Has anyone else had issues with the new Oceaneer's club/lab policies?

[jetskigrl]

We had a very similar experience on our cruise. The kids "programming" was a big disappointment on our cruise. Even if participation in the structured activities (which are advertized to be taking place) is not mantatory, the CMs should be encouraging/inviting kids to participate. If they tried to make the activities exciting and acted like they enjoy working WITH kids rather than ignoring them more kids probably would be doing structured activities. What I saw was more like a free for all, with CMs just standing around "watching" the kids. Unfortunately, the parents who just drop their kids off without actually observing what is going on rely on the infomation given to them by their kids and may not understand how the clubs really operate when no one is looking. Of course kids are going to tell their parents they had a great time in the club if they are allowed to run wild.

What is wrong with just letting them run wild for a bit? Isn't that the point of having "their" space to play? It isn't a classroom or a daycare center. It is basically a playground, with CM's that will watch them and play with them, whether it be group activities or just watch over them as they play on their own.

I will be honest here and say what you described is exactly what my DS loves about the Lab. He spends all day at school doing structured activities. That is the last thing that he wants to do when he is in the lab, on his vacation. He loves going back and forth between the Wii games, the computers and the simulators. He usually doesn't want to bake cookies or do science experiments or be stuck in a group project (he gets enough of that in school, LOL) but if something appeals to him, he will join.

So in that respect, I have no problems with the CMs just hanging back and being there if he needs them. That is his space to play, his one area that is totally his choice. And some times when I would pick him up, I would find him doing something with a group of kids or just him playing cards with a CM. And other times he was sitting at a computer and that is fine because he is happy.

A couple times when I saw something that looked really fun (like flubber), I asked him if he participated in it and he said no. I asked if he knew about it and he said yes, he was invited to join but did not want to. I'm fine with that. He was invited, he declined. I don't want the CM's pressuring him to join something that he doesn't want to.

But my DS is a bit older and I can see how those with much younger kids (3-4) would feel better if the CMs tried harder to get them to participate. My thought is that the CM's should be able to tell the difference between a child who is shy, unsure (but might want to join) and a child that is happy just playing on their own. But I don't expect them to be teachers and I don't expect them to organize my child's playtime.

I have also never seen CM's sitting around or looking apathetic. Any time we were at the clubs, they were either doing group activities with the kids or playing one-on-one or in small groups (coloring, playing cards, etc). I never saw a CM not involved. I wonder if the changes in the policies could be having a negative affect on them as well. I guess we will find out soon enough.

 

[princessmom29]

We had a very similar experience on our cruise. The kids "programming" was a big disappointment on our cruise. Even if participation in the structured activities (which are advertized to be taking place) is not mantatory, the CMs should be encouraging/inviting kids to participate. If they tried to make the activities exciting and acted like they enjoy working WITH kids rather than ignoring them more kids probably would be doing structured activities. What I saw was more like a free for all, with CMs just standing around "watching" the kids. Unfortunately, the parents who just drop their kids off without actually observing what is going on rely on the infomation given to them by their kids and may not understand how the clubs really operate when no one is looking. Of course kids are going to tell their parents they had a great time in the club if they are allowed to run wild.

I think there has to be a balance. I think the CM's don't need to be too pushy with the scheduled activities so that kids feel they HAVE to praticipate when they don't want to, but shouldn't go too far the other way either. I say walking around adn offering the activity is enough, and if a kids doesn't want to particiapte, don't push it. I don't think they need to ask over and over or spend a lot of time ":talking up" the activity. I think "hey ________ starts it ten minutes it is ____________(insert short discription here), and we will be doing it in _____room" is plenty to let kids know what thier options are iwthout being too pushy about it. Mabye the CM's you observed went too far towards not pushing things, but I don't want them going to other way and being too pushy either. Some kids are intimidated by that and would be pushed into doing something they didn't want to do.

 

[princessmom29]

What is wrong with just letting them run wild for a bit? Isn't that the point of having "their" space to play? It isn't a classroom or a daycare center. It is basically a playground, with CM's that will watch them and play with them, whether it be group activities or just watch over them as they play on their own.

I will be honest here and say what you described is exactly what my DS loves about the Lab. He spends all day at school doing structured activities. That is the last thing that he wants to do when he is in the lab, on his vacation. He loves going back and forth between the Wii games, the computers and the simulators. He usually doesn't want to bake cookies or do science experiments or be stuck in a group project (he gets enough of that in school, LOL) but if something appeals to him, he will join.

So in that respect, I have no problems with the CMs just hanging back and being there if he needs them. That is his space to play, his one area that is totally his choice. And some times when I would pick him up, I would find him doing something with a group of kids or just him playing cards with a CM. And other times he was sitting at a computer and that is fine because he is happy.

A couple times when I saw something that looked really fun (like flubber), I asked him if he participated in it and he said no. I asked if he knew about it and he said yes, he was invited to join but did not want to. I'm fine with that. He was invited, he declined. I don't want the CM's pressuring him to join something that he doesn't want to.

But my DS is a bit older and I can see how those with much younger kids (3-4) would feel better if the CMs tried harder to get them to participate. My thought is that the CM's should be able to tell the difference between a child who is shy, unsure (but might want to join) and a child that is happy just playing on their own. But I don't expect them to be teachers and I don't expect them to organize my child's playtime.

I have also never seen CM's sitting around or looking apathetic. Any time we were at the clubs, they were either doing group activities with the kids or playing one-on-one or in small groups (coloring, playing cards, etc). I never saw a CM not involved. I wonder if the changes in the policies could be having a negative affect on them as well. I guess we will find out soon enough.

ITA. This sounds about like what I expect from the kids programming. DD is in structured activites all the time at home and wants to just play when she is not.

 

[AZMermaid]

That is what life is about...compromise.

I agree... I think even the most vocal posters in this thread have stated they would have no issue with a set, expected, open house each day at an off time- say 8-10AM, which to me is just that, a compromise. It is the length of time, timing and haphazardness of the times on most notably, the Wonder, that people object most to.

I also tend to agree that the under 6 crowd may need a little more pushing/direction to participate in the more structured activities, which is one of the issues with cramming all the 3-10 year olds together. The 8-10 year olds really just need to be told "Hey, this is happening here- be there or be square" whereas the younger ones need more attention. I am going to guess the Club CMs are more adept at helping the younger ones than the Lab CMs (just by nature of who they serve, not a judgement) so when the preschoolers are in there with the 9-10 year olds and their CMs, they get overlooked and left to color.

 

[chateau]

I feel for moderators job... how to weed through it all and read all kinds of difficult things. I won't be visiting this to read comments on my comment (trying to avoid hurtful banter) but our kids attend a group weekly where parents drop off or stay and play. The numbers are similar to a Disney Cruise. All security has ear pieces and two way communication. They are not responsible for playing/teaching with the children, just maintain their safety in all aspects. There is a system for drop off and pick up that (hopefully) eliminates all potential problems. When it comes to interactions between parents and another's child, it is closely monitored. I hope MORE Disney employees are hired to rectify the obvious dilemma they are confronting, to allow a middle ground for all. We are all very fortunate to have our little ones, lets wish for the best for them all.

 

[5forDis]

This thread is now 46 pages with a lot of speculation rather than facts. It would probably be helpful for another thread to start that gives information about how the new arrangements are working (open house, combining the club/lab, age limits, etc).

I would start one if I had already cruised but that won't be until April.

Hopefully, SoCalMom-OC will report back about how the Club/Lab worked for her kids...and that could get a discussion started about how it is really working. I know some people have posted their recent cruise experiences and thank you so much for that. I am worried it will be lost in the 46 pages...

 

[justhat]

We had a very similar experience on our cruise. The kids "programming" was a big disappointment on our cruise. Even if participation in the structured activities (which are advertized to be taking place) is not mantatory, the CMs should be encouraging/inviting kids to participate. If they tried to make the activities exciting and acted like they enjoy working WITH kids rather than ignoring them more kids probably would be doing structured activities. What I saw was more like a free for all, with CMs just standing around "watching" the kids. Unfortunately, the parents who just drop their kids off without actually observing what is going on rely on the infomation given to them by their kids and may not understand how the clubs really operate when no one is looking. Of course kids are going to tell their parents they had a great time in the club if they are allowed to run wild.

But if they are happy running wild, then isn't that okay? Why do they need to be doing structured activities all day? If they are happy playing, sliding down the boat over and over, coloring, dressing up, whatever, isn't that an okay option?

For me, if my kids are happy and safe, then whatever the activity they choose is fine with me.

I think it's hard for CMs to know what a kid does/does not want to do, as they only get to know them over a period of a few hours a day during a week or so. Sometimes it is as short as 3 days. Not all kids are easy to peg. My oldest was reticent as a preschooler, but if you encouraged her to participate, she would usually comply and usually have fun. But my son, he is the most outgoing kid ever, would literally walk off with a stranger without hesitation, yet if you tried to get him to do a group dance he'd hate it. People who know him well are shocked by that as it totally doesn't fit with his personality in general, so I wouldn't expect someone who only gets a few hours with him to know that. And he's the kid who is known by name with EVERY club/lab CM by the 2nd afternoon! He's animated, active, and ridiculously chatty with anyone he meets. But if they forced or coaxed him into a group activity he wasn't cool with, he'd literally break down and cry.

What is wrong with just letting them run wild for a bit? Isn't that the point of having "their" space to play? It isn't a classroom or a daycare center. It is basically a playground, with CM's that will watch them and play with them, whether it be group activities or just watch over them as they play on their own.

I will be honest here and say what you described is exactly what my DS loves about the Lab. He spends all day at school doing structured activities. That is the last thing that he wants to do when he is in the lab, on his vacation. He loves going back and forth between the Wii games, the computers and the simulators. He usually doesn't want to bake cookies or do science experiments or be stuck in a group project (he gets enough of that in school, LOL) but if something appeals to him, he will join.

So in that respect, I have no problems with the CMs just hanging back and being there if he needs them. That is his space to play, his one area that is totally his choice. And some times when I would pick him up, I would find him doing something with a group of kids or just him playing cards with a CM. And other times he was sitting at a computer and that is fine because he is happy.

A couple times when I saw something that looked really fun (like flubber), I asked him if he participated in it and he said no. I asked if he knew about it and he said yes, he was invited to join but did not want to. I'm fine with that. He was invited, he declined. I don't want the CM's pressuring him to join something that he doesn't want to.

But my DS is a bit older and I can see how those with much younger kids (3-4) would feel better if the CMs tried harder to get them to participate. My thought is that the CM's should be able to tell the difference between a child who is shy, unsure (but might want to join) and a child that is happy just playing on their own. But I don't expect them to be teachers and I don't expect them to organize my child's playtime.

I have also never seen CM's sitting around or looking apathetic. Any time we were at the clubs, they were either doing group activities with the kids or playing one-on-one or in small groups (coloring, playing cards, etc). I never saw a CM not involved. I wonder if the changes in the policies could be having a negative affect on them as well. I guess we will find out soon enough.

I have young ones, but I still feel the way you do. My kids enjoy the flexibility of being able to do whatever they want in the clubs. School is structured, camp is structured, after school sports and activities are structured. So the down time to just play is much appreciated by them. They do a mix of structured stuff and play, but I am glad it is left up to them. My son likes the science and building stuff, my daughter the princess/fairy/pretend stuff, and I expect my youngest will be all over the Mouseketeer Training type stuff when she moves up. But if they want to slide and color all day, or play connect 4 with a counselor, that's okay too!

I agree... I think even the most vocal posters in this thread have stated they would have no issue with a set, expected, open house each day at an off time- say 8-10AM, which to me is just that, a compromise. It is the length of time, timing and haphazardness of the times on most notably, the Wonder, that people object most to.

I also tend to agree that the under 6 crowd may need a little more pushing/direction to participate in the more structured activities, which is one of the issues with cramming all the 3-10 year olds together. The 8-10 year olds really just need to be told "Hey, this is happening here- be there or be square" whereas the younger ones need more attention. I am going to guess the Club CMs are more adept at helping the younger ones than the Lab CMs (just by nature of who they serve, not a judgement) so when the preschoolers are in there with the 9-10 year olds and their CMs, they get overlooked and left to color.

The Club and Lab CMs rotate on different cruises. So they should all be just as adept with one age as another. They might prefer one age to another, but they do work on both sides. Some also switch into the nursery. We were super happy to see a CM who was in the nursery with our son when he was 6 months, 11 months, and 2yo was in the Club when he was 3yo. He loved her in the nursery and it was nice to see her in the club cause she remembered him when he first walked in on check-in day. She was in the lab on a subsequent cruise.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

This thread is now 46 pages with a lot of speculation rather than facts. It would probably be helpful for another thread to start that gives information about how the new arrangements are working (open house, combining the club/lab, age limits, etc).

I would start one if I had already cruised but that won't be until April.

Hopefully, SoCalMom-OC will report back about how the Club/Lab worked for her kids...and that could get a discussion started about how it is really working. I know some people have posted their recent cruise experiences and thank you so much for that. I am worried it will be lost in the 46 pages...

In case you missed it....

Anyway, on to my actual experience with the new open house hours from 1/26-1/29 on the Dream:

Thursday
Club: 12:00pm - 6:45pm (I realized I had the time wrong in my previous post), 10:00pm - 11:00pm
Lab: 12:00pm - 6:00pm
Edge: 12:00pm - 6:00pm
Vibe: 12:00pm - 6:00pm

Friday (Nassau)
Club: 9:00am - 10:15am (Let's Build a Fort, Puzzle Playtime), 8:30pm - 9:30pm (Once Upon a Time)
Lab: 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Edge: 9:00am - 10:00am
Vibe: 10:00am - 11:00am

Saturday (Castaway Cay)
Scuttle's Cove: Family Whale Dig at Monstro's Point, secured program offered all day until 4:00pm
Club: No Open House (Club completely closed until 4:00pm)
Lab: 9:00am - 5:15pm, 11:00pm - Midnight
Edge: 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Vibe: No Open House

Overall, the Open House hours didn't affect us and we didn't use them at all. We found plenty of things to do as a family.

Friday we brought DD to the Club right before 10:30am (Open House was supposed to end at 10:15), and there were still families in the Club, still checking in secured programming only at the Lab.

I was surprised to see Open House hours for Edge and Vibe.

I was allowed (and not only allowed, but told) to enter the Club to retrieve my child, and given a "Pick-Up" card on a necklace. I expected to have her brought out to me, and I did not linger inside the Club when getting her, and I did not notice any other parents lingering inside either. One day at the Club I saw a parent talking to her child right by the gate (the child was inside), and she asked if she could enter the Club to finish the conversation, and the counselor said no, the child could check out and check in when they were finished, or she was welcome to stand there and talk over the gate. No parents were allowed past the gate in the nursery, but I believe it was the same last year. One mother really wanted to enter the nursery with her child and "get her settled" but she was told no.

I have no idea if the Family Whale Dig is new or has always been offered, as last time we just played on the beach, and this is the first time we have used Scuttle's Cove secure program. I did hear a family complaining loudly that they could not go in Scuttle's Cove together, so you definitely cannot please everyone. I'm not sure what makes the sand in Scuttle's different from the sand on the family beach.

 

[LKFan]

For comparison, this is the schedule on the Wonder: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2861803


OPEN HOUSE HOURS (taken from my Navigators)
Sunday
*other than the usual 3-ish hour block used for general Open House and Registration, there is also
*Club 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Monday (at sea)
*Club 3:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Tuesday (at sea)
*Lab 2:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Wednesday (PV)
*Club 7:30 am - 11:30 am

Thursday (Cabo)
*Lab 8:30 - 11:30 am
*Club 8:30 pm - 11 pm

Friday (Cabo)
*Club 8:30 am - 11:00 am
*Lab 8:30 pm - 12:00 am

Saturday (at sea)
*Club 9:00 am - 11:00 am
*Lab 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

Hi everyone, I plan to write in more detail when I do my trip report and have a chance to scan the navigators. I also don't have my land legs back and everything is still spinning.

I know there were a couple of questions about almost 3 year olds being moved-special needs kids in the club and the open houses so I will answer them all here.

IMO the open houses were not overly long, I don't remember it being more than a few hours spread out through out the day between the club and the lab. I haven't found my navigators yet but when I do I will scan them.

The longest one I remember was on the first night as it was also part of registration. As well as the during CC day since the clubs moves to Shuttle's Cove.

As far as my almost 3 year old having a chance to be bumped up in the to the club, based on the discussion I had with the YAC- I felt like it was a possibility. She asked a bunch of questions about her being fully potty trained and independent and I answered as honestly as I could, yes she is fully potty trained but we do take her to a bathroom in a public place because of her age.

She has also not been in child care before so I wasn't sure how she would react. It was made clear to me that if she was moved, she would not be allowed back into the nursery if it didn't work. I decided to have her start out in the nursery to 'test' her. After a couple sessions, the YAC in the nursery thought she would be fine in the club, not to mention by then we got to see her interact in the open houses and she seemed to do well. I would have probably moved her but by then it was night 3- and we planned to do do the pirate party as a family (although I did have her booked for an hour or so after) and on day 4 we had an brunch at Palo and other than that it would be family time, so I didn't see the point of moving her anymore-not to mention she seemed to be connected to the YAC's in there.

There didn't seem like there was much in the nursery for her to do since it seems to be very baby-ish looking to me, but they do have a craft table and games for the older kids. If there were any special visitors such as snow white or Tinkerbell, it wasn't made known to me. But she did seem to enjoy herself and told me that she 'played with her friends'. My husband said that once when he was picking her up that he saw the YAC's playing a game with some kids on the mat, but Reese must have been tired because she was snuggled in a YAC's lap taking a nap.

As to my special needs 4 year old in the club, over all she did pretty well but we were also traveling with my friends 6 year old and 9 year old daughter. I didn't have a chance to talk to a YAC in detail about her needs as the first night they were quite busy getting kids their bands. I did notice on her wrist band it said MED on it, which I assume meant medical needs.

Most of the time she was in there she played with the 6 year old except on 2 occasions. One was the night of the pirate party, she went to the club for an hour or so, when I came to get her she was playing on T-Rex in Andy's room.

The second time was when we went to Palo, we checked our kids in separately and I think our friends checked their kids into the lab and we checked Ryanne into the club.

This is the only time there was a little kerfuffle. Around the end of our brunch we got a page that Ryanne wanted to be picked up. My husband told me that the kids ended up staying separated because the older girls were doing a baking thing in the lab-I guess it was in the school room part that connects the two clubs. At some point the must have been getting ready to shuffle the kids around because they were doing an open house so they sealed off that section. My DH said he found her in the lab.

When my DH brought her back to the stateroom he noticed that she had wet pants. It's unclear to us if that is why were paged because none of the YAC's said anything when he picked her up or if our DD asked to go because of it and the YAC didn't notice because she was wearing dark pants (My DH didn't even noticed right away either so it's not a criticism) . When we asked her what happened and why she didn't go to the bathroom, she kept on saying that she tried. So I don't know if she waited too long because she didn't want to leave an activity, or couldn't find a bathroom in time because she end up on the lab side and make it she didn't it in time (my DH and I think this could be why she might have asked to be picked up so we could take her to one) , or that she didn't have a chance to go because of the shuffle. She has a language delay, so this is part of the reason I was happy to have our friends daughters with us because had they been together I might have got a more accurate idea as to what happened.

I was bit surprised she had an accident, since it really doesn't happen and it had only been about an hour, she had been in the club as long as 3 hours the night we went to Remy without incident.

I also really enjoyed the family time in the club and it seemed others did too. They were by no means empty nor where they over crowed. The only time I sensed a mad houses was on registration night and it was only in Andy's Room because there were a few large groups in there together. It wasn't a big deal...we just go the heck out there because it was too tight of a space for that many people.

I hope this is reassuring to people on all sides of the issue.

 

[Spart02]

We got back from the Dream January 22nd sailing and I wanted to give my input as well. My kids are 4, 8, and 12. My 4 year old is EXTREMELY shy and never talks to adults in public. We went into the trip thinking that our two oldest would be spending a good amount of time in the clubs, but that our little girl would probably be spending more time with us. We couldn't have been more wrong! She LOVED the Kids Club and was begging to go all the time! Each time I went to pick her up (I was given a VISITORS lanyard to wear), she was engaged in activies. Being a shy 4 year old, I'm assuming the CM's had to have gone around and tried to get the kids engaged in activies. Otherwise, she never would have joined.

As far as open houses go, there was only 1 time that they were a bit of a problem for us, and it really wasn't a big deal. One of the first nights, my 8 year old complained that they had the club closed and so all the kids were in the lab. He said there were no free computers to play on and there wasn't much to do b/c it was so crowded. He was just a little annoyed, but it didn't stop him from wanting to return to the Kids Club the next morning. And after that, it was never a problem.

We made use of the open houses a couple of times. One of the times we took a cooking class with the kids. The other time we just let the kids burn off some energy. Personally, I liked how it was set up with open house blocks of less than 2 hours most of the time. It gave the parents the freedom to choose what they wanted to do. My 4 year old never complained about bigger kids being a problem and my 8 year old never complained about little ones getting in his way. All of those worries were really a non-issue. So again, the only issue with the open houses was the one night when the lab was a little over-crowded. Really minor in my mind!

One last thing. There were a few times when my 12 year old had wanted to join the lab for certain activities. When we asked one night if he could be checked in and if they had room for him, they told us yes, but that if he checked himself in, he wouldn't be allowed to visit the Edge again. He wasn't up for that at all b/c he really enjoyed the Edge, so he ended up hanging out with us that evening instead of going to the Lab. They did invite him to visit the Lab during an open house since he didn't want to be "checked-in" that night. Being new to Disney Cruiselines, I'm not sure if this is how they handled things before or not, but it wasn't a huge deal. We rolled with it and ended up having a nice evening with just him (the Edge didn't have an activity that he was interested in that night).

 

[ramwitz]

It was made clear to me that if she was moved, she would not be allowed back into the nursery if it didn't work.

SoCaOC-Mom: Thanks for all the info. Did they happen to mention to you why your daughter would not be allowed to use the nursery if the club ended up not working out? I am curious because when I cruise in April, my daughter will be a week shy of turning 3 (she turns 3 the day after we return from the cruise). I personally would prefer her in the nursery because it just feels safer to me but we will be cruising with my whole family including all of her little cousins (ranging in age from 3 to 5). I was considering asking permission to have her included in the club because I know she will have a fit once separated from her cousins who get to go to the club while she is stuck in the nursery. Like your daughter, my DD is already fully independently potty trained; however, I still help her in all public restrooms and when using the big potty at home (she has no problems using the little portable potty on her own) and depending on the pants she is wearing, sometimes may need help pulling them back up. Would this be an issue at the club, do you think? How independent must the child be? My DD still tells me when she needs to go potty and likes me to accompany her and, when she is playing hard, I usually remind her to go potty. I am wondering if I should even bother at all with trying to get her in the club. Wouldn't want to lose my chance at the nursery if the club doesn't work out and find it odd that they don't let you go back. Sigh, if we were only cruising on our own without the cousins, I would just stick with the nursery and not have this issue!!

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Interesting to hear about your experience with moving up the almost 3 yr old. I am anxious to hear more people's reports on this situation.

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

SoCaOC-Mom: Thanks for all the info. Did they happen to mention to you why your daughter would not be allowed to use the nursery if the club ended up not working out? I am curious because when I cruise in April, my daughter will be a week shy of turning 3 (she turns 3 the day after we return from the cruise). I personally would prefer her in the nursery because it just feels safer to me but we will be cruising with my whole family including all of her little cousins (ranging in age from 3 to 5). I was considering asking permission to have her included in the club because I know she will have a fit once separated from her cousins who get to go to the club while she is stuck in the nursery. Like your daughter, my DD is already fully independently potty trained; however, I still help her in all public restrooms and when using the big potty at home (she has no problems using the little portable potty on her own) and depending on the pants she is wearing, sometimes may need help pulling them back up. Would this be an issue at the club, do you think? How independent must the child be? My DD still tells me when she needs to go potty and likes me to accompany her and, when she is playing hard, I usually remind her to go potty. I am wondering if I should even bother at all with trying to get her in the club. Wouldn't want to lose my chance at the nursery if the club doesn't work out and find it odd that they don't let you go back. Sigh, if we were only cruising on our own without the cousins, I would just stick with the nursery and not have this issue!!

Hi there, they didn't say why but it seems like that's what they are telling a few folks across the board. eg if you kid is in the Edge and get moved to the Lab or vice versa. I guess it's to keep people from constantly moving their kids around and re-registering them for a littlest thing such as one activity here- or one there.

My advice is to start her out in the nursery to see how well she does and check with the YAC there on how it's working and what they think.

I would also do all the things you want in the first few days, then make the switch if need be. eg We scheduled Remy for night 2.

I would also really use the Family time/open houses. I have some great video of my youngest daughter dancing with a YAC named Chris. She actually impressed me on how well she followed his lead that I am going to looking into getting her some dance lessons.

Her and her sister also won some game on the dance floor.

It was really good to see them interact with each other, their friends (we traveled with and the YAC's).

 

[scootch]

One last thing. There were a few times when my 12 year old had wanted to join the lab for certain activities. When we asked one night if he could be checked in and if they had room for him, they told us yes, but that if he checked himself in, he wouldn't be allowed to visit the Edge again. He wasn't up for that at all b/c he really enjoyed the Edge, so he ended up hanging out with us that evening instead of going to the Lab. They did invite him to visit the Lab during an open house since he didn't want to be "checked-in" that night. Being new to Disney Cruiselines, I'm not sure if this is how they handled things before or not, but it wasn't a huge deal. We rolled with it and ended up having a nice evening with just him (the Edge didn't have an activity that he was interested in that night).

Before the 12 year olds could go to the lab as a visitor, they weren't really signed in. What it the protocal now as I am sure my 12 year old may want to join her sister.. ... confused as if they aren't allowed back in the edge, does that mean they become a permanant part of the lab ????

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

Interesting to hear about your experience with moving up the almost 3 yr old. I am anxious to hear more people's reports on this situation.

I think there will be more experience as each cruise disembarks. I also mentioned in my TR, that it's quite possible I might have gotten a completely different answer if I had another CM.

I know one cruiser who had her special needs 3 year old moved to the nursery instead of the club and one of the YAC gave her a hard time, but other YAC's got involved that were move supportive and accommodating.

The one who gave them a hard time finally relented but insisted they come back every 2 hours to check her pull up. (the little girl could go potty on the toilet but needed prompting since she had some sensory issues). I don't get the point of that since they DO change diapers or why they couldn't every so often ask her if she needed to go potty. But fortunately for that family it was never an issue.

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

Before the 12 year olds could go to the lab as a visitor, they weren't really signed in. What it the protocal now as I am sure my 12 year old may want to join her sister.. ... confused as if they aren't allowed back in the edge, does that mean they become a permanant part of the lab ????

Currently there are no outside visitors allowed other than the open houses- or picking a child up.

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

Whew! I finally made it through to the end of this thread!

Can anyone tell me if the "Open House/Family Time" affects the nursery? I'm assuming it's the Club/Lab but wasn't sure if they had it in the nursery too? I hope not!

No, other than the first day when people embark and are all the clubs have open houses. It ends before the first diner. Parents aren't even allowed past the gated area to get their own kid, you have to wait from them to bring the child to you.

 

[Spart02]

Before the 12 year olds could go to the lab as a visitor, they weren't really signed in. What it the protocal now as I am sure my 12 year old may want to join her sister.. ... confused as if they aren't allowed back in the edge, does that mean they become a permanant part of the lab ????

Yes...you are stating this correctly according to the January 22nd Dream cruise. Had we put him the lab for that one evening, he wouldn't have been allowed back into the Edge the rest of the trip. For this reason, we didn't put him in the lab. But, perhaps if you were persistant enough, you could get your child back into the Edge. It wasn't a big deal to us at the time, but it was a little odd that he couldn't come in even when they had room.

 

[lbgraves]

..... my DD is already fully independently potty trained; however, I still help her in all public restrooms and when using the big potty at home (she has no problems using the little portable potty on her own) and depending on the pants she is wearing, sometimes may need help pulling them back up. Would this be an issue at the club, do you think? How independent must the child be?

I don't see where this has been answered since you posted your question, but the CMs do not go into the bathrooms with the kids at all. The kids have to be fully able to handle all aspects of PTing on their own. Make sure that the outfit she is wearing when you take her to the club is one she can handle. I just realized that this is going to really affect some of those kids on the verge. You used to be able to go into the club and make sure that your child used the bathroom if they needed a bit of help, but not with the new rules.