New ncl kids camp policy (Live from the GEM)

[hpecorari]

Ncl is one of the only Cruise Lines actually has Broadway players do their shows.

 

NCL has Broadway players do their shows? LOL

 

No they don't. They hire a group of singers/dancers. They train in NY and then are shipped out to whatever ship they'll be entertaining on. They're not Broadway players! LOL

 

Harriet

[legion3]

Yeah but like I said all the veteran cruisers told me that no entertainment compares the NCL at sea

 

Because that is what you want to hear. And where are you meeting these vet cruisers? On NCL ships?

 

I'm vet cruiser, I started back in 1973, and NCL's entertainment is good but I'm not sure it's the best. Depends on what your looking for.

 

MSC is very entertaining and eye opening.

[hpecorari]

Greatest post so far, it seems like the butthurt is strong on this thread lol, people with kids read this post it really does make sense. My advice to everyone with kids now that you know you just gotta be there bright and early. If you're not there early enough your kid may not get his spot, please do not complain if your kid leaves the club and there's no room when he or she gets back.

 

Why are you even posting here when you DON'T HAVE ANY KIDS! The fact that there is or is not a limit in the kids club has nothing to do with you! Really? How can you even talk about a subject that you know nothing about. It would be like you telling me how to breast feed my child when you don't even have a child yet alone have ever done it yourself!

 

Harriet

Edited May 25, 2015 by hpecorari

[motleyfan]

Because that is what you want to hear. And where are you meeting these vet cruisers? On NCL ships?

 

I'm vet cruiser, I started back in 1973, and NCL's entertainment is good but I'm not sure it's the best. Depends on what your looking for.

 

MSC is very entertaining and eye opening.

 

What I look for is top quality broadway-style entertainment. it's awesome to see a Broadway caliber show for free that I would have to pay a lot of money for if I was in New York.

[legion3]

just think of all the positive about Norwegian, .

 

Unfortunately if this is the new kids club policies and food policies then all my previous positive memories of NCL are gone, as those two things, and getting a table at a specialty, when I want to, are most of the positives.

 

The suite and Butler were great too, but not sure I can always afford to fork over that kind of $ on a 7 day or longer cruise.

 

And I don't do less than 6 days, and prefer not to do less than 7.

[legion3]

What I look for is top quality broadway-style entertainment. it's awesome to see a Broadway caliber show for free that I would have to pay a lot of money for if I was in New York.

 

It's not NY quality, not by a long shot. And you did pay for it in your cruise fair, just like I paid for the kids club in my cruise fair.

 

But I will grant you even OFF - broadway shows can be pricy tickets.

[Sotermarler]

Big time bummer! We booked KSF w/UBP for 2016. First time bringing our little one. (KSF +UBP)- kids camp= disaster. Well played Del Rio. No booze for me! :thumbdown:

[ncklhaus]

I was not on NCL, but RCCL has a limit on each room and there are instances of people getting shut out on RCCL and Disney cruises, but never after spending 30 minutes wasting your time!!! Our kids staff told us that Easter week would be very busy for them and that even when it fills up, it's not usually for an entire session as kids come and go...76 seems like a very low number though...the ratio for school age kids should be very high 25 people per staff member or so for legal limits In the older than 5 groups!

 

I'm sorry because many will disagree with me, but I think that 25 children per staff member is WAY too many children for 1 person. I think at maximum one staff member can safely handle 10 children. I can understand that they have limited room and safety trumps convenience, even if that means I cannot go see an adult only show or go out to a dinner with my husband because we were shut out of kids club.

I've seen the size of the clubs and with too many children there would be no room to play.

Again, just my opinion.

[wimsikl]

There still seems to be some condradictions as to what is really the rules on the number of kids.As for eventually a pay for care system being put into place. I have been expecting that for a lont time, not just since NCL has a new CEO. In fact I think all liens will implement some form of pay for care. How many vacation locations offer free child care? None that I know of. We did have a free nanny situation many years ago in Jamaica but only during certain hours. That has been maybe, 20 years ago.

 

Actually there are tons of vacations which offer free childcare. Many, many land resorts in top vacation destinations do it, such as Hawaii, Mexico, Disneyworld, etc... I have booked us into one in England for next summer. And many cruiselines offer it as well. In fact, I daresay most. Disney, Royal Carribbean, Holland America, Cunard, Princess, etc... To be honest, I no longer book a vacation without childcare. However, it doesn't have to be free for me. Just high quality and available. It's the only way I can truly relax and enjoy myself.

[motleyfan]

Help me someone I'm being attacked by the NCL Zombie lol. Sorry but I can not even take your post serious, you are just way to far out there. Plus you have no kids and have no clue what your talking about

Always remember to smile

[jbiz]

I'm sorry because many will disagree with me, but I think that 25 children per staff member is WAY too many children for 1 person. I think at maximum one staff member can safely handle 10 children. I can understand that they have limited room and safety trumps convenience, even if that means I cannot go see an adult only show or go out to a dinner with my husband because we were shut out of kids club.

 

I've seen the size of the clubs and with too many children there would be no room to play.

 

Again, just my opinion.

 

 

I agree they need to figure out the right ratio. I am not in the line of business but would think there is some kind of standard.

 

I 100% agree safety above all else, especially for my own kids. I do think however they need to figure out some sort of diversification so kids can attend different events, while maintain safety.

 

The kids programs are just too front and center for a cruise line to only support 76 kids at a time. Even 150 kids I might say the same thing.

 

But 100% agree cramming all the kids in the club is a bad bad idea, but on previous sailings they never did that either and we never ran into this issue and those were even on busier sailings.

 

Ncl just has to figure "something" out. The current model just isn't good for anyone.

[knight2096]

It's pretty funny to me at least that you keep coming back with comments like "Come on parents is it really that difficult to watch your own darn kid". Not sure who you are trying to stir up but your wasting your time. I can say for sure that my original post had nothing to do with watching my own kids or not. It's simple. They (yes THEY, I know it's hard for you to understand that) want to participate in the kids program. On all previous ncl cruises my kids have had the ability to attend when they want and what they want, how often they want. Now this is no longer the case. And this is not on some superb high season 1100-1600 kids sailing. It's their average 500

 

The fact they you seem to not think this is a change, or of any care for a parent sailing on future sailings, shows how little you are in tune with how families sailing with under-teenage children on cruises work.

 

But that is totally ok with me, my purpose of this thread was really not for those without children in that age group, it was to raise awareness of what is seeming like a shift in the ncl kids club policies prior to people boarding so they can choose how to plan accordingly and set the proper expectation for their families.

 

We will have a good time on this sailing either way, but if you think the services they do or don't offer for my kids have no impact on what cruise lines I (or others) choose, your just fooling yourself.

 

Everyone has a right to their opinion, but it appears to not be really relevant here I would say.

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Bravo! Well said.

[Kingofwylietx]

It's pretty funny to me at least that you keep coming back with comments like "Come on parents is it really that difficult to watch your own darn kid". Not sure who you are trying to stir up but your wasting your time. I can say for sure that my original post had nothing to do with watching my own kids or not. It's simple. They (yes THEY, I know it's hard for you to understand that) want to participate in the kids program. On all previous ncl cruises my kids have had the ability to attend when they want and what they want, how often they want. Now this is no longer the case. And this is not on some superb high season 1100-1600 kids sailing. It's their average 500

 

The fact they you seem to not think this is a change, or of any care for a parent sailing on future sailings, shows how little you are in tune with how families sailing with under-teenage children on cruises work.

 

But that is totally ok with me, my purpose of this thread was really not for those without children in that age group, it was to raise awareness of what is seeming like a shift in the ncl kids club policies prior to people boarding so they can choose how to plan accordingly and set the proper expectation for their families.

 

We will have a good time on this sailing either way, but if you think the services they do or don't offer for my kids have no impact on what cruise lines I (or others) choose, your just fooling yourself.

 

Everyone has a right to their opinion, but it appears to not be really relevant here I would say

 

 

I'm curious, has anyone confirmed whether this is an ongoing policy, new policy, or isolated incident (which could be due to many factors, including sick staff)?

 

I mentioned earlier, that we've experienced having a wait to get kids in a club. We never had to take a number. I understand capacity limits, I wouldn't drop off our kids if it looked too crowded. I'm more curious about whether something has really changed or if it was an isolated cruise event.

 

We don't view the kids club as a babysitter, we look at it as part of the kids entertainment package. Just as the casino and some shows are part of the adults entertainment package.

[janpo]

Help me someone I'm being attacked by the NCL Zombie lol. Sorry but I can not even take your post serious, you are just way to far out there. Plus you have no kids and have no clue what your talking about NONE!

 

You are 100% right but that wont stop him from stirring the pot. He likes to post ridiculous things to get people upset. Maturity has not set in and looks like it never will.

Edited May 25, 2015 by janpo

[Vyhanek]

This is an issue that affects all cruisers. Even those of us who no longer have young children.

 

The second the kids club turns away families, that means more kids dispersed through the ship for the rest of us to enjoy. As in...more kids in Cagney, more kids for the hot tubs, more kids playing on the elevators.

 

NCL surely will spin this into a safety issue.,....You know, the room can't accommodate any more than 76 safely. My thoughts on that are, if the childcare room is full, you take groups of kids on excursions to other parts of the ship. You take them to make pizzas, you take them on a tour of the bridge, or on a scavenger hunt, you have them put on a talent show in the theater, etc. Just because there are more than 75 kids doesn't mean you turn them away. It means you get creative.

[aquarianne11]

It's simple. They (yes THEY, I know it's hard for you to understand that) want to participate in the kids program. On all previous ncl cruises my kids have had the ability to attend when they want and what they want, how often they want. Now this is no longer the case. And this is not on some superb high season 1100-1600 kids sailing. It's their average 500

 

The fact they you seem to not think this is a change, or of any care for a parent sailing on future sailings, shows how little you are in tune with how families sailing with under-teenage children on cruises work.

 

But that is totally ok with me, my purpose of this thread was really not for those without children in that age group, it was to raise awareness of what is seeming like a shift in the ncl kids club policies prior to people boarding so they can choose how to plan accordingly and set the proper expectation for their families.

 

 

Thank you very much for the heads up. I'm sure parents who are currently booked on an NCL cruise appreciate your updates.

 

The Splash Academy is the best part of the cruise for my daughter. I'm sure a lot of kids feel the same way. Terrible move by NCL. :(

 

If this policy is the future of NCL, it is time for us to move on to a new cruise line or a vacation that will make the whole family happy.

[motleyfan]

Dude people get negative over every little thing on here and it's not common place. I already said I looked at all the other Cruise line groups and none are as negative as Norwegian its like people from the other cruise lines are coming over here to spread lies about Norwegian to get people to stop sailing on them. Norwegian people don't do that because we are too busy planning the fun things we are going to do on a cruise. Is it really that terrible when somebody comes on here and try to spread a little positivity? Come on parents is it really that difficult to watch your own darn kid. I've heard that many years ago none of the cruise lines had kids clubs, I swear people get spoiled free room service free kids club.[/QUO

 

 

IMHO this has absolutely nothing to do with anyone being 'spoiled'. It has to do with expectations upon booking and those expectations being chipped away at over the course of the booking/paying/final payment period.

 

I for one am seriously disappointed at ALL the changes NCL has implemented in the recent past. I don't care whether or not they impact my particular cruise (July BA). Some do, some totally don't. I only know that this will be my first NCL cruise (and it's my 5th) that I won't be buying a FCC. In other words, this upcoming NCL cruise may very well be my last NCL cruise.

 

And I am very unhappy about that.

 

But I feel I can't and won't support the bait and switch tactics that cause so much stress to so many loyal NCL cruisers.

 

You never know you may have so much fun on this cruise you don't care about the changes anymore, it's definitely possible.

[motleyfan]

Understood and thanks for the clarification. But i think you can agree that this is a change in how they operated in the past

 

It's also not just about earlier though. If all the first kids in line are 6-9 year olds and only one 1 ten year old makes the "cut" it's not really fair for either groups of kids.

 

If they ARE going to implement this kids of program change (as much as I dislike it) at least they should put caps on each age group so its balanced across the proper groups.

 

I agree a balanced cap would be a good thing. I got to add I really had respect for you and you said you would still be enjoying your cruise

[motleyfan]

sorry the post I just made looked terrible, like I said before I don't type my voice text and don't always proofread. why was trying to say is I had a lot of respect for you when you said you were still going to be enjoying your cruise, I have a feeling if that would have happened to other people on this thread it may have ruined their whole trip lol

[Illyria]

the only thing is is you might have to go a little earlier

A little earlier? Do the math: if they'll only take 76 kids, and there are 400-600 kids on an average sailing, how early would you need to show up to get a spot? 8am? 7am? Are parents supposed to spend every morning of their vacation getting up at the crack of dawn and lining up at the kids club door, like those lines for new iPhones that wrap around the block?

 

 

But that is totally ok with me, my purpose of this thread was really not for those without children in that age group, it was to raise awareness of what is seeming like a shift in the ncl kids club policies prior to people boarding so they can choose how to plan accordingly and set the proper expectation for their families.

Actually, I don't have any kids yet but this information would be very useful for me in planning a future cruise. The reason I read NCL boards is because every year I'm tempted to book a cruise with NCL because of all their promotions. But every time I read the reviews and look at what they're offering and I just keep thinking to myself, "that doesn't seem like fun". Now, apparently, if I decide to go on NCL, I'll have to deal with droves of kids all around the ship because NCL decided to cut kids club staff just as they pushed KSF to encourage more families with kids onboard. Good to know.

[ncklhaus]

I agree they need to figure out the right ratio. I am not in the line of business but would think there is some kind of standard.

 

I 100% agree safety above all else, especially for my own kids. I do think however they need to figure out some sort of diversification so kids can attend different events, while maintain safety.

 

The kids programs are just too front and center for a cruise line to only support 76 kids at a time. Even 150 kids I might say the same thing.

 

But 100% agree cramming all the kids in the club is a bad bad idea, but on previous sailings they never did that either and we never ran into this issue and those were even on busier sailings.

 

Ncl just has to figure "something" out. The current model just isn't good for anyone.

 

I wonder if the number of children allowed in will change depending upon how many kids club staff are onboard during each cruise. There may be 10 staff members onboard the Breakaway (just guessing) and if they are allocated 20 children per counselor, that is 200 children. Now what happens when a counselor is sick? The number of children allowed in will drop. It's not like they can just pull a staffer from another area. All Kids Club staffers are certified in child CPR, they usually have bachelor's degree in education, and a wealth of experience working with children.

[tymike]

 

You never know you may have so much fun on this cruise you don't care about the changes anymore, it's definitely possible.

 

Sorry to say but I actually do care about the changes. I don't care if they impact me or not. But I do care. I will take my vacation money elsewhere. NCL has made poor decisions without notification for really too long now.

 

I hope to enjoy my cruise to be sure. I just don't know now whether I will. It's pretty simple.

 

I think others agree.

[CavalierX]

just think of all the positive about Norwegian

 

And you wonder why we call you a NCL corporate cheerleader. If they're not paying you, you're missing out on a golden opportunity.

[legion3]

At this point is time to await developments.

 

Contact NCL to see what answers they have.

 

Establish the date to cancel upcoming NCL cruise for full deposit return.

 

Research other options for another vacation destination.

[CavalierX]

How would any of the changes negatively impact your cruise? Let's run on the list shall we? No more free room service big deal now you gotta pay a little for it, limit on the kids club now you've got to spend more time with your kids wow no big deal.

 

Not being able to take my wife a breakfast plate from the buffet negatively affects my cruise. Not being able to get a light snack from room service without paying an exorbitant charge negatively affects my cruise. (I'm not cheap, by any means, but I do insist on getting good value for my money.) I don't have kids, but I will now be forced to spend more time with other people's bored kids, since their angry, frustrated parents will be forced to drag them all over the ship when the kids ought to be in the camp having fun. And I won't even be allowed to get away from them by taking my meal or snacks to my own cabin to enjoy on my balcony in peace and quiet. Now slink back under your rock; no one elected you to tell everyone else that they're vacationing wrong.

 

I don't see the big deal everybody is making

 

Your lack of perception is really not my problem.