Camp Carnival-switching age groups??

[CruisinTormos]

Does anyone know if it is really against Camp Carnival's policy (with no exceptions) to move a child to a different age group than which they fall in?

 

I've read on these boards that some people have had some luck. My daughter is 5, and my son is 7. When we cruise in November my daughter will be 3 weeks from being 6.

 

I booked my cruise directly though the website so I don't have a "person" at Carnival that I speak to but I did call. The woman that I got wouldn't pull up my booking just told me that under no circumstances would they change groups.

 

I am hoping she is wrong, and I'm looking for any reassurance that once we get on the ship we might have some luck. My stupid fault for not double checking the age policy when we booked. I could have booked it the three weeks later. I've looked at the Camp Carnival Capers (and I know they aren't set in stone) but the 2-5 year old age group is going to bore the heck out of her!

 

She's not shy, so I'm not terribly concerned that she'll be uncomfortable if they won't switch her. She could make friends with anyone, but this is her first cruise and I don't want her to be bored out of her mind doing baby things!

 

Sorry, that kind of rambled on. Any help, tips or advice on this matter? Any similar experiences?

[mjkacmom]

Does anyone know if it is really against Camp Carnival's policy (with no exceptions) to move a child to a different age group than which they fall in?

 

?

 

I'm only familiar with NCL, and they are strict - as in, if you turn 6 on day of your cruise, only then can you join in with the 6 year olds. Unfortunately, the last time we cruised, ds13 was still 12, and bored to death in his 10 - 12 group. He never went back.

[cb at sea]

If the counselors notice boredom and think she'll be better off moved up, they will probably do it....it is NOT "set in stone" despite what the reservation's employees think. I wouldn't worry....just play it by ear once you're onboard.

[SadieN]

Whether your child is permitted to move up an age group depends on several things.

 

time of year

number of kids onboard

ratio of counselors to kids

the maturity level of your child

how close your child is to being in the next age group (3 weeks)

the head counselor's experience with doing this in the past

etc.............

 

Ask, but be prepared for a 'no'. IIRC the 5yos are apart from the 2yos.

 

--our last experiences with Club02 (teenagers) was that on one ship they let any HS student with a valid HS ID into the club even if the kid wasn't 15-18. And on another ship it was a 'no'.

[CruisinTormos]

Thanks guys! You've given me hope which is all I was asking for! I go into most things in my life prepared for the worst but expecting the best. If they won't move her, I'm certain she'll make do. But I won't be afraid to ask now.

 

CC is the best! :)

[Ggdean]

I would wait and see the demographic on board before deciding. The 2-5 group may have q bunch of 5 year old girls and the 6-8 may be 8 year old boys in which case she/you may prefer the younger group. Also if the older group is a bunch of 8 year old girls they may not want a 5 year old hanging with them. Now the 2-5's could be a bunch of 2 year olds. wait and see

[VikkiGarcia]

We have had our kids moved up when there was space allowed. We have also sailed when kids club was crowded and they had to stay in their assigned group. The councelors will try to gather the kids who seem bored by the activity going on and find something fun to do. They really want your kid to be having fun...Not saying "This place stinks" when you come to pick them up. We always tried to find a small group of "friends" in the kids club and vocalize to the councelors that this group of "friends" would like to maybe change things up. They will not do something different for just one kid. But if you can establish a group that wants to do things a bit more challenging, councelors will try to make it work. My kids have been on 20 different cruises and never had a really bad experience. Some have just been outstanding in comparison.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Here's the other side of the argument: The kids' counselors/staff probably get many requests each cruise to move a child up to the next group. Parents insist their child is "mature" for their age or needs to be with a sibling. There could be insurance considerations for a cruiseline (if something goes wrong, having a child in an older group may invalidate a clause -- I don't know, but I would guess this could be the case).

 

Perhaps older kids may not appreciate having another kids' younger sibling hanging out with them. And if one child gets moved up, I would bet that other parents may storm the staff's desk demanding that their little Johnny get moved too.

 

I see nothing wrong with the cruiselines holding firm on age groups.

[Smithkids5521]

I think the real concern comes in when the older age group has more freedom than what the younger age bracket would have...for example, when they reach a certain age group the children can sign themselves in and out of camp without a parent's approval. There is no way- from a legal stand point- that they could allow a child who is not officially the correct age (even if it is only 3 weeks shy) to be allowed in the camp group that can leave camp unsupervised. Now, for your particular scenario- both age groups must be signed in or out by parent anyway so that wouldn't be a concern in your case. FWIW- when my daughter was 4 and my son was 7, although they were in 2 separate age groups they were still able to see each other as the camp is really in just one big open space (at least it was on Carnival Pride- I suppose it could be a different set up on other ships).

 

What I would do is bring your request up to the couselors when you go to the registration on the first night. I have a feeling that if they have enough staff to meet the required counselor to camper ratio, it may not be a problem...

 

I hope everyone has a wonderful time!!:)

[Colorado Kat]

I have heard that when there are not too many kids on a ship, they combine age groups. You might be sailing at a light time, the week after Thanksgiving. A wait and see approach is best.