Kids Club Age Change

[Mags2002]

So I sent my email in support of the change and got a form reply apologizing but the new guidelines are firm. So they aren’t reading the emails.

Probably just automatic replies at this point

 

[Mags2002]

It's interesting reading all the different responses. My kids were bored to death in the club by age 9 and couldn't wait to go to the Edge. They both got waivers to age up at age 10.

I'm not sure it would be something I would be canceling a cruise over. That seems like an extreme overreaction. Let your kids try the Edge. They may love it and never look back. I find kids usually adapt and overcome better than the parents do.

I agree. Let the kids try Edge and see what happens. Yes it’s different, but it’s supposed to be. Edge has gotten a bad rap. It is not just kids sitting around playing video games. There are Counselors there who are willing to engage kids in activities that are fun and age-appropriate for 11-14 year olds.
In regards to more freedom, that will be up to you as the parents to set the boundaries

 

[AZMermaid]

My point is my son doesn't want an area with just video games. Are there art activities? Dances?

Yes. My daughter did a bunch of crafts. My son played an obscene amount of 4 square. Some thing like 156 games. He also won a hat, water bottle and something else for various speperate games. He did a ship wide selfie scavenger hunt. My daughter went with her friends to the pirate party. They did late night movies- my daughter and her friends changed into their PJs. They have a cruise long heroes vs villains battle. The kids decide night one which team they are on and they win points for their team by doing different activities. I’m sure my son especially played video games in the 12 hours he stayed there the last sea day… but that’s not what they enjoyed most.

 

[Lolabear_la]

Yes, come join us on the dark side, we have Butterbeer.

I do like Butterbeer and we've loved the side trips to get it that have filled in a day or so on our past two trips to Orlando that also included WDW & DCL. And most importantly, the 12 yo loves it too so it would be a very acceptable change from this trip that was meant to include highlights for him.

 

[Lolabear_la]

I agree. Let the kids try Edge and see what happens. Yes it’s different, but it’s supposed to be. Edge has gotten a bad rap. It is not just kids sitting around playing video games. There are Counselors there who are willing to engage kids in activities that are fun and age-appropriate for 11-14 year olds.
In regards to more freedom, that will be up to you as the parents to set the boundaries

I really do want to echo appreciation for your responses today and throughout all these changes, because you are certainly giving us a view we wouldn't otherwise have & I'm grateful for it.

I do think Edge is supposed to be different but one reasons our 12 yr old hasn't latched onto it is that a very large component of it is socializing with the other kids. He's very much an introvert and isn't comfortable in totally new situations with totally new people and part of what worked in Oceaneer is there was still stuff to do that wasn't direct socialization AND he's had his 3 siblings, particularly & especially & mainly his 10 yr old sister who when he is with he is much more open to making other friends & joining in. If my 10 yr old were the one being impacted she'd honestly roll with it & be in Edge full-time, and be totally content with Oceaneer open houses. But all kids are different and one of the really nice things about the overlap was that 11-12 had 2 very good choices that matched their maturity. I'm certainly hopeful that they can give 11-12 in all the ranges of development/comfort levels they are in better options & programming in & for the Edge age, whether that's takeovers of Oceaneer/parts of Oceaneer (like the Marvel/Star Wars areas on the Wish that are very much geared to that age as much as the 6-10 yr olds) or other activities that include some of the fun of Oceaneer like having an Edge character meet or something that helps the kids that feel like they still relate more to the programming geared to the upper end of Oceaneer club's old age range, rather than Edge.

And above all, the way it's been implemented for those of us past paid in full is what's upset me the most (not at all that they want to separate out the ages somewhere, I'm very supportive of that). But do it with time to plan around it. And to be clear, this is definitely directed at the decision makers, not at all the frontline CMs, especially you.

 

[starkid]

I feel like I see both sides to this. On one hand, I would be upset too if siblings were getting split up. I also would have been upset at 10 having to move up to the second club (Never went on a disney cruise as a child but as an adult I was very jealous of the kids even now lol). On the flip side, my niece was 5 during our first cruise. She refused to stay by herself anyway so it didn't come up for us, but I don't know how comfortable I'd feel with her having limited supervision around 12 year olds. Not that I think anything crazy would happen but I just remember middle school and middle school conversations clearly. It's a tough age for sure, because I know at 11 & 12 I would have been more aligned with the younger kids, and I reckon my niece will be when she gets to that age too.

I see a lot of people talking about how, before, you could request to "age up" early? I wonder if they could implement the same to "age down" for 11 & 12 year olds? This way, ones who truly do benefit from and enjoy the younger kid stuff can do so but it's not "over run" with cliques of preteens

 

[Mags2002]

I really do want to echo appreciation for your responses today and throughout all these changes, because you are certainly giving us a view we wouldn't otherwise have & I'm grateful for it.

I do think Edge is supposed to be different but one reasons our 12 yr old hasn't latched onto it is that a very large component of it is socializing with the other kids. He's very much an introvert and isn't comfortable in totally new situations with totally new people and part of what worked in Oceaneer is there was still stuff to do that wasn't direct socialization AND he's had his 3 siblings, particularly & especially & mainly his 10 yr old sister who when he is with he is much more open to making other friends & joining in. If my 10 yr old were the one being impacted she'd honestly roll with it & be in Edge full-time, and be totally content with Oceaneer open houses. But all kids are different and one of the really nice things about the overlap was that 11-12 had 2 very good choices that matched their maturity. I'm certainly hopeful that they can give 11-12 in all the ranges of development/comfort levels they are in better options & programming in & for the Edge age, whether that's takeovers of Oceaneer/parts of Oceaneer (like the Marvel/Star Wars areas on the Wish that are very much geared to that age as much as the 6-10 yr olds) or other activities that include some of the fun of Oceaneer like having an Edge character meet or something that helps the kids that feel like they still relate more to the programming geared to the upper end of Oceaneer club's old age range, rather than Edge.

And above all, the way it's been implemented for those of us past paid in full is what's upset me the most (not at all that they want to separate out the ages somewhere, I'm very supportive of that). But do it with time to plan around it. And to be clear, this is definitely directed at the decision makers, not at all the frontline CMs, especially you.

Thank you for saying that. And I do agree it has not been implemented all that well. I also understand that not all kids will like Edge; not all kids like any space really. I hope that people will give it a try.
Your son doesn’t have to be social if he doesn’t want. Encourage him to tell one of the Counselors what he wants to do and get him set up and he can stay there as long as he wants.
I know that they are looking at the programming in both Edge and Oceaneers to see what they can do to improve it.
I know this has been a huge shock to everyone involved. I do hope that once the shock wears off that people encourage their kids to try Edge and give feedback to the YA CMs on how they can make things better as they move through this transition

 

[Mags2002]

I feel like I see both sides to this. On one hand, I would be upset too if siblings were getting split up. I also would have been upset at 10 having to move up to the second club (Never went on a disney cruise as a child but as an adult I was very jealous of the kids even now lol). On the flip side, my niece was 5 during our first cruise. She refused to stay by herself anyway so it didn't come up for us, but I don't know how comfortable I'd feel with her having limited supervision around 12 year olds. Not that I think anything crazy would happen but I just remember middle school and middle school conversations clearly. It's a tough age for sure, because I know at 11 & 12 I would have been more aligned with the younger kids, and I reckon my niece will be when she gets to that age too.

I see a lot of people talking about how, before, you could request to "age up" early? I wonder if they could implement the same to "age down" for 11 & 12 year olds? This way, ones who truly do benefit from and enjoy the younger kid stuff can do so but it's not "over run" with cliques of preteens

There is not minimal supervision in the Club and Lab, there are Counselors everywhere and they are very strict on them being exactly in the spot they are scheduled.
No there is no way to implement “aging down”. DCL has always been strict on this and for safety reasons it will never change

 

[CamillaF]

I feel for the Edge CMs too. I hope parents who aren’t comfortable giving their child some independence aren’t the squeaky wheels and the Edge changes. Things like selfie scavenger hunts and trips to see the fireworks are so fun. I hope it doesn’t start feeling like babysitting to appease a few. In fact, I’ve talked myself into emailing my support of this change and to leave the Edge programming as is.

The Edge will have to change. As one parent said they don't trust their 11 year old to wander the ship themselves. They have ADHD and make bad decision's. They are not mature enough to be left unsupervised. The Edge will have to accommodate those kids too.

 

[Mags2002]

The Edge will have to change. As one parent said they don't trust their 11 year old to wander the ship themselves. They have ADHD and make bad decision's. They are not mature enough to be left unsupervised. The Edge will have to accommodate those kids too.

The kids are of that age range so they can go to the space (Edge). But they won’t change Edge to make it secured. They can’t, as many activities happen around the ship

 

[starkid]

There is not minimal supervision in the Club and Lab, there are Counselors everywhere and they are very strict on them being exactly in the spot they are scheduled.
No there is no way to implement “aging down”. DCL has always been strict on this and for safety reasons it will never change

That's good to know. For what it's worth I think. minimal supervision was not the best choice of words and I should have used different ones. I never thought that counselors would let people run wild or anything. I was more so thinking conversations etc but I did not realize it was as structured as that. My niece has never stayed by herself and we've only done the open house, so I guess I just assumed it was like that, minus the adults. But that makes more sense.

As for the aging down, that makes sense. I didn't mean for us (my niece will only be 8 during our next cruise, if she even stays lol). Was just trying to think of a way they could think of a compromising solution for all. I feel like a transition age where you could go to either isn't really an unsafe compromise. (I know you said disney has never done this before but previous 11 & 12 year olds were just allowed in general so I don't really see the difference. I obviously don't think 16 year olds should be "aging down")

 

[CamillaF]

But middle school starts anywhere from 5-7 grades. So 11-14 can be considered the middle school group. It’s unlikely a 14 year old high schooler will be in Edge. Maybe 14 year old 8th graders. Possible (currently- let’s see if this drifts to a firm border on edge/vibe) but not likely IMO.

The vast majority of 11 year olds are not in Middle School. It's like saying that Kindergarden starts at 4years old. If happens but it's rare.

 

[Mags2002]

That's good to know. For what it's worth I think. minimal supervision was not the best choice of words and I should have used different ones. I never thought that counselors would let people run wild or anything. I was more so thinking conversations etc but I did not realize it was as structured as that. My niece has never stayed by herself and we've only done the open house, so I guess I just assumed it was like that, minus the adults. But that makes more sense.

As for the aging down, that makes sense. I didn't mean for us (my niece will only be 8 during our next cruise, if she even stays lol). Was just trying to think of a way they could think of a compromising solution for all. I feel like a transition age where you could go to either isn't really an unsafe compromise. (I know you said disney has never done this before but previous 11 & 12 year olds were just allowed in general so I don't really see the difference. I obviously don't think 16 year olds should be "aging down")

There was a transition age; 11 and 12 year olds could go to both Club/Lab and Edge. For many different reasons (not just the ones mentioned previously in this thread), they have stopped the crossover of ages

 

[Mags2002]

The vast majority of 11 year olds are not in Middle School. It's like saying that Kindergarden starts at 4years old. If happens but it's rare.

Don’t think of it like school. It’s babies and toddlers in the Nursery. Kids in Oceaneers. Tweens in Edge and Teens in Vibe

 

[CamillaF]

The kids are of that age range so they can go to the space (Edge). But they won’t change Edge to make it secured. They can’t, as many activities happen around the ship

The kids are of that age range so they can go to the space (Edge). But they won’t change Edge to make it secured. They can’t, as many activities happen around the ship

As you just saw things change quick.....The Edge will have to change as well. It will be interesting what changes occur in the next year.

 

[Mags2002]

As you just saw things change quick.....The Edge will have to change as well. It will be interesting what changes occur in the next year.

I suppose you never know

 

[CamillaF]

Don’t think of it like school. It’s babies and toddlers in the Nursery. Kids in Oceaneers. Tweens in Edge and Teens in Vibe

Tweens by definition are 8-12. https://childmind.org/article/what-...tween 8 and 12,wanting to be more independent. no Tweens are split between Oceaneers and Edge. I wish that Disney has a place for tweens but they have chosen not too. I am sorry that DCL is doing this to the CM's in such a way. You really don't deserve this.

 

[Mags2002]

Tweens by definition are 8-12. https://childmind.org/article/what-parents-should-know-about-tweens/#:~:text=Kids between 8 and 12,wanting to be more independent. no Tweens are split between Oceaneers and Edge. I wish that Disney has a place for tweens but they have chosen not too. I am sorry that DCL is doing this to the CM's in such a way. You really don't deserve this.

Pre-teens then.
I mean it doesn’t really affect me as I am part of the Cast (and tomorrow is my last day on board) but yes, the YA CMs are in a bit of a jam

 

[CamillaF]

I suppose you never know

I am sorry that I am being salty. I really am frustrated that this was rolled out and pushed onto the CM's without really thinking. It's clear that this was a reaction to something, as basic communication and timing did not happen. I feel for the people making the magic. You all do such a wonderful job and you deserve the people running the show to do a better job of planning and communicating.

 

[Mags2002]

I am sorry that I am being salty. I really am frustrated that this was rolled out and pushed onto the CM's without really thinking. It's clear that this was a reaction to something, as basic communication and timing did not happen. I feel for the people making the magic. You all do such a wonderful job and you deserve the people running the show to do a better job of planning and communicating.

It’s not a problem. I understand.
To be honest, you get used to things changing without any warning and having to deal with it