Age breakdown of kids' clubs- do they let kids move up/down?

[Chrisconn]

I see that RCLs kids clubs are from 3-11 and then 12-17.

 

Would they let my just-turned-12 year old in the 3-11 group, if he wanted to hang out with his sister (she'll be 10).

[emelvee]

Don't know about Royal Caribbean...I've heard Carnival is fairly strict, but will sometimes allow a child to drop down to the lower age group in a situation such as OP's. I'm sure others on here have some knowledge on this.

[njmomof2]

Royal's groups are:

 

3-5

6-8

9-11

12-14

15-17

 

You'll be more likely to have them approve him moving down to be with her, rather than her move up to be with him. The reason they say those groups on the web is because the older kids go to a different space than the younger ones, and that starts at 12 years old.

 

Also, each ship and group are different. It would be at the discretion of the kid club "counselors" whether he can go down or not.

[cb at sea]

Yes...they are more likely to move down, than up. You wouldn't want your 10 year old in with 14 year olds...too much difference in "maturity"!

 

I would imagine they will be happier in their own age-appropriate groups.....because the activities are geared towards their interests!

[thewebbys]

I see that RCLs kids clubs are from 3-11 and then 12-17.

 

Would they let my just-turned-12 year old in the 3-11 group, if he wanted to hang out with his sister (she'll be 10).

 

They would not let the 12 yr old hang out with the 10 yr old. The 12yo does not have an adventure ocean group

 

Aquanauts 3-5 year olds

Explorers 6-8 year olds

Voyager 9-11 year olds

 

Children must be sign-in and out by parents. Exception: Voyagers can be granted signing privileges by parents. You 10yo can sign herself out to hang out with her brother but her brother will not be allowed in the AO supervised area.

 

The 12yr old will have a meet and mingle and activites planned for 12-14yr olds but the will not have a supervise area that they are confined to.

 

With that being said there is always an excetion to the rule. You can always ask.

[celticfc]

Was on Independence last year with my twins then age 9 and aksed if they could join the 6 to 8 group. I explained they are both quite young for the age and felt more at ease with this age group rather than the 9 to 11 years.

 

Even although there were loads of kids on board the kids club staff were great about and obliged no probs.

 

So do as I did head to the kids club and explain the situation.

 

They did say that if my girls were disrupting activities for this age group they would have no choice other than to move them up, however as expected they fitted in a treat!

[Jabba20000]

We will be on the Oasis in Feb 2013 and my youngest will be about 3 weeks from her 12th birthday and is not crazy about hanging out in the 9 to 11 group. She will be a 7th grader at that time and all her friends are older than her anyway. Has anyone had any luck getting a child moved up or is it appropriate to stop by and ask? She had the same issue on DCL this year and they allowed her to move up with the 11 to 13 group.

[thewebbys]

We will be on the Oasis in Feb 2013 and my youngest will be about 3 weeks from her 12th birthday and is not crazy about hanging out in the 9 to 11 group. She will be a 7th grader at that time and all her friends are older than her anyway. Has anyone had any luck getting a child moved up or is it appropriate to stop by and ask? She had the same issue on DCL this year and they allowed her to move up with the 11 to 13 group.

There really is not a move up. The 12-14 yr old is not a supervised group. It is more like activies schedule all day long i.e. dodgeball tournaments, meet and mingle, movie get togethers, pool parties, etc. They don't have to be signed in or out. So with that being said I shouldn't see why they wouldn't let her "hang out" with the older kids. They have a family Q&A on the first day. Usually as soon as you board the ship. Attend this session and get all your questions and concerns address.

When you come through the gangway there should be someone there to make sure your child have on the right color wristband(that they have wear during the whole cruise). They can direct you to they Adventure Ocean area for orientation.

 

Never be afraid to ask anything, they usually are very accommodating on the ship.

[lori450]

It's really the luck of the draw. I had staff that were rigid and wouldn't allow anyone to adjust amongst the groups and then there were staff members who were very accomodating. Either way, my son always had a blast.

[benjoon]

We cruised on the Mariner last October. My daughter was turning 12 in December. We asked about moving her up into the next age group. Having read forums about this before we were we convinced that she wouldn't be allowed to move. We were pleased that she was moved and she enjoyed being able to come and go as she pleased. The only thing that we had to do was to sign a waiver that it was our decision to do this. I suppose to cover themselves on insurance issues. There were very few kids on this cruise and there were even less kids in the 9-11 age group so she would have never gone. Next cruise she will be old enough to go into the group she wants and hopefully there will be more kids on the cruise we choose.

[praline3001]

I had a lot of the same questions. For our cruise my kids will be 11,15 and 17. The same month we return they will be having birthdays. We are going to celebrate all of their birthday's on board even though the actual birthday isn't until we get home.

 

I called RC and asked them how the kids program works and if they could move up. She said that the official rule is the child has to go to 2 sessions at the proper age group level. After those 2 sessions the caretaker can decide if the child is mature enough to move up. That is moving up. I am going to guess the 12 year old will not be allowed in the Adventure Ocean area as it is for younger kids and more of a really fun day care then what the 12 year old have. So if your child was 10 and you wanted them with the younger group... no problem as they are all adventure ocean kids. The 12 year old is no longer an Adventure Ocean kid.

 

The other issue I am having is the 18 and up events and activities. Or

"For adults". My oldest turns 18 three days after we return home. He would not be caught dead in the kids area HA HA

Its up to the discretion of the cruise directors to allow him into the adult Wii competitions and that sort of thing and for the night clubs even though he doesn't and won't be drinking.

[ST-UK]

Perfect thread and answered loads of my questions! My daughter is 12 in November and we are heading onboard in May. She is very mature for her age and really wanted her to be in the 12+. But as mentioned I think it depends on the ship and staff...

Thanks all :o

[Gil T. Azell]

I had a lot of the same questions. For our cruise my kids will be 11,15 and 17. The same month we return they will be having birthdays. We are going to celebrate all of their birthday's on board even though the actual birthday isn't until we get home.

 

I called RC and asked them how the kids program works and if they could move up. She said that the official rule is the child has to go to 2 sessions at the proper age group level. After those 2 sessions the caretaker can decide if the child is mature enough to move up. That is moving up. I am going to guess the 12 year old will not be allowed in the Adventure Ocean area as it is for younger kids and more of a really fun day care then what the 12 year old have. So if your child was 10 and you wanted them with the younger group... no problem as they are all adventure ocean kids. The 12 year old is no longer an Adventure Ocean kid.

The other issue I am having is the 18 and up events and activities. Or

"For adults". My oldest turns 18 three days after we return home. He would not be caught dead in the kids area HA HA

Its up to the discretion of the cruise directors to allow him into the adult Wii competitions and that sort of thing and for the night clubs even though he doesn't and won't be drinking.

 

The 17 will have no problems entering the adult Wii competitions and that sort of thing but will not be able to go to the night club. They do check ages when entering the night club and if not 18 will not be able to enter regardless of how close to their birthday they may be. They would be able to go to the other bars on the ship as there is no age minimum but the night club won't be an option. Usually one night of the cruise they do close the night club to adults and have a night for the younger set.

[praline3001]

The 17 will have no problems entering the adult Wii competitions and that sort of thing but will not be able to go to the night club. They do check ages when entering the night club and if not 18 will not be able to enter regardless of how close to their birthday they may be. They would be able to go to the other bars on the ship as there is no age minimum but the night club won't be an option. Usually one night of the cruise they do close the night club to adults and have a night for the younger set.

 

I called last night and talked for about 30 minutes to one of the vacation planners. She also has a son 17 so understood our situation a bit better then other planners. She said the big issue with the 17/18 thing and why they have to be so careful is the casino. 18 year olds can gamble and 17 can't. Its a huge responsibility to ensure 17 year olds are not sneaking into the casino... its one of those "give them an inch they take a mile.." things.

"Well they let me go to the 18+ comedy hour so I should be able to gamble..." Due to this they can't make any plans or promises about any adult activity, no matter how innocent. She said it is soley up to the cruise director of the sailing and those running each individual event. If they have a ton of adults sign up for the wii competition, my son would not be allowed to join. However if only a handful of adults show up he has a much better chance of being allowed to participate. There are no promises and no way can we force the issue. Honestly attempting to force the issue would make it worse for him as they can and most likely would not allow him to join any of the +18 events... its that whole catch more flies with honey type thing.

 

17 year olds (all kids from what she was saying) can go into any of the bars and lounges. They can't buy adult drinks but they can go and hang out. I would not take my 11 year daughter into a bar but I am sure he would get enjoyment out of it at his age even if he was sipping on a sprite LOL

 

I didn't ask about the night club. He isn't a night club disco kind of guy. He would much rather see the comedy hour, do the wii competition or hang out in the Solarium.

 

As to "The Quest" event. The official word I got last night was RC officially rates the event as PG13.

Hubby and I have done Quest before but this is our first cruise with the kids. I will not be bringing my 11 year old daughter!!!! My boys are in high school ...and lets be honest Quest is pretty tame compared with a group of 17 year olds on prom night. My oldest and his friends are planning their SR prom which is at the end of March.

 

 

With all of this said (for those trying to get the scoop on 17 almost 18 year old cruisers) It is up to the Cruise Director. Some I am sure are more strict then others. They have every right to not allow your 17 year old to join any adult activity. Please do not get upset or be "One of those parents" as it will only hurt other 17 year olds trying to sign up for other events. She said to always have a back up plan for the 17 year olds .. just in case.