Help with Kids Club Problems!

[AZEmom]

We went on a family cruise last Thanksgiving on Carnival Victory. My son and nephew are 3 years apart and are put in separate age groups. Additionally DS hated the Camp programs and wanted to spend ALL of his time with us. DS has been on two Disney cruises at ages 4 and 11 and LOVED the kids programs. We are doing a Thanksgiving cruise again next year (Carnival Valor) and the cousins will be 9 and 12 (again separate age groups)? I know others have this same problem... any tips?

[seashell36]

You might try speaking to the Club director. If it is not too crowded you may be able to get the 12 year put into the group with the 9-11 year olds. I know a friend of mine did this for one of her kids and a friend that was sailing with them. It worked out really well.

[rebeccalouise]

I suspect the Thanksgiving cruise will be full of kids and doubt there will be much flexibility among age groups.

 

I think you should test out some of the other cruise lines in the future. I have done all of the mainstream lines and my son liked Disney, Holland America and Celebrity the best for the youth programs.

 

I found the most caring staff to be on Celebrity.

[cb at sea]

It really doesn't sound like it's the club's problem--sounds like your nephew is just "clingy" and doesn't like to participate. I doubt it will be any different with any cruiseline's kids club.

Good luck.

[AZEmom]

Actually it's my son that didn't like Camp Carnival. He loved the Disney programs both times. I'm hoping that the programs on the Carnival Valor will be better and that the Victory problems last time were a fluke. I know Carnival will never be Disney, but switching lines is not an option as we are going on a cruise that is affordable for all families.

 

Any reports on the Valor kids programs from someone who has also done Disney? I did look at the 12-14 yr descriptions and they look fun...

[rebeccalouise]

My son was only 3 when we went on Carnival Victory and although he did like to go to the kids club- it seemed that there were too many kids in there and he was getting a bit pushed around.

 

That cruise though was the reason I returned to cruise travel, so our overall experience was really good.

 

NCL's program was also filled with kids and he didn't seem to like it as much as other lines.

 

So far I have found Celebrity and Disney to be the best. Holland America and Princess behind them and Royal, NCL and Carnival in third place. This is strictly my view of the organized kids programs.

 

As for ships- I really like Princess with the outdoor movie theatre, freshwater pools, reasonable drink prices and overall cruise experience.

[JordanFam]

I can't really comment on Carnival, as I have never been on that line, but I had pretty much the same experience on our last RC cruise. My daughter (7) and niece (10) were in different age groups, and even though their weren't that many kids on our sailing, they would not even consider allowing either girl to switch groups. Based on how stern they were about it, I am assuming that it might be some sort of legal or security issue with them not being able to put the kids into older/younger groups.

 

It was disappointing for me because I had heard rave reviews about the "Adventure Ocean" program, but my daughter and niece did not like it very much at all. They didn't seem to be doing quite as many fun activities as I expected, and it was like pulling teeth to get her to go all week.

 

Anyway, I hope your son has a lot more fun on this cruise!

[karenem]

I think it depends on the line. Our Princess cruise to Alaska last summer had a zillion kids. They let my 13YO into the 9-12YO program without a fuss, but did say that moving kids UP a level is really frowned upon.

[Scrappytraveller]

...on our Carnival Glory cruise. We're traveling with another family specifically so the 9 year old will be able to hang out with his 8 year old friend. If he can't go to the same Camp Carnival as his friend and his 6 year old sister, there probably won't be any Camp Carnival for us, which would totally suck for them. :mad: Here's hoping it won't be a big deal...

[ugen512]

...on our Carnival Glory cruise. We're traveling with another family specifically so the 9 year old will be able to hang out with his 8 year old friend. If he can't go to the same Camp Carnival as his friend and his 6 year old sister, there probably won't be any Camp Carnival for us, which would totally suck for them. :mad: Here's hoping it won't be a big deal...

 

 

When we were on Carnival my daughter was 2 weeks short of 9, they allowed her to be in the 9-12 group but could not sign herslef in/out. I doubt they will let your 9 y/o with the 6-8 unless there are very few kids onboard. When we were on NCL last year there were only about 15 kids and none in my daughters group so they were all bunched together.

[CanadianTwosome]

The only Kid's club I have any experience with is NCL's, but I can tell you that on my daughter's first cruise she hardly went at all, and on the last one she practically lived there. I don't think it's necessarily the ship or the line so much as the mix of kids and the counsellors. It's entirely possible that both kids could have a great time even in different age groups. On the other hand, they might not click with their counsellors or the other kids and then they likely won't be interested in the club. If you're talking about cousins, though, can I assume there are at least two sets of parents on board? It just takes one pair of eyes to supervise kids at the pool... :)

[Scrappytraveller]

Two sets of parents plus me, the aunt!:D

 

I guess it's not that big a deal since we're only actually on the ship for 2 1/2 days. We'd keep them with us on all the port days. I just think they'd really enjoy the camp if the 3 of them were together. If my 6 year old niece can't be with her brother, I don't think she'll want to go. And I don't think her very protective daddy would let her either! ;) I don't mind having them with us, it's more that I'd feel bad that they were missing out on fun activities.

[CanadianTwosome]

It's a little different for us since our daughter is an only child, so she always goes to Kid's Crew alone... at least the first time... but consider the fact that being different ages, your kids split up at school every day - and probably don't hang out at recess. I knew lots of siblings when I was a child (had one myself) and except for one set of twins, they all socialized within their own age group. When we used to cruise when I was a kid (10 and 12), even though there were no real formal kid's groups then (and hardly any children), we would find the other kids on board and split up to have fun with the ones we individually clicked with.

 

My best advice is the same advice I give every parent that comes here and asks about kid's clubs. Take your kids on the first day to register and meet the counsellors, and then make sure they attend the first evening's activities. That first night is when most of the kids on board show up, and it's their best chance to meet the others and find some new friends that they click with. They may or may not like it, and they may or may not feel comfortable if they're in different groups... but they might find that there's something geared towards their age group that they're really excited about... but that their sibling or cousin isn't interested in at all... and vice versa.

 

As for being an overprotective father, the same advice applies. Go to the afternoon registration and check it out; tour the facilities and meet the counsellors. I have never thought twice about leaving my child in a kids'

facility on a ship, and her first cruise was at the age of 8.

 

I think that something to keep in mind, also, is that no two kid's club experiences are going to be the same. The counsellors are different, the facilities are different - and a kid who loves/hates it on one cruise may have the opposite experience on another. As I mentioned above, my daughter really didn't think much of the club on the Dream, but on the Star, she cried the morning of our disembarkation because she couldn't go back. You (and they) will just never know until you give it a try. :)

[Scrappytraveller]

Awesome advice Cdn2some, thanks! I'll be cutting and pasting that into my growing prep file. :o

[CanadianTwosome]

Awesome advice Cdn2some, thanks! I'll be cutting and pasting that into my growing prep file. :o

 

Wow, thanks! I'm very flattered. :)