio of staff to kids must be at least one staff member for every three babies or one staff member for every four toddlers.
Additionally, if you know you have a shore excursion you just can’t miss, you can pre-register your kids on embarkation day. The limited number of spots are given on a first-come, first-serve basis, so it’s always best to reserve in advance if there’s a specific time you’ll need to use the service.
What Ships Have Royal Babies & Tots Nursery?
Royal Babies and Tots Nurseries are on the following Royal Caribbean ships:
- Allure of the Seas
- Anthem of the Seas
- Brilliance of the Seas
- Enchantment of the Seas
- Freedom of the Seas
- Grandeur of the Seas
- Harmony of the Seas
- Independence of the Seas
- Liberty of the Seas
- Mariner of the Seas
- Navigator of the Seas
- Oasis of the Seas
- Quantum of the Seas
- Ovation of the Seas
- Radiance of the Seas
- Rhapsody of the Seas
- Serenade of the Seas
- Symphony of the Seas
- Vision of the Seas
- Wonder of the Seas
Teen Clubs on Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean also provides spaces for teens to meet and hang out.
The self-hosted teen clubs are divided into two age groups:
- Youngers Teens, 13-14 years
- Older Teens, 15-17 years
Both groups can take part in staff-hosted activities during the day and night.
Younger teens will enjoy BBQs, movie nights, open mic nights, and organized sports.
Older teens can hang out with video games, karaoke, dinner, theme nights, and pool parties.
The teen-only hangout spaces vary by ship but typically include a laid-back lounge for relaxing during the day and the Fuel nightclub for late-night parties.
Unlike Adventure Ocean, teens are free to come and go as they please. Some of my best memories from cruising as a kid is from the teens club, meeting other young travelers, and participating in exciting games.
How to Register Your Child for the Club
You can register your child for the Royal Caribbean kids club on embarkation day. Bring your kids with you to the embarkation day meet and greet. You’ll have a chance to walk through the club spaces, meet the youth staff, and view the planned activities.
The signup process consists of filling out forms and verifying your passport information. You can also provide a password so that another friend or relative can sign out your kids if you are unavailable.
Bottom Line on Royal Caribbean’s Children Programs
Royal Caribbean’s kid’s clubs are a great way to keep your little ones entertained while you’re on vacation. With so many activities and expert supervision, you can rest comfortably knowing your kids are safe and entertained.
FAQs
Are Royal Caribbean Kids Club Leaders Qualified?
Yes, all kid’s club activities are supervised by qualified youth staff. All youth staff members have a four-year university degree or equivalent education in children’s health or recreation.
Additionally, they must have a minimum of three years of qualified experience working with children.
In addition to the above requirements, Nursery staff must also attend a 30-hour Nursery Training program to ensure they comply with Florida State Standards of care.
Is the Kids Club on Royal Caribbean Free?
The kids club is free to use on Royal Caribbean cruise ships during the day. There’s no cost to use the service from when it opens until 10 pm.
At night there is a paid group sitting service available. The service costs $7/hour per child charge and runs from 10 pm to 2 am.
How Much is Royal Caribbean’s Daycare?
Royal Caribbean’s daycare service is $6 per hour, per child between the hours of 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. After 6:00 pm, the price rises to a still reasonable $8 per hour per child. The cost of the daycare service is charged directly to your onboard spending account.
What Are the Hours of Operation for Adventure Ocean?
Royal Caribbean’s Adventure Ocean has different hours of operation on sea days and port days.
On sea days, Adventure is open from 9 am to 12 pm, 2 pm to 5 pm, and 7 pm to 10 pm. When the ship is in port, the club opens 30 minutes before the first shore excursion to 5 pm; and 7 pm to 10 pm
