What's up with excessive amount of open houses at the kid's clubs?

[Hernandez Family Cruisers]

Whoa, ease up buttercup! I didn't say that at all. We will be spending tons of great family time together, but my kids need a break from me just as much as I need a break from them!

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

Whoa, ease up buttercup! I didn't say that at all. We will be spending tons of great family time together, but my kids need a break from me just as much as I need a break from them!

Sorry--I misunderstood. After a different person's comment about "annoying parents" possibly being the cause of more open houses, I guess I felt like people were harshly judging those of us who like them. Sorry for overreacting!!!

 

[Flhokie]

DD is a very outgoing 4 year old only child (goes to pre-school/no separation issues). She was so excited to go to the Kids Club. That was until the first time she went and the Club was full of much older kids. We left her for a program and then there was open play after the program which is what upset her (the free play was exactly that--a free for all). She begged not to be dropped off again. We got her to stay 2 other times (30 minutes each). The only time she felt comfortable & could enjoy the Club was the Open Houses. We were disappointed as we thought she'd enjoy the program (like she did on a previous cruise with separated age groups), but we were thankful for the open houses so she could enjoy the facilities.

 

[bumbershoot]

Exactly! These open houses take away the "SECURE" factor since anyone can mingle amongst the kids. Maybe if more of us complained about that, then Disney would listen......

If you're talking about the secure time, you mean club/lab. Kids being dropped off won't be allowed in the OH section without their own adult. Kids already there will be moved. There will be nothing insecure about it.

And in case you didn't know, parents go in already. Totally unaccompanied. It's how you pick up your kid. They give you a yellow pass and you go in and find your kid. I was once in there a good 5 minutes before I could convince my kid to leave; the CM had to remind the kidlet that his "adult" was there for him. Once when DH went in to find him, DS was on the dance floor and the girls all dancing with him let out a huge disappointed "awwwwwww" when it became obvious DS had to go. DH let him stay until close, which meant that big scary stranger-man walked into and out of the club, all unsupervised. And that's normal, that parents go in to get their kids!

I empathize there are reasons for open houses - but I have one kid who is more lab aged and one who is more club aged. The activities at least seem quite distinctly age specific. I guess we will just see, I just feel like I'm slightly disappointed already when our cruise is in 2016.

Hmm. I've never noticed that they are age specific. Even when they have Super Sloppy Science on the Lab side they invite the younger kids in (on Dream) and DS has found that it's taught to the younger level (he ends up feeling condescended to).

The open houses won't affect your vacation. The clubs are secured at night when adults are out having fun. The open houses usually are at slow times such as mornings and early evenings when people are at dinner or shows. Our kids have always liked cruising better than WDW. I hope you enjoy it.

Are you referring to the way you have experienced it (same as me) or to the recent reports of far more, and more hours of them, OHs?

If your kid is in one of the younger age clubs, he or she will never have strange adults hanging around him/her. They always move the kids who are there without a parent to the secured area. And if your children are in Edge or Vibe, they will be around strange adults anyway if they go out on the ship to do scavenger hunts, etc. At least at an open house, there are still cast members right there to help monitor.

Exactly.

 

[EvieBug]

Hmm. I've never noticed that they are age specific. Even when they have Super Sloppy Science on the Lab side they invite the younger kids in (on Dream) and DS has found that it's taught to the younger level (he ends up feeling condescended to).

I haven't been yet, so I am basing this impression from the pictures and the Navigators posted. My daughter and I have been reading them as she is excited to see what activities are scheduled. Admittedly, we have been reading the 'highlight' section where only two activities are listed, so perhaps it skews my impression. I see a lot of character based play in the Club (Tinkerbell helps you find your faerie talent, etc) and more 'technical' activities in the lab (sloppy science, cooking class, solving mysteries). It would be great for me if they are more balanced and the kids won't know the difference too much between sides.

Basically I am hoping to not be in charge of entertainment the entire trip. I have that role 99% of the year. I love and adore family time, it just gets tiring to always be the one to have to come up with something to do.

Anyhow - I am sure it will be great, and my biggest fear needs to be that my kids start demanding Disney cruises for vacation time. Ha!

 

[professorandmom]

After years on the boards, I think the root of this thread rests in the decision to blur Club/Lab ages. Without a doubt, the CLub space was designed for play needs of younger children...and the Lab designed to focus on the interests of older children. I clearly remember the debates on these boards when age cutoffs for the spaces were enforced...so many parents were unhappy for a variety of reasons (mainly keeping siblings together). So, Disney opened the spaces to mix ages...while I don't think this approach serves the developmental play needs of children (my opinion is irrelevant), it was a consistent demand from passengers... now, moving children from one space to another when open house hours take effect is a natural extension and consequence of the decision to blur age groupings...
just my opinion

 

[professorandmom]

The open houses won't affect your vacation. The clubs are secured at night when adults are out having fun. The open houses usually are at slow times such as mornings and early evenings when people are at dinner or shows.

Open House times can conflict with brunch or dinner reservations. So...use the navigator ap (to view the schedule later in the week) to be sure your Palo or Remy reservations (should you chose to go) don't conflict with open house time if your child has a preference for the club or the lab

 

[elephant98]

DD is a very outgoing 4 year old only child (goes to pre-school/no separation issues). She was so excited to go to the Kids Club. That was until the first time she went and the Club was full of much older kids. We left her for a program and then there was open play after the program which is what upset her (the free play was exactly that--a free for all). She begged not to be dropped off again. We got her to stay 2 other times (30 minutes each). The only time she felt comfortable & could enjoy the Club was the Open Houses. We were disappointed as we thought she'd enjoy the program (like she did on a previous cruise with separated age groups), but we were thankful for the open houses so she could enjoy the facilities.

This was largely my experience as well with our then 3-year-old son our first time on the Fantasy. He desperately wanted to be in the Club, but was intimidated by the older children who were simply playing loudly and having fun. 3 to 12 is quite a large age spread to have in one area, notwithstanding the fact that the older kids typically prefer the Lab and kids independently choose to play with other children at or near their age. The Open House hours in the early morning time, when there was an activity geared toward a younger audience anyway, were lifesavers for us on the first cruise. The next year, the early morning Open House hours served as a great transition for him going it alone in the secured programming later in the day.

 

[phinz]

Open House times can conflict with brunch or dinner reservations. So...use the navigator ap (to view the schedule later in the week) to be sure your Palo or Remy reservations (should you chose to go) don't conflict with open house time if your child has a preference for the club or the lab

And hope that the reservation that you were able to get 75-120 days before the Navigator was written doesn't conflict, and if it does, that there might actually be a different time available for you. Sometimes people have to take the reservation time they can get at 75-90 days out and sometimes there is no flexibility because all other slots are taken in Palo or Remy. Adding random Open House times, as I said in my initial post, is a disservice to the parents who might have looked forward to an actual date night while their child(ren) is at their designated play area. I can see cancellations having to occur because of this, and I, for one, would be most disappointed at having to give up my much-anticipated fancy meal with my spouse just because Disney changed the Club/Lab times a couple of days before my dinner (We always dine in Remy on the second night).

 

[Ofinn]

If you're talking about the secure time, you mean club/lab. Kids being dropped off won't be allowed in the OH section without their own adult. Kids already there will be moved. There will be nothing insecure about it.

And in case you didn't know, parents go in already. Totally unaccompanied. It's how you pick up your kid. They give you a yellow pass and you go in and find your kid. I was once in there a good 5 minutes before I could convince my kid to leave; the CM had to remind the kidlet that his "adult" was there for him. Once when DH went in to find him, DS was on the dance floor and the girls all dancing with him let out a huge disappointed "awwwwwww" when it became obvious DS had to go. DH let him stay until close, which meant that big scary stranger-man walked into and out of the club, all unsupervised. And that's normal, that parents go in to get their kids!



Hmm. I've never noticed that they are age specific. Even when they have Super Sloppy Science on the Lab side they invite the younger kids in (on Dream) and DS has found that it's taught to the younger level (he ends up feeling condescended to).



Are you referring to the way you have experienced it (same as me) or to the recent reports of far more, and more hours of them, OHs?



Exactly.

I haven't noticed an increase, but honestly I never really gave it a thought. I'm not one of those parents that thinks the ship is full of child molesters or weirdos.

 

[fairytalelover]

It's sort of offensive to call people "annoying parents" for wanting to enjoy an open house with their kids. I would never ever go to guest services and complain and throw a fit over access to the clubs, but if I were asked about open houses on those surveys they sometimes email out or the little comment cards they ask you to fill out, I would totally say that I love the opportunity to have some open houses. I don't understand why that makes me "annoying."

If your kid is in one of the younger age clubs, he or she will never have strange adults hanging around him/her. They always move the kids who are there without a parent to the secured area. And if your children are in Edge or Vibe, they will be around strange adults anyway if they go out on the ship to do scavenger hunts, etc. At least at an open house, there are still cast members right there to help monitor.

As I said in a previous post, Disney's website lets you know there are open houses throughout the cruise. It's fully disclosed there. They also very clearly list them on the Navigator so that you can plan around them if you desire. So I don't see what the big deal is.

It's annoying because we have a 9 year old son who likes to participate in the kids club and we feel safe putting him there and having some alone time with the peace of mind that he is safe and happy and having fun. The reason we felt he was safe was that the only adults allowed in there were the CMs but now we have other random adults coming and going and that doesnt make me feel safe anymore. So yes it's very annoying to have parents who wont insist on being able to spend time with their kids in the "KIDS CLUB". If you want to spend time with your kids then go to the other millions of places on the ship made for the entire family. One of the many reasons we love taking disney cruises is that it's one of the few times we get couples time to ourselves because we are able to register our son in the club. It's one of the only places where we can enjoy a cocktail together or go dancing knowing our son is having fun and is safely being taken care of. But parents that insist on being there are slowly ruining that!

 

[fairytalelover]

I haven't noticed an increase, but honestly I never really gave it a thought. I'm not one of those parents that thinks the ship is full of child molesters or weirdos.

I dont think the ship is "full" of child molesters or wierdos. But it only takes one..... and just because we are on a Disney cruise doesnt mean we are safe from predators.

 

[KristiMc]

Exactly! These open houses take away the "SECURE" factor since anyone can mingle amongst the kids. Maybe if more of us complained about that, then Disney would listen......

This is

It's annoying because we have a 9 year old son who likes to participate in the kids club and we feel safe putting him there and having some alone time with the peace of mind that he is safe and happy and having fun. The reason we felt he was safe was that the only adults allowed in there were the CMs but now we have other random adults coming and going and that doesnt make me feel safe anymore. So yes it's very annoying to have parents who wont insist on being able to spend time with their kids in the "KIDS CLUB". If you want to spend time with your kids then go to the other millions of places on the ship made for the entire family. One of the many reasons we love taking disney cruises is that it's one of the few times we get couples time to ourselves because we are able to register our son in the club. It's one of the only places where we can enjoy a cocktail together or go dancing knowing our son is having fun and is safely being taken care of. But parents that insist on being there are slowly ruining that!

This is not the case. When the clubs are in Open House mode your child will be in the other secured side. Your child will not be around other adults - other than when they come into pick up their kid. Why is this difficult to understand? It has been stated in this thread many times.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I'm not really getting this thread. I am on the Magic as I write this and have been on the ship for 17 nights (we're on a back to back). The open houses haven't interfered with our plans or enjoyment at all. If my son is in the club or lab and there is an open house, they simply take the children to the other space. There is never an open house at both at the same time except on embarkation day. There is always a secure space available and hours are typically from 8 am to 12 pm. I think they have done a great job of creating large group activities, smaller spaces and quieter activity options as well so there is something for all ages and personalities. Not every kid is going to like the kids club. My DS7 has been on 3 DCL cruises and this is the first year he would set foot in one. For those of you concerned about "strange" parents being in there, parents are allowed in for about 5 minutes to retrieve their children. If you hang around longer than that, you will be asked to leave. There are cameras in there and the counselors watch like hawks. Also really no need to be concerned that you'll miss your Palo or Remy reservation. Open houses are during non-peak hours and there is always a secure space available.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

And hope that the reservation that you were able to get 75-120 days before the Navigator was written doesn't conflict, and if it does, that there might actually be a different time available for you. Sometimes people have to take the reservation time they can get at 75-90 days out and sometimes there is no flexibility because all other slots are taken in Palo or Remy. Adding random Open House times, as I said in my initial post, is a disservice to the parents who might have looked forward to an actual date night while their child(ren) is at their designated play area. I can see cancellations having to occur because of this, and I, for one, would be most disappointed at having to give up my much-anticipated fancy meal with my spouse just because Disney changed the Club/Lab times a couple of days before my dinner (We always dine in Remy on the second night).

I don't really understand your concern. They do not run open houses at both the lab and club at the same time except on embarkation day. There will always be a secure space available so you can drop off your child and go to dinner or brunch. They also don't typically hold open houses during peak dinner times. I don't think you have anything to worry about.

 

[phinz]

I don't really understand your concern. They do not run open houses at both the lab and club at the same time except on embarkation day. There will always be a secure space available so you can drop off your child and go to dinner or brunch. They also don't typically hold open houses during peak dinner times. I don't think you have anything to worry about.

You didn't read my original post. If your kid does not like the Club or Lab and that's what has an open house at the same time as your 6-month-old reservation, you might as well forget actually enjoying your date night if your kid has any tendency to be obstinate about things they don't like.

Not all Palo or Remy reservations are at "peak" dinner times. That's the nature of not being an MDR. I've had Remy dinners run as late as 11:30 and have had Remy dessert presentations at 3 in the afternoon. Palo brunches start as early as 10:30 and go into the early afternoon in my past experience.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

It's annoying because we have a 9 year old son who likes to participate in the kids club and we feel safe putting him there and having some alone time with the peace of mind that he is safe and happy and having fun. The reason we felt he was safe was that the only adults allowed in there were the CMs but now we have other random adults coming and going and that doesnt make me feel safe anymore. So yes it's very annoying to have parents who wont insist on being able to spend time with their kids in the "KIDS CLUB". If you want to spend time with your kids then go to the other millions of places on the ship made for the entire family. One of the many reasons we love taking disney cruises is that it's one of the few times we get couples time to ourselves because we are able to register our son in the club. It's one of the only places where we can enjoy a cocktail together or go dancing knowing our son is having fun and is safely being taken care of. But parents that insist on being there are slowly ruining that!

As many people have already said, the clubs for kids your son's age only have open houses in one area at a time, so you will always have somewhere secure to put him. So you can still enjoy your cocktail or whatever you want to do; there are no parents "slowly ruining that" for you. Also, I still don't feel your argument is compelling for parents being "annoying" by wanting to take advantage of the open houses Disney offers and clearly advertises on their website. I find it more annoying to say, oh well, people who have kids too shy to enjoy the clubs by themselves or who have a disability that requires one-on-one attention need to suck it up and go elsewhere because what I want personally is more important than what they want. Seriously, you get 80% or more of the club time; why can't families enjoy a little bit of open house time.

ETA: For anyone who listens to the DIS Unplugged podcast, they recently did a show on the inclusiveness of Disney and talked about how great of a job Disney does with special needs. I feel allowing kids' club open house times is one of those ways that they make kids with special needs feel included because those kids often need their parents with them. But there will always be people who don't feel that is important, much like there are sometimes people who grumble every time it takes a while to load an ECV on a Disney bus because it is holding their family up.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

You didn't read my original post. If your kid does not like the Club or Lab and that's what has an open house at the same time as your 6-month-old reservation, you might as well forget actually enjoying your date night if your kid has any tendency to be obstinate about things they don't like.

Yeah, I don't personally get this reasoning. Kids can't always get what they want. If my kid doesn't want to go to school one day, do I just say, "Oh well, you don't want to go, so mommy has to stay home from work?" Or if I have a doctor's appointment and my kid doesn't want to stay with a babysitter or another family member, do I say, "Well okay, you don't want that, so we will just do what you want and I won't go to the doctor?"

I know a dinner at Palo or Remy isn't as important as work or a doctor's appointment, but seriously, kids sometimes need to learn that they can't always get their way, especially kids of school age.

You always have a secure space available to put them. If you choose not to use that space because you feel your kid needs to get the space that he or she wants, that's your decision.

 

[Ofinn]

I dont think the ship is "full" of child molesters or wierdos. But it only takes one..... and just because we are on a Disney cruise doesnt mean we are safe from predators.

If you don't feel your child is safe on a DCL cruise than maybe it's not the best vacation choice for you. DCL has always had open houses, and I really don't think your going to be able to change that. Maybe another cruise line would better fit your needs.

 

[squirrel]

It doesn't matter what Disney does, someone will always have a problem with it.

They tried letting parents in with children that needed more support, and other parents were freaking out that strange adults were in the secured areas.

They separated the club and lab ages so that they were age appropriate and then parents were upset that their youngest child wouldn't be with their sibling/friend/cousin, etc.

They have parents with toddlers or younger kids that aren't able to play/won't go alone in the clubs so they are asking for more open house times. Then other parents are mad that there are too many open house times.

I like that the CM's had the option of letting kids up into a different club if they felt it was a good idea. Thanks to others demanding it, I'm sure that's over now too. Everyone is always in a rush to make their kid grow up. There are a few that are ready but most are fine in the age group that they are.