Celebrity Cruises may be the upscale brand of Royal Caribbean, but that doesn’t mean you have to leave your kids at home to sail with the cruise line. In fact, Celebrity Cruises has an award-winning Camp at Sea kids club where children engage in age-appropriate activities in spaces for Shipmates (ages 3-5), Cadets (6-9), Captains Club (10-12), and Teen Club (13-17).
Beyond the kids clubs, there’s plenty more for families and kids. The spa onboard Celebrity cruise ships offer treatments for teens like facials, manicures & pedicures, makeup lessons, and two-by-two massages for teens and their parents can book together. Families can take part in game shows together, catch a live show, or watch a movie under the stars on the pool deck. That’s a long way of me saying that if you think family cruises are synonymous with crowded pools, chicken fingers, and fairy tale-based shows, you should think again.
Here are my picks for the best Celebrity cruises for families in 2024.
1. Perfect Day at CocoCay
During cruises, my family loves stopping at a cruise line’s private island destination. It takes everything we love about the onboard experience and transfers it to an idyllic shoreside escape. In summer 2023, Celebrity Cruises called upon Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas for the first time.
This private island destination was previously the exclusive domain of Celebrity’s sister brand Royal Caribbean. Now two Celebrity ships, Celebrity Beyond and Celebrity Reflection, also make stops at this private island.
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Perfect Day at CocoCay is where you’ll find the Thrill Waterpark with the tallest waterslide in North America; Oasis Lagoon—the largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean; Up, Up, and Away, a helium balloon that soars 450 feet in the air; a 1,600-foot zip line course; and much, much more. In early 2024, Hideaway Beach opened on the island for families with young adults (18 and over) or an adults-only escape while the little ones enjoy the kids club.
2. Celebrity Ascent
Celebrity Cruises’ newest ship, Celebrity Ascent, sailed its maiden voyage from Fort Lauderdale in December 2023. Ascent is the fourth of Celebrity’s innovative Edge-class ships. Each of these Edge-class vessels features a “Magic Carpet” moveable deck that levitates up and down the outside of the ship.
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The Magic Carpet transforms into different venues depending on its location that day and can be everything from a bar or live music lounge to a restaurant. It even serves as the embarkation point for Ascent’s port tenders. Celebrity Ascent offers alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises in the first part of the year then sails in the Mediterranean in summer and fall.
3. Celebrity Reflection
Wanting to see if your kids are ready to “step up” to a more luxury cruise line? Celebrity Reflection offers the brand’s first long weekend (three to four night sailings) itineraries, many with a stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay.
While Reflection’s upscale style may not initially appear kid-friendly, it boasts a feature that children are sure to love—grass. The Lawn Club has nearly half an acre of real grass (that’s a lot larger than my home’s postage-stamp yard, for instance) and places to play lawn games like bocce or croquet.
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When it comes time for dinner, families will love Le Petit Chef, which uses projection mapping on the table to create an animated culinary dinner show. Take a quick, three-day cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Key West, and if you find your kids aren’t having the “Perfect Day” on Celebrity Reflection, you still have plenty of time left in your week-long family vacation to hit the beach or nearby theme parks.
4. Celebrity Beyond
Debuting in 2022, Celebrity Beyond is also based in Fort Lauderdale and offers Caribbean cruises with some itineraries stopping at Perfect Day at CocoCay. Celebrity Beyond is best suited for families with older kids used to traveling abroad and trying more sophisticated foods.
This Edge-class ship includes the “Magic Carpet” where you can dine, lounge, or soar out over Celebrity Beyond’s hull. Le Petit Chef returns in Le Grand Bistro, and the high-tech animated meal is sure to entertain and satisfy. In addition to the Perfect Day at CocoCay cruises, Celebrity Beyond offers a number of Southern Caribbean itineraries including sailings through the Panama Canal with stops in South America.
5. Celebrity Apex in Northern Europe
Celebrity Apex was the second of the Edge-class ships with, you guessed it, the “Magic Carpet” deck cantilevered off the side of the ship. In summer, Apex heads off to Europe offering a series of Norwegian Fjord, Scandinavian, and Northern European cruises.
Our family loved the Norwegian Fjord cruise we took, and it was one of our best vacations. The landscapes and scenery of Stavanger, Lysefjord, Pulpit Rock, and Geirangerfjord are some of the most beautiful we’ve ever seen. Other notable Celebrity Apex itineraries include an Ireland, Iceland, and Scotland cruise and a 13-day jaunt around the Iberian Peninsula.
6. Celebrity Edge to Alaska
Celebrity Edge was the ship that led Celebrity Cruise’s revolutionary “Magic Carpet” design debuting in 2018. Since that time, three other ships have positioned the innovative deck on the side of the ship.
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During summer 2024, Celebrity Edge sails roundtrip from Seattle to Dawes Glacier, Alaska, and that levitating deck serves as a viewing deck for spectacular Alaskan scenery and wildlife viewing. In addition to the “Magic Carpet,” Celebrity Edge debuted a new stateroom design: Infinite Verandas. These staterooms open up the entire wall to the veranda, expanding the interior space, and letting guests walk right outside. This extra space is perfect for families needing a little more room, or for watching the scenery of Alaska right from your bed.
7. Holiday sailings
Over the winter holiday season, Celebrity Cruises goes all out with holiday-themed shows, pop-up dance performances, Christmas carolers, and Santa’s grotto. Families can enjoy the festivities and decorate the Christmas Tree all while sailing to beautiful locations and feasting on traditional holiday fare. For New Year’s guests can ring in the new year during the big countdown bash which includes a live band, noise makers, and champagne.
