First DCL cruise--activities for 12 year old

[pirate33]

We are going on our first DCL cruise next April and splurged for concierge. It's just a 3-day trip to try it all out. (And we have a sea day which is just fine with me so we can enjoy the ship more.)

Our son will be 12 1/2 on the cruise, and I'm thinking about what activities would be good for him on the ship, especially those we need to book ahead. (We are already on top of the Castaway Cay cabana.) He's a little in between in general and for the DCL activities. He's at the upper end of the "Lab" group and just a bit younger than the "Vibe" group, so I'm concerned that both could be a little off for him.

Another point is he is an only child, and so we value opportunities for him to have some "kid time" on a trip as long as it is positive. We are not particularly motivated by having private adult time--the question is what would be fun for our son.

My first question is if DCL would even let him try Vibe if he wanted to. My second and more important question is whether it would be a good idea. I think probably not because the older teens are going to be, well, a little more wordly than our kid is (or that we want him to be at the moment!)

Any and all tips welcome.

 

[KristiMc]

He will not be able to go to Vibe which is for 14-17 but he should enjoy the Edge club which is for 11-14 year olds.

 

[Dug720]

Why wouldn't he try the Edge? I'd be very surprised if they'd let him age up to Vibe as he's a good 18 months younger than the minimum age.

From all I've heard and read, it is crucial to get them to go the first day/night because that's when the...friendship groups (we'll just call it that) form.

 

[Skittlesmom]

When you arrive on the ship, each of the kids sections have open houses and registrations. You'll want to stop by the Edge, meet the counselors and tour the area. They'll have meet & greets with the other kids...great opportunity to make friends. He can also hang out at the main pool and have fun and watch movies while in the pool. There's so much to do, I'm sure he'll have a great time.

 

[o&smom]

Check out some personal "navigators" from previous cruises to give him an idea about experiences available in the kid's clubs and around the ship. He will have a great time - you may only see him at dinner.

 

[pirate33]

What a relief. I missed the Edge. It sounds perfect. Very glad for the tip to get him in there right away to make friends.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

Similar question , my daughters will be 14, 11, and 11. I'd love them to all stay together at The Edge (our previous 3 cruises they were younger and doing Lab and Club , and oldest did do Edge on last cruise -they all love it all (twins would even separate and bounce btwn Club and Lab). So my question is for my oldest: She'll be 14 1/2. Truthfully , I don't want her hanging with 17 yr olds... Any thoughts ? I'd love her to stay at The Edge with her sisters (but that alone would be motivation for her to want to go to Vibe) . Not sure what the atmosphere is, esp at night ? Am i being paranoid ? She's not really a risk taker and she's kind of conservative, but she does love to have fun and meets new people easily . Just wondering ...? Don't want to stifle her needlessly, and we want her to have her freedom bc we do trust her. Do I need to start my own post ? lol thanks in advance!

 

[bumbershoot]

From all I've heard and read, it is crucial to get them to go the first day/night because that's when the...friendship groups (we'll just call it that) form.

That's for the older clubs, though. DH has never noticed any obvious friends groups in club/lab, at least not ones that weren't also related. Then again he's an extreme extrovert who loves playing and can make friends anywhere AND even makes friends with girls b/c he dances with them at home. So he might not notice any limitations like that.

If we were going on a DCL cruise before he turns 13 I'm quite sure he would go to the Lab (if only for the lightup dance floor on Dream) and would check out Edge.

 

[bbel]

Similar question , my daughters will be 14, 11, and 11. I'd love them to all stay together at The Edge (our previous 3 cruises they were younger and doing Lab and Club , and oldest did do Edge on last cruise -they all love it all (twins would even separate and bounce btwn Club and Lab). So my question is for my oldest: She'll be 14 1/2. Truthfully , I don't want her hanging with 17 yr olds... Any thoughts ? I'd love her to stay at The Edge with her sisters (but that alone would be motivation for her to want to go to Vibe) . Not sure what the atmosphere is, esp at night ? Am i being paranoid ? She's not really a risk taker and she's kind of conservative, but she does love to have fun and meets new people easily . Just wondering ...? Don't want to stifle her needlessly, and we want her to have her freedom bc we do trust her. Do I need to start my own post ? lol thanks in advance!

In Vibe there's always at least two counsellors, and like the club, lab and edge, planned and structured activities are always going on, so they're always supervised. That's being said, they're free to leave whenever and with whoever.
The atmosphere in vibe is just pretty chilled pretty much all the time. If I honest, from what I've observed in vibe, the majority of the time age groups and similar personalities groups together, just like any other teen/kids club.
You can go check out vibe one the first day and talk to the Counselors and get a better idea that way.

 

[Dug720]

That's for the older clubs, though. DH has never noticed any obvious friends groups in club/lab, at least not ones that weren't also related. Then again he's an extreme extrovert who loves playing and can make friends anywhere AND even makes friends with girls b/c he dances with them at home. So he might not notice any limitations like that.

If we were going on a DCL cruise before he turns 13 I'm quite sure he would go to the Lab (if only for the lightup dance floor on Dream) and would check out Edge.

Gotcha. I was going on the guess that a 12.5 year old would go to Edge. But your experience makes sense.

 

[PurplePencil]

What ship are you on? On the Fantasy or Dream there is Mini-Golf, that is a fun activity for you to do with him.

 

[bumbershoot]

Gotcha. I was going on the guess that a 12.5 year old would go to Edge. But your experience makes sense.

And I think many kids of that age would go older. Since the op describes a younger-sounding 12 year old who wants to play, though, he sounds like mine. My boy is close friends with 8 and 10 year olds, and dances with mainly 11 year olds still, and the older kids he hangs out with are still willing to be very silly and goofy and willing to run around playing, not just acting like cool teens.

We are on royal I'm two weeks and because of their age groups he's going to be in the teen club and he's not looking forward to it. He's worried it's going to be clumps of kids just being cool, with no activities. Then again we have 5 port days so maybe the club won't be as important as it had been in the past.

 

[pirate33]

Thanks all. We will be on the Wonder, so no mini-golf. (I hadn't heard of that one before!) Our boy is the youngest in his class so most of his classmates are turning 13 this year, while he turned 12. The Edge will be perfect for him, I think. Can't wait for our cruise!

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

Thanks all. We will be on the Wonder, so no mini-golf. (I hadn't heard of that one before!) Our boy is the youngest in his class so most of his classmates are turning 13 this year, while he turned 12. The Edge will be perfect for him, I think. Can't wait for our cruise!

We were on the Wonder in June and DD was 12 and attended Edge, going again this July on the Wonder and she will be 13. She had the best time at the Edge. The kids come and go as they please, there was no check in or check out but she loved it. Her favorite was Gaga ball. She is very athletic and competitive. There were lots of fun things for her to do and she spent a bunch of time there.

 

[TeaBee]

No need to book ahead, but my 11.5 year old daughter LOVED the midship detective agency. It's a fun family activity and takes you all over the ship.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Similar question , my daughters will be 14, 11, and 11. I'd love them to all stay together at The Edge (our previous 3 cruises they were younger and doing Lab and Club , and oldest did do Edge on last cruise -they all love it all (twins would even separate and bounce btwn Club and Lab). So my question is for my oldest: She'll be 14 1/2. Truthfully , I don't want her hanging with 17 yr olds... Any thoughts ? I'd love her to stay at The Edge with her sisters (but that alone would be motivation for her to want to go to Vibe) . Not sure what the atmosphere is, esp at night ? Am i being paranoid ? She's not really a risk taker and she's kind of conservative, but she does love to have fun and meets new people easily . Just wondering ...? Don't want to stifle her needlessly, and we want her to have her freedom bc we do trust her. Do I need to start my own post ? lol thanks in advance!

We had a 14 year old and 15 year old son on the Fantasy in August. I wouldn't worry that it was dominated by 17 year olds. It was a mixed group. It really is a good opportuniy for teens to try new things in a somewhat controlled, environment. And you can still set whatever rules you want. We imposed rules on how late they could stay out, and we enforced those rules. Good practice for them. Having said that, since your older duaghter can go to either Vibe or Edge, you may find she wants to spend some time in Edge too. The clubs to different things at different times, so some of the Edge activities may appeal to her.

In Vibe there's always at least two counsellors, and like the club, lab and edge, planned and structured activities are always going on, so they're always supervised. That's being said, they're free to leave whenever and with whoever.
The atmosphere in vibe is just pretty chilled pretty much all the time. If I honest, from what I've observed in vibe, the majority of the time age groups and similar personalities groups together, just like any other teen/kids club.
You can go check out vibe one the first day and talk to the Counselors and get a better idea that way.

We found the counselors at Vibe to be EXCELLENT. No bullying or PDA was tolerated. Indeed, the more time your kids spend in the clubs, the less time they might be off on their own doing who knows what. I believe in trusting my kids and the whole cruise experience was good learning and growing opportunities. I'm just saying that the times they were actually in the clubs were the times I knew they would not be getting in trouble with 17 year olds. Or 18 year olds for that matter.

 

[TCB in FLA]

My boys were 11 and 13 during our last cruise. They loved the Aqua Duck and pools, and specifically asked for late dining so they could enjoy the water in the late afternoon while other people were at supper. They are both quite competitive, so they enjoyed anything they could turn into a competition (basketball, ping-pong, minigolf, who could finish the detective agency quicker). They were not big fans of the traditional Disney shows in the evening, but they enjoyed the magician show and went to several movies.

However, I think what the boys enjoyed most of all was is having a little freedom on board. They were allowed to go get snacks and drinks, go to the Vibe activities by themselves , etc. It was their first taste of independence and really got a kick from it.

 

[Mr. Drauer]

No need to book ahead, but my 11.5 year old daughter LOVED the midship detective agency. It's a fun family activity and takes you all over the ship.

no mid ship detective agency on the Wonder though

 

[hotfiregal]

What a relief. I missed the Edge. It sounds perfect. Very glad for the tip to get him in there right away to make friends.

My son loved the edge. He was 12 last trip and he made a lot of friends-tried activities that I never imagined him doing(such as karaoke), video games, scavenger hunts.... My son isn't "worldly" as you said, he is homeschooled and from a strict family, but he is fully aware of what other kids may or may not be doing. He had no issues at all. If you are comfortable giving him freedom, make sure you both have the Disney cruise app on your phones so that he can easily stay in contact with you. That way if he wants to get ice cream with his new friends he can without having to hunt you down first.

 

[mhconley]

We had to drag our 12-1/2 year old out of the Edge each night. He'd leave after dinner and we didn't see him again until midnight. On sea days he was there almost all day. We used the Navigator app to stay in touch.

Martin