Adventure Ocean Program on Oasis - current situation

[Mearley09]

Hello all!

 

Heading out on our first cruise in almost two years this March. Kids (11,10, & 7) are super excited but I want to manage theirs and our expectations for them.  I have not been able to find much on what the program is like now except for a few articles when they first reopened.  I am just curious how different it is compared to before covid.  We used to send them for an hour or so while we got ready for Dinner and then an hour or so in the evenings.  We also usually have them eat one dinner with the club so we can have one dinner just us. 

 

Do you have to make reservations? Is there limited time they can spend there?  Do they take them for dinner still and if so, what are the safety protocols?

 

Even though they love the 1 dinner they get to eat there, I might just take them to grab something from promenade or buffet before we drop them off.

 

I would love to see a daily comapass for the club if anyone has them?

 

Thanks in advance guys!

[ugagal07]

We sailed over Thanksgiving, so things could have shifted since then.  Here was our experience:
1. There is no Compass.  There are not scheduled activities, it's all set up in 3 hour blocks of time. No sharing of materials. They played soccer, but couldn't touch the ball or it had to go out to be sanitized. They colored, but only with their crayons. They did a water relay with pipettes, but only touched their pipette.

2. You need to go to Adventure Ocean when you board to register them. You can sign up for a limited number of 3 hour blocks for the first few days.  After that, they will open up to add more slots.  Slots are limited.  We could register for 2 and then add another on day 3.  We were never able to get that extra slot.

3. The times were 9-12, 2-5, 7-10.  No late drop offs.  People without reservations would be allowed to take unclaimed reservations 15 minutes after the slot opened. 

4. Be there early to drop off. They didn't start drop offs until the time frame opened.  We had to be there 20-25 minutes early so we could get through the drop off line before that 15 minutes hit and they took people without reservations.  All in all, it took a good 40-45 minutes to drop off.

5. They don't serve or allow any food, meaning no dinner service anymore.  My kids loved it too.

6. In the past, they had the family events like movies, science experiments, etc.  Those aren't happening right now. 

We couldn't get an evening block of time and dinner reservations, so our kids went to Wonderland with us. Overall, it was not Adventure Ocean of the past - not even close.  They 2 times they were there, they seemed to have fun, but weren't sad they didn't get to go back.  It wasn't like the pre-covid days. 

[spooky981]

1 hour ago, ugagal07 said:

We sailed over Thanksgiving, so things could have shifted since then.  Here was our experience:
1. There is no Compass.  There are not scheduled activities, it's all set up in 3 hour blocks of time. No sharing of materials. They played soccer, but couldn't touch the ball or it had to go out to be sanitized. They colored, but only with their crayons. They did a water relay with pipettes, but only touched their pipette.

2. You need to go to Adventure Ocean when you board to register them. You can sign up for a limited number of 3 hour blocks for the first few days.  After that, they will open up to add more slots.  Slots are limited.  We could register for 2 and then add another on day 3.  We were never able to get that extra slot.

3. The times were 9-12, 2-5, 7-10.  No late drop offs.  People without reservations would be allowed to take unclaimed reservations 15 minutes after the slot opened. 

4. Be there early to drop off. They didn't start drop offs until the time frame opened.  We had to be there 20-25 minutes early so we could get through the drop off line before that 15 minutes hit and they took people without reservations.  All in all, it took a good 40-45 minutes to drop off.

5. They don't serve or allow any food, meaning no dinner service anymore.  My kids loved it too.

6. In the past, they had the family events like movies, science experiments, etc.  Those aren't happening right now. 

We couldn't get an evening block of time and dinner reservations, so our kids went to Wonderland with us. Overall, it was not Adventure Ocean of the past - not even close.  They 2 times they were there, they seemed to have fun, but weren't sad they didn't get to go back.  It wasn't like the pre-covid days. 

 

A few questions:

 

* If I forced you to estimate a success rate for people without reservations being able to drop their kids off, did it feel high or low?

 

* Did your kids enjoy the Kids Club or did the new restrictions make it feel like a prison for them?

 

* Any advice on which of the three daily time slots were in the highest demand?

 

* What was the kids club situation on port days?

[Saria213]

Following! We’ll be on Oasis in June and I’ve been wondering about AO. I’m hoping some restrictions ease up by then but also not holding my breath. 

[sford75]

5 hours ago, Mearley09 said:

Hello all!

 

Heading out on our first cruise in almost two years this March. Kids (11,10, & 7) are super excited but I want to manage theirs and our expectations for them.  I have not been able to find much on what the program is like now except for a few articles when they first reopened.  I am just curious how different it is compared to before covid.  We used to send them for an hour or so while we got ready for Dinner and then an hour or so in the evenings.  We also usually have them eat one dinner with the club so we can have one dinner just us. 

 

Do you have to make reservations? Is there limited time they can spend there?  Do they take them for dinner still and if so, what are the safety protocols?

 

Even though they love the 1 dinner they get to eat there, I might just take them to grab something from promenade or buffet before we drop them off.

 

I would love to see a daily comapass for the club if anyone has them?

 

Thanks in advance guys!

I just got off Freedom last weekend. I have this covered in my vlog on YouTube (Shannon Ford) and have a recap going up Wednesday. 

 

It has changed since the start of the New Year. No more reservations. First come first served. This was never an issue on our sailing, but could on others.

 

We are booked on Odyssey during Spring Break in March and concerned about the first come first served since we expect a lot of kids.

 

[Mearley09]

23 hours ago, sford75 said:

I just got off Freedom last weekend. I have this covered in my vlog on YouTube (Shannon Ford) and have a recap going up Wednesday. 

 

It has changed since the start of the New Year. No more reservations. First come first served. This was never an issue on our sailing, but could on others.

 

We are booked on Odyssey during Spring Break in March and concerned about the first come first served since we expect a lot of kids.

 

Thank you very much!  I will look for your vlog!

[Mearley09]

On 1/24/2022 at 3:39 PM, ugagal07 said:

We sailed over Thanksgiving, so things could have shifted since then.  Here was our experience:
1. There is no Compass.  There are not scheduled activities, it's all set up in 3 hour blocks of time. No sharing of materials. They played soccer, but couldn't touch the ball or it had to go out to be sanitized. They colored, but only with their crayons. They did a water relay with pipettes, but only touched their pipette.

2. You need to go to Adventure Ocean when you board to register them. You can sign up for a limited number of 3 hour blocks for the first few days.  After that, they will open up to add more slots.  Slots are limited.  We could register for 2 and then add another on day 3.  We were never able to get that extra slot.

3. The times were 9-12, 2-5, 7-10.  No late drop offs.  People without reservations would be allowed to take unclaimed reservations 15 minutes after the slot opened. 

4. Be there early to drop off. They didn't start drop offs until the time frame opened.  We had to be there 20-25 minutes early so we could get through the drop off line before that 15 minutes hit and they took people without reservations.  All in all, it took a good 40-45 minutes to drop off.

5. They don't serve or allow any food, meaning no dinner service anymore.  My kids loved it too.

6. In the past, they had the family events like movies, science experiments, etc.  Those aren't happening right now. 

We couldn't get an evening block of time and dinner reservations, so our kids went to Wonderland with us. Overall, it was not Adventure Ocean of the past - not even close.  They 2 times they were there, they seemed to have fun, but weren't sad they didn't get to go back.  It wasn't like the pre-covid days. 

Thank you for explaining all this.  I hope it has changed because that sounds like a bummer.  My kids loved the Pajama night, the trash the club night, all the sports.  I understand they are being careful though. 

[ugagal07]

On 1/24/2022 at 4:52 PM, spooky981 said:

 

A few questions:

 

* If I forced you to estimate a success rate for people without reservations being able to drop their kids off, did it feel high or low?

 

* Did your kids enjoy the Kids Club or did the new restrictions make it feel like a prison for them?

 

* Any advice on which of the three daily time slots were in the highest demand?

 

* What was the kids club situation on port days?

1. Extremely low.  There were parents who had reservations that Adventure Ocean lost. I wouldn't bank on getting in without a reservation.  That said, it looks like reservations may have passed, but if sailing during a busy kid week that could be rough. 

 

2. They were ok with it.  They didn't ask to go back, but they didn't ask not to go.

 

3. They were all in equal demand.  Parents were taking anything they could get.

 

4. Port days had openings for longer, but still filled up each day.  This is what we were told.  Since kids had to take RCL excursions, more parents were leaving their kids on board to do independent excursions, supposedly.  We shelled out for the overpriced options and all 4 of us went ashore.

 

*I will add we were the first "full of kids" sailing.  If I remember correctly, Harmony was at about 80% double occupancy capacity that week and it was rough all over the ship.  Reservations for shows the kids could go to filled up before we left port. Force kids into early dining and then schedule family shows during early dining and cruise director just said tough decide if it's more important to eat or watch the show. There weren't enough dining reservations for people who bought packages. Flowrider only opened 1 at a time and for a few hours, not the amount of time pre-covid. Ice skating time slots required getting in line an hour before it opened to get a ticket. It was bad.  Pool limited to 10 people, hot tubs to 5 or 7.  Limit on kids in the kids' splash area. Overall, it was the worst cruise we've taken simply because of the protocols, they weren't reasonable with that many people on board so we didn't do much of anything.

 

Hopefully RCL learned from that disaster, but I'd say take a big can of patience with you - and some card games/board games/things to do if you can't get into what you want to do if sailing during a "peak week".  I don't know what is considered "peak" for the spring break season. 

 

Someone on our sailing organized a cabin door exchange. That was a huge highlight of my kids' trip.  Seeing what surprises were dropped off each day and then delivering our own. 🙂

[sford75]

On 1/24/2022 at 3:39 PM, ugagal07 said:

We sailed over Thanksgiving, so things could have shifted since then.  Here was our experience:
1. There is no Compass.  There are not scheduled activities, it's all set up in 3 hour blocks of time. No sharing of materials. They played soccer, but couldn't touch the ball or it had to go out to be sanitized. They colored, but only with their crayons. They did a water relay with pipettes, but only touched their pipette.

2. You need to go to Adventure Ocean when you board to register them. You can sign up for a limited number of 3 hour blocks for the first few days.  After that, they will open up to add more slots.  Slots are limited.  We could register for 2 and then add another on day 3.  We were never able to get that extra slot.

3. The times were 9-12, 2-5, 7-10.  No late drop offs.  People without reservations would be allowed to take unclaimed reservations 15 minutes after the slot opened. 

4. Be there early to drop off. They didn't start drop offs until the time frame opened.  We had to be there 20-25 minutes early so we could get through the drop off line before that 15 minutes hit and they took people without reservations.  All in all, it took a good 40-45 minutes to drop off.

5. They don't serve or allow any food, meaning no dinner service anymore.  My kids loved it too.

6. In the past, they had the family events like movies, science experiments, etc.  Those aren't happening right now. 

We couldn't get an evening block of time and dinner reservations, so our kids went to Wonderland with us. Overall, it was not Adventure Ocean of the past - not even close.  They 2 times they were there, they seemed to have fun, but weren't sad they didn't get to go back.  It wasn't like the pre-covid days. 

As of MLK Weekend, they are no longer doing reservations. I was told this is fleetwide. Every session is first come first served.

[Ashland]

We'll be sailing with extended family in late April on Harmony that will include a vaxed 8 yo and an unvaxed almost 5 yo. Keeping our fingers crossed the AO policy has loosened up a bit by then....as they've always enjoyed AO.

[feisty77]

19 hours ago, sford75 said:

As of MLK Weekend, they are no longer doing reservations. I was told this is fleetwide. Every session is first come first served.

I was told this week from RC that they were still doing reservations....so who knows.

 

We also have an upcoming spring break cruise with kids and concerned enough that we were considering cancelling.  Maybe I'll ask again in a few weeks and see what answer I get.  I was guessing recent cruise were just first come due to number of kids onboard....

[Ashland]

15 minutes ago, feisty77 said:

I was told this week from RC that they were still doing reservations....so who knows.

 

We also have an upcoming spring break cruise with kids and concerned enough that we were considering cancelling.  Maybe I'll ask again in a few weeks and see what answer I get.  I was guessing recent cruise were just first come due to number of kids onboard....

I certainly wouldn't cancel our family cruise because of AO policy...that would be a bigger disappointment to our grand kids since this will be the 3rd time trying for this sailing after an RCI cancellation and then a L/S.

[feisty77]

21 hours ago, Ashland said:

I certainly wouldn't cancel our family cruise because of AO policy...that would be a bigger disappointment to our grand kids since this will be the 3rd time trying for this sailing after an RCI cancellation and then a L/S.

To each their own I guess 🙂

 

For us, with no family nearby, a bit plus for cruising is the ability for kids to have their time and us to have some kid free time.  But we are still deciding what our plan is.  

[sford75]

23 hours ago, feisty77 said:

I was told this week from RC that they were still doing reservations....so who knows.

 

We also have an upcoming spring break cruise with kids and concerned enough that we were considering cancelling.  Maybe I'll ask again in a few weeks and see what answer I get.  I was guessing recent cruise were just first come due to number of kids onboard....

We were told it was a change fleet-wide, but things could change sailing to sailing especially if there are a lot of kids on board. We also have a Spring Break Cruise, so it's a concern as well. But we won't cancel, but we also are driving distance to port.

[Angie2045]

Does anyone have an update on this? Wondering if the reservation system has changed and if they allow for more time slots? For the first come first serve rule, how early did parents need to stand in line to book their slots? Or is it done via app? 

[Biker19]

10 hours ago, Angie2045 said:

For the first come first serve rule, how early did parents need to stand in line to book their slots? Or is it done via app? 

Welcome to CC - folks have reported having to go in person, not in the app.

[kayguz]

19 hours ago, Angie2045 said:

Does anyone have an update on this? Wondering if the reservation system has changed and if they allow for more time slots? For the first come first serve rule, how early did parents need to stand in line to book their slots? Or is it done via app? 

We sailed the Independence  over Thanksgiving.  There were no reservations needed.  The only difference was that they only allowed one family at a time in the little waiting area to check in or out their kids.  The first evening there was a bit of a line because people that didn't register in the afternoon had to do it before drop off.

[lcpagejr]

We sailed on Odyssey over Thanksgiving...My grandson was in the 13-17 group...No limitations at all... Alot of group activities and lots of Sports in Seaplex. A friend on cruise said his younger kids went to Adventure Club and he didn't see any differences from past cruises and also used the babysitting service at night. It amazes me how there are so many differences on each ship

[Angie2045]

@kayguz Thank you for the update! I just downloaded the cruise app for the Icon and it's telling me I have to make a reservation for the kids club. They won't tell me if the reservations need to be made daily, or if you can reserve all the spots you want on embarkment day. I was wondering buying the Key benefit to get me on the ship early so I can book in advance. The Key benefit is very expensive for a family of four so not something I want to purchase unless I know that's the structure. 

 

@icpagejr Thank you as well for the update. Glad to hear it's not been an issue. The kids club is a make or break for our cruise. I still have lots of time before my cruise so hopefully things will only improve as staffing levels and restrictions continue to improve. Given the Icon is a family oriented ship, I wonder if demand will be higher....

[Biker19]

3 hours ago, Angie2045 said:

I was wondering buying the Key benefit to get me on the ship early so I can book in advance. 

Don't buy Key for that. You can get on quite early by just getting an early check in time - Key, at best, might get you on maybe a few minutes earlier and the kids club may not even be open that early.

[Angie2045]

@Biker19 Valid point! Thanks for your input. I think I will take your advice and just request an early check-in time and run straight there! 

[rockon391]

On 1/24/2022 at 1:39 PM, ugagal07 said:

We sailed over Thanksgiving, so things could have shifted since then.  Here was our experience:
1. There is no Compass.  There are not scheduled activities, it's all set up in 3 hour blocks of time. No sharing of materials. They played soccer, but couldn't touch the ball or it had to go out to be sanitized. They colored, but only with their crayons. They did a water relay with pipettes, but only touched their pipette.

2. You need to go to Adventure Ocean when you board to register them. You can sign up for a limited number of 3 hour blocks for the first few days.  After that, they will open up to add more slots.  Slots are limited.  We could register for 2 and then add another on day 3.  We were never able to get that extra slot.

3. The times were 9-12, 2-5, 7-10.  No late drop offs.  People without reservations would be allowed to take unclaimed reservations 15 minutes after the slot opened. 

4. Be there early to drop off. They didn't start drop offs until the time frame opened.  We had to be there 20-25 minutes early so we could get through the drop off line before that 15 minutes hit and they took people without reservations.  All in all, it took a good 40-45 minutes to drop off.

5. They don't serve or allow any food, meaning no dinner service anymore.  My kids loved it too.

6. In the past, they had the family events like movies, science experiments, etc.  Those aren't happening right now. 

We couldn't get an evening block of time and dinner reservations, so our kids went to Wonderland with us. Overall, it was not Adventure Ocean of the past - not even close.  They 2 times they were there, they seemed to have fun, but weren't sad they didn't get to go back.  It wasn't like the pre-covid days. 

This sounds horrible. If this continues on I will be cancelling my future cruises!

[Lagranger36]

The information at the top of this thread is very outdated.

 

we just sailed on Oasis over thanksgiving (2022) and almost none of the above is true.

 

Current situation:

- no reservation

- no time limit / number of slots

- any time drop off

- no activities limitation

 

now, all this being said it was extremely busy and we often had to wait 15-30 minutes to get checked in.

 

[Angie2045]

@Lagranger36That's great to hear! The cruise app I have currently says reservations are required and lists the daily time slots but maybe that will change closer to the sailing date. 

[myacuna]

Just sailed Wonder with like 2000 kids under 18 -

 

Not sure if this is specific to Wonder but they had 6-12 in one large room. My son (8) hated it and missed the themes and scheduled activities. He reported that the older kids were bullies and hogged the "good stuff". No reservations needed, no time limit for this room.

 

We also have a toddler who used AO babies. That DOES require reservations and we were allotted 16 hours to start. After night one they allowed us to reserve additional time. We reserved as soon as they opened for registration, and I know people that were not able to get any evening slots.