What do kids do in the kids club on disney cruises?

[leighi123]

What exactly do the kids do on Disney cruises if you drop them off in the kids area?

 

Is it just a room with toys and things to play with or are there actual activities? Is it more like 'childcare' or 'summer camp'? Is it all inside? What is the age group breakdown? (he is 5, but loves to play with older kids, doesn't get along so great with other 5yr olds)

 

Do they have tv/movies going, or is that at a certain location, or is that at select times, or how does that work? (We don't do movies/T.V, so I want to avoid this as much as possible)

 

If kids have allergies, and they eat with the other kids, how is that handled? I know staff has a list of allergies, but he is allergic to some weird stuff and things that are often hidden in other foods. I've heard they take the kids to a buffet, and my ds needs help choosing food that are appropriate for him, I know last time on our cruise he just had special meals prepared for him and we skipped the buffet.

 

What are the kids club hours?

[boulders]

DS was 4, almost 5 when we sailed on Disney Magic. They had the Lab and the Club. The lab had a lot of video games and computers - at least that's what ds played on. The Club had a large climbing structure, a computer room, an area to watch movies and a large open area. They had organized activities at different times, but ds was not interested. The movies usually happened in the evenings. At this age, the kids are not taken out of the child care area. All ages (up to age 10) were grouped together.

 

AFAIK, the kids ate meals IN the kids club. There were generally a couple of choices such as pizza and chicken nuggets. The kids club hours were 9 a.m. to 10 pm on sea days and an earlier start if we were in port. They were also open later than 10 pm for an extra charge (I think), but we didn't use this as we were in the Med and were getting up early every day.

[Friend100]

Is it just a room with toys and things to play with or are there actual activities?

 

A pretty BIG room on the Disney Dream/Fantasy :)

[Friend100]

The image below is from almost 2 years ago so quite out-dated. Alternatively, do a google image search for "disney cruise personal navigator" to find out more.

 

[leighi123]

DS was 4, almost 5 when we sailed on Disney Magic. They had the Lab and the Club. The lab had a lot of video games and computers - at least that's what ds played on.

 

This is exactly what I don't want my ds doing, he has never played video games or computer games and I don't want him to start!

 

The Club had a large climbing structure, a computer room, an area to watch movies and a large open area. They had organized activities at different times, but ds was not interested. The movies usually happened in the evenings. At this age, the kids are not taken out of the child care area. All ages (up to age 10) were grouped together.

 

Are the computer room/movie area part of the big room with the climbing/open area? Or separate? If there is a screen in the room, my kid will be frozen in place, eyes glazed over, brain dead starting at it. He has never been allowed to watch TV, but we did an occasional movie (maybe once a month), but his reaction to screens meant I banned them completely.

Are they always on? (the gym I attend shuts them off when I bring ds in for childcare, they have a bouncy castle so the kids usually don't mind!)

 

AFAIK, the kids ate meals IN the kids club. There were generally a couple of choices such as pizza and chicken nuggets. The kids club hours were 9 a.m. to 10 pm on sea days and an earlier start if we were in port. They were also open later than 10 pm for an extra charge (I think), but we didn't use this as we were in the Med and were getting up early every day.

 

Yeah he cant ever eat anything on kids menu's - its always 1. junk, 2. not vegetarian, and 3. not allergy friendly. Will they provide something he can actually eat or will I just have to pack something for him? There is probably going to only be 1 meal where he would be with the kids, the rest of the time it wouldn't be an issue b/c he will eat with us anyways.

[martikus]

Why not just make sure his meals are with you? If there are that many allergies I wouldn't want to worry that a young counselor would make sure his food was allergian free. I can't imagine it would be too big a deal to pick him up for meals.

 

Unfortunately, I am not sure the kids club will be a good fit for your family. I can't imagine there will be a way to keep him away from the computer/video games and TV's.

 

When we are on vacation our home rules are much more relaxed so if DS plays games/watches TV more than at home I don't worry about it. Same with summer camp - I try to just go with the flow as best I can - it doesn't hurt once in a while as long as at home things go as I want.

 

But if you are personally against those things, I think you may be disappointed with the kids club in the long run as I don't think it is fair to the counselors to ensure your child is not particiapting in things like video games when they are in charge of so many others.

 

I hope you are still able to enjoy a great cruise.

[Onessa]

Why not just make sure his meals are with you? If there are that many allergies I wouldn't want to worry that a young counselor would make sure his food was allergian free. I can't imagine it would be too big a deal to pick him up for meals.

 

Unfortunately, I am not sure the kids club will be a good fit for your family. I can't imagine there will be a way to keep him away from the computer/video games and TV's.

 

When we are on vacation our home rules are much more relaxed so if DS plays games/watches TV more than at home I don't worry about it. Same with summer camp - I try to just go with the flow as best I can - it doesn't hurt once in a while as long as at home things go as I want.

 

But if you are personally against those things, I think you may be disappointed with the kids club in the long run as I don't think it is fair to the counselors to ensure your child is not particiapting in things like video games when they are in charge of so many others.

 

I hope you are still able to enjoy a great cruise.

Very well stated!

[Keith1010]

It is so very special for the kids.

 

Keith

[CI66774]

leighi123 - the Disney clubs are wonderful. However, there really isn't any way for you to restrict your son's use of video games, etc. in the club - it's called a kid's club for a reason. Vegetarian - you may be able to alert them to that and they may be able to accommodate your request. As someone else said, if you have specific restrictions, etc about your son's activities, etc. then a kid's club (on any line) may not be a good fit. Good luck!

[VillaHappy]

My daughter said they make lots of crafts in the kids club. They watch shows, too. And the characters sometimes stop in to say hello.

[kaseykahnefan]

Sounds perfect for my nephew. He loves to do all of the things they do.. movies, computers, games, free play, activites. He is so easy going. Luckily he isn't allergic to anything so we are good there.

 

My friend said they took their two girls on a Disney Cruise and they had to practically drag them away because the girls were having so much fun. He said they girls didn't even want to get off ship when the ported they wanted to stay at the kids club.

[Youalleverybody]

My kids LOVED the kids club, and usually had to be dragged away.

 

Yes, they did do some computer games, and in the evenings usually a movie was on. But they did lots of other things, too. Games, relay races, coloring and other crafts, making flubber, visits from Characters, a giant chess game...

 

It will be hard to totally avoid screen time. There is a giant movie screen on one of the funnels, by the pool. We do limit screen time at home, but decided to not worry about it on vacation. We did not notice any ill effects once we returned home.

 

I remember a time or two seeing them making lunch for the kids that happened to be in the club at lunch time. But most days we picked up the kids and took them to lunch ourselves. They never took them to a buffet.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[leighi123]

There is only 1 meal where it would be an issue, where there is an excursion we wanted to go on that he is too young for. But now my grandparents are going, so we have 5 adults and 1 kid - I'm hoping maybe 1 person will want to sit out that excursion, but I just wanted to have the option!

 

 

ANY screen time at all causes major sleep and behavior issues. We do zero time at home (and are homeschoolers, so no outside issues). He is very gifted and he gets way over stimulated with moving images, regardless of content. I just want to enjoy my vacation and not have to worry about him going nuts! Plus, it seems like a big waste to pay $700 for him, and just have him sit in front of a screen.

 

 

I think we will just wait and see, maybe I can find out when they will be doing crafts and such and just drop him for very short periods. Last time we went on a cruise he was only 2.5 so too young to go, he spent all his time in the pool and playing mini-golf and he just loved it. He also is super friendly and makes friends with everyone, adults and kids! So even if he doesn't get to hang out in the kids room, he will be happy.

 

 

Can parents stay with kids in there at all?

[luv2sleep]

Parents can only stay there with the kids if it's Open House time. Otherwise they are very strict about keeping other adults (aside from the ppl who work there) out of there. I like that. It's much safer for the kids.

 

There are computers, TVs and a big screen that shows movies. My son is almost 6 and is a video game nut. He plays them at the after school daycare when it's offered. We only have a Leapster and Leap Pad at home and he occasionally plays games on my phone. However, on the cruise he gravitates towards the games. In the Club he actually plays on the play structure though and runs around with the other kids more than he does in the Lab. In the Lab he mostly plays video games. He preferred the Club and went there most of the time. He only once asked to go to the Lab.

 

We just finished the 14 day Hawaii cruise on the Disney Wonder and I only had him in there for about 2 hours a day on most days. Twice he went for 4 hours and on port days he didn't go at all. He only was in there once for during a meal time but only because he wasn't hungry enough to eat lunch with me. I otherwise had him with me at meal times.

 

I am not a fan of video games or much screen time but, like a previous poster said, I also relax the rules on vacation. I didn't plan on leaving him there for hours on end so a couple of hours of video games didn't bother me. I also knew he didn't spend his whole 2 hours doing that though. I actually talked to him about it and asked him to make sure he involves himself in other activities besides video games. He doesn't like the organized group activities there but, as mentioned, he managed to find other things to do. Most of the time when I picked him up he was running around playing.

 

If you really want zero screen time then don't send him to the clubs. They have movies constantly playing for those kids who want to sit and watch them and I highly doubt they are going to restrict his screen time while he's there.

[Deebs2]

Disney also has a large screen on deck that is always playing movies......you can't avoid it

[luv2sleep]

Disney also has a large screen on deck that is always playing movies......you can't avoid it

 

Yes and I love that! Never anything R rated though. I was concerned if there pay R rated things on other cruiseline's large projectors.

[Gatrcruzer]

There is only 1 meal where it would be an issue, where there is an excursion we wanted to go on that he is too young for. But now my grandparents are going, so we have 5 adults and 1 kid - I'm hoping maybe 1 person will want to sit out that excursion, but I just wanted to have the option!

 

 

ANY screen time at all causes major sleep and behavior issues. We do zero time at home (and are homeschoolers, so no outside issues). He is very gifted and he gets way over stimulated with moving images, regardless of content. I just want to enjoy my vacation and not have to worry about him going nuts! Plus, it seems like a big waste to pay $700 for him, and just have him sit in front of a screen.

 

 

I think we will just wait and see, maybe I can find out when they will be doing crafts and such and just drop him for very short periods. Last time we went on a cruise he was only 2.5 so too young to go, he spent all his time in the pool and playing mini-golf and he just loved it. He also is super friendly and makes friends with everyone, adults and kids! So even if he doesn't get to hang out in the kids room, he will be happy.

 

 

Can parents stay with kids in there at all?

 

Given that your child has difficulty with too much stimulation, I'd say you might want to consider a different cruise line. We just got off the Disney Dream, and while it was a great cruise for us, it is teeming with children, video, characters, noise and activity, and I think this could be challenging for children who are not accustomed to being amongst a lot of children and the accompanying chaos, or who can't handle any screen time at all. The kids club is a huge place with lots of stuff, and there is a mix of free play and structured shows/activities. My daughter, age 4, was a bit overwhelmed and nervous to be there with all the big kids. She is accustomed to preschool, but this was not a place she cared for. She liked the structured activities, but the free play was lonely and scary. I know a lot of kids love it there, but my daughter really only wanted to go during the open house when we could go with her.

 

Maybe consider a different cruise line that has some children's activities, but not so much going on? If you only need a pool, mini-golf, and a smaller kids club you don't need to do Disney (or pay the premium prices).