Carnival Challenges Royal Caribbean With New Programs for Kids, Families

The two cruise lines battle for family customers and Carnival is making a big step to improve its offerings.

A cruise can offer the perfect mix of family togetherness and sending the kids off to the kids' or teenagers' clubs so they can spend time making new friends their own age (allowing for some adult-only time). It's a nice mix where parents get to spend time at the pool, shows, the casino, and maybe a bar or two, knowing that their children are having fun.

Both Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) - Get Free Report and Royal Caribbean (RCL) - Get Free Report have popular programs for kids through age 18. While the execution varies both by the cruise line and by cruise ship, at the core, the premise is pretty similar.

Ships have dedicated space for various age groups, starting with babies and toddlers running up to rooms for teenagers decked out with video games and other activities. For younger kids, it's organized activities mixed with babysitting (extra fees can apply for certain hours). With older teens, it's more self-serve with the kids being able to come and go as they please.

The various age groups all have adult supervision and organized activities which can range from basic games to special time on rock-climbing walls or, in the case of Royal Caribbean, dedicated time on the Flow Rider surf simulator.

Both cruise lines constantly work to tweak their kids'/teens' programming to make it more appealing. Now, Carnival has revamped its youth program, rolling out the new version on the brand-new Carnival Celebration with plans to expand it to the entire fleet in 2023.

Carnival Adds More Dr. Seuss    

Carnival has long offered a Dr. Seuss breakfast on its cruise ships. For a $5 fee, families are entertained by characters from the author's books including the Cat in the Hat while dining on a whimsical menu (that does include green eggs and ham). The legendary author is also featured as part of its children's programming.  

Now, Carnival is expanding its relationship with the famed (and sometimes troubling) children's author. The cruise line will update its existing Dr. Seuss Bookville area as part of the expanded offerings for children.

"Dr. Seuss Bookville is already one of the most popular activities for Carnival’s youngest cruisers, and now it will be more unique and interactive as iconic characters from the world of Dr. Seuss come to life. Thing One and Thing Two will help families put on their very own circus, while The Cat in the Hat stops by to conduct a science experiment and Sam-I-Am leads a hunt for green eggs," the company shared in a press release.

In addition to Carnival Celebration, Dr. Seuss Bookville is offered on Mardi Gras, Carnival Freedom, Carnival Horizon, Carnival Panorama, and Carnival Vista.

Carnival Has Big Plans for Kids and Families

An expanded youth and families program has already been launched on Carnival and it will expand to the full fleet by 2023. The expansion will include a revised "Turtles" program for kids under the age of two.

"The new program introduces an array of special activities, including Turtle Playdates, Turtle Band, toddler sensory activities, and Baby Turtle Trek -- an interactive event featuring fun facts about sea turtle conservation, which welcomes toddlers to reenact the journey of a baby sea turtle’s development as they crawl on a custom-made ocean mat to their cheering family on the other side. The program also offers designated drop-off time in Camp Ocean and late-night babysitting," the company shared.

Little kids won't be the only ones getting new activities. Other new programs include:

• The Nautical Explorer program creates an opportunity for children in Camp Ocean to participate in maritime-themed activities to learn nautical knowledge and earn their seafarer book  -- from designing their own giant cruise ship and having fun with nautical flags to using a compass and meeting a ship’s officer.

• At Circle “C,” younger teens (ages 12-14) can participate in activities like anime drawing lessons and pop culture games.

• Teens in the 15-17 age group will get to experience an authentic tea ceremony, Japanese crafts, and games to encourage new friendships at Club O2.

Royal Caribbean has an entire new family "neighborhood" on its upcoming Icon of the Seas, the first ship in the new Icon class.