April 14, 2009 - Royal Caribbean is rolling out a new fleetwide programme for guests, expanding services and activities that cater to families with children as young as six months old.
As a leader in innovative family holiday's, RCI provides enriching and entertaining programmes that appeal to children of all ages, while providing options forparents and grandparents that contribute to a more carefree family holiday
Says senior vice president Lisa Bauel: "Royal Caribbean International's new family programmes will offer greater
convenience for parents and give family members more opportunities to
connect with each other on holiday. We have conducted extensive research and sought the feedback of our guests
to identify ways to enhance the family cruise holiday. By keeping up with
the evolving holiday needs of parents and children, we are delivering what
guests want and at a value not found elsewhere."
New dining options for children
My Family Time Dining aims to help children complete dinner within 45
minutes, freeing parents to enjoy coffee and desert at their leisure. Once
seated, children will be immediately served. Available only during the
first seating in the main dining room, children registered in the
complimentary Adventure Ocean youth programme and My Family Time Dining
will be met by Adventure Ocean counsellors at the main dining room
entrances at 6:45 pm 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, New children's menu will include Vitality options and be
presented on playful, brain-teasing placemats designed by Fisher-Price
forchildren up to age seven, and on a more mature interactive menu
for children aged eight to 13. Similar to adult menus in the main dining
room, the new children's menu will include selections that focus on healthy
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 from July 2009.
Lunchtime now no longer means a break from the fun for children. A Lunch
and Play option provides children, age three to 11 with 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 children with lunch, movies, cartoons and play
time between noon and 2pm under the supervision
of Adventure Ocean counsellors.
New 'Royal Babies' and 'Royal Tots Program'
New programmes for Royal Babies(age six to 18 months) and Royal Tots (aged 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 programme.
Parents travelling with infants and toddlers can now pack lighter for their
cruise with Royal Caribbean International's Babies 2 Go Programme, 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 Internationals Gifts & Gear section at RoyalCaribbean.com.
In the mornings, Stroll & Roll will dedicate the jogging track to guests
with infants in strollers, where parents and infants can continue their
exercise regime together. During the day, Royal Tots can join four new
Crayola Beginnings workshops. During each 45-minute session, parents and
their children enjoy story-time with an Adventure Ocean counsellor, and use
Crayola Beginnings products to create the toddler's first works of art.
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, aged six
to 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 International'sSitters at Sea,
created by Fisher-Price - an in-stateroom babysitting service for guests
with infants, one year old and above. A Royal Caribbean International
staff-member will arrive equipped with Fisher-Price toys and Mattel games,
to 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 foreach
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 three or more children.
Children also can create a personalised toy souvenir with their parents in
a fun activity with Royal Caribbean International's newPets 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 holiday,
no quarantine required! Pets at Sea will be available fleetwide from May
2009.
Where Children Want to Be
Children 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 9am to 5pm and 7pm to 2am (extended
from pm to 1am).
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 children 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 counsellor reads from a popular storybook.
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 programme 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.
Royal Caribbean is currently the only cruise line with dedicated teen spaces onboard 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 aged
12-17 their own space to create new friendships and relax with their peers.
Younger cruisers, aged three to11, have scheduled and supervised activities all day long in three age-tiered curricula: Aquanauts, aged three to five;
Explorers, aged six to eight; and Voyagers, aged nine to 11. All Adventure Ocean counsellors are college graduates, with a degree in
education, recreation or a related field.
For more information please visit the RCI website or call Royal Caribbean International on 0845 165 8330.
Royal Cariibbean enhances
