Hernandez Family Cruisers
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2015
Whoa, ease up buttercup! I didn't say that at all. We will be spending tons of great family time together, but my kids need a break from me just as much as I need a break from them!
Whoa, ease up buttercup! I didn't say that at all. We will be spending tons of great family time together, but my kids need a break from me just as much as I need a break from them!
Exactly! These open houses take away the "SECURE" factor since anyone can mingle amongst the kids. Maybe if more of us complained about that, then Disney would listen......
I empathize there are reasons for open houses - but I have one kid who is more lab aged and one who is more club aged. The activities at least seem quite distinctly age specific. I guess we will just see, I just feel like I'm slightly disappointed already when our cruise is in 2016.
The open houses won't affect your vacation. The clubs are secured at night when adults are out having fun. The open houses usually are at slow times such as mornings and early evenings when people are at dinner or shows. Our kids have always liked cruising better than WDW. I hope you enjoy it.
If your kid is in one of the younger age clubs, he or she will never have strange adults hanging around him/her. They always move the kids who are there without a parent to the secured area. And if your children are in Edge or Vibe, they will be around strange adults anyway if they go out on the ship to do scavenger hunts, etc. At least at an open house, there are still cast members right there to help monitor.
Hmm. I've never noticed that they are age specific. Even when they have Super Sloppy Science on the Lab side they invite the younger kids in (on Dream) and DS has found that it's taught to the younger level (he ends up feeling condescended to).
The open houses won't affect your vacation. The clubs are secured at night when adults are out having fun. The open houses usually are at slow times such as mornings and early evenings when people are at dinner or shows.
DD is a very outgoing 4 year old only child (goes to pre-school/no separation issues). She was so excited to go to the Kids Club. That was until the first time she went and the Club was full of much older kids. We left her for a program and then there was open play after the program which is what upset her (the free play was exactly that--a free for all). She begged not to be dropped off again. We got her to stay 2 other times (30 minutes each). The only time she felt comfortable & could enjoy the Club was the Open Houses. We were disappointed as we thought she'd enjoy the program (like she did on a previous cruise with separated age groups), but we were thankful for the open houses so she could enjoy the facilities.
Open House times can conflict with brunch or dinner reservations. So...use the navigator ap (to view the schedule later in the week) to be sure your Palo or Remy reservations (should you chose to go) don't conflict with open house time if your child has a preference for the club or the lab
I haven't noticed an increase, but honestly I never really gave it a thought. I'm not one of those parents that thinks the ship is full of child molesters or weirdos.If you're talking about the secure time, you mean club/lab. Kids being dropped off won't be allowed in the OH section without their own adult. Kids already there will be moved. There will be nothing insecure about it.
And in case you didn't know, parents go in already. Totally unaccompanied. It's how you pick up your kid. They give you a yellow pass and you go in and find your kid. I was once in there a good 5 minutes before I could convince my kid to leave; the CM had to remind the kidlet that his "adult" was there for him. Once when DH went in to find him, DS was on the dance floor and the girls all dancing with him let out a huge disappointed "awwwwwww" when it became obvious DS had to go. DH let him stay until close, which meant that big scary stranger-man walked into and out of the club, all unsupervised. And that's normal, that parents go in to get their kids!
Hmm. I've never noticed that they are age specific. Even when they have Super Sloppy Science on the Lab side they invite the younger kids in (on Dream) and DS has found that it's taught to the younger level (he ends up feeling condescended to).
Are you referring to the way you have experienced it (same as me) or to the recent reports of far more, and more hours of them, OHs?
Exactly.
It's annoying because we have a 9 year old son who likes to participate in the kids club and we feel safe putting him there and having some alone time with the peace of mind that he is safe and happy and having fun. The reason we felt he was safe was that the only adults allowed in there were the CMs but now we have other random adults coming and going and that doesnt make me feel safe anymore. So yes it's very annoying to have parents who wont insist on being able to spend time with their kids in the "KIDS CLUB". If you want to spend time with your kids then go to the other millions of places on the ship made for the entire family. One of the many reasons we love taking disney cruises is that it's one of the few times we get couples time to ourselves because we are able to register our son in the club. It's one of the only places where we can enjoy a cocktail together or go dancing knowing our son is having fun and is safely being taken care of. But parents that insist on being there are slowly ruining that!It's sort of offensive to call people "annoying parents" for wanting to enjoy an open house with their kids. I would never ever go to guest services and complain and throw a fit over access to the clubs, but if I were asked about open houses on those surveys they sometimes email out or the little comment cards they ask you to fill out, I would totally say that I love the opportunity to have some open houses. I don't understand why that makes me "annoying."
If your kid is in one of the younger age clubs, he or she will never have strange adults hanging around him/her. They always move the kids who are there without a parent to the secured area. And if your children are in Edge or Vibe, they will be around strange adults anyway if they go out on the ship to do scavenger hunts, etc. At least at an open house, there are still cast members right there to help monitor.
As I said in a previous post, Disney's website lets you know there are open houses throughout the cruise. It's fully disclosed there. They also very clearly list them on the Navigator so that you can plan around them if you desire. So I don't see what the big deal is.
I dont think the ship is "full" of child molesters or wierdos. But it only takes one..... and just because we are on a Disney cruise doesnt mean we are safe from predators.I haven't noticed an increase, but honestly I never really gave it a thought. I'm not one of those parents that thinks the ship is full of child molesters or weirdos.
This isExactly! These open houses take away the "SECURE" factor since anyone can mingle amongst the kids. Maybe if more of us complained about that, then Disney would listen......
This is not the case. When the clubs are in Open House mode your child will be in the other secured side. Your child will not be around other adults - other than when they come into pick up their kid. Why is this difficult to understand? It has been stated in this thread many times.It's annoying because we have a 9 year old son who likes to participate in the kids club and we feel safe putting him there and having some alone time with the peace of mind that he is safe and happy and having fun. The reason we felt he was safe was that the only adults allowed in there were the CMs but now we have other random adults coming and going and that doesnt make me feel safe anymore. So yes it's very annoying to have parents who wont insist on being able to spend time with their kids in the "KIDS CLUB". If you want to spend time with your kids then go to the other millions of places on the ship made for the entire family. One of the many reasons we love taking disney cruises is that it's one of the few times we get couples time to ourselves because we are able to register our son in the club. It's one of the only places where we can enjoy a cocktail together or go dancing knowing our son is having fun and is safely being taken care of. But parents that insist on being there are slowly ruining that!
And hope that the reservation that you were able to get 75-120 days before the Navigator was written doesn't conflict, and if it does, that there might actually be a different time available for you. Sometimes people have to take the reservation time they can get at 75-90 days out and sometimes there is no flexibility because all other slots are taken in Palo or Remy. Adding random Open House times, as I said in my initial post, is a disservice to the parents who might have looked forward to an actual date night while their child(ren) is at their designated play area. I can see cancellations having to occur because of this, and I, for one, would be most disappointed at having to give up my much-anticipated fancy meal with my spouse just because Disney changed the Club/Lab times a couple of days before my dinner (We always dine in Remy on the second night).
I don't really understand your concern. They do not run open houses at both the lab and club at the same time except on embarkation day. There will always be a secure space available so you can drop off your child and go to dinner or brunch. They also don't typically hold open houses during peak dinner times. I don't think you have anything to worry about.
It's annoying because we have a 9 year old son who likes to participate in the kids club and we feel safe putting him there and having some alone time with the peace of mind that he is safe and happy and having fun. The reason we felt he was safe was that the only adults allowed in there were the CMs but now we have other random adults coming and going and that doesnt make me feel safe anymore. So yes it's very annoying to have parents who wont insist on being able to spend time with their kids in the "KIDS CLUB". If you want to spend time with your kids then go to the other millions of places on the ship made for the entire family. One of the many reasons we love taking disney cruises is that it's one of the few times we get couples time to ourselves because we are able to register our son in the club. It's one of the only places where we can enjoy a cocktail together or go dancing knowing our son is having fun and is safely being taken care of. But parents that insist on being there are slowly ruining that!
You didn't read my original post. If your kid does not like the Club or Lab and that's what has an open house at the same time as your 6-month-old reservation, you might as well forget actually enjoying your date night if your kid has any tendency to be obstinate about things they don't like.
I dont think the ship is "full" of child molesters or wierdos. But it only takes one..... and just because we are on a Disney cruise doesnt mean we are safe from predators.