Kids' clubs question 12 and 14 year olds

[FigmentSpark]

My guys are on the edge of two clubs. On can go to the Vibe and Edge, while the other can go to the Edge and Lab. Without ever being at any of them, right now, they're planning on sticking together in the Edge, but I can see my 14 year old eyeing the Vibe and the other teens while the 12 year old might still enjoy the science part of the Lab.

So my question, which club is a "MUST DO" on the first night when there's a chance to make friends? Is there a chance to do the first night thing at both clubs or do they have to pick one or the other?

 

[tigerchic89]

My kids like to stay together, they feel more comfortable arriving at the club each time as a pair. If you're ok with the 12 yo checking himself out as he chooses (as opposed to oceanears where you have to check them in and out).. I'd send them both to Edge

 

[bumbershoot]

as opposed to oceanears where you have to check them in and out

You can give checkout/in privileges for the club/lab. Pretty sure you can do that for kids 8 and maybe even younger. Not that I condone it, but good info is good.


OP my son never needed to attend club/lab early to make friends.

If friends are important, I would make sure the 12 year old goes to Edge the first night. Because he can go and have fun at the Lab without worrying about a posse LOL. And honestly I'd see if the 14 year old wanted to go to Vibe for friends. A 14 year old could go to Edge and still be cool (b/c they are older), plus the 14 year old could join the 12 year old's group if needed, but they'll have a harder time meeting people later at the older teen room.

Just my opinion after watching my 12 year old NOT like Royal's teen program (which is from 12 to the end of 17) because despite his height he felt young and not cool.

 

[wilkeliza]

They could always split the night half and half.

Just wondering though when did it change that once a kid choose to go to one club they couldn't go to another? I thought for the longest once a kid chose Edge they were no longer able to get a band for the Lab/Club. Same with Vibe once they choose Vibe their key card no longer would get them into Edge.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

They could always split the night half and half.

Just wondering though when did it change that once a kid choose to go to one club they couldn't go to another? I thought for the longest once a kid chose Edge they were no longer able to get a band for the Lab/Club. Same with Vibe once they choose Vibe their key card no longer would get them into Edge.

Originally, when a child was in an overlap age they chose which club they went to, they were allowed one change. But then they had to stay with the club they changed to.

In looking back - it appears the change from "must choose one or the other" to being able to float between the two started between Jan and May of 2013.

 

[bbel]

You can give checkout/in privileges for the club/lab. Pretty sure you can do that for kids 8 and maybe even younger. Not that I condone it, but good info is good.

An 8-12 year old can be given self check privileges at any point (and they can be taken away, and given back, as much as you like), by the registering adult(s), by telling the CM at the club/lab desk (also the child doesn't have to be with you at the time).
A 7 year ald can also be made a self check, but a waiver form has to be signed (again by the adult(s) who signed the reg form or has been authorised to make changes to the reg info)

The computer system won't even give the option of anyone younger than 7 to be a self check.

 

[bbel]

My guys are on the edge of two clubs. On can go to the Vibe and Edge, while the other can go to the Edge and Lab. Without ever being at any of them, right now, they're planning on sticking together in the Edge, but I can see my 14 year old eyeing the Vibe and the other teens while the 12 year old might still enjoy the science part of the Lab.

So my question, which club is a "MUST DO" on the first night when there's a chance to make friends? Is there a chance to do the first night thing at both clubs or do they have to pick one or the other?

They're the ages that they can cross over both the clubs for their age, and if you allow the 12yo to be a self-check then they are free to move between as much as they like.

They'll get a feel and know what they like and where they feel comfortable it could be that they both prefer edge or the younger prefers the lab and the older likes vibe...

As for making friends, I shouldn't stress too much, if they do the stuff that interests them, that's the best way to make friends. From my experience they have ice breakers and meet you're Counselors and things like that on the first night in the club, but they're often during show/dinner time and it's pretty quiet..
I've seen kids not rock up to edge till the second day, they came because of the activity going on (e.g. Gaga ball), they're in a team and suddenly immediately make friends because they're in a group of kids that have similar interests. Especially in edge and vibe, it's a smaller team that works in them and they get to know the kids better and quicker and often 'put kids together' "hey Jonny, did you know jimmy was from the same state as you." "No! Where you from? What team you support?" Or they play the wii together because they're the only two that want to play that game. Again because of the kid - Counselor dynamics, the structured activities often mean that all kids get included and involved and part of a group even if they haven't had the chance to make friends yet...
Then in the club/lab, kids just seem to find each other. They see a kid with a ball "hey you want to play?" Or playing a card game they just join in, or they sit next to each other on the computers and get chatting.

Some of the best cruise friendships I've seen have come from kids that have accidentally found each other, not through the structured/navigated activities.

My advice for all parents, especially first time is don't try to predict your kids. You won't believe the amount of times that I've had parents tell me that their kids definitely will or won't do something (good and bad) and they've been proven wrong. A cruise (especially a first Disney cruise) is probably unlike any environment that they have ever been in.

 

[FigmentSpark]

They're the ages that they can cross over both the clubs for their age, and if you allow the 12yo to be a self-check then they are free to move between as much as they like.

They'll get a feel and know what they like and where they feel comfortable it could be that they both prefer edge or the younger prefers the lab and the older the club...

As for making friends, I shouldn't stress too much, if they do the stuff that interests them, that's the best way to make friends. From my experience they have ice breakers and meet you're Counselors and things like that on the first night in the club, but they're often during show/dinner time and it's pretty quiet..
I've seen kids not rock up to edge till the second day, they came because of the activity going on (e.g. Gaga ball), they're in a team and suddenly immediately make friends because they're in a group of kids that have similar interests. Especially in edge and vibe, it's a smaller team that works in them and they get to know the kids better and quicker and often 'put kids together' "hey Jonny, did you know jimmy was from the same state as you." "No! Where you from? What team you support?" Or they play the wii together because they're the only two that want to play that game. Again because of the kid - Counselor dynamics, the structured activities often mean that all kids get included and involved and part of a group even if they haven't had the chance to make friends yet...
Then in the club/lab, kids just seem to find each other. They see a kid with a ball "hey you want to play?" Or playing a card game they just join in, or they sit next to each other on the computers and get chatting.

Some of the best cruise friendships I've seen have come from kids that have accidentally found each other, not through the structured/navigated activities.

My advice for all parents, especially first time is don't try to predict your kids. You won't believe the amount of times that I've had parents tell me that their kids definitely will or won't do something (good and bad) and they've been proven wrong. A cruise (especially a first Disney cruise) is probably unlike any environment that they have ever been in.

So, really just make sure they know where they can go and what's going on, to see if they're interested? I do hope my kids surprise me and find something new and wonderful. I don't need them to make lifelong friends, but I want them to be happy and enjoy themselves while on the cruise. Having someone to do things with can make a difference.

If friends are important, I would make sure the 12 year old goes to Edge the first night. Because he can go and have fun at the Lab without worrying about a posse LOL. And honestly I'd see if the 14 year old wanted to go to Vibe for friends. A 14 year old could go to Edge and still be cool (b/c they are older), plus the 14 year old could join the 12 year old's group if needed, but they'll have a harder time meeting people later at the older teen room.

That sounds like a logical strategy for scoping things out.


Another question... will kids in Edge think a kid with a Lab band on is too babyish to include, or will lots of Edge kids be crossing clubs and also have the band?

 

[bbel]

Another question... will kids in Edge think a kid with a Lab band on is too babyish to include, or will lots of Edge kids be crossing clubs and also have the band?

They honestly won't notice. Neither will the child wearing it after a while. Half the kids in edge are of 'oceaneer band' age and a big percentage will also have them on. Kids, especially boys, don't look at their wrists enough to notice they have a band on, let alone look at anyone's else.
If there is an issue, slide the lock along and it comes off...

 

[party-of-five]

Another question... will kids in Edge think a kid with a Lab band on is too babyish to include, or will lots of Edge kids be crossing clubs and also have the band?

On our first cruise, the kids didn't make it to the "first night" in any of the clubs. The next day, my DD(who was 12 at the time) met a friend (another 12 year old girl). They were inseparable for the rest of the cruise. They met at a scheduled activity and became friends because they had common interests. Both of the girls wore their oceanears band because they had younger siblings and would sometimes go to the club/lab. I don't think it was ever an issue for them and frankly if someone did think them babyish for wearing it, my daughter wouldn't want to hang around with someone like that anyways.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

The times for the ice-breakers on the first night are listed in the navigators. You can check out some of the older navigators to see when they might be. I forget if the times for the Vibe and the Edge Ice breakers overlap or not. I do remember the Vibe one didn't kick off until like 10:30 or something that first night. So they might be able to check out Edge first. I also know that Vibe the first night was VERY unlike Vibe the rest of the cruise. My sons told me that the first night there were like 50 kids there. After that, never so many at any one time. So tell your kids not to be intimidated if they see so many kids at first. It isn't always like that.

Also, not to be preachy, but just to share my experience and perspective (ignore me if you like): I think parents worry too much about their kids making friends, and sometimes pass this worry on to their kids, which makes it harder. Bbel is right: even the teens make friends pretty easily just by doing what they like. Are there some kids there that are just aren't compatible with yours? Sure. But the place is fairly large and there are lots of different activities on different days, the kids they don't get along with will be easy to avoid.

Also, I told my kids, that this was a great opportunity for them to practice. Not practice being phony or making kids like them, but practice being themselves in a friendly, positive, and outgoing way. And hey, if it doesn't work, you can come hang with us, and you'll never see any of those kids again anyway. Give it a try! Of course, I also tell them that every year at school is an opportunity. A whole new group of kids who don't know hardly anyone and are looking to meet people with similar interests, but THEY might be too shy to reach out, so you have an opportunity to reach out to THEM.

I wish someone had taught me this. I learned it in college. As a Freshman, I noticed that for about 3 weeks, EVERYONE was looking for friends and would talk to me if I started up a conversation, maybe we clicked, maybe we didn't, but anyone I got to know in those three weeks was a potential friend. After that, my new friends and I did it every year. Reaching out to the new freshman, making friends, making them feel comfortable for those magical three weeks when people were open to new friends. When I left college, I had friends from all four classes. To this day, I still get together with many of them. Of course, since then, I've learned it works in any new setting. My kids have heard this story, and they feel much more comfortable reaching out to people when they know that people WANT to be reached out to.

OK. Sorry. I hope some of that helped.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Not preachy at all. Good advice.