Kids Club ?

[MEC004]

Thinking of booking a last minute cruise out of Galveston.

What are the current restrictions? Kids Club? We loved this last time and so did our son. He’s 9 now. He won’t be vaccinated (he had COVID in October) until next summer.

 

[DFII]

Thinking of booking a last minute cruise out of Galveston.

What are the current restrictions? Kids Club? We loved this last time and so did our son. He’s 9 now. He won’t be vaccinated (he had COVID in October) until next summer.

Port days you can book a 1.5 hour timeframe and 2.5 hours on days at sea. That said, they were able to work with us on longer time frames due to Palo and Remy meals which last longer than the allotted kids club time frames.

It's no longer a free for all in the kids club. They break the kids into smaller groups and rotate them around the kids club area during the timeframe. Our kids still really enjoyed it but there's more planning that now goes into it and I hope this format isn't permanent.

 

[bchurch]

Port days you can book a 1.5 hour timeframe and 2.5 hours on days at sea. That said, they were able to work with us on longer time frames due to Palo and Remy meals which last longer than the allotted kids club time frames.

It's no longer a free for all in the kids club. They break the kids into smaller groups and rotate them around the kids club area during the timeframe. Our kids still really enjoyed it but there's more planning that now goes into it and I hope this format isn't permanent.

A few questions If you would humor me.

Did you have any issues booking additional blocks during the cruise?

Any idea on why the port day blocks are 1.5hrs? Is it because the club is closed during port time or because there is a higher demand late afternoon/evening when everyone gets back onboard?

How did the kids club work on Castaway Cay day?
Thanks.

 

[DFII]

A few questions If you would humor me.

Did you have any issues booking additional blocks during the cruise?

Any idea on why the port day blocks are 1.5hrs? Is it because the club is closed during port time or because there is a higher demand late afternoon/evening when everyone gets back onboard?

How did the kids club work on Castaway Cay day?
Thanks.

I did not have any issue with additional blocks. You can’t do it through the app but if you talk to someone at the kids club they should be accommodating if circumstances call for it.

I did not ask about the “why” on time limits on port days vs sea days but I can follow up this weekend if nobody else chimes in.

I’m unsure on the kids club during Castaway Cay other than I was able to book a 1.5 hour session after we get back on the ship. I assume it’s open during the day but I didn’t try.

Hope that helps.

 

[Lady_S]

Hi All - Just looking for a little clarity on Kids Club reservations. I noted that @DFII said "Port days you can book a 1.5 hour timeframe and 2.5 hours on days at sea." But this blog says the reverse: "For sea days, you can reserve a 1.5-hour slot, and for port days you can reserve a 2.5-hour slot." I can't find anything official on the DCL site but maybe I haven't dug deep enough. Can anyone confirm the reservation time frames for at sea vs. port days? I'm hoping it's 2.5 hours for at sea as DFII suggested. Thx!

 

[luvtovacation12]

Hello, We did a Thanksgiving 7-night on the Fantasy. We were able to book 1.5 hrs on the Castaway Days and 2.5 on all others, so even on our Costa Maya and Cozumel, you could book 2.5.

I think that the reason Castaway is 1.5 is because they have to split staff between ship and shore so capacity is limited on the ship club.

 

[chaddow]

We just got off the Wonder. We had no issue booking additional times and last minutes times. They were excellent. I was able to do it on the app and in person.

 

[Sun_soakin]

Maybe I misunderstand, but I thought kids had to be vaccinated now. Why wait until next summer? We are thinking of booking one of those too, but only wanted to do so if vax is actually required

 

[tj48103]

If you sailing is after Jan 13 Disney will require your son to be vaccinated. They don't give an exemption for already having had covid. You mentioned last minute so maybe it is before then.

 

[sethschroeder]

Maybe I misunderstand, but I thought kids had to be vaccinated now. Why wait until next summer? We are thinking of booking one of those too, but only wanted to do so if vax is actually required

Vaccination will still only be required for 5+ not for those under and who knows when requirements would come since its not even approved for those age groups yet.

Also we can't talk about it here but tons of places can explain why vaccination requirements would not go in effect immediately.

 

[GlassAct]

Thinking of booking a last minute cruise out of Galveston.

What are the current restrictions? Kids Club? We loved this last time and so did our son. He’s 9 now. He won’t be vaccinated (he had COVID in October) until next summer.

We just got back from Galveston and my kids (8 and 10) loved it, but it is very different than previous if that is what he is expecting. This was our first cruise so they didn't know any different.

They rotated between stations every 15-20 minutes ish so it was fairly structured, which my kids enjoyed. We could do a second block the same day, but the kids weren't interested in doing the same crafts and the same character meet again, so we only did one block a day. My 10 year old didn't like that if her group at checkin skewed really young, then tough because the groups are set and don't mix. 2.5 hours on sea days, 1.5 hours on port days so the time goes fast. They really enjoyed it, especially my crafty kid. Had a character come every session, different one every day.

My introverted kid sat out a few of the activities to color and play a navigation game, so I think they do get a little bit of flexibility even though it is structured. Not unlimited time though, so she was frustrated that she never could finish her game.

They liked the small groups and individual attention.

Edit: asked my kids and one's favorite was Belle reading a Christmas story, the other's favorite was when Stich taught them to make slime!

 

[Sarahslay]

Vaccination will still only be required for 5+ not for those under and who knows when requirements would come since its not even approved for those age groups yet.

Also we can't talk about it here but tons of places can explain why vaccination requirements would not go in effect immediately.

Well, the OP child is 9, so depending on when this last minute cruise is set to sail it is very important for them to know this info. Disney is requiring it, so if they are wanting to cruise after Disneys date they may be out of luck, and it would be good for them to know now because they may still have a chance to get vaccinated in time to meet that deadline.

 

[sethschroeder]

Well, the OP child is 9, so depending on when this last minute cruise is set to sail it is very important for them to know this info. Disney is requiring it, so if they are wanting to cruise after Disneys date they may be out of luck, and it would be good for them to know now because they may still have a chance to get vaccinated in time to meet that deadline.

Okay and the OP likely is traveling soon since its last minute.

I responded to someone who was wondering why Disney would wait to put in the vaccination requirement for younger kids.

 

[Sun_soakin]

Okay and the OP likely is traveling soon since its last minute.

I responded to someone who was wondering why Disney would wait to put in the vaccination requirement for younger kids.

You misunderstood. I was wondering why OP would wait to vax.
But, good to know, I forgot the 5-11 vax mandate wasn’t effective until mid-January. We were looking at a last minute New Years cruise. Wish it would be in place by then.

 

[DisneyMom_13]

You misunderstood. I was wondering why OP would wait to vax.
But, good to know, I forgot the 5-11 vax mandate wasn’t effective until mid-January. We were looking at a last minute New Years cruise. Wish it would be in place by then.

Many are choosing to wait because they want more longer term data out. Some are waiting based on dr recommendations because of prior vaccine issues (much smaller group). I

 

[MEC004]

Maybe I misunderstand, but I thought kids had to be vaccinated now. Why wait until next summer? We are thinking of booking one of those too, but only wanted to do so if vax is actually required

Since our son recently had COVID our pediatrician urged us to wait since he has natural antibodies.
Now that the NCL cruise came back with those cases we have opted not to cruise for the time being.
Still going to WDW Oct/Nov

 

[Breezer4]

Did anyone that has cruised recently have difficulty getting your on board activities (tastings, Palo, spa, etc.) to match up with kids club availability? Husband and I would like some adult time without the kids but we haven’t sailed since the new booking policy was implemented.

 

[sethschroeder]

Did anyone that has cruised recently have difficulty getting your on board activities (tastings, Palo, spa, etc.) to match up with kids club availability? Husband and I would like some adult time without the kids but we haven’t sailed since the new booking policy was implemented.

So we didnt book anything on board but for our cruise we just booked on Tuesday for next Monday. There were kids club spots throughout the day. So I don't see it being an issue.

I will say though that there were certain times the kids club was not offered it seemed which I suspect coincides with open houses or something similar. That was before 9am and like 5pm if I remember right. Its a 2 1/2 hour slot.

I suspect you will be able to move either the onboard activity or the child's time slot to match up.

Note we are going on the Wonder though and there likely is less kids since its a week before schools are out for the christmas break.

 

[lanejudy]

Did anyone that has cruised recently have difficulty getting your on board activities (tastings, Palo, spa, etc.) to match up with kids club availability?

I think that may depend on how busy is the Club/Lab for your particular sailing. If you are going during the school vacation week between Christmas and New Years, it may well be a challenge. If you are sailing mid-week before or after the holidays, maybe not so much. Some recent posts I recall:

• The poster was not able to align a tasting with Club time so they ended up cancelling 1 person off the tasting.
• Another poster was able to book extra time at the Club so they could dine at Palo, but during dinner had to pop down to the Club to check the kids out/back in for the 2nd slot.
• Another poster has multiple kids and on a busy sailing was never able to book additional spots onboard for all of them at the same time (like only spot for 1 was available).
• Others have reported no problems getting extra time scheduled onboard or shifting their adult plans to align with Club time.