NCL Kids Club - What to expect?

[Wavesprite]

I have a almost 4 year old and a 7 year old and I was wondering if anyone had any information on the Norwegian kids club. What they should expect, hours? What do they do while they are there, etc??

 

Oh, and how do you sign up? Do you go directly to the kids club?? or Front Desk?

 

ANY information would be appreciated?

[fivefirsts]

Sign up is in the kid's crew. The hours have changed since we cruised, but mainly 9a-11a then 1p-5p and 7-11, (11p-1a is pay). They also have hours while in port. My kids were 5 and 9 last time and had a blast. There were nonstop activities, and even included some family activities and a supervised dinner one night. The last night the kids get a shirt to color. It was a great time to dump off the kids while we packed up, and my girls LOVE to wear their shirts as often as they can.

[CeleBrat]

Our kids are NCL Kids Club veterans. They love it! Lots of varied activities---like arts and crafts, scavenger hunts, science experiments (packaging an egg and dropping it off the upper pool deck, and fun jungle-gym/ball pits areas in the club.

 

In addition to the hours mentioned previously, there is also a late-night cub session for a fee. My DS (8) loved that, as it included time in the arcade.

 

CeleBrat

[3boyzmom]

Kids' Club on NCL is very easy to manage. Go the first night (or afternoon if they have a time then) and sign-up and do the welcome thing. They have tons of different activities, and will give you a sheet outlining them. My then-4 yr old wasn't crazy about the idea until he met some kids at the pool that were going, so you might try that too. The kids' club crew were great- they made it fun, had little nicknames for the kids, generally had a good time.

Enjoy.

[CanadianTwosome]

They have nicknames for the 'Crew' as well... like 'Stinky' and 'Boo Boo'.:p

 

I'm going to be my regular 'broken record' self now and give the same advice I always do... Make sure your children attend the first night. There will be a sign up time during embarkation when you can go in, sign up your child, and meet the counsellors (no drop off). That evening will be the first night for actual Kids Crew activities, and 'most' of the kids on board will show up to check it out. Your children may or may not like it - some do, some don't - but whether they do or not it's the best opportunity to meet the other kids on board 'en masse' and possibly make a new friend. :)

[ugen512]

I agree... my daughter loved it and actually assisted the counselors since there were only about 20 kids onboard and she was the only one in age group. My only negative is she was not allowed to sign herself in/out..only one of the major CL that don't allow it at her age.

[Wavesprite]

Well we're back and the NCL kids club ROCKED! The kids LOVED it. My son would skip meals in order to stay in. He loved it so much. My 3 year old daughter had fun, but not as much as my 7 year old. They have a great program!!

[Kimjergen]

I agree... my daughter loved it and actually assisted the counselors since there were only about 20 kids onboard and she was the only one in age group. My only negative is she was not allowed to sign herself in/out..only one of the major CL that don't allow it at her age.

 

Wow, I'm surprised to hear that the older kids can't sign themselves in and out as well. Which ship did you sail on? What did you daughter like best about the ship etc?

 

My boys will be 11 and 13 by January and are totally used to signing themselves in and out on previous cruises with Carnival and Holland America. They enjoyed being able to choose what activities they wanted to participate in etc with freely being able to come and go if they so chose to. This will be disappointing to them when we sail Jan 9 with NCL especially to my son who turns 13 in Jan. So this means that parents have walk their middle school aged children over each time to sign their children in/out. Wish I had already known that as it possibly interferes with dinner, shows etc Oh well, we'll have to make the most of it!

[Wavesprite]

I'm not sure, but I think the age is 11 that they can sign themselves out. I might be wrong, though. We saw kids signing themselves out. Your 13 year old will definitely be able to.

[muffinlover]

On our March 08 Ncl Jewel cruise my DD was 10 and she had a blast in her kids area, couselors were great and really got involved with the kids-had scavenger hunts and things like that and they gave presents to the kids.

However my sons group (he was 9) the counselors just sat and watched as they played board games or colored and did'nt really get into playing "with" them until the last day. the area had glass doors so we would walk by to check on how my son was doing. So we had 2 diff experinece's that cruise.

[CanadianTwosome]

Wow, I'm surprised to hear that the older kids can't sign themselves in and out as well. Which ship did you sail on? What did you daughter like best about the ship etc?

 

My boys will be 11 and 13 by January and are totally used to signing themselves in and out on previous cruises with Carnival and Holland America. They enjoyed being able to choose what activities they wanted to participate in etc with freely being able to come and go if they so chose to. This will be disappointing to them when we sail Jan 9 with NCL especially to my son who turns 13 in Jan. So this means that parents have walk their middle school aged children over each time to sign their children in/out. Wish I had already known that as it possibly interferes with dinner, shows etc Oh well, we'll have to make the most of it!

 

Your son will be in the teen club, which I'm fairly certain has sign out priviledges. Going and signing kids in and out isn't so bad, though. Our daughter has always needed to be signed in and out (still does) and we've never missed anything because of it. I think my husband missed ten minutes of the pub crawl we were on to go sign her out and walk her back to the cabin at the end of the night... but I wouldn't have wanted her to do that alone anyway. We carry walkie talkies with us as well, but she found that she didn't need it. On the first night, they give you a Kid's Crew schedule that shows all the scheduled activities for the entire cruise, so she just looked it over and decided what she was and wasn't interested in. It was easy to plan around it. :)

[ugen512]

I'm not sure, but I think the age is 11 that they can sign themselves out. I might be wrong, though. We saw kids signing themselves out. Your 13 year old will definitely be able to.

 

 

It is 12 and older. NCL is the only major line that has it that old. CCL is 9 and I think RCL, CEL, Dis, PCL and Hal are 8. My daughter was 2 weeks shy of 9 on disney and she was allowed in that group but no signing in/out.

[KerCar]

It is 12 and older. NCL is the only major line that has it that old. CCL is 9 and I think RCL, CEL, Dis, PCL and Hal are 8. My daughter was 2 weeks shy of 9 on disney and she was allowed in that group but no signing in/out.

 

8???:eek: That's seems so young! My son is only 6, but I couldn't imagine him signing himself out in 2 years!!!!!

[ugen512]

8???:eek: That's seems so young! My son is only 6, but I couldn't imagine him signing himself out in 2 years!!!!!

 

For us it depends on our location. We seam to always be near the childrens center but if we were opposite ends we probably wouldn't let her even at 11. NCL we were litterally over the childs area so down the stairs and back less than 3 minutes. CCL was the same except it was 4 floors so walk down elevator up. It also depends on the child.

[skystar12]

kids can sign themselves out at 10 if you sign that you give them permission. When you register the child, the bottom of the registration form as an option for either allowing or not allowing your child to sign themselves in and out. They must be 10, not almost 10 to be included in this option.

[2Cruise4Ever]

Our kids LOVE the Kid Crew on NCL. They were 2 and 7 the first time we sailed the Dawn. They're 5 and 10 now. And, they're really looking forward to our next cruise on the Dawn next June (4th time). You'll be given the Freestyle Daily (daily newsletter) upon embarkation. Check it for the Kids Crew orientation and open house. That's where you can register your children.

 

By the way, the hours for the Kid Crew have changed:

 

Sea Days: 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., organized activities, free of charge; 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. group babysitting ($5 per hour per child, or $8 per hour for 2 siblings)

 

Port Days: 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. group babysitting (same fee as listed above); 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. organized activities, free of charge, then 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. group babysitting again (fee applies).

 

Enjoy!

[ugen512]

kids can sign themselves out at 10 if you sign that you give them permission. When you register the child, the bottom of the registration form as an option for either allowing or not allowing your child to sign themselves in and out. They must be 10, not almost 10 to be included in this option.

 

Can anyone verify this? I have the paper work from our Oct 2007 NCL cruise and it says no one under 12 can sign them selves in/out? They could have changed it....

[ugen512]

Can anyone verify this? I have the paper work from our Oct 2007 NCL cruise and it says no one under 12 can sign them selves in/out? They could have changed it....

 

OK , they have changed it found it on the NCL website..here it is for further use>

 

 

*Kids 10-12 can be authorized by their parents to sign themselves in and out of program after 2 hours of active participation in the program. Only a designated adult over 21 may sign them in and out of Kid's Crew. The designated adult, over 21, must be listed on the Registration Form in order to pick up a child from Kid's Crew. Until our Youth Staff gets to know you, have a photo ID ready for drop off or pick up.

[ladymonty]

We just got back from the Dawn today. Our kids loved the Kids Crew (they are 6 and 3). The above post was right about sea days - they are open all day with tons of activities. You just have to sign your kids in and out to feed them. On port days on the Dawn, the kids club opened free of charge as soon as we left port and were open until 10:30pm. So on the days we left port at 4, they opened at 4, the days we didn't leave until 7, they opened at 7, and so on. Your kids will love Kids Crew!!

[Sbarbow]

Do any of you recommend getting the kid's backpack offer? Thanks for any info.

[2Cruise4Ever]

We got it for the kids the first time we sailed with them. Now, we just get the soda bracelets. DD still uses the Kids Crew backpack. But, DS (10) thinks it's too "baby-ish!" :D

 

Depending on the age of the kids, I'd recommend it.

[CanadianTwosome]

We also got the backpack on our first NCL cruise. Our daughter, then 8, used it in port, as well as the sunglasses that came in it. It's much too small for her now (keep in mind she's as tall as most of the teachers at her school, so she's not a 'regular' 10 year old). It also came with a hat and a tee shirt if I remember correctly, but they also get a tee shirt on the last night of the cruise that they get to decorate, so hers never got worn. The last item is of course the included soda package, but we also didn't get any use out of that because our daughter doesn't drink carbonated beverages and doesn't like the US style iced tea.

 

So... think about your kids and whether they'd use the items - or even if they won't, whether it's worth it to you to give them something 'special' if it's their first NCL cruise. Even though we got minimal use out of it, I thought it was worth the $40 or so because it made her happy and it was fun for a while. (I think my husband may have had a few sodas, too) :)

[KerCar]

By the way, the hours for the Kid Crew have changed:

 

Sea Days: 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., organized activities, free of charge; 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. group babysitting ($5 per hour per child, or $8 per hour for 2 siblings)

 

Port Days: 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. group babysitting (same fee as listed above); 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. organized activities, free of charge, then 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. group babysitting again (fee applies).

 

Enjoy!

 

Thanks for this info:)

[pjbrforlife]

Thanks for the info about the kids crew backpack. =)

Just wondering if anyone has a picture of whats in the backpack

and if it is worth the money for my DD (3years) old and a DS (5years old)??

Thank you!!!