Splash Academy

[JsEscape2]

We are going on the Breakaway June 5th.  Will they be having the Splash Academy?  We are bringing our 5 grandkids under the age of 10.  Will they have drop-off service?  

[www3traveler]

Splash Academy is back on some ships to a very small degree.  Postings from Freestyle Dailies say that Splash Academy is open like for 3 hours in the late afternoon but a parent or guardian MUST be with the child.  I have seen severaal postings that have a proposed date for opening fleet wide but nothing yet confirmed.  When they are, it still might be for only a few hours a day and not for a drop-off service.

[gvgseg]

Supposedly, Splash Academies are set to reopen on June 1st. However, it seems that NCL has given reopening dates in the past and then pushed them back, so I'm not sure what to believe.

[redwave]

Was the limiting of this service due to the lack of numbers necessary to run the program or because the under 12 age group is not mandated to be vaccinated and they want to limit staff interaction in closed quarters with this group?

If it’s the second reason, should we assume, regardless of their June announcement, this service will still be severely limited through the summer?

[BirdTravels]

10 hours ago, www3traveler said:

Splash Academy is back on some ships to a very small degree.  Postings from Freestyle Dailies say that Splash Academy is open like for 3 hours in the late afternoon but a parent or guardian MUST be with the child.  I have seen several postings that have a proposed date for opening fleet wide but nothing yet confirmed.  When they are, it still might be for only a few hours a day and not for a drop-off service.

So,,, the Splash Academy is not currently "open". You can use the play area with your kids (no drop off). At least they are using the real Splash Academy space now. For a while, they were just using the Entourage when it was closed to teens.  

[gvgseg]

16 hours ago, redwave said:

Was the limiting of this service due to the lack of numbers necessary to run the program or because the under 12 age group is not mandated to be vaccinated and they want to limit staff interaction in closed quarters with this group?

If it’s the second reason, should we assume, regardless of their June announcement, this service will still be severely limited through the summer?

I am under the impression that it is more so the 2nd reason and that it may be difficult to find staff to work in a primarily unvaccinated environment as well.

[styles27]

I don’t see them fully opening it again until maybe the Fall or maybe if NCL makes vaccines mandatory for children.   
 

They gave my grandson $100 arcade credit on our sailing because drop off was closed. 
The arcade on Pearl is tiny and it was PACKED every single time we went in there.
We went to 1 family activity in Bliss lounge and it was so full there weren’t any seats available. Didn’t feel safe so we left. 
 

Went to karaoke one night in Bliss, again so busy it was standing room only and teens and kids were only ones singing. Again we left. Not the kid’s fault, they were looking for stuff to do, I felt sorry for them. 
 

I don’t understand the theory that dropoff service remains closed but they fill a lounge with children AND their parents for activities. 
So double or triple the number of people at an activity?  Oh yes NCL that’s much much safer. 🤦🏻‍♀️
 

 

[bkrickles1]

1 hour ago, styles27 said:

I don’t see them fully opening it again until maybe the Fall or maybe if NCL makes vaccines mandatory for children.   
 

I know it may not happen, especially with the current surge of cases, but the plan right now is for Splash Academy to open fully for sailings on or after June 1st.

I'm sailing Joy June 26th and I've been told this by 4 different NCL reps over the past month or so. Again, I know this may not happen and everything has changed a multitude of times (my 1/15 sailing of Joy was cancelled days before embarkation) but that's the current plan.

I hope it is so as my sister in law is joining us and bringing my 2 nieces,7 & 8.
 

 

 

[acct1975]

2 hours ago, styles27 said:

I don’t see them fully opening it again until maybe the Fall or maybe if NCL makes vaccines mandatory for children.   
 

They gave my grandson $100 arcade credit on our sailing because drop off was closed. 
The arcade on Pearl is tiny and it was PACKED every single time we went in there.
We went to 1 family activity in Bliss lounge and it was so full there weren’t any seats available. Didn’t feel safe so we left. 
 

Went to karaoke one night in Bliss, again so busy it was standing room only and teens and kids were only ones singing. Again we left. Not the kid’s fault, they were looking for stuff to do, I felt sorry for them. 
 

I don’t understand the theory that dropoff service remains closed but they fill a lounge with children AND their parents for activities. 
So double or triple the number of people at an activity?  Oh yes NCL that’s much much safer. 🤦🏻‍♀️
 

 

My thought for why the drop off is closed but other things are crowded is staffing. They haven't been able to hire and train enough staff for Splash Academy so it has to stay closed. Frankly, I'd rather wait for well trained staff than leave my child (DS 8yrs) with just anyone. We're sailing in a month on the Breakaway and if they have drop off Hooray, if not, we'll deal. Just happy to be cruising again! 

Edited May 12, 2022 by acct1975

[argyll1881]

Splash Academy is open on the Getaway right.  Today, a sea day, it's open from 0900-1100 and 1900-2200. 

[mecrowley]

I take it from your helpful post on the other thread that this is still for 5-12 only.  I would guess that they are planning to do limited hours for vaccinated kids but will not offer anything for non-vaxxed (including too young to be vaxxed) just yet. 

[ceilidh1]

On 5/9/2022 at 7:58 PM, BirdTravels said:

So,,, the Splash Academy is not currently "open". You can use the play area with your kids (no drop off). At least they are using the real Splash Academy space now. For a while, they were just using the Entourage when it was closed to teens.  

On Bliss in April, the open play times (parent had to stay) was held in Entourage. My teen was NOT impressed - lol! My 10 year old didn't attend any of the those open sessions as he is far too old and cool to have mom hanging around to supervise him. It wasn't an issue for us at all - there was more than enough to do! They did have more family programming available around the ship - some we attended, some we didn't. I suspect for those with younger kiddos it would be more problematic as it limits the ability to have a nice dinner or attend a show. 

[styles27]

1 hour ago, argyll1881 said:

Splash Academy is open on the Getaway right.  Today, a sea day, it's open from 0900-1100 and 1900-2200. 

Splash Academy is open however it’s limited and an adult/parent must stay with the child. 
 

We were told the closure would be lifted April 1st when we booked our cruise in March. It even stated that on their website. Then on April 1st it was changed to dropoff is closed until further notice.
I haven’t checked recently to see if they have the June 1st date posted now but I doubt it.  
 

[jemz1949]

Now that June 1 has rolled around, any new updates regarding Splash Academy and it's return to their normal operating hours?  

[AlwaysInMotionTravel]

Yes! 

 

We learned in yesterday's meeting Splash & Entourage are back in service as of today!

[Brooklyn1119]

I was on the Breakaway sailing May 14-22 and Splash academy was open for drop off! the first time since the pandemic started. It wasn't loudly advertised, we didn't realize it until the 2nd or 3rd day. It was open either 7p-10p or 8p-11p on port days and like 10a-12p, 2p-4p, and 7p-10p on sea days. I cant tell you how busy it was because they take the kids upstairs so I didnt see but it sounded busy. Our 5yr old loved it!  

[mecrowley]

Is there any information available on whether this is a full reopening or a partial one?  The website still suggests services are available for 3-5 year olds, but that didn't seem to be the case for some recent cruises that had limited reopenings.

[Lil_Em]

On 6/1/2022 at 10:24 AM, AlwaysInMotionTravel said:

Yes! 

 

We learned in yesterday's meeting Splash & Entourage are back in service as of today!

They are open, but according to the website only for 5-12 and while the ship is sailing.  That is not "fully open."  I am very disappointed that my 3 year old will not be able to participate considering they kept quoting June 1st. I kept waiting to book our July cruise because of this issue and I knew this might happen, but still extremely bummed about it.  And since NCL is not requiring kids 5-11 to be vaccinated, they cannot use the under 5s being unvaccinated as an excuse....Obviously this is still a staffing issue imho.

[www3traveler]

According to Freestyle Dailies, I have seen posted so far--Splash is ONLY open for a couple of hours late afternoon and a couple more in the evenings.

[RGEDad]

Traveling with G-Kids (4 & 8 ) in late June (along with the parental units) on the Bliss. I see we can now drop the 8 YO at Splash Academy, but not the 4 YO who would normally be in the Splash Academy as she is too old for the Guppies. Really hope the Splash Academy gets extended to 4-12 before we embark.

[mpschaff]

Any word about Splash Academy on the Escape? We're cruising with our 10 year old daughter in August and are hoping it will be fully open so she can get a much needed break from her folks for bit.

[argyll1881]

3 hours ago, mpschaff said:

Any word about Splash Academy on the Escape? We're cruising with our 10 year old daughter in August and are hoping it will be fully open so she can get a much needed break from her folks for bit.

or the other way around perhaps 🙂