Has anyone else had issues with the new Oceaneer's club/lab policies?

[mommykeg]

Very disappointing. A dedicated space for each individual age group has always been something that set Disney apart...and made a Disney cruise worth the extra cost for our family. Every member of our family has always felt as if there were special activities in a special place just for them--rather than the one generic "kid" space available on many other lines. I can't believe that they are letting that go. Not sure it's worth paying for the "Disney Difference" if there really is no difference any more! Can't parents play with their kids in the family spaces available on the ship, and leave the secured kids spaces for parents who need those?

 

[TDC Nala]

even supposedly vetted/fingerprinted staff do bad things to children also.

yes they do. But if they only allow persons who have been checked in the kids clubs, it limits Disney's legal liability should something occur. It's not about safety. It's about Disney's legal liability. Been trying to say this. There's a big difference between the opposing lawyer asking "So, you allow adults who haven't been cleared into the kids' space when there are unsupervised children present?" and "So, you checked this person's background and it came up clean." One is Disney's fault, one isn't.

 

[Wadekind]

Very disappointing. A dedicated space for each individual age group has always been something that set Disney apart...and made a Disney cruise worth the extra cost for our family. Every member of our family has always felt as if there were special activities in a special place just for them--rather than the one generic "kid" space available on many other lines. I can't believe that they are letting that go. Not sure it's worth paying for the "Disney Difference" if there really is no difference any more! Can't parents play with their kids in the family spaces available on the ship, and leave the secured kids spaces for parents who need those?

 

[Stinkerbe11]

Please let Disney know how you feel, they take customer feedback seriously.

dcl.guest.communications@disneycruise.com

Remember how quickly the BYOB policy was reversed

 

[LadyOfNawlins]

I just sent my e-mail.

 

[cypressmom]

Please let Disney know how you feel, they take customer feedback seriously.

dcl.guest.communications@disneycruise.com

Remember how quickly the BYOB policy was reversed

Thank you. Email being sent.

This is our first cruise and part of what led me to book with Disney was the option of using the kid's club. The other was that there are so many activities to do as a family on the ship. Why are open houses necessary? If you want to play with/spend time with your child, do it elsewhere. Not in a place meant for children to be left without their parents.

I primarily plan on taking part in the organized family activities, but love knowing that the kid's club is an option should we decide to spend time working out, in the spa or at Palo. It's upsetting to learn that the ability to chose may be taken away from us.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

I wonder if I should send an email now, or wait 2 weeks until I see how the open hours actually work. What are some of you writing? (You can PM me if you don't want to post it out in the open.)

 

[LadyOfNawlins]

I e-mailed Disney about my concerns. Within 20 minutes, I got the following reply. With the speedy reply, I think they must be getting lots of feedback on this new change. Hopefully, it will make them re-think the new policy.

Thank you for contacting us regarding your upcoming sailing.

On behalf of the entire Disney Cruise Line team, I hope you will accept
my sincere regret for any disappointment with your upcoming cruise
vacation. I was truly disheartened to read about your concerns with the
"Open House" experiences in our Youth Activities areas.

We strive to meet the needs of all of our guests and have added several
open times where families can interact together in new ways, while still
providing a space for secured activities to occur continuously
throughout the day. As hours for "Open House" opportunities can change,
we would recommend reviewing your Personal Navigator once onboard.

However, I appreciate your constructive comments and have been certain
to share them with the appropriate shipboard and shoreside managers.
Your comments will be evaluated along with those from our other guests
to determine where future changes may be needed.

Thank you again for contacting us. We look forward to welcoming you and
your family onboard soon.

Sincerely,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Executive Guest Correspondent
Disney Cruise

 

[andersonfamily]

I just wanted to pass on this email response we received from the shoreside concierge. We sent an email expressing our concern over this change. Our kids are 3,5 and 7, so the closing of the kids club for secured care was the most concerning to us. We have some adult only events planned, and I don't think it's reasonable to market a cruise as giving you the option to have those events, and then not giving you time to plan around them. I don't like the change in policy (that's a personal opinion) but I don't like the lack of communciation about that policy change even more. If I have to pay for a spa appointment that I have to cancel at the last minute because there's no secured child care - or only secured care in an inappropirate environment for my three year old, I will be mad. Here is the response I received. It makes me feel some better since the timing of the open houses look to be shrinking and occuring earlier in the day for those worried about dinner reservations.

1/11/12

Hello Holly!
Thank you for your e-mail! I would be happy to assist you.
I do apologize for any concerns that you may have, however I assure you that the Open House times are fairly few and far between over your entire sailing. We do not offer a time where both the Oceaneer's Club or Lab are available only for Open House, therefore there will not be any time during the Club and Lab's operating hours where your kiddos will not be able to visit. The schedule is arranged so that if one location is hosting the Open House, the other location is the designated secured location for kiddos only. On most days, there will be only one or two times scheduled for Open House, which will typically be for an hour or two in the morning and/or an hour or two in the afternoon. When reviewing the Personal Navigator for our current sailings, I do not see any Open Houses scheduled beyond the early afternoon since dinner time will tend to be a more popular time for the Clubs as adults will be enjoying Palo or Remy.
At any given time, there are multiple different activities occurring in both the Oceaneer's Club and the Lab, so the kiddos will still have many different options available to them even if one location happens to be closed for a short period of time while they are there. I understand if your kiddos prefer one location over the other; again when reviewing our current schedules, it seems as though more time for Open Houses are schedule in the Lab rather than the Club.
No need for frustration! Please understand that we are offering this option as a bonus for adults who wish to explore the Kid's Clubs (they are quite fantastic, I wish they had adult versions!), so the Open Houses will never fully replace the secured children's only times. If you have any additional concerns or this information is unclear, please feel free to contact us at 866-784-1654 and we would be happy to discuss them with you. I definitely do not anticipate that you woul have to cancel any of the reservations you have made, but any such concerns would have to go through your onboard Concierge team.

I hope this information has been helpful and look forward to assisting you further!

 

[princessmom29]

But as a parent I have the right to check on my child because again I'm in childcare and even supposedly vetted/fingerprinted staff do bad things to children also. In my industry it's bad bad bad business to not be parent friendly. Meaning to basically have a closed door policy is very unsettling to me as a parent and a professional in this business. So parent's areen't allowed to stay and get their children settled? What about children that are upset and just need a few minutes with their parent to get adjusted? If parent's aren't allowed to at least stay and comfort their child, then that' is a cold, and cruel policy that clearly isn't in the best interest of families

The adult that was let into the teen area appears to be an isolated incident and it appears Disney is throwing the baby out with the bath water. The adult wasn't the parent, that is why I disagree that parents not be allowed in. Non parent yes, and in this case this was a non-parent and that should have never been allowed. So for me the issue is with letting non parents in

EVERY child care facility I have ever worked at or placed my children in DID NOT allow parents free access to classrooms. Doing so would have resulted in complete chaos. We would have had moms who literally never left, and questioned every move the teachers made. Parents were allowed to schedule an observation if they wanted to see how the classroom worked, and were allowed in for parties, ect. It keeps the pushy parent from taking over the classroom to make sure her special baby gets the best of everything. This is what Disney is trying to prevent with the no parents policy, along with decreasing security risks. I think it is a GREAT idea as I have been where they are and had to ask the pushy mom to leave. The results were not pleseant.
Also, a mom hanging around prolonging the goodbye only makes in worse for the child most of the time. I get that mommy needs to feel needed and no that little junior will miss her dreadfully while she is away, but none of that is helping junior settle in or adjust. From my experience, a clean break at the door policy is best for everyone. It takes a few days to get the kid comfortable rather than a few months. Mom lingering just isn't productive for anyone.

 

[biff423]

That's the thing, most special needs kids do not require one on one care but many do need some extra time to get acclimated to the club. As you said, you didn't didn't feel like you need to be there for LONG periods of time(which is kind of a relative term but I digress) but it's seems you felt like she needed a bit more time than just being checked in.

To clarify - I didn't feel I needed to be there at all. I used the open house time on the first day to get her acclimated and inform the CMs of her needs so they could put it in their system. I was just alluding to the fact that they have scheduled 4 hr open houses.

If it is true that they have adjust the open houses to 3-6pm each day, I think that is a much more reasonable accomodation. In the end DCL really does try to make the best experience for everyone with safety being a priority. As in the past, they had to make some quick adjustments, and then will continue to tweek them to make sure they are meeting everyone's needs.

 

[princessmom29]

I e-mailed Disney about my concerns. Within 20 minutes, I got the following reply. With the speedy reply, I think they must be getting lots of feedback on this new change. Hopefully, it will make them re-think the new policy.

Thank you for contacting us regarding your upcoming sailing.

On behalf of the entire Disney Cruise Line team, I hope you will accept
my sincere regret for any disappointment with your upcoming cruise
vacation. I was truly disheartened to read about your concerns with the
"Open House" experiences in our Youth Activities areas.

We strive to meet the needs of all of our guests and have added several
open times where families can interact together in new ways, while still
providing a space for secured activities to occur continuously
throughout the day. As hours for "Open House" opportunities can change,
we would recommend reviewing your Personal Navigator once onboard.

However, I appreciate your constructive comments and have been certain
to share them with the appropriate shipboard and shoreside managers.
Your comments will be evaluated along with those from our other guests
to determine where future changes may be needed.

Thank you again for contacting us. We look forward to welcoming you and
your family onboard soon.

Sincerely,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Executive Guest Correspondent
Disney Cruise

I just recieved this exact response, word for word, to my email expressing concern. Looks like it is a pre-generated form letter in response to the complaints. At least there are enough people complaining that they NEED a form letter!

 

[LadyOfNawlins]

I thought the same thing. I sent a follow up e-mail to them saying thanks for the quick reply, but you didn't answer some of my questions. I pointed out a very specific question. I will see what I get in regards to that.

 

[Stinkerbe11]

I e-mailed Disney about my concerns. Within 20 minutes, I got the following reply. With the speedy reply, I think they must be getting lots of feedback on this new change. Hopefully, it will make them re-think the new policy.

Thank you for contacting us regarding your upcoming sailing.

On behalf of the entire Disney Cruise Line team, I hope you will accept
my sincere regret for any disappointment with your upcoming cruise
vacation. I was truly disheartened to read about your concerns with the
"Open House" experiences in our Youth Activities areas.

We strive to meet the needs of all of our guests and have added several
open times where families can interact together in new ways, while still
providing a space for secured activities to occur continuously
throughout the day. As hours for "Open House" opportunities can change,
we would recommend reviewing your Personal Navigator once onboard.

However, I appreciate your constructive comments and have been certain
to share them with the appropriate shipboard and shoreside managers.
Your comments will be evaluated along with those from our other guests
to determine where future changes may be needed.

Thank you again for contacting us. We look forward to welcoming you and
your family onboard soon.

Sincerely,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Executive Guest Correspondent
Disney Cruise

That's interesting...I e-mailed them very early this morning and got the canned response stating they would e-mail shortly, but no personal reply like the one you got yet. I did state some very specific concerns such as overcrowding, being turned away, the petri dish effect of having so many kids crammed into one area (especially during cold & flu season)etc... The good news is that is appears we are being heard, so don't be shy if you feel strongly about this, let them know.

 

[sabrecmc]

When DD first sailed, she had just turned 3. We went to the open house for the club on the first night and she had fun, but clearly needed me around to guide her. I didn't feel comfortable leaving her there alone and didn't feel it was appropriate for me to be tagging around behind her while the counselors were trying to have activities and such, so I ended up keeping her with me and doing other family activities. We had a blast! By the time of her next cruise, she was totally fine to be dropped off in the club (and begged to stay pretty much the entire cruise). If your child isn't ready for the club without you, then don't leave them there. That isn't what they are meant for and there are tons of family activities available. There are open houses on the first night to get your child acclimated, if that is all he/she needs.

The only time I can see needing a parent with a child is when the child has a disability that the counselors cannot/should not be addressing and a parent is needed to assist as an accommodation. Perhaps there could be some additional screening of that parent or something, but it wouldn't seem that this would be such an issue affecting so many people that an entirely new system of open house/secured programming needs to be created. I guess all of this just feels like a bit of an overreaction, but it sounds like they are perhaps trying some options to see what works best. Nothing will be ideal for everyone, of course, but they won't know until they try.

 

[jetskigrl]

I emailed last night asking for confirmation on the hours the open houses will be held (and stating our disappointment if we get on board to find one or the other club unsecured for hours at a time, especially at night). But the point I made to them was that I could not book our adults only dining without knowing in advance when the Lab would be available to my son (since I know he won't want to be in the Club and I won't force him to stay there just so that I can dine at Palo).

I have only received the canned response, no personal or even form letter response yet.

 

[kimmypie1]

I e-mailed Disney about my concerns. Within 20 minutes, I got the following reply. With the speedy reply, I think they must be getting lots of feedback on this new change. Hopefully, it will make them re-think the new policy.

Thank you for contacting us regarding your upcoming sailing.

On behalf of the entire Disney Cruise Line team, I hope you will accept
my sincere regret for any disappointment with your upcoming cruise
vacation. I was truly disheartened to read about your concerns with the
"Open House" experiences in our Youth Activities areas.

We strive to meet the needs of all of our guests and have added several
open times where families can interact together in new ways, while still
providing a space for secured activities to occur continuously
throughout the day. As hours for "Open House" opportunities can change,
we would recommend reviewing your Personal Navigator once onboard.

However, I appreciate your constructive comments and have been certain
to share them with the appropriate shipboard and shoreside managers.
Your comments will be evaluated along with those from our other guests
to determine where future changes may be needed.

Thank you again for contacting us. We look forward to welcoming you and
your family onboard soon.

Sincerely,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Executive Guest Correspondent
Disney Cruise

huh....I emailed yesterday morning. Got an automated reply saying I would receive an email soon. Still nothing!

 

[Mcky36]

I e-mailed Disney about my concerns. Within 20 minutes, I got the following reply. With the speedy reply, I think they must be getting lots of feedback on this new change. Hopefully, it will make them re-think the new policy.

Thank you for contacting us regarding your upcoming sailing.

On behalf of the entire Disney Cruise Line team, I hope you will accept
my sincere regret for any disappointment with your upcoming cruise
vacation. I was truly disheartened to read about your concerns with the
"Open House" experiences in our Youth Activities areas.

We strive to meet the needs of all of our guests and have added several
open times where families can interact together in new ways, while still
providing a space for secured activities to occur continuously
throughout the day. As hours for "Open House" opportunities can change,
we would recommend reviewing your Personal Navigator once onboard.

However, I appreciate your constructive comments and have been certain
to share them with the appropriate shipboard and shoreside managers.
Your comments will be evaluated along with those from our other guests
to determine where future changes may be needed.

Thank you again for contacting us. We look forward to welcoming you and
your family onboard soon.

Sincerely,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Executive Guest Correspondent
Disney Cruise

This is the EXACT response I recieved this morning.

 

[JodyTG]

I e-mailed Disney about my concerns. Within 20 minutes, I got the following reply. With the speedy reply, I think they must be getting lots of feedback on this new change. Hopefully, it will make them re-think the new policy.

Thank you for contacting us regarding your upcoming sailing.

On behalf of the entire Disney Cruise Line team, I hope you will accept
my sincere regret for any disappointment with your upcoming cruise
vacation. I was truly disheartened to read about your concerns with the
"Open House" experiences in our Youth Activities areas.

We strive to meet the needs of all of our guests and have added several
open times where families can interact together in new ways, while still
providing a space for secured activities to occur continuously
throughout the day. As hours for "Open House" opportunities can change,
we would recommend reviewing your Personal Navigator once onboard.

However, I appreciate your constructive comments and have been certain
to share them with the appropriate shipboard and shoreside managers.
Your comments will be evaluated along with those from our other guests
to determine where future changes may be needed.

Thank you again for contacting us. We look forward to welcoming you and
your family onboard soon.

Sincerely,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Executive Guest Correspondent
Disney Cruise

Wow! I just got the exact same email. And I do mean EXACTLY the same...

Edited to read: Okay, not EXACTLY the same. Mine was from the Reservation Department

 

[LKFan]

When I called yesterday and the rep didn't know anything about this, I waited for the survey at the end and got a call back from Roy as a follow up.

I asked Roy, if I give my 9 year old sign in/out privileges, will he be able to stay in whichever club he likes without me being there. Roy told me that yes, if he is given permission to come and go as he likes, he can be in the Open House without me.

Two things.... First, who knows if Roy knows what he is talking about -- things may be different once we get on the ship and second, it is time to have a long hard talk with my son about the privilege of being able to stay in the club/lab that he likes and the responsibility that comes with that.