Kids Club concerns

[grumpydad74]

We cruised on the Fantasy in November 2014. My DS was 3 and DD was 7 (by only a few days). They both absolutely LOVED the kids club and talk about it to this day. They could have literally spent the entire cruise in the club. When we go on the Dream in April we will take comfort knowing that they will be having a ton of fun while my DW and me enjoy some alone time as the cruise is meant to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. Every child is different but I am sure your littles will have the time of their life.

 

[2 yl's]

a suggestion I wish we had done with our kids (8&9)..If you have an ipod (or similar) download the navigator app and bring it with and let them have it while in the club, they can text you from the app to your personal phone (with app) much easier to use then the wave phone, we had issues with the waves not working and I really didn't trust them, It would have been nice even to hear from them after a little while just to know all was good...

And they both really enjoyed it and no way would I let an 8 and 9 year old check themselves out, getting around the ship is confusing for me let alone them....

 

[MunFam]

I had a MAJOR problem regarding my 4 year old and the Clubs...



She refused to leave to spend time with her parents...Ya know, the ones that paid for the trip. Unless we were going to eat, a show or swimming, she wanted to be IN THE CLUB! She even tried to convince us to let her stay on board on excursion days. We were on board 15 days straight and she STILL wanted to be in the club.

 

[bumbershoot]

a suggestion I wish we had done with our kids (8&9)..If you have an ipod (or similar) download the navigator app and bring it with and let them have it while in the club, they can text you from the app to your personal phone (with app) much easier to use then the wave phone, we had issues with the waves not working and I really didn't trust them, It would have been nice even to hear from them after a little while just to know all was good...

We do that with DS on DCL. His phone doesn't have a SIM but gets wifi, and the app was terrific. There IS a bit of a delay with texts being received, and you tend to have to open up the app fresh each time, but if everyone knows that then it's good.

 

[Dale and Allie]

Awesome info, thank you all so much, I feel much better about us all being able to have family time & everyone have time for themselves too. We cannot wait for December!!!!

 

[KingRichard]

DD been going since she was 3 with no concerns.

Last week a boy around 10(?) was trying to leave the club and said he had sign out privileges. They looked in computer and said, sorry no. They got a hold of parents to sign him out.

 

[Seamama]

Just wanting to chime in w/ a more neutral experience... my kids weren't too sure about the clubs the first time around (ages 5 and 8). They liked it ok, but didn't really want to stay more than 30-45 mins at a time and not really more than once a day. I honestly think a lot depends on the kid's personality AND also whether they're used to being left places w/out you (like other childcare, for example).

Anyway, the second time around (ages 8 and 11), our were willing to spend more time in the clubs and even started asking to go there. Not like 24/7 but noticeably more than the first time. I don't know why... maturity, being more comfortable in situations w/out us, being used to the place (same ship as before), better connections w/ the kids there, who knows. My point being that it can VARY A LOT. So just be prepared... you might try the first time asking them to stay in the clubs and hour and then go do something onboard where you won't be annoyed if you need to come get them early.

Also, here's another thought: you said you have older kids. I *think* you can set the permissions allowing them check-out your younger ones. Then you could ask the older ones to be "on call" when you're at Palo or whatever.

Lastly, we also did what others have mentioned here, which put the Cruise App on their iPhones. They wouldn't have the first clue about how to text on the Wave Phone, but they quickly figured out how to text via the App. This made it super easy for us all to touch base and was esp. awesome when the answer was, "No mom, don't come now- can I stay longer?". As an aside, the CMs will call you on the Wave Phone (not the App- so make sure you're bringing a Wave Phone when you leave them in the clubs) if your kids ask them to (unless you've told them not to bother cause you're off the ship or whatever). That being said, we preferred the simplicity of the kids being able to to text us directly.

Hope that helps!

 

[ctnurse]

They should be fine. ( I *really* thought when I read little ones, I was expecting your kids to be 3 or 4, not 8 and 9 ) My DS is 12 and has been going into "kid's Clubs" since he was 15 months old , now at 12 he comes into the cabin later than we do, and we never see him. ( You might find that is the case with your older ones.) He is hanging out with the kids he has met in The Edge. He is looking forward to seeing a friend he met last summer on the Magic.

We have several rules for DS. One rule is we need to know where he is and when he is headed someplace new. We found that the app works so much better than the wave phone for easy communication. He uses his phone (nav app) unless he is going to the pool, then he uses the white board in our cabin to leave a message.

DD is will be 3 on our next cruise and will be joining the club. Her first "baby club" was in Egypt at 6 months old. She has been in the SWN twice, at 18 months and at age 2, and has done well.

For me a vacation is all about everyone enjoying themselves, which is why it is so important to me to find a place that my children will enjoy as much as I do.

Good luck, OP and have a great time.

 

[TrySomethingNew]

Just wanting to chime in w/ a more neutral experience... my kids weren't too sure about the clubs the first time around (ages 5 and 8). They liked it ok, but didn't really want to stay more than 30-45 mins at a time and not really more than once a day. I honestly think a lot depends on the kid's personality AND also whether they're used to being left places w/out you (like other childcare, for example).

Anyway, the second time around (ages 8 and 11), our were willing to spend more time in the clubs and even started asking to go there. Not like 24/7 but noticeably more than the first time. I don't know why... maturity, being more comfortable in situations w/out us, being used to the place (same ship as before), better connections w/ the kids there, who knows. My point being that it can VARY A LOT. So just be prepared... you might try the first time asking them to stay in the clubs and hour and then go do something onboard where you won't be annoyed if you need to come get them early.

Also, here's another thought: you said you have older kids. I *think* you can set the permissions allowing them check-out your younger ones. Then you could ask the older ones to be "on call" when you're at Palo or whatever.

Lastly, we also did what others have mentioned here, which put the Cruise App on their iPhones. They wouldn't have the first clue about how to text on the Wave Phone, but they quickly figured out how to text via the App. This made it super easy for us all to touch base and was esp. awesome when the answer was, "No mom, don't come now- can I stay longer?". As an aside, the CMs will call you on the Wave Phone (not the App- so make sure you're bringing a Wave Phone when you leave them in the clubs) if your kids ask them to (unless you've told them not to bother cause you're off the ship or whatever). That being said, we preferred the simplicity of the kids being able to to text us directly.

Hope that helps!

My 16yo was able to drop off and pick up her 8yo sister in club. The younger one did not have sign out privileges. We even left them on the boat for one day while DH and I did an excursion. They slept in, had breakfast and youngest got dropped off at club. Youngest really enjoyed the club,as well.

 

[shelie]

Our 1st cruise I was nervous about sending my then 5 yo and 7 yo DD to the clubs alone, but they LOVED them and now cannot wait to attend the kids clubs again on our upcoming cruise. Both my DD would beg to go for time each day, and they both made friends in the clubs. No complaints from us!

 

[dsdeleon]

Had we known the peace of mind given by the kids clubs on DCL earlier, we would have spent $$$tens of thousands$$$ more. 1st cruise kids were 7 and 10 and it was pretty immediate 24/7 kids club for them and 24/7 relaxation for me.

 

[PraisingHim]

Hi,
Does the Fantasy have a climbing area and a slide in Andy's room similar to the Magic? Just hoping my DS 3 will be able to get his energy out.
Thanks!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hi,
Does the Fantasy have a climbing area and a slide in Andy's room similar to the Magic? Just hoping my DS 3 will be able to get his energy out.
Thanks!

Andy's Room on the Fantasy:

 

[PraisingHim]

Andy's Room on the Fantasy:
View attachment 157723
View attachment 157724

Thanks!!

 

[SuperDry]

I can't say how your kids will react to the clubs on board. But as to the issue of their safety and your peace of mind of being away from them for hours on end, you already do that a great amount of time when they're in school, right? Think of it along those lines.

 

[hnthomps]

Hi,
Does the Fantasy have a climbing area and a slide in Andy's room similar to the Magic? Just hoping my DS 3 will be able to get his energy out.
Thanks!

We are just off the Fantasy with a 4 year old (and a 2 year old), and basically the answer is no. Sure they can climb on the dinosaur and there are things to explore, but there is nothing even approximating the type of jungle gym my kids require to get the bouncies out! We just made them walk everywhere instead of using the elevator. That plus time in the pool (and Mickey Slide / Nemo's reef slide) helped.

But I think my main complaint about the kids clubs would be the lack of physical activity, other than with the play floor and dancing. Too many screens, not enough energy-outing!

 

[The Sasquatch]

OP, we said to ourselves getting on our first cruise there is no way our DD6 at the time would be in some club on a boat in the ocean without us. Well after visiting the open house, getting to understand the security they have in place and seeing how great the CMs were, we gave it a shot. Just like many people here, we are going on number 5 and its my daughters favorite part of every trip. She wants to go every free chance she can. Its like saying you brought your kids to Disney World and stayed at the hotel!

 

[PraisingHim]

We are just off the Fantasy with a 4 year old (and a 2 year old), and basically the answer is no. Sure they can climb on the dinosaur and there are things to explore, but there is nothing even approximating the type of jungle gym my kids require to get the bouncies out! We just made them walk everywhere instead of using the elevator. That plus time in the pool (and Mickey Slide / Nemo's reef slide) helped.

But I think my main complaint about the kids clubs would be the lack of physical activity, other than with the play floor and dancing. Too many screens, not enough energy-outing!

I agree! I believe the Magic has some sort of jungle gym. Thanks for your response.

 

[PraisingHim]

OP, we said to ourselves getting on our first cruise there is no way our DD6 at the time would be in some club on a boat in the ocean without us. Well after visiting the open house, getting to understand the security they have in place and seeing how great the CMs were, we gave it a shot. Just like many people here, we are going on number 5 and its my daughters favorite part of every trip. She wants to go every free chance she can. Its like saying you brought your kids to Disney World and stayed at the hotel!

We felt the same way on our first Disney Cruise. My youngest at the time was only 7 months and I was extremely reluctant to leave her at the nursery. My second DD at the time was three and we left her at the kids club a few nights. Both girls did really well and the cast members were wonderful. I'm very happy that I gave them a chance and was able to enjoy a nice meal with DH.

 

[kiapepito]

The first day we took our daughters within the first twenty minutes we received a text message that our youngest wanted to be picked up. She was 3 1/2. We had no idea what the buzzing noise was until I thought maybe it was coming from the wave phone. We picked her up and that was the first and last time we ever received the message! She was unaware of her surroundings but got over it by her 2nd visit. In fact, she would cry when we picked her up!