flexibility of camp carnival age ranges

[4xcruisers]

Anyone know if camp carnival is flexible with the age ranges. My daughter is a very mature almost 8 and is not thrilled about maybe having to be in the 6-8s on our cruise. She wants to move up to the 9-11s. We are absolutely fine with all the "benefits" and more lax supervision in that group for her. Disney was more than willing to let her try it and see, if they saw problems they would move her back down. After having her try both groups they let her stay in the older one and said it was the better placement for her. Anyone know if this might be possible with carnival?

[crusinmama06]

So she is "almost 8", which means she is 7. So that puts her smack in the middle of the group. I can tell you what experience has taught me about the camp, they only make an exception if the child is celebrating a birthday on the ship or immediatly following.

 

Rest assured though, my own very "mature" then 8 year old stayed in the 6-8 year old group up to and including the week before she turned 9. She found lots of other mature 8 year olds to bond with. :D

[RENMama]

Why does she want to move up?

 

Camp doesnt have alot of purely educational things so even if she was gifted academically she should be able to still enjoy some activities that are more age approprioate for her.

 

I think I would be a bit concerned if my 7yo could not "tolerate" or make friend with any kids their own age and only wanted to be with 10/11 yr olds.

[tmarquez]

I don't think they ever let them move up. I've heard of a few moving down.

 

That being said, I have an almost 7yo DD that is also socially mature for her age and prefers the company of older kids. I would never let her move up. Even though they are still young, the 9 - 11 yo's have a lot more life experience, are physically larger and probably have a better chance of getting out of a bad situation than my little one.

 

Doesn't the 9 - 11 group have the abilty to sign themselves out? No way, not for my kid. Would you drop DD off at the mall by herself? To me it's the same thing. I trust DD, but not other people!

 

Luckily DD easily makes friends and will have fun no matter what age group she is in.

[unklez]

Anyone know if camp carnival is flexible with the age ranges. My daughter is a very mature almost 8 and is not thrilled about maybe having to be in the 6-8s on our cruise. She wants to move up to the 9-11s. We are absolutely fine with all the "benefits" and more lax supervision in that group for her. Disney was more than willing to let her try it and see, if they saw problems they would move her back down. After having her try both groups they let her stay in the older one and said it was the better placement for her. Anyone know if this might be possible with carnival?

 

Is she allowed in the higher grade at school?

[kitty9]

Being "almost 8" means she's not close to age 9, she's in the middle of the 6 to 8 group. Carnival will not let a 7 year old go into the next age group especially if there are lots of kids on board.

[dijid]

So she is "almost 8", which means she is 7. So that puts her smack in the middle of the group. I can tell you what experience has taught me about the camp, they only make an exception if the child is celebrating a birthday on the ship or immediatly following.

 

We are sailing the week before my 5yo turns 6. She'll be going into 1st grade, and I am really concerned that they won't let her move up to be with the 6-8yos. There's a huge difference in the programs between the 2-5yos and the 6-8yos and I don't think a 1st grader will be happy in the preschool program. What are the chances they'll let her move up?

[crusinmama06]

We are sailing the week before my 5yo turns 6. She'll be going into 1st grade, and I am really concerned that they won't let her move up to be with the 6-8yos. There's a huge difference in the programs between the 2-5yos and the 6-8yos and I don't think a 1st grader will be happy in the preschool program. What are the chances they'll let her move up?

 

It's hard to tell how they will handle it. They allowed my friend's 5 year old to move up to the 6 - 8 year old group to be with her brother and my oldest daughter. She was also celebrating a birthday the following week. So it's possible. ;)

[dijid]

It's hard to tell how they will handle it. They allowed my friend's 5 year old to move up to the 6 - 8 year old group to be with her brother and my oldest daughter. She was also celebrating a birthday the following week. So it's possible. ;)

 

Thanks for giving me some hope. Maybe they will let her go with her 8yo brother to the older group. I recently had to stop going to the YMCA during the day to work out because they make her go to the Child Watch with the "up to 6" age group and won't let her move up to the older kids room. There really isn't anything other than crayons that's age-appropriate for her to play with, as everything in that room has to be suitable for children under 3. I'm afraid CC would be like that.

[beachchick]

Thanks for giving me some hope. Maybe they will let her go with her 8yo brother to the older group. I recently had to stop going to the YMCA during the day to work out because they make her go to the Child Watch with the "up to 6" age group and won't let her move up to the older kids room. There really isn't anything other than crayons that's age-appropriate for her to play with, as everything in that room has to be suitable for children under 3. I'm afraid CC would be like that.

 

I can understand your concern. I just wanted to mention that often the reason that they will not and cannot make exceptions has to do with liability insurance. The rates, not just on the ships but also at place like the YMCA, are based on various things including the age ranges. If they make exceptions and something happens, they can void their insurance policies. It probably doesn't make things easier for you, but I thought it might help to know that there really are good legal reasons why they "make" her go to a specific age group and won't let her move up.

 

It's very likely that she will be allowed to move up on the cruise because she is so close, but usually they require that a child attend her/his own age group first so that the counselors can observe her/his behavior and make a decision. Also, if there are lots of children onboard and if the older age group is already overcrowded, they may tell you no outright. There are several things that factor into whether a child who is very close to the next age group is allowed to move up.

 

(As a general note and not directed at anyone specifically, this does not apply to the minimum age to join the children's program at all. That is set in stone. For example, if they made an exception for one "almost 2-y/o," then every other parent of an "almost" child would rightfully insist that an exception be made for their child too. And then the age minimum is meaningless and the liability insurance policy is worthless.)

 

4xcruisers: The cruise line counselors really cannot take into consideration that your daughter is "very mature" for a 7-y/o. She is too far away from the next age group for them to consider a move up. In what way is she "mature"? There will likely be other 7-almost-8-y/o's in the group that she will meet and likely make friends with. After all, even though she may be mature for her age, she is still a child and likely able to adapt to various situations. Come to think of it, many if not most parents describe their children as "mature for their age," so she may bond well with the others in her group.

 

beachchick

[ginjer2911]

I have the opposite problem. Will Camp Carnival allow a child to move down? I have a 4 year old and 6 year old. And I know that they will want to be together. Especially the older will want to be with the younger.

 

Any ideas?

[Julienatul]

It really depends on how many kids are sailing during that time. If its summer and thr groups are full, they may be less flexible. It doesnt hurt to ask.

[cyntil8ing]

We are sailing the week before my 5yo turns 6. She'll be going into 1st grade, and I am really concerned that they won't let her move up to be with the 6-8yos. There's a huge difference in the programs between the 2-5yos and the 6-8yos and I don't think a 1st grader will be happy in the preschool program. What are the chances they'll let her move up?

 

This was the situation my daughter was in. She will be six in August. She spent the first two days in the 2-5 group, but then they allowed her to move up to 6-8 later on. They wanted to get to know her first.

[Ashtony]

Great information. My kids and I will be cruising soon and their right at that age range.

[6rugrats]

Come to think of it, many if not most parents describe their children as "mature for their age," beachchick

 

And according to many posts on these boards, they never lie and all have perfect manners. Uh, huh.

 

Not mine, they were/are all immature and acted/act young for their age. :D

[nybumpkin]

Our youngest son turned 9 during our cruise in February. We thought about having him go with the 9-11 group but ultimately decided to keep him in the 6-8 group because he had always enjoyed that group's activities. It was the right decision for him - he loved the activities, there was a counselor he really bonded with, and he had lots of 8 YO friends. On our cruise next month he will be in the 9-11 group - and then we can worry about letting him sign in/out.:eek: All by way of saying, I wouldn't worry about a borderline kid staying with the younger group.

[beachchick]

And according to many posts on these boards, they never lie and all have perfect manners. Uh, huh.

 

Not mine, they were/are all immature and acted/act young for their age. :D

 

:D Thank you for my chuckle of the day! (Our DD was a chamelion: "Mature" one day and "childish" the next!)

 

beachchick