Another Teen related question

[geffric]

DS 12 will be 1 week shy of his 13th birthday when we board... will they consider him a teen and let him go to the teen activities or as a 12 year old and have him go to the LAB??

Has anyone been in that situation before...I need to set his expectation level, so he is not disappointed..

Thanks

 

[toot2]

My DD was 2 months shy of 13yr and my DN was 13 1/2 years. They let DD participate but I think she sometimes felt out of place because there were older teens in the group.

She did make friends with another younger teen and they hung out together. They participated in some of the activities.

If they allow it, I'd encourage your DS to give it a try and then let him decide what he would like to do. It will give him a chance to make some friends even if he decides the activities are not for him.

Have fun!

 

[AnnMorin]

I think the standing "rule" is within a month of the bday so your child should be fine to move up.

 

[dclwdwlover]

My youngest is going to be 13 exactly one month after we sail, but after thinking about it and talking it over with him he decided to be in the Lab. He's done it before & loved it and it's his last chance to do it.

Also, other factors:
1) His older brother will be in Common Grounds
2) He still enjoys doing a lot of the things that they do in the Lab
3) He will be the youngest in a club filled with teens ranging all the way up to 18 (his brother turns 18 in the middle of the cruise)
4) He will hopefully have a chance to experience CG on a later cruise

You know your son best & what type of club he will be comfortable in. Our older son is very social & adjusts very, very easily. The younger one, although very friendly, takes longer to warm up to people & tends to try to be "funny" to 'fit in' & teens don't always accept that.

There are tons of fun things to do in the Lab, as well, so maybe you can check it out & let him decide what appeals to him. I believe that I got the info. from the cruise line website - www.disneycruise.com.

 

[Tesabat]

MY DS will be turning 13 three days after we we disembark. He's feeling (as of this moment) that he would prefer to be in the Lab.

Another poster mentioned to me that it might be possible to let them "check out" the Teen hangout when they are in the Lab...That it's actually one of the scheduled activities. And another mentioned that her daughter was feeling very "inbetween" also. They are planning on playing a lot of ping pong and basketball...which is a great place to hang out and I hadn't thought about that - I was so focused on the clubs.

IMO, I think it's going to boil down to the mix of ages on your particular cruise, and where your son feels most comfortable. If there is someone in either section that they click with, that's probably going to be a deciding factor in where they want to be.

The DCL website says one month shy...

A child may participate in an older age group, if they are within one month of the minimum age for that group.

, so your DS will qualify for the teen group. I showed my DS the activities for 10 - 12, and the ones for 13 - 18, and told him we would play it by ear when we got on board, and that's when he said he wanted to try the Lab first.

Good luck. I can empathize - this is a tough age. Neither area seems "quite right"...

 

[dclwdwlover]

They do take the kids in the Lab & hang out in CG for a bit each morning before the teens get there - I think it's for an hour or two - but I don't believe that they let them switch to another 'club' if they don't like the one they're in. I believe that once you sign up for one, that's the one you're in for the entire cruise.

 

[geffric]

Thanks... it is a bit awkward for him... right now he wants to be in the Teen group and feels that since he does Boy Scout activites with older teens that he will be ok , as well as he has been in the LAb on the last cruise. However, having said that, I have concerns if he will " fit in".. he is a bit of a "different child" . Thanks for ther advice... maybe we can check out the teen club when we first get there and then assess the situation...to find where he "fits"..

Thanks

 

[Disney Sweetie]

My oldest daughter is also a little "different" and is very shy. She likes to play with computers and other such games. She will have just turned 18 when we cruise. All her cousins and her sister will be in the teen area. I called Disney and they said it would be up to the counselors if they will alllow her in with the teens. Depends on how many teens they have versus counselors. I really don't think she will like the "adult" activities. I hope it all works out for us...I don't want her to be miserable the whole trip!!