Kids Clubs-ease my fears please!

[KristiMc]

Seems like they could definitely do a group like 8-12 or something similar to help

Years ago they used to have this. The Club was 3-7 and the Lab was 8-12. Parents complained that their kids couldn't be together so it was changed to 3-12.

 

[KashasMom]

Years ago they used to have this. The Club was 3-7 and the Lab was 8-12. Parents complained that their kids couldn't be together so it was changed to 3-12.

I hate the 3-12 range. My daughter had one bad experience and can't get her back in a DCL club now.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I just wanted to add, since I mentioned two things that went wrong with my son in the clubs... he loved the cruise. He made friends and he's the one pushing about how soon can we go back. I know his experience in the clubs had some hiccups, but he loved the whole experience and on the last day, was begging to go to the goodbye event at Edge, so he could say goodbye to his friends. So even though we had missteps, and had to intervene (counsellors were awesome!), he still went back.

 

[lorenni]

I hate the 3-12 range. My daughter had one bad experience and can't get her back in a DCL club now.

I think a lot of us hate the 3-12. I can't think of any other circumstance where I would purposefully leave my kid with that big an age range in what is truly a minimally supervised space.

As I have posted elsewhere previously, my kiddo was literally trampled by a group of older kids while going between the club and lab and NOT A SINGLE COUNSELOR came by to help. I watched the whole thing but could do nothing as he was in that glassed in hallway on the Magic. Fortunately a kind 8ish year old helped him up and walked him to the other side, where I ran to get in. I was told by a counselor that the kids in question were a known problem but there was nothing that could be done to stop them!?!?

And then too you have to factor in the very real issue of older kids simply having been exposed to more and talking about more than your small child may have seen/heard previously. Mature themes abound and language is different with older kids.

We'll try the club/lab again on our upcoming cruise, but DS is still solidly in the 3-7 bracket and I still wish Disney hadn't caved and sacrificed safety by combining the age groups.

 

[cmph]

I think everyone is quick to bring up negatives, and some times you need a counterbalance with some positives too! I've read trip reports where kids befriended younger children and took them under their wings, even meeting at the pool with their parents or for character meet-n-greets together (with photographic evidence). My 11yo's first complaint about the clubs were the lines to do things... but that was b/c she would wait forever to get a spot at a video game or whatever, and then immediately give up her turn b/c a little kid was next in line and she didn't want them to wait! I had to chuckle at that and told her it was totally ok to take your own turn after waiting in line. So not all older kids are jerks.

 

[starvenger]

So not all older kids are jerks.

No they definitely are not all jerks. But it only takes one to sour the mood.

Also not a fan of the 3-12 range. It did mean that my two (5 and 8) plus their cousin (4) tended to stick together but they ended up doing activities that skewed younger as my older one was willing to accommodate the other two.

With that said I felt that the Club/Lab was run very well (this was on the Fantasy in 2015) and should I go on another DCL ship I'd have no issues with leaving my kids there.

 

[KristiMc]

I think everyone is quick to bring up negatives, and some times you need a counterbalance with some positives too! I've read trip reports where kids befriended younger children and took them under their wings, even meeting at the pool with their parents or for character meet-n-greets together (with photographic evidence). My 11yo's first complaint about the clubs were the lines to do things... but that was b/c she would wait forever to get a spot at a video game or whatever, and then immediately give up her turn b/c a little kid was next in line and she didn't want them to wait! I had to chuckle at that and told her it was totally ok to take your own turn after waiting in line. So not all older kids are jerks.

I agree with this! I went to pick up my son who I think was 9 at the time and he was playing a game with a 4 year old.

 

[msmama]

It sounds like, from reading these boards, there are vast differences in shorter cruises vs longer cruises, as well as Bahama's vs other parts of the world (which probably goes along with the length).

That's just what I've picked up from reading these boards and stuff about the kids clubs over the years. Obviously there can be jerks everywhere, but reading these boards, it seems like there are more of them on the shorter cruises (making vast generalizations, I realize).

When we did the Canada cruise last October, it seemed like my 8 year old was one of the oldest there. Kids 10 and up seemed to spend time between the kids club and teen club (whichever one comes next, can't remember 'cause it doesn't pertain to me). Is that because it was during school so there were fewer kids overall? Maybe.

I found my kid playing dinosaurs with younger kids quite a few times. I stood back and watched once and he was directing the play a bit ("how about this dino does this...") . Would another parent have looked at that and said "the older kids are bossing my little one around?"

 

[bbel]

It sounds like, from reading these boards, there are vast differences in shorter cruises vs longer cruises, as well as Bahama's vs other parts of the world (which probably goes along with the length).

That's just what I've picked up from reading these boards and stuff about the kids clubs over the years. Obviously there can be jerks everywhere, but reading these boards, it seems like there are more of them on the shorter cruises (making vast generalizations, I realize).

When we did the Canada cruise last October, it seemed like my 8 year old was one of the oldest there. Kids 10 and up seemed to spend time between the kids club and teen club (whichever one comes next, can't remember 'cause it doesn't pertain to me). Is that because it was during school so there were fewer kids overall? Maybe.

I found my kid playing dinosaurs with younger kids quite a few times. I stood back and watched once and he was directing the play a bit ("how about this dino does this...") . Would another parent have looked at that and said "the older kids are bossing my little one around?"

So true.

I also think some kids can be completely different on a cruise than anywhere else. It's potentially the only place where they literally don't know anyone and no one knows them (apart from the odd sibling/family member/friend). And for some kids this can be completely freeing and they can be whoever they want, and unfortunately some kids express that through ways that other observing adults may not approve of.

And as for the running, yes, unfortunately it's not uncommon that a younger kid occasionally gets knocked over by a bigger kid (but where I'm from kids of the same age bracket share the same school playground where it also happens), but it is far more common for the younger kids to run everywhere no matter how many times you tell them to stop, they just seem to have one speed setting, the big kids just don't go down as easy.
As a CM I feel like every other phrase I used was "walking feet please", but were also trained not to say no, so sometimes it can be a little draining...