Kids club for tweens.

[VicRock]

I'm having trouble finding which kid club a newly 12-year-old will fit into on Anthem of the Seas.  I see ages 3-11 then I see teens club but I'm not keen on my newly 12-year-old hanging out with 15-17 year olds unsupervised or in all honesty, at all without us present.  Please tell me there is a group for him.  I see Explorers - 6-8; Voyagers 9-11; Adventure Ocean -3-11; Babies & tots; Aquanauts; Teen Lounge - no age range given, Adventure Science Lab - no age range given & looks like a drop in activity.   

Edited July 31, 2023 by VicRock
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[gumshoe958]

From the Royal website: Voyagers (ages 9-12 years) will explore a range of activities that puts the "cool" back into learning.

[kitkat343]

Last August, the 12 year olds could go to the teen group.    Other lines might break up the groups better for you (on NCL for example 12 isn't in the teen club, which really annoyed my son who wanted more freedom since he was 11 when we sailed in August with RC and 12 when we sailed the next January with NCL).  

 

You can ask the kids club staff politely to please move her down, but she might not be too happy with that and they aren't required to comply (they seemed to be moving people on my RC cruise last year but it is at the kids club staff's discretion.  I'd recommend going during registration hours so you aren't holding up the line at checkin to have this discussion).

Edited July 31, 2023 by kitkat343

[twinmommy08]

If your 12 year old  is not ready for teen club, just enroll them in the 9-11 group on board. It’s up to the manager, but I never had any trouble. 
 

Editing to add that my kids were paired with 12-14 year olds and the 15-17 were paired together. They seemed to do their activities within the young teen groups. 

Edited July 31, 2023 by twinmommy08

[VicRock]

34 minutes ago, gumshoe958 said:

From the Royal website: Voyagers (ages 9-12 years) will explore a range of activities that puts the "cool" back into learning.

Hmm, then it's listed two different places & one of them needs updated.  

[VicRock]

31 minutes ago, twinmommy08 said:

If your 12 year old  is not ready for teen club, just enroll them in the 9-11 group on board. It’s up to the manager, but I never had any trouble. 
 

Editing to add that my kids were paired with 12-14 year olds and the 15-17 were paired together. They seemed to do their activities within the young teen groups. 

That's good to know.  12-17 is a HUGE age gap in social expectations and maturity.  12-14 is a decent gap but not as concerning to me.  

[Rothko1]

12 minutes ago, VicRock said:

That's good to know.  12-17 is a HUGE age gap in social expectations and maturity.  12-14 is a decent gap but not as concerning to me.  

 

Yeah, a 12 year old and a 17 year old are like two different species.

[smokeybandit]

Doesn't the teen cut off vary by ship? Some 12, some 13.

[mjkacmom]

16 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Doesn't the teen cut off vary by ship? Some 12, some 13.

I think it’s 12. I’ve had 5 kids in teen clubs at different ages, what I’ve learned is #1, all of my kids hated tween clubs, #2 all of my kids loved teen clubs, #3, 15 - 17 year olds do not want to hang out with younger kids and 12 - 14 year olds don’t want to hang out with older kids, it really works out. On our last cruise my 14, 14, and 16 year olds had 3 different friend groups, as did my 19 and 20 year olds. I think it would be a shame to push the tween club without at least trying the teen club. When my kids were 12 on NCL we just let them go places and let us know where they were going, since they had no interest in the 10 - 12 after trying it.

[CruiseMelissa]

37 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Doesn't the teen cut off vary by ship? Some 12, some 13.

Yes, this is correct, kind of. Freedom 12 year olds could go to Adventure Ocean, Explorer they couldn't, the cut off was 11. 

[VicRock]

4 hours ago, Rothko1 said:

 

Yeah, a 12 year old and a 17 year old are like two different species.

Definitely.  lol

[VicRock]

3 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

I think it’s 12. I’ve had 5 kids in teen clubs at different ages, what I’ve learned is #1, all of my kids hated tween clubs, #2 all of my kids loved teen clubs, #3, 15 - 17 year olds do not want to hang out with younger kids and 12 - 14 year olds don’t want to hang out with older kids, it really works out. On our last cruise my 14, 14, and 16 year olds had 3 different friend groups, as did my 19 and 20 year olds. I think it would be a shame to push the tween club without at least trying the teen club. When my kids were 12 on NCL we just let them go places and let us know where they were going, since they had no interest in the 10 - 12 after trying it.

Yea, if it's 12, he'll be with kids club or with us.  No way is he traipsing around a ship in the middle of the ocean alone.  

[drb116]

Royal use to have a 12-14 and 15-17 groups, but since Covid, they have been combined into one on every cruise that we have done (which is a decent number). It has been absolutely terrible for my two boys that are on the younger end of the range. They use to enjoy the kids club, but for the last year and a half they have hardly used it and complain anytime we ask them to give it a try.

 

Maybe some cruises still split it up, but we have not found one that has.

[VicRock]

47 minutes ago, drb116 said:

Royal use to have a 12-14 and 15-17 groups, but since Covid, they have been combined into one on every cruise that we have done (which is a decent number). It has been absolutely terrible for my two boys that are on the younger end of the range. They use to enjoy the kids club, but for the last year and a half they have hardly used it and complain anytime we ask them to give it a try.

 

Maybe some cruises still split it up, but we have not found one that has.

Last cruise we were on he loved it but he was 8 and it was his first cruise.  He loves being active with other kids so I hope it's 12. We won't to make him go but I'm sure he'll want to try.  

[gluecksbaer]

4 hours ago, drb116 said:

Royal use to have a 12-14 and 15-17 groups, but since Covid, they have been combined into one on every cruise that we have done (which is a decent number). It has been absolutely terrible for my two boys that are on the younger end of the range. They use to enjoy the kids club, but for the last year and a half they have hardly used it and complain anytime we ask them to give it a try.

 

Maybe some cruises still split it up, but we have not found one that has.

This is how it was when we were on Allure.  My daughter tried twice and then refused to go again.  My son went for the video games despite constant bullying by an older teen.  

I've since seen that Carnival has an entirely separate area for 12-14 year olds, so I may start exploring options for sailing with them if we cruise again before my kids are at least 15.