Splash academy for shy kids.

[vent1020]

So, we'll be on our cruise in another 3 weeks. We have a 3 year old DD and a 9 year old DS. Our daughter, who is outgoing, I'm sure will love the splash academy. Our son is SUPER SHY. He's been that way his whole life. Hard for him to initiate making friends, gets nervous around strangers....that sort of thing.

 

We'd like him to just give the splash academy(kids club) a try. I would think it would not only make the cruise more fun for him, but for us(his parents) also ;)

 

My question. Any parents that have had SUPER shy kids and insisted on them trying the kids club and what their experience was? I imagine he will hesitantly try it once and then not want to go back. I'm hoping that is not the case, but planning on that happening.

[rjm11]

I have a shy one too. He has had a couple cruises where he wasn't a fan of the kids club, but tolerated it for a couple hours here or there.... we got a couple of kid-free dinners out of it, usually by bribing him with trips to the arcade. We've also had cruises (on NCL) where for whatever reason, he "clicked" with someone or something in the kids club and begged to go there. I have no idea what the difference is, but it was set early, and unchangeable. I think that for us we have really tried hard to not "overuse" it.... we don't expect that they will be in there all day/night (he too has an outgoing sister for whom it's never been an issue), and try to only use it if THEY want to. That being said, we did

"encourage"/bribe him to at least try it couple times, and here or there so we could get a dinner in.

[vent1020]

I have a shy one too. He has had a couple cruises where he wasn't a fan of the kids club, but tolerated it for a couple hours here or there.... we got a couple of kid-free dinners out of it, usually by bribing him with trips to the arcade. We've also had cruises (on NCL) where for whatever reason, he "clicked" with someone or something in the kids club and begged to go there. I have no idea what the difference is, but it was set early, and unchangeable. I think that for us we have really tried hard to not "overuse" it.... we don't expect that they will be in there all day/night (he too has an outgoing sister for whom it's never been an issue), and try to only use it if THEY want to. That being said, we did

"encourage"/bribe him to at least try it couple times, and here or there so we could get a dinner in.

 

Bribery. What a great idea. :D We also aren't going to use the club to dump our kids off for the whole trip.(It is a family vacation) But, would love a dinner or two alone and maybe a show. I like the trips to the arcade idea. I think he'd "suffer" through the kids club in order to have an hour or two at the arcade. I was hoping to hear that maybe the kids club is SOOOOO fantastic that shy or not kids love it. Wishful thinking. Thanks for the response.

[cb at sea]

Take him to the very first meeting....when EVERYONE is new!! That's a HUGE help! I was VERY shy as a child...and I speak from experience. If NO ONE knows each other, it's much easier on the shy one.....once kids have made accquaintances, it's so much harder for the shy one to "fit in".

 

Hopefully, he'll grow out of it....it's a horrible way to live your life. It took me until I had kids myself, and had to be their "voice"....and I realized that my fears were all in my head.

Edited November 11, 2014 by cb at sea

[tj&3littlecuties]

What about meeting a family on your roll call and making friends first? I thought of this because I have a 9 y/o who is super outgoing and makes friends everywhere. It would have been awesome for them to meet then go together, but we are on the breakaway in a few weeks and I see you are on the dawn.

 

 

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[rjm11]

I will also add that Ive found the kids club on NCL to work really hard at trying to engage them, and they seemed to really listen when I mentioned my concerns about mine being shy. One actually took him on more one on one and he really liked that. They try hard. Also, it looks like you're going the week after Thanksgiving, so it might not be as crowded. This helped for mine- he was worse when we were cruising over spring break and the place was packed... when we did Alaska the first week of Sept once and there were very few kids he enjoyed it more. This year we are going the week OF Thanksgiving- so I'm worried again!

[conandrob240]

At home, my nephew is super shy and has few friends. On a cruise, he is a social butterfly and a totally different person. He has always escaped and become outgoing on a cruise since he was a little boy. He is a totally different kid. Make sure he goes the first night and encourage him to let himself go and try new things.

[LrgPizza]

Sign him up the afternoon of embarkation day, which is the only time adults are allowed in. That way you can check things out together. Like the other poster said, be sure he goes the night it opens when they do getting-to-know-you games. Trust that the staff has loads of experience dealing with kids just like him. This will be new for him, but they have super shy kids every cruise. They will do all they can to get him to enjoy himself. Good luck!

[SoutFloridaCruiser]

Splash Academy had great staff that might be able to help him. They tried their best with out youngest daughter who is 4. She doesn't even talk to the teachers at VPK when she goes to school. But when she comes home, she just doesn't stay quiet...lol

 

She had a couple days there and was done after that. She fussed about being dropped off and just wanted to stay with us. I think it was all to much for her and she was a bit tired. Maybe we pushed to hard trying to do to much.

 

Our 10yo daughter is not shy at all and she loved every second of it and could not wait to go back.

[vent1020]

Thanks for all the responses and ideas. I truly appreciate it and is what I love about these boards. We were on the Epic three years ago when he was 6 and he was having NOTHING TO DO WITH the kids club. I think at 9 years old he'll be more apt to give it a try.

 

Thanks again. :)

Edited November 11, 2014 by vent1020

[conandrob240]

Our 4 yr old (almost 5) isn't shy at all but didn't want to go. I think the reason was he tends to "play older" because of a 7 yr old sister. He was never into age-appropriate toddler stuff. I mentioned this to the splash counselor and feh worked to give him extra things to do like helping with the "babies" ( 3 yr olds) and incorporated some of the older groups activities into his group. For example, he had a jungle night when his sister had spy/ secret agent night. He was very disappointed. The counselor had him use spy techniques to "track" animals, told him he was a secret agent amongst the little kids and had to report back about "suspicious behavior" of tigers. She (Sparky) made him love it do much, he begged to go back. That's how good those counselors were!