Royal Caribbean Ships for Kids: A kids club with developmentally appropriate activities, an outdoor movie screen, a rock climbing wall, and pools are just a few of the kid-friendly amenities available on every Royal Caribbean ship. The fleet’s newest and largest ships feature many more entertainment options than the line’s oldest and smallest ships, which only provide that. These include fast-casual restaurants selling Mexican cuisine and Johnny Rockets burgers and milkshakes, as well as splash parks, waterslides, ice skating rinks, bumper cars, zip lines, and laser tag.
When it comes to providing something on its ships for everyone, Royal Caribbean excels. The line’s newest ships, Wonder of the Seas (currently the largest ship in the world) and Icon of the Seas (set to take the title when it debuts in January 2024) are sure to appeal to a wide range of age groups.
5 Perfect Royal Caribbean Ships for Kids
1. Freedom of the Seas
My recommendation, if you intend to cruise with little children, is to begin with a quick warm-weather cruise aboard a ship designed with the youngest passengers in mind.
Selecting a ship with a Royal Babies & Tots nursery and a Baby Splash Zone is necessary while sailing with Royal Caribbean, as children wearing swim diapers are not permitted in the main pool or water play areas. In my opinion, Freedom of the Seas is the better option. Along with lots of eateries and adult-only activities, it includes all of those necessities for babies. Your preschooler could like watching the parades along the Royal Promenade and then having some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream afterward. (The Royal Caribbean ship Freedom is one of six that has a Ben & Jerry’s store.)
Royal Caribbean Cruise Formal Nights: What to Expect and How to Dress
Freedom is not as large as an Oasis-class ship, though, and those ships have fantastic options for the three-and-under set. As a result, you won’t experience as much FOMO if you have to stay in the cabin past an early bedtime. And when your new walker decides that pushing things up and down the cabin hallways is the greatest thing to do on the ship, the halls aren’t quite as long. (Yes, I have been in that situation.)
Additionally, Freedom of the Seas mostly offers brief three- and four-night Bahamas cruises to Perfect Day at CocoCay, a Royal Caribbean-owned private island, and Nassau. If your children are anything like mine, they will love playing on beaches. CocoCay features a splash park, a shallow-entry pool just right for newborns and toddlers, and a peaceful bay with a pirate ship motif. Parents may easily manage a day at the beach with their children thanks to the conveniently positioned free barbecues and tram services.
2. Icon of the Seas
Icon of the Seas, the newest ship from Royal Caribbean, won’t make its debut until January 2024, but I’m very sure it’s the greatest for younger guests in the fleet. This is because Royal Caribbean designed the entire ship with young families in mind.
For parents and children under the age of seven, the line has produced a cheerful environment. The outdoor space in the ship’s back is known as Surfside. It will have an adult-only infinity pool and a splash area with junior waterslides for children. In addition, there will be a carousel with a beach theme, a dry playground, an arcade, several family-friendly eateries (so you won’t have to travel far when you’re hungry), and a cocktail/mocktail bar just for mommies.
The Adventure Ocean kids club on Deck 6 is also just a short hop, skip, and jump from this Deck 7 area.
Surfside will be even more suitable for all those little legs because of the surrounding family-themed cabins and suites, many of which have separate sleeping areas for children and adults. When your tired child is ready for a nap at the cabin, you won’t have to drag them very far.
Icon of the Seas is a larger, redesigned version of Royal Caribbean’s well-liked Oasis-class ships, which means that families with small children may also take advantage of the ship’s many family-friendly dining options, ice skating and acrobatic diving acts, and top-deck amenities like minigolf and pools.
From the port of Miami, Icon of the Seas will depart on weeklong family-friendly cruises to the Caribbean. Every ship also makes a stop at CocoCay’s Perfect Day.
3. Wonder of the Seas
For my daughter’s eighth birthday, I brought her on Wonder of the Seas, and I can vouch for the fact that Wonder and her Oasis-class siblings are perfect for older children. There’s never a dull moment for your kids with all the activities on these megaships. Alternatively, they have other activities to choose from as soon as they complete one.
Smaller children may not be able to fully enjoy all that Wonder of the Seas has to offer because of age or size restrictions on certain of its activities. My daughter could play in the splash park, numerous pools, go rock climbing, ride the waterslides, and go down the 10-decker dry slide. However, she was just a tad too small and short to try the zip line or boogie board on the FlowRider. Typically, the minimum height requirements are 48 or 52 inches.
For older children, the original musical “Effectors II” and the ice skating show at Studio B are highly recommended. The slackliners, aerialists, dancers, and divers that we saw at the AquaTheater particularly amazed my daughter. Wonder also offers an escape room, sports court, minigolf course, carousel, promenade parades, and arcade for kids between the ages of 8 and 12.
Royal Caribbean Ship Classes: A Guide to the Ultimate 7 Classes
Not to be overlooked are the ship’s numerous fast-casual eating options. If I could have afforded it, my daughter would have eaten hot dogs and milkshakes at Johnny Rockets every day. She also loved the Campfire Cookie dessert at Playmakers, quesadillas at El Loco Fresh, which was close to all the exciting top-deck attractions, and perusing the buffet’s offerings. She also gave pizza at the free Sorrento’s and the extra-cost Giovanni’s, as well as the recently opened Wonder Mason Jar southern-themed specialty restaurant, high marks for kid-friendliness.
Seven-night Caribbean cruises are Wonder of the Seas’ primary itinerary, and this is an ideal length of stay for travelers in this age range. Since these are popular times, reserve your school vacation weeks in advance.
4. Odyssey of the Seas
All of the cruises that have already been described are undoubtedly enjoyable for tweens and teens, but occasionally they want a vacation that’s a bit more sophisticated and possibly high-tech. Odyssey of the Seas is our choice for the greatest Royal Caribbean cruise ship suitable for children in middle and high school because of this.
There are several intriguing features on Odyssey of the Seas and its Quantum-class sister ships that aren’t on other Royal Caribbean ships. Teens will enjoy jumping on the Sky Pad VR bungee trampoline and using the RipCord by iFly skydiving simulator. They may get active at the SeaPlex on board the ship, where there is bumper cars, table tennis, and indoor basketball. They can also have fun at the arcade and virtual reality play area. In case they become hungry, they can have burgers at Playmakers, which is close by.
Two70 is another fun spot on the ship. During the day, get a lunch at the cafe and curl up somewhere away from your parents to check your social media accounts. At night, the venue transforms into a high-tech performance space. Teens can take selfies while atop the NorthStar, a tourist pod that is raised far above the ship on a mechanical arm.
The go-to spot for tweens and teens aboard Odyssey of the Seas is called Social 180, and it’s even more awesome because it offers an inside lounge as well as an outside patio. Numerous teen-friendly Royal Caribbean fan favorites, like the FlowRider, rock climbing wall, laser tag, and outdoor movies, are also available on the ship.
The wide variety of specialty restaurants offered by Royal Caribbean, such as Izumi for sushi, Chops Grille for steaks, and Giovanni’s for Italian food, may also be appealing to tweens and teens. They can also get quick bites at Sorrento’s and El Loco Fresh.
Odyssey of the Seas offers Greek Islands and Holy Land itineraries in addition to a variety of week-long and longer Caribbean sailings. Families with teenagers who are mature enough to endure longer excursions or flights to Europe now have more possibilities for more daring travel experiences.
5. Quantum of the Seas
It seems like a mistake to include Alaska from our family’s selections, as the majority are for cruise ships visiting the Caribbean and Bahamas. Family vacations with children are fantastic in Alaska, where Royal Caribbean bases four ships each year. However, some are not as good for families as others.
Celebrity vs. Royal Caribbean: Differences in Nightlife, Dining, and Onboard Vibes
Quantum of the Seas is our favorite choice for families traveling to Alaska (though the virtually identical sister ship Ovation of the Seas comes in close second). Quantum offers seven-night round-trip cruises that depart from Seattle, making it an ideal choice for families who are limited to a week-long holiday and do not wish to invest in the time and expense of flying to Alaska to board a ship.
Many of the same features that make Odyssey of the Seas so perfect for Alaska are also present in Quantum of the Seas. Even when it’s cold or wet in the north, indoor attractions like kids clubs, the sky diving simulator, and SeaPlex are always open. The North Star sightseeing ride becomes considerably more alluring when you can enjoy breathtaking views of Alaskan landscapes instead of just expanses of the Caribbean Sea. Two70 makes an equally stunning inside observation lounge when sailing through fjords and past glaciers.
Ovation gives Quantum of the Seas the edge because it has two attractions that Ovation does not: laser tag and an escape room.
