When do your kids use the kids club?

[StarSeven7]

I know this might seem like an odd question but we've never cruised before so I'm just trying to envision our days! We're doing a 7 night Southern Caribbean next January and there's only 1 day at sea. I'd love to have some time to relax with DH while the kids are at the club, but honestly just trying to figure out where people squeeze that in, along with all the other activities on board the ship! When we're in port, I imagine we'll be ashore most of the time, exploring the islands. We're currently scheduled for late seating for dinner, but we're waitlisted for early seating. It seems like once we get back onboard the ship, we'll have to get ready for dinner, eat dinner, and then maybe hit up a show afterwards, at then it seems like it would be time for DD9 and DS6 to go to bed! So when do you send your kids to the club and get a little adult time? When do you use the adult pools? Mainly during days at sea? Thanks!

 

[T & R]

Ours use the clubs as much as they can, boys ages 6, 8, 12 and 13. We have only cruised DCL. When we first started cruising, I felt like I was doing something wrong leaving them in there so much. When we try to take them out, they want to be back in there. I think that is a credit to DCL that the kids actually want to stay in the clubs. To me that shows they are really engaging them and not just babysitting. If you end up getting main seating dining, kids will want to go to the clubs after dinner. You definitely got the sea day for them to go and probably some port days if you get back early from port.

On a side note, every time we have been wait listed for main seating we have got it. Just FYI

 

[pezgirlroy]

Also, dinner time. Once my kids are done with dinner I will excuse myself from the table and take them to the club if a counselor doesn't come.

 

[Mr. Drauer]

Honesetly, it was typically when they saw an activity on the Navigator that they wanted to do, we took them. We always have late dining, so as soon as they are done eating they would go over to the club/lab. As they got older, they would make plans with other kids for certain things to meet at Edge. Late dining always has the express meal with kids club pickup that you can do, where the CM's come to the front of the restaurant and take your kids back. Everyone is going to give you different answers, because each family is different, and it can really depend on the ages of your kids, your itinerary, and your own plans. You can't do everything on the cruise as is, so letting my kids pick and choose times to go the clubs was fine with us, rather than cramming activities down their throat that they didn't want to do. My kids always loved going from our first cruise on, and never had any negative experiences. For a 7 night cruise, there can be plenty of time to do some things in the clubs at varying times during the day. My kids always wanted to stay until close (they were 4 and 8 on our first cruise) and pretty much did that each subsequent cruise. Have a great cruise!

 

[lorimay]

Each child is different, our grandson (10) needs to be pulled out of there since his first cruise at three. Our granddaughter (9) is more "meh" about it and has been since three as well.
He hates port days and just wants to get back on the ship. He isn't patient enough to wait for the counselors to come at mealtime to get him, one of usually walks him back after he finishes eating.
Her, she will hang out more with us, forget after dinner she is done and ready for bed. She likes the pool and movies.

 

[lklgoodman]

My dd has been on 5 cruises, started when she was 6 yrs old, she's now 10. We usually look at the navigator to see when there's something happening that she wants to go to. Whenever I book something like Palo brunch or mixology for my dh and myself, I just tell her she's going and she's fine with going, even if they don't have a planned activity she's interested in, she will find something fun to do there. One thing that she has always enjoyed is Pluto's pj party. It will be scheduled sometime in the evening, we've had it at 7:30 and at 10pm. On the Wonder they only did it once on our 7nighter, on the Fantasy it's been offered two different nights. They give the kids a pillowcase to color(has Pluto on it), Pluto comes and dances/plays with the with the kids, they have a snack, watch cartoons, threw marsh mellows at the cms(my dd's fav). She will usually go there for an hour or more after breakfast. Then we'll do pool time or other stuff around the ship, have lunch, do more pool/ship stuff until time to get ready for dinner. We've always had main dinner time. When my dd was younger she didn't care about going to any of the shows so she would go to the kids club. Now she likes the shows so she'll go to the shows and then to the kids club until 11pm, or when we drag her out. At home we follow a strict 9pm bedtime. On the cruise my dd will stay up later, unfortunately she still wakes up by 7am ready to go.

 

[lklgoodman]

Btw, We always try to cruise in Jan. So great to get away from freezing weather at home. Just hard to return home, just one week on the ship in the Caribbean I start to think it's summer time!!! Don't get too caught up in trying to do it all. On our last cruise we spent some time playing shuffle board (first time to do so) and watching the ocean waves. We live in Ohio, so it was a treat to just stand on deck and take it all in. I'm a major type A person and have to remind myself that I don't have to always be doing something. That's why I love cruising. Sure there's tons of stuff always going on, but it's also great to just stop and enjoy the scenery, never know when you'll see a dolphin or a stray bird that caught a ride fly by. We haven't done a Southern yet, but I want to. Is it on the Wonder? I love that ship.

 

[StarSeven7]

Btw, We always try to cruise in Jan. So great to get away from freezing weather at home. Just hard to return home, just one week on the ship in the Caribbean I start to think it's summer time!!! Don't get too caught up in trying to do it all. On our last cruise we spent some time playing shuffle board (first time to do so) and watching the ocean waves. We live in Ohio, so it was a treat to just stand on deck and take it all in. I'm a major type A person and have to remind myself that I don't have to always be doing something. That's why I love cruising. Sure there's tons of stuff always going on, but it's also great to just stop and enjoy the scenery, never know when you'll see a dolphin or a stray bird that caught a ride fly by. We haven't done a Southern yet, but I want to. Is it on the Wonder? I love that ship.

Yes it's on the Wonder! I'm really excited! My daughter's favorite princess is Tiana so she is super excited for Tiana's Place! And we live in Canada so I'm definitely excited to get away from the cold next winter!

 

[serenitynow]

Ours use the clubs as much as they can, boys ages 6, 8, 12 and 13. We have only cruised DCL. When we first started cruising, I felt like I was doing something wrong leaving them in there so much. When when we try to take them out, they want to be back in there. I think that is a credit to DCL that the kids actually want to stay in the clubs. To me that shows they are really engaging them and not just babysitting. If you end up getting main seating dining, kids will want to go to the clubs after dinner. You definitely got the sea day for them to go and probably some port days if you get back early from port.

On a side note, every time we have been wait listed for main seating we have got it. Just FYI

Yeah, isn’t it fun to try to get your kids to leave the kids club with you when they are having fun? It makes you feel so special when your littles just want you to go away as they are having more fun without you!

 

[tcufrog]

We liked late seating because the counselors would come and get our kids when they were done eating. Then my dh and I could enjoy the rest of our dinner without them.

 

[lklgoodman]

Last year we were on the Wonder for a 7 nighter. It was funny, because I bet 90% of the other passagers that I talked to were from Canada, makes sense since it's so cold there. If someone wasn't from Canada it seemed they were from the South, a lot from Tennessee and S. Carolina. It was the nicest, most polite group of people I've ever been around on a cruise. No one crowding around the elevators, people letting others go ahead of them all the time. Tiana's is great and the Frozen show is so good! Our sailing did an extra show one afternoon, so we got to see it twice.

 

[StarSeven7]

Last year we were on the Wonder for a 7 nighter. It was funny, because I bet 90% of the other passagers that I talked to were from Canada, makes sense since it's so cold there. If someone wasn't from Canada it seemed they were from the South, a lot from Tennessee and S. Carolina. It was the nicest, most polite group of people I've ever been around on a cruise. No one crowding around the elevators, people letting others go ahead of them all the time. Tiana's is great and the Frozen show is so good! Our sailing did an extra show one afternoon, so we got to see it twice.

Well DH is Canadian, but I'm from Michigan, so I'm probably not as polite! But the cruise definitely sounds great and I can't wait to see the Frozen show, I've heard all good things!

 

[AGP]

We liked late seating because the counselors would come and get our kids when they were done eating. Then my dh and I could enjoy the rest of our dinner without them.

They did this for main dinner seating as well when we were on the Fantasy in Dec 2017! They either walked through or stood by the enterance about halfway through and as kids came over, they brought them in groups to the club. Was a nice surprise since I had thought it was only late seating that they did that.

 

[StarSeven7]

How long does dinner normally take??

 

[tlprice]

My daughter goes to the kids clubs whenever she's on the ship and wants to. The best thing I ever did was give her check out privileges! Kids can always check themselves in (I didn't know that at first). She loves to close down the clubs most nights. I usually crash out before her! The Southern in January was one of our absolute favorite cruises.

 

[lklgoodman]

We usually take around 1.5-2 hours for dinner, you can take more or less time depending on how fast your serving team is. We try to get to the restaurants right when they open so we can get served right away. We live in Ohio, don't worry not an Ohio State fan, I grew up in Oklahoma.

 

[StarSeven7]

We usually take around 1.5-2 hours for dinner, you can take more or less time depending on how fast your serving team is. We try to get to the restaurants right when they open so we can get served right away. We live in Ohio, don't worry not an Ohio State fan, I grew up in Oklahoma.

Thanks! And don’t worry, I’m not a sports fan at all! Lol!

 

[tcufrog]

They did this for main dinner seating as well when we were on the Fantasy in Dec 2017! They either walked through or stood by the enterance about halfway through and as kids came over, they brought them in groups to the club. Was a nice surprise since I had thought it was only late seating that they did that.

That's good because when we went this was only possible during the second seating.

 

[VFL]

Every kid is different. Neither of mine have liked the clubs and don't go. Others say they can't keep their kids out of them. Every family is different so owith what works for yours. DH travels a lot for work so our vacations are all about family time so that factors in for us. Regardless, you will love cruising.

 

[Numtini]

Our routine over two cruises is occasional daytime visits, usually at our suggestion (she just wants to stay in the pool) so we can have some adult time for a specific activity, then after (early) dinner or if there's a show we're going to then after the show. She's usually there until 10:30 or 11ish, depending mostly on us--I think she'd stay there until she dropped to be honest.