Royal Caribbean combines learning and fun on cruises with "Edu-tainment" (educational entertainment) through its "Adventure Ocean Youth Program."

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If you're a kid, then the Adventure Ocean Youth Program is just for you. It's a specially-designed complimentary program for kids from 3 to 12 and teens from 13 to 17. Using what's known as “Edu-tainment, Adventure Ocean blends educational activities, daily itineraries, ports of call, games, individual and team sports, art, performance and a general good time into a unique onboard experience for children, teens and parents. The "family" vacation concept will never be the same again. With Adventure Ocean, there are activities for the whole family, plus parents get a bit of free time to themselves and kids get some time to have all kinds of fun. That fun includes special meals, a TV station with programming dedicated to kids, and lots of great play areas. Royal Caribbean cruises are designed to bring families closer together and for EVERYONE to have the time of their life!

Adventure Ocean staff members hold a 4-year College Degree in Recreation, Education or a related field. Well-supervised play areas Exclusive teen centers – “cool” hang-out places for young adults Edu-tainment programs – promoting learning and encouraging fun Family activities – games and challenges to bring families together Special kids' menus Available babysitting

The free "Adventure Ocean" program blends make-believe, educational activities, itineraries, port of call, habitats, games, sports, art and more for a cruise experience the younger set will not soon forget.

"A cruise is a time of relaxation and play for all ages. Our edu-tainment programs, however, seamlessly blend into the daily schedule of the vacation experience so that young cruisers can’t help but have fun while they learn important lessons about the earth, destinations, culture, history, animal life and people around them," says Charly McDonald, Adventure Ocean Specialist, Royal Caribbean International.

The Adventure Ocean experience can include the following exciting and fun activities: Adventure Science, where specially trained staff provides interactive science experiments; Adventure Art, which acquaints kids with divers cultures through art; Adventure Family, in which parents and other family members participate in fun, team-oriented challenges, such as The Parent Trap Show or a Treasure Hunt; and Sail Into Story Time where stories are brought to life through hands-on activity and role-playing. In addition to these specialized "adventures," there’s plenty of traditional, fun activities on hand like dancing, story time, beach parties, Hermit Crab hunts, sandcastle building and seashell collecting, to name a few.

Adventure Ocean programs are divided by age group: Aquanauts (3-5); Explorers (6-8); Voyagers (9-12) and Navigators (13-17). Adventure Ocean staff members hold college degrees in either education, recreation or a related field, and/or have career experience working with children 3-17, and are on hand to supervise every program.

120,000 children ( give or take a few ) sail each year, so Royal Caribbean has added an "Adventure Ocean" dining plan. Available on all their ships, the program gives children the option of dining with their new found friends and the ship's youth staff from a complete child's menu in either the Windjammer Cafe, Solarium or Johnny Rockets restaurant. Available on select evenings from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m, the service is scheduled three times on a seven night cruise and once or twice on shorter voyages.

Recent fleet-wide enhancements to the Adventure Ocean program include: - Opening Adventure Ocean 30 minutes before departure of all morning shore excursions, which allows parents the flexibility to choose whether to take their children on a shore excursion or enjoy the day with adult family members and friends. - Adding a fifth age group for guests from ages 15-17. - Developing a new group for children ages 12 - 14, Navigators, separate from the Voyagers, ages 9 - 11 years. - Creating the Adventure Ocean Computer Center, with age-appropriate software and staff-guided tutorials on all current and pending Voyager-class and Radiance-class ships. - Eliminating the $4 charge for child services while ships are in port from noon until sailing. - Extending the teen program hours past 2:00 a.m. - Providing an Adventure Ocean Potion card, which allows children up to 18 years of age to enjoy 12 of their favorite non-alcoholic drinks, including "mocktails," which are available in the teen nightclubs, at a cost of $24.95, affording a considerable savings. Royal Caribbean reaches out to families with deal with Fisher-Price In a partnership deal with toy company Fisher-Price, Royal Caribbean International lowered the entry-level age on its onboard kids programs from three years to six months and has developed two new series of 45-minute daily enrichment playgroups for the line’s youngest passengers.   The Aqua Tots sessions were created for toddlers ages 18 months to 3 years while Aqua Babies is aimed at infants and babies ages 6 months to 18 months. Sessions will feature music, storytelling and the use of Fisher-Price toys and games; parents (or caregivers) must attend the sessions with their young ones. In addition, Royal Caribbean will add Fisher-Price TV programming to the line’s in-cabin television lineup.   The Aqua Babies and Aqua Tots program will debut on the Explorer of the Seas this month and will expand fleetwide by the end of 2005