Got Youth Activities Questions? Ask Me Anything :)

[Shay985]

Hello! I am a current Youth Activities Counsellor, and have noticed that people often have a lot of questions regarding our spaces. Feel free to clarify anything you want to know! Shay xx

 

[CTCruiser221]

Hi Shay,

We are on the Fantasy in a couple months and are cruising with our 17-month old twins for the first time. We plan on using the nursery and have times pre-booked online. Just a few questions (based on what I’ve seen on previous personal navigators):

While the nursery seems to usually close at 11pm, on some sailings it closes later. How is this determined?

Our particular sailing looks like it closes at 11pm. Are there any exceptions if the evening adult shows or activities run later than nursery closing time (which happens to be the case most of the time)? How strict is the nursery in regards to closing time pick ups?

Thank you for any info you can give.

 

[Burgermom]

Hi Shay, my son is 7 and we will be on the Dream in a couple months.
I have been looking at some of the old navigators and they list specific activities happening in the youth clubs at specific times. Any must-do activities for kids his age? With only 4 nights we only have so much time and I am trying to prioritize what to do. Just curious to know what kids his age seem to enjoy the most.
For example, one lists "stitche's adventure squad". Wasn't sure if that is something kids his age would enjoy.
thanks

 

[BarlowFamily]

Hi Shay! We are going on our second DCL cruise in a few months! Our little guy had so much fun in the kid's clubs last year, I know he will again this year. I was wondering about "tipping" youth activities counselors. What happens if I give cash? Is there a better "tip"? I thought of purchasing a bunch of Starbucks gift cards...any ideas would be appreciated.

 

[amhawthorne]

My daughter is 15 and I would love for her to make friends on the ship with other kids in the Vibe. However she is shy and apprehensive about going to the club on her own. Do you have any advice on what the best time would be for her to go into the club for the first time? Will the counselors be able to encourage the quiet teens to participate and have fun? She loves theatre and preforming but is a bit introverted. Would you recommend the Vibe for shy kids like her?
Thank you and any information or advice is appreciated.

 

[Beachbummer]

Hi Shay! We’ll be traveling for 7-nights on the Fantasy in May 2020 (our first cruise). My boys will be 3 and 6. I’ve read trip reports and watched some vlogs that described the kids club as a “free for all”. We definitely plan to use the kids club, but can you verify how activities are organized for the younger ones? My biggest fear is that my 3-year old will left wandering around aimlessly. Is someone assigned to watch over and corral the younger ones directly?

 

[cdoc29]

Hi Shay,

Our last cruise we brought several of the latest magazines, hard candy and such for the youth counselors. Can you offer any suggestions of things you guys like to receive? I know you guys are not in a “gratuity” position but we still like to show our appreciation for the outstanding job you guys do. My kids are looking forward to being back on the Fantasy in Fall 2020 and getting to go to Kids Club.

 

[Shay985]

Hi Shay,

Our last cruise we brought several of the latest magazines, hard candy and such for the youth counselors. Can you offer any suggestions of things you guys like to receive? I know you guys are not in a “gratuity” position but we still like to show our appreciation for the outstanding job you guys do. My kids are looking forward to being back on the Fantasy in Fall 2020 and getting to go to Kids Club.

Hi! That is so sweet of you. We don’t expect any kind of gifts from guests. However we do love getting candy!! Magazines are also great because we can read about what is going on outside of ship life! It’s easy to share these things too as there are a lot of us.

I am happy that you are looking forward to returning!! I hope you enjoy preparing for your cruise!

Shay

 

[Shay985]

Hi Shay,

We are on the Fantasy in a couple months and are cruising with our 17-month old twins for the first time. We plan on using the nursery and have times pre-booked online. Just a few questions (based on what I’ve seen on previous personal navigators):

While the nursery seems to usually close at 11pm, on some sailings it closes later. How is this determined?

Our particular sailing looks like it closes at 11pm. Are there any exceptions if the evening adult shows or activities run later than nursery closing time (which happens to be the case most of the time)? How strict is the nursery in regards to closing time pick ups?

Thank you for any info you can give.

Hello! Thanks for your question.
All of the youth spaces are strict about closing times and they do not stay open later for any activities. Enjoy your cruise!

Shay x

 

[Shay985]

Hi Shay! We’ll be traveling for 7-nights on the Fantasy in May 2020 (our first cruise). My boys will be 3 and 6. I’ve read trip reports and watched some vlogs that described the kids club as a “free for all”. We definitely plan to use the kids club, but can you verify how activities are organized for the younger ones? My biggest fear is that my 3-year old will left wandering around aimlessly. Is someone assigned to watch over and corral the younger ones directly?

I am so excited you have booked your first cruise!

I too have read things online about it being overly crazy in the club/lab. While there are usually an awful lot of children in the spaces, there is also a number of us around. There is always scheduled activities happening (you can find these on the navigator). At other times, we will run activities such as craft or a game with the children. It is up to them if they want to participate and there are lots of other things they can do independently.

We do encourage the little ones to join in, and some of them take a while to warm up to us. We do look out for them because we want them to have fun too!

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have further questions/concerns.

Shay x

 

[Shay985]

Hi Shay, my son is 7 and we will be on the Dream in a couple months.
I have been looking at some of the old navigators and they list specific activities happening in the youth clubs at specific times. Any must-do activities for kids his age? With only 4 nights we only have so much time and I am trying to prioritize what to do. Just curious to know what kids his age seem to enjoy the most.
For example, one lists "stitche's adventure squad". Wasn't sure if that is something kids his age would enjoy.
thanks

Hi Burgermom,

I have not worked on the Dream so am unsure which specific programs they have. I will ask around and get back to you

 

[Shay985]

My daughter is 15 and I would love for her to make friends on the ship with other kids in the Vibe. However she is shy and apprehensive about going to the club on her own. Do you have any advice on what the best time would be for her to go into the club for the first time? Will the counselors be able to encourage the quiet teens to participate and have fun? She loves theatre and preforming but is a bit introverted. Would you recommend the Vibe for shy kids like her?
Thank you and any information or advice is appreciated.

Hi! I definitely recommend she try it out! The best time to go for the first time is during icebreakers activities on the first day. She will meet other teens during that time and that tends to be when friendship groups are formed. We are always around and will encourage her to participate in activities. She can always just sit and chat with us if she doesn’t want to engage with other teens. Let me know if you have further questions! S x

 

[PurplePencil]

My daughter is 15 and I would love for her to make friends on the ship with other kids in the Vibe. However she is shy and apprehensive about going to the club on her own. Do you have any advice on what the best time would be for her to go into the club for the first time? Will the counselors be able to encourage the quiet teens to participate and have fun? She loves theatre and preforming but is a bit introverted. Would you recommend the Vibe for shy kids like her?
Thank you and any information or advice is appreciated.

As Shay said, the first night there are icebreakers which provides an opportunity to meet other teens. Depending on the itinerary, there might be performing arts activities (ie. shooting a music video, flash mobs, short-film) which might be of interest to her.

 

[evedein]

My 10 yr old grandson is mildly autistic. Functions well, but occasionally has melt downs. Should we alert the CMs in the Kids clubs or just wait & see?

 

[Shay985]

My 10 yr old grandson is mildly autistic. Functions well, but occasionally has melt downs. Should we alert the CMs in the Kids clubs or just wait & see?

Hi! Yes, please tell the CMs when you collect your mickey band. They can put a little note in the system just so everyone is aware in case he needs any help or anything

 

[evedein]

Thanks Shay

 

[Gothemi]

Hi Shay, how do you handle children with peanut allergies? My daughter has a peanut allergy. When checking us in for our first cruise coming in October, the check in process indicated there might be peanuts served in the kids areas.

 

[hamm1207]

Hi Shay, how do you handle children with peanut allergies? My daughter has a peanut allergy. When checking us in for our first cruise coming in October, the check in process indicated there might be peanuts served in the kids areas.

I think the kids' areas are peanut free. On our last cruise we tried to set up a PB&J sandwich to be served to our daughter (2.5 at the time) while she was in the nursery--she has a milk allergy, so all food planning goes through our head server. He said that we were unable to do PB&J because they want to keep the kids' areas peanut free due to allergies.

Unrelated to kids' clubs--they do a fantastic job with meals for allergies! Our daughter absolutely loves the meals that are made for her--especially the desserts!

 

[hamm1207]

Hello Shay! We're heading on the Fantasy in November, and it's our daughter's first time in the clubs! She's excited about all of the activities that are offered. She'll be 3-almost 4 at the time of the cruise. If there's an activity starting in the club/lab, do you make an announcement so that the kids can join in/how do you round up the kids to help them get where they need to go if interested in an activity? Also, I think I read somewhere that there is a preschool time for 3-5 year olds...is this an option for an activity? Thank you and we can't wait to see you on board sometime!

 

[MsSimone]

What sorts of activities are available for a teen (13) in Edge? The online info is pretty vague, and I'm concerned that my teenaged daughter is going to be bored with 'tween' activities.