Is it just me….

[MinnieMouse64]

My husband and I along with our 3 yr old grandson, just got off the Disney Dream. This is our third Disney Dream cruise in the past 3 years. Does it bother anyone else that has smaller children that they allow older children up to the age of 8 years of age into the Nemo Reef? These older children were knocking down little toddlers on the water slide trying to beat them up to stairs to get in front of them. I feel that the little ones have no other place to go except this area. These older children have the Mickey Slide and if their tall enough the can go on the aqua duck with a parent. Some parents just let their children run like crazy kids without any supervision at all. There are signs in the Nemo Reef that says there must be parent supervision and you look around and there is NO ONE is watching these kids. Even in the children's pool area, NO ONE watching these children (some kids looked to be only 3 or 4 yrs old here). Now if one of them got hurt, these parents would be the first to try to sue Disney Cruise Line. Me and my hubby was constantly watching our grandson. Okay, I know I will get some flack for this but since I am on a roll I am going to put this out there too. I really thought this was a family oriented cruise ship, why in the world do some women find it necessary to wear thongs to the children's pool area? Really? One lady had a thong on and her top barely covered her breast. I know that all the other women's hubbys were enjoying the view but honestly this is a cash free ship (no dollar bills to tuck in your thong), you could have left it at home.

 

[sambycat]

It's the parents I blame not the kids. By school age you should be able to behave not act insane.

 

[tinkerone]

do you mean thong or is a tong something i'm just not aware of? if it is a thong we are speaking of there was a thread not that long ago about it and the thoughts varied. i'm with you, don't need to see that, but others were of a different feeling and really, i seldom pay to much attention to what others have on so i should not even speak of it.
as to nemos reef did you mention your feelings on the score card at the end of the cruise? nothing will get changed till enough people let them know how they feel. i'm glad that you were there to help your grandson not get knocked out of the way.
hope the rest of your cruise was good.

 

[MinnieMouse64]

It's the parents I blame not the kids.

Yes, I do blame the parents! But I also blame the lifeguards watching the memo reef area for not monitoring this area better. Some kids were obviously older than 8 yrs of age. Heck there was a ADULT dad going down the slide…really?

 

[C6PT7]

I'd never heard of a lifeguard for the reef area? thought it was just the pools?

 

[MinnieMouse64]

do you mean thong

Yes I meant Thong, guess I need to proof read before posting. I really try not to pay attention to what people wear or do either. But this lady wanted to draw attention from everyone. Shoot I was showing my daughter and son-in-law videos from our cruise and when I was videoing the children's pool area, there was another lady turning around with her butt checks showing in her thong ( I didn't even realize it when I was videoing it) and my daughter pointed it out. As far as mentioning the older kids in the nemo reef area in the survey, I did it last year and nothing was done about it. So why mention it again. I honestly believe they don't want to make anyone mad because it is all about the experience. One thing I did mention in the survey was they needed to survey mac n cheese in the quick serve area, because kids enjoy mac n cheese. My grandson cried when he couldn't get any there. The only place I could have got it was room service, but we weren't in the room. We were getting ready to watch a movie up on the pool deck area.

 

[MinnieMouse64]

I'd never heard of a lifeguard for the reef area? thought it was just the pools?

Yes, there is lifeguards there now. They were there the whole time it was open this cruise.

 

[Sunshine2U]

Sorry these things happened to you. Sometimes, even when you are doing the right things, it's better just to move along and come back later. It may not be fair but it keeps you happy - and that's an important part of cruising. Then redirect the 3-yo to another fun activity.

 

[C6PT7]

Yes I meant Thong, guess I need to proof read before posting. I really try not to pay attention to what people wear or do either. But this lady wanted to draw attention from everyone. Shoot I was showing my daughter and son-in-law videos from our cruise and when I was videoing the children's pool area, there was another lady turning around with her butt checks showing in her thong ( I didn't even realize it when I was videoing it) and my daughter pointed it out. As far as mentioning the older kids in the nemo reef area in the survey, I did it last year and nothing was done about it. So why mention it again. I honestly believe they don't want to make anyone mad because it is all about the experience. One thing I did mention in the survey was they needed to survey mac n cheese in the quick serve area, because kids enjoy mac n cheese. My grandson cried when he couldn't get any there. The only place I could have got it was room service, but we weren't in the room. We were getting ready to watch a movie up on the pool deck area.

From what ive read, dcl allow pretty much anything aslong as it covers the important parts. There is no real way for them to police it other than that imo.
It is a personal thing and some people like to be exhibitionists, some people have regard for there surroundings and dress and behave inappropriately. that is life. you just have to look the other way when someone choses to make an a word of themselves, or if you dislike what they are wearing as long as it is not obcene.

Mac and cheese. I guess you can ask dcl to think about it.
it also is a good time for your grandson to learn that he cannot have everything he wants all the time, even on vacation.
Obviously as doting grand parents you want to make his trip as perfect as possible and give him everything he wants, but I'm sure he could find something to eat! as his guardians for the trip, you should be able to stop a few tears and explain to him he cannot have mac and cheese and maybe chicken tenders, or pizza, a hot dog.

Yes, there is lifeguards there now. They were there the whole time it was open this cruise.

That is good to hear they are going above and beyond.

 

[Weedy]

I think if people complain to the life guard on duty they can ask the kids to stop. If there is not a direct parents could say the guards were picking on their little snowflake.

 

[Plaid Princess]

Does it bother anyone else that has smaller children that they allow older children up to the age of 8 years of age into the Nemo Reef? These older children were knocking down little toddlers on the water slide trying to beat them up to stairs to get in front of them. I feel that the little ones have no other place to go except this area. These older children have the Mickey Slide and if their tall enough the can go on the aqua duck with a parent.

Well... they're not necessarily older, they could just be taller. This means that generally they have grown much faster than their peers and don't know where their limbs end. Just because they are tall enough for the big slides, doesn't mean that they are emotionally old enough for the big slides.

I applaud Disney's Nemo Reef rules, as they are one of the few places that doesn't discriminate against tall kids by slapping a height restriction on children's play areas. It's extremely hard to be a child who is always expected to behave as if you are 2-3 years older than you actually are.

 

[asamklove]

Sorry these things happened to you. Sometimes, even when you are doing the right things, it's better just to move along and come back later. It may not be fair but it keeps you happy - and that's an important part of cruising. Then redirect the 3-yo to another fun activity.

As a mom of a then 2yo (not yet potty trained) - Nemo's Reef was the ONLY water activity our son could do! It was his vaca, too, and he should be able to play safely in the area meant for his age. DCL should support that with proper rule enforcement.

 

[MinnieMouse64]

I applaud Disney's Nemo Reef rules, as they are one of the few places that doesn't discriminate against tall kids by slapping a height restriction on children's play areas.

Honestly, I think 8 year olds are to old to be playing in an area with little children. I think the cut off should be 6 or so.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

Yes, I feel like the cut off should be under 5 and no one should be there without a parent. If there are rowdy parentless kids there, I will be repetitively complaining to the lifeguard until they do something about it because it's a safety hazard. i don't know if they will actually do anything, though, because I feel sometimes they worry too much about offending people.

As far as the bathing suit thing, I am a bit of a prude and don't really get why someone would want to wear a bathing suit like that on DCL, but I realize it is none of my business and doesn't have any effect on me or my family, so to each his/her own.

 

[C6PT7]

Maybe dcl should color code the wrist bands as per age.
That would make the job of policing the area easier for the staff?

 

[Plaid Princess]

Honestly, I think 8 year olds are to old to be playing in an area with little children. I think the cut off should be 6 or so.

As long as it's an age cut off, and not a height cut off... by all means. I just appreciate Disney's current inclusive age policy.

 

[Iamaplanner]

I agree - the upper age limit of 8 seems too old for that area. My daughters were playing in there on our last cruise (they were 6) and they seemed way too old for it! They were going down that little slide and slipping and sliding into a pole. They were the only ones in there at the time but I would have brought them out if a little one had come, even though they were within the age limit. I think it should truly be a tot zone - no older than four years old.

 

[mmouse37]

There is mac n cheese on the buffet pretty much every day for lunch. It could have been picked up in the buffet area and brought outside to your grandson. They can't have every type of food served at the quick serve areas as then it would not be quick serve anymore.
I do agree that some older kids can be a problem for the toddlers in Nemo's reef.

 

[mevelandry]

I think presuming the lady wants attention or is an exhibitionist or talking about a pole is "sl** shaming".

I remember asking my mom why a man was wearing a thong at the pool once and she said: "because he thinks it's confortable". And that was the end of the story.

DCL allows it, it's her choice. If you are not happy, you have to look the other way.

 

[nearlyfallinstar]

I think the main issue lays with the parents. If these older kids were being properly supervised and told not to run over the little kids, then their age would not be a problem. If there are older kids running crazy in the splash pad during our upcoming cruise, I will be the first to bring it to the attention of the lifeguards. I am also not above stepping in and putting a stop to it myself if it continues after I've asked a lifeguard to do something. Especially if one of the kids runs over one of my own. A more restrictive age limit is not going to stop unsupervised children from playing there. Disney lifeguards, the kid's parents, and your own actions is the only thing that can put a stop to that.