Tell Me Everything About Royal’s Kids Club

[FaeCruisers]

My wife and I are getting back into cruising but after more than a decade break, we’re got two kids (aged 8 and 10) in tow now.

 

I don’t want to go into detail, but both our kids are adopted and they have diagnosed issues that require they are always supervised and by an adult who isn’t just a babysitter. 

 

Naturally, we’re extremely hesitant trusting a third party we’ve never met or vetted to watch our kids. Not leveraging the kids club wont necessarily deter us from a family cruise, but having it as an option would make cruising a lot more accessible.

 

Here are my questions, as much detail as you can provide is MUCH appreciated!

 

1) What are the check in and check out times? How does it differ on day one and any days in a port? Are the check in/out times flexible?

 

2) Are there any limits or restrictions we should know about for their age group?

 

3) How can we communicate with the Kids Club if necessary? Or, more importantly, how can they communicate with us?

 

4) What does a day in kids club look like for their age groups?

 

5) The people supervising the kids - are they super young or are they experienced adults? Do they have any credentials? How many are there at any given time? Are they attentive?

 

6) Is the program crowded?

 

7) Are there consequences for misbehavior (e.g. time out, loss of activity participation, call the parents, etc)?

 

8. For their age group, do they do any swimming activities?

 

Thanks in advance!!!

[broadwaybaby123]

In terms of the crowds, nobody can really answer that, but if you're cruising during school vacation week, it's a given it'll be busier.

[gluecksbaer]

43 minutes ago, FaeCruisers said:

require they are always supervised and by an adult who isn’t just a babysitter. 

 

 

I don't have experience with Royal's kids club but I read this statement as requiring a nurse or an ABA specialist or something like that.  Do you just mean that you need a babysitter to be attentive the whole time?  Otherwise I can't imagine that you could use any kind of kids club.

[Bcshur]

Hi! I’m so excited for you and your wife! My husband and I (both teachers, me being a Special Ed teacher and my husband a high school teacher but certified Behavioral Specialist) cruised for the first time with our 5 and 6 year olds this summer. We used Adventure Ocean (kids club) daily for our daughter (5); our son is more shy and reserved and wouldn’t go. I will do my best to answer your questions. I do apologize for any grammatical errors as my iPad has a mind of its own! 
 

1) What are the check in and check out times? How does it differ on day one and any days in a port? Are the check in/out times flexible?

 

This varied daily. We typically would take our daughter from 7pm-10. After 10 there is a charge. During sail days, there was three separate sessions. I believe they were 10-1, 2-5, and then 7-10. During these times you could drop off and pick your child up as you please. One thing I enjoyed was being able to pop in whenever to see my daughter. You use your Sea Pass to drop them off as well as pick them up so there’s no chance of them leaving on their own.

 

2) Are there any limits or restrictions we should know about for their age group?

The children are grouped by age. The groups were 3-5, 6-10 (or around there), and an older group. 

 

3) How can we communicate with the Kids Club if necessary? Or, more importantly, how can they communicate with us?

We continually popped in to see our daughter. I saw them give one family a walky type device to communicate. We didn’t request one, but I believe they will give you one upon request to get in contact. The whole room is open so you can just pop in whenever and check. This was never a burden to the staff! I would do this about every 30 minutes (or less). 
 

4) What does a day in kids club look like for their age groups?

This varies immensely. Everyday was different. My daughter did everything from coloring, games, and science experiments to free play and movies. It was very well organized! I saw the older groups playing camp type games. 

 

5) The people supervising the kids - are they super young or are they experienced adults? Do they have any credentials? How many are there at any given time? Are they attentive?

I would imagine they have credentials based on their interactions with the kids. I would say they were all mid twenties. Although I wouldn’t say they are certified teachers, they likely hold the credentials of a 2 year degree. There was a great ration! I would say one adult for every 5 kids. Every time I walked into check on my daughter they were always attentive with thr kids. I never once saw someone on their phone or just chatting with another staff member. 

 

6) Is the program crowded?

 

This depended on the day. One night there would be 3 kids, and the next 6. The most I ever counted was around 9. We had a very full sailing with about 700 kids. One thing I will say is the staff to child ration was fantastic! I would say for every 5 children there was 1 adult. 

 

 

7) Are there consequences for misbehavior (e.g. time out, loss of activity participation, call the parents, etc)?

 

Yes! You have to sign a behavior contract with them before your child stays. This contract states that they deserve the right the not take your child if negative behaviors occur. I heard them telling one parent (child wouldn’t listen) that they would give him one more chance but then he could no longer come. 

 

8. For their age group, do they do any swimming activities?

 

No! Thank gosh. My daughter wouldn’t have been attending those. 
 

Our experience was fantastic, but I am sure this varies per ship! My daughter truly loved going. I should note that I’m a parent who puts air tags on her kids when they’re not with me, and who has never had someone besides my parents watch them. With that being said, I felt confident sending my daughter there. The fact I could go and check on her whenever I wanted was wonderful. She loved the staff! They would see her in other venues and always would be sure to talk to her. 
 

I hope this helps! 
 

 

[FaeCruisers]

On 8/8/2022 at 10:43 PM, Bcshur said:

Hi! I’m so excited for you and your wife! My husband and I (both teachers, me being a Special Ed teacher and my husband a high school teacher but certified Behavioral Specialist) cruised for the first time with our 5 and 6 year olds this summer. We used Adventure Ocean (kids club) daily for our daughter (5); our son is more shy and reserved and wouldn’t go. I will do my best to answer your questions. I do apologize for any grammatical errors as my iPad has a mind of its own! 
 

 

 

1) What are the check in and check out times? How does it differ on day one and any days in a port? Are the check in/out times flexible?

 

This varied daily. We typically would take our daughter from 7pm-10. After 10 there is a charge. During sail days, there was three separate sessions. I believe they were 10-1, 2-5, and then 7-10. During these times you could drop off and pick your child up as you please. One thing I enjoyed was being able to pop in whenever to see my daughter. You use your Sea Pass to drop them off as well as pick them up so there’s no chance of them leaving on their own.

 

2) Are there any limits or restrictions we should know about for their age group?

The children are grouped by age. The groups were 3-5, 6-10 (or around there), and an older group. 

 

3) How can we communicate with the Kids Club if necessary? Or, more importantly, how can they communicate with us?

We continually popped in to see our daughter. I saw them give one family a walky type device to communicate. We didn’t request one, but I believe they will give you one upon request to get in contact. The whole room is open so you can just pop in whenever and check. This was never a burden to the staff! I would do this about every 30 minutes (or less). 
 

4) What does a day in kids club look like for their age groups?

This varies immensely. Everyday was different. My daughter did everything from coloring, games, and science experiments to free play and movies. It was very well organized! I saw the older groups playing camp type games. 

 

5) The people supervising the kids - are they super young or are they experienced adults? Do they have any credentials? How many are there at any given time? Are they attentive?

I would imagine they have credentials based on their interactions with the kids. I would say they were all mid twenties. Although I wouldn’t say they are certified teachers, they likely hold the credentials of a 2 year degree. There was a great ration! I would say one adult for every 5 kids. Every time I walked into check on my daughter they were always attentive with thr kids. I never once saw someone on their phone or just chatting with another staff member. 

 

6) Is the program crowded?

 

This depended on the day. One night there would be 3 kids, and the next 6. The most I ever counted was around 9. We had a very full sailing with about 700 kids. One thing I will say is the staff to child ration was fantastic! I would say for every 5 children there was 1 adult. 

 

 

7) Are there consequences for misbehavior (e.g. time out, loss of activity participation, call the parents, etc)?

 

Yes! You have to sign a behavior contract with them before your child stays. This contract states that they deserve the right the not take your child if negative behaviors occur. I heard them telling one parent (child wouldn’t listen) that they would give him one more chance but then he could no longer come. 

 

8. For their age group, do they do any swimming activities?

 

No! Thank gosh. My daughter wouldn’t have been attending those. 
 

Our experience was fantastic, but I am sure this varies per ship! My daughter truly loved going. I should note that I’m a parent who puts air tags on her kids when they’re not with me, and who has never had someone besides my parents watch them. With that being said, I felt confident sending my daughter there. The fact I could go and check on her whenever I wanted was wonderful. She loved the staff! They would see her in other venues and always would be sure to talk to her. 
 

I hope this helps! 
 

 

This was amazing, and exactly what we were looking for. Thank you SO much!!

[cruise_co]

On 8/8/2022 at 7:07 PM, FaeCruisers said:

My wife and I are getting back into cruising but after more than a decade break, we’re got two kids (aged 8 and 10) in tow now.

 

I don’t want to go into detail, but both our kids are adopted and they have diagnosed issues that require they are always supervised and by an adult who isn’t just a babysitter. 

 

Naturally, we’re extremely hesitant trusting a third party we’ve never met or vetted to watch our kids. Not leveraging the kids club wont necessarily deter us from a family cruise, but having it as an option would make cruising a lot more accessible.

 

Here are my questions, as much detail as you can provide is MUCH appreciated!

 

1) What are the check in and check out times? How does it differ on day one and any days in a port? Are the check in/out times flexible?

 

2) Are there any limits or restrictions we should know about for their age group?

 

3) How can we communicate with the Kids Club if necessary? Or, more importantly, how can they communicate with us?

 

4) What does a day in kids club look like for their age groups?

 

5) The people supervising the kids - are they super young or are they experienced adults? Do they have any credentials? How many are there at any given time? Are they attentive?

 

6) Is the program crowded?

 

7) Are there consequences for misbehavior (e.g. time out, loss of activity participation, call the parents, etc)?

 

8. For their age group, do they do any swimming activities?

 

Thanks in advance!!!

If you haven't done so either, you can also look into Autism on the Seas.  It is a travel agency for families that might need a little extra help with their kiddos. It is for all children with challenges, not just Autism. They have experienced staff on board to supplement the wonderful RCL staff.  They have a large selection of cruises on many different lines. 

 

We travel with our daughter with a disability and while we don't book with them since we don't really need their services, I do like to see if any of their sailings are around the time we want to sail as that is our world.

 

https://autismontheseas.com/