Kids Clubs on Azura

As we are booked on Azura with two 8 year old boys who have started asking about the kids clubs I thought I would ask for some advice.

We are going on 26 July

Looking at the kids clubs it looks like they will be the oldest in the club that goes from 4-8, is this going to be grown up enough for them or would they be better going to the next age group up, or do you not get a choice.

What activities will the 4 to 8 age group get up to?

Can children use all the pools on the ship?

Do they have early shows so the kids can go?

How did anyone who has children this age get on, any advice would be appreciated

Thanks

My youngest girl is 8 and loved the kids club. We did ask at the start of the cruise if she could go in the next age group but thankfully it was not allowed. I don't know what it is like for boys but I know they took them up above the reef to the sport's court's with a football coach quite regular. They are always making things which is right up my daughters street but there are about 8 different play stations available if they would prefer that. I think all pools are available other than the retreat.

P&O used to have typical programmes on their website but they seem to have disappeared. However, though a search on google, have come up with this for 9-12 year olds on Ventura, which will give you some idea.

http://www.beyondships.com/files/PO_Ventura_scubas.PDF

They sometimes have a magic show for children after the children's tea.

You should have a programme in your cabin when you board but go along to the kids club anyway to register your children and look at the facilities.

The club operates from morning to late evening and your children can go in and out as they (or you) want. The 4-8 age group have to be signed in and out.

Brian

There were some early evening activities but found they clashed with us getting ready for second sitting. Family quizzes and family discos normally in manhattan bar. I don't think you have anything to worry about with regards kids club other than the fact you'll have to drag them away from there. The times we left our girl till late whilst watching the film's she would be gutted if she wasn't one of the last ones there. I have said on a previous review that the ships children entertainment team are a credit to p and o and they enhanced our holiday so much more knowing that our kids were safe and entertained

There were some early evening activities but found they clashed with us getting ready for second sitting. Family quizzes and family discos normally in manhattan bar. I don't think you have anything to worry about with regards kids club other than the fact you'll have to drag them away from there. The times we left our girl till late whilst watching the film's she would be gutted if she wasn't one of the last ones there. I have said on a previous review that the ships children entertainment team are a credit to p and o and they enhanced our holiday so much more knowing that our kids were safe and entertained

What they said. The kids club is the only reason we're loyal to p and o. They are truly amazing at what they do...

Our son was 8 when we cruised on Ventura for the first time so was one of the dear in his kids club group. It really wasn't an issue, there were several other kids the same age and they had a great time. The following year he was the youngest in the next age group up which was of more concern to us beforehand. We worried needlessly, again he had a great time. The only problem we had with the kids club is that we hardly saw him!

I enquired about this when cruising on Azura last summer, because our son was just a couple of weeks short of his 13th birthday and being very tall and mature for his age, we were worried he would look and feel out of place in a group aimed at 9-12 yr olds. Customer Service at Head Office told me the club organisers do have some discretion as to which groups children can go in, but it very much depends on the number of children on board, and the ratios in each group. Our cruise was early August and there was a very big number of children, well over 100 in his age group alone, I believe, so he wasn't allowed to move up to the teen group, but in the end it didn't matter. When we went to sign him up on embarkation, the first person he met was an organiser who'd been on our fjords cruise the previous year, and in no time at all he discovered that a friend from last year's cruise was also on board. He soon had a group of friends and on sea days we didn't see him from breakfast until dinner, because he was either in the club, on the sports court, watching a film on the sea screen or in the pool! Your boys will have a great time - there are sure to be other children who are at the older end of their club age group, and the organisers are fantastic at making sure that no-one is bored or left out.