Feedback about the Stack from teens

[lwilliam]

Could we have feedback from teens who have been in the
Stack AND Common Grounds. I'm worried about our 17 yr. old
DS who has always loved Common Grounds. What else has changed besides the sofa/hard chairs?

 

[Cruisin]

lwilliam, welcome to the DISBoards

I saw some info about the stack on another thread....Live from the 2/14/04 Magic.........

Maybe you can check it out over there.

 

[kcashner]

We were on the 2/7 Magic. DD loved The Stack. Compared to Common Grounds....twice the space, better video equipment. The chairs/furniture can be moved to the sides of the room to make a dance floor. The space is divided into a couple of rooms, so there can be activities/dancing in one room and "hanging out" in the other.

Teen Navigator is posted on castawayclub.com

 

[yamahaboy]

did she go to the dances at night? how was the music, sound, ext....
Eric

 

[Ginny]

IWilliam -

We were on the Christmas '03 cruise and it was our DS' third cruise. He has always loved Common Grounds and had a great time there. DS and the Christmas group of teens were very disappointed with the STACK! Although they really enjoyed each other, the counselors and the activities, the setting really fell short and they didn't spend as much time there. Many of them had sailed previously.

Their main complaints were that the seating was not anywhere near as comfortable or welcoming like Common Grounds and that there wasn't really anything to do there if there wasn't a scheduled activity. It wasn't located in a place where the teens would just stop by as they were walking across the deck but rather they had to make a point of going there. The design was cold and had a retro-galactic kind of feel. Where as Common Grounds was more intimate and welcoming, they felt this was cold and lacked alot. They also felt this space had been "slapped together." The tables are the laminated kind you would find in a 50's restaurant and many of the chairs/seating were hard plastic.

I did go to the STACK the day we embarked and I, personally, was very disappointed. I didn't say anything because I didn't have to like it - DS did. He and his friends talked about it at length later. There didn't appear to be a great deal of thought put into the design like with Common Grounds and it didn't have that sense that the teens were as valued.

From what I understand, the staff (not just the counselors) recognized the deficiencies and were working very hard to get more activities and games like hockey / foosball for the teen. So perhaps things have improved to make it a more welcoming area.

Our DS was 16.5 when we cruised and was one of the oldest in that group. He had a great time with the other teens and made some very good friends with whom he has remained in touch.

 

[cjsmith]

I must say that I was very disappointed in what they did with the Stack, it certainly didn't look as inviting. Common Grounds was very cozy and inviting. I wouldn't have minded spending time there! That being said, my daughter really didn't care for it at all. She said Common Grounds was much more comfortable and the ambiance was better in her opinion. One example she used was the night of the pajama party. She said that when it was held in Common Grounds, it was great, but here, it was cold and uncomfortable. By cold, she meant that the setting was "cold". On the last 3 cruises, Courtney spent almost all her time at Common Grounds. This time around, she spent time with the kids she met, but they seem to have spent a good majority of it simply out and about on the ship.
My son didn't care for it either and spent no time in there at all. He prefered to hang around the ship with his younger brother.

 

[lwilliam]

Our DS is at a tough age for Disney cruises - 17, turning 18 end of July. He has loved Common Grounds, and this being his last year to be able to spend with the teens, I'm hoping he will find The Stack enjoyable. Next year, what do you do with a teen?
(sorry, but we LOVE Disney cruises and don't want to take the kids on any other cruise line) - my DH and I are crossing our fingers for a re-location in the summer.

 

[kcashner]

Hmmm....maybe things have improved since Christmas. There is a list of activities that can be done any time. The teen navigator says that they should just ask a counsellor and supplies will be available. In addition, there are scheduled activities/games, etc. The 2 rooms allow activities in one with quiet hanging out in the other. The furniture can be moved to allow a large floor space (unlike Common Grounds, where it was fixed). Yes, the atmosphere is different. It was intentionally put "out of the way" so that there would be a lot less of an issue with younger kids/families just dropping in. This was a problem in Common Grounds as it was just off the pool.

My DD was disappointed that the feature of coding the teen KTTW cards so that they were the only ones who could use the elevators to The Stack wasn't working. It was one of the features in the articles discussing The Stack.

I can't really comment on the music, although DD thought enough of it that she invited me up to hear one song. It seemed to be very current stuff. The party themes were things like sports, glow in the dark, tropical, pajama party, sweetheart dance (the night before valentine's day.) She was worried about the sweetheart theme, but the counsellors assured her that it meant she should just come and have a good time...no "sweetheart" required.