Oceaneer's Club Questions

[DisneyKeepsUsYoung]

Is the Oceaneer'a club open on port days as well? Can you leave your kids there while adults do an excursion or do we have to be on ship if the kids are there? If not, is there another option to do a kid free excursion?
Also can the kids go any time they want on sea days or do you sign up for a time slot? I saw mention of signing them up for the club and wasn't sure if that meant choosing times or just filling out paperwork.

 

[bumbershoot]

Signing up just means filling out a little paperwork and getting their wristband.

Normal port days it's open. Yes you can leave them. Many are ok with this; others are not. Don't do anything you will feel uncomfortable with.

At castaway the club/lab is closed onboard and activities are on the island at Scuttle's Cove. This is far from the water and they don't take the kids to the water (a common question and fear). My son tried Scuttles when he was 9 or 10 and disliked it. Said it was geared towards very little kids and he found almost nothing to do. Given that he likes little kids, can play with anyone, is a joiner and an extrovert, this was saying something that HE could find nothing fun to do.

 

[lanejudy]

The Oceaneers Club and Lab are generally open something lie 9am - 11pm. It is drop-in style, so the kids just come whenever Kids cannot be dropped off during Open House times, but if they are already at signed-in they will be moved to the opposite side. Yes, parents are allowed to drop off the kids while they attend a port excursion off the ship -- that tends to be a hot topic on the boards, but it is allowed. While docked at Castaway Cay, the Club/Lab moves off the ship to Scuttles Cove and the onboard space is in "Open House" mode. The online registration is simply to pre-register the kids; you indicate what adult(s) are allowed to check the kids out of the Club/Lab and also set a password that adult will need to give.

The nursery is the only space requiring sign-up for specific times.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[DisneyKeepsUsYoung]

Thank you. We are contemplating an Alaskan cruise and don't think the kids would be up for 3-4 hours on a whale watching excursion. Is there a way for them to contact us if need be? Is that why it becomes a hot topic on here?

So under 3 children is pre scheduled time in the nursery correct? And that costs extra right? All the Oceaneer's club stuff is free right?

 

[lanejudy]

I've heard you can leave a cell phone number if you plan to leave the ship. Whether they can reach you may depend on cell service (whether you have service in that locale and/or if a signal reaches there). I'm not sure that I've ever read a report of someone who was actually contacted while on an excursion. Whether or not you could do anything once contacted is another big question mark; if you are on a whale watch out on the ocean, it's unlikely you'd be able to get back to the ship immediately.

Children under 3 go to the nursery. Those hours are scheduled. You can pre-book a certain number of hours in advance, and more once onboard if available. There is a charge (maybe $9 per hour?). I believe 3-yr-olds have an option of using either the nursery or the Club/Lab. All activties/time at the Club/Lab is included in the fare and open for drop-off as you wish (very very rarely it may be full and you'd have to wait, but those reports are few and far between).

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[DisneySunPrincess]

Signing up just means filling out a little paperwork and getting their wristband.

Normal port days it's open. Yes you can leave them. Many are ok with this; others are not. Don't do anything you will feel uncomfortable with.

At castaway the club/lab is closed onboard and activities are on the island at Scuttle's Cove. This is far from the water and they don't take the kids to the water (a common question and fear). My son tried Scuttles when he was 9 or 10 and disliked it. Said it was geared towards very little kids and he found almost nothing to do. Given that he likes little kids, can play with anyone, is a joiner and an extrovert, this was saying something that HE could find nothing fun to do.

My daughter was about the same age on our last cruise and she didn't like Scuttle's Cove either. She was there less than an hour when we were paged to come and get her. She is also pretty good about getting along with people and having fun, so I think for that age group and up, Scuttle's Cove is kind of a bust.