Current Youth Activities CM -- Ask me anything!

[byejou]

When is DCL going to realize that 9 and 10 year olds are playing more advanced computer games than what they offer in the labs. My kids hate the lab. They went to the Edge for the open house and loved it. The Edge has the games most kids are playing X box, Wii, plants and zombies etc.

My son is a little over 9 1/2 and his brother 12. Would the younger one be allowed in the Edge with his brother?

 

[sullins5]

With candy, chocolate bars alll the way. Those mini-chocolate bars like kit-kats, reeses, O-henrys, etc. are awesome because they're small and we can sneak them in our pockets to go eat in a closet somewhere (we can never be seen eating anything where a guest might see us!). Starburst is a huge deal because they're portable and individually packaged. Really stuff we can shove into our pockets for a little-pick-me-up at the end of a 10-hour shift are faaaantastic!

Thanks for sharing this! We just got off the Wonder on Oct 5th, and I must say, I had the BEST time passing out M&M's and Hershey Bars to cm's that I thought were doing a great job. I passed them out to cleaners, room hosts (and not just mine), our servers, deck cm's that cleaned up, cm's that offered drinks, bathroom hosts..but now I'm wondering. I gave the large size bars... I didn't get any one in trouble did I? They all stuffed the bars in their pockets, and said thanks, but I didn't think about management seeing it, and it being against rules?
I told my dh, I had so much fun passing out chocolates, that next time, I didn't want to do an FE, but wanted to take MORE treats along for the cm's. I have two twenty-somethings, and I KNOW if my kids were on the ships, I'd want my babies treated right!
So, next cruise, instead of the large candy bars, take the little ones? And Mickey Bars? And magazines? And of course, commenting on the cards, but anything else?

 

[Sarafromcanada]

Do you know if there are any CMs from Canada in the Kids Club on the Fantasy? Since we are flying out that morning, I was going to bring them a Canadian treat (Timbits), but likely only the Canadian CMs would appreciate it

Thanks

 

[byejou]

So, next cruise, instead of the large candy bars, take the little ones? And Mickey Bars? And magazines? And of course, commenting on the cards, but anything else?

Don't forget the family!!!!

 

[CMontheseas]

Would room service say anything if I order say 15 mickey bars or trays of snack foods, ie. wings, chicken strips, warm cookies

Nope, for some guests- thats pretty normal!

 

[Mayakad]

Some still exist on the rare occasion, but a lot of the old programming disappeared with our heightened security. Now, with our system we can't really bring the kids "Out and About" like we used to! (Goodbye hunting the ship for heffalumps!) If it's any indication, we don't have any more of the themed patches for Out and About activities, but occasionally you might seen one for unsecured programming like Dodgeball, for example.

Wow you are fast and it should have been ? Not ! At my first post
I really don't want to try and push him to the edge group but can he just join the outdoor activities of the edge if he follows the navigator? ( like can he join them on sports deck to Goofy Olympics or browns and brain ?)
Thanks for answering all these questions!
I'm sending you a virtual Mickey bar

 

[sullins5]

Don't forget the family!!!!

I won't!!!! But my dd loved it too, so she'll be a helper for sure! She would say.."MOM? You don't have a candy bar for that one?"
But it's hard carrying more than a pile for fear of melting..melting...melting..

 

[CMontheseas]

Do you know if there are any CMs from Canada in the Kids Club on the Fantasy? Since we are flying out that morning, I was going to bring them a Canadian treat (Timbits), but likely only the Canadian CMs would appreciate it

Thanks

If I'm not mistaken, there'll be a few

 

[CMontheseas]

My son is a little over 9 1/2 and his brother 12. Would the younger one be allowed in the Edge with his brother?

Sadly, nope - if he were a year older (10 1/2 ) then we could maybe get him in, but under 10 - we can't!

 

[Ofinn]

My son is a little over 9 1/2 and his brother 12. Would the younger one be allowed in the Edge with his brother?

They let my 10 year old into the Edge. My 9 year old was bored the whole cruise. I'm hoping things go better on the Fantasy. He said they had a Wii in the lab, but they would not let him play with it. Not sure what that's about. If there is not enough to keep them busy this cruise we may have to consider another cruiseline that offers more for older kids.

 

[twindaddy]

Sadly, nope - if he were a year older (10 1/2 ) then we could maybe get him in, but under 10 - we can't!

I an see why they had to go strict on the rules, everyone thinks they should be the exception.

I really want to do the mickey bar thing, the CM's were pretty excited about the girl scout cookies, time to take it to the next level. They might have to throw them away, or think I am a weirdo and call security, but it is worth spending a night in the brig.

I would never have thought of magazines, are you talking about regular magazines like US, people, sports illustrated?

 

[Ofinn]

I an see why they had to go strict on the rules, everyone thinks they should be the exception.

I really want to do the mickey bar thing, the CM's were pretty excited about the girl scout cookies, time to take it to the next level. They might have to throw them away, or think I am a weirdo and call security, but it is worth spending a night in the brig.

I would never have thought of magazines, are you talking about regular magazines like US, people, sports illustrated?

Asking a question does not mean you are trying to get around the rules.

 

[lbgraves]

If I was the counselor at the computer registering him, I'd say definitely. Our threshold tends to be within a month or two of their 3rd birthday, WITH potty training. Like 100% potty training. Unless he was clearly wearing a diaper/pull-ups, or couldn't respond to speech, or was crying nonstop, the counselors would be fine approving him.

.... - we make 6$/hour, and work 9-10 hours a day. Every single day for months.
...

WOW!

Yep! Any child 3 and over, even if they're not at all potty trained, we HAVE to let them into our space. Yes, we've had 5-9 year olds with diapers with us before!

So it's true that the official policy of no pull ups is no longer in place? That use to be a hard and fast rule.

Also, I've seen mentioned that people have ordered a whole pizza on deck & took it to the club for the CMs. Is this possible to do without getting anyone in trouble?

 

[CMontheseas]

WOW!



So it's true that the official policy of no pull ups is no longer in place? That use to be a hard and fast rule.

Also, I've seen mentioned that people have ordered a whole pizza on deck & took it to the club for the CMs. Is this possible to do without getting anyone in trouble?

We had a whole bunch of special needs needs as well as children with various intestinal/bowel conditions above the age of 3, who we simply couldn't deny care in our space So, above 3 - no potty training? Go ahead.
*Note, this could very well change again over the next few months!



As for the pizza - we wouldn't be able to eat it right then and there, but it'll be "tossed in the trash" in a CM-only space out of sight. And then we'd take turns "going to the bathroom" to "see the trash".

 

[lbgraves]

As for the pizza - we wouldn't be able to eat it right then and there, but it'll be "tossed in the trash" in a CM-only space out of sight. And then we'd take turns "going to the bathroom" to "see the trash".

LOL! I LOVE it!

 

[byejou]

OK, quick question. What do you have to eat for your meals.

 

[CMontheseas]

Not what's served upstairs, that's for sure!


A general rundown of the meals for the day- served cafeteria-line/buffet style for all crew who aren't management (they get to eat wherever they like on board. And have their own dining quarters) :


Breakfast:
Porridge, Oatmeal, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon/Sausage links, Potatoes, Rice, Yogurt
-think complimentary Breakfast at a chain hotel-


Lunch:
Steamed Fish, Parboiled Rice, Soup of the day, Chicken dish with gravy, Pork/beef dish with gravy, Roasted potatoes, White rice, Salads with 3 dressings


Dinner:
Same general configuration as lunch, but different dishes - pasta bar, Dessert cakes/Jello


Late Night (after 10:30- 11:30 pm):
Leftover Pizzas, hotdogs, quiches, anything interesting that was overproduced in the restaurants during Dinner!

"IS THERE ANYTHING ON THIS MENU NOT SWIMMING IN GRAVY?!" -Yzma accurately reflecting ship life

 

[mynameisnobody]

Do you have to pay anything for your cabin space on board?

Reason I ask, my daughter just finished 6 months with the college program. I think she was making about $7.75/hour. They typically got no more than 40 hours a week. They were charged ~$90/week for housing and still had to provide their own food.

 

[CMontheseas]

Do you have to pay anything for your cabin space on board?

Reason I ask, my daughter just finished 6 months with the college program. I think she was making about $7.75/hour. They typically got no more than 40 hours a week. They were charged ~$90/week for housing and still had to provide their own food.

Oh those CPs! Our comrades who know almost exactly what we're living with.
But nope, we didn't have to pay for our cabin space. We just had to endure cabin inspections a bit more often than the CPs have their apartments inspected!

 

[bawpotter]

From what I know of the ship, you guys have spaces on Deck 1, Deck A, and Deck B. (Dream and Fantasy) What's it like down there? How is it being so far below on the ship? Do you have your rooms on one deck and everything else on the other?

Also, thanks so much for taking the time to do this!