Kids clubs

[Disneychica18]

we are in the early stages of planning a Disney cruise. Can anyone tell me how the check in and process works. We will have a 11,9 and 4 yr old when we go. Any other details about the clubs would be appreciated.

 

[Seamama]

Your kids are an awesome age for the cruise b/c they can all be in the same club together! Of course, they may not want to be, lol, but they can.

There are two kids clubs for ages 3-12... one is the Oceaneer Club and the other is the Oceaneer Lab. Exactly what's in the them varies a little by ship. Your older child can also go to the Edge (for ages 11-14).

You can pre-register your kids online or at the terminal. That saves you a little time, but you can also just do it onboard whenever you go there the first time. Either way, before you take your kid into the Club/Lab for the first time, you will get them something that looks like a MagicBand (http://disneycruiselineblog.com/tag/mickey-band/). You pay $12.95 only if you don't return them (some people keep them as souvenirs or I heard they also work w/ the Disney Infinity game?) It has a chip in it that's used for checking the kids in/out.

With the Club/Lab, you can choose whether to give the two older kids checkin/checkout privileges. With the Edge, you don't have a choice (all kids who go there can come/go as they please- and as far as I know there isn't even a scan in/out system there). Edge programming includes things that take place outside that space itself, such as scavenger hunts around the ship, etc. How parents handle that (i.e., the amount of freedom given or communication required) varies a lot by child and family but I'd say the best thing is to treat the ship like any other public place (such as the Mall).

The Club/Lab and Edge have Open House hours, during which time anyone can go in/out. But if the Club is having an Open House, then the Lab will have "secured programming" and vice versa. So if your drop kids off in one but then the schedule switches to an Open House then they move the kids in there to the other location (i.e., if you left them in a "secured programming" they'll stay in "secured programming", even if that means moving them from the Club to the Lab). Normally, adults aren't allowed all the way into the Club/Lab (except just to drop off/pick up your kid) but during Open House anyone can go in and look around, or even play in there, which is great if your kid wants to spend time showing you all their favorite games/toys, etc. (And even better for families who for various reasons aren't able to be in there at all or not all together.)

The Club/Lab and Edge also have a variety of totally-optional scheduled events, which your kid can participate in or not. Your daily schedule (the "Navigator"- available in paper copy and on an App that's somewhat new).

If your kid is left there during a mealtime, some basic foods will be offered at the standard mealtimes but no one is made to eat anything (and often kids playing just choose not to eat).

You should keep your Wave Phone on you b/c that's how they'll reach you (the new App they have is awesome but at least when we were there last Aug, the CM's weren't using it w/ guests). If your kid really needs you, he/she can tell the CM and you'll get a call your Wave phone.

If I've gotten some info wrong, I'm sure it'll be corrected. There's a lot more knowledgeable and experienced people on here!

 

[KT2038]

Hi! I am a youth activities Counselor. As PP said, the children are given a band that they will scan to get in and out of the club and lab. You need a special password to be able to take the childen. The older 2 can be self check which means they can come and go as they please.
If you have any further questions, let me know!

 

[maria's_mommy]

If your kid is left there during a mealtime, some basic foods will be offered at the standard mealtimes but no one is made to eat anything (and often kids playing just choose not to eat).

If the child chooses not to eat and gets hungry later is anything available? Considering leaving DS(4) while we walk around and shop in Cozumel for a few hours so wave phones wouldn't reach us. He is more of a grazer all day, bite here and there type more than a meal eater. Thanks!

 

[lanejudy]

If the child chooses not to eat and gets hungry later is anything available? Considering leaving DS(4) while we walk around and shop in Cozumel for a few hours so wave phones wouldn't reach us. He is more of a grazer all day, bite here and there type more than a meal eater. Thanks!

Food is only available during the designated meal times. If you inform the CMs at drop-off that you plan to be off the ship through lunch and you want your child to eat, they will encourage him to do so. But they won't/can't make him eat, so if he says he doesn't want any (or only eats a couple of bites) that's all. Make sure he has a good breakfast that day, and maybe a snack right before drop-off depending on timing; And I suggest you have a chat with him about eating all his lunch because there won't be snacks. Maybe even give him an incentive (if you eat your whole lunch in the Club we'll do X when mommy & daddy get back).

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[mommysaurus]

If the child chooses not to eat and gets hungry later is anything available? Considering leaving DS(4) while we walk around and shop in Cozumel for a few hours so wave phones wouldn't reach us. He is more of a grazer all day, bite here and there type more than a meal eater. Thanks!

I had the same concerns...my little guy will not sit and eat if something else (I.e. Playing) is available to do instead. I made sure to feed him well beforehand and told him it was like school where if he didn't eat when it was time and then was hungry later there wasn't going to be anything. He was still alive when I picked him up, but hungry. Of course haha.

 

[Disneychica18]

Hi! I am a youth activities Counselor. As PP said, the children are given a band that they will scan to get in and out of the club and lab. You need a special password to be able to take the childen. The older 2 can be self check which means they can come and go as they please.
If you have any further questions, let me know!

Which clubs do they have the option for self check? Which one is self check only?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Which clubs do they have the option for self check? Which one is self check only?

Club/Lab are can be given self-check privileges at age 8, I believe. Edge and Vibe are only self check.

 

[Cheloconnell]

My son is 10 and will not be 11 until September. We are cruising February (Magic) and April (Fantasy) If we sign a waiver or something could he use the Edge? My older one will be 14 in May.

 

[JJsmama]

Club/Lab are can be given self-check privileges at age 8, I believe. Edge and Vibe are only self check.

What is yall's experience of having kids around 8 check themselves out? I trust my son to make good choices (like not to climb on railings or go swimming without me) but how do the kids find you? Especially on the Fantasy/ Dream... This part worries me so I guess I will not give him self check out privledges just so he doesn't get lost and frightened...

 

[Hundredacre]

What is yall's experience of having kids around 8 check themselves out? I trust my son to make good choices (like not to climb on railings or go swimming without me) but how do the kids find you? Especially on the Fantasy/ Dream... This part worries me so I guess I will not give him self check out privledges just so he doesn't get lost and frightened...

You do not have to give them self check out privilege s at age 8, just if you want. We do not.

 

[hanscarlet]

My DD is High Functioning on the Autism Spectrum and will not be getting self check out privileges when she turns 8 next year. I am not sure if this is due to her ASD but I am not comfortable with it. My Nuero-Typical kid is only 4 so I will just see how she is when she's 8 if I let her have those priviledges, guess it depends on the kid.

Also OP- I highly recommend doing the pre-register thing on line for the kids, it will save you some time, especially as the check in process can get busy on embarkation day

 

[bumbershoot]

I haven't let DS have checkout privileges yet. I don't him walk around town alone either. And I don't ask to have him moved up either so if by chance we go on dcl again before he's 13 he'll just have more fun in club/lab. We choose times where there are activities he wants to join in and that's when he goes.

He has a phone without a sim that gets wifi so we all have the Navigator app downloaded (this takes the free wifi and does not require using paid data or anything like that). He takes his faux phone with him and if he's ready to go before we scheduled to be back, he messages us. Very convenient. (I hate the archaic wave phones)

Eating there has been weird. The first time when he wanted to eat they wouldn't let him because he wanted a cheese sandwich (which they have) and they didn't believe he was vegetarian. ??? They called and left a message on the horrid wave phone that I didn't get until way later, asking to verify that he was veg so they could let him have the sandwich? Utterly bizarre. He went off and played instead.

Subsequent times we just fed him before, but he says they parade the kids past the food and strongly encourage them to eat. Since he has always eaten before he's not hungry but they don't give many options.

So now we just try to not have him there during mealtimes.

 

[KT2038]

My son is 10 and will not be 11 until September. We are cruising February (Magic) and April (Fantasy) If we sign a waiver or something could he use the Edge? My older one will be 14 in May.

Hi I am a youth activities Counselor. Have a chat to the Counselors onboard your cruises, but generally the child has to be within a couple of months of the birthday.

 

[KT2038]

I had the same concerns...my little guy will not sit and eat if something else (I.e. Playing) is available to do instead. I made sure to feed him well beforehand and told him it was like school where if he didn't eat when it was time and then was hungry later there wasn't going to be anything. He was still alive when I picked him up, but hungry. Of course haha.

This is why we tend to shut down as many of the activities as we can so there is nothing for them to do but eat!! Some grown ups like this and others hate it, yet if we don't do it no one will eat.

 

[mommysaurus]

This is why we tend to shut down as many of the activities as we can so there is nothing for them to do but eat!! Some grown ups like this and others hate it, yet if we don't do it no one will eat.

Hahaha he didn't eat when it was offered so there must have been at least one hold out

 

[Nichde]

What age do they allow the kids to check themselves out?

 

[Seamama]

Another thing I forgot to mention in my first reply: there's a little performance on the last day called "Friendship Rocks". Check the schedule ("Navigator") for the times that they start practicing for it (it's in the Club/Lab). The kids learn some dance moves and then they all go to the Walt Disney Theater and up the stage and anyone can attend/watch the show. It includes a slideshow of pics from the week and of course Mickey/Minnie are there, too. The kids even got a "free" t-shirt. It's an easy thing to miss out on b/c it's not specially advertised so that's why I mention it.

To the person asking about self check privileges for 8 yr olds: As long as we could avoid it, we don't let our kids do self check out. We just didn't see the need for it. Whether or not you do it depends on how trusting you are in general, both of your kid and "the world". We're generally the more cautious type, so we don't do it. When our older kid started going to the Edge, we know it meant self checkout was no longer optional. But we basically told our kid that he couldn't leave w/out telling us and we had rules about where he could go. Also, each of our kids has an iPod that we put the App on and they were able to let us know directly when they wanted to leave (of course kids can always ask a CM to call their parents on a Wave Phone too, but the iPod option made things even easier).

 

[TheOnlyOne]

Great info here! Just double checking...if we pre-register online our child for Oceaneers Club, and then later decide we might not want to partake at all, that is ok?

I understand we will still have to put down the $$ for the band. Fine with that. I just don't want to force kiddo to hit the club if we are having fun doing something else.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

I trust my son to make good choices (like not to climb on railings or go swimming without me) but how do the kids find you?

This varies by family. My question to you is, will he do what you ask him to do? For example, you could start out by making the rule that he can leave the club when he wants, but he can only go back to the cabin. (His KTTW card will get him in the room.) That way, it will be easy to find him, and you can gain confidence that he is obeying your rules. It will also be a great way for him to gain confidence. You can then call the room once in a while, to see if he has come there, and if he isn't you can get him from the kids club.

As PPs said, if you can give him an old iPod or on old iPhone without a SIM card, anything that can get Wi-Fi signals, then he could have the Navigator app too and contact you that way as well.

Great info here! Just double checking...if we pre-register online our child for Oceaneers Club, and then later decide we might not want to partake at all, that is ok?

Yes, you can register for the kids club even if you don't use it. No problem. The ship has enough room for all the kids to use the clubs, so you aren't putting anyone out if you register but don't use it. Have fun!