Kids club- do they provide telephones?

[dos equis]

We are sailing on the Meraviglia this year. If you drop off your child for babysitting hours, will they provide any way to keep in contact with you in case your child needs to be picked up/there's an emergency? Royal does telephones so I am wondering if MSC offers anything like that.

 

Thanks for anyone who can share their experience. I cannot find this information anywhere online.

[sealynx]

In normal situations where your child wants to be picked up they'll call the phone in your cabin. If you're not in your cabin, then you (and your child) are out of luck. They will not call your cell phone. I don't know what they'll do in case of an emergency.

[Nikita4]

No phones oder Communications tools for the MSC Kids Club. 
With the age of 3 they can use the Kidsclub, from 0-2 the can use the facility with the parents, there is no babysitting for babies from 0-2.
The Kids Club is not like the american Kids Clubs, with MSC the kids can leave the kids club alone when you want this, but european kids are more independently as they are often in the Kindergarten in this age.

[Homosassa]

You need to define what you mean by "babysitting hours."  

 

MSC is geared to family cruising; the keyword being "Family" as in a family cruising together and having programs  set up to support family (i.e.; adult and child) activities.

 

While there is a kid's club, hours will be limited compared to some USA based  cruise lines and will shut at lunch and dinner times to allow  parents to feed their children (There may be a supervised  dinner meal time, but it will not necessarily blend well with adult schedules and the child will be limited to the kid's section of the buffet with very limited offerings).

[perakcruiser]

We always got telephones from them when we left our baby at Baby Care. And they called when the baby was crying too much.  Actually it is a walkie-talkie, not a cellphone.

I also disagree with some other answers 😄 

 

There is babysitting for 0-2, that is Baby Care, while Baby Time is when you spend time there together. 

 

Also the little bit older kids had lunch and and dinner with the Kids club team and not with us. You can choose of cause. 

[skittl1321]

22 hours ago, Nikita4 said:

No phones oder Communications tools for the MSC Kids Club. 
With the age of 3 they can use the Kidsclub, from 0-2 the can use the facility with the parents, there is no babysitting for babies from 0-2.
The Kids Club is not like the american Kids Clubs, with MSC the kids can leave the kids club alone when you want this, but european kids are more independently as they are often in the Kindergarten in this age.

 

Can you clarify this?  Once they are age 3 and up, the kids can leave the club without an adult checking them out?  Or only if the parent approves it? I do not want my 4 and 6 year old to be able to wander the ship freely.

 

(We have done a number of kids clubs on European vacations, at hotels or resorts, and never seen kids be allowed to check themselves out.)

[Nikita4]

1 hour ago, skittl1321 said:

 

Can you clarify this?  Once they are age 3 and up, the kids can leave the club without an adult checking them out?  Or only if the parent approves it? I do not want my 4 and 6 year old to be able to wander the ship freely.

 

(We have done a number of kids clubs on European vacations, at hotels or resorts, and never seen kids be allowed to check themselves out.)

Yes you have to sign and then the kids can leave the kids club alone without a parent to check them out.

Here in Europe a lot of kids have to walk to kindergarten and school alone in the age of 4 and older. So they are used to be independent. Our kids daily walked 1 mile to the kindergarten and a mile back, and the same in the afternoon. That's normal here.

Edited February 24, 2023 by Nikita4

[dos equis]

On 2/23/2023 at 1:29 PM, perakcruiser said:

We always got telephones from them when we left our baby at Baby Care. And they called when the baby was crying too much.  Actually it is a walkie-talkie, not a cellphone.

I also disagree with some other answers 😄 

 

There is babysitting for 0-2, that is Baby Care, while Baby Time is when you spend time there together. 

 

Also the little bit older kids had lunch and and dinner with the Kids club team and not with us. You can choose of cause. 

Thanks for this! I knew that there were limited hours for drop offs for 2&under, and I should have specified in my post that that's what I was asking about. So thank you for answering my unclear question!

 

Can I ask what ship you were on that had the walkie talkies?

[perakcruiser]

16 hours ago, dos equis said:

Can I ask what ship you were on that had the walkie talkies?

The beautiful Meraviglia. And you are right to ask, probably the older ships will not provide. 

Edited March 4, 2023 by perakcruiser

[skittl1321]

On 2/24/2023 at 12:12 PM, Nikita4 said:

Yes you have to sign and then the kids can leave the kids club alone without a parent to check them out.

Here in Europe a lot of kids have to walk to kindergarten and school alone in the age of 4 and older. So they are used to be independent. Our kids daily walked 1 mile to the kindergarten and a mile back, and the same in the afternoon. That's normal here.

Thanks. Glad to know we need to give them permission to be able to do this. I would much prefer to pick them up.  

 

(Walking to school is a norm here too; within a 2-mile radius there is no busing, and the kids walk, though usually a group of them all walk together, not just a single kid. But to me, a familiar neighborhood where they have gone over the route is very different for my 4-year old than an unfamiliar crowded ship.)