Circle C - go the first night

[ly26]

This is great advice indeed. We are taking our 10 YO grandson on his first cruise on Vista next year and he insists he's not going to the 'stupid babysitting club'. I told him the price for riding the sky car or trying the ropes course was that he had to go and at least register. After that he never has to go back again if he doesn't want to- but I know him, he'll be moping around when he sees other kids having fun but he's too shy to just walk over and join them unless he's been introduced to them first. This definitely the way to get him engaged! But I didn't think about the first event- great suggestion.

 

I don't remember the age cutoff, but when my kids were old enough to check-out on their own and didn't have to sit and wait for us, that made all the difference. Then it wasn't "babysitting" anymore, but a club where they could be in charge. My son (now 19) didn't do as much, but my daughter (now 17) LOVED all levels. Our last cruise a few weeks ago, she went the first night and found a group that hung out most of the time.

[Methosage]

Does anyone know what time the first night mixer/orientation typically held? And what is it listed as in the Fun Times?

Thanks in advance!!! 

[NebraskaSatellite]

On the Breeze out of Galveston, it was at 8pm.  We did your time dining in the MDR at 6 and finished in plenty of time to make that.  Look for the evening events by time in the Fun Times and it's listed as "Check Out Circle C" or "Check Out Club O2".

[Methosage]

7 minutes ago, NebraskaSatellite said:

On the Breeze out of Galveston, it was at 8pm.  We did your time dining in the MDR at 6 and finished in plenty of time to make that.  Look for the evening events by time in the Fun Times and it's listed as "Check Out Circle C" or "Check Out Club O2".

Thank you for the fast reply! We have early dining so I was worried it would interfere with the MDR...but it looks like it should be ok. 

[kctwinmommy]

3 hours ago, Methosage said:

Thank you for the fast reply! We have early dining so I was worried it would interfere with the MDR...but it looks like it should be ok. 

 

Nope, we've always had early dining and then headed down to Circle C after dinner.

[NebraskaSatellite]

3 hours ago, Methosage said:

Thank you for the fast reply! We have early dining so I was worried it would interfere with the MDR...but it looks like it should be ok. 

 

We ate as a family in the MDR, arriving between 6 and 6:30 and the latest we were done was about 7:45.  This worked out well for our kids as they usually met their friend group around 7:30 to 8.  

 

Our schedule was to eat breakfast together most mornings, everyone did their own thing for lunch, and we all met back in the cabin around 5:30 to get ready for dinner.  

[Diane5583]

3 hours ago, NebraskaSatellite said:

On the Breeze out of Galveston, it was at 8pm.  We did your time dining in the MDR at 6 and finished in plenty of time to make that.  Look for the evening events by time in the Fun Times and it's listed as "Check Out Circle C" or "Check Out Club O2".

Well crap,.  My kids will be on their 1st cruise at the end of march.  I made it mandatory that they go to the first night mixer for club O2 (if I can get my daughter into O2, she is 14 but a freshman) my son is 15.  However we have late dining.  I guess I will be eating alone the first night.  Both of them need to attend the first night or they wont make friends on the cruise. They are not introverted but are a little socially awkward until they feel comfortable.  I know they will make friends if they attend the first night mixer.

[shannonsherbine]

54 minutes ago, Diane5583 said:

Well crap,.  My kids will be on their 1st cruise at the end of march.  I made it mandatory that they go to the first night mixer for club O2 (if I can get my daughter into O2, she is 14 but a freshman) my son is 15.  However we have late dining.  I guess I will be eating alone the first night.  Both of them need to attend the first night or they wont make friends on the cruise. They are not introverted but are a little socially awkward until they feel comfortable.  I know they will make friends if they attend the first night mixer.

I was just thinking the same thing, we have late dining.  But its my boys', 12 and 15, first time cruising.  I really want them to be go to the clubs and make friends, but i was really excited to show them how the MDR works, because they are so excited to be able to order whatever they want.  Well, i guess second night still works!

[kctwinmommy]

1 hour ago, Diane5583 said:

Well crap,.  My kids will be on their 1st cruise at the end of march.  I made it mandatory that they go to the first night mixer for club O2 (if I can get my daughter into O2, she is 14 but a freshman) my son is 15.  However we have late dining.  I guess I will be eating alone the first night.  Both of them need to attend the first night or they wont make friends on the cruise. They are not introverted but are a little socially awkward until they feel comfortable.  I know they will make friends if they attend the first night mixer.

 

No, you should be able to go check in before you sit for late dining. I believe the meeting time was right between the 2 dining times. You may just be a few minutes late depending on how long things go at check in. Although getting your daughter moved up to O2 may not happen. That will depend on how many kids are on the ship and in the clubs. We've seen it happen on cruises with very few kids. But on our summer cruise, which was probably sold out, we saw them deny people. And since it's starting to get into spring break, it's tough to say. But they tend to meet up with each other a lot and hang out anyway. I'm sure yours will do fine!

[NebraskaSatellite]

9 minutes ago, shannonsherbine said:

I was just thinking the same thing, we have late dining.  But its my boys', 12 and 15, first time cruising.  I really want them to be go to the clubs and make friends, but i was really excited to show them how the MDR works, because they are so excited to be able to order whatever they want.  Well, i guess second night still works!

 

Our sample size is only N=1 cruise, but if we had chosen to eat late there would have been real conflicts between the kids getting together with friends and our eating dinner as a family.  As it was we didn't have any - I don't know if we got lucky that their friend group all had families who didn't do late dining or just what.  Normally by 7:30 they were itching to go see their friends.  It might be worth considering a switch to early or your-time dining.

[shannonsherbine]

9 minutes ago, NebraskaSatellite said:

 

Our sample size is only N=1 cruise, but if we had chosen to eat late there would have been real conflicts between the kids getting together with friends and our eating dinner as a family.  As it was we didn't have any - I don't know if we got lucky that their friend group all had families who didn't do late dining or just what.  Normally by 7:30 they were itching to go see their friends.  It might be worth considering a switch to early or your-time dining.

Thanks, you are probably right!  We leave in 14 days for Texas and cruise in 16, but i see you are from Nebraska!  Us too, Bellevue, and I am so done with this snow!

[NebraskaSatellite]

10 minutes ago, shannonsherbine said:

Thanks, you are probably right!  We leave in 14 days for Texas and cruise in 16, but i see you are from Nebraska!  Us too, Bellevue, and I am so done with this snow!

Can't believe we were close to 80 this time last year, now we have a foot of snow on the ground.  We're hoping to go this summer, maybe July on the Vista to Jamaica/GC/Cozumel.  Driving to Galveston beats all the hassles of flying to the cruise port in my opinion.

 

[Diane5583]

38 minutes ago, kctwinmommy said:

 

No, you should be able to go check in before you sit for late dining. I believe the meeting time was right between the 2 dining times. You may just be a few minutes late depending on how long things go at check in. Although getting your daughter moved up to O2 may not happen. That will depend on how many kids are on the ship and in the clubs. We've seen it happen on cruises with very few kids. But on our summer cruise, which was probably sold out, we saw them deny people. And since it's starting to get into spring break, it's tough to say. But they tend to meet up with each other a lot and hang out anyway. I'm sure yours will do fine!

I am hoping I can get her in, I know her being in High school will help get her in, however I know it is spring break in a lot of places and the cruise is sold out.... She is very mature for her age in size, behavior, everything.... she typically hangs out with the sophomores and juniors in her AP classes.. I cannot see her hanging out with middle schoolers all week.

[Diane5583]

37 minutes ago, NebraskaSatellite said:

 

Our sample size is only N=1 cruise, but if we had chosen to eat late there would have been real conflicts between the kids getting together with friends and our eating dinner as a family.  As it was we didn't have any - I don't know if we got lucky that their friend group all had families who didn't do late dining or just what.  Normally by 7:30 they were itching to go see their friends.  It might be worth considering a switch to early or your-time dining.

The cruise is sold out, went and tried to change my dining and did not have that option....  That first night are you able to talk to the people in charge of the teen clubs before that 8pm mingle?    I would like to talk to someone about getting my daughter in the O2 club when we get on the boat.

[NebraskaSatellite]

25 minutes ago, Diane5583 said:

The cruise is sold out, went and tried to change my dining and did not have that option....  That first night are you able to talk to the people in charge of the teen clubs before that 8pm mingle?    I would like to talk to someone about getting my daughter in the O2 club when we get on the boat.

We considered the same thing - my daughter was within 6 weeks of being in Club O2 and also didn't want to hang with "middle-schoolers".  It ended up being an absolute non-issue and she had a blast - most of her friend group was only a year or two younger.

 

I can't remember if we talked with the Circle C staff in the late afternoon, or right before/at 8.

[kctwinmommy]

1 hour ago, Diane5583 said:

The cruise is sold out, went and tried to change my dining and did not have that option....  That first night are you able to talk to the people in charge of the teen clubs before that 8pm mingle?    I would like to talk to someone about getting my daughter in the O2 club when we get on the boat.

 

We saw people doing it at the check-in on that first night. And who knows, she may find a lot of kids that are like her, and her age, in Circle C. It just really depends on the numbers.

[Wilwant247]

Anyone know if your child can go to the O2 club if they dont go to the first night sign up??  My son is so strong headed he is refusing any talk/notion to do so.  I dont want him to not be able to go there if he wants to later...

[NebraskaSatellite]

I think you have to meet with one of the staff and get a sticker which lets him into the club (substitutes for scanning the card for age verification).  However, he may have trouble breaking into a group who already have had a night or two together.  If he likes hanging out with a group, it'll be much harder to do so if he's not there that first night.  Much easier to go and then decide to never go again if it's not his thing.