Tell me about Splash Academy....

[moesyk4]

I just realized that my son will be stuck in the 3-5 age group (he will turn 6 just 3 months after the cruise) and I'm really bummed about it. He is pretty mature for his age and has always had to hang out with lots of adults (most of our friends don't have kids yet) so I'm worried he's going to be really bored with that age group.

Also, on our last Carnival cruise we were really disappointed in the kid's program. Everyone talked it up so much and we felt it was more like a babysitting service than a fun part of our kid's vacation. I think over half the scheduled times were the Wii or movies, and even if it wasn't on the schedule we would often come back and find them watching a movie. A couple of times he specifically went to a party and they didn't do any of the fun stuff advertised, such as they had a pirate party where they advertised face painting, tattoos, a treasure hunt, etc. He was so excited to go but they didn't do any of that stuff, and he came back with a pirate hat craft that he said they had premade :(.

Anyway, he had fun still I am sure but I figure I can stick him in front of the TV at home, I want him to be actively involved in activities and to feel like the staff is involved. What are you impressions of the actual Splash academy program, not just did your kids have fun?

Our son didn't enjoy the shows on our Carnival cruise and we also have the spa pass and so we'd like to utilize the club daily, but after the first couple of days on Carnival we bypassed the club and I'm worried that will happen again.

[Sauer-kraut]

Have you read any of Mitsugirly's reviews? She usually posts the the Splash Academy dailies in them. Her daughter is older now, but not by much. I do know that the children work on circus acts and do a performance on stage.

 

I hope someone will give you a low down on what goes on, sorry I can't be of more help.

[cadien]

My son had a great time in the 3-5 group. He was almost 4 though. He never mentioned movies but he brought back many crafts, talked about books read to them, and tried to demonstrate various songs and dances they'd done.

 

There was a Wii available during the day but it was in a bar (while not serving), not in the Splash Academy.

[Sizzlechest]

It's difficult to know in advance if your child will like it. Mine did not.

[legion3]

Well my kids who started at 2 and 5 and are now 6 and 8 love both Camp Carnival/Camp Ocean and splash Academy.

 

Not sure which Carnival ship you were on but my kids always had a blast, yes wii and movies were part but plenty of fun activities. Some of the older smaller ships have fewer counselors and smaller rooms

 

Carnival has better operating hours and is more "adult" user friendly, they also feed the kids at night and are open during lunch hours, although they don't feed the kids.

 

Splash Academy does many of the same things Camp Carnival/Ocean does as far as activities, we didn't really feel a difference and our kids had the same great time. They had a pirate theme night, parade and show, NCL is big on the Circus performance show, where kids learn specific circus acts and show them off in a show.

 

Some of the slightly annoying parts of Splash Academy are that if your child loses their wristband you pay for another (carnival just gives you another one) In order to check your kids in and out of the academy you have to have both your and your child's key card (not a big deal if you remember to bring it with you but if you forget...back to where it is) They will feed the children if they are in the Academy, if you are ashore, but of course they charge for it. (Carnival its free)

 

And closing the academy at specific lunch hours, Carnival stays open, so you can decided when to take them to eat or not. Often our older child was hungry but the younger one was not. Allowed us to take one and have a just "us" lunch and then later take the other one for the same thing. NCL just closes.

 

And the biggest hurdle on NCL is the club is closed from 5-7, so you must take your kids out, feed them and wait till 7 to drop them off. This can make juggling a parent only dinner and show more complicated. (Carnival feeds them for free at 6 and takes them to the club for you (which allows easier evening if you wish to kids free)

 

I know it sounds like we are simply dumping our kids, not the case but just wanted you to know what we have encountered. This trip we will likely because we have the UDP which covers all 4 of us, will have the kids join us in the specialty restaurants as opposed to making 7:30 dinner reservations. They will likely rather be at the academy or eating like they could on Carnival.

 

 

That said we are booked currently on the Escape and both kids (one will be 9 by then) are looking forward to spending time in the camp/Academy.

Edited July 19, 2015 by legion3

[Starflyr3]

We were on the Jewel in March, and had 1 in the 3-5 and 1 in the 6-9 age group. My 3 yo loved it, the 6 yo not as much. There was no Wii or movies. Each night had a theme - princess parade, pirate parade, circus show, etc. the older kiddie more sports type stuff, which is actually why my 6 yo didn't like it. He is small for his age and felt like he couldn't win against the 9 year olds, ever.

[conandrob240]

Our nephew was about to turn 5 on our past cruise and he did not like Splash Academy because of the age group he was in. He was in with babies- kids who have just turned 3 don't belong with kids turning 6. Their interests are completely different. He is very big for his age, has an older sister and it just wasn't for him. I feel bad for him because we are going again to celebrate his grandparents 50th in November and he'll be one month shy of turning 6. I am assuming he's not going to want to go into splash at all unless it's during the open play hours.

 

I guess they are pretty strict about this, right? He won't be able to "bump up", will he?

Edited July 19, 2015 by conandrob240

[legion3]

Our nephew was about to turn 5 on our past cruise and he did not like Splash Academy because of the age group he was in. He was in with babies- kids who have just turned 3 don't belong with kids turning 6. Their interests are completely different. He is very big for his age, has an older sister and it just wasn't for him. I feel bad for him because we are going again to celebrate his grandparents 50th in November and he'll be one month shy of turning 6. I am assuming he's not going to want to go into splash at all unless it's during the open play hours.

 

I guess they are pretty strict about this, right? He won't be able to "bump up", will he?

 

No the ages are set. Even if you have a birthday while on board you go with the group you start with.

[mitsugirly]

Our daughter started cruising with us when she turned 3 years old. She recently turned 7. She absolutely LOVED the kids club and begged to go there and begged not to leave.

 

I find that the kids club on the NCL ships are wonderful (and obviously our daughter does too) and they have so many activities for them to do. Everything is laid out in the dailies for the kids and you can go over it with them prior to going so they'll know what to expect. However, it's not set in stone if you have a youngster that might not want to participate in a certain activity and would rather be doing something else there (like this last time our daughter absolutely loved this music dance thing they had on the floor that lit up colors and it was like a dance game...she spent a lot of time doing that instead of some of the activities in the evening. It was her choice).

 

They have "themed" days which could be for instance "Pirate Night". They paint their faces, they make hats, they do a parade around the ship to "hunt for treasure" and sing along the way. The next night could be Prince and Princess night and so on.

 

During the week they "practice" for the Circus show at the end of the cruise (held on the last sea day) and perform for the audience in the main theater.

 

The other thing I wanted to mention is that the kids club staff are not just people that apply for the job and they hire. These people have degrees relating to children. Some have multiple degrees. They are wonderful! :)

[gluecksbaer]

No the ages are set. Even if you have a birthday while on board you go with the group you start with.

 

Are you saying NCL doesn't follow their posted policy for kids having birthdays during a cruise?

That doesn't help the previous poster whose child won't have a birthday until after their cruise, but I'm just curious if the policy from the NCL website that children having a birthday during the cruise can go into the older age group isn't followed.

[legion3]

Are you saying NCL doesn't follow their posted policy for kids having birthdays during a cruise?

That doesn't help the previous poster whose child won't have a birthday until after their cruise, but I'm just curious if the policy from the NCL website that children having a birthday during the cruise can go into the older age group isn't followed.

 

NCL does not follow most of their posted policies.

 

That said, yes that is what I am saying.

[conandrob240]

The staff at splash was great and 7 yr old niece loved it.

 

My point was that I think there is an issue with the 3-5 yr old grouping. You can have a kid who just turned 3 in with kids a month away from turning 6. At that age, the developmental gaps are huge and it just doesn't make sense. The activities for 3-5 yr olds were quite babyish. To make matters worse, the theming or parties were different so he'd go in and see all this cool stuff hung up for spy night for the older kids and he'd get stuck doing some baby animals activity. And I didn't find much flexibility for them to do other stuff. During certain times, free play or Wii time, they could do other things but for the most part, the whole group did the activities assigned to their group.

 

Overall, I think the program is excellent. I just question that early grouping.

 

Same with teens 13-17- but that one seems to work itself out on its own as they opt to break off into smaller groups.

[gordo619]

Is there a way for your kids to contact you if they are in Splash Academy and want to leave? We are going to Alaska on sunday and my girls are 7 and 10. Also, should I pack anything special for these kid theme nights?

[mitsugirly]

Is there a way for your kids to contact you if they are in Splash Academy and want to leave? We are going to Alaska on sunday and my girls are 7 and 10. Also, should I pack anything special for these kid theme nights?

 

 

When you drop off your child, they will ask you where you are going to be. If they need you, they will contact you by calling that area and someone will look for you.

[gordo619]

What if you don't know where you are going to be or are just wandering around the boat. They don't have a pager system or anything like that?

[mitsugirly]

What if you don't know where you are going to be or are just wandering around the boat. They don't have a pager system or anything like that?

 

 

You have to give them a name of some place. If you decide to move, they expect you to call them to change the location. Yea, it can be a pita and I have only had 1 ship that had a fit with me about me roaming around the ship (I mean who stays in 1 location the entire time?) and I'm pretty sure I pissed them off by calling every few minutes to let them know "Hey, I'm in the shopping area" "Now I left the shopping area and I'm headed this way". LOL :p:D Trust me, I did that one time.

[LrgPizza]

Is there a way for your kids to contact you if they are in Splash Academy and want to leave? We are going to Alaska on sunday and my girls are 7 and 10. Also, should I pack anything special for these kid theme nights?

It might depend on the ship. On Getaway, we were asked if we had registered iConcierge, and we had. They took our numbers from that in order to contact us through iConcierge if we were needed in an emergency.

[mitsugirly]

It might depend on the ship. On Getaway, we were asked if we had registered iConcierge, and we had. They took our numbers from that in order to contact us through iConcierge if we were needed in an emergency.

 

 

Oh gosh that's right. I forgot about that! :eek: It was awesome to have that service and be able to be in contact with them if/when needed. Thanks for reminding me of this pizza, since we will be on the Breakaway and will have to get this wonderful service. I really wish they would implement it on all the ships.

 

There was 1 ship that had a little necklace that you wore and it was something like a small beeper type thing, but you could call from it or receive calls and you just spoke into it. I also thought that was a wonderful service too but it's the only ship that I have ever seen that on. I'm thinking it might have been either the Sun or the Sky. :confused:

[speedster]

In reading through this thread it's disappointing to see how strict NCL is with the ages. While I understand it somewhat, our 2 older kids are 8, and almost 6. They do everything together, so I think they will be bummed out that they can't hang out in the same group. Has anyone had any success at all in bumping their kids to the older age group? As someone else said, there is a huge gap between someone who just turned 3 and someone who is almost 6.

[mjkacmom]

In reading through this thread it's disappointing to see how strict NCL is with the ages. While I understand it somewhat, our 2 older kids are 8, and almost 6. They do everything together, so I think they will be bummed out that they can't hang out in the same group. Has anyone had any success at all in bumping their kids to the older age group? As someone else said, there is a huge gap between someone who just turned 3 and someone who is almost 6.

 

They are VERY strict, and if guess have to be, because where do you draw the line? I've seen people here ask if kids years away from the cutoff could attend another group (plus it could be an insurance issue).

[lynndesjardins]

So....we are cruising the Getaway in December with my 2 and 5 year olds. I was hoping they would let my 2 year old (turning 3 in January) join her big brother. But after reading this thread I'm not so hopeful anymore. Is there any option for my mature potty trained 2 yo??

 

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk

[djmess]

The age groupings just stink when you have a child that is in the older part of an age range.

 

My son has cruised since he was 2. He is now 12. In the last year or so, he has given up on the splash academy. He absolutely loved it until he was 10 or 11.

 

The worst is we cruise at off times when there are not as many kids. We homeschool, so cruise when it is less expensive for us. In the last 2 years, he has continually been combined in the 6-12 age group. They would not move him up to the teen group. I understand, but when he hangs out at the pool or arcade with 13-14 y/o kids, there is no way he will go to the kids club and hang with 6 y/o kids. He has much more in common with preteens than toddlers

[gymbomb]

So....we are cruising the Getaway in December with my 2 and 5 year olds. I was hoping they would let my 2 year old (turning 3 in January) join her big brother. But after reading this thread I'm not so hopeful anymore. Is there any option for my mature potty trained 2 yo??

 

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk

 

 

Definitely no chance they will let your 2 year old in kids club. Even kids who turn 3 on board can't go until their birthday.

 

She can play at the pool since she is potty trained, and there will be an area with toys for kids her age but you will need to stay here with her. There may be a couple of family activities you could go to together, but I am not sure on that one.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[lolavix]

It's almost too bad they won't allow kids who are in the last six months of an age group to try out the next group to see which one they like better. I have sympathy for the almost six year olds in this scenario, but on the flip side, I'm sure many of the almost 10 year olds (where the group can span almost 4 years) and perhaps even the almost 13 year olds feel the same way. At least if there were some choice for those kids, it might make things work better for families where you have kids who almost make the cut to be together have the option to try it.

 

My kids were 6, 8 and 10 when we cruised and they all loved Splash Academy. The younger two are boys and were together, and my oldest is a girl and while she was not with her brothers, she really enjoyed it. We had two consecutive sea days at the end of our cruise and they were chomping at the bit to get back to the Kids' Club after the meal times.

Edited August 11, 2015 by lolavix

[gluecksbaer]

It's almost too bad they won't allow kids who are in the last six months of an age group to try out the next group to see which one they like better. I have sympathy for the almost six year olds in this scenario, but on the flip side, I'm sure many of the almost 10 year olds (where the group can span almost 4 years) and perhaps even the almost 13 year olds feel the same way. At least if there were some choice for those kids, it might make things work better for families where you have kids who almost make the cut to be together have the option to try it.

 

The problem with that is that you have to have cut-offs somewhere. So if they said 5.5yr olds are allowed to go into the 6-9 group then someone says "My child is 5yrs and 5months, so basically 5.5. He is very mature so why can't he also choose to try the next group." And so on. The other problem is what one parent calls "very mature" might not be what others would say is ready for the older age group.

Then when the younger kids enjoy the "older" group that pulls down the age/maturity and makes it younger for the kids a the edge of that group. Eventually there's no where else to go except to bore the teenagers out of any group at all.

 

I think the big span in age groups is problematic and I can see that kids near the cut-offs are likely to be unhappy. But I think they would have to change the groupings or offerings rather than just allow kids to choose to move up.