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

[GoofTroop]

I think many of us were wondering if any complaints were made regarding the long hours of the Open Houses (resulting in the over crowding of the secure area, having to cancel your plans, etc). Since prior to the change, the kids were distributed between the two areas and both were open all day, DCL does have the ability to reduce the hours of the Open Houses and make the secure times more enjoyable for the kids. So I'm just hoping they get enough feedback in these situations to actually act on it.

It is even more salt on the wound to those of us that are bothered by the long hours for Open Houses to find out that they are still allowing parents in during the Secure Programming

We just sailed on the Magic January 14-21st. There were a total of 6 kids in our group. My niece age 2 (almost 3), my nephew age 6, DS6, DS11, DD14, and DS 18.

My niece was able to use the lab/club. She turns 3 in March. My sister was able to show that my niece was fully potty trained and able to be independent in the bathroom. She did not enjoy the club/lab much on the ship but LOVED the club activities on Castaway Cay. Anyway, she did not spend much time in either the club or lab during our 7 night cruise....I'd say 1 hour, 2 hours tops for the length of the entire cruise.

My 3 sons all have special needs and I was very concerned how they would do in there. Overall, it was a very good experience for my 6 and 11 year old sons. The ONLY time I was allowed in the kids' area was when I came to pick either boy up, or even just to check on them. The youth counselor would tell me to come in but would reiterate "Please only make it a few minutes". I was very quick about it, found my child, asked if he wanted to stay longer or leave (most times they were ready to go) and we were on our way. Ironically, I never asked to enter the area, they just sent me in.

They did not do this for me because my boys were special needs, I saw them handling it this way with all parents. Even the parents that showed up saying "I'm here to pick up my son/daughter...." The youth counselor would send them in to find their kid, and then back out they'd go. I never saw any adult in there for more than 2-3 minutes, or interacting with any other children.

The open houses did not effect us, other than my 11 year old NOT handling the transition from the Lab to the Club. The Lab was preparing for open house and he didn't want to leave. He broke down in tears, and thus they sent me a text on the wave phone that he wanted to leave and to come pick him up in the Club.

The biggest issue we had was that there was nowhere special for my 18 year old (still in high school as well). All the kids, and adults in our group of 11, had somewhere just for us.....He literally fit into nowhere. When we initially booked the cruise, we were told he would be able to attend Vibe with his 14 year old sister. Once onboard, we were told no. He was devastated. DCL's way of dealing with this was by sending him an invite to attend the Edge during open house times. This was not acceptable to us. He can't go where he'd "fit in" best (Vibe), so they send him to the Edge geared for 11-13 year olds?

Needless to say, he hung with us adults all week, and never went to the Edge.

Elizabeth

 

[kimmypie1]

Keep the feedback coming to DCL!! It appears they just MIGHT be listening.

After the most recent report of the clubs on the Wonder, I went back to my rep I had been communicating with to point out that what she told me was occuring in the clubs in fact was not.

Here is her response:

"Hi Kim!

Thank you for your patience as I looked into this further after your comments below. I have been advised that the Youth Activities Team is continuing to tweak the program based on Guest feedback and they will continue to test and adjust. Unfortunately, at this time, we don’t have any further information. I do understand that since this sailing, some changes have been instituted. It is quite possible that by the time you sail, the program may be different.

Please know that our shipboard team will do their best to accommodate your children in order to provide the best experiences for them onboard. If I am notified of any changes to the Youth Activities, I will keep you in the loop."

 

[cnj]

I think that this must be a nightmare for the counselors. I have two children, but I do not like being around other people's children. I think their job would be my least favorite on the ship. I cannot imagine how much more work they are having to do with double the amount of screaming children in one room together! I hope they are still able to smile at the end of the day!

 

[jetskigrl]

Keep the feedback coming to DCL!! It appears they just MIGHT be listening.

After the most recent report of the clubs on the Wonder, I went back to my rep I had been communicating with to point out that what she told me was occuring in the clubs in fact was not.

Here is her response:

"Hi Kim!

Thank you for your patience as I looked into this further after your comments below. I have been advised that the Youth Activities Team is continuing to tweak the program based on Guest feedback and they will continue to test and adjust. Unfortunately, at this time, we don’t have any further information. I do understand that since this sailing, some changes have been instituted. It is quite possible that by the time you sail, the program may be different.

Please know that our shipboard team will do their best to accommodate your children in order to provide the best experiences for them onboard. If I am notified of any changes to the Youth Activities, I will keep you in the loop."

Thanks for the update. That does give me a little hope for our upcoming Wonder cruise.

 

[Mcky36]

Keep the feedback coming to DCL!! It appears they just MIGHT be listening.

After the most recent report of the clubs on the Wonder, I went back to my rep I had been communicating with to point out that what she told me was occuring in the clubs in fact was not.

Here is her response:

"Hi Kim!

Thank you for your patience as I looked into this further after your comments below. I have been advised that the Youth Activities Team is continuing to tweak the program based on Guest feedback and they will continue to test and adjust. Unfortunately, at this time, we don’t have any further information. I do understand that since this sailing, some changes have been instituted. It is quite possible that by the time you sail, the program may be different.

Please know that our shipboard team will do their best to accommodate your children in order to provide the best experiences for them onboard. If I am notified of any changes to the Youth Activities, I will keep you in the loop."

Thank you for this update! I responded to the form letter response I received and asked that my actual questions be answered (which were totally ignored because I just got the "canned" response). Of course, I never recieved a response to that email.

I am going to try again. We sail in 2 weeks and I'm really hoping that the "tweaks" are actually taking place. Some reports I read about the last weeks Wonder MR cruise were not promising, as it was reported that they were STILL blocking off 5-6 hours a time for Open House!

 

[True Romance]

Keep the feedback coming to DCL!! It appears they just MIGHT be listening.

After the most recent report of the clubs on the Wonder, I went back to my rep I had been communicating with to point out that what she told me was occuring in the clubs in fact was not.

Here is her response:

"Hi Kim!

Thank you for your patience as I looked into this further after your comments below. I have been advised that the Youth Activities Team is continuing to tweak the program based on Guest feedback and they will continue to test and adjust. Unfortunately, at this time, we don’t have any further information. I do understand that since this sailing, some changes have been instituted. It is quite possible that by the time you sail, the program may be different.

Please know that our shipboard team will do their best to accommodate your children in order to provide the best experiences for them onboard. If I am notified of any changes to the Youth Activities, I will keep you in the loop."

Thank you Kimmie, I am happy to hear that you are talking to a rep that sounds like the care.

I agree, I feel bad for the cast members in YA, having to deal with this. It is definitely not their fault about the changes.

 

[True Romance]

Thank you for this update! I responded to the form letter response I received and asked that my actual questions be answered (which were totally ignored because I just got the "canned" response). Of course, I never recieved a response to that email.

I am going to try again. We sail in 2 weeks and I'm really hoping that the "tweaks" are actually taking place. Some reports I read about the last weeks Wonder MR cruise were not promising, as it was reported that they were STILL blocking off 5-6 hours a time for Open House!

Kelley, you and I can march up to the Club/Lab when we board on the 12th together and "express" our feelings. I will PM you.

 

[Mcky36]

Kelley, you and I can march up to the Club/Lab when we board on the 12th together and "express" our feelings. I will PM you.

LOL...I can't wait to meet you! Keeping my fingers crossed that we get good news from the current cruisers! I will difinitely be speaking to Guest Services about this if nothing has changed!

 

[EnchantedTikiGal]

Kelley, you and I can march up to the Club/Lab when we board on the 12th together and "express" our feelings. I will PM you.

I'll march with ya, but something tells me guest services is probably the better place. The counselors at the lab have very little control over it Im sure.

If I cannot change my Palo dinner to a non-open house time for the Lab, I'm gonna be mighty upset.

 

[princessmom29]

I'll march with ya, but something tells me guest services is probably the better place. The counselors at the lab have very little control over it Im sure.

If I cannot change my Palo dinner to a non-open house time for the Lab, I'm gonna be mighty upset.

Same here.

 

[5forDis]

Why do you need to pick your child up, assuming the activity is going on while the other club is open? Can't your kid just go to the other side? The cookies are nut/peanut free, at least, they were on our cruises. I have a nut allergy and they told me they were fine to eat (my son saved his for me). My allergy is hazelnut so not sure if they are free of all nuts, but they said with certainty that they were fine for me.

This is what I was told by Disney---that she would not be able to participate during cookie making. It is no big deal. My point in stating this information is that about 35+ pages back, parents of kids with special needs were saying Disney had to accommodate their children. This thread has a zillion topics, so my point was that the cruise line does not have to accommodate every need. There was even a reference to chefs making special meals for food allergies at no additional cost, so if their child needed 1:1 care, then that should not be an additional cost. My point in mentioning the cookie activity is to show an example where a child cannot (again--I'm glad you were able to stay, we were told we should pick her up during that activity & I will find out the specifics in April) always participate. There are plenty of other things to do on the cruise.

 

[5forDis]

Let me correct myself. Children in schools and childcare facilities are protected if they have food allergies, but this may fall more under IDEA than ADA regulations.

ADA has designated life threatening allergies (i.e. limits life activities---specifically breathing) as a federally recognized disability.

This isn't a topic of food allergies and Disney---Disney is great with accommodating food allergies. I think they do what is reasonably necessary & I think this applies to other special needs, as well. There are many parents in this thread who say they need to be in the Kids Club/Lab with their child because their child has sensory issues, needs more time to adjust, has special needs, & has a right to participate based on a disability, etc.. I don't think non-staff adults should be hanging out with the children. If this is something your child requires, then you should only go during open house or find other activities on the ship.

I am not happy to read the recent reviews about the Club/Lab and the continued presence of parents in the child-specific location. The Open Houses don't seem to be utilized very much, but the secured areas are crowded & parents still hang out in there . Disney needs to start following their own policies, strictly.

 

[justhat]

This is what I was told by Disney---that she would not be able to participate during cookie making. It is no big deal. My point in stating this information is that about 35+ pages back, parents of kids with special needs were saying Disney had to accommodate their children. This thread has a zillion topics, so my point was that the cruise line does not have to accommodate every need. There was even a reference to chefs making special meals for food allergies at no additional cost, so if their child needed 1:1 care, then that should not be an additional cost. My point in mentioning the cookie activity is to show an example where a child cannot (again--I'm glad you were able to stay, we were told we should pick her up during that activity & I will find out the specifics in April) always participate. There are plenty of other things to do on the cruise.

I really don't get their reasoning on this one. She could simply not participate, but still be in the room. I mean, otherwise I assume she could never set foot in a bakery, restaurant, grocery store, etc., as those places bake cookies all the time.

On the activity on the ship, it is done at tables on a certain side of the club, and only kids participating in the cookie making would need to be over there at that time. And they definitely don't bake with any nuts.

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

This is what I was told by Disney---that she would not be able to participate during cookie making. It is no big deal. My point in stating this information is that about 35+ pages back, parents of kids with special needs were saying Disney had to accommodate their children. This thread has a zillion topics, so my point was that the cruise line does not have to accommodate every need. There was even a reference to chefs making special meals for food allergies at no additional cost, so if their child needed 1:1 care, then that should not be an additional cost. My point in mentioning the cookie activity is to show an example where a child cannot (again--I'm glad you were able to stay, we were told we should pick her up during that activity & I will find out the specifics in April) always participate. There are plenty of other things to do on the cruise.

I don't know why you keep comparing one activity, to being excluding from the club in it's entirety. Even by your own statement your child isn't be denied ANY access to the club because of a food allergy.


In one sentence you are saying you think that those who need accommodation should be limited to the open houses and on the other you are complaining their is open houses.

Just because it doesn't jive with YOU doesn't mean that ADA law is not applicable. For the record- NO ONE said that one to one care should be provided for free. DCL does not provide one to one care- so to talk about cost is a moot point. The issue now is parents or caregivers can not provide it (outside open houses) .

The point was- there is a history of accommodations being made for all other types of disabilities- and these accommodations are not viewed as a ''special amenity" even though they can not be provided for everyone (or are you going to tell me the galley can accommodate custom making over 4000 entrees per seating) or that every room is fully HA accessible. These things are available at no charge, but the notion of a special needs kid in the club with an aid has some of you all reeling.


I'm willing to bet you wouldn't be too happy if kids were allowed to bring in peanut butter sammies to school and sit beside your kid. I also bet you would be pretty frustrated if someone complained how it's 'not fair' to their kid if they can't eat them to 'accommodate your kid'.

I'll be sailing on Sunday- and plan on detailing the experience. I'll say again, I hope the actual experience isn't like some of the negative opinions and attitudes I've read here.

 

[threewilmingtonwalls]

ADA has designated life threatening allergies (i.e. limits life activities---specifically breathing) as a federally recognized disability.

This isn't a topic of food allergies and Disney---Disney is great with accommodating food allergies. I think they do what is reasonably necessary & I think this applies to other special needs, as well. There are many parents in this thread who say they need to be in the Kids Club/Lab with their child because their child has sensory issues, needs more time to adjust, has special needs, & has a right to participate based on a disability, etc.. I don't think non-staff adults should be hanging out with the children. If this is something your child requires, then you should only go during open house or find other activities on the ship.

I am not happy to read the recent reviews about the Club/Lab and the continued presence of parents in the child-specific location. The Open Houses don't seem to be utilized very much, but the secured areas are crowded & parents still hang out in there . Disney needs to start following their own policies, strictly.

I agree 100% with your last sentence, and I also think you have a great attitude about your own child having to be removed from an activity. What an excellent example of "Don't prepare the path for your child; prepare your child for the path."

 

[5forDis]

I don't know why you keep comparing one activity, to being excluding from the club in it's entirety. Even by your own statement your child isn't be denied ANY access to the club because of a food allergy.

Just to be clear---IF Disney is going to continue having long, frequent open houses then there is absolutely no reason a non-Disney employee/adult should be in the child designated areas. I don't know if my child is being denied "any access"---I was just pointing out that she is not able (though it sounds like others have been told differently) to participate in an activity. IF I wanted to look at every aspect of our vacation as a chance to discuss ADA then I could say that she is being excluded based on her federally recognized disability. However, this is a vacation, a luxury, a choice....we choose the safest options with the best chance of 'normalcy' & we do not expect 100% participation in everything. It would be great if Disney could accommodate every child that needs a 1:1 (parent or staff), every medical issue, every food allergy but they can't. As a parent I accept certain limits and reasonableness.

In one sentence you are saying you think that those who need accommodation should be limited to the open houses and on the other you are complaining their is open houses.

It needs to be one or the other.

Just because it doesn't jive with YOU doesn't mean that ADA law is not applicable. For the record- NO ONE said that one to one care should be provided for free. DCL does not provide one to one care- so to talk about cost is a moot point. The issue now is parents or caregivers can not provide it (outside open houses) .

This has nothing to do with 'jiving' with me. This has to do with whether or not the ADA would protect this notion of children having equal access to a play zone on a cruise ship & whether a reasonable accommodation would be to allow adults (the parents who want to stay) , with no background checks or training, access to a group of children. It would be great if Disney provided 1:1counselors for the children who do need it, but that isn't an option at this time. Right now the issue is parents staying in the club/Lab.

These things are available at no charge, but the notion of a special needs kid in the club with an aid has some of you all reeling.

Wrong. The notion of a special needs child in the club with an aid does not have me reeling---not at all. I reel at the notion of giving strange adults access to my children; whether they are sexual predators or just intrusive, pushy parents interfering with the kids' activities; it makes me reel. You could be a nice mom looking out for her child's special needs or you could be a mom that has other intentions. Unless DCL has vetted the other adults/trained them, then they should not be amongst a group of children.

I'm willing to bet you wouldn't be too happy if kids were allowed to bring in peanut butter sammies to school and sit beside your kid. I also bet you would be pretty frustrated if someone complained how it's 'not fair' to their kid if they can't eat them to 'accommodate your kid'.

HA! Are you kidding me?! The rest of the world is not Disney & kids absolutely eat peanut butter at the lunch table. My daughter can't sit there---she has to sit at the peanut-free table. An alternative, but not the same because she has unique needs that require it. She sometimes feels very embarrassed, sad, lonely about not being able to sit with her peers but she also accepts that safety is the priority and loves when friends can sit with her. Pardon my expression but this is NOT a pi**ing contest between disabilities, so I don't understand the comparison between a mandatory, law required public school & a luxury, chosen cruise.

I'll say again, I hope the actual experience isn't like some of the negative opinions and attitudes I've read here.

I'm sorry you find my attitude negative. I think all children should be included in the club/lab---it is the parents I don't think should be for the reasons I have already stated.
I don't remember your children's ages but I do hope they have a wonderful trip & get to experience the club/lab.
Please do give us a detailed report. This might not be as big of a deal as has been made here. Travel safely & enjoy!!!

 

[5forDis]

I really don't get their reasoning on this one. She could simply not participate, but still be in the room. I mean, otherwise I assume she could never set foot in a bakery, restaurant, grocery store, etc., as those places bake cookies all the time.

On the activity on the ship, it is done at tables on a certain side of the club, and only kids participating in the cookie making would need to be over there at that time. And they definitely don't bake with any nuts.

There are restaurants (Texas Roadhouse, 5 Guys Burger and Fries) and many bakeries my daughter cannot go in---when peanuts are roasting or baking, protein is released in the air. She reacts to airborne particles (as well as contact & ingestion). This is different than someone else eating a peanut butter sandwich in the same room---proteins are not released without the heating process.

The DCL representative did not discuss my daughter's medical history with me, so she said that without knowing the sensitivity of my daughter's allergy. It seemed like a fact sheet she was referring to when i called asking about peanut/nut allergies &DIsney cruises. Sometimes the call center reps don't have the most accurate information. My daughter doesn't care about baking cookies on the cruise, so it isn't a big deal. I will try to get more info when we are directly on the ship.

 

[magic458]

Note: In case anyone on this thread was wondering, you can go up to the top and select thread tools and choose "unsubscribe" from the thread.

That will allow you to escape the daily updates of the bickering

 

[girl_barrie]

Its taken quite a while, and I have finally read all of this thread. The people who have just recently cruised, thank you so much for your post-change trip reports!!
I understand people's concern regarding adults in the "secure" club with kids, but please allow me to convey just one of the many experiences that we had in the Kids' Club/Lab on our previous 2 DCL cruises on the Wonder...

The couple of times that we brought our son to the Lab for an activity was just that - he went for the activity and then wanted to leave. It just wasn't for him. Our son HATES the Lab almost as much as he LOVES the Club. He is 6 years old, and a gentle child. He is NOT a vidiot, dislikes video games and isn't much for sitting in front of screens for any period of time. Plus the rowdy, and oftentimes poorly-behaved bigger kids tend to run roughshod over the smaller ones. We watched it in action several times at the Lab.
He prefers to PLAY and immerse himself in the reality that DCL makes of the fantasy. The Club is the perfect place for this. The soothing lighting, layout of Captain Hook's Ship's play area, the back room with the crafts, books & dress-up stuff is just awesome for him. When we took him to the Club, he'd be happy to play and stay for quite a while. Often times, when his Dad or I were missing our little man, we'd go to get him from the Club & he'd say that he didn't want to leave because he was having fun, and wanted us to join him. So we asked if it was OK and then did!!
Most of the time, he just wanted us as his audience while he played on the climbing area & slide - and several times we read one of the many books that they have in the back library for him, since he wasn't yet an independent reader at that time.
The YAC team were always there, but oftentimes were too busy to be able to give the level of individual attention, such as sitting and actually reading a whole story aloud would take. So any time we were in there there were kids, obviously STARVING for some kind of adult attention and interaction, who would flock to us! (And as a former Elementary school teacher & sometime actress, I read an AWESOME story - voices and all!!!) We most certainly did not in any way wish to interact with anyone else's kids but our own son... but were not going to tell ANY kid that they were not welcome to sit & hear a story!!!

So my point of this is;
1.) I am sorry that DCL is making the choice for your child of what place he/she needs to go when parents want to have "grown-up" time. It is not always about the "someone to watch them" but often times more about the WHERE.

2.) Although we did spend a bit of time in the Club with our child & apparently this can absolutely be done during the "Open House" time there now, some of us LIKE to actually spend time WITH our kids doing the things that THEY like to do! Not all of us are looking to dump our kids off with the YAC team and go away!! (Even though that definitely has its appeal!!)

3.) Some kids feel more confident & comfortable when Mom &/or Dad can help them "settle in" or come join them for fun. The point of a DCL FAMILY vacation is for everyone to have a good time! Nobody should be excluded from that! And if a Mommy or Daddy spending some time with kiddo makes their trip more fun, so be it!!

4.) Some people REALLY need to spend more TIME listening & playing with their own children. I realize that life is busy & it is not an easy thing, but it is so sad to me how many children, ignored by their own parents (who usually are physically RIGHT THERE) latch on to being with our family because we, his parents, obviously LOVE playing WITH our son. Not just on DCL, but this happens almost everywhere we go.

So that's my $0.02!!

 

[GoofTroop]

Wrong. The notion of a special needs child in the club with an aid does not have me reeling---not at all. I reel at the notion of giving strange adults access to my children; whether they are sexual predators or just intrusive, pushy parents interfering with the kids' activities; it makes me reel. You could be a nice mom looking out for her child's special needs or you could be a mom that has other intentions. Unless DCL has vetted the other adults/trained them, then they should not be amongst a group of children.

You have nothing to worry about. We just traveled with our three special needs children, two of whom enjoyed going to the club/lab on occasion. Both wanted to participate in the FriendSHIP Rocks performance. I was very worried with them participating. I talked to the Youth Counselor and explained that my 14 year old daughter would be willing to "buddy-up" with one of the boys to make things easier. She said it was not allowed. ONLY kids under 12....Therefore she was too old. She reassured me that if there was any problem, that they would text me on the wave phone.

Fast forward, we went to watch the show, an out come all the kids. We don't see our two at all. I was starting to get worried, but low and behold, they came out (last on stage) with a cast member who stayed with both of them the entire time. She held their hand as they went on stage. And occasionally we could see her talking to one or the other. She was great with them, and the boys even followed along, as best they could, to what the other kids were doing (dancing).

After the show was over, my DH went to the club to pick the boys up and personally talk to the YC who was with our boys. He thanked her for everything she had done to help the boys be able to join in. She explained that she has a cousin who has autism, and when she's not on the ship, she takes care of him. She said she knew how to prepare them, and did LOTS of talking and explaining of what was going to happen, and what was happening, etc.

She knew what she was doing, and the boys were wonderful for her. In her words "the boys were perfect for me!"

So even though they don't provide one-on-one care, they do their best to accomodate everyone.

It was great to see my boys included, when so many times in life they are excluded because of their disability.

Because of the wonderful experience we had with the club/lab, we are planning on sailing again before our one son turns 13.....Just so he can experience them one more time.

With that said, my boys typically only spent an average of an hour per day in the club/lab. We did this intentionally as to not overburden the YC with our boys. They spent a little longer the day we went to Palo, and when we were on Castaway Cay.

I was very worried before we cruised due to reading this thread. I can assure you all that you have nothing to worry about.

Relax, and have a great cruise!