Good experiences with Edge club?

[tlprice]

My DD was able to go to both Oceaneers and Edge on our last 3 cruises. She went to Oceaneers when there was an activity that she really wanted to do, like making cookies, slime, volcanoes, etc. Most of her time was spent in the Edge though. She LOVED the Edge on the Wonder and Magic and closed it down most nights. She was very excited for the Edge on the Fantasy, but didn't like it nearly as much. I think mostly it was a difference in the type of kids that were on each cruise and not so much the club in general. Although, even though the Edge is smaller and darker on the classic ships, the location seems to be better for just getting to it and being more involved.

 

[pearljammer]

My DS who is 11 went for the first time in Jan and went to both Edge AND kids club. While he really liked the EDGE, there were still things at the kids club he liked as well so I think he was thankful he could do both. Now we did require him to call us on the wave phone if/when he left and we would call to check in on him as well. So we knew where he was and sometime would pop in just to check in (at the Edge) and they don’t mind that at all. Honestly, we could barely keep him out!! It felt more like we had to force him to spend time with us on our “family” vacation!

 

[VTNuke]

I had read on another thread that the first day is mostly open house. When do they do the "get to know each other" activities? Do they do them during open house or later the first night? Our next cruise will be my dd's first time at Edge. We will have early dinner and usually all go to the show afterwards. I don't want her to miss out on the getting to make friends the first day that everyone talks about, but don't know when that's done. Will she miss out if she goes to the show after dinner with us? What is it called in the navigator? Thanks

I'm not sure they have a specified time or event. I think it's more informal as to they show up and do stuff that first day. They have open houses but they also have different activities during the open house. She should go whenever she can on that first day and she'll connect with people. No need to "camp out" there, just check it out a few times at different times and it will work itself out.

I would warn that my son loves the Edge more than my daughter. They have activities geared to both boys and girls, but I kind of think the boys tend to get activities that are more suited to their 11 - 13 year old mentalities. I could be way off here, but that's the impression I've gotten.

 

[MonaMN]

Which ship are you going on?
My oldest daughter turns 11 this summer but has gone to Edge twice as a 10 year old (we signed the waiver for her). Her first time was on the Fantasy and she liked it, but preferred Oceaneers Club/Lab more so I'd say it was a 25percent in the edge vs 75 percent in Oceaneers when she was going. Then this past March we were on the Wonder and she spent about 90 percent of her club time in Edge! She made friends both cruises so I don't think it was a lack of socializing for her, but for whatever reason she just really enjoyed it more this time. We are back on the Wonder this August and she's excited to 'legitimately' be 11 for the Edge lol

My kid will be two weeks short of 11 on our next cruise... so I am interested in how you go about getting a ten year old into Edge. Where do we sign this waiver?

She did not enjoy the Oceaneers Lab/Club as a nine year old and I think Edge might be more her thing after reading through this.

 

[Henwen88]

We cruised 2 weeks ago on the Fantasy, and my DD was 10 (1 months from turning 11). She signed up for Oceaneers and also signed the waiver to 'age up' into Edge (which wasn't a big deal at all). She mostly preferred Edge, but would go to Oceaneers when there was an activity that appealed to her (like decorating cupcakes for breakfast or making slime, etc).

With Oceaneers, I was alerted thru the app that she has checked in or out, with Edge (and they were very clear about this upfront), she was free to come and go as she pleased - obviously we set rules, and the iMessage was much more reliable than the app for her to text me.

She made many friends from Edge (I think they may have had more smaller kids in Oceaneers for this cruise).

 

[Henwen88]

My kid will be two weeks short of 11 on our next cruise... so I am interested in how you go about getting a ten year old into Edge. Where do we sign this waiver?

She did not enjoy the Oceaneers Lab/Club as a nine year old and I think Edge might be more her thing after reading through this.

Regarding signing the age-up waiver, all we had to do was go to Edge and sign a form - they had a list of 10 year olds, highlighted her name, and slapped an Edge sticker on her card. However, her card never worked for elevator access to floor 13 (opens into the club). She could go to 12 and climb one set of stairs easily enough, so we didn't worry about it.

 

[Henwen88]

I had read on another thread that the first day is mostly open house. When do they do the "get to know each other" activities? Do they do them during open house or later the first night? Our next cruise will be my dd's first time at Edge. We will have early dinner and usually all go to the show afterwards. I don't want her to miss out on the getting to make friends the first day that everyone talks about, but don't know when that's done. Will she miss out if she goes to the show after dinner with us? What is it called in the navigator? Thanks

They have 'meet your counselors' and 'ice breakers' as labeled activities on the Navigator for the first day. We also had early dinner, so my kid got to go for the hour or so between dinner and the show (she did come to the show with me all nights except for one, when I couldn't drag her away from whatever they were doing lol). She would also go back after the show in the evenings until bedtime.

 

[jeremy1002]

All of these first-hand experiences are great to read. Thanks, everyone.

 

[Lisa F]

My kid will be two weeks short of 11 on our next cruise... so I am interested in how you go about getting a ten year old into Edge. Where do we sign this waiver?

She did not enjoy the Oceaneers Lab/Club as a nine year old and I think Edge might be more her thing after reading through this.

My son did not enjoy it at 9 either (he liked certain structured activities okay) but will be 11 on our next cruise and the edge really sounds more his speed. I think there are just a LOT more kids in Oceaneer's club/lab due to the larger age range and 3-12 is also too large an age range for kids at the upper end. I'm guessing they have it that high so that siblings can hang together and I'm glad they have the option even though mine is an only child but I do feel the atmosphere is more geared toward younger kids. The edge has a much more narrow age range and seems a better fit for my son with the stuff they do (he is involved in theater at school so he'd have a blast rehearsing whatever, doing flash mobs, stand up comedy etc.) That said I know kids mature at different rates so I'm glad older kids who are still kids at heart can enjoy that stuff in the club/lab as well.