Kids Club Concerns

[Dug720]

I totally dump my kids at the kids' club and I'm not ashamed to admit it. They would stay in there from the time they woke up until the time they are dragged, kicking and screaming, out at closing if I would let them. It makes them happy. Why would I begrudge them that? We get plenty of family time together--vacation is just as much for me as anyone else, and I happen to enjoy doing my own thing when I finally have the chance

Bravo!!

And (for @Shanti ) why does "family time" on the cruise have to be limited to the time in the kids' clubs? There are PLENTY of places to have "family time" outside of the clubs and plenty of things to do for "family time".

 

[keaster]

Bravo!!

And (for @Shanti ) why does "family time" on the cruise have to be limited to the time in the kids' clubs? There are PLENTY of places to have "family time" outside of the clubs and plenty of things to do for "family time".

Thumbs up here! We do plenty of family time stuff like mini golf, shuffleboard, detective agency. Our daughter LOVED the clubs and we enjoyed our alone time when we had the chance

 

[Hundredacre]

This. I love that there can be family time in the kids' clubs, rather than them only being a dumping ground for kids so that parents can go off to do their own thing.

The entire point of the kids clubs is child minding.

 

[Iamaplanner]

I will follow up on this and see if we can offer a solution. Are there any other concerns or indeed good things that you feel need to be brought up?

For us, the best experiences have been where the CMs really played and engaged with the kids. For instance, on a past cruise our daughter couldn't wait to get back to the club to play with "Evie". I assumed this was another child, only to realize that it was actually a CM. I just mention this because the CMs can really make a difference for the children and I encourage all of the CMs to remain interactive and engaged with the kids (as opposed to just supervising).

Pluto PJ party has been a favourite - so please don't ever cancel that.

I would love it if the Club could come and pick the kids up after first dining so mom and dad could sit and digest. That's just a small thing but since you're asking

I do agree that the OH times have seemed excessive during our most recent cruises but this has been discussed in many posts - just to say that I agree that there are too many.

Finally, and I know this has been debated over and over again but we find the age range to be too wide. Our 8 year olds didn't enjoy the clubs as much as we would have liked so we are trying a different cruise next time. We will go back to DCL once they are old enough to go to Edge. I feel like they're in the age range where some of the activities in the club are too 'babyish' yet they are too young for older activities.....

 

[wajones2]

This actually brought a little tear to my eye. Our younger son is coming with us on his first cruise this fall. He's 5 1/2. I'm going to tell him this, and I'm sure he'll take full advantage! There's so many times at home when his 10 year old brother and 40-something parents are just not into pretending to be Power Rangers again.

I can definitely relate! I was almost 42 when my daughter was more and my husband is 9 years older, so DCL is quite a treated for our only child. We have a 12 night booked next summer and we are already talking about all the things she can't wait to do!

 

[willijen]

The entire point of the kids clubs is child minding.

LOL, that might be true for some, but try telling that to our son when we BEGGED him to have dinner with us, and he wanted to have dinner with his friends in the club! We had to come to an agreement to make everyone happy: half the nights with us, and half with his friends. For our family, child minding was completely NOT the point of the kids' clubs! It's a way for our kids to have a grown-up vacation of their own, on their own terms.

 

[Ofinn]

LOL, that might be true for some, but try telling that to our son when we BEGGED him to have dinner with us, and he wanted to have dinner with his friends in the club! We had to come to an agreement to make everyone happy: half the nights with us, and half with his friends. For our family, child minding was completely NOT the point of the kids' clubs! It's a way for our kids to have a grown-up vacation of their own, on their own terms.

Agreed. My kids have always loved the clubs. They still do as teens. Its the main reason we...when I say we I mean the kids too..fell in love with cruising. I love being able to go off and do my own thing, and so do the kids. We have plenty of family time at home. We dont need to spend thousands of dollars on a cruise for that.

 

[Hundredacre]

LOL, that might be true for some, but try telling that to our son when we BEGGED him to have dinner with us, and he wanted to have dinner with his friends in the club! We had to come to an agreement to make everyone happy: half the nights with us, and half with his friends. For our family, child minding was completely NOT the point of the kids' clubs! It's a way for our kids to have a grown-up vacation of their own, on their own terms.

You are right. Same with my kids. They do not see it as babysitting. One of mine in particular refuses to leave. If he sees us walking towards him in the club he gives us a high stop sign/wave and says, "no thanks!"
... but I was trying to say that the point of the clubs is for kids to be in a supervised setting without their parents. I think a lot of people have lost sight of that.

 

[jahber]

You are right. Same with my kids. They do not see it as babysitting. One of mine in particular refuses to leave. If he sees us walking towards him in the club he gives us a high stop sign/wave and says, "no thanks!"
... but I was trying to say that the point of the clubs is for kids to be in a supervised setting without their parents. I think a lot of people have lost sight of that.

I think you're 100% right about the child minding. Our kids may *think* it's for them, but my husband and I know it's allllllllll for us. There would be no cruising for us if it weren't for kids' clubs. I love cruising because it's so flexible. And I love the clubs because they are, too. I think maybe there is more OH time than I'd prefer (compared to when we started cruising), but we make it work. And if families use cruising for family-time, I love that too. (I could do without the judging for dumping my kids in the club, though. But I'll live )

 

[belac]

This will be our daughter's first time on a cruise (Disney Dream August 15th), let alone a Disney cruise, and she is 7. She is pretty shy at first, but will open up if she has found a buddy...what is the crew like when it comes to the kids who aren't as out going and may not want to travel away from the parents? Will they help be a temporary buddy until they find someone to pow around with?

I agree it shouldn't be a "dumping ground" per say, but I do want her to get the most out of the experience and I think that will happen better if she goes into the places where we as adults can't go.

My DS was super over the top shy, and since he was 5 on his first DCL, the CMs have been great. That first cruise for him they only had OH for an hour period in the am and a bit more on port days. The first thing we did was take him to club on embarkation day. He was registered and CM went over the routine. He got to draw with Goofy that time. Then the next day we gave him time alone for a cooking activity, we were a bit late getting back and he was coloring with a CM and happy.

This last time (he is 9 now) still shy, but CM would always engage him to a game ect.. The first day and a bit on the second still a bit unsure but then it is all good from there, he walks in and no issue. Goes to his fav spot and plays, with kids and CM alike.

So definitely get there for First OH and ice breakers (shown on navigator), pick activities that she will like on day 2 then she should adjust. Also mentioning to CM after she goes in and can't hear you that she is a bit introverted and may need a nudge.... They will try the best to include her, make her feel comfy, and engage her to group activities.
At least that is my experience.

For us since he was and still tends to be on the shy side we like the clubs to get him out of his shell. I think it actually helps get him away from the protective arms of mom and dad, in a safe place. I long for the day that he has the confidence to go out there and be himself, but it is a daily struggle. The clubs on vacation is but one tool we use, among what we do daily to get his confidence up. Having us in there with him beyond the first 2 times is counterproductive for us, and his shyness.
So although it would make me so happy to have him as mommy's little boy forever, my head says nope not in his best interest, while mom gets stuck with broken heart while he grows up.

I digress, but if she eventually warms up I'm sure the CM gentle nudging will get her comfy to join in.

 

[Stratus22]

My kids tell us all the time to dump them off to the Kids club after dinner. I think they love the independence away from Mommy and Daddy. I can get use to it.