Tween/kids club question, help me decifer this ....

[scootch]

I emailed DCL about their new tween area aboard the Dream. I have a daughter who is 11, in 5th grade, but very uncomfortable with new situations. On our Wonder cruise, she did not go to the kids club at all, even with coaxing from the counselors. Afterwards she regretting not trying out, so was all set to try it out this next cruise..... til.... she found out she is 11 and would not have a pager and they now have a tween club. I was hoping to maybe sneak just an hour of mommy time to maybe go to Palo. So I emailed DCL to ask if she could go to the 10 and under club with her very social to be 9 year old sister. This is my response.

Dear Amy,

Thank you for choosing another Disney Cruise Line vacation!

I would be happy to assist you.

The youth activities onboard have been designed for children to
participate in age appropriate groups, which allow them to interact both
socially and comfortably with peers of their own age and size. However,
we realize that a parent may want the child to participate in a
different age group.

Once on the ship please meet with one of the Youth Counselors to discuss
your request. This will give you the opportunity to discuss which area
of the youth activities will be best for you and Mattisyn and Mackenzey.
Please be assured, there will be adequate space in whichever group is
assigned.

Mattisyn does not have to be registered with Youth Activities to
participate in the Edge activities; however, the counselors will check
to make sure they are the correct age for the location. Also, you
will not need to register her for the Disney's Oceaneer Club/Disney's
Oceaneer Lab prior to boarding.

I hope this information has been helpful. Should you require further
assistance in planning your visit, please contact your travel agent.

We look forward to sailing with you!

Have a Magical Day!

So by that I am taking she will be able to go to the 10 and under club? as I can't see her going to the Edge(she has already said she won't try the Edge). she is in the 5th grade and most of the kids in her class are just 10, she just missed the cut off with school, so she is one of the oldest.

any opinions? thanks.

 

[kcashner]

DCL works really hard to give each child a great time in an environment appropriate to their needs.

As the response implies, deviations from the age limits are made on a case by case basis after boarding. Talk to the CMs in the kid programming and they will work with you...so yes, there is a good chance she will be allowed in the 10 and under group. However, they will not promise that before they meet you and your child and see how many there are in each group.

 

[luv2plan]

this is exactly my issue as well. My son will be 11 and is socially, um, inept. I would be very uncomfortable with him going to the Edge instead of the Oceaneer Club/Lab. We have been on the Wonder and the age cut off is 12, so I was a bit shocked this afternoon to notice the age cut off is now 10 for the Dream?! Why would they do that?
I guess I won't worry about it too much and hopefully he will be allowed to go to the Oceaneer Club/Lab. I do have another son who will be 8.
If anyone has any further info, perhaps with similar situation on the Wonder/Magic?
Thanks! Happy planning!

 

[kcashner]

They have been reworking the age groupings for the past few years. Essentially the Club/Lab groups are all one now with kids choosing activities instead of age groups...and it's working well. SO, tweens are starting earlier (10), but the programming has been adjusted to reflect that as well.

There will always be youngest and oldest kids in each group. If you don't feel that your child fits into the group that their birthday assigns them to, talk with the CMs in the kid programming. The other thing that has happened in the last couple years is that they have become MUCH more flexible as to where a kid goes. Communication with the CMs is the key.

 

[scootch]

They have been reworking the age groupings for the past few years. Essentially the Club/Lab groups are all one now with kids choosing activities instead of age groups...and it's working well. SO, tweens are starting earlier (10), but the programming has been adjusted to reflect that as well.

There will always be youngest and oldest kids in each group. If you don't feel that your child fits into the group that their birthday assigns them to, talk with the CMs in the kid programming. The other thing that has happened in the last couple years is that they have become MUCH more flexible as to where a kid goes. Communication with the CMs is the key.

Thanks. I think we agree with the wording of their response. Last time the CM's were very helpful trying to get her to feel comfortable. They asked me if she was homeschooled as they see her anxiety and uneasiness in many homeschoolers. She goes to a very small school(only 86 kids in K-8) so the amount of kids running around was really uncomfortable for her. I guess I will try to book an hour at Palo and then see how it goes. She is only 6 month from 10, so hopefully they will see her uneasiness and let her go in with the 10 year olds. I thought of getting walkie talkies so she could communicate with me at any time. I really think if she tried it, she might actually like it. I can't see her going much, but even to make a few friends and try a new experience would be great for her. Now if I can just get her to walk in the next isle at Walmart . Baby steps, yes baby steps. Amazing how two kids in the same family can be so different! Thanks.

 

[kcashner]

Sorry for the repeat postings, but this idea might help. I told DD that she had to go to the programming one hour each day. I'm a single mom, and this gave me a much needed break.

If I was lucky, she'd make a friend in the first day or two (or love the activities) and would want to go back for more time. If not, she would honor my one hour per day rule. I did allow her to choose any activity for that one hour....it wasn't "You have to go at 1:00." At the old "lab" ages (it used to be 8-12), it was sometimes difficult to make friends....then there was the "the stuff they do is lame" line. groan......

On our first DCL sailing (she was 7), I told her that if she ever wanted me, she could ask the CM to page me and I would come. She tested me once--didn't need anything, just wanted to see me for 5 seconds!

 

[scootch]

Sorry for the repeat postings, but this idea might help. I told DD that she had to go to the programming one hour each day. I'm a single mom, and this gave me a much needed break.

If I was lucky, she'd make a friend in the first day or two (or love the activities) and would want to go back for more time. If not, she would honor my one hour per day rule. I did allow her to choose any activity for that one hour....it wasn't "You have to go at 1:00." At the old "lab" ages (it used to be 8-12), it was sometimes difficult to make friends....then there was the "the stuff they do is lame" line. groan......

On our first DCL sailing (she was 7), I told her that if she ever wanted me, she could ask the CM to page me and I would come. She tested me once--didn't need anything, just wanted to see me for 5 seconds!

Thanks for the repeat posts, many people probably look at this and think I am crazy that my 11 year old won't stray from me for even a minute! The one hour thing is a good idea. Maybe I will try that and see how it goes. If she really doesn't want to do it after a try or two, then that is fine. I just know last time her sister went on and on about some cool things and she really regretted that she didn't even try it. I couldn't even convince her to go while I went back to the room and packed. Thanks again.

 

[dorkeemn]

We took the Magic (Nov 6) and found that for our 7 year old the Oceaneer's Club was geared toward the younger crowd (6 - under) and that the Lab is geared more toward the 7 - 11 age group.

Counselors will work with the child to find things to do. Our 13 year old even went into the lab for a while to be with her sister. Amazing that we could pry her away from the edge.

Our 11 year old boy had a blast at the Edge. He wanted nothing to do with the Oceaneer's club or lab!

Enjoy the cruise!

 

[Cliffside]

I'm still a little confused about the tween kids programming. We are sailing the Dream in April and I know my 11DD will be in the Edge, but then we sail on the Wonder in August. Are they making an Edge on the Wonder? I think I had read that somewhere but have not seen that confirmed anywhere.

 

[mommy_grrl]

Thanks. I think we agree with the wording of their response. Last time the CM's were very helpful trying to get her to feel comfortable. They asked me if she was homeschooled as they see her anxiety and uneasiness in many homeschoolers. She goes to a very small school(only 86 kids in K-8) so the amount of kids running around was really uncomfortable for her. I guess I will try to book an hour at Palo and then see how it goes. She is only 6 month from 10, so hopefully they will see her uneasiness and let her go in with the 10 year olds. I thought of getting walkie talkies so she could communicate with me at any time. I really think if she tried it, she might actually like it. I can't see her going much, but even to make a few friends and try a new experience would be great for her. Now if I can just get her to walk in the next isle at Walmart . Baby steps, yes baby steps. Amazing how two kids in the same family can be so different! Thanks.

Have you linked up here with your cruise group? You might find there are other girls her age going on the cruise - if so, maybe an email/penpal exchange before the cruise would help her meet a few girls and let her feel more comfortable. Just a thought.

My kids are both very social...once they are comfortable. Like me, tend to ease into new situations. I'm expecting a little hand holding the first day.

 

[jamieluvsdis]

amy, i have a similar situation where my daughter is turning 11 on january 6 and we sail on the magic january 29. i went to the cruise meets thread and wound up finding another mom with a similar situation and we hooked up our girls. they have been emailing back and forth for weeks now. i think that was a great idea for each of those two kids. now they at least have a familiar face to look for when they get on board!

jamie

 

[tjbaggott]

I'm still a little confused about the tween kids programming. We are sailing the Dream in April and I know my 11DD will be in the Edge, but then we sail on the Wonder in August. Are they making an Edge on the Wonder? I think I had read that somewhere but have not seen that confirmed anywhere.

There is an Edge club on the Magic. Thats where my DS13 spent MOST of his free time on our last cruise. I would assume the Wonder has one too.

 

[drummerwife]

til.... she found out she is 11 and would not have a pager and they now have a tween club.

I asked a youth club CM while onboard in Nov. (without my son) if he could have a pager even though he will be 1 month shy of 12 when we cruise in Sept. I explained that he has Aspergers Syndrome and would feel better knowing that he could contact us if he needed to. The CM was very helpful and said that would not be a problem. The pagers can be issued to any parent that wants one for their child. I would talk to the CM when you get onboard and explain your situation.

 

[scootch]

til.... she found out she is 11 and would not have a pager and they now have a tween club.

I asked a youth club CM while onboard in Nov. (without my son) if he could have a pager even though he will be 1 month shy of 12 when we cruise in Sept. I explained that he has Aspergers Syndrome and would feel better knowing that he could contact us if he needed to. The CM was very helpful and said that would not be a problem. The pagers can be issued to any parent that wants one for their child. I would talk to the CM when you get onboard and explain your situation.

Thanks. This helps me alot. I tried getting her hooked up with someone on the meet thread, they even have their own "Tween" thread, but no luck. Maybe once the holiday are over and we are only a few months out from cruise time I can get her interested with another cruiser about her age. Thanks all of you for all your tips and suggestions. I really appreciate it. Not sure why but I am overly obsessed with cruise planning this week. Even with all the hustle and bustle of Christmas. Maybe a good diversion rather than doing all the work I need to be doing for our Christmas eve open house!

 

[Minniemouse07]

I wouldn't worry about lack of pagers since the entire ship will be using the WAVE phones and the children's clubs will no longer be using the pagers.

Press Release:

Beginning Dec. 16, 2010, on the Disney Wonder® and Dec. 18, 2010, on the Disney Magic®, families will have a great new way to stay in touch with one another while onboard the ship. Portable Wave Phones will enable Guests to contact other members of their party while separated onboard the ship or ashore at Disney’s Castaway Cay. With the exception of Castaway Cay, these phones will not function while off the ship. Two portable wave phones will be installed in each Guest stateroom. The Royal and 2-bedroom suite categories will have four wave phones. All Guests are encouraged to utilize the phones to stay connected with one another. However, Guests can opt out of using these phones and the service in their staterooms will be shut off. If Guests would like an additional phone for their family, they may rent one at Guest Services located on Deck 3, mid-ship for an additional cost of $3.50 per day for the duration of the voyage. These phones are replacing the paging system used by Youth Activities. Parents with children participating in the various activities will never be more than a text message or phone call away. If the phones are lost or damaged, or are not returned to the stateroom prior to debarkation, a $250 charge per phone will be applied to the Guest’s stateroom account. The charge will be mentioned on the payment authorization form that is printed with online documents and in the Guest Ticket Booklet.

 

[kcashner]

So we get 2 phones at no charge other than our cruise ticket cost?

 

[Minniemouse07]

So we get 2 phones at no charge other than our cruise ticket cost?

Yup

 

[scootch]

Thanks for the info on the phones. When I told dd she said, gee I can go get pop without you. so maybe I am in luck!

 

[gerberdaisy1234]

I am hoping for more information on the tween area on the Dream. The Lab and Club look AMAZING but my dd12 has been very sad about the look of the tween area. She still enjoys many of the types of activities they have available in the Lab/Club area of the Dream. Who wouldn't want to play there? I do! I have told her that I am sure she can spend time there with her brother if I am there also. Then she can also go to the (what she things looks boring from the pics) tween area when my dh and I workout.

We should hopefully see more pictures soon.

 

[smb6]

Anyone have the email where you would send these type questions too? I'd like to inquire about the Wonder's tween club.....