Kids Club Age Change

[_auroraborealis_]

Safety isn't the top priority, except insofar as lack thereof is a liability.

Avoiding liability is the top priority. Liability impacts shareholder value.

 

[AZMermaid]

That is when the parents need to be firm with the children. Tell them the rules and consequences for not following them.
You can still speak to the Counselors and let them know your concerns. No they won’t be able to stop your kid from leaving, but they can remind them they need to call you etc

This!! I dont Understand why it’s the counselors job to enforce the parents rules. Punish your kids if they won’t listen to you!

My own 13 year old swore to me that he didn't need to study for his math test today. I said okay but if you get below an 85 I’m taking g your phone for a week (he’s a very good student, my daughters threshold would be lower). Guess who got an 80?! I’m like ughhhhh but I gotta follow through. But bet he studies next time!

 

[Marthasor]

The amount of ppl upset that they can't be without their children on a family vacation is so so very weird to me. Specially since those same ppl are basically saying they don't trust their kids to follow their instructions or walk around by themselves...wonder why they are "immature". YA at a kids club aren't babysitters, you are the parents! Parent your kids! Forever grateful that my parent's weren't so eager to get rid of me and sibling during vacation.

I get ppl being upset their expected plans were changed with little notice. But it's all very off putting.

So many kids want to go to the kids clubs so they can play and socialize with their peers. It’s not about offloading children or not spending time with them. My DS16 doesn’t want to hang with his parents 100% of the time and enjoys meeting other kids his age on DCL. Why is the thought of children wanting to play and socialize with their peers off putting to you. That’s quite normal behavior.

 

[starlite_]

So many kids want to go to the kids clubs so they can play and socialize with their peers. It’s not about offloading children or not spending time with them. My DS16 doesn’t want to hang with his parents 100% of the time and enjoys meeting other kids his age on DCL. Why is the thought of children wanting to play and socialize with their peers off putting to you. That’s quite normal behavior.

Absolutely nothing wrong with that, my comment is based on lots of comments here were parents do seem to want to offload their kids. Childcare is mentioned quite a lot when referencing Kids Club/Lab and one of the mayor points criticizing Edge seems to be that the kid is free to leave... If the 16yo or the 10yo or the 5yo want to go and have parentless time that is perfectly fine.

 

[crayon3448]

Question: Are there phones that kids can use at Edge?

I see a lot of people saying to have them call/text when they want to leave but my kids don't have phones.

 

[ThinkTink91]

Question: Are there phones that kids can use at Edge?

I see a lot of people saying to have them call/text when they want to leave but my kids don't have phones.

They have a ship phone that can call your stateroom.

They can ask the counselors if they will send a text through the computer that will let the parents know the kid is leaving but they will only do it if the kid asks them to do that.

My youngest brother used an old iPhone of his dad's that they put just the app on it. Then when the cruise was over he had to give it back.

I've known some families have brought a whiteboard in their stateroom and the kids were instructed they had to keep the whiteboard updated with their location. So if they were leaving Edge to get icecream they would have to go to their room first to write it on the board.

 

[Mango7100]

Absolutely nothing wrong with that, my comment is based on lots of comments here were parents do seem to want to offload their kids. Childcare is mentioned quite a lot when referencing Kids Club/Lab and one of the mayor points criticizing Edge seems to be that the kid is free to leave... If the 16yo or the 10yo or the 5yo want to go and have parentless time that is perfectly fine.

I think peoples point about kids being free to leave isn’t coming from “Great now my kid will find me hiding from them and I want them to stay in there for 8 hours and leave me alone”. It’s a safety concern. I think some parents are concerned about kids roaming the ship without adult supervision or kids who are more followers being able to leave with a group of kids and maybe getting into trouble. I get that. When DD10 went to Edge we told her she was not allowed to leave until we got her except for an outing where they went to Hero Zone. We agreed upon times to meet at Edge and check on her stays. Sometimes she wanted to stay longer, other times she was ready to go.

Theres also nothing wrong with parents wanting a little time to themselves, and there’s no need to shame an adult for maybe wanting to go to the adults only pool or have a Palo dinner. You mean you never ever want some alone time away from kids? At home? On vacation? Never? Sometimes an adult needs to recharge their batteries to be able to continue to be a good parent. I don’t think anyone here has been talking about leaving their kids unhappy in a club for hours at a time so as not to be bothered by them. DD loves going to the club and socializing with other kids…she doesn’t want to be around her parents 24/7 on vacation. And a cruise is one of the few vacations where parents and kids have the option of a supervised secured area for kids to spend time with other kids—you don’t get that on road trips, condo beach rentals, city vacations, etc. You can still have a great vacation with family bonding time and not spend every waking minute with each other.

 

[DCLMP]

Just to be clear... Edge is not unsupervised. Yes the kids are allowed in/out freedom -- but they are supervised within the Edge and my understanding is the same ratio used by standard US childcare laws. That is 1 adult to every 12 children, and in my experience there are more CMs than the minimum. Parents still have the "authority" to set boundaries with their children -- if you want your child to remain supervised, then tell him/her that they cannot leave without contacting you. At 11 yrs old, if a child is unable to obey a simple rule like that, there may be more to the child's development than immaturity.

But I do fully agree that the short notice from DCL is crappy and leaves some families in a tough situation. Rumor has been that DCL is allowing cancellations for those who really feel they cannot cruise under the new rules, so I hope that is true.

I also don't understand where the unsupervised, play-on-the-computer-all-day narrative comes from. The Edge has more organized activities than the kid's clubs. The video games that they do have in the Edge and Vibe are so outdated they hold no interest for the kids that are really into gaming. I have a kid who belongs to a gaming club and he rarely played games in the Edge or Vibe because they are archaic non-challenging games.

The teen clubs are a place for activities and making friends. Yes, maybe they will play an archaic video game like Mario Cart, Guitar Hero, and Smash Bros. They may even go further back in time and play a board game. Anything you do with friends your age is fun.

I agree with you on the short notice, but I think people should let their kids try it and decide. They might be surprised.

 

[DCLMP]

This!! I dont Understand why it’s the counselors job to enforce the parents rules. Punish your kids if they won’t listen to you!

My own 13 year old swore to me that he didn't need to study for his math test today. I said okay but if you get below an 85 I’m taking g your phone for a week (he’s a very good student, my daughters threshold would be lower). Guess who got an 80?! I’m like ughhhhh but I gotta follow through. But bet he studies next time!

I always used the "I call the ship security if you're late". That always worked great. They were never late. I've heard a few stories where security did get called on some kids getting rowdy.

A pillow fight broke out in the Edge once and security was called. I suspect the CMs were just messing with them.

 

[CMontheseas]

That's been pretty standard for years. In order to "age-up" you have to wait and ask onboard; the decision depends how many kids are already in the "upper" club for your particular cruise. They may deny the request if it's a very full sailing and that age bracket is full, or your child may be asked to try the younger club first, or you may be given a waiver right then. It never could be guaranteed in advance. There may be less space to accept 10's aging up now.


That doesn't surprise me. Hopefully they encourage a 10-yr-old in that situation to waiver up to Edge from the start of the cruise. But it follows pattern of 17-yr-olds who have a birthday during the cruise, they are no longer allowed at Vibe.

Hi @lanejudy longtime YA Counselor over the past decade in all the spaces here Definitely aware that's how we're been doing it for years especially since I've been in Edge, I'm just referring to how they're being instructed to proceed forward in light of the new changes. Going into next week it looks like the teams are preparing for additional counselors transitioning to Edge on most of the fleet to be on standby for ratio in case there are a large number of 10 year olds wanting to remain with older siblings/friends who can no longer be in the Oceaneer spaces.

 

[DisneyKatie1]

Thanks to @CMontheseas and @ThinkTink91 for weighing in with your knowledge of the kids clubs. @Mags2002 has been telling us things she has been hearing on the ship but she is a princess and probably doesn’t know as much about this as you do. It does seem though that even though you don’t work for them anymore, you still love the company. Disney is lucky to have such enthusiastic and passionate former employees!

 

[CMontheseas]

Thanks to @CMontheseas and @ThinkTink91 for weighing in with your knowledge of the kids clubs. @Mags2002 has been telling us things she has been hearing on the ship but she is a princess and probably doesn’t know as much about this as you do. It does seem though that even though you don’t work for them anymore, you still love the company. Disney is lucky to have such enthusiastic and passionate former employees!

Like a lot of oldies, we've been on call to backfill some roles since sailings have resumed, especially when they need to trans-ship some folks for whatever reason (visas/admissibility to work in certain areas, etc.).

 

[DisneyKatie1]

Like a lot of oldies, we've been on call to backfill some roles since sailings have resumed, especially when they need to trans-ship some folks for whatever reason (visas/admissibility to work in certain areas, etc.).

Will either of you be onboard in the next few days for the start of this new policy?
Sorry, I just re-read my previous comment and I mean no disrespect to @Mags2002 I have loved reading her threads and think she is awesome! But I would assume that not all departments know everything about the others so it‘s great to have you here too.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Everyone is very caught up in this lawsuit. This change is happening for many different reasons and saying this is why is misleading

The reason folks are caught up on the lawsuit angle (myself included) are because well thought out policies aren’t announced overnight with no consideration for your clients unless you’re a bumbling idiot- and D’Amaro is not a bumbling idiot. The speed and absoluteness of this change reek of executive level legal panic.

At the end of the day I really just feel bad for the CMs. Kids are so adaptable it’s amazing, I really don’t worry about them as much as some of the parents are fretting- but the CMs will have months of very angry parents losing their minds at them to deal with now.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I've known some families have brought a whiteboard in their stateroom and the kids were instructed they had to keep the whiteboard updated with their location. So if they were leaving Edge to get icecream they would have to go to their room first to write it on the board.

My brain can’t even comprehend the level of embarrassment that would heap on some poor tween in front of their new 72 hour friends

 

[Mags2002]

Thanks to @CMontheseas and @ThinkTink91 for weighing in with your knowledge of the kids clubs. @Mags2002 has been telling us things she has been hearing on the ship but she is a princess and probably doesn’t know as much about this as you do. It does seem though that even though you don’t work for them anymore, you still love the company. Disney is lucky to have such enthusiastic and passionate former employees!

Lol I did do a (very brief) stint in YA so I’m not totally useless in this area but true, I do currently know more about the characters and performance side of things than YA.
Yes you are right it is great to have @CMontheseas and @ThinkTink91 around too

 

[DisneyKatie1]

Lol I did do a (very brief) stint in YA so I’m not totally useless in this area but true, I do currently know more about the characters and performance side of things than YA.
Yes you are right it is great to have @CMontheseas and @ThinkTink91 around too

I truly did not mean to be rude or anything, like I said I have loved learning all about being a disney princess. I just know from my own work that not everyone knows everything about every department.

 

[ThinkTink91]

Thanks to @CMontheseas and @ThinkTink91 for weighing in with your knowledge of the kids clubs. @Mags2002 has been telling us things she has been hearing on the ship but she is a princess and probably doesn’t know as much about this as you do. It does seem though that even though you don’t work for them anymore, you still love the company. Disney is lucky to have such enthusiastic and passionate former employees!

I had an amazing time on cruise ships, I did 10 contracts and it was the best time of my life. Genuinely loved it. So much so that I'm going on a cruise in a couple weeks, 1st time as a guest since 2013 and I am so excited to be on the other side again

 

[ThinkTink91]

My brain can’t even comprehend the level of embarrassment that would heap on some poor tween in front of their new 72 hour friends

I'm not sure why that would be embarrassing. Ya, I'll come with you I just gotta go to my room first. almost all Edge kids are expected to communicate with their parents so they're usually pretty understanding on that point.

Even large travel groups use the white board system, they'll have it on the outside of their door and write, gone to the show etc. It's very normal.

 

[Mags2002]

I had an amazing time on cruise ships, I did 10 contracts and it was the best time of my life. Genuinely loved it. So much so that I'm going on a cruise in a couple weeks, 1st time as a guest since 2013 and I am so excited to be on the other side again

10 contracts, that is a huge achievement!! I hope you enjoy being a Guest on your cruise