The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Regarding The NCL Dawn Kids' Programs!!

[JPV072900]

Okay, so we're setting sail on July 18th aboard the Dawn. My 11 year old son, my 9 year old son, and my 8 year old niece are VERY excited about going. Can anyone give a good, bad, or ugly review concerning the kids clubs?

 

I have been on two previous NCL cruises when my sons were under 6, but now that they're much older, I'm wondering what fun stuff they'll have to do on board.

 

We went on the Carnival Glory 2 years ago, and they apparently had fun in the kids clubs even though on a giant ship like the Glory, there wasn't always a fun meeting place for the kids. On some nights, the kids met in a conference room, and the people running the club didn't seem like they cared to be there.

 

Please share your experiences :)

[JPV072900]

NO ONE???? :-(

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums

[Sparkygirl]

Okay, so we're setting sail on July 18th aboard the Dawn. My 11 year old son, my 9 year old son, and my 8 year old niece are VERY excited about going. Can anyone give a good, bad, or ugly review concerning the kids clubs?

 

 

 

I have been on two previous NCL cruises when my sons were under 6, but now that they're much older, I'm wondering what fun stuff they'll have to do on board.

 

 

 

We went on the Carnival Glory 2 years ago, and they apparently had fun in the kids clubs even though on a giant ship like the Glory, there wasn't always a fun meeting place for the kids. On some nights, the kids met in a conference room, and the people running the club didn't seem like they cared to be there.

 

 

 

Please share your experiences :)

 

 

We sailed the Dawn in January with a 13 year old, 11 year old and 3 year old. All three absolutely loved splash academy!

 

The kids always meet in splash academy, the staff in January loved the kids and my 3 year old has severe allergies that the kids crew was protective papa bear when it came to her. They took great interest in the kids and when we saw them around the ship always stopped to say hi or chat.

 

We had trouble getting our 11 year old to leave the club! Do you have specific questions?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sparkygirl]

The awesome thing about the dawn is the kids club is along the outside and back of the ship, DH and I at night would walk around on the deck to peek in on the kids and see what they were doing. Pillow fort fights were the best!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[2red4u]

The only bad I can say was my 12 year was the oldest, they were mostly 10. So she stopped going. She had fun with us. Every cruise is going to be different depending on that sailings ages. It could have just as easly been all 12 years and one 10 year old and that one feeling out place. My 16 daughter had a blast. She actually connected with another CC son and his friend and I believe one or two others and they all hung out.

[willise]

I have one for The Bad column :mad:

 

We sailed on the dawn a year ago with another couple and our kids. The two boys have been best friends since they were 4 and were, at the time 12 and 13. We sailed the last week of August, and our son's 13th birthday was two days after we returned. They would not let the two kids in the same program because of their chronological age. Forget the fact that their birthdays were just mere weeks apart, since one was 12 and the other 13 at the time of sailing, they could not participate together. So they decided not to participate at all.

 

NCL should really use the year of birth for the kids club rather than the specific age of the child. I am sure we could not have been the only people who have run into this somewhat silly rule.

[DMH15]

I have one for The Bad column :mad:

 

 

 

We sailed on the dawn a year ago with another couple and our kids. The two boys have been best friends since they were 4 and were, at the time 12 and 13. We sailed the last week of August, and our son's 13th birthday was two days after we returned. They would not let the two kids in the same program because of their chronological age. Forget the fact that their birthdays were just mere weeks apart, since one was 12 and the other 13 at the time of sailing, they could not participate together. So they decided not to participate at all.

 

 

 

NCL should really use the year of birth for the kids club rather than the specific age of the child. I am sure we could not have been the only people who have run into this somewhat silly rule.

 

 

 

Then you would have two friends with one birthday in late December and another early January. There will always be cutoffs and there will always be someone disappointed. Sorry. Bummer. But I cannot fault NCL for following their own rules that are easily accesible to those for whom it might be a deal-breaker.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[doe17]

We went on the Dawn just a few weeks ago. My 7 year old son loved it. They did a pirate parade and a circus show with the kids as the circus entertainers. The counselors spent a lot of time with the kids.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[pisenor]

Then you would have two friends with one birthday in late December and another early January. There will always be cutoffs and there will always be someone disappointed. Sorry. Bummer. But I cannot fault NCL for following their own rules that are easily accesible to those for whom it might be a deal-breaker.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I agree. There will always be some poor children that are separated because of the rules no matter how you divide them. Age or month of birth, either way somebody is bound to get caught in the divide. I also feel for the parents of these children as well. Not only are their children separated and possibly not having a good time but then they spend their day worrying about how the kids are doing. I am lucky.....sort of. I have cruised with DW, DD, and DS and didn't have any kids club issues. At the time we cruised DS was 9 and went to the kids club by himself. He loved it then and loves it still on every cruise we take. As far as DD goes, she spent her days hanging out and tasting a few adult beverages with me and DW. You see our DD was 21 at the time we cruised together. Just a little gap, I know.

 

In any case there will always be some hurt feelings regardless of how they set the rules. I just wish they could come up a policy that would allow a little leniency in a case where the siblings will be split up. I know this is like opening Pandora`s Box. I am not suggesting that NCL allows a 6 year old be in the same group as their 12 year old sibling but a year or less difference in age might work. My 2 cents...

[2red4u]

My husband thought the same thing, why can't our youngest move up until I reminded him that there was a large youth group aboard that did occasionally participate and that some were 17. He quickly agreed with ncl age policy then, lol. I don't think there is a way to make everyone happy. I came prepared knowing it might be a bust and brought dominoes, cards and new books.

[mitsugirly]

The title of this thread is misleading...I thought someone had some really bad things to say about the Dawns kid club and I wasn't looking forward to reading it since we want to sail on the Dawn next year to Bermuda.

 

My little one has been cruising since she was 3 years old and just turned 6 (usually 2 cruises per year) and she can't get enough of the kids club. She begs to go constantly and we almost have to bribe her to leave. They have an amazing staff at every kids club we have been to on NCL. I can't imagine it being any different on any of the fleet and we have sailed quite a few now. Also the staff rotates ships and we have been on 2 different ships with some of the same staff members. :)

 

Yes, the cut off age is a bummer sometimes, but rules are rules and if they broke them for someone, then they would have to for everyone. We just sailed last month and my youngest daughter is 6 (in April) and my grandson will be 6 next month in July. They are 3 months apart...so....they were split up this time. Not the greatest situation, but it is what it is and they still had fun. :D

[mjkacmom]

Then you would have two friends with one birthday in late December and another early January. There will always be cutoffs and there will always be someone disappointed. Sorry. Bummer. But I cannot fault NCL for following their own rules that are easily accesible to those for whom it might be a deal-breaker.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I agree - there has to be a cutoff, and it really doesn't matter where they draw the line in the sand. I also don't think there needs to be exceptions for siblings - my kids are all very close in age, and have sometimes been in the same group, sometimes not. If an exception is made for siblings, how about cousins? Bff's? It is what it is, whether it's based on insurance, or just a company policy.

[NMLady]

NO ONE???? :-(

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums

 

The title is misleading since it doesn't say you want this info. Instead, looks as if it is a review. So I am glad you did finally get some information.

[Demonyte]

I just wish they could come up a policy that would allow a little leniency in a case where the siblings will be split up. I know this is like opening Pandora`s Box.

 

As you wrote, "There will always be some poor children that are separated because of the rules no matter how you divide them."

 

Rules are rules and they can not be flexible so that one group will not have to abide them but others will. It is a lot better when the rules are enforced like they are and no exceptions are made.

Edited June 17, 2014 by Demonyte

[pisenor]

As you wrote, "There will always be some poor children that are separated because of the rules no matter how you divide them."

 

Rules are rules and they can not be flexible so that one group will not have to abide them but others will. It is a lot better when the rules are enforced like they are and no exceptions are made.

 

I guess you and all the others misunderstood what I meant when I suggested leniency. I wasn`t suggesting that NCL make exceptions to the rule. Instead I actually meant that a possible revamp of the rule would work fine. Instead of the line in the sand being hard and fast instead they could add to the current rule or policy. Still draw the line for the age division but it might be as simple as adding the following to the existing rule.

 

***no exceptions to the age rule for the group division unless two siblings separated by less than 1 year (or whatever time frame NCL chooses) will be allowed to transfer to the other group.

 

They will still be a lot left out but like everyone has noted....rules are rules. I am only suggesting a small alteration to the current rule not a behind closed doors exceptions to allow this to happen as many thought I meant.

 

I hope this helps clear the air of what I was meaning

[Demonyte]

I wasn`t suggesting that NCL make exceptions to the rule.

 

Adding "unless" to the rule IS adding an exception. :)

 

As said by others, then why not allow the same for cousins, BFFs that have lived next door from each other for ever, etc, etc. There are thousands of different situations and personally I can't see why that kind of exception would only be limited to siblings.

 

Also, one of the reasons for age groups is also the difference between all participients in the group - it won't matter if the kid one-year-too-old is a sibling of someone, they are still way older than youngest kids in said age group.

[willise]

It is a lot better when the rules are enforced like they are and no exceptions are made.

 

I think that statement is a little utopian. Virtually all rules have an addendum to allow for special cases. This is true for driving, criminal law, etc. Even in school, we learn "i before e, except after c, or when sounded like a as in neighbour or weigh". So exceptions and conditional statements are a necessary part of rules.

 

I disagree that a 12 year old, with a birthday a week after the cruise, could create such havoc in a "teen" group. Personally, I think the 13-17 range is a little out of whack given the maturity levels in that age span. Don't misunderstand me though - when we were told the rule, that was the end of it. I didn't complain or make a fuss. If that is the way NCL chooses to divide the children for the kids club, then that's their business.

 

I just think it's a little silly and removes some of the fun of the program by splitting up siblings, friends, etc that are so close in age to make it really negligible.

[dna529]

My kids loved the kids club on the Dawn. No bad or ugly to report. In reality, even though they were in separate age groups (she was 7 and he was 10), my son said they still did a lot of the same activities together.