Aquanauts on Oasis of the Seas for 4 year old twins...

[islande393]

Hello Cruise Critics! My wife and I haven't been on a cruise since Dec 2007 (Navigator of the Seas...I proposed on board), and with our upcoming 10 year anniversary we decided to do another cruise (1/27/19-2/3/19 Eastern Caribbean) Biggest difference is our 4 year old twins (Boy/Girl) will be joining us (they turn 5 a week after we return to port). We aren't big wigs, and will be staying in an interior room (yes, we know this means one of us is going to bed early as well), but we are all very excited.

 

One thing I'm curious about is the Aquanuts program for the 3-5 year old group. It would seem like our twins will be on the older side, and I wanted to get feedback from parents on how they felt their kids did and if they enjoyed bringing them there. By no means are we planning on this being a parents only vacation, but I'd imagine that at least a few times (especially on days at sea) we will being them there.

 

Good, bad, anything in between I'd love to hear. I have been able to search and find a few reviews that mention the aquanauts program, but don't go into too much detail. Any and all feedback would be sincerely appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[Ashland]

We've always seen a variety of age mix in Aquanauts. Our grandchildren have used the program each year and enjoy it each time regardless of age range at the time...Enjoy and congratulations.

[snoope]

Aquanauts is awesome. Our kids literally cried when we picked them up or didn’t bring them everyday. They made friends and loved being there. They do lots of different activities and keep them engaged.

 

 

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[MaddyandMax]

My kids love the kids club so much they beg to go back every meal. Our last cruise my son was 3.5 and he cried when he had to leave for dinner. They will LOVE it.

[Ashland]

My kids love the kids club so much they beg to go back every meal. Our last cruise my son was 3.5 and he cried when he had to leave for dinner. They will LOVE it.

We found the easiest thing to do since ours loved it so much was to take them there at 5:30pm and the staff would take them to a closed off area of the WJ for dinner and then back to Aquanauts for the evening program.

 

This option that many confuse with Family Dining is called "Adventure Dining"...check with the staff and your Kids Daily Planner for info on this option.

[cb at sea]

They are RIGHT IN THE CENTER of the age groups...they will LOVE it! No worries! The activities are VERY age appropriate for all ages within that "group".

Enjoy!!!

[moesyk4]

We have not used RCCL's program, but have heard nothing but good things. When we sailed Norwegian and took our then 6 year old, we just stated it as a fact he would go to the kid's club in the evening. We knew he would enjoy it way more than the 2 hour dinner and he did.

Off topic, but have you repriced your room with the kids sail free promo? It is the only sale that I feel is actually a true sale and saved us over 1,000 on our sailing vs. the regular "sale". You may find you can upgrade to a balcony for a similar price!

[islande393]

We have not used RCCL's program, but have heard nothing but good things. When we sailed Norwegian and took our then 6 year old, we just stated it as a fact he would go to the kid's club in the evening. We knew he would enjoy it way more than the 2 hour dinner and he did.

Off topic, but have you repriced your room with the kids sail free promo? It is the only sale that I feel is actually a true sale and saved us over 1,000 on our sailing vs. the regular "sale". You may find you can upgrade to a balcony for a similar price!

We actually somehow booked while it was cheaper (don't ask me how...4th of July sale??), than what it is today with the kids sail free promo. While we would love to explore upgrades, the reality for us is even the interior room is "expensive" in our eyes (it's all relative, I certainly understand and can appreciate why some would never consider this room type), and staying in this category allows us to have a little more spending money for other activities on board the ship.

 

Thanks so much for the replies so far, reassuring on the Aquanauts program. I'd love to hear more feedback if it's out there.

 

Thanks

[fuinseog]

Our daughter was 4 on our Allure cruise, which was during Spring Break, and there were lots of kids onboard. We all loved the staff - they always recognized DD and knew her by name, even when we saw them walking around the ship. It always seemed like they had three staff at least to watch the kids. I don't know that I ever noticed there being more than 20 kids at a time. We usually went once a day, and often in the evening, returning after about 2 hours.

 

In our experience, the kids tended to be more in the 4-5 age range. My DD tends to be shy, so she had fun when she went, but was always happy to leave with us. They did have some coloring pages to do, and every day had a theme for activities. I will say, the highlight for all us was Pirate Night. The staff teach the kids a pirate performance, and then they perform it for the parents. Staff will tell you what time to return so you can see the performance. DD also got face painting done that night, which she loved.

 

If your kids are used to drop-off and structured play, they will most likely be fine. The staff were great at distracting kids who were tentative at drop-off or during activities. DD was used to the structure of preschool, so it went well for her. Sometimes they played games like Duck, Duck, Goose, and I think only one night did we see them watching a movie when we picked her up. It did not seem like there was a lot of free play, more structured activities.

 

Make sure to pay attention to the Cruise Compass for times, as Adventure Ocean closes during the day periodically.

 

Hope this is helpful.

[MyNameIsGermy]

Hope this is helpful.

 

I am not the OP but wanted to thank you for this post! It was super helpful!

 

Quick question that I am hoping you can answer. How does the Aquanuts staff get a hold of the parents on the ship, if they're needed? On previous cruises, even though we never ended up using the services, we received a phone or a pager. Is it the same on the Oasis ships?

 

Thanks.

-germ

[Ashland]

I am not the OP but wanted to thank you for this post! It was super helpful!

 

Quick question that I am hoping you can answer. How does the Aquanuts staff get a hold of the parents on the ship, if they're needed? On previous cruises, even though we never ended up using the services, we received a phone or a pager. Is it the same on the Oasis ships?

 

Thanks.

-germ

We have been given an onboard phone when we check our little's in at Aquanauts....most recently used this for our March 2017 Harmony cruise .

[MaddyandMax]

We found the easiest thing to do since ours loved it so much was to take them there at 5:30pm and the staff would take them to a closed off area of the WJ for dinner and then back to Aquanauts for the evening program.

 

This option that many confuse with Family Dining is called "Adventure Dining"...check with the staff and your Kids Daily Planner for info on this option.

 

Our cruises are always family cruises. We can do whatever we want during the day but we all have to sit down and have dinner together every night. And it's always something I believed in anyways. We pull the out for dinner and take them right back afterwards.

[Ashland]

Our cruises are always family cruises. We can do whatever we want during the day but we all have to sit down and have dinner together every night. And it's always something I believed in anyways. We pull the out for dinner and take them right back afterwards.

Your choice what you want to do...We used the option 2-3 nights...our choice.

 

I was just posting what is available...I have 5 adult children and 10 grandchildren so I certainly am not giving you parenting advice...I have enough that I can do that when asked....not interested in adding you to the list.

[fuinseog]

I am not the OP but wanted to thank you for this post! It was super helpful!

 

 

 

Quick question that I am hoping you can answer. How does the Aquanuts staff get a hold of the parents on the ship, if they're needed? On previous cruises, even though we never ended up using the services, we received a phone or a pager. Is it the same on the Oasis ships?

 

 

 

Thanks.

 

-germ

 

 

 

I won’t swear to it, but neither DH nor I remember getting one. He said that they may have done it for the 3 year olds, though. He remembers some people getting them.

 

 

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[moesyk4]

We actually somehow booked while it was cheaper (don't ask me how...4th of July sale??), than what it is today with the kids sail free promo. While we would love to explore upgrades, the reality for us is even the interior room is "expensive" in our eyes (it's all relative, I certainly understand and can appreciate why some would never consider this room type), and staying in this category allows us to have a little more spending money for other activities on board the ship.

 

Thanks so much for the replies so far, reassuring on the Aquanauts program. I'd love to hear more feedback if it's out there.

 

Thanks

 

Haha you are preaching to the choir...my Dh and I have done a Carnival cruise on an upper/lower room aka bunk bed room on deck 1 of the ship next to the storage closet. Had a fantastic time! Interior is our go to, this time it happened to be very close in price to the balcony for us so it worked out.

[markbach]

I won’t swear to it, but neither DH nor I remember getting one. He said that they may have done it for the 3 year olds, though. He remembers some people getting them.

 

Phones are "required" for 3 year olds and optional for 4 year olds. If your child has medical issues/special needs, than you can also get a phone, regardless of age.

[islande393]

Phones are "required" for 3 year olds and optional for 4 year olds. If your child has medical issues/special needs, than you can also get a phone, regardless of age.

 

Meaning that us as parents can request a phone (assuming they have them available and are not out) even if they are optional? My wife (and frankly I as well) would feel much more peace of mind if we had a phone for the "just in case" instance

[gerif]

Meaning that us as parents can request a phone (assuming they have them available and are not out) even if they are optional? My wife (and frankly I as well) would feel much more peace of mind if we had a phone for the "just in case" instance

Yes, for the 3-5 group.

[MyNameIsGermy]

Meaning that us as parents can request a phone (assuming they have them available and are not out) even if they are optional? My wife (and frankly I as well) would feel much more peace of mind if we had a phone for the "just in case" instance

 

Yep, same here. Our son will have just turned 5 and I want them to be able to reach us if there is an issue.

 

-germ

[markbach]

Meaning that us as parents can request a phone (assuming they have them available and are not out) even if they are optional? My wife (and frankly I as well) would feel much more peace of mind if we had a phone for the "just in case" instance

 

I only have experience with the Aquanauts (3-5), but they will issue a phone to any parent upon request. No idea about the older groupings. They always seemed to have plenty of phones available.

[twinmommy08]

I have b/g twins and used the kids program several times. We did receive a phone while in the 3-5 age group. The kids had so much fun playing with other kids. Not sure about yours, but my girl is bossy with her brother. It gave them space to play what they wanted and have their own time. My kids also cried or threw a fit when we came to pick them up. It’s similar to a preschool or daycare setting but so much better. The staff is so engaging and warm. The kids really loved them. We used the adventure dining every night they offered it. The kid literally beg to go. The program also has after hours 10pm+ and advertise as a pajama party. That is at an added cost but gives you the opportunity to “go out” if you wanted a date night.

4 yrs old is the best age. It just keeps getting better the older they get. Enjoy this time- it goes so fast

 

 

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[JaniceB]

Thanks for this thread, taking a 3 year old grandson on Oasis, nice to hear that most enjoyed the experience.