Kids clubs on OTHER cruise lines

[Mickeyhugger]

NCL closes their kids clubs similar to RCI. When I asked about it they told me it was because parents dropped their kids off all day and night long.

That is so very sad for kids who DON'T want to be there.

 

[deanimal]

We recently did a cruise on NCL's Breakaway after three Disney cruises and my kids loved the clubs! They were always asking to go back and didn't want to leave when we came by, which never happened with Disney. We wouldn't hesitate to book them again. Here's my summary:
Pros: LOTS of attention from leaders
-smaller age groups; 3-5, 6-9 and 10-12 meant activities were really targeted for each age range. My 5 and 7 year old were split up which I initially worried about, but in the end it worked out fine. No one was bored by "babyish" activities or overwhelmed by older kids.
-far fewer screens in the clubs. My kids tend to wander to the nearest screen and just stare at it like a zombie. In the NCL clubs they were actually doing stuff the whole time.
-organized activities and team games meant it was way easier for my kids to make friends on the cruise. Kids were always saying hi or even running up to and hugging each other wherever we went on the ship and we'd just smile with the other parents and enjoy the fact that our kids had a more active social life than we did!

Cons: limited hours. Clubs were open 9-12, 2-5 and 7-10 on sea days and a little longer on port days. After ten cost extra. Not a big deal for us since we like to have meals together and don't stay out late, but could be a concern for others.
-kids who like to be more independent or don't like joining groups might not like the "summer camp" atmosphere. In the Disney clubs kids could just wander around and do their own thing unless they chose to join an activity. NCL was a better fit for our kids, but some kids might prefer Disney.

For our next cruise we're actually planning to go with NCL instead of Disney based largely on how much our kids enjoyed the clubs.
hope this helps

 

[DnA2010]

We recently did a cruise on NCL's Breakaway after three Disney cruises and my kids loved the clubs! They were always asking to go back and didn't want to leave when we came by, which never happened with Disney. We wouldn't hesitate to book them again. Here's my summary:
Pros: LOTS of attention from leaders
-smaller age groups; 3-5, 6-9 and 10-12 meant activities were really targeted for each age range. My 5 and 7 year old were split up which I initially worried about, but in the end it worked out fine. No one was bored by "babyish" activities or overwhelmed by older kids.
-far fewer screens in the clubs. My kids tend to wander to the nearest screen and just stare at it like a zombie. In the NCL clubs they were actually doing stuff the whole time.
-organized activities and team games meant it was way easier for my kids to make friends on the cruise. Kids were always saying hi or even running up to and hugging each other wherever we went on the ship and we'd just smile with the other parents and enjoy the fact that our kids had a more active social life than we did!

Cons: limited hours. Clubs were open 9-12, 2-5 and 7-10 on sea days and a little longer on port days. After ten cost extra. Not a big deal for us since we like to have meals together and don't stay out late, but could be a concern for others.
-kids who like to be more independent or don't like joining groups might not like the "summer camp" atmosphere. In the Disney clubs kids could just wander around and do their own thing unless they chose to join an activity. NCL was a better fit for our kids, but some kids might prefer Disney.

For our next cruise we're actually planning to go with NCL instead of Disney based largely on how much our kids enjoyed the clubs.
hope this helps

This is very helpful, thanks! That's one thing I didn't like in the Dosney clubs- all the screens. We've been looking at thoseNCL getaway class ships

 

[bumbershoot]

On the other hand I find it horrible that Disney's age range is 3-12. Sorry but 12 year olds should not be with 3 year olds!!

FWIW my son rarely notices the little ones. He watches out for them, because he doesn't want to hurt them OR himself (face it; he has farther to fall and a lot less padding than a typical 3 year old), but he hasn't been overly bothered by them.

I guess those were periods that DD was with us.

Same experience. The times the club on Royal is closed are exactly when we have him with us. Alternatively known as "the times he's going to faint away from hunger because he needs to eeeeeeeeeat".

When I asked about it they told me it was because parents dropped their kids off all day and night long. That's not my idea of a family vacation but I guess some people just use it as a babysitting service.

I'm glad Royal closes during the day because otherwise we have to be the big bad meanies to come get him out. It's like that on Disney, with their all day open situation. Once he's out he's happy to be out (to go EAT) but he doesn't like being pulled off of that dance floor or out of the line for a screen.

That's one thing I didn't like in the Dosney clubs- all the screens.

Yes. DS insists that he never got ot play the good stuff (Mario Kart, apparently), but still, he's often looking at a screen there. That's why the second two Disney cruises we went on we studied the schedule more and pretty much dropped him off there for certain activities, and picked him up after. He grumbles at much less screen time, but he smiles a heck of a lot more!

 

[jahber]

NCL closes their kids clubs similar to RCI. When I asked about it they told me it was because parents dropped their kids off all day and night long. That's not my idea of a family vacation but I guess some people just use it as a babysitting service.

My kids would love it if I would drop them off all day. I'm with them all day every day, so that sounds like a lovely family vacation (you know, a break from the usual of caring for and educating them all day) to me! And to them. But to each their own.

 

[darnheather]

Maybe it's because I homeschool so I regularly see mixed age groups play and work together, but I saw no issues with the DCL lab/club. My 10 year old tended to stick with the lab side as the smaller children were too rowdy for her, but she sometimes did things on the club side. Children can often work out for themselves where they need to be.

 

[jahber]

In terms of clubs, my kids liked the Carnival clubs pretty well. They had to get over not being together, like they were on DCL, and they did. My kids still talk about activities they did on our two carnival cruises, 2 and 3 years ago. One thing I specifically remember is that we sailed on my older son's birthday one year and the counselors made him a hat out of poster board and sang for him and had a little "party" that night when he went after dinner. He was beaming (he had turned 7). Because there are so many fewer kids, the counselors really can give each kid more attention. That's nice. The limited hours, not so much. But we managed. And the late after-hour parties (for a fee) were a big hit.

 

[darnheather]

NCL closes their kids clubs similar to RCI. When I asked about it they told me it was because parents dropped their kids off all day and night long. That's not my idea of a family vacation but I guess some people just use it as a babysitting service.

Well as I'm with my kids literally 24/7 and have in the past had zero respite care for up to a year at a time, I need a vacation from them as much as they need a vacation from me. Not every family is alike. As it was I took my younger daughter out for lunch each day and spent some time with her in the afternoons and evenings as she desired. We had breakfast and dinner as a family and my older daughter did as she pleased otherwise. Also, the kids clubs were closed from midnight to 9am so they couldn't have been there all night long.

 

[darnheather]

In terms of clubs, my kids liked the Carnival clubs pretty well. They had to get over not being together, like they were on DCL, and they did. My kids still talk about activities they did on our two carnival cruises, 2 and 3 years ago. One thing I specifically remember is that we sailed on my older son's birthday one year and the counselors made him a hat out of poster board and sang for him and had a little "party" that night when he went after dinner. He was beaming (he had turned 7). Because there are so many fewer kids, the counselors really can give each kid more attention. That's nice. The limited hours, not so much. But we managed. And the late after-hour parties (for a fee) were a big hit.

So what all has a fee and where can you find out this information ahead of time? I'm generally on a strict budget when I vacation and I would be horribly upset if my children learned of a party while on the cruise that I couldn't afford. If I can know ahead of time and budget for one or two then that's great.

 

[jahber]

So what all has a fee and where can you find out this information ahead of time? I'm generally on a strict budget when I vacation and I would be horribly upset if my children learned of a party while on the cruise that I couldn't afford. If I can know ahead of time and budget for one or two then that's great.

There's a babysitting service (Night Owls) and parties, which are separate. Babysitting is per hour, parties are a flat fee, but are totally worth it!
Prices are here:
https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1062

 

[mcd2745]

So what all has a fee and where can you find out this information ahead of time? I'm generally on a strict budget when I vacation and I would be horribly upset if my children learned of a party while on the cruise that I couldn't afford. If I can know ahead of time and budget for one or two then that's great.

On RCCL, they refer to the hours of 10pm-2am as the "Late Night Party Zone". It's not really a party though. The fee, I believe is $7 or $8 per child, per hour.

 

[MousseauMob]

My kids have done DCL, HAL, and Celebrity kids clubs and loved all three for different reasons. The sheer number of kids on DCL can be a bit overwhelming. Its easier to bond with counselors and other kids in smaller groups. I like the lunch and dinner breaks on other lines, because I can spend some time with them without having to pull them out.

We never used the expanded DCL hours because I feel like 10:00pm for younger kids and midnight for teens was late enough. Which doesn't always make me the most popular parent on DCL. BTW, times were negotiable for special events if discussed and agreed upon first.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm with them all day every day, so that sounds like a lovely family vacation (you know, a break from the usual of caring for and educating them all day) to me! And to them.

Good gravy, yes. There's something about homeschooling that makes for such lovely bonds AND such a need to see a bit less of them on vacation, LOL. I am also a "dance mom" (though not the competitive scary kind...I'm a YMCA dance mom LOL), and I volunteer with the dance company, so I'm constantly immersed in what was *supposed to be* something that didn't involve me.

Alas, my boy still has to eat, and when in a group setting he forgets to.

Maybe it's because I homeschool so I regularly see mixed age groups play and work together, but I saw no issues with the DCL lab/club.

I wonder if that's why DS doesn't see a problem with the mixed group? Don't get me wrong; he likes the closer-in-age group on Royal, but on the 2 cruises where they combined 6-8 and 9-11 he didn't mind that.

My 10 year old tended to stick with the lab side as the smaller children were too rowdy for her

I love that your girl and my boy both felt concerned b/c of the little kids.

 

[Spart02]

Since everyone is posting such glowing reviews of other cruise lines' kids clubs, I thought I would post about our perspective on Royal's Brilliance of the Seas:

The major differences we found between Disney (all 4 ships) and Royal (Brilliance of the Seas):
1. The hours on the Brilliance were tough to work around and also interfered with when the waterslide was open (very limited amounts of time for the waterslide and only when the children's programming was also going on). For example, the evening show (which stated that it had adult content) started BEFORE the kids areas were open. There were a lot of little issues like that on our Christmas cruise.
2. The kids on the Brilliance all had to be doing the same activity, which was usually a sport-type activity. If your child didn't want to play Gaga ball, they just had to sit and watch. No other activities were available to them, even just playing on the computers or coloring.
3. Our Brilliance cruise seemed to be severely under-staffed compared to the Disney clubs. Usually it was just one adult to about 15 kids with no other staff visible.
4. Disney texts you via the Wave Phones if your child wants picked up. On the Brilliance, there is no form of communication.
5. Not kids club related, but we found the Brilliance to be not very kid-friendly. They were showing R rated movies on the big screen at the pool with people being shot and blood going everywhere. Some of the evening entertainment was not marked as adult content, but very much was. My kids saw WAY more than they should have one night, even with us getting up and leaving immediately when we realized what was going on. I'm not super strict about what my kids see and do, but one that game shows took things WAY too far without proper notice.

We decided that if we ever do a Royal cruise again, we'll do one of the bigger ships that hopefully has more to offer to families. The Brilliance was not a good ship for families, in our eyes. We also said that we would bring our own games or more to keep ourselves occupied, as the Brilliance didn't offer many family activities. We did the Brilliance for Christmas and the Disney Fantasy for Spring Break and they were night and day different. We didn't have time to do all of the Disney activities that we wanted to do and rarely had any down time at all. We love Disney, but with the increasing prices, we were hoping to fall in love with another cruise line. Let's just say we're still looking for love after trying the Brilliance!

 

[RedSox68]

When we took my daughter on DCL one year she had just turned 13, but absolutely did not want to go to the teen group (she was very shy), so they let her stay in the group with the 12-year-olds.

 

[Ofinn]

My kids would love it if I would drop them off all day. I'm with them all day every day, so that sounds like a lovely family vacation (you know, a break from the usual of caring for and educating them all day) to me! And to them. But to each their own.

I hear you. On sea days my kids leave for the Edge at 10am. I see them at dinner, and they come in when it closes at 1am. They spent a lot of time at the club when they were little too. Like you I homeschool so they see more of their parents then most kids. A cruise to them is like a week at summer camp....a break from their parents.

 

[jahber]

I hear you. On sea days my kids leave for the Edge at 10am. I see them at dinner, and they come in when it closes at 1am. They spent a lot of time at the club when they were little too. Like you I homeschool so they see more of their parents then most kids. A cruise to them is like a week at summer camp....a break from their parents.

It's true--a family vacation for us involves a lot more apartness than our usual lives. Apparently more than some people find acceptable. I always say it's MY vacation and my kids', too. If they want to spend all day in the clubs, it's more time for me to sit and read and not have kids climbing on me. It's why I love cruising! People can spend all day with their kids or they can have all the time alone that they need.

 

[darnheather]

Since everyone is posting such glowing reviews of other cruise lines' kids clubs, I thought I would post about our perspective on Royal's Brilliance of the Seas:

2. The kids on the Brilliance all had to be doing the same activity, which was usually a sport-type activity. If your child didn't want to play Gaga ball, they just had to sit and watch. No other activities were available to them, even just playing on the computers or coloring.

4. Disney texts you via the Wave Phones if your child wants picked up. On the Brilliance, there is no form of communication.

Those two are big no from me. Thanks for the review.

 

[DnA2010]

Since everyone is posting such glowing reviews of other cruise lines' kids clubs, I thought I would post about our perspective on Royal's Brilliance of the Seas:

The major differences we found between Disney (all 4 ships) and Royal (Brilliance of the Seas):
1. The hours on the Brilliance were tough to work around and also interfered with when the waterslide was open (very limited amounts of time for the waterslide and only when the children's programming was also going on). For example, the evening show (which stated that it had adult content) started BEFORE the kids areas were open. There were a lot of little issues like that on our Christmas cruise.
2. The kids on the Brilliance all had to be doing the same activity, which was usually a sport-type activity. If your child didn't want to play Gaga ball, they just had to sit and watch. No other activities were available to them, even just playing on the computers or coloring.
3. Our Brilliance cruise seemed to be severely under-staffed compared to the Disney clubs. Usually it was just one adult to about 15 kids with no other staff visible.
4. Disney texts you via the Wave Phones if your child wants picked up. On the Brilliance, there is no form of communication.
5. Not kids club related, but we found the Brilliance to be not very kid-friendly. They were showing R rated movies on the big screen at the pool with people being shot and blood going everywhere. Some of the evening entertainment was not marked as adult content, but very much was. My kids saw WAY more than they should have one night, even with us getting up and leaving immediately when we realized what was going on. I'm not super strict about what my kids see and do, but one that game shows took things WAY too far without proper notice.

We decided that if we ever do a Royal cruise again, we'll do one of the bigger ships that hopefully has more to offer to families. The Brilliance was not a good ship for families, in our eyes. We also said that we would bring our own games or more to keep ourselves occupied, as the Brilliance didn't offer many family activities. We did the Brilliance for Christmas and the Disney Fantasy for Spring Break and they were night and day different. We didn't have time to do all of the Disney activities that we wanted to do and rarely had any down time at all. We love Disney, but with the increasing prices, we were hoping to fall in love with another cruise line. Let's just say we're still looking for love after trying the Brilliance!

Def try a larger ship- DD still talks about the clubs on Oasis - we let her do the evening part zone, as long as she wasn't grumpy the next day- I think there were generally 4-5 councillors there even late at night.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

When we took my daughter on DCL one year she had just turned 13, but absolutely did not want to go to the teen group (she was very shy), so they let her stay in the group with the 12-year-olds.

When was this?