Royal Caribbean Enhances Family And Youth Offerings
Award-Winning Youth Program Expands Options For Stress-Free Family Vacations
Miami - March 09, 2009 - Royal Caribbean International today announced
new fleetwide programming for cruise vacationers, expanding services
and activities that cater to families with children as young as six
months old. The new program includes enhancements to Royal Caribbean's
award-winning Adventure Ocean youth program, which will help families
traveling with children enjoy a fulfilling and stress-free vacation. As
a leader in innovative family vacations, Royal Caribbean provides
enriching and entertaining programs that appeal to children of all
ages, while providing options for parents and grandparents that
contribute to a more carefree family vacation.
"Royal Caribbean's new family programming will offer greater
convenience for parents and give family members more opportunities to
connect with each other on a cruise vacation," said Lisa Bauer, senior
vice president, Hotel Operations, Royal Caribbean International. "We
have conducted extensive research and sought the feedback of our guests
to identify ways to enhance the family cruise vacation. By keeping up
with the evolving vacation needs of parents and children, we are
delivering what guests want and at a value not found elsewhere."
New Dining Options for Kids
Royal Caribbean International
has enhanced the cruise line's dining experience to further cater to
parents and children for a more enjoyable cruise vacation all around.
My Family Time Dining aims to help kids complete dinner within 45
minutes, freeing parents to enjoy coffee and desert at their leisure.
Once seated, kids will enjoy expedited service and be immediately
served. Available only during the first seating in the main dining
room, kids registered in the complimentary Adventure Ocean youth
program and My Family Time Dining will be met by Adventure Ocean
counselors at the main dining room entrances at 6:45 p.m. and be
escorted back to the Adventure Ocean spaces for ongoing evening
activities, while parents can continue to enjoy their dinner.
Expanding on the cruise line's focus to provide healthier onboard
dining experiences, Royal Caribbean's new children's menu will include
Vitality options and be presented on playful, brain-teasing placemats
designed by Fisher-Price for kids up to age seven, and a more mature
interactive menu for kids age 8 -13. Similar to adult menus in the main
dining room, the new children's menu will include selections that focus
on healthful cooking and wholesome ingredients, and can help families
begin and continue practices for a healthier lifestyle. My Family Time
Dining and children's menu options will be available fleetwide in July
2009.
Lunchtime, also, no longer means a break from the fun for kids.
Available immediately, Royal Caribbean's Lunch and Play option provides
children, ages 3 - 11, a nutritious meal with their new friends in the
middle of the day on days at sea. For a service charge of $7.95 per
child, Lunch and Play provides Adventure Ocean kids with lunch, movies,
cartoons and play time between noon and 2 p.m. under the supervision of
Adventure Ocean counselors. Parents registering their kids for Lunch
and Play will pre-select items for their kid's lunchbox, from options
such as a salad or ham and/or cheese sandwich; a fruit salad, banana or
apple; a cookie, serving of potato chips, granola bar, or vegetable
sticks; and a beverage of fruit punch, milk, or water.
New Royal Babies and Royal Tots Programming
New programs for Royal Babies (ages 6 - 18 months) and Royal Tots (ages
18 - 36 months) will provide a wider breadth of activities and services
to guests sailing with young children, adding to the already popular
Fisher-Price playgroup program. Parents traveling with infants and
toddlers can now pack lighter for their cruise with Royal Caribbean's
Babies 2 Go program, where parents can order organic baby food and
diapers, wipes and creams by Huggies - the world's leading diaper brand
- for delivery to their staterooms upon their arrival. These baby
essentials can be ordered online through Royal Caribbean's Gifts &
Gear section at RoyalCaribbean.com starting March 23.
In the mornings, Stroll & Roll will dedicate the jogging track
to guests with infants in strollers, where parents and infants can
continue their exercise regimen together. During the day, Royal Tots
can create early childhood memories at four new Crayola Beginnings
workshops. During each 45-minute session, parents and their children
enjoy story-time with an Adventure Ocean counselor, and use Crayola
Beginnings products to create the toddler's first works of art. Themed
sessions include My Colorful World (introducing the concept of colors);
Families Have Fun (introducing the world of coloring); Let's Explore
the Sea; and Our Big, Big Ship.
A treasure chest of Fisher-Price toys is available to families
during their stay in the Fisher-Price Toy Lending Program, comprising a
collection of developmental toys specifically created for infants and
toddlers, ages 6 - 36 months. Parents can borrow and exchange toys for
a new activity every day to help growing minds learn through play.
Parents can enjoy a little time away from their children with
complete peace of mind through Royal Caribbean's Sitters at Sea,
created by Fisher-Price - an in-stateroom babysitting service for
guests with infants, one year old and above. A Royal Caribbean
staff-member will arrive equipped with Fisher-Price toys and Mattel
games, and engage and entertain the young cruisers until their parents
return. Parents will need to reserve a sitter at least 24 hours in
advance and complete a checklist that includes information on where
they will be, when they expect to return, bedtime routines and
particular preferences for each child. Upon their return, parents will
be presented a log of the child's activities with the babysitter,
including books read, games enjoyed, food consumed, and when the child
was put to bed. Service charges for Sitters at Sea are $10 per hour for
up to two children; and $15 per hour for 3 or more children.
Children also can create a personalized plush toy souvenir with
their parents in a fun activity with Royal Caribbean's new Pets at Sea.
Guests can choose from a collection of animals and more than 20 outfits
and accessories to create and bring home a new pet from their cruise
vacation, no quarantine required! Pets at Sea will be available
fleetwide in May 2009.
Where Kids Want to Be
Kids and teens can enjoy activities into the late evening with newly
extended hours in the Adventure Ocean and teen-only spaces. Scheduled
programming will now run everyday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 2
a.m. (extended from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.)
Young cruises also have their own book nook aboard every Royal
Caribbean ship. The Adventure Family Library is a section within the
onboard library, which offers classic and popular family titles in a
variety of languages (based on the ship's itinerary) and a comfortable
reading area for kids to relax and delve into a book, individually or
with a parent. In the evenings, Royal Bedtime Stories invites the whole
family to the Adventure Family Library to enjoy a bedtime story and
lullabies. Children are encouraged to dress in their pajamas and enjoy
a cookie or two with milk, while an Adventure Ocean counselor reads
from one among a variety of popular storybooks.
Family Time with Mattel Board Games
Through a partnership
with Mattel, Royal Caribbean International offers guests a wide array
of popular games for the whole family. Younger cruisers in Royal
Caribbean's Adventure Ocean program can enjoy a variety of Mattel
games, including titles such as 20Q; Apples to Apples; Piranha Panic;
Rhino Rampage; Scene It? Nickelodeon Edition; and UNO.
Family play sessions led by activities staff include games such as
Skip-Bo Get Together; Scrabble Scramble; and UNO H2O (held poolside).
These live versions of popular Mattel games provide an opportunity for
anyone in the family to compete with other families in active and fun
games. Mattel board games also are stocked in the card room, where
guests can accept an impromptu family challenge. Additionally, guests
in suite category staterooms may request Mattel board games off a menu
in their suite, for enjoyment in the privacy of their stateroom. Titles
include Balderdash, Pictionary Man Game, Snorta, UNO Flash, and games
featured in Adventure Ocean.
As a consistent innovator, Royal Caribbean is currently the only
cruise line with dedicated teen spaces aboard every ship across the
fleet. Onboard areas such as The Living Room teen hangout, Fuel or
Optix teen discos, and The Back Deck sun-deck for teens give young
cruisers ages 12 - 17 their own space to create new friendships and
relax with their peers. Younger cruisers, ages 3 - 11, have scheduled
and supervised activities all day long in three age-tiered curricula:
Aquanauts, ages 3 - 5; Explorers, ages 6 - 8; and Voyagers, ages 9 -
11. All Adventure Ocean counselors are college graduates, with a degree
in education, recreation or a related field.
Royal Caribbean International is a global cruise brand with 20 ships
currently in service and two under construction. The line also offers
unique cruisetour vacations in Alaska, Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe,
South America and New Zealand.