Q – 8.28.25) – I have a question for you; here is the background: My wife would like us to take a cruise with her son and his family (wife and two small children, currently aged 2 and 4). Obviously, after Mickey let me down, the Cult is out of contention.
I have been looking into luxury cruise lines that have programs for small children. Surprisingly, Hapag-Lloyd seems to have good programs for children, and even has cabins that are configured for parents and kids. (Also, it seems that one of the Hapag-Lloyd ships, the Europa 2, is trying to court people who don’t speak German: the ship has a bi-lingual staff, and a dedicated English-speaking “hostess” for what they call “international guests”. I read several reviews by non-German-speaking cruisers, and they all thought that everything was excellent, with one exception: while the Europa 2 offers at least one excursion in English in each port, that means that the selection of excursions is limited for those who don’t speak German.) The problem for us is that, in the itineraries which have been released for the Europa 2, none of them work for us (there is one which starts and ends in Miami, which would be perfect, but it lasts for 14 days, which would be much too long for our son’s work situation)…
…So I did some googling for luxury cruise lines which have children’s programs, and there seems to be only one: Crystal. I read your most recent appraisal of Crystal, and it sounds quite good. There do seem to be several itineraries in the next two years that could work for us. So my question is: have you heard any first-hand reports about Crystal’s children’s programs? — probably most importantly, whether they are sufficient to keep rambunctious kids occupied for a significant amount of time, day after day?
A – This is what you need to know about the Crystal Kids Programs:
Children must be at least three years old to participate in Crystal Cruises’ onboard kids program independently. The program is divided into two age groups:
• Fantasia (ages 3–12): Includes supervised activities like crafts, scavenger hunts, pajama parties, and more.
• Waves (ages 13–17): Tailored for teens with gaming consoles, video arcades, and social events.
Children under age 3 are welcome aboard but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times during any kids’ programming. Crystal also offers babysitting services for children aged 1 and older, available for a fee.
Crystal operates older ships (with three new ones on order). They have been kept up nicely and we think the line offers one of the best combinations of excellent crew/cuisine/and entertainment. We agree that Hapag-Lloyd is not the appropriate choice in this scenario.
Be careful – as the Crystal kids programs only operate when there are enough kids onboard to justify operation/staffing. Best to book during primary school holidays.
Crystal is not a major force in terms of online social media “impressions”. But their product wins awards in several categories in the Cruisetruth Rankings. Have your travel adviser ask her contacts how many other children are booked before you put money down. Your adviser can also determine if onboard children’s program staff is confirmed for your sailing. And congrats on the quality of your research.
