Update on Splash Academy for Spring Cruises??

[applequeen]

Unvaccinated kids have no place in Splash Academy (or on the cruise). The only exception should be kids who are not old enough to receive the vaccine. My kids (8 and 12) have been fully vaccinated since December.

 

If adults are required to be vaccinated then 5+ kids should be too. It's really quite simple. 

 

We sail in a week and a half. I am furious that these programs will not be available for my kids. Had we been notified prior to our final payment we would certainly have cancelled. When we booked the cruise we were told (by our personal cruise consultant) that everything would be open. I feel lied to and deceived. I know I am not the only parent who feels this way. NCL gladly took our $ for a cruise with amenities that are not available. 

 

Other cruise lines have opened their programs. I see no reasonable reason why NCL could not have done the same. 

[BermudaBound2014]

1 hour ago, applequeen said:

Unvaccinated kids have no place in Splash Academy (or on the cruise). The only exception should be kids who are not old enough to receive the vaccine. My kids (8 and 12) have been fully vaccinated since December.

 

As of March 23rd, only 27% of children ages 5-11 are fully vaccinated. In spite of your personal opinion, Family cruise lines like NCL have no choice but to allow unvaccinated children onboard. It's business 101.

 

 

[applequeen]

9 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

As of March 23rd, only 27% of children ages 5-11 are fully vaccinated. In spite of your personal opinion, Family cruise lines like NCL have no choice but to allow unvaccinated children onboard. It's business 101.

 

 

Yes they do have a choice. If parents with 5-12 kids want to cruise they can get their kids vaccinated. How is requiring it for this group any different from requiring it for adults? Anyone eligible to be vaccinated should be. Failure to do this endangers everyone on the ship. 

 

If DCL can require it for families there is no reason NCL can't. https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/why-cruise-disney/experience-updates/us/

 

If NCL cared at all about welcoming families they would open Splash Academy. I don't think anyone can call them a "family cruise line" at the moment. It's clear families are not a priority for them at all. 

 

 

 

[BermudaBound2014]

8 minutes ago, applequeen said:

 Anyone eligible to be vaccinated should be. Failure to do this endangers everyone on the ship. 

 

That seems a bit dramatic.  I suspect you are going to be very unhappy when cruise lines remove the vaccine requirements for all adults. Are you aware that some cruise lines are allowing for religious exemption and recovery documentation? It's only a matter of time.
 

 

 

Edited March 30, 2022 by BermudaBound2014

[BermudaBound2014]

10 minutes ago, applequeen said:

If DCL can require it for families there is no reason NCL can't. 

 

 

Problem solved. You have a choice too. Book Disney.

 

 

[applequeen]

Y

9 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

That seems a bit dramatic.  I suspect you are going to be very unhappy when cruise lines remove the vaccine requirements for all adults. Are you aware that some cruise lines are allowing for religious exemption and recovery documentation? It's only a matter of time.
 

 

 

Yes, I am aware. I'm actually totally fine with that. I live in an area with very low vaccine rates so a cruise ship is actually safer for me. My point is that if the requirement is enforced for adults it should also be enforced for kids 5-12. If the COVID risk remains high enough that adults are required to be vaccinated why shouldn't that requirement apply to anyone who is eligible for a vaccine? Either require it for everyone or require it for no one. 

 

 

[BermudaBound2014]

1 minute ago, applequeen said:

Y

Yes, I am aware. I'm actually totally fine with that. I live in an area with very low vaccine rates so a cruise ship is actually safer for me. My point is that if the requirement is enforced for adults it should also be enforced for kids 5-12. If the COVID risk remains high enough that adults are required to be vaccinated why shouldn't that requirement apply to anyone who is eligible for a vaccine? Either require it for everyone or require it for no one. 

 

 

 

I do follow that logic. My point was simply that a very few number of parents have elected to vaccinate their children. Research is saying this about as good as it's going to get (less than 30%). From a business standpoint, the major cruise lines can not afford to alienate that much of their consumer base.

 

Since approximately 40% of adults are not fully vaccinated, I actually believe cruise lines will not choose to continue to alienate their adult consumer base either. I predict that requirements for adult vaccination will also change rapidly. Cruise line financials are nearing a tipping point. They need bodies onboard.

 

 

[applequeen]

9 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Problem solved. You have a choice too. Book Disney.

 

 

You are correct. I do have a choice for future cruises. I booked my upcoming cruise to use up the credits I had with NCL because they refused to issue refunds for the 2 cruises they cancelled (one due to Covid and the other for some unknown reason... it was cancelled 18 months before we were to sail). We chose NCL for those two trips due to the itineraries (Pacific Coastal) which were not options with other lines. 

 

I have chosen to sail on Carnival 2 times in the past 6ish months. I absolutely do have a choice for which cruise line I sail once I have gotten this one behind me. This is my 3rd NCL cruise. I have 5 with Carnival. My son (one of the kids that is missing Splash Academy) owns a few shares of RC stock. He's asked that our next cruise be on that line. NCL really hasn't earned any loyalty from me. I am sailing them now because I have to if I don't want to lose $. Is that really a way to ensure people return? Future choices are based, in part, on past experiences. 

[styles27]

16 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

It was announced this week that Splash Academy will be opening fleet wide on June 1.

Where did you see this? We’re sailing April 15th with our 8 yr old grandson and have not received any formal announcement. 
The only info about it that I saw was the closure would be lifted March 31, 2022. (Reported from a CC member who saw it on FB)  Can’t confirm that date. 

 

Edited March 30, 2022 by styles27
Clarification

[styles27]

3 hours ago, applequeen said:

Unvaccinated kids have no place in Splash Academy (or on the cruise). The only exception should be kids who are not old enough to receive the vaccine. My kids (8 and 12) have been fully vaccinated since December.

 

If adults are required to be vaccinated then 5+ kids should be too. It's really quite simple. 

 

We sail in a week and a half. I am furious that these programs will not be available for my kids. Had we been notified prior to our final payment we would certainly have cancelled. When we booked the cruise we were told (by our personal cruise consultant) that everything would be open. I feel lied to and deceived. I know I am not the only parent who feels this way. NCL gladly took our $ for a cruise with amenities that are not available. 

 

Other cruise lines have opened their programs. I see no reasonable reason why NCL could not have done the same. 

It clearly states that they’re closed (drop off service) on the NCL website 🤷🏻‍♀️
 

Edited March 30, 2022 by styles27

[applequeen]

9 minutes ago, styles27 said:

It clearly states that they’re closed on the NCL website 🤷🏻‍♀️
 

I don't believe the current language was available when we booked in July. You should also check the date. It says through 3/31(or at least it did the last time I checked) . We sail after that date. We actually sail in less than two weeks. It would be nice if there was information available when I look up my reservation about my actual booking. A simple message that says "We are sorry but at this time it appears that Splash Academy will not be available for your trip." would have gone a long way for many of us. I have these notifications for other things (port changes, gratuity increase, etc.). Why silence on Splash Academy?

 

I think my complaint (and many other parents) isn't that it is actually closed but that we were told it would be open. I have yet to hear anything official from NCL about a cruise I leave on in less than 2 weeks. We've been notified of other things but there is total silence on this topic. My cruise planner told me prior to my final payment that it would be open by our cruise. If I can' t trust her (an NCL employee) who can we trust for accurate information? Many of us booked (and/ or made final payments) based on incorrect information. 

 

At what point should we have received an official notice from NCL? This is a major amenity for families and hiding vague information on the website isn't really how any of us deserve to be treated. It's too late for many of us to cancel or reschedule. Other cruise lines have their clubs open so it is very difficult to understand why this one has chosen not to. 

[applequeen]

29 minutes ago, styles27 said:

Where did you see this? We’re sailing April 15th with our 8 yr old grandson and have not received any formal announcement. 
The only info about it that I saw was the closure would be lifted March 31, 2022. (From NCL website)

 

We sail on 4/10. I called (again) today and was told it would be "open" for our cruise. I asked them to define "open" and they clarified it was open for family play (stay with the kids) but not for drop off. 

 

 

[styles27]

2 minutes ago, applequeen said:

I don't believe the current language was available when we booked in July. You should also check the date. It says through 3/31(or at least it did the last time I checked) . We sail after that date. We actually sail in less than two weeks. It would be nice if there was information available when I look up my reservation about my actual booking. A simple message that says "We are sorry but at this time it appears that Splash Academy will not be available for your trip." would have gone a long way for many of us. I have these notifications for other things (port changes, gratuity increase, etc.). Why silence on Splash Academy?

 

I think my complaint (and many other parents) isn't that it is actually closed but that we were told it would be open. I have yet to hear anything official from NCL about a cruise I leave on in less than 2 weeks. We've been notified of other things but there is total silence on this topic. My cruise planner told me prior to my final payment that it would be open by our cruise. If I can' t trust her (an NCL employee) who can we trust for accurate information? Many of us booked (and/ or made final payments) based on incorrect information. 

 

At what point should we have received an official notice from NCL? This is a major amenity for families and hiding vague information on the website isn't really how any of us deserve to be treated. It's too late for many of us to cancel or reschedule. Other cruise lines have their clubs open so it is very difficult to understand why this one has chosen not to. 

We sail in 16 days with a child and have not received anything from NCL about it either, but we knew this going in.   (Just booked this cruise last minute a week ago. )

Maybe since we both saw something about the 3/31/2022 date we’ll get lucky and it will be available for our cruises🤞

[kjpn44]

Not sure why unvaccinated kids should have no place on a cruise.  They’re in school with unvaccinated classmates everyday.  I don’t think that’s any different than the splash academy. Teachers have to be vaccinated and kids don’t.  Pretty much same rules for the cruise.  If you’re vaccinated you should be protected. 

[FAMILYCRUISER514]

On 3/30/2022 at 5:15 PM, applequeen said:

I don't believe the current language was available when we booked in July. You should also check the date. It says through 3/31(or at least it did the last time I checked) . We sail after that date. We actually sail in less than two weeks. It would be nice if there was information available when I look up my reservation about my actual booking. A simple message that says "We are sorry but at this time it appears that Splash Academy will not be available for your trip." would have gone a long way for many of us. I have these notifications for other things (port changes, gratuity increase, etc.). Why silence on Splash Academy?

 

I think my complaint (and many other parents) isn't that it is actually closed but that we were told it would be open. I have yet to hear anything official from NCL about a cruise I leave on in less than 2 weeks. We've been notified of other things but there is total silence on this topic. My cruise planner told me prior to my final payment that it would be open by our cruise. If I can' t trust her (an NCL employee) who can we trust for accurate information? Many of us booked (and/ or made final payments) based on incorrect information. 

 

At what point should we have received an official notice from NCL? This is a major amenity for families and hiding vague information on the website isn't really how any of us deserve to be treated. It's too late for many of us to cancel or reschedule. Other cruise lines have their clubs open so it is very difficult to understand why this one has chosen not to. 

If you booked your cruise last July, not only did you know at that time that Splash Academy was closed, but NCL was only sailing at 100% vaccinated. So at the time you booked kids 5-11 couldn't even sail. You choose to take a gamble that kids would even be allowed onboard. 

 

As a parent, traveling in 2 weeks, with my vaccinated child I wish NCL was still %100 vaccinated, with the ONLY EXCEPTION being the 0-4 littles.

[applequeen]

3 hours ago, FAMILYCRUISER514 said:

If you booked your cruise last July, not only did you know at that time that Splash Academy was closed, but NCL was only sailing at 100% vaccinated. So at the time you booked kids 5-11 couldn't even sail. You choose to take a gamble that kids would even be allowed onboard. 

 

As a parent, traveling in 2 weeks, with my vaccinated child I wish NCL was still %100 vaccinated, with the ONLY EXCEPTION being the 0-4 littles.

I assumed (correctly) that my children would be vaccinated by the cruise. If they were not I would have cancelled/ rescheduled. I booked using the credits from previous cancelled cruises and didn’t pay a penny more until my final payment in Feb (after kids were vaccinated). It was a low risk gamble since I could book with the credits.

 

other cruise lines have their childrens programs open so it’s hard to understand why NCL can’t make it work. It never occurred to me that they wouldn’t be open once kids were vaccinated. 
 

Does anyone actually believe that not sending an official update to booked passengers is ok? They send emails about upgrading, reservations, etc. so they know how to contact us! Just posting it to a section of the website that booked passengers may not thing to look isn’t the best way to notify people unless your goal is to be purposely vague. 

 

I agree with you. If vaccines are required for adults they should be required for everyone who is eligible to receive one. The only exception at this time should be under 5s. I don’t understand requiring for adults but not kids over 5. Either require for everyone who is eligible or require it for no one (I am very pro vax for Covid).
 

We will be on board this time next week and I plan to have a wonderful vacation with the family. We will see how things go and will consider the experience when booking future cruises. 

 

[applequeen]

10 hours ago, kjpn44 said:

Not sure why unvaccinated kids should have no place on a cruise.  They’re in school with unvaccinated classmates everyday.  I don’t think that’s any different than the splash academy. Teachers have to be vaccinated and kids don’t.  Pretty much same rules for the cruise.  If you’re vaccinated you should be protected. 

I am very pro vax for my family but understand it is a personal choice. The difference is that a cruise is a high risk area. An outbreak can shut down the cruise (or multiple cruises). I don’t worry about any of us getting seriously ill but I don’t want to end up quarantined or see cruises shut down again. It’s better to be extra cautious so cruise lines can reestablish themselves. 
 

I live is a very low (one of lowest in the nation) area for Covid vaccinations. We are living with the risk and I am ok with it. My kids are probably a few of the handful of vaxxed kids in their classes. It’s fine with me but a cruise is just a different environment. 

Edited April 3, 2022 by applequeen

[www3traveler]

As of a few minutes ago, the Norwegian website had job listings for Splash Academy staff members.  Norwegian is probably is like many other companies-- have job openings with NO ONE willing to appy or be hired.  When they can get people screened, hired and properly trained then Splash Academies can re-open.

[ceilidh1]

Just got this today for my sailing on April 17th. I'm with a 10 year old and 15 year old. Not the biggest deal for us, but might be for those with younger kiddos. Heads up...

Kids Activities Information (1).pdf

[PeeDeeEX]

26 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

Just got this today for my sailing on April 17th. I'm with a 10 year old and 15 year old. Not the biggest deal for us, but might be for those with younger kiddos. Heads up...

Kids Activities Information (1).pdf 69.6 kB · 3 downloads

What ship are you sailing on?

 

Thanks!

[ceilidh1]

Just now, PeeDeeEX said:

What ship are you sailing on?

 

Thanks!

Bliss

[styles27]

We also received the letter today about Splash Academy dropoff remaining closed.
 Sailing on Pearl 04/15/22.

 

Our grandson will be disappointed as he enjoys  making new friends. The $100 credit for the arcade should last these kids a few hours. lol

 

Some internet minutes would have been better served or at least offer the choice of $100 in the arcade or towards internet minutes. 
Oh well,  he’ll have to just hang with Grammy and Grampy the entire time which I’m quite okay with. 😊

[Melly20]

Got the same letter just today!  And we are sailing on Saturday on the Joy!  Not too happy that they waited this close to sailing to let us know.  My 9 year old is not happy and doesn't want to go now.  Being an only child she loves Splash Academy and making new friends.

[Econnor]

Got the same letter this evening and we sail on on the Epic 29th May 22.

[applequeen]

We received our letter too. We sail Sunday (4/10). 
 

You all can see that I have not been pleased that the programs are still closed. I do think the $100 is a nice gesture. I don’t know how long it will last but it’s a nice treat for the kids and does acknowledge that having the programs closed is a disappointment for families. We were planning to buy the arcade package for them so maybe we will shave off a day or two from the package.

 

I am over being mad about this. I don’t like how it was handled but it’s not going to ruin our trip. There looks to be several kids on our cruise and I am sure they will make friends.