US Sailing Kids Club after cruising restart, any changes?

[codeyell0]

Someone had mentioned the kids club was watered down now or essentially boring.  I have not seen or heard much of what any cruise does in the kids clubs its not filmed or talked about much, other than its there they have a good time. I've never seen an activities list.  I know MSC has legos I think the meraviglia has 3d printers?
Wondering what anyone has seen or heard. 

[dexddd]

Our kids are too old now, but have not seen much either about kids since the restart.  I think I saw one post about not much going on then another with some activities.

 

When are you going and out of US?

[codeyell0]

6 hours ago, dexddd said:

Our kids are too old now, but have not seen much either about kids since the restart.  I think I saw one post about not much going on then another with some activities.

 

When are you going and out of US?

October 9th
meraviglia out of Miami
Someone in the roll call canceled their cruise because they said they read reviews there was not much for kids.  Mentioned learning another language as the activity.  I have small kids who just want someone to play with. 
Also water park is by reservation.  That seems kind of crazy.   

[dexddd]

16 hours ago, codeyell0 said:

October 9th
meraviglia out of Miami
Someone in the roll call canceled their cruise because they said they read reviews there was not much for kids.  Mentioned learning another language as the activity.  I have small kids who just want someone to play with. 
Also water park is by reservation.  That seems kind of crazy.   

We sail in a bit over a week and can go check.

 

Fall is usually quiet as far as kids and with the current scene I'd expect to see few kids.  There were a couple you tubes recently posted by families.  One focused mainly on the island and the other might have shown clubs.  It was by jelly something.

 

I have seen that the Waterpark was time slots with gaps for cleaning.

[Tapi]

 

On 9/4/2021 at 5:27 PM, codeyell0 said:

Someone had mentioned the kids club was watered down now or essentially boring.  I have not seen or heard much of what any cruise does in the kids clubs its not filmed or talked about much, other than its there they have a good time. I've never seen an activities list.  I know MSC has legos I think the meraviglia has 3d printers?
Wondering what anyone has seen or heard. 

 

We just returned from the Meraviglia this morning. The kids (elementary age) had an absolute blast! NO reservations for the water park or the ropes course. With the limited capacity, there were no lines and my kids went down the water slides over and over until they were exhausted. They also did the ropes course a few times with no lines either. 
 

About the kids club: my kids attended a few times for an hour or so at a time. It was pretty much the same as previous times we’ve sailed on MSC. The kids said it was OK to kill some time. They did have to wear masks, sanitize their hands, and have their shoes sprayed with disinfectant before going in. 

 

I also purchased a $50 entertainment card good for the F1simulator, flight simulator, 4D Cinema, bowling alley, and arcade (although some things were not operation all the time).  My older son did the F1 Simulator a couple of times. Never a line either, max one person ahead of him at a time. 

Sportsplex was off limits to unvaccinated guests unless they wey were hosting a Kids Club sponsored activity there.

 

We also had a great time at Ocean Cay. We  did a waverunner excursion which was the absolute highlight of the cruise for the entire family. Overall, a great time for them. 

 

[codeyell0]

11 minutes ago, Tapi said:

 

 

We just returned from the Meraviglia this morning. The kids (elementary age) had an absolute blast! NO reservations for the water park or the ropes course. With the limited capacity, there were no lines and my kids went down the water slides over and over until they were exhausted. They also did the ropes course a few times with no lines either. 
 

About the kids club: my kids attended a few times for an hour or so at a time. It was pretty much the same as previous times we’ve sailed on MSC. The kids said it was OK to kill some time. They did have to wear masks, sanitize their hands, and have their shoes sprayed with disinfectant before going in. 

 

I also purchased a $50 entertainment card good for the F1simulator, flight simulator, 4D Cinema, bowling alley, and arcade (although some things were not operation all the time).  My older son did the F1 Simulator a couple of times. Never a line either, max one person ahead of him at a time. 

Sportsplex was off limits to unvaccinated guests unless they wey were hosting a Kids Club sponsored activity there.

 

We also had a great time at Ocean Cay. We  did a waverunner excursion which was the absolute highlight of the cruise for the entire family. Overall, a great time for them. 

 

Thank you so much for this. Many cruisers have not cruised with kids.
How old are your kids? any recommendations for small kids on this ship? 
Where did you go? OC, costa maya? cozumel? were the kids allowed off? 
 

[Tapi]

43 minutes ago, codeyell0 said:

Thank you so much for this. Many cruisers have not cruised with kids.
How old are your kids? any recommendations for small kids on this ship? 
Where did you go? OC, costa maya? cozumel? were the kids allowed off? 
 

Our itinerary was the 3 night cruise visiting Ocean Cay followed by a day at sea. Originally, we were supposed to sail on the Seashore for 5 nights in December (visiting Roatan and Costa Maya), but due to scheduling issues, we settled for this short itinerary, but it worked out well. It turned out to be an easy way to get back into cruising for the whole family. 

 

My kids are 9 and 11 years old. This is their second time sailing on the Meraviglia, and both times they’ve enjoyed it tremendously. 
 

On this cruise: 

 

On the ship, they enjoyed:

 

- The water park: There are two inner tube water slides, and another faster slide that ends in a bowl. All very enjoyable, even for the adults. 
- The ropes course: They did it a few times, and the lines were never very long.

- Shows at the main theatre. Yes, they’re a bit cheesy, but my kids always beg to attend after dinner and they always want to sit in the front row! 
- The arcade: As mentioned previously, I bought a package which allowed them to use the machines at the arcade. I did tell them that once they depleted the fund in the package, there wouldn’t be any more money added to it, so they did well with it and managed to spread it out. 

- The main pool: It’s bigger than on other cruise lines, and while the ship was in port it wasn’t too crowded. On our sea day, it did get crowded later in the day, but if you go before lunch, it shouldn’t be too bad. 
- The kids club: It was open on select hours and the kids went twice during our three day cruise. It wasn’t a major source of entertainment, but it was good to fill in the gaps if the kids were looking for things to do and mom and dad needed a break.  From previous cruises that we’ve taken on MSC, it seems like some activities were removed (no kids talent show, no parades down the middle of the ship, etc) but I don’t know if that was because it was a short cruise, or because of Covid restrictions. 
- Restaurant: They provided a kids menu, and they do a great job taking the kids orders and delivering their food as quickly as possible. Do know that if your kid prefers to order from the adult menu, they will definitely accommodate them as well. 
 

At Ocean Cay:

 

Since Ocean Cay is owned by MSC, and it was the only port of call in our itinerary, there were no restrictions to go ashore. Once we got off the ship, we could freely walk around without masks or any other type of restrictions. They only exception is that they requested for people to wear masks at the buffet line. But otherwise it was pretty liberating to feel so free. 

 

- Kids Club activities: Our kids didn’t attend any of them, but there were a few ashore activities listed on the daily planner. 
- Shore excursions: There were TONS of family

friendly activities. From snorkeling, to kayaking, to jet skiing. Keep in mind that some activities do have an age restriction and you’ll be required to fill out a waiver. But for us, it was truly one of the highlights of the cruise. 
- Light show: If your ship visits Ocean Cay and stays docked until the late hours, there I’ll be a light show from the light house a few times at night. They also had a DJ and a family friendly beach party late into the night. You can also watch it from the ship if you don’t feel like going ashore after dinner. It was super cool, and the kids loved it. 
 

Hope this information is helpful. If you can’t think of any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! 

Edited September 6, 2021 by Tapi

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

We were also on the 3 night cruise this weekend.  My youngest is 16 and didn’t go to the teen club at all but they did leave an activity sheet in his room everyday that listed the activities for the different age groups.  

I will try to post them here:

Day 1:

 

 

 

 

Edited September 7, 2021 by OneParticularHarbour 71

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

Day 2 - Ocean Cay day:

 

 

 

 

Edited September 7, 2021 by OneParticularHarbour 71

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

Day 3 - sea day:

 

 

[phillibl]

Thank you for the photos, my cruise is Oct 9 with two young ones (4 and 5).  Do you know if the still come pick up the kids from dinner?

[codeyell0]

2 hours ago, phillibl said:

Thank you for the photos, my cruise is Oct 9 with two young ones (4 and 5).  Do you know if the still come pick up the kids from dinner?

I'm oct 9 as well with my wife. 4 and 8yr old. 
Nice to see kids will be on board especially younger kids.  Maybe we can meet up for a drink while watching the kiddos go crazy in the water park

[codeyell0]

I thought during port days they (kids club) did not close for lunch or maybe that was carnival. 
 

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

7 hours ago, phillibl said:

Thank you for the photos, my cruise is Oct 9 with two young ones (4 and 5).  Do you know if the still come pick up the kids from dinner?

I don’t know if they pick up the kids from dinner.  Our dining room was for fully vaccinated, so there weren’t any younger kids there.

[slk1000]

Thank you for your posts and pictures.  I'll be sailing with my 11 year old on Oct. 2nd.  It's nice to see the activities listed.

[kelikea]

Thank you so much for posting the pictures of the kids club stuff. We're on the October 16 sailing and will have our 6 and 3 yr old boys with us. They're very excited to do kids club stuff, and I'm happy to see they'll be in the same group. Anyone else have kids on the October 16 sailing?

[codeyell0]

1 hour ago, kelikea said:

Thank you so much for posting the pictures of the kids club stuff. We're on the October 16 sailing and will have our 6 and 3 yr old boys with us. They're very excited to do kids club stuff, and I'm happy to see they'll be in the same group. Anyone else have kids on the October 16 sailing?

no but we will be on the 9th sailing I'll definitely post my kids experience.
I really feel the kids clubs are over looked on reviews.

[kelikea]

I agree! I would love to hear about your experience! 

[hmwende]

On 9/6/2021 at 5:37 PM, Tapi said:

 

 

We just returned from the Meraviglia this morning. The kids (elementary age) had an absolute blast! NO reservations for the water park or the ropes course. With the limited capacity, there were no lines and my kids went down the water slides over and over until they were exhausted. They also did the ropes course a few times with no lines either. 
 

About the kids club: my kids attended a few times for an hour or so at a time. It was pretty much the same as previous times we’ve sailed on MSC. The kids said it was OK to kill some time. They did have to wear masks, sanitize their hands, and have their shoes sprayed with disinfectant before going in. 

 

I also purchased a $50 entertainment card good for the F1simulator, flight simulator, 4D Cinema, bowling alley, and arcade (although some things were not operation all the time).  My older son did the F1 Simulator a couple of times. Never a line either, max one person ahead of him at a time. 

Sportsplex was off limits to unvaccinated guests unless they wey were hosting a Kids Club sponsored activity there.

 

We also had a great time at Ocean Cay. We  did a waverunner excursion which was the absolute highlight of the cruise for the entire family. Overall, a great time for them. 

 

Th and you so much for the information!  Did you observe any safety protocols in place?
 

Thanks is in advance!

Edited October 28, 2021 by hmwende
Question already answered

[Tapi]

5 hours ago, hmwende said:

Did you observe any safety protocols in place?
 

Thanks is in advance!

At the kids club, our children had to wear a mask at all times. They were also required to wash their hands, and their shoes were sprayed with a sanitizing solution before they could go in.
 

I don’t know if they had capacity limitations at the kids club. We weren’t required to make reservations to secure a spot. The few times we used the kids club we just walked up and they were allowed to go in. But we sailed at less than 50% capacity and there weren’t that many families with small children to start with. Maybe if we’d sailed with more passengers and families they would’ve had to impose capacity restrictions.

 

Throughout the ship, we were required to wear tracing devices on our wrists at all times. Muster drill was done by watching a safety video in our cabin, verifying that we watched it by dialing a code from our cabin phone, and then proceeding to our designated muster station just to scan our cards.
 

We were also required to wear a mask as we moved throughout the ship indoors or if we attended a performance at the main theatre. We were instructed to only occupy marked seats at the theatre.  Otherwise we could remove our masks outdoors or if we sat down to eat or have drinks. Lounges and restaurants had tables either removed or blocked off. Bar stools were removed at most bars except for one. Temperature checks were performed upon entering the marketplace buffet and all food was plated and handed to us by a crew member. At the main dining room, we were encouraged to scan a QR code to access the menu using our phones, but they had paper menus available for those passengers who didn’t have a phone. 
 

Some areas of the ship (gym, sports complex, and some aft outdoor decks) were for vaccinated guests only which effectively prevented unvaccinated children from entering those areas. Otherwise, outdoor activities like the main pool deck, water slides, ropes course, etc had no restrictions. Going ashore at Ocean Cay also had no restrictions. 
 

Overall, the restrictions were just a mild nuisance and after a while they all became like second nature. They had little impact on our enjoyment of the cruise. 😀

Edited October 28, 2021 by Tapi

[Tapi]

1 hour ago, Joebiden said:

Hold up did you just say that MSC restricts the gym to only certain people? How do they check and restrict this?

The gym (as well as certain venues) was for vaccinated guests only. Now, when we sailed in September, all passengers old enough to get a vaccine had to be vaccinated in order to sail so it didn’t make a difference. In essence, only children under 12 were not allowed to go in. 
 

I’ve read that on other sailings where there was a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated adults, passengers were required to wear a color coded bracelet which would identify them as vaccinated. I’m guessing that MSC would do something similar.

[Morgsmom]

On 10/30/2021 at 8:57 PM, Joebiden said:

Yea but how can they restrict the ability for people to utilize a gym over the course of a week without any warning. This stuff makes me so uncomfortable with the wrist bands and the like. It’s oddly similar to another type of band people were forced to wear to identify themselves 

1) the cruiseline can restrict access to anything at anytime.  You are at sea. They win. End of story.

2) there's plenty of warning as to who can and cannot use the gym and even if they DO change mid-stream, you have little to no recourse.  Heck, they can confine you to cabin for the duration if they think you are being unreasonable (Or if you test positive, in which case they will move you to another stateroom for quarantine)

 

 

[Morgsmom]

4 hours ago, Joebiden said:

Where is the warning that MSC provides about who can and cannot use the gym? I can’t find anything official online.

Welcome to MSC. They can, and do, change their own rules daily.  It's part of what is understood when booking with this line.  If you don't like to go with the flow then this line is not for you.  

[Morgsmom]

Good luck on your cruise! With that attitude you are going to have a GREAT time.

[Homosassa]

On 10/30/2021 at 1:53 AM, Joebiden said:

Hold up did you just say that MSC restricts the gym to only certain people? How do they check and restrict this?

I suggest that you read the Terms and Conditions section on the MSC website. Your answers will be answered.

 

And if you are uncomfortable with any measures taken to help ensure the health and welfare of all passengers on board ship, cruising on any cruise line is not a good vacation option for you.