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Royal Caribbean Adventure Ocean

Family Cruising Options at RCI

By Linda Garrison, About.com

Every year, more and more families are sailing with Royal Caribbean. One of the biggest reasons is the Adventure Ocean® Youth Program. The idea behind this award-winning program is to teach kids about new, interesting things, like the ports they visit, the science of sailing, even exciting new sports like gagaball. But most of all, it's about having fun. After all, it's their vacation too.

Adventure Ocean
What is Adventure Ocean? It's a complimentary program specially designed to blend educational activities with just plain fun. Every cruise is different. But one thing never changes: your child will get to learn about local customs, do cool science experiments, and make great new friends. To participate, children must be three years of age and potty-trained (no pull-ups or diapers). You can feel confident leaving your children with us because every member of the Adventure Ocean staff holds a college degree in education, recreation, or other related field, or has qualified-equivalent experience working with children ages 3-17. Family vacations will never be the same again. With Adventure Ocean, you can do stuff as a family, plus parents get a little free time to themselves - and kids get some time to have their kind of fun. That includes special kids-only meals, a TV station with programming just for kids, lots of great play areas, even a nightclub for teens. Royal Caribbean cruises are designed to bring families closer together and for EVERYONE to have the time of their life!

Who Is it for?
Adventure Ocean is a free program, open to all guests ages 3-17. Children are separated by age: 3 to 5; 6 to 8; 9 to 11; 12 to 14; and 15 to 17. They must be at least 3 years of age and diaper-free (no pull-ups). There are no exceptions to this rule.

If your child wants to join a different age group, they must participate in one day-activity session and one night-activity session with their proper age group first. The Adventure Ocean Manager and youth staff will then make the decision based on their maturity level.

The People Behind the Program
In addition to keeping your kids thoroughly entertained, the Adventure Ocean staff promises, above all, to keep them safe. Each staff member holds a college degree in education, recreation, or other related field, from an accredited college or university, or has qualified-equivalent experience working with children ages 3-17. All are certified in CPR. They have an extensive background in working with large groups of children, ages 3-17, and from three to five years experience working in team situations. So relax - your kids are in good hands.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry
For the youngest guests, RCI offer a kid's menu featuring all their favorites: pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, peanut butter, and mac and cheese. Kids have their own beverage programs too. The Coca-Cola® Program lets them purchase a fixed-rate card so they can enjoy as many fountain soft drinks as they want and the Adventure Ocean Potion Card lets them get unlimited non-alcoholic mixed drinks and juices for one low price. On selected nights, the youth staff hosts dinners in the RCI specialty restaurants. It's a great opportunity for kids to eat with other kids and for parents to enjoy a meal alone.

Adventure Ocean Credits
All kids who participate in Adventure Ocean will have the opportunity to earn up to three Adventure Ocean credits a day by attending the activities. At the end of the cruise, they can trade them in for really cool prizes.

Adventure Family
The idea of Adventure Family is for kids and their parents to get together and participate in fun onboard activities like ice-skating and karaoke, as well as beach games that are played shoreside. It's a great way for the entire family to have some fun.

Time for Mom and Dad
As a vacation for the whole family, Royal Caribbean also provides quiet time for Mom and Dad. That can be during the day, while the kids are at their own Adventure Ocean programs, or at night, while the kids are with babysitters.

For older children, RCI offers group sitting in the Late Night Party Zone. The service is offered from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the ship's youth facilities. Children must be at least three years of age. The rate is $5 USD an hour per child.

For childern at least one year of age, RCI also offers individual sitting in your stateroom from 8 a.m. until 2 a.m. Rates are generally between $8 and $10 USD an hour, depending on the number of children in your family. Payments must be made in cash.

RCI requires 24 hours advance notice and the guests can confirm the service with Guest Relations upon boarding.

Source: Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

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