10 year old at the Edge...

[zenjenn]

Will my 10 yr old will be allowed in the Edge with two older tween travel companions?

I think she'd rather die than go to the Oceaneer's Lab, especially if her travel companions get to go to the Edge. She had *some* fun there when we were on the Wonder when she was 7 yrs old, but after about two days of it she was *very done* with preschoolers running around even then.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Will my 10 yr old will be allowed in the Edge with two older tween travel companions?

I think she'd rather die than go to the Oceaneer's Lab, especially if her travel companions get to go to the Edge. She had *some* fun there when we were on the Wonder when she was 7 yrs old, but after about two days of it she was *very done* with preschoolers running around even then.

Best answer - maybe. Edge is ages 11-14. I'm not sure how many times they let younger kids go in, but I know they do. You have to ask once onboard. One note, if the ship has a lot of kids and the number of 11-14 year olds onboard is the maximum number allowed in Edge, the answer will most likely be "no". I will also point out that the older kids in the club might take a dim view of a "kid" in their space. And treat her accordingly.

 

[zmom]

We sailed the Dream when my DS was 10. The Edge had a preprinted list of kids 10-14 and welcomed my son in no problem. That was 2 years ago

 

[sophiasapientia]

We were told that 10 year olds are welcomed at the Edge, with parental permission. From what I gather, tweens can go between the Edge and the Oceaneer Lab without any problems. The CM I spoke with over the weekend said that the older kids tend to get a little bored with the Oceaneer Lab. My DD is 11 and our niece is 10 so I'm glad that they have both options and can stay together.

 

[Laundress]

On the wonder last week we were told the 10 year olds could go to either place, as long as there was room. (It was spring break) WE had 3 of them in our
group.

 

[Weedy]

This was posted by one of the people who worked on the Disney Fantasy in the kids clubs.

My child is under 11, can they go to Edge?[/B]
The answer to this doesn't quite matter if your kid is 10 1/2, or 10 3/4 or 10 6/9ths, nor does it matter too much if there will be older siblings of Edge age range (11-14) in the space. The managers will be the first and final say on whether youth aged under 11 will be given any flexibility to be accepted into Edge, which can change from cruise to cruise depending on the age group populations currently on board. Note that some managers may be more lenient towards this age requirement and instruct the Counselors to allow them in right away, and some may be more strictly compliant with the age limits and instruct Counselors to inform guests that we cannot allow them into the space. Counselor CMs are trained to first encourage the child to try out the Oceaneer Lab activities, and inform a manager before making any decisions! Also consider: is my 10-year old mature enough to keep up with 13 year olds on scavenger hunts around the ship? Will they feel comfortable at the homecoming teen dance? Are they naturally outgoing with older children?

Here is the link:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3186484

It's a great thread. Very long but worth reading.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

It is definitely NOT a sure thing that 10 year olds can go to the edge. Mine was allowed on our cruise, but a friend of hers was not a couple of months earlier. From what the counselor a on the ship told us, it totally depended on the number and ages of kids 11-14 on the ship.

 

[zenjenn]

Also consider: is my 10-year old mature enough to keep up with 13 year olds on scavenger hunts around the ship? Will they feel comfortable at the homecoming teen dance?

An excellent question, and in the case of my daughter, absolutely. She's one of those kids that has always gravitated towards older friends, books, academics, and activities.

This is why I think she'd be absolutely miserable in the Oceaneer's Lab, especially if her two travel companions (her best friend and her sister, that are only a couple years older than her) got to hang out in the Edge.

I can understand how a lone 10 yr old might feel displaced, but would the other 11-14 yr olds in the club really resent a 10 yr old if she was hanging out with her friend and sister minding their own business?

I guess we'll just have to hope we're lucky, and if not the three can hang out and enjoy themselves in the cabin or something with TV and room service. They were looking forward to hanging out without adults on the cruise. It just took me off guard because when I booked, I for some reason assumed 10 was the age for the Edge. (Maybe because Disney counts 10 as an "adult" when you buy tickets and such!)

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

Actually, the club and the lab go up to 12. It will depend on how many kids are on board. Just an FYI, she will need to check herself out

 

[Ofinn]

My son went to Edge on three cruises as a 10 year old. He loved it and never had any problems fitting in. He is now 11 and I'm hoping his 10 year old brother will be able to join him on our next cruise. Both of them have out grown the lab and are really not interested in hanging out with super young kids.

 

[wilma-bride]

They will not be able to tell you until you are on board, however as others have said they DO allow 10 year olds into Edge. They will also allow them to mix and match with the lab, although my DS wouldn't go to lab once he'd had the freedom of going to Edge

 

[lanejudy]

... This is why I think she'd be absolutely miserable in the Oceaneer's Lab, especially if her two travel companions (her best friend and her sister, that are only a couple years older than her) got to hang out in the Edge.

I can understand how a lone 10 yr old might feel displaced, but would the other 11-14 yr olds in the club really resent a 10 yr old if she was hanging out with her friend and sister minding their own business? ...

Just wanted to add that if the older sister and best friend are 12, they can join the 10-yr-old in the Club/Lab. No need to split up. Also, many of the Edge activities are "out-and-about" style so not specifically in the tween space, so she may be able to join them for those anyway.

As to other older kids not appreciating the younger one "in their space" -- absolutely that happens. It's probably exactly why your children would all prefer the Edge rather than be with the little ones at the Club/Lab. Same is true at both the tween and teen spaces. There are plenty of threads about the kids not liking that younger ones are allowed to move up, which eventually erodes the programming towards a younger level. Not that 1 younger child (or yours in particular) will cause program changes, but just the general idea.

So, basically, while it may be possible, you will have to wait until you are onboard for a final decision. I would prepare all 3 kids for the possibility that the younger won't be allowed to move up, and therefore if it happens it's a bonus. There are lots of activities they can do around the ship together.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[Ofinn]

Just wanted to add that if the older sister and best friend are 12, they can join the 10-yr-old in the Club/Lab. No need to split up. Also, many of the Edge activities are "out-and-about" style so not specifically in the tween space, so she may be able to join them for those anyway.

As to other older kids not appreciating the younger one "in their space" -- absolutely that happens. It's probably exactly why your children would all prefer the Edge rather than be with the little ones at the Club/Lab. Same is true at both the tween and teen spaces. There are plenty of threads about the kids not liking that younger ones are allowed to move up, which eventually erodes the programming towards a younger level. Not that 1 younger child (or yours in particular) will cause program changes, but just the general idea.

So, basically, while it may be possible, you will have to wait until you are onboard for a final decision. I would prepare all 3 kids for the possibility that the younger won't be allowed to move up, and therefore if it happens it's a bonus. There are lots of activities they can do around the ship together.

Enjoy your cruise!

There really isn't a big difference in size or maturity between an 10 and 11 year old or even a 12 year old. The age spread in the lab is pretty ridiculous in my opinion.

 

[fredgirls]

There really isn't a big difference in size or maturity between an 10 and 11 year old or even a 12 year old. The age spread in the lab is pretty ridiculous in my opinion.

I agree. The age spread is crazy from the club to the lab. If they were separate, and the lab was just say 8-11, it would be much more enjoyable I would think. And less kids will want to move up to the edge.
My daughter was 8/9 last cruise and even then felt like a baby-sitter! She enjoyed helping the other little kids but it was very different than having fun activities geared to her age.
She will be almost 11 on our next cruise. It's OK if they don't allow her to go to the edge - we love hanging out as a family - She won't go back to the Club/Lab though.

 

[zenjenn]

There really isn't a big difference in size or maturity between an 10 and 11 year old or even a 12 year old. The age spread in the lab is pretty ridiculous in my opinion.

Exactly. I'm not even sure how the other kids in the Edge would know my daughter is 10 unless she told them. She is calm, articulate, and completely competent. She doesn't even play with toys anymore - she spends most of her time reading, playing video games, programming computers, and playing her instrument.

Just to give an idea how mature this child is (who is 9 right now, this is for a cruise over a year from now), I told her about this and her response was:

"It would be nice if we can all go to the Edge together, but if we can't, I understand. We'll figure something out. Don't worry about it, Mom."

As to other older kids not appreciating the younger one "in their space" -- absolutely that happens. It's probably exactly why your children would all prefer the Edge rather than be with the little ones at the Club/Lab

The difference is in the Lab, there literally are preschoolers flailing around and just chaotically being preschoolers. The three year olds scampering around the room are much intrusive to the 10 yr old who wants to hang out with her friends, than the 10 yr old is to the 13 yr old who wants to hang out with her friends, unless the 10 yr old were particularly immature.

Yes, we'll prep all three kids for the possibilities, but hopefully all three will be free to check out both the Edge and the Lab and see which works best for them with the dynamic of the particular cruise we're on.

Btw I read all 60+ pages of that thread from CMontheseas. Fantastic thread!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I agree. The age spread is crazy from the club to the lab. If they were separate, and the lab was just say 8-11, it would be much more enjoyable I would think. And less kids will want to move up to the edge.
My daughter was 8/9 last cruise and even then felt like a baby-sitter! She enjoyed helping the other little kids but it was very different than having fun activities geared to her age.
She will be almost 11 on our next cruise. It's OK if they don't allow her to go to the edge - we love hanging out as a family - She won't go back to the Club/Lab though.

The Club and Lab used to be separate areas (hence the reason for 2 names) The Club was for 3-7 year olds, while the Lab was age 8-12. Many people complained that their kids (who were split up by the division) couldn't play together. So DCL merged the two.

They can't please everyone, it seems.

 

[zenjenn]

The Club and Lab used to be separate areas (hence the reason for 2 names) The Club was for 3-7 year olds, while the Lab was age 8-12. Many people complained that their kids (who were split up by the division) couldn't play together. So DCL merged the two.

They can't please everyone, it seems.

And yes, can't please everyone - not even necessarily in the same family! Our kids were 7 and 9 yr old on the last cruise.

9 yr old was not a fan of the Lab because of all the preschoolers running around, but then the 7 yr old ONLY had an interest in the lab.

If they had kept them separate, 9 yr old might have been happier but our 7 yr old would have been stuck in her own personal hell.

On balance the blended rooms worked best for our family because while our 9 yr old enjoyed attending ranger talks and going on the theme tour with us adults, the 7 yr old would have been bored stiff - and at least she had the Lab. She would have been so angry if we left her in the Club which she said "feels like it's for toddlers and it smells like feet!"

I guess the flexibility for the youngers is more important than for the tweens and teens, on balance - because with tweens and teens they always have the option of having fun independently on the ship or joining the adults for some activities.

At the end of the day I'm sure the three girls I'm concerned about could have sufficient fun roaming the ship, seeing a movie, going to lunch together alone, or hanging in the cabin by themselves if they can't do the Edge.

 

[fredgirls]

The Club and Lab used to be separate areas (hence the reason for 2 names) The Club was for 3-7 year olds, while the Lab was age 8-12. Many people complained that their kids (who were split up by the division) couldn't play together. So DCL merged the two. They can't please everyone, it seems.

Yes I agree, you certainly can't please everyone!

 

[britfish]

My DD will be 2 months shy of her 10th birthday. Will they even consider her for going to Edge? She has older, quieter interests so I think it would be a better fit.

 

[su_A_ve]

Bottom line, it depends on how many kids are sailing. If Edge is at capacity, there will not be an exception.

If there's capacity, and the kid is a few months shy of 11, then usually they'll have no issue in letting him in. If the kid just turned 10, chances are they'll want him to try Lab first.

After that, it's your call regarding the freedom they get at Edge. It is an open access club for them. They can come and go as they please. Further, many of their activities happen all around the ship and not necessarily supervised by a counselor. They also have activities with Vibe (the teenager club).