Kids Clubs

[sopandbass]

Maybe this has already been brought up in a thread but I haven't read the boards for the past couple of weeks while we've been cruising through the Panama Canal. So, forgive me if this is a repeat....

We love DCL. The EB 15-night Panama Canal cruise was our 5th voyage with DCL. We loved our trip. But we, along with many other passengers we spoke with during our cruise, were disappointed with the Kids Clubs.

Our DD, who turned 8 in July, was so excited about going to the Oceaneers' Lab. During past cruises, we couldn't drag her out of the Club, even for dinner sometimes. She loved the counselors and the activities. We loved knowing that she was having a blast and we could sit out on a deck chair and read a book without worrying about her. We also do lots of activities and spend time together while cruising so everyone had family time and alone time and it was mutually beneficial for all of us. Not so this trip.

With the regrouping of ages in the clubs, our 8-year-old was one of the smallest kids and didn't particularly enjoy playing dodgeball with 11-year-olds. Okay, that's not anyone's fault but perhaps that's not the greatest activity to plan, either. Our DD told us that the counselors were not as friendly this time - something we heard from other kids and parents - it seemed like they were just babysitting this time rather than engaging and encouraging the kids to play together.

One of the activities was telling scary stories. Our pager went off right away and my DH went to get DD. When he arrived, the group was transitioning back to the Lab so he had to wait. One of the counselors was sitting on the floor with his laptop trying to keep track of all the kids who wanted to page their parents and leave the event. He said something about them never having this many kids - maybe he meant everyone showed up all at once. Kids were crying. As it ended up, our DD had befriended the other 8-year-old at our dining table and she was also crying and scared and our DD didn't want to leave her alone so DD stayed to comfort her.

Anyway, I know that not every kid is going to like every activity. And for a while, I thought that maybe it was just our DD who didn't want to go. But I kept hearing other unhappy stories and I've read a couple on threads. Maybe we're not the only family that had this reaction.

As I said before, we still had a lovely time. We enjoyed the trip and each other and things are good. I guess I'm just curious if other families have experienced this, too. I do hope it was just an unfortunate experience for this one cruise since I lingered a little too long around the Future Cruise desk and have another cruise planned.

 

[gummyvites]

I'm sorry to hear it didn't go so well for you dd. We did fine on our cruise in May, though my kids didn't want to spend as much time in the clubs as we had thought that they would. My ds(8) was also discouraged about the dodgeball thing. Are there kids out there who actually LIKE dodgeball? I always thought it was our PE teacher's way of torturing us! Whenever there was any mention of dodgeball, my ds couldn't page us fast enough!!!

I'm glad it didn't ruin your cruise experience!

Karen

 

[Soccermom-Cheri]

On our 10/05 cruise, the Lab seemed to spend so much time up on the sports deck I couldn't get DD to go to the clubs (not very sports-minded, she). This time she commented that she hoped there would be something new to do. They did put in Wii's but how many times can a kid make Flubber and cookies? The scary stories didn't go over too well either. Hopefully, the programming will undergo some changes/updates. There are an awful lot of return cruising kids.

She still had a great time, BTW, hanging out with her brother and DIS friends.

 

[atinkerbellmom]

You know, I do not think Dodge Ball should even be included in an activity. I do not think it is appropiate even for kids the same exact age at school, so with various ages and sizes, I do not think it is appropiate. I did not let my kids participate when I saw it on the Navigator. Now one thing I am very sad abouth was I talked DCL up so much to a friend and how the girls would LOVE the clubs. Well guess what the first activity they went to the clubs for without realizing it????? DODGEBALL and guess whatm they quickly decided they did not like the clubs and NEVER went back. Dodgeball has always been a game where the smaller, weaker children get hurt either emotionally or physically.

 

[Justthe8ofus]

It sounds like your kids might be ready to try another cruiseline. It was your 5th with DCL. We have done 2 so far and my kids like the kids club and they like dodgeball. I actually think being up on the sports deck is a good thing. Kids don't get enough activity now a days but that's me.

I know that we will be ready to try another line after another 1 or 2 times on Disney. Kids grow up and probably get sick of the same thing year after year.

I'm sorry the kids club didn't work out for you on the cruise.

 

[JoiseyMom]

OP, I am sorry your 8 year old didn't enjoy the clubs. The new age grouping for the Lab was 8-10 though. The 11 year olds were with the tweens 11 - 13 in Quest. My DS7 was in the clubs and had a blast. The only times he didn't want to go was when they were up on the SPorts deck though...it was too hot and he just doesn't like it. I never saw any kids in his group upset. There were alot of kids on this cruise, but they have had more. The biggest kid issues were the teens and tweens. We had some issues and were talking to the counselors and Christiaan on more then one occassion. There were lots of kids kicked out of Quest on this trip. The biggest issue was the kids being bored being so long on the ship, and the older kids, most being repeat cruisers, felt very at home on board and kept doing their own thing.

I found the counselors in the younger groups very nice and helpful. I was suprised that a few of them remember my kids from the 3 night wonder trip we took last year.

 

[sasser05]

Yes we had an 8 and 9 year old girls with us and they to did not like the Lab but on 2 previous cruises loved the club, so they do need to cater to girl activites boy activites ages more so and change the list of things to do we have been on 5 cruises with our 6th next month and not too many things have changed how many times can you make Flubber and bake cookies.
Hopefully they will revamp it when the new ships debut themselves.

 

[JustJus]

We recently did a 4 night on the Wonder with two 15yr old girls.

We were all disappointed with Aloft(Stack) compared to previous sailings.
This time it simply seemed to provide an initial meeting spot for any teens lucky enough to encounter like-minded souls.

Unlike our past experiences (3 ,10 & 12 night) there were very few structured and entertaining activities organised to grab the attention of the teens and to get them to integrate well.
Whilst you can't always judge from the Navigator, viewing the days timetable made for pretty depressing reading - most of the time was "Hanging in Aloft".

The teen hang out and the teen counsellors in particular have always been the absolute highlight of our teenagers cruising. The girls felt no bond with the counsellors this time and went as far as to say they felt the counsellors were disinterested in the teens on board and indeed irritated by them.

We have cruised Royal Caribbean too (and loved it-it's cruising!), but what kept us coming back to Disney was the Teen programme. Royal Caribbean offers plenty of good, dedicated teen areas but lacks the structured teen programme which gives every teen cruiser the option to get involved and make friends more easily and the great counsellors who facilitate that.

On our most recent experience, we are not gaining teen-wise on Disney, so may be better off as a family on RCL which imo shades it on entertainment for DH and me.

Every cruise we've taken with DCL has been different, but, until now, the teen programme has been a great, reliable constant. Felt moved to post by the reports from the EB re teens all over the ship. We had this to some extent too because there was nothing to keep them in Aloft, even over 4 nights.
I know a longer cruise presents its own challenges, but throughout 10 and 12 day cruises we've seen the Stack hold its own and act like a magnet to teens over any "exciting family adventures" we could dangle!!

Hope it's a blip, but I was concerned when taking the recent reports into account alongside our own experiences.

 

[NewportCat]

OP, I am sorry your 8 year old didn't enjoy the clubs. The new age grouping for the Lab was 8-10 though. The 11 year olds were with the tweens 11 - 13 in Quest. My DS7 was in the clubs and had a blast. The only times he didn't want to go was when they were up on the SPorts deck though...it was too hot and he just doesn't like it. I never saw any kids in his group upset. There were alot of kids on this cruise, but they have had more. The biggest kid issues were the teens and tweens. We had some issues and were talking to the counselors and Christiaan on more then one occassion. There were lots of kids kicked out of Quest on this trip. The biggest issue was the kids being bored being so long on the ship, and the older kids, most being repeat cruisers, felt very at home on board and kept doing their own thing.

I found the counselors in the younger groups very nice and helpful. I was suprised that a few of them remember my kids from the 3 night wonder trip we took last year.

Our expeirience was similar. DS 6 loved the Club and DS 8 loved the Lab. The sports deck did get hot as we got closer to the equator, but I noticed they scheduled many sessions up there in the late afternoon/early evening. We also noticed the tweens/teens literally lying around the ship (on the stairways, halls etc) and we had several very rowdy goups in the WD theater - on their own with no supervision or regard for others. This was our first DCL cruise and I understand that was not the norm. I would be reluctant to cruise Disney again if it was!

 

[Downrivermama]

Sorry to hear that your dd wasn't happy in the Oceaner's Lab. We sat at the table next to you! My dd now being 10 spent a lot of time in the lab and had a blast. I did notice that she did skip some of the activities. Looking at the activities in the Navigators, they do need to come up with some new activities. Not too many new ones. I don't think dd was real thrilled with the sports stuff either. Too hot. She had a great time with the CMs.

Now the tweens and teens roving the ship and wrecking havoc--UGH! I lost it on one of the last nights with some teens on deck 9 who wouldn't let me out of the elevator and yelled at them. They looked at me like I was from outter space! As for these kids being bored-- doesn't any of these kids know how to entertain themselves?

 

[krisces]

Ok, I may be square, but I don't think that Dodgeball was an appropriate activity on this cruise considering the obnoxious behavior of the tween and teen set.
When I saw that in the Navigator, I was dumbfounded. Thank God, my DD6 was still in the OC. She would have never been happy in that environment.

Anyway, all of the parents that allowed their children to behave in such a horrendous manner, should be banned from every cruising DCL again. I saw things that were just disgusting.... between the ice cream machine, vomiting in the hall, and my fave, a 12-year old asking my DH for a "light" at 3am!!!

I had a shouting match with some of them on an elevator, and they could have cared less. The parents should be ashamed.

 

[lat]

I just checked with my DD10, she said that the counselors in the Lab this time (the 15 night EB cruise) were a little mean. The ones there at Xmas time were super nice. She did not spend as much time in the lab on this cruise. Also, she said that the boys hog on Wii in the lab so she hardly ever got to play it. Oh well, it was still a GREAt cruise. Can't wait for the next one.

 

[abayaflowers]

We cruised on the Mexican Riviera (7/6 to 7/13). When our DD8 (now DD9) went to the Lab, she found that it was fun. She was not thrilled with the Dodgeball or the Wide World of Sports deck and activites. She asked me if she had to be there for Dodgeball or the activities on the Wide World of Sports deck, and I told her that she could stay back at the Lab. The counselors did not mind and I did not hear about anything else that she didn't enjoy. As a mother of a very mellow DD9 and another DD5 who is very active, I believe that there should be more variety for the children. There should be activities for those children interested in the sports and at the same time, there should be organized activities for those children who are not interested in the physical contact sports. I also believe that the counselors get "burned out" from performing repetitive duties week after week. So, I believe that they should alternate the counselors off the cruise ships every other week. I have sent in a comment letter to the Disney Cruise Line in hopes that the feedback would allow them to satisfy more parents like myself and other who are concerned with making their DD's and DS's happy with the activities in the Club/Lab on future DCL's.

 

[stephent2008]

Just a few FYI's (just incase you didnt know)...
- If you have an 8 year-old that does not like the Lab, they CAN be registered in the club (just not the other way around)
- If the kids are on the sports deck, and your little guy/ girl doesnt want to be there (and there isnt cleaning going on) they can be in the lab
- Dodgeball is one of the most popular activities - and as far as I know, there have never been any serious injuries playing it... making cookies on the otherhand!!!!
- On the wonder, we use to have parent's versus child dodgeball (one of or highest EVER rated activities).

~ can you tell I love dodgeball


If you have comments (and I have said this before), send them to DCL. If you have problems with staff, or activities let them know, and as long as enough people aggree, they will change it.

 

[orlandothebeagle]

When my DN was 10 she did not enjoy the lab, she was too old for her age even then, i am praying they leave the ages and she can go to the quest in october!
We dont have doge ball in scotland but it sounds like fun, i hope I get a chance to try it and decide for myself!

 

[govmarley]

I have to agree with you all. My 10 y.o. didn't enjoy the Lab at all. He felt like the counselors were mean and treated them like babies. My 8 y.o. and her 8 y.o. cousin, however, had fun and went to the lab a little more. I think they needed more variety in the activities. We asked to move our 10 y.o. into Quest but they wouldn't let him, so he only went to the Lab 3 times. We let him stay in the room and watch Disney Channel while we ate at Palo because he hated the Lab so much. Bummer--I really wanted him to have a good time and make some new friends.

We rebooked for next November so I hope he enjoys Ocean Quest more than the Lab, or we will need to try another cruiseline.

 

[Belle Beast]

We were on the 15 day EB and thought the counselors in the OC were were nice but they were "over the top" with security.

This was my 6th Disney cruise and my wife and teenage step-daughter’s 8th Disney cruise. We have never been confronted with militant fashion that they handled check in and check out.

You couldn't get near the gate without a counselor putting a wristband on your child and there was always someone walking around with a clipboard checking wristbands and checking off names. The wristband thing was new to us since the teenager never had to wear one, this is a fairly new thing they started doing about 3 years ago.

My little one did not want to wear a wristband, but they were so persistent it scared her so she didn't want to return to the OC.

She spent a total of 4 hours in the OC over 15 days. The biggest problem is there just isn't that much to do on a sea day for a 4 year old if the don't want to go to the club. You just can't swim all day, every day.

 

[stephent2008]

IMO there is a huge issue whin it comes to kids from the ages 10 - 14 (and even older), they can be different on so many levels. Im not just talking about clubs on DCL here, but I teach P7's here (age 11/ 12), and it is astounding how the maturity, ability and mentality levels differ within a group of peers all of the same age.

I know that DCL created OQ on the magic to target is grouping, but I have always fely that creating 'another' ageg grouping is not the answer. During my stint, I always asked for YA to provide activities for kids through-out the ship in the same manner as cruise staff do. I feel that having scheduled basketball/ soccer games on the sports deck for 10 -14 yearolds (non supervised, just organised), Computer game tournies in the promonade lounge/ studio sea etc. would fill a gap that many of you are talking about. Ofcourse, they wouldnt be supervised, just organised and staffed and in addition to regular programming.

In terms of the wristbands - I do see both points of view... but if you have up to 800 kids in care with you at any given moment... and you are DISNEY... yeah, you get paranoid. The new RF bands should be great - from what I hear, a small microchip is embeded in the wristband, and as such there will be no 'box' attached. The wristband will just be touched against a sensor.

 

[orlandothebeagle]

We could always micro chip them in the back of the neck like we do with cats!! lol, then there would be no wristbands!!
Any news anybody has re age groups would be welcome!
Do you think it is worth while e-mailing disney?

 

[orlandothebeagle]

Re wrist bands, my dn is a poser and has invested a lot of time and money into her outfits for every night, I think she may object to wrist band!! she is 12 years so dont know whats going to happen with her! She is very mature for her age and I see th elast posters point re maturity.