What's up with excessive amount of open houses at the kid's clubs?

[disprincess4ever]

On the Alaskan cruise last week I did notice that there was open house times every day. I thought that was weird and somewhat over done. I also found that there was less family activities offered onboard as well as less character meet and greet times. It was odd and slightly disappointing.

 

[Kimberly1]

I've watched this increase in open houses as well and have to admit, I don't care for it either. My daughter has always gotten online and looked up whatever club/ship she was old enough for and learned everything she could (and gotten super excited about it). She loves those clubs. She's older now but being forced into another one for open house is a problem as it's not what we signed up for and in my mind, not what Disney advertises. I'm not saying there shouldn't be any, but in my opinion, they should be few, maybe not even daily.

From her older perspective, she's looked forward to Edge/Vibe as she's gotten older and the idea of having the "younger kids" invade very often I know won't make her happy on her upcoming cruise. I think if you advertise a place for these kids to go, you need to keep it as an area for these kids to go as is advertised.

FWIW as a tween, she may not have been in something Disney labeled as "secured" because she could check herself out according to them, she wasn't allowed to check herself out because of my rules so it was secured as only tweens could come in, and I didn't allow her to come out without texting me and me heading in her direction. But if any adult can come in with a 12/13 year old girl, I'd be making my daughter leave which is another issue that I think is against what Disney advertises.

Again, I think most of the problem comes down to how Disney advertises these clubs versus reality if the Open Houses are increasing. For those that don't want to leave their child without them or that want to be with a sibling/cousin, I think that is a choice you make before you book the cruise and know what you are getting into, and if Disney wants to provide more for those situations, then more play areas or more family activities should be added without making those in the kids clubs more often. Again, a few spread throughout the cruise I can see, but multiple times a day? I don't know about this. I'm glad my youngest daughter only has a couple more years for teen clubs and I am finished if this trend is going to continue.

 

[cheribelle]

Ugh just looked at the navigators for my upcoming western cruise and saw that there is an open house in the Vibe for the same time we booked Palo. Now my daughter is a shy 14 and last cruise she had trouble fitting in at the Edge. I thought being at Vibe might be a good fit for her.
But an open house at 7pm on that night really cuts in my plans. Was really hoping there would be an activity to keep her happy while we were dining at Palo. Hopefully she will visit the Edge with her younger brother and find something to do so I can have that one peaceful dinner.
I don't mind open houses but when I just looked at the navigators, there seem to be so many.

 

[momof2n2]

I think having a large amount of open houses is a disservice to a lot of parents. Many parents choose Disney because they get to be adults while their kids have fun playing with other kids in the clubs. With so many open houses the choices for the kids seem to be a lot less (No Club/Only the Lab or no Lab/Only the Club). Kids tend to have a preference, so if half the time one or the other is closed it makes it hard for the parents to plan around things. I'd be livid if my kid hated the Club wanted to go to the Lab while I went to something like Mixology and there was a Lab open house going on. It cuts into adult time. I wonder if they've seen an increase in kid traffic on other parts of the ship during open house times because of this.

I see it as the opposite. We are a family that loves to spend time together. We aren't "adult-only" vacationers. Having half of the space for the drop-off kids and half of the space for the family groups seems like a win-win. I love that they have more for parents and kids to do together. I was pleasantly surprised when the "cookie baking" was for parents and kids. ♥

 

[momof2n2]

Again, I think most of the problem comes down to how Disney advertises these clubs versus reality if the Open Houses are increasing. For those that don't want to leave their child without them or that want to be with a sibling/cousin, I think that is a choice you make before you book the cruise and know what you are getting into, and if Disney wants to provide more for those situations, then more play areas or more family activities should be added without making those in the kids clubs more often. Again, a few spread throughout the cruise I can see, but multiple times a day? I don't know about this. I'm glad my youngest daughter only has a couple more years for teen clubs and I am finished if this trend is going to continue.

Maybe the bolded part is the key. Perhaps DCL would benefit from explaining more the purpose of the clubs being partially for drop off, but also for family-centered fun.
We have six kids 2 - 15. The idea of DCL providing more open house time is AWESOME to us.

We love that DCL lets 3-12 together and that is a huge pro in our book. Adding more family time is even BETTER and makes me more excited.

We are doing NCL next May. We had to be very specific with our week of travel to wedge in between birthdays so my kids could at least go by twos to clubs. But I'm hoping they, too, have lots of open houses so we can play together. ♥

 

[KristiMc]

Ugh just looked at the navigators for my upcoming western cruise and saw that there is an open house in the Vibe for the same time we booked Palo. Now my daughter is a shy 14 and last cruise she had trouble fitting in at the Edge. I thought being at Vibe might be a good fit for her.
But an open house at 7pm on that night really cuts in my plans. Was really hoping there would be an activity to keep her happy while we were dining at Palo. Hopefully she will visit the Edge with her younger brother and find something to do so I can have that one peaceful dinner.
I don't mind open houses but when I just looked at the navigators, there seem to be so many.

If your daughter is a shy 14 year old she might be more comfortable being in the Edge for one more year instead of being with 16-17 year olds in the Vibe. My son is also 14 and shy and did not care for the Vibe on our cruise a few weeks ago. He has always loved going to the clubs. I tried to talk him into going to the Edge but he didn't really want to do that because his 11 year old brother was there.

 

[cheribelle]

If your daughter is a shy 14 year old she might be more comfortable being in the Edge for one more year instead of being with 16-17 year olds in the Vibe. My son is also 14 and shy and did not care for the Vibe on our cruise a few weeks ago. He has always loved going to the clubs. I tried to talk him into going to the Edge but he didn't really want to do that because his 11 year old brother was there.

Thanks. She has an 11 year old brother too and that's why she didn't want to be in Edge! We are sailing with another family who has a boy my sons age. My dd just has a hard time going up to people she doesn't know. Our Palo is night 3, so really hoping by then she would have made some friends by then. (Ironically she likes theater and sings and acts so I am hoping they continue with that Zombified production they put on in Vibe).
Was just really hoping there was an organized activity to ensure she would be busy at my Palo time. I'll beg and beg that not one of my kids calls me during that time. A bribe to them might even work! Lol. I can't remember the last time my DH and I went out alone (unless it was back to school night or a funeral!)

 

[Kimberly1]

Maybe the bolded part is the key. Perhaps DCL would benefit from explaining more the purpose of the clubs being partially for drop off, but also for family-centered fun.
We have six kids 2 - 15. The idea of DCL providing more open house time is AWESOME to us.

We love that DCL lets 3-12 together and that is a huge pro in our book. Adding more family time is even BETTER and makes me more excited.

We are doing NCL next May. We had to be very specific with our week of travel to wedge in between birthdays so my kids could at least go by twos to clubs. But I'm hoping they, too, have lots of open houses so we can play together. ♥

Yes. I do that think is key. If they are going to make this transition to more open houses, it needs to be communicated and advertised so that people do not feel slighted when they get there. I can tell you when my daughter was little, she lived in those clubs and I wouldn't have liked all the switcheroo and she wouldn't have liked it either, and we may have ventured out to other cruise lines as the kids clubs and how much she loved them is one of the main reasons we kept going back to Disney.

 

[Ofinn]

I've watched this increase in open houses as well and have to admit, I don't care for it either. My daughter has always gotten online and looked up whatever club/ship she was old enough for and learned everything she could (and gotten super excited about it). She loves those clubs. She's older now but being forced into another one for open house is a problem as it's not what we signed up for and in my mind, not what Disney advertises. I'm not saying there shouldn't be any, but in my opinion, they should be few, maybe not even daily.

From her older perspective, she's looked forward to Edge/Vibe as she's gotten older and the idea of having the "younger kids" invade very often I know won't make her happy on her upcoming cruise. I think if you advertise a place for these kids to go, you need to keep it as an area for these kids to go as is advertised.

FWIW as a tween, she may not have been in something Disney labeled as "secured" because she could check herself out according to them, she wasn't allowed to check herself out because of my rules so it was secured as only tweens could come in, and I didn't allow her to come out without texting me and me heading in her direction. But if any adult can come in with a 12/13 year old girl, I'd be making my daughter leave which is another issue that I think is against what Disney advertises.

Again, I think most of the problem comes down to how Disney advertises these clubs versus reality if the Open Houses are increasing. For those that don't want to leave their child without them or that want to be with a sibling/cousin, I think that is a choice you make before you book the cruise and know what you are getting into, and if Disney wants to provide more for those situations, then more play areas or more family activities should be added without making those in the kids clubs more often. Again, a few spread throughout the cruise I can see, but multiple times a day? I don't know about this. I'm glad my youngest daughter only has a couple more years for teen clubs and I am finished if this trend is going to continue.

The open houses are only in the morning and at the dinner hour. There are still cm's in there and the security cameras are still on. I have never seen adults in there hanging out with kids. The edge kids come and go as they please anyway. I have been on 9 cruises in the last 3 years and I have not noticed a change in the open houses. They have always had two a day on our cruises.

 

[bumbershoot]

I would have thought these would only occur on the 1st day.

There are many people doing other things important to their cruise on the 1st day.

hard to tell or know it was in Open House or just parents waiting to drop/pick up because of the gazillion people around.

It's ALWAYS chaotic in that hallway. Not sure how Open House would give a different chaos than regular, though?

FWIW as a tween, she may not have been in something Disney labeled as "secured" because she could check herself out according to them, she wasn't allowed to check herself out because of my rules so it was secured as only tweens could come in, and I didn't allow her to come out without texting me and me heading in her direction. But if any adult can come in with a 12/13 year old girl, I'd be making my daughter leave which is another issue that I think is against what Disney advertises.

Adults go in during Open House which is why kids aren't supposed to be withOUT adults. Make sense? My aunt and I toured around the Club and Lab while my kid and her grandkids were off doing other things, to get the lay of the land. During that time, there were no unattended kids.

Not sure how it works with Edge or Vibe yet. But it will still be staffed and monitored.

Not sure where she was, but if she was in Club/Lab you could have kept her from leaving, but once she was at Edge it's all about HER choices.

Thanks. She has an 11 year old brother too and that's why she didn't want to be in Edge!

Because she doesn't want to be there with him? He can still be in the Club/Lab, you know. They can be there through 12, all the way to the day before their 13th birthday.

 

[SwimMom2]

Could someone on a recent Fantasy cruise give their perspective? I notice that many of us with this complaint were on Alaska/Norway/repositioning cruises. I wonder if this is fleet wide.

It does run counter to their advertising. On their website right now, Edge and Vibe are described as places for Tweens and teens respectively. Open houses are a footnote. I will not want my son in Edge with random adults without me, which will defeat the purpose of Edge. Also, just because the kids are able to leave the space without us doesn't mean that we cannot have private family rules about this issue. I was freaked out about the ability of kids to check themselves out on my June cruise, but I discussed it with my son before the cruise, went over our family's rules about it, gave him checkout privilges, and it worked out. I didn't allow him to go to Open House alone, though, because of the random people.

A lot of people avoided the kids clubs during Open House; they were often eerily quiet at those times. If they are like that on other cruises, I would expect that their frequency will decrease as DCL tries to find the right balance for everyone.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

I think having a large amount of open houses is a disservice to a lot of parents. Many parents choose Disney because they get to be adults while their kids have fun playing with other kids in the clubs.

And many parents choose Disney because they want to spend family time together instead of apart, and by having open houses, both groups of families get to do what they want at least part of the time. You get some adult time, and I get some family time. I would prefer that they had a space similar to the kids' clubs that was always an open space so that this would not be an issue, but I understand that is not possible on the current ships. Perhaps if they ever build new ships, they will incorporate such an area.

 

[disprincess4ever]

Could someone on a recent Fantasy cruise give their perspective? I notice that many of us with this complaint were on Alaska/Norway/repositioning cruises. I wonder if this is fleet wide.

It does run counter to their advertising. On their website right now, Edge and Vibe are described as places for Tweens and teens respectively. Open houses are a footnote. I will not want my son in Edge with random adults without me, which will defeat the purpose of Edge. Also, just because the kids are able to leave the space without us doesn't mean that we cannot have private family rules about this issue. I was freaked out about the ability of kids to check themselves out on my June cruise, but I discussed it with my son before the cruise, went over our family's rules about it, gave him checkout privilges, and it worked out. I didn't allow him to go to Open House alone, though, because of the random people.

A lot of people avoided the kids clubs during Open House; they were often eerily quiet at those times. If they are like that on other cruises, I would expect that their frequency will decrease as DCL tries to find the right balance for everyone.

I think Disney should make Edge and possibly Vibe an optional Check in/out space. Just as you said above, some parents aren't comfortable with their kids entering and leaving the clubs whenever they want. I understand some kids deserve this kind of freedom, but others do not and parents should have the option as to if they want their kids to have that freedom. While a 17 year old should be responsible enough to enter an leave the club, an 11 or 12 year old may not have that maturity yet, but still want to attend the Edge instead of the lab.

 

[KristiMc]

I think Disney should make Edge and possibly Vibe an optional Check in/out space. Just as you said above, some parents aren't comfortable with their kids entering and leaving the clubs whenever they want. I understand some kids deserve this kind of freedom, but others do not and parents should have the option as to if they want their kids to have that freedom. While a 17 year old should be responsible enough to enter an leave the club, an 11 or 12 year old may not have that maturity yet, but still want to attend the Edge instead of the lab.

The problem with this is that some of the activities that they do in the Edge are out and about the ship such as a scavenger hunt, sport deck and such. This would be difficult to do if that age had to be check-in/out. That is why it is good that the Club/Lab is through age 12 for those that don't want their kids to be able to check-out.

 

[MunFam]

For the people that appreciate the open houses because they get to spend time with their kids...that is great. You can spend time with your kid any where on the ship. DCL advertises secure price-inclusive childcare and activities. I cannot get that service anywhere on the ship. Therefore the club/lab is where that happens. So if DCL advertises this...then they need to provide that service. I would be pissed if my daughters day care or preschool all of a sudden changed their policy and was like "there are parents that want to spend time with their kids while they are at school (or their kids can't go to school with out them, so we want to give them and opportunity to come together) so we are mandating that all parents attend preschool between certain hours...or we are moving your kid to this other school if you can't/don't want to attend"

Isnt the whole point of daycare/preschool a secure place for your child to go when you are not there? Yes. That is what the club/lab is. Its not a playground that excludes parents. It is a childcare facility, so when they advertise it as such, and then it is not available...parents, like me, get irritated. When I want to spend quality time with my kiddo we go to the pool, we play on the sports deck, go to a show, a movie, a character meet and greet, a run on deck 4, a scavenger hunt, shopping, to a class...there are LOTS of things to do as a family that do not include crashing the childcare facility. Its cool they open for a bit to let the kids get familiar, but beyond that...its a childcare facility and should be treated as such.

 

[Ofinn]

The problem with this is that some of the activities that they do in the Edge are out and about the ship such as a scavenger hunt, sport deck and such. This would be difficult to do if that age had to be check-in/out. That is why it is good that the Club/Lab is through age 12 for those that don't want their kids to be able to check-out.

I agree with you.
From what I've seen most parents are fine with the Edge the way it is. A lot of the kids eat lunch together, go to movies, play golf, hang out on deck etc. If your not comfortable giving your kids freedom then check them into the lab with the little kids, but I don't think DCL needs to change their policies for the minority. Most cruise lines close their clubs several times per day,and the teen areas aren't even staffed during the day. I'm not sure what the big deal is about a few open houses. There's no activities going on during open house so most kids leave.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Could someone on a recent Fantasy cruise give their perspective? I notice that many of us with this complaint were on Alaska/Norway/repositioning cruises. I

We were on the Fantasy 2 weeks ago. I checked a couple of our Navigators. The Edge had open houses early, from like 9:00-10:00am and then again around the early dining time, like 5:30-7:00pm. It was not a problem for us at all.

And as mentioned, with the exception of the first afternoon, at least one of the Oceaneers Club or Lab will have secure programming anytime the other has open house.

I really don't see why people think this is such a problem.

 

[MunFam]

And as mentioned, with the exception of the first afternoon, at least one of the Oceaneers Club or Lab will have secure programming anytime the other has open house.

I really don't see why people think this is such a problem.

The Lab is geared towards older kids. My 4 year old is not in to computer and video games. When they would move her over to the Lab for secured programming when the club opened up...her option was coloring...COLORING! Seriously? I feel like if they are going to move little kids to the Lab, they should have activities going geared towards younger kids and visa versa when the Lab is unsecure. Obviously, my 4 year old is going to call and ask us to pick her up because she has no desire to sit and color...she wants to run and climb and play...or do leader lead activities.

 

[Bonacker]

As a single parent, pretty much the ONLY reason we are going on a cruise instead of to some fabulous resort for the same price is the kids club. The purpose of the kids club, IMHO, is to give kids their kids-only time and to give parents their alone time. I am not lacking in family time, either at home or on vacation. So, for me, the idea that the kids clubs should have more open houses so as to facilitate family time is topsy-turvy, upside-down, and backwards.

 

[lealea42]

So a kid who can't (or won't) go in there by themselves shouldn't be allowed a couple of hours of play time a day? Where are all these other places that you suggest families go? Would you suggest they just play in their stateroom? Or in a lounge area where there isn't anything fun for kids unless there is a program being run?

And not to be too controversial here, but if someone's kid wants to go to the one of the clubs that is open for open house, why not make it a family thing and have more time together?

My son went to the club the first night (he just turned 4 that day) and well he was a little scared. All these older kids and strangers made him not want to go back. Yes, he's in daycare and is around older kids but being his first cruise and so many people well, that scared him. He didn't want to go back the rest of the trip, unless we were there. Of course on our cruise (Dream last September) there were very few open houses and they would have been nice option to have.