Kid club age break down

[mhconley]

Yes, I believe parents can sign to give a child self-check-out privileges as young as 8 yrs old. If he attends Edge, you will have to allow the self-check-out at the Club/Lab. If a parent does not wish to allow that privilege, the child may only attend the younger club even at ages 11 or 12.

Enjoy your cruise!

Good to know. I am sure he'll be fine with self check out and I know he'll enjoy being trusted with that privilege. While he is somewhat immature for his age he is very responsible. Much more so than I was at his age.

Martin

 

[momof2n2]

On the flip side, there are people who don't like the huge spread in the clubs because there is such a big difference between a 3 year old and a 12 year old - and more than one person has posted on here that their children didn't want to go because of it (on both sides, though more on the older side where the kids didn't want to be with the little ones). There's never going to be a perfect answer.

I'm sure they'll change it back if it proves to be an issue or money drops off.

My kids are together 24/7 and to be told Disney wouldn't let them play together would have been met with horrified stares. So grateful it was in place for us this last year.

 

[PredzMan]

We just got off the Magic and were three families traveling with 6 kids, ages 5 to 13. The 5 - 11 year olds were in the Lab & Club. The 10 year old was allowed to go to Vibe (I had to sign a waiver), but the 13 year old was not allowed to drop down from the Vibe to the Lab & Club. So from what I gathered, kids can go "up" one year to Vibe, but they can not ever go back down a level.

 

[jahber]

We just got off the Magic and were three families traveling with 6 kids, ages 5 to 13. The 5 - 11 year olds were in the Lab & Club. The 10 year old was allowed to go to Vibe (I had to sign a waiver), but the 13 year old was not allowed to drop down from the Vibe to the Lab & Club. So from what I gathered, kids can go "up" one year to Vibe, but they can not ever go back down a level.

You mean Edge for the 10 and 13 yo . There are so many names, it's hard to keep straight sometimes!
Anyway, yes, my 10 yo was also allowed in Edge. But once you're 13, you can't go back to the club/lab.

 

[Ofinn]

On the flip side, there are people who don't like the huge spread in the clubs because there is such a big difference between a 3 year old and a 12 year old - and more than one person has posted on here that their children didn't want to go because of it (on both sides, though more on the older side where the kids didn't want to be with the little ones). There's never going to be a perfect answer.

I don't think having the kids lumped together is the problem. I think the activities being geared towards the younger kids is the problem. My kids were bored with the lab by age 9/10. Luckily we cruise in the off season and they had no trouble getting into the Edge at age 10. I really think they need to have some activities in the lab that would interest the 9-11 year olds.

 

[Disneymom4x]

This was one of my complaints. Mom of 4. Not looking forward to my kids all being pulled apart.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

The fact that all kids 3-12 have access to both spaces is the problem, IMO. It means that activities in the lab have to be suitable for kids as young as 3 because they are GOING to want to do what the big kids do. That means that those activities won't hold the interest of the older end of the age range. My DD was bored I the club/lab at 8 and unwilling to even go at 10. Luckily she had the option to go to the Edge that trip. It has a much narrower age range and the activities can be greed to appeal to more of the kids that use the space.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

This was one of my complaints. Mom of 4. Not looking forward to my kids all being pulled apart.

aren't they apart at school? I know if I was on a cruise when my brothers were younger and i could be apart from them i'd do it in a second and so would they.

 

[MC0810]

My boys are age 4 and turning 7. I am happy they will able to be in the same club together on Disney and one of the main reasons for us to pick disney. The other cruise lines are 3 to 5 and 6 to 8.

We go on vacations to spend time and bond as a family. I would much rather my sons experience and make memories in the kids club TOGETHER then alone or with other kids they may never see again, if they have fun with other kids and make friends as well..that's great too, but my boys adore each other and are looking forward to going together.

I will probably do disney again in 2016 if our fantasy cruise goes well and then go back to rccl or carnival since I'll have a few months were thethey will both be in the other cruise lines 6 to 8 age group.

 

[JulieL0616]

I cannot speak for everyone, but I can tell you my experiences. My sons were 3,5,6 (although they were all about to have birthdays) on our first cruise and ages 5,7 and 8 on our last. On our first cruise, it took my youngest some time to adjust and a few times he had them call to say he wanted picked up. Almost every time I went to get him (whether because I wanted to spend time with them or because he wanted picked up) he was found doing something with a counselor. He seemed to get a lot of attention. On both cruises, they all had a great time, made friends their own ages and many times when I went to get them they were off with their new friends Occasionally I would come and either 2 of them were together or all of them but that was rare. I do know that my youngest felt more secure being there knowing he had his big brothers there if he felt like he needed them. This last cruise they almost had to be dragged out for dinners and shows even though they really loved them We are planning another in 12/2016 and I'm glad my son who will be 11 will have the option to go to the tween area or go to the clubs with his brothers and cousins.

 

[LisaT91403]

I cannot speak for everyone, but I can tell you my experiences. My sons were 3,5,6 (although they were all about to have birthdays) on our first cruise and ages 5,7 and 8 on our last. On our first cruise, it took my youngest some time to adjust and a few times he had them call to say he wanted picked up. Almost every time I went to get him (whether because I wanted to spend time with them or because he wanted picked up) he was found doing something with a counselor. He seemed to get a lot of attention. On both cruises, they all had a great time, made friends their own ages and many times when I went to get them they were off with their new friends Occasionally I would come and either 2 of them were together or all of them but that was rare. I do know that my youngest felt more secure being there knowing he had his big brothers there if he felt like he needed them. This last cruise they almost had to be dragged out for dinners and shows even though they really loved them We are planning another in 12/2016 and I'm glad my son who will be 11 will have the option to go to the tween area or go to the clubs with his brothers and cousins.

Just curious -- were there specific activities or events that your boys enjoyed? We were on Fantasy in January, and DS(6, almost 7) did not like the clubs at all. In fact, he disliked them so much that he asked if he could have a babysitter instead of going!

 

[momof2n2]

aren't they apart at school? I know if I was on a cruise when my brothers were younger and i could be apart from them i'd do it in a second and so would they.

Not the poster, but we homeschool. My kids don't "get" why kids are separated by age in so many places. They all get along across the board.

 

[JulieL0616]

Just curious -- were there specific activities or events that your boys enjoyed? We were on Fantasy in January, and DS(6, almost 7) did not like the clubs at all. In fact, he disliked them so much that he asked if he could have a babysitter instead of going!

I think it helped that they made friends quickly. They LOVED the character interactions. They loved the cooking and science experiments. They also liked the Mario Kart competitions. I am pretty fortunate and they are pretty easy going kids in that manner. Give them kids to play with and they'll find fun. Also, they had their brothers with them. I am sure that was kind of a security blanket. I met some people on the ships that said their kids had a hard time at first, so they stayed at the open house and the counselors helped introduce them to kids their age. I don't know if that would help on your next trip. I hope this helps a little, obviously you'd know best what may work with your son

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Not the poster, but we homeschool. My kids don't "get" why kids are separated by age in so many places. They all get along across the board.

Makes sense mainly on DCL they roughly get separated by equivalents to US school system groupings so the high school students are in vibe well Middle school kids are in the edge and the elementary/ grade school kids are in the club and lab. Some of the ages can be flexible but generally if a child is older then the ge for a group except for the club / lab they won't let them be in during the secured programing. Depending on what agdes your kids are you may want to warn them about that.

 

[bumbershoot]

Just curious -- were there specific activities or events that your boys enjoyed? We were on Fantasy in January, and DS(6, almost 7) did not like the clubs at all. In fact, he disliked them so much that he asked if he could have a babysitter instead of going!

I would wonder what he didn't like, and why? Do you still have the Navigator, and would he be able to remember the activities he didn't like if you went through it with him?

My son likes "anyone can cook", GAGA ball *sometimes* (he prefers the way Royal plays it, but I cannot tell you anything more because I have NO clue what gagaball is in the first place), Get the Hook, some Stitch adventure thing. He has, in the past, liked the arranged times for dancing on the light up floor on Dream, but the last two cruises he hasn't wanted to do that. Which is weird, since he's a dancer and he has LOVED the attention he gets from allll the girls when he's the only boy dancing with them. (it's possible it's that very attention that is getting to him, as he's getting older and it probably embarrasses him)

He would have been 8 for his first Disney cruise and now he's 10.5, so he IS older than your boy, but those things are what he has enjoyed.

It tends to be very important to show up as early as possible on the first evening, to get to know the counselors, get to know what's going on, etc. I'm not sure that club/lab kids really make friends with the strangers there, but they get to recognize each other, which makes them feel like they belong. If you don't go until the 2nd day you can feel left out (I've heard this gets to be stronger as they go to Edge). And if you go to the ones that have multiple steps, like the Stitch thing and especially Get the Hook, then you really feel part of something bigger.

Now with the Navigator app for smartphones, you can look up every day's Navigator and see when the next scheduled time for something is. So I was able to set aside the times for Get the Hook for DS, on our first evening. That time was taken, because he enjoys doing the entire thing. He usually likes Anyone Can Cook, so I set those times aside in our schedule as well, but after the first one he didn't want to do it. (he said that it was taken over by the kids on the Club side, and the counselor really pandered (my word not his) to the little ones and so DS felt talked down to and it really really irritated him...he didn't want that to happen again so he didn't want to do it a second time on our most recent sailing) Knowing when things will happen, and if they will happen again, is so terrific for making sure kids don't miss something they like (or so you know when NOT to send them if it's something they really didn't enjoy).

 

[stickeymouse]

The Oceaneers Club and Lab are both open to ages 3-12 . . . On the Dream and Fantasy, the kids move freely between the two spaces; on the Magic and Wonder a CM will walk the child to the other space on request.

Is this still true on the Magic? I thought I read that they built a connecting hallway between the two.

 

[Heather Douglas]

Very informative! Thank you!

 

[momof2n2]

Makes sense mainly on DCL they roughly get separated by equivalents to US school system groupings so the high school students are in vibe well Middle school kids are in the edge and the elementary/ grade school kids are in the club and lab. Some of the ages can be flexible but generally if a child is older then the ge for a group except for the club / lab they won't let them be in during the secured programing. Depending on what agdes your kids are you may want to warn them about that.

When we cruised DCL had 3-12 together, which worked great for us. ❤

 

[momof2n2]

Is this still true on the Magic? I thought I read that they built a connecting hallway between the two.

There was a hallway in 5/14.

 

[lbgraves]

Is this still true on the Magic? I thought I read that they built a connecting hallway between the two.

There has always been a secret hallway between the club and the lab on the classics. It was just used for storage for a couple years when the age ranges were done away with. When we cruised in 2003 the ages were very firm. The club had 3-4 & 5-7. DD3 couldn't go with DS5. He had a blast. She didn't like going to preschool, so I wasn't surprised that she didn't like the club then. We just spent a lot of time with just her during the cruise. DD has never really liked the clubs on DCL. When we cruised with a friend her age both of them went for 2 hours begrudgingly when the adults went to Palo. Almost 2 hours to the minute we would both get pages from them to be picked up. We didn't go on DCL to stick both kids in the clubs all day, so that worked for us. One day when the kids are in college DH and I might get a chance to cruise on our own. We did get to spend some time at satellite falls last cruise while the kids hung out with friends.