Teen Club

[dougieshoney]

Is there any leeway with the age ranges for the teen club on Oasis of the Seas?  My DD will be one month shy of 12 when we travel and my DS is 14.  They will be more likely to participate in the organized activities if they can do them together.  If we tell them they have to be separated because she is only 11, they won't be comfortable and won't participate which will make for less fun for them (and DH and myself).  Anyone know if they will make an exception to the age requirements?

[mjkacmom]

I haven’t heard of any exceptions.

[dcgrumpy]

I have heard of exceptions between the 2 teen clubs or within the AO age groups. I' haven't heard of them moving someone from the Youth Program to the Teen Program. 

[alpinecat]

They did it last year for our daughter. She was within a few months of turning 12. The children in the kids club were way younger than her. We just ask if she could move up and they said yes. We just did the paperwork and they gave her the appropriate wrist band for the teen club. 

[Clarea]

24 minutes ago, dougieshoney said:

Is there any leeway with the age ranges for the teen club on Oasis of the Seas?  My DD will be one month shy of 12 when we travel and my DS is 14.  They will be more likely to participate in the organized activities if they can do them together.  If we tell them they have to be separated because she is only 11, they won't be comfortable and won't participate which will make for less fun for them (and DH and myself).  Anyone know if they will make an exception to the age requirements?

 

You won't know until you get on the ship.  Depends on how many children are in each section.

[katiel53]

On e thing I would like to caution you on is that on Oasis class ships, at least, the 12-14 year olds are in the same area for most of the time with those 15-17.  I don't know how you feel about having your daughter hanging out with 15-17 year olds.

 

Not all activities includes the ages, but when there are no scheduled activities, they are pretty much all in the same area the majority of the time.

 

My 12 year old granddaughter looks a lot older than she is and was hit on by the 15 year olds and she refused to go back to the club.   She has since gone back at 13 and 14 and can handle herself, but there is a huge difference in what an 11-12  year old expects and a 15-17 year old does.  JMO.

 

[Wordell1]

I moved my 11 year old (almost 12) up into the teen group. He and another 11 year old wanted to move up and the staff had us sign a form.  This was on Liberty.

[CruiseWendy]

We've asked in the past for my kiddo to move up in clubs (she was shy by 2 months) and we were emphatically told no. Based on some of these comments I'm going to ask this Sunday while on Harmony. Yay...two days away.  She's 11. 

[cello56]

4 minutes ago, CruiseWendy said:

We've asked in the past for my kiddo to move up in clubs (she was shy by 2 months) and we were emphatically told no. Based on some of these comments I'm going to ask this Sunday while on Harmony. Yay...two days away.  She's 11. 

 

I don't understand why you would want your 11 year old girl in the clubs with 14 year old boys? 

[dcgrumpy]

13 minutes ago, cello56 said:

 

I don't understand why you would want your 11 year old girl in the clubs with 14 year old boys? 

That's just silly. If the cruise was 2 months later she would be in the teen club. Would you say the same thing about a girl that just turned 12? 

Edited July 19, 2019 by dcgrumpy

[LeesSummitCruiser1]

On 7/17/2019 at 1:56 PM, dougieshoney said:

Is there any leeway with the age ranges for the teen club on Oasis of the Seas?  My DD will be one month shy of 12 when we travel and my DS is 14.  They will be more likely to participate in the organized activities if they can do them together.  If we tell them they have to be separated because she is only 11, they won't be comfortable and won't participate which will make for less fun for them (and DH and myself).  Anyone know if they will make an exception to the age requirements?

We never have had trouble moving our daughter up.  Sadly the teen program is not very well organized because it is not very well attended.  There are times posted for some sports and scavenger hunts.  Usually the teens find each other and group up as the cruise goes along.  They don't stop younger kids from going into the teen area.  Your 11 yo does not even have to check into adventure ocean unless you want her to.

Edited July 19, 2019 by LeesSummitCruiser1

[CruiseWendy]

2 hours ago, cello56 said:

 

I don't understand why you would want your 11 year old girl in the clubs with 14 year old boys? 

Fair Question. Depends on the kiddo and or the parent. She already attends school and classes with 14 year olds. Also, she has low tolerance for BS and drama. If she doesn't like it she simply walks away. I don't need to "protect" her from anything that might happen in the club. I have rules for every situation. She can handle herself. 

[cello56]

1 minute ago, CruiseWendy said:

Fair Question. Depends on the kiddo and or the parent. She already attends school and classes with 14 year olds. Also, she has low tolerance for BS and drama. If she doesn't like it she simply walks away. I don't need to "protect" her from anything that might happen in the club. I have rules for every situation. She can handle herself. 

 

But it is not just about YOUR daughter and what she wants. It is also about the fact the 14 year olds in the club might not want to have an 11 year old in their club. It's a TEEN club. Not a teen plus 11 year olds who think they belong there. 

[CruiseWendy]

9 minutes ago, cello56 said:

 

But it is not just about YOUR daughter and what she wants. It is also about the fact the 14 year olds in the club might not want to have an 11 year old in their club. It's a TEEN club. Not a teen plus 11 year olds who think they belong there. 

Ah, so your comment wasn't about her safety with 14 year old boys but being shunned for her age. Gotcha. I don't raise my kid to feel the need to "belong" anywhere. Age on a piece of paper does not directly correlate to mental age during this time of development for boys or girls. She reads/comprehends at an 9th grade level, is two years ahead in math grade level and is taller than most 14 year olds. She belongs with kids that she has things in common with which has always equated to older children. Again, every kid is different.

[Luv2teachandcruise]

I totally understand what the OP is saying. My youngest son is going to be 14 tomorrow and this will be his first time in the teen club, he was more comfortable last year in Adventure Ocean...(and the year before). However, on the flip side, last year my other son (then 14) felt more comfortable with the older teens. So, with the permission of Adventure Ocean we were able to put our 13 year old in there (he also has special needs) and for my older son, with the permission of the teen club, we were able to move him into the 15-17 group. It all boils down to one thing, nobody knows your daughter like YOU! Go the first day and let them know your concerns. Good luck!

Edited July 19, 2019 by Luv2teachandcruise
Grammar mistake

[cello56]

4 hours ago, CruiseWendy said:

Ah, so your comment wasn't about her safety with 14 year old boys but being shunned for her age. Gotcha. I don't raise my kid to feel the need to "belong" anywhere. Age on a piece of paper does not directly correlate to mental age during this time of development for boys or girls. She reads/comprehends at an 9th grade level, is two years ahead in math grade level and is taller than most 14 year olds. She belongs with kids that she has things in common with which has always equated to older children. Again, every kid is different.

Actually my comment had nothing to do with your daughter being shunned. It had nothing to do with her at all! It had to do with the other kids and how they would feel being grouped with an 11 year old - no matter how smart and mature she is. This isn't school where academic needs are met. This is a social club, and I would bet that there will be 14 year olds who feel it is unfair that an 11 year old gets to be in their teen club. Pretty much all the other kids had to wait until they were the right age to be in that club.

[ourfamilylovescruising]

My Youngest DD and DS our 15 months apart and I was always told flat out no moving the youngest up and the last time this happened he was 2 months from moving up, any way it always work out and they both found kids to hang out with

, the best way to make this work is to go the first night so they can meet new friends 

 

now they are both teens so it does not matter and don't want to hang out with the same kids lol