Kids checking self out of clubs?

[sham10299]

At what age are kids allowed to check themselves out of clubs? I heard it is as young as 8. I am concerned about my nearly 9 yo checking herself out and roaming this massive ship. Anything could happen, ie predators, getting lost, general safety issues. Does DCL really allow this?

 

[MissDaisyofTexas]

I think you have to sign them up for checkout privileges. Our son was 8 on our last cruise and we did not give him checkout privileges. We could barely find our way around the ship ourselves as adults! LOL

 

[su_A_ve]

You as the parent will be the one who decides if you will allow your child to have self checkout privileges. This would allow them to roam the ship on their own.

You must sign a form that would allow them to do so, so unless you do, you would have to drop them off and pick them up. If they need you, CMs would contact you on your wave phone.

 

[Jareds_mommy]

yes as a parent you say if they get that privilage

 

[Stitch'sCousin]

You get to decide if you want your daughter to have sign out privileges or not. When our daughter was 9yo and 10yo on our previous cruises, we did not give her sign out privileges.

 

[squirrelgirl]

What about an older child? My son will have just turned 13 when we cruise. Now that he is older and no longer eligible for Club/Lab, I am concerned. He has some developmental delays. We always had peace of mind with the system in place in the Club/Lab...and he did great. But he is not ready to roam, and while I can certainly tell him what is expected, we need to have a bit more control given his issues.

Can we ask that he is still required to sign in and cannot leave without a parent?

 

[sham10299]

That sound better. She will NOT have sign out privileges then. Thanks for the clarification.

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

What about an older child? My son will have just turned 13 when we cruise. Now that he is older and no longer eligible for Club/Lab, I am concerned. He has some developmental delays. We always had peace of mind with the system in place in the Club/Lab...and he did great. But he is not ready to roam, and while I can certainly tell him what is expected, we need to have a bit more control given his issues.

Can we ask that he is still required to sign in and cannot leave without a parent?

I don't think so. There is no sign in and out at the Edge.

 

[Jareds_mommy]

the Edge is totally come and go as they want

 

[kcashner]

8 and older can sign out WITH parent's permission. Mom still holds all the power. ALL kids in the Edge have to be able to sign themselves in and out.

 

[lbgraves]

What about an older child? My son will have just turned 13 when we cruise. Now that he is older and no longer eligible for Club/Lab, I am concerned. He has some developmental delays. We always had peace of mind with the system in place in the Club/Lab...and he did great. But he is not ready to roam, and while I can certainly tell him what is expected, we need to have a bit more control given his issues.

Can we ask that he is still required to sign in and cannot leave without a parent?

You can request that, but it will be up to him to tell the CM to contact you. They will not stop anyone from leaving the Edge since there is no CM at the front to check them in or out. There are not as many CMs assigned to the Edge as the lab. There is also no bathroom in the Edge like there is in the lab/club.

 

[squirrelgirl]

Thanks for the feedback. I will contact DCL directly to see what options might be available. We certainly would prefer the Lab due to the extra controls in place. But since he is now older, this is going to be a challenge.

 

[lbgraves]

Thanks for the feedback. I will contact DCL directly to see what options might be available. We certainly would prefer the Lab due to the extra controls in place. But since he is now older, this is going to be a challenge.

I don't think that it has been mentioned, but if your son would enjoy spending time in the lab, that is an option during the open house times. An adult would HAVE to stay with him while it is open house, however.

 

[lanejudy]

What about an older child? My son will have just turned 13 when we cruise. Now that he is older and no longer eligible for Club/Lab, I am concerned. He has some developmental delays. We always had peace of mind with the system in place in the Club/Lab...and he did great. But he is not ready to roam, and while I can certainly tell him what is expected, we need to have a bit more control given his issues.

Can we ask that he is still required to sign in and cannot leave without a parent?

Thanks for the feedback. I will contact DCL directly to see what options might be available. We certainly would prefer the Lab due to the extra controls in place. But since he is now older, this is going to be a challenge.

Unfortunately, I don't think DCL will allow a 13-year-old into the Club/Lab. The overlap age is 11-12, meaning kids those age have choice of Club/Lab or EDGE, with many opting for the "older" experience. DCL revamped their kids club system and ages during the past year and has been fairly firm on keeping older out of younger spaces. As a PP mentioned, there is an "Open House" time where your 13-year-old would be allowed at the Club or Lab with a parent, but not as supervised programming.

You mentioned developmental delays... how well does your DS follow your family rules? If you made a rule with him that he had to ask the CM at Edge to call you when he wishes to leave, would he do that? Or that he MUST return to your stateroom if he leaves the Edge? Or you could pre-arrange that you would "pick him up" at a certain time (depending on which ship, I believe access to the Edge is restricted by KTTW card) - maybe meeting him by the elevator? My DD is very "by the rules" whether they are our family rules or more formal public rules, so those options would work for us, not sure if that's helpful for you.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[buglady11]

You mentioned developmental delays... how well does your DS follow your family rules? If you made a rule with him that he had to ask the CM at Edge to call you when he wishes to leave, would he do that? Or that he MUST return to your stateroom if he leaves the Edge? Or you could pre-arrange that you would "pick him up" at a certain time (depending on which ship, I believe access to the Edge is restricted by KTTW card) - maybe meeting him by the elevator? My DD is very "by the rules" whether they are our family rules or more formal public rules, so those options would work for us, not sure if that's helpful for you.

Enjoy your cruise!

I can sympathize with the pp. This is our first cruise and I am very relieved that my special needs twins (age 11) cannot sign themselves out of the club. I am wondering... If I don't take them to the Edge, will they find out about that place from others? I am sure my ds would love the video game area (EDge right?) but he gets "stuck" so easily that I could see fits if he found out that was a "choice" for him. My 11 year olds are about at the level of 6/7 for common sense. I would love to have a rule follower but...

 

[DisSarahK]

I can sympathize with the pp. This is our first cruise and I am very relieved that my special needs twins (age 11) cannot sign themselves out of the club. I am wondering... If I don't take them to the Edge, will they find out about that place from others? I am sure my ds would love the video game area (EDge right?) but he gets "stuck" so easily that I could see fits if he found out that was a "choice" for him. My 11 year olds are about at the level of 6/7 for common sense. I would love to have a rule follower but...

It just really depends on the knowledge level of the children they hang out with in the Club/Lab. Some of the children will have no idea the Lab exists and some will know all about it due to older siblings.

 

[lanejudy]

I can sympathize with the pp. This is our first cruise and I am very relieved that my special needs twins (age 11) cannot sign themselves out of the club. I am wondering... If I don't take them to the Edge, will they find out about that place from others? I am sure my ds would love the video game area (EDge right?) but he gets "stuck" so easily that I could see fits if he found out that was a "choice" for him. My 11 year olds are about at the level of 6/7 for common sense. I would love to have a rule follower but...

I can't guarantee they won't hear about it onboard, but I'd think it's rather unlikely. A CM might ask a more "mature" 11 year old if he/she has checked out Edge - especially if that child doesn't seem to be enjoying the Club/Lab - but I'd be surprised if they said anything to a child who clearly is approriate maturity level for the Club/Lab. I also don't think your kids would have interaction with the kids who are attending Edge because they just won't be in the same space; usually they have to choose. If by chance your DS does hear about video games (or anything else) at Edge and wants to check it out - you can take him during an Open House time.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[JnDRader]

As others have said parents have control of the check out. Last June we let our daughter check out on the 2nd or 3rd day. Tough choice as a parent bu she was miserable in the lab. She thrived being on her own, with friends of course. She kept a wave phone and was constantly letting us know what she was doing and where she was. She was always early to our meeting times too. Every child is different though.