flhokie

Can kids go on the zip line or is this more of an adult activity?

 

Our kids will be just under 11 and 6.5 (couple months away from 7)

My understanding is that it is done based on a weight limit--from what I've read you must be at least 75 pounds & not more than 250 pounds. They weigh you right there.

I'm also trying Divina for a short cruise and although I can't comment on the ship because I have never been there some of my royal caribbean fan are telling me that they don't like the fat that the sauna / steamer is not free, employees are not that nice and lots of rude passengers and last but not least you can't request table size

 

I might be wrong but I'm sure I will go back to royal after the experiment lol

 

 

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We do plan to go back go Royal Caribbean after our experience on Divina. That being said, the ship is beautiful and we felt most of the employees were very nice (there were some that weren't, but it wasn't a lot of people).

While the sauna/steam room are not free, I enjoyed my spa experience more on this ship than others--no pushy sales pitch.

There were a lot of rude passengers--witnessed people being cursed out for moving a persons towels off a lounge chair that hadn't been touched in hours, pushing/shoving, closing elevator doors on people trying to get in, etc.

While you were at guest services, you should have turned around, Cybercafe was right behind you. It is also listed on the daily Compass everyday as being on Deck 5.

I did, however it is hidden in a corner & the sign is only visible from 1 direction. I told the person at guest services that I saw on the map it was right in that area & asked her to point me in the right direction. She couldn't understand what I was looking for--even though I referred to it exactly as it was on the map & Compass.

The ship is beautiful & most of the staff extremely nice. The gelato, children's program staff & disembarkation were great.

My husband is not in a wheelchair, but cannot do steps due to 5 spinal surgeries. We often waited 5-15 minutes for an elevator which was very frustrating.

The staff assisting with tendering was wonderful, but it was very rough. I have no doubt they'd assist you with that, but it may be challenging if the seas aren't just right. You enter the tender on the upper level & exit via the lower level (stairs).

At the buffet, the only time the automatic doors to the outdoor deck were operational were on embarkation day & the day we were in San Juan (possibly due to coast guard inspection). This was very frustrating if you wanted to eat outside--had to go down a hallway & go through a door with handle.

Some talk about the beautiful fountains by the pool, but they were never turned on the entire cruise (no staff could say why).

There are language & cultural barriers with the reception desk staff. One basic example...I asked where the cyber cafe was (even said internet) and was directed to some room with luggage in it--not the internet/cyber cafe.

Overall we had a nice cruise, but will be going back to RCCL.

There is also a great water area with pool (about 2-3 feet deep), spray area & pool with a current.

Allure is an awesome ship for kids (& adults)!!

Go with the booster seats. We will be getting a Bubble Bum booster for DD before our next trip. Keep in mind the booster seats can't be used on an airplane.

DD flew cross country at a little over 3 years old with just the seat belt & was fine. We would have used a CARES harness on the plane, but she was above the max height for it.

Do the things the others mentioned, but take powdered pedialite with you just in case.

It really depends on what you plan to do. I'd research it in advance, plan & then decide. We've cruised with DD (at 2 & at 3) twice and have never taken a car seat. We either did not get off the ship or did not do anything that required car travel (walking, water taxi). Had we planned to drive or take a taxi we would have taken something (a car seat last year or a bubble bum this year as DD is nearly 4, 40 lbs & 42 inches).

I forget the terminal number, but just follow the sign to cruise ship docks at Port of Miami--they all dock in the same area (1 ship after another lined up).

Actually this seems to confirm what the original post is about: no kids under 7 in the pools.

You can sign this waver for 7+ to swim which implies anyone under this age is not allowed. :/

 

Looks like we will find a different cruise line for our winter getaway.

So I guess they weren't giving me a line of bull. We won't be sailing with them again for at least 3 years then. While they don't seem to enforce this much, if at all, I'd hate to be sailing & have them decide to fully enforce--too big of a risk!

Check out the online kids club registration from MSC's own website. It specifically mentions giving kids ages 7 and older permission to swim in the adult pools. It even has a photo of a child with swim goggles on!

 

http://www.msccruisesusa.com/us_en/Already-Booked/Mini-Juniors-Club-Signup-Form.aspx

Awesome!! I could not find anything like this before our cruise---very little out there on children.

I would love to have had this when they kept insisting it was a company wide policy of no children in pools!

Thanks for posting your experience! We're booked on Divina for Feb 28th with a 4 and a 5 year old so I was curious to know what others thought about the kids' club . :) Do you know if they stayed in the kids club area all the time or did they do other activities around the ship?

They definitely do other activities around the ship. I know they went to the sports courts some. They took them to the shows every night (they even had them dance on stage one night before the show). There were some family dance parties in one of the lounges & they did some "parades" around the ship.

They even take them to the kids corner of the buffet for dinner too.

If they are out of the club, there will be a sign on the door saying where they are.

DD was 2 when we sailed (so only nursery too). We never did any of the baby programs, but we did use the nursery 1 night. It was wonderful! DD wanted to go back.

We also checked out a bag of toys for the room on embarkation day (not sure if they still have this). When you register baby for the nursery you can check out a dect phone. This was very helpful as the nursery could get us if they needed & DH & I could find each other easier.

There is a large playroom up by Adventure Ocean with mats and toys. DD loved it the one time we went there.

DD loved the shows. There was always so much going on to keep her attention. She loved riding the carousel and the small playground on the Boardwalk (by Cantina) and walking through Central Park & the Promenade (especially loved watching the fountains under Rising Tide Bar). She even liked the Dreamworks character breakfast.

Grab milk at the buffet in the morning. It can be a challenge to get later (it can be found, but it's readily available on the buffet).

My thought is that the other thread was started by some troll who wants to stir the pot and get people all worked up. Or possibly they had communication issues and did not understand the rules. Or maybe their children were just rotten rugrats and the staff didn't want them in the pools. LOL

 

I have been on the Splendida and the Divina and my kids were constantly in the pools. They were in the yacht club pool as well as the main pools (not including the adult only one). And we will be boarding tomorrow, I bet my kids will be in the pools all week!

FYI...I am not a troll. I too thought there was a communication issue when I was told this at the pool. For the record...the crew member who said this to me said the policy was not due to people like me who was right with my child, but due to unsupervised children. We went back & forth that the signage says children must be supervised, not that they aren't allowed at all.

I still thought it was a communication issue which is why I asked at reception. They said that in fact it is MSC's policy that no children are allowed in any swimming pools. I asked to see this in writing & what ages are allowed in the pool. They could not provide it in writing and just kept saying it applied to all children. They said that if I wanted more than 2 inches of water in a "splash area" then I should try one of their new ships with more of a water park set up.

There were children in the pool all week. Most were supervised & none were out of control. They did not force any out of the pool, but if they are so adamant that the policy is no children in the pools, I'd hate to be onboard & have them decide to enforce this policy. Another passenger said he thought he saw somewhere before the cruise that children under 6 or 9 are not allowed in the pools, but I haven't been able to find that either.

Until I see something in writing I'm still skeptical, but reception kept insisting it is a company policy.

Maybe if they turned on the sprayers in the splash area they'd draw more kids to the area & out of the pools (never turned on the entire week).

On a side note, they never seemed go care about swim diapers despite signage. I saw them in the splash area multiple times.

This part of our experience was part of my post about MSC children's program on the family board. Another person posted it over here to try to get more information....reception on Divina insists it's company policy, but there doesn't appear to be anything in writing about this "policy" (at least not heat is easy to locate). Before our cruise, I found there was not a lot out there about sailing MSC with children so I wanted to share our experience. The children's program was fantastic!

Very strange . We had no problem at all . I think it's misunderstanding . But to be honest, pools on Divina are very deep and no shallow area so for safety reason it' would be right not to let kids under 6 to go there. I witness a little girl almost drowned and farther been busy drinking in bar. he was watching her from the distance .Area for kids pretty big around the pool so little once will have no problem .

I thought there was a misunderstanding at first--signage says children must be accompanied by an adult---not that they aren't allowed at all--- but reception said it is in fact a policy on all msc ships that no children are allowed in any pools (could not provide it in writing or refer to where I could see it).

The pools are deep, but if a parent is in the water with the child (attentive/within arms length) there is no reason they should not be allowed in. The area around the pool is so shallow it really can't be considered a children's pool. Perhaps if they turned on the sprayers the area would be sufficient to occupy very young children.

A fellow passenger said he thought he heard there was a minimum age of 6 or 9 for the pools, but I have yet to find anything in writing about this "policy." Ironically, they promote their children sail free promotion...sail free, but can't swim??

Definitely check on a day rate for the Hyatt in the airport. They have a heated pool & are inside the airport (just go downstairs to security). You wouldn't have to worry about any traffic, hotel shuttles, etc.

There are theaters at Festival Bay Mall (not too far from airport) BUT beware that is in the heavy tourist area on International Drive. Any shopping area will be very busy that day.

You will NOT have time for Disney or Universal...not by a LOOONG stretch !

100% correct!! Really anything in the Orlando tourist area would be tough. The crowds & traffic around here are horrible during that time!

Given OP's time requirements I would not recommend Legoland--probably 2 hour drive from the port with holiday traffic, very crowded and at least an hour (would definitely want to allow 90 minutes) to MCO.

I'd try to stick with something near the airport or to the east due to crowds & traffic. A beach day could be good, but it could be cold. The space center might be good.

The Florida Mall is pretty close to the airport (right along the Beachline). It's big with a small play area inside & restaurants. If you have time to kill in the afternoon it might be an option after something like the space center.

The airport itself has quite a few shops & restaurants outside security if you get there earlier than planned.

When we were considering MSC Divina with our DD (3 years old), I had trouble finding information about the children's program so I thought I'd post about our experience.

We boarded with DD & immediately received a wristband for her & information about the children's program.

The 1st night was an open house with a visit from Smurf & Smurfette.

Over the next few days DD spent some mornings, some afternoons & several evenings with "Mini-Club."

The room wasn't fancy (like Disney, etc,), but it was enough space for the minis (3-6, I believe) & Juniors (7-?). There was a small outdoor area with a Smurf themed slide & teeter totter.

The staff was FANTASTIC!!! They were so engaged with the kids. Most activities were in 30 minute blocks (arts & crafts, games, etc). There were a few activities that involved screen time, but it was minimal. They'd paint their faces and take them to the shows each evening. One evening they even had them dance on stage before the show. They also took them to dinner at the buffet in the evenings (there was even a kid's corner for them with kid friendly foods).

On sea days, they'd close from 12:30 to 2:30 and 4-6, but on port days they were open 9 am - 11 pm. There were options for later stays for a fee. Parents of small children could also rent a phone or pager for the week.

The staff for the children's program was definitely a highlight of the cruise!

A few side notes....

The minimum age for the water slide is 9 years old. This was frustrating for DD who has done her share of waterslides, but since it is off by itself it wasn't too hard to avoid.

There were 3 pools--1 called Aqua Park, 1 that could be indoor or outdoor and an infinity type pool in the back of the ship. At the Aqua Park they had what they called a Children's Pool. It was 3 areas (surrounding the actual pool area) of water 2-3 inches deep. There were jets/sprayers that were never on the entire cruise. On Day 5 we were informed by ship staff that children were only allowed in the splash type area--not in any of the pools. I'm not talking about diapered children (DD is fully potty trained). While the signage only referred to diapered children and that children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult, pool management & reception repeatedly stated that MSC's policy is that no children (potty trained included) are allowed in any pools other than the designated children's pool (not at all a pool)--even if accompanied by an adult. I asked to see this policy in writing, but they were never able to provide it. Enforcement of this "policy" (as well as no diapered children in any water area) seemed to be very sporadic.

DD had a wonderful time overall & I'd highly recommend the children's program! However, the issues & confusion over swimming pool policies definitely put a damper on the overall experience.

Feel free to ask me any questions & I'll do my best to answer.

You sign them out at the nursery. I'd go as early as you can on embarkation day ---especially on a holiday cruise as they have a limited number of bags.

Enjoy!! We will be setting sail on Divina with our 3 1/2 year old DD next Saturday.

According to news reports here this morning the US Government contacted Belize to ask for assistance returning the 2 passengers to the US from Belize when the ship docked. Belize then refused to allow the ship to visit.

Which Countries website ?

US Website. Prices were for Divina.

Had no issues booking drink packages through website for November sailing, but received a reply that spa package had nearly doubled in price as of mid-October. Website still does not reflect this and was told they aren't sure when it will. Just wanted to give a heads up for those who might be working on booking spa packages.