Royal Caribbean International is known for its family-friendly cruises, where parents with children can enhance their vacation by allowing their kids to enjoy an array of age-appropriate amenities.
They also offer programs for kids, including their award-winning Adventure Ocean, which is open to children aged 6 months to 17 years. It provides activities and amenities tailored to different age groups and is supervised by certified childcare professionals.
These kids’ clubs are available throughout the day, allowing parents to relax while their children play and socialize in a safe environment.
In This Article:
What Is Adventure Ocean?
Adventure Ocean is Royal Caribbean’s unique and award-winning youth program. It is available on all Royal Caribbean cruises, including every ship in their fleet. Rather than functioning as a generic daycare program, Adventure Ocean was designed to cater to infants through teenagers.
Royal Caribbean achieves this by offering five categories, where children are grouped according to age. This allows supervisors to offer activities that are more appropriate for the children in their care and makes it easier for the children to make friends while they enjoy their family vacation.
This unique kids’ club operates every day, with sessions scheduled during both sea and port days. The consistency of the program allows parents and the children themselves to enjoy a greater degree of fun, relaxation, and flexibility.
All five categories of the Adventure Ocean program are led by trained and experienced childcare staff with backgrounds in childhood education and related fields.
This ensures that Adventure Ocean sessions are structured in a way that is fun for kids and allows the family vacation to be a time when they can enjoy educational, safe, and social playtime.
While each group has its designated area on the ship, parents can also drop by to check in on their children or attend certain activities with them.
This only enhances the flexible nature of Adventure Ocean, which is part of the reason why it is recognized as being one of the best programs of its nature at sea.
Adventure for All Ages
The Adventure Ocean youth programs are divided into several categories, and the participating children are divided according to the age groups they belong to.
Each age group has its own unique atmosphere, play style, and level of supervision. The types of activities and their themes vary to be relevant to the age group’s stage of development.
To help you understand what is available, here is a basic breakdown of the various groupings that make up the Adventure Ocean youth program.
Royal Babies & Tots Nursery (6 months to 36 months)
With the exception of Jewel of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, and Explorer of the Seas, the Royal Babies & Tots Nursery program is available on every ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet. As the name implies, it is a nursery-style program that functions like a daycare for babies and toddlers.
The program offers drop-off childcare, where babies and toddlers receive stimulating, age-appropriate supervision and activities. With scheduled nap times, infant-appropriate toys, and closely monitored play sessions, this program is catered to the exact needs of the youngest cruisers.
The tots’ nursery also supplies essentials like sanitary wipes, infant-appropriate snacks, and options for parents to bring their own child’s diapers or preferred toys.
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While a small fee is required for the drop-off nursery sessions, the close attention the children receive from qualified caregivers is well worth the fee.
Prices can vary depending on the ship, but they are typically $6 per hour during the day and $8 per hour at night. For parents who would like to enjoy such much-needed rest and relaxation, the program can be a welcome bit of relief.
If you would like to check in on your young child, parents are welcome to visit and participate in the program. The same is true for the older groups; however, parents are not allowed to visit the teen lounges, as this helps give teenage passengers a greater sense of independence.
Aquanauts (3-5 Years)
Aquanauts is a unique child supervision program where kids can enjoy age-appropriate science experiments and other activities that blend entertainment with education.
The program is for children ages 3 and 5, and all children must be fully potty trained to participate. Diapers and pull-ups are not allowed, so children must be comfortable using the toilet independently.
Kids will enjoy everything from arts and crafts sessions to educational movies, storytelling, computer games, and even themed parties, like Dinosaur Hunters and Pirate Nights. The program is designed to keep kids engaged and entertained throughout the entire day.
While participation is included for all passengers, fees apply after 10:00 pm, so be prepared to pay if you plan to leave your kids at Aquanauts at night.
Adventure Ocean Explorers (6-8 years)
Explorers caters to slightly older children in the 6-8 age group.
Like Aquanauts, the entertainment is designed to keep the children engaged. Rather than just watching movies and playing video games, the program focuses on activities that will get the children on their feet, like scavenger hunts, dance parties, relay races, and interactive games that encourage kids to use their creativity.
This age group also participates in programs like Adventure Science Labs, Adventure Art, and Adventure Theatre. Again, these group activities have an educational focus that encourages participants to use their imaginations in a social setting.
Instructors and supervisors understand that some kids can be shy, so they know how to make every kid feel included without forcing them to do anything they don’t want to do. It is a rewarding program that young children really enjoy!
Voyagers (9-11 years)
The Voyagers group is designed for older kids in the 9 to 11-year-old age bracket.
Given that this age group tends to have a more competitive and independent spirit than younger groups, Voyagers gives kids the option to participate in sports tournaments, video game competitions, and various challenges that encourage independent effort.
Social activities that encourage cooperation and making friends are also offered. For kids who prefer to be more independent, there are computer stations, arts and crafts tables, and other activities that allow for greater autonomy.
Like the Aquanauts and Explorers programs, Voyagers is included, but fees apply for kids staying past 10:00 pm.
Teens and Tweens Program (12-17 years)
The teens group, also called Teen Club, is divided into two age groups, 12 to 14 and 15 to 17, ensuring kids are paired with like-minded teens.
While the younger group takes a hands-on approach to supervision, the older group encourages more independence. Teens are able to come and go as they please. These designated spaces host teen-only events.
The club offers a teen lounge called Social020 and a teen-only nightclub called Fuel Teen Club, where teenagers can listen to music, try out karaoke, and enjoy teen-appropriate films during private movie nights.
Teen activities include group dances, pool parties, visiting the arcades, movie nights, and a mixture of video games and sports tournaments. For a fee, teens can also join group excursions to some paid attractions, like the FlowRider Surf Simulator and zip lines, which are available on select ships, like Icon of the Seas.
While visiting the teens-only arcades, teens can enjoy classic arcade games like Pac-Man and table hockey or play more hands-on video games like Guitar Hero, Fast and Furious Drift, Nintendo Wii Sports, and more.
Given that teens often feel that they do not have their own space while on family vacations, the Teen and Tweens Program is hugely popular.
Activities Offered in Adventure Ocean
As you can see from the breakdown of the various age group categories that make up the Adventure Ocean program, there are plenty of activities for kids and teenagers.
From arts and crafts, scavenger hunts, science labs, dance and music parties, sports and video game tournaments, theater shows, and so much more, kids participating in Adventure Ocean can enjoy a wide variety of activities that are designed to encourage participation, socializing, and expressing new and old talents.
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Younger segments of the Adventure Ocean program, like the Aquanauts and Explorers groups, tend to have more closely supervised activities, where the instructors and supervisors take a hands-on approach to organizing the fun.
These can include group storytelling sessions, group theater plays, and more traditional kid-oriented activities, like tag, finger painting, and watching Disney movies.
Older groups, like the Voyagers and Tweens groups, usually play games that encourage kids to socialize. These include team scavenger hunts, dodgeball games, video game tournaments, and the Adventure Science Lab, where kids do hands-on experiments, like fossil digs, chemistry classes, and building solar system models.
When Is the Royal Caribbean Kids Club Open?
These programs and activities are available daily during a voyage, including on both port and sea days. The included hours of operation for the various programs run in three sessions:
9 am to 12 pm, 2 pm to 5 pm, and 7 pm to 10 pm. Parents will have to pay a fee for late-night child supervision after 10 pm, and the latest option for picking up a child is 2 am, although this varies from one ship to the next.
The program does not adhere to the three-segment schedule mentioned above for port days. Instead, it is open for the entire duration of the ship’s stay in port. This allows parents to enjoy exploring the port or participating in an onshore excursion without having to worry about their children.
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The Teen Program has more of an open-door policy, where teenagers can come and go as they please. These various teen venues do not have designated pickup times where parents are required to get their children.
The times for individual activities are posted each day, so they will vary depending on the length of the voyage and the itinerary that the ship’s Adventure Ocean team has devised.
Certain activities, like the Late Night Party Zone, which is part of the Teen Program, run at specific times. For that event in particular, it typically operates between 10 pm and 1 am.
Which Ships Have a Kids Club?
The Adventure Ocean program is available on all ships in the entire Royal Caribbean fleet. However, certain components are not available on some of the older ships.
For example, we already mentioned that the Jewel of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, and Explorer of the Seas do not offer the Royal Babies & Tots Nursery Program.
Newer ships, like Icon class and Quantum class vessels, tend to have more advanced activities available through Adventure Ocean, including purpose-built venues for children, like the Adventure Science, Adventure Theatre, and Fuel Teen Club.
Does Royal Caribbean Kids Club Cost Money?
For the most part, participation in Adventure Ocean programming is entirely complimentary for all passengers. That said, parents who require late-night supervision for their children can participate in the Late Night Party Zone, which is an extension of the Adventure Ocean program that runs beyond 10 pm.
Access to these after-hours programs will cost between $6 and $8 per hour per child. This allows parents to enjoy meals and adult-oriented live performances without having to worry about their children.
The late-night programs are geared towards the needs of specific age brackets, with younger kids having supervised naps and slightly older kids watching age-appropriate movies.
Remember that certain activities for the Teen and Tween programs require parents to pay an additional fee. This includes visits to paid amenities, like the FlowRider Surf Simulator.
While these additional activities are always optional, you will be required to pay the standard fee for that activity if your child wants to participate.
The Royal Babies & Tots Nursery also charges a small drop-off fee, but it is included for suite guests.
Making the Most of the Royal Caribbean Kids Club
Kids love Adventure Ocean, which is part of the reason why it is recognized throughout the cruise industry as being one of the best kid and teen programs available. That said, getting the most out of the program can depend on how you approach it.
For the best experience, we highly recommend pre-registering your child for Adventure Ocean shortly after boarding the ship on embarkation day.
This will allow your child or children to be present for the first day of the program. It can help them meet other children and feel comfortable with the instructors, supervisors, and environment.
We would also recommend packing and bringing a few comfort items for your child, especially if they tend to be shy around new groups. These could be a comfort blanket, their favorite toy, or even just a stuffed animal. The organizers encourage parents to send their kids with these types of items so their children will not feel out of place.
It is also really important to ensure that the staff are fully aware of any dietary restrictions your child may have. Since kids are provided with meals and snacks while participating in Adventure Ocean, the staff go out of their way to accommodate the dietary needs of their tiny guests.
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We also suggest looking into what the schedule is for your child’s Adventure Ocean group while you are at sea. This will help you plan when your kid participates, and when you do more family-focused activities together.
If, for example, your child is really into dinosaurs, you might want to make sure that they are present for the dinosaur fossil dig activity.
Finally, it is essential to ensure that your child is potty trained if they are part of any group older than the Royal Babies & Tots Nursery group. While accidents happen, it is expected that all kids three years or older know how to use the toilet without assistance.
Final Thoughts
Royal Caribbean’s Adventure Ocean youth program can be one of the highlights of your child’s trip while also providing you and your partner with the opportunity to enjoy your vacation your way.
It can be a safe, fun, and enriching experience where your children can enjoy a space designed to ensure they create memories, meet new friends, and never feel bored.
Royal Caribbean is known as one of the most family-focused cruise lines, and the Adventure Ocean program is just part of the reason why a voyage on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship can be the ultimate family vacation!
