Questions about the kids clubs...

[DisneyDaisy]

Wondering how the Oceaneer's club works and I'm having a hard time finding specifics online. Can you drop your kids off anytime there or are there scheduled activities you bring them to? Do you have to register them for it or make reservations in advance? Also, I understand if they are there over dinner, they eat there-is that correct?

OK, I guess enough questions for now , I appreciate any input you veterans have!

 

[traycie2201]

Hi disney daisy, heres some info that i hope helps, the club / lab is open from 9 am to around 1 am, you need to register on the first day but i understand that there is enough room in each club for every kid on board (i may be wrong) if your kids are 3 - 7 you must sign them in and out of the club and you can do this as often as you like, you will also get a pager in case your child needs to contact you, kids of 8 - 12 can have sign in / out privileges so they can come and go as they please but again you get a pager so they can let you know where they are headed, the kids can stay as long as they like in the clubs or just go when there are activities that they want to take part in, if the kids are in the club at mealtimes they will be taken up to beach blanket buffet for a special kid friendly buffet apart from that no food or drink is provided in the club apart from a water fountain. kids can stay in the clubs while you are in port just let the counsellors know where you are, for examples of the activities visit daves dcl site or barbs castaway club website where there are examples of recent navigators. hope this helps.

 

[aprilgail2]

you can sign them in or out at most times of the day...when they are in transit moving from the club tothe restaurant-restaurant to the movies etc you can't take them but once they get where you are going you can get them. Twice I was beeped that my daughter wanted to be picked up from meals (which were not at beach blanket but in Animators Palate) so I picked her up there. She loved the club but didn't care for eating with them becuase she liked getting a menu and ordering and there they came around with food and gave it to them,...she is a bit odd LOL....

 

[26555]

What time do they eat at the kids club?

 

[mickeyboat]

I am not sure of the exact time but it is fairly early for dinner - 5:30 or 6:00. It is before the regular dining times because it is just the kids. My kids went to lunch with the club one time - while we were at brunch at Palo. Our brunch time was 10:30. They didn't say too much about it, but they didn't complain about it either.

Denae

 

[PoohJen]

The site mentioned above is www.dcltribute.com - it is a great site!!! Down the left side of the page, click on Navigators, and you can read how they plan the club/lab day. Happy Planning!

 

[vossjemi]

I will have a 3 1/2 and 5 1/2 year old when we go on our cruise. If my kids are in the clubs at naptime (1-3pm), will they give them a nap? And, if DH & I want to stay out late, will they put the kids to sleep around 8-9 in the kids clubs? That way we could enjoy the evening and pick them up later?

 

[yodasdabomb]

Correct me if I am wrong but from what I have read, and research I believe the kiddos can come in their jammies if they are coming to the club at night and will be there late. I believe most of the late night activities consist (in the club anyway) of movies and other low key activities, they even lay out mats for the kids to lay on so they can fall asleep if they want to. However I don't believe they will be "put to bed" as far as blankets, pillows, and tucking in.

Edited to point out the fact that I must of been totally out of it when I originally responded because I answered a question that wasn't even asked?? Haha I don't know where my mind is today! Sorry.

 

[TartanFan]

It's been a while since DD was in the Club (she's 12 going on 22 now!) so others may have more up to date information but I don't think they had nap times during the day. At night (from about 9.00pm if memory serves) they have very low key activities, put a movie on the screen and lay out mats. Don't think the kids are actually "put to bed" - they can just nod off if they need to.

Have a great cruise!

 

[MB MinnieGirl]

One thing I would point out which was a big deal for us is that you don't have to register the first day on board. The first day seems hectic with the saftey drills, resies for Palo, and getting aquainted with the ship, etc. We waited until day 2 and went right up and registered her without a line or a wait - so simple and quick.

DD LOVED the club but didn't spend much time in there....we did the 3 day and since this was her first cruise, I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. I do believe next time I will take advantage of the meals in the club. She had lunch with them the day she was there and had a ball.

When she wasin the club there are no naps during the day. She was there from 10am until about 5pm...when I picked her up they were watching a movie. She has raved about the cruise and the club at least once a day and we have been home for 2 months ....so your kids will have a ball - and so will you

 

[CM_Mom]

They don't have official naps but they do schedule a "Quiet Time Movie" every afternoon except Castaway Cay from about 12:30 to 2:00 and put mats out for the kids to sit/lay on. Also, they will put a mat in a quiet area of the club at any time if your child is sleepy and wants to lay down.

They do lunch in Animator's Palate and dinner in Beach Blanket/Topsiders. You will receive a Kids Navigator for the ages your kids are when you board that has activities listed for the entire week. That way you can plan what activities your children especially want to do.

You do have to "register" then after you board but if DCL sells them space on the ship, there's room in the Club for them. Also, they have kid sized sink and toilet facilities. The kids love to wash their hands under the "Magic" faucets (auto on).

Yoda's right that jammies are ok for the late night time so you can just pick up a sleeping child and put them in bed.

If you have any specific questions, send me a PM and I'll check with DD on Saturday when the Magic is in port.

 

[DisneyDaisy]

Thanks everyone for all the great info! That website is wonderful, it has answered a lot of questions for me already, I'm sure I'll refer to it often. Also, it's nice to know that we don't *have* to register on the first day, I'm sure it will be pretty crazy! I"m sure my dd will love it, she's really enjoyed the kids clubs at WDW and this one looks like it will be even more fun for her. Thanks again, I'm getting so excited for our trip!

 

[tkd lisa]

I have to disagree about not registering your kids. Yes, you don't HAVE to do it, but there are a couple of good reasons to go ahead.

1) A lot of kids will make friends that first evening, and it's hard to come into an established group. Particularly true with the club kids according to what I've read here.

2) If you get separated from your child, if you aren't registered, it's MUCH harder for them to contact you. This happened to us on our first trip. DH took the kids to the pool while I unpacked. DD came back to our cabin (except she mixed up 7005 to be 7050 and went to the wrong room). This all happened right at the life boat drill, and no one could help us since all services were shut down. We didn't get her back for almost an hour! They had to look her up in the reservation computer and bring her to us. If she had been registered, they could have paged us saying where she was, and it would have been resolved much more quickly. Needless to say, 2nd cruise, we were among the first people at the lab to register the kids. It's actually not busy at all in the timeframe before the boat drill. There were probably 5-8 families registering, and about 8 CMs available to take care of you. The busy time is when they first open just after the boat drill (I think it's about 5 pm).

I don't mean to scare anyone. My DD was perfectly safe, but I don't want anyone to go through what I did when there's a very easy solution.

Enjoy your cruise!!