Current Youth Activities CM -- Ask me anything!

[bawpotter]

I'm due to return on the Disney Dream, but I've put in my request to transfer to the Magic. A Long shot, but fingers crossed! I'm second guessing coming back for another contract on the Dream, to be honest.

I'm hoping you return to the Dream, I'm going to be on in February!

 

[gottalovewdw:)]

Thank you for all the info and your honest perspective, I've enjoyed reading all of your posts. It has been very helpful as we plan for our cruise on the Fantasy a week from today. My 6 year old is so excited for the Oceaneer Club/Lab Thanks for sharing how we can show apprecaiton to the CMs at the Youth Clubs. I am buying a bunch of magazines to leave with the CMs and will definitley do a midnight grub dropoff, pizza, mickey bars, etc...

I do have one question for you. I've been getting some conflicting reports on wheter or not they have lemonade on board. Do they have lemonade on the Fantasy? Not the pink lemonade kind but the original, yellow lemonade. If so is it free?

Thanks...

 

[Mayakad]

I wanted to ask about drinking water in the clubs, how do you make sure the kids drink enough? Do they have water or any other drinks there? Should we make sure they take a curare bottle with them?

 

[disneygrandma]

Thanks for the responses concerning my 3 oldest grandchildren, ages 13 - 17.

Yes, we do plan to give them some freedom, since we'll have the communication to keep in touch.

We hope they will make many friends, as so many have mentioned.

Is there a certain ship that would be better for the activity areas for the older kids? I read so much about the amazing places for the younger ones, and for the tweens, but how about 13 & 14 yr old boys and a 17 yr old girl? Remember, this will be a completely new experience for them, and not something that they grew up loving and are now returning to.

As for the TA at our local AAA: she told me she loves cruising, and has a lot of experience with cruises. She said she has several clients who are loyal to Disney, and only want Disney. She also has had others that came back & told her how disappointed they were. "I can't believe we paid that much money for that!" Her point was that Disney cruises are expensive, much more so than others. She said that Royal Caribbean has comparable pricing for the larger ships in their fleet, but offer more for your money than Disney. I don't want to be flamed here, but just repeating what she said. The TA said that RC had so many more activities geared to the older kids, and that they would be bored on a Disney cruise. She also said that while Disney food is good, it is average, and that RC has much better food.

So that's why I posted in this thread about the activities available for 13 - 17 year olds.

Now the TA did say that Disney gives amazing service. Also that the "phones" given to everyone in your cabin are unique to the industry....no one else has them. And of course they have the Disney characters.

So while most of that is a topic for another thread, I'm hoping to find out exactly what Disney ships have for our oldest grandchildren. We're convinced that the younger ones will have plenty to keep them entertained.

Thanks again.

 

[twinmum]

Thanks for taking the time to share your insights. It's been fun to read along.

I posted this question in DISabilities and the main DCL areas, but no replies as yet, so I thought I would post here also:

Hi: We're about to book our 3rd DCL cruise and trying to decide between a 4 night on the Magic and 7 night on the Fantasy. Other cruises were on the Dream. We like the idea of trying one of the more intimate ships, but also like the idea of a longer cruise...decisions, decisions! And, we need to decide ASAP before the accessible cabin is gone!

One of our twin DS's (just turned 15 this week!) has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair or walker, but other than needing physical accessibility, he'd be fine in the club.

Can anyone give me some info about the location of the club and its accessibility, both getting there and once within the club?

(And if you have views on Magic vs Fantasy, esp from a reserved teenager perspective, do share!)

 

[CMontheseas]

How about Sunblock for the CM's? I know when we do island vacations we always bring Sunblock as it usually expensive for the island folks to buy.
I usually buy a case of small packets of sun block and give that along with other goodies!

We normally have TONNES of sunblock on hand for us on Castaway Cay!
what would be really nice is if they were high SPF packets- many of us Snow-white fair skinned (aka easily baked to a rosy crisp under the caribbean sun) gals would appreciate it! The regular stuff only does so much!

 

[CMontheseas]

CM- Are there any paved areas in Scuttles Cove on CC? DH and I were thinking of running the 5k on one of our upcoming trips and we would have to send the kids to Scuttles Cove. We've cruised DCL three times before, but the kids have never been to the club on CC. Our daughter (6) uses a manual wheelchair, and we can't tell from videos/pics online how much of any area she could actually access. Thanks!

Oh unfortunately all of Scuttle's cove, with the exception of the splashpad itself is ALL sand. BUT on the bright side, we have Sand-wheelchairs!

There's usually always at least one right in Scuttle's Cove for anyone to use (and the other kids marvel at it and are often jealous!)

 

[CMontheseas]

Woah, I didn't know that! I see you said that's industry standard but wow, it seems kind of cruel to me. I feel like if they're "off duty" they should at least get to come above deck. I can see the potential conflict if they filled the theatre and cruise guests missed out on seeing a show but I fee like they should at least be able to get unused seats at shows (maybe by a lottery system). Are there nice things for them to do below decks? I read some of your descriptions of what you have (mess hall, store, etc.) but is it nice? Is there a movie theatre? Exercise room? What do people do when they're not working if they can't be above deck? Just curious, thanks!

Nice things below decks?
It may vary from ship to ship, but all I've seen were a pool table, a dart board, a basic gym like you might find at an older hotel/apartment building. And a crew pool up at the forward of the ship! (Except you know how forced perspective works to make Cinderella castle look much bigger than it really is? That. If anyone can help it, that pool is avoided! )

 

[CMontheseas]

On the Magic several years ago we had a wonderful room host. He made our cruise amazing. We got the Romance at Sea package, which included Champagne. We don't drink, so at the end of the cruise we wrote THANK YOU with candy bars on the bed & left the champagne for him. Do you think he got to keep the booze?

Hmmm. Unless he swigged it all in one go or figured out a way to stuff it down one leg of his pants, he probably had it taken away from him by ship security! Not uncommon! (When this happens, if they're nice they'll allow you to have it when you leave the ship before returning home.)

 

[CMontheseas]

Thank you for all the info and your honest perspective, I've enjoyed reading all of your posts. It has been very helpful as we plan for our cruise on the Fantasy a week from today. My 6 year old is so excited for the Oceaneer Club/Lab Thanks for sharing how we can show apprecaiton to the CMs at the Youth Clubs. I am buying a bunch of magazines to leave with the CMs and will definitley do a midnight grub dropoff, pizza, mickey bars, etc...

I do have one question for you. I've been getting some conflicting reports on wheter or not they have lemonade on board. Do they have lemonade on the Fantasy? Not the pink lemonade kind but the original, yellow lemonade. If so is it free?

Thanks...

Good question, in my experience I know we had some from time to time in the Crew Mess, I dont know where guests would get it! (Except for the "Poppin' Pink Lemonade" soda dispenser)

I wouldn't doubt that if you requested it, they'd make some magic for you.

 

[JoeP26]

What cruise and age group were you working on in July of 2012 and august of 2011, those were my recent cruises

 

[CMontheseas]

I wanted to ask about drinking water in the clubs, how do you make sure the kids drink enough? Do they have water or any other drinks there? Should we make sure they take a curare bottle with them?

I'm not sure how any of us would be able to measure how much each child has had to drink while they're with us, really!

There are water fountains in each space (Lab & Club), no other drinks. A lot of primarily American and Brazilian parents ask us to provide soda for the kids at all times (we don't!).! I know that after a particularly rigorous activity with a lot of physicality, the Counselor hosting it would likely ask the kids to go have a drink from the water fountain.

On the classics, this is easier to do as the Counselors tend to have more free rein to make announcements and reminders for the children. On the new ships, this is extremely limited.

 

[CMontheseas]

So while most of that is a topic for another thread, I'm hoping to find out exactly what Disney ships have for our oldest grandchildren. We're convinced that the younger ones will have plenty to keep them entertained.

Thanks again.

Comparably, having cruised as a guest on other cruise lines and having worked in Vibe (our teen space), I can't really see any difference. The activities and the order that they appear on the cruise seem to be exactly the same across the board.
*One big difference however is that on other cruise lines, there may be more teen-specific excursions in ports, where Disney has only a handful.*

There isn't so much of a "Disney Difference" with characters, in fact we rarely see them in the teen space. The things we have planned range from icebreakers on the first day, competitions and themed nights and campouts over the course of the cruise, culminating in a big "prom/homecoming" dance at the end.


How much fun the teens have depends on their personality (if they're not very sociable/boring, then they'll like have a boring, unsocial time! If they're bubblya nd outgoing, then they'll have a great time!). Even then, the vibe (no pun intended) changes from cruise to cruise.


As long as you allow them the time to go as often as they'd like, and encourage them to do so the first 1-2 days, they'll enjoy it. Often teens that tell us they don't have quite as much fun are the ones who feel "stuck" with their family all cruise long.

 

[JoeP26]

I'm not sure how any of us would be able to measure how much each child has had to drink while they're with us, really! There are water fountains in each space (Lab & Club), no other drinks. A lot of primarily American and Brazilian parents ask us to provide soda for the kids at all times (we don't!).! I know that after a particularly rigorous activity with a lot of physicality, the Counselor hosting it would likely ask the kids to go have a drink from the water fountain. On the classics, this is easier to do as the Counselors tend to have more free rein to make announcements and reminders for the children. On the new ships, this is extremely limited.

at the vibe on the dream and fantasy there is water and soda that the CM's can get for the teens they even make smoothies sometimes

 

[CMontheseas]

Can anyone give me some info about the location of the club and its accessibility, both getting there and once within the club?

(And if you have views on Magic vs Fantasy, esp from a reserved teenager perspective, do share!)

Hello!
The Club/Lab are always located in the midship on Deck 5 of all the ships. To get there they are accessible via elevator and there are larger gates at the front to accommodate walker/wc access. There is always a accessibility restroom in each space.

The only things that would not quite be accessible are the slides on the ships (whether by stairs or climbing net apparatus), and some computer terminals (height variations).

Hope that helps!

 

[CMontheseas]

at the vibe on the dream and fantasy there is water and soda that the CM's can get for the teens they even make smoothies sometimes

This is the same on the magic and wonder as well. This is only in Vibe however!

 

[lbgraves]

So while most of that is a topic for another thread, I'm hoping to find out exactly what Disney ships have for our oldest grandchildren. We're convinced that the younger ones will have plenty to keep them entertained.

Thanks again.

I asked both kids what they would suggest for a first-time tween/teen on the ships. DD13 said the Fantasy because the Edge is brighter and just more open with the higher ceilings than the classics on deck 2 in the former conference room space. She said that the games are okay on both, but there are more places to play video games on the new ships in the Edge. She also likes sitting with friends in the huge beanbag chairs there. DS15 agreed with her and even said the Vibe would give a better first impression on the new ships. We toured the Vibe on the Fantasy and I was impressed. It has a small pool area as well, so the kids can get some fresh air while being in the club instead of staying indoors.

 

[twinmum]

Hello!
The Club/Lab are always located in the midship on Deck 5 of all the ships. To get there they are accessible via elevator and there are larger gates at the front to accommodate walker/wc access. There is always a accessibility restroom in each space.

The only things that would not quite be accessible are the slides on the ships (whether by stairs or climbing net apparatus), and some computer terminals (height variations).

Hope that helps!

Thanks - does this answer cover Vibe on the Magic? I looked at a deck plan and couldn't even find it! My twin sons are 15, so they'll be in the teen club.

 

[CMontheseas]

Thanks - does this answer cover Vibe on the Magic? I looked at a deck plan and couldn't even find it! My twin sons are 15, so they'll be in the teen club.

Nope! Like I said, the Club/Lab are located on deck 5!

If you're looking at the Magic Deck plan for Vibe, that's because it's in the funnel on Deck 11.

Sorry about the confusion , we don't call the teen spaces a "club" for that reason!

 

[twinmum]

Nope! Like I said, the Club/Lab are located on deck 5!

If you're looking at the Magic Deck plan for Vibe, that's because it's in the funnel on Deck 11.

Sorry about the confusion , we don't call the teen spaces a "club" for that reason!

Thanks again, sorry to be a pest. I found it on the deck plan now! I see stairs and the mid-ship elevator for access. Will he need to have his KTTW card specially coded to get access? (That was what we had to do for Edge on the Dream)

Just trying to choose between 7 nights on Fantasy and 4 nights on Magic, thought we might like to try a more intimate ship for something different. It's basically a choice between a ship similar to what we've experienced, with some new ports OR a different size ship on the itinerary we've done before. Our son will have just finished a 3 month recovery and inpatient rehab after significant orthopedic surgery (happening in 3 weeks!) so we want everything to work out well for him.

THANK YOU!!!