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

[itutorfortravel]

Wait a minute...maybe this family time "open house" thing is a good idea. Maybe they can expand it to include family time at the quiet cove pool (it is less crowded than the others). They could also have family meal time in Palo, my children love fine dining and have very mature palates. I know these were advertised as adults only, but that's inconvenient for our family and I don't want my kids to miss out

I have wanted to say this for the last 3 pages but just couldn't bring myself to do it...thanks!

 

[Jerseymomof2]

I just am so glad I got trip insurance. When I went to my travel agent I asked for the kids club info as what they will be doing is my 1st piority. This is what I was given.

"Oceaneer's Club (ages 3-7) & The Oceaneer Club is for children 3 to 7 years of age and they must be toilet-trained. Children are grouped into two age categories, 3-4 and 5-7 year olds. There are fun, supervised activities featured throughout the cruise"

This is why I booked this cruise! I want them with kids in their age group only (like in daycare and school) If they want to change the rules fine but make them effective for the cruises they haven't been booked yet. A lot of people I know book on disney and pay a lot more $$ for their cruise for the kids clubs. I hope they change the rules back to something more acceptable. My kids are so excited for ths cruise but these new changes seem so radical.

Anyone have the email to send a complaint letter to? I think I want to let them know why I will not be cruising with them.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

Wait a minute...maybe this family time "open house" thing is a good idea. Maybe they can expand it to include family time at the quiet cove pool (it is less crowded than the others). They could also have family meal time in Palo, my children love fine dining and have very mature palates. I know these were advertised as adults only, but that's inconvenient for our family and I don't want my kids to miss out

My kids would love the showers in the rainforest room!

 

[gydell]

I just am so glad I got trip insurance. When I went to my travel agent I asked for the kids club info as what they will be doing is my 1st piority. This is what I was given.

"Oceaneer's Club (ages 3-7) & The Oceaneer Club is for children 3 to 7 years of age and they must be toilet-trained. Children are grouped into two age categories, 3-4 and 5-7 year olds. There are fun, supervised activities featured throughout the cruise"

This is why I booked this cruise! I want them with kids in their age group only (like in daycare and school) If they want to change the rules fine but make them effective for the cruises they haven't been booked yet. A lot of people I know book on disney and pay a lot more $$ for their cruise for the kids clubs. I hope they change the rules back to something more acceptable. My kids are so excited for ths cruise but these new changes seem so radical.

Anyone have the email to send a complaint letter to? I think I want to let them know why I will not be cruising with them.

I wouldn't cancel your cruise. Your kids will still be in the age group 3-10 yo. They will enjoy it. My dgs didn't like all the 3-6 yo in his group. When the parents are there the kids without parents are grouped together and I am sorry but the club is not for 10yo's.

 

[princessmom29]

Wait a minute...maybe this family time "open house" thing is a good idea. Maybe they can expand it to include family time at the quiet cove pool (it is less crowded than the others). They could also have family meal time in Palo, my children love fine dining and have very mature palates. I know these were advertised as adults only, but that's inconvenient for our family and I don't want my kids to miss out

Exactly! What about the adults only shows in the lounges? It isn't fair that my kid has to miss those either. Where does it end?

Bottom line, IMO, is that there is PLENTY to do on the ship as a family. If you are not comfortable leaving kids in the clubs, then dont, but adults dont belong in the KIDS clubs any more than kids belong in the adult clubs. A few parents who decided to abuse the privilege have once again ruined it for everyone else.

 

[joyceyw]

the fact that you felt the need to add the qualifier "completely empty" to what you wrote demonstrates that you know that in fact you were using the space for something other than what it is designed for (basketball) and acknowledging the possibility that what you were doing might have bothered someone (people trying to play basketball).

ITA

 

[Lisae36]

Wow what a hot topic! I am really bummed about this as well (or at least my kids will be). We were on the Magic in Feb and they LOVED the kids clubs. My huisband and I got more relaxing time than we had planned on NOT because we didn't want them with us but because they did not want to leave the clubs. Now I understand that parents of 3 year olds don't want them to be in clubs with 10 year olds, but how do you think my 10 year old feels. He will be 10 on our next cruise on the Fantasy in June. He will not be old enough for the tween clubs so I guess he will have to hang out with the little ones if they are all in one room.

 

[joyceyw]

It appears they don't want adults in the clubs with unsupervised children who are not DCL employees. You can bet the employees have had background checks and are "bonded" or covered by insurance or some such thing. Parents and primary caregivers are not. That's where DCL is having to look at it from a liability standpoint.

I disagree with that. I'm in childcare and we have parents/primary caregivers volunteer or just observe all the time and have not had an incident. Parents are not left alone with any child other than their own which means they are 100% supervised by staff. I'm sure Disney has some type of insurance that not only covers employees but participants/passengers as well so again, I don't see that being what the issue really is. I really could be wrong about the type of liability insurance Disney would have but I just don't see a company as big as Disney not having that type of coverage

With that being said, they can give parents a special wrist band/lanyard/something to indicate they are in fact the person that should be with that child and not just a random adult

 

[erocrobro]

Wait a minute...maybe this family time "open house" thing is a good idea. Maybe they can expand it to include family time at the quiet cove pool (it is less crowded than the others). They could also have family meal time in Palo, my children love fine dining and have very mature palates. I know these were advertised as adults only, but that's inconvenient for our family and I don't want my kids to miss out

This is what I have been thinking all along. I'm sure my kids would love to go to Palo with me for brunch. They might be upset at all of the delicious food that they have to miss out on, so should it be opened up to them? NO! There are certain areas of the ship that were created for certain age groups and that is completely acceptable.

Do people take younger siblings to school to join older brother or sister because they hear about all of the fun things that go on there? No, they tell them they will have to wait until they are older. Do people go to school with their kids because they want to play with them and do their work with them? No, they drop them off and go to work.

We don't sail for another year and a half, so they have a lot of time to get this all worked out. I hope it comes to a workable balance.

 

[hgon76]

There are plenty of activities to spend time with your children on the ship - play in the pool, play mini golf, go to a show, go to a movie, learn how to play shuffle board....why in the world should the kids' clubs have to be open so every Tom, Dick, and Mary can watch their kid play dress-up? What's next - open "unsecured" hours in the nursery so we can all sit on the floor and play peek-a-boo with our babies? Save your money and do it at home. Oh, and I would LOVE to know what Vibe is like, the advertising makes it seem so cool. Can we have open hours in there too? I'm sure my 4 year old would love it.

I already told my DS16 that his club looks way better than the adult area onboard. And asked him if he minds if I tag along? I mean, come on! Private Deck? Their area is SO much cooler than the adult area IMO.And I completely agree about there being plenty of things/areas for families. Really no need for all that "open house" time.

 

[threewilmingtonwalls]

Wait a minute...maybe this family time "open house" thing is a good idea. Maybe they can expand it to include family time at the quiet cove pool (it is less crowded than the others). They could also have family meal time in Palo, my children love fine dining and have very mature palates. I know these were advertised as adults only, but that's inconvenient for our family and I don't want my kids to miss out

I have wanted to say this for the last 3 pages but just couldn't bring myself to do it...thanks!

Me too!

This is what I have been thinking all along. I'm sure my kids would love to go to Palo with me for brunch. They might be upset at all of the delicious food that they have to miss out on, so should it be opened up to them? NO! There are certain areas of the ship that were created for certain age groups and that is completely acceptable.

Do people take younger siblings to school to join older brother or sister because they hear about all of the fun things that go on there? No, they tell them they will have to wait until they are older. Do people go to school with their kids because they want to play with them and do their work with them? No, they drop them off and go to work.

We don't sail for another year and a half, so they have a lot of time to get this all worked out. I hope it comes to a workable balance.

This.

 

[JJsmama]

They are trying to provide for those parents who don't want to leave their children, since they are no longer allowed to remain in the area where "secure" programming is happening.

I am glad parents can't go in with the checked in children. (I hope this is the case.) It would make it so much easier for someone to kidnap a child or a child to just wander out. As a former preschool teacher, I feel strongly that keeping the kids secure means keeping the area secure. Parents should be able to see in without going in.

I am however dismayed at the length of the open houses.

 

[Stinkerbe11]

...might as well open up the Mickey pool to those in diapers during the cruise too, I'm sure it's not inconvenient to cram everyone else into the Goofy pool. It's only a few hours here and there, right

 

[hellomaisy]

We just got off the Magic (12/24-30) and the new "scheme" was in place and it really wasnt the big issue several posters are worried it will be. Unless your kid will be in the club from 8am to midnight, he/she will be separated by age for most of the time. We had our 8yo with us in the morning and early afternoon, going to the pool/slide, playing games, goofing around; she'd often want to go to the Lab at 4 or 5 for an hour before dinner, and it always was in secure time by then. AND, it ALWAYS was in secure time - and age appropriate activities - by post-dinner. That was her fav time, when it was all the 7-10 yos in the Lab after dinner. I understand that folks have the occasional spa treatment or brunch, but unless you're checking your kid in for 12+ hours at a stretch, there is very little time in which they'd be in a 3-10 yo group. The CMs do a fine job minding the different ages when that is the case...for the 2 hours or so that that occurs.

Really, no need to cancel a trip or anything! Honestly!

 

[Stinkerbe11]

It's good to hear that you were unaffected My concerns are with overcrowding (our sailing is at capacity) and the kids' inability to go between clubs when they want to. I really don't understand the whole parent in the club thing anyway...there is an open house on the first day to let people check out the clubs. If the parents/kids don't feel comfortable there or can't be alone there, then don't use the clubs

It was my understanding from DCL's description that the clubs were for kids ages 3-10 (potty trained) and that's why I waited patiently for almost 4 years to take my kids on DCL, instead of asking them to bend the rules for me.

 

[justhat]

I'm not sure I get the issue either. There is always one club still open for drop off. Both clubs have computers. Both clubs have craft materials. Both clubs run at least 2 activities at a time (geared to different ages). Both clubs have had ages 3-10 together for at least the past 2 years. So, the outrage comes in over...?

I have always dropped off at the clubs (and nursery) without issue. Never needed nor wanted to stay. I did hang out occasionally if my kids weren't done with an activity and wanted to finish before we left, like if we had somewhere to go, but I had 5-10 minutes to spare. Otherwise I came back for them in an hour or whatever. But never wanted to do any activities with them in the club. We did various family things like the Mickey 200, scavenger hunt like the Amazing Race (forget the name, but our team won!), pool time, characters, movies, shows, etc. But the club stuff is kid stuff and didn't seem like I needed to be there. Even now, I doubt that I will participate only because I will have a 2yo on our next cruise and I will either have to put her in the nursery or have my husband watch her if we plan to enjoy the activity with the big kids.

BUT, I get that some people feel differently so that's great that they have that option now because, quite frankly, that was the ONE thing I didn't like before. HATED that they allowed parents into the clubs. We sailed on RCCL when my kids were 5yo and 3yo. 3yo turned 3yo 4 days before the cruise so he was the youngest kid in their club on that sailing. He was sometimes a little nervous or apprehensive getting dropped off, even with his sister with him. Sometimes he stayed, sometimes he chickened out and came back with me. But the one thing they never allowed was a parent beyond the check in desk. Ever. They brought my child to me when I came to check them out. I never went in after the first, initial registration, day. That was it.

And get this! Our sailing had different numbers of certain ages than normal (forget which was now, but I think it was a lot of 6-8yos or something). So rather than keep the 3-5yos in their designated room, they moved them to the 8-10yo (or whatever) room for the duration of the cruise. This happened sometime after I checked my kids in on the 2nd day of the cruise, and without warning to me. The size of the rooms were different so that was the reason for the switch, physical space for the # of kids in each age group on board at the time. It had no play area for young kids (like climbing stuff and slides) that the area I saw on open house had. But guess what? They were fine! They didn't even care and they had seen the 3-5yo area and played in it while I registered them. And the older kids that had to use the 3-5yo area were fine too. Never occurred to me to complain about it. Only complaint I did have was that I now had to walk through the entire arcade to get to the room my kids used, which meant me getting asked about arcade games by my kids every pick up/drop off. But I got over that.

So I just don't see it as a big deal. If your kid doesn't love the club or lab but you have Palo, I am sure they'll be fine for those 2 hours. It won't be the end of the world. They'll be supervised and have some level of fun. And if they are unhappy, check them out as soon as your meal is done.

Oh, and as far as toddler activities, I am sailing on my 11th cruise in March and I really don't think there is much for toddlers to do. Obviously doesn't stop us from sailing with toddlers, but the activities are lacking. My youngest (and my 2nd at this age) hates characters. Hates them, runs screaming from them, etc. So those aren't an option. My youngest can swim and loves doing so, so the splash area is so hard for us cause she just cries to be in the pool, especially since her siblings can be in there. She does NOT sit still for movies or shows so those are out. We cruised with her at 5 months, 16 months, 20 months, and again in March when she will be 26 months. So again, doesn't stop us, but we know that we have to work hard at keeping her amused.

 

[joyceyw]

Wait a minute...maybe this family time "open house" thing is a good idea. Maybe they can expand it to include family time at the quiet cove pool (it is less crowded than the others). They could also have family meal time in Palo, my children love fine dining and have very mature palates. I know these were advertised as adults only, but that's inconvenient for our family and I don't want my kids to miss out

 

[tastefullyjenn]

I am glad parents can't go in with the checked in children. (I hope this is the case.) It would make it so much easier for someone to kidnap a child or a child to just wander out. As a former preschool teacher, I feel strongly that keeping the kids secure means keeping the area secure. Parents should be able to see in without going in.

I am however dismayed at the length of the open houses.

Jennifer,
just a mention ... when we were on the dream in April there was a loosey goosey approach to parents being in the club but to "get IN" you had to be linked with a child YOU (or your husband) brought in and then you were scanned all together as you left.

I'm a pretty suspicious person and I never once felt creeped out with the parents in there. Most of the parents were walking around saying the same things "hey sally, look at the princess dresses, won't you have fun playing in there" or "wow, look at Andy's room" all trying to ease the kids and then make their exit, not because they wanted to ditch the kids but b/c it is easier to leave quickly!

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out--if I've noticed anything in the past two years planning our cruises is that 1.) things change and 2.) Disney tries to constantly improve the experience for all guests. I think it will all be alright

 

[TDC Nala]

I disagree with that. I'm in childcare and we have parents/primary caregivers volunteer or just observe all the time and have not had an incident. Parents are not left alone with any child other than their own which means they are 100% supervised by staff. I'm sure Disney has some type of insurance that not only covers employees but participants/passengers as well so again, I don't see that being what the issue really is. I really could be wrong about the type of liability insurance Disney would have but I just don't see a company as big as Disney not having that type of coverage

With that being said, they can give parents a special wrist band/lanyard/something to indicate they are in fact the person that should be with that child and not just a random adult

I see that you disagree. But Disney already had an incident with an adult who had been allowed into the teen club. He was not a parent, but being a parent isn't enough. Parents do bad things, too, and sometimes to children other than their own. If there is an incident that ends up in court you can bet the first question would be "so, you allow full-time and unfettered access to the children's clubs to adults who have had no background check at all, just because they have a child in there?"

The staff are also not there to supervise the parents.

 

[asimaaliyah]

This whole thing has been really confusing. I see some parents like the idea and others don't. My question is if the incident that caused this change happened in the "teen" club, is club Vibe and Edge affected also?

My 10yr old was already nervous about taking a cruise.....she's been freaked out ever since she saw Titanic...but I showed her the DCL video and assured her that everything would be great. She was a little bummed that she couldn't go to Edge with her 13 yr old sister & cousin and she knew going to Vibe with our oldest was out of the questions and she was sad that she'd be stuck with her 5yr old cousin and 3yr old niece. But we assured her that although they could go between the two areas club/lab that they would have access to age appropriate activities and it was very unlikely that the younger kids would want to follow her around.

After I told her about the new rules, she's freaking out again saying that now she's either going to be stuck doing what we want if no one will go to the club with her or stuck with the younger ones if we take her during secured times because they'd all be in the same area.

With all these changes to Oceaneers Club/Lab are they making open house times and family time at Edge and Vibe. Maybe families want to hang out and have activities with their tweens and teens too. After all this IS where the issue occured right?

My 16yr old says it's fine with her she'll hang with her sisters at Oceaneers and Edge and they can roll with her at club Vibe and then they can all go to Remy or Palo with the adults for family time there too.

I'm all for parents hanging out with their kids, checking in on them and even getting to play with them for a little while in the play areas, but these four hour blocks seem excessive, why not something like 60 to 90 minute intervals throughout the day while the club is open. Maybe betwen 10 & 11 and then 3 to 4 and 7 & 8 break it up somewhat then parents can come in and play during free time with their kids and still keep plans for adult only activities. But while parents who choose to visit their kids in the clubs, because I'm sure not all will choose to do so, the cast members can still be there overseeing the kids who's parents aren't there.

But what do I know this is our first cruise, I'm guessing we'll have fun whether we use the clubs or not.