ncl kids club ..whats good -whats bad

[bill turcotte]

We are going on the Jewel with our 2 year old twins .I love some advice on the kids club or anything to make the trip smooth ?

[chrisv348]

What's good - the kids crew staff. NCL & other cruise lines know that children, above all, are your most important commodity. They put very qualified staff in charge of the kids groups. Most are US citizens and those who are not have excellent english speaking skills. I think children are more comfortable around those they can clearly understand. I have sailed on both the Spirit and Sun and found the Spirit to be more kid oriented as far as older children. The designed kid pool area on the Spirit is much nicer than that on the Sun. I believe that you may be required to carry a beeper if your children are not toilet trained. This way you can be contacted in the event of a required diaper change.

 

Whats not good - The hours of operation. The kids clubs on NCL are open free of charge during the hours of 9:00-11:00, 2:00-5:00 and 7:00 to 10:00 on sea days. Those hours change during port days but childcare is offered for a fee with advance notice. I found that we spent alot of time running back and forth to the kids club to sign our children in and out. This sign-in/sign-out process often disrupted our time at shows, dinner, or just relaxing. Frankly, we would have liked to enjoy some meals and some port days without the kids but this was only possible by paying an substantial extra fee ($5.00/hour or something like that). Some cruise lines offer more consistant hours of operation and they will also take the kids to lunch, provided you notify them in advance. Why can't NCL keep the kids club open from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m daily???? Even on port days.

 

NCL refuses to take the kids swimming or to outside activities, even if you are paying the extra babysitting fee I believe that this is because of some type of liability issue. I really feel that the older kids should be able to swim at the pool or play outside at the basketball court with supervision. It's a shame that these kids are kept inside on beautiful sunny days. Its a fact that most kids love the kids club and would rather be playing with friends than hanging with their parents.

[kitty9]

They won't take the kids out to the pool for a couple of reasons, but the most important one is fear of kids drowning. Can you imagine what would happen if a child were to drown in the pool while a part of any kid's club activity? They would not only have lawsuits to handle, but the negative publicity of a kid's crew counselor being in charge of that child.

[mousecrazy]

I really feel that the older kids should be able to swim at the pool or play outside at the basketball court with supervision. It's a shame that these kids are kept inside on beautiful sunny days. Its a fact that most kids love the kids club and would rather be playing with friends than hanging with their parents.

 

I just asked my kids about their experience on the Star to Alaska in 05. The younger group (2-5) did not go outside, but the next older group went outside quite a few times. However, they did do a daily 'field trip' to the ice cream stand! I personally appreciate the No Swimming policy....especially with no lifeguard on duty.

 

Just remember, this is a group setting. The youngest group (age 2 - 5, I believe) is a tough crowd to entertain. What makes a 2 year old happy, might not sit so well with a 'well-traveled' 5 year old. For instance, our cruise had a Blues Clues party where they colored hats and had their face painted. That type of thing might work well for the younger kids, but some weren't interested in it in the least.

 

You'll get a bulletin at the beginning of your cruise telling you the activities. You might do a search (webshots, etc) for a preview or ask over at the NCL board. Be sure to take a few minutes to talk with them about the activites and what to expect in the room. If they are leary about a certain aspect, this will help them know what to expect. Getting them excited about an activity will help too, especially if they are a little shy.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[CanadianTwosome]

Did I just answer a post about this on the NCL board? :)

 

Check out this web album:

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/546368115pHZSLQ

 

It's got the schedules for all the age groups, and I know that the 6-9 was very similar to what we just got, so I'm sure it's a very good indication of what will be happening.

 

I am also glad that they don't take kids swimming. There are just too many potential dangers. They definitely did activities that took them out of the KidZone, though. One of us also swam with our daughter just about every day on our trip - including the night in San Pedro, when I'm sure all the other hotel guests thought we were crazy! ha ha I did notice, also, that in the kid's pool area, there was always a staff member there. Whether he was a certified lifeguard or not, I don't know, but he was definitely there watching. :)

[Mich1121]

When I checked my son who was 3 1/2 at the time into the kids club he absolutely loved it. I checked him in for the morning after breakfast and picked him up by lunch time so we could go swimming and get outdoors. They did on one day paint the kids faces and take them on a parade outdoors throughout the ship. I prefer that they do not take the kids swimming. Personally I do not trust anyone 100% to watch my child while swimming which is why I take him myself. He had a lot of fun playing with the other kids and is looking forward to going again when we cruise in March. It's a good experience for them to meet other kids so when they are in play areas or the pool they already know someone.

[Kerry's Girls]

 

Whats not good - The hours of operation. The kids clubs on NCL are open free of charge during the hours of 9:00-11:00, 2:00-5:00 and 7:00 to 10:00 on sea days. Some cruise lines offer more consistant hours of operation and they will also take the kids to lunch, provided you notify them in advance. Why can't NCL keep the kids club open from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m daily????

 

 

Just FYI, it's not just NCL - Princess and Carnival have the same type of hours - you pick up your child for meals.

 

Best,

Mia

[bill turcotte]

Good advice so far ..

[Suzanne74]

I think they don't like having the kids group open all day because people would take advantage of it and treat it as a day care and keep their kids there all day and expect the staff to feed them meals, snacks, drink, entertain them etc... I would think their would be more meltdowns, kids annoying each other and staff getting tired. I liked that the club has specific activities for specific times and closes at certain times because getting my daughter out of there when they aren't closing yet was TOUGH! :D We usually did breakfast in the morning, dropped her off in the kids club while we relaxed for a few hours in the solarium or went to the gym. Then we would pick her up at noon (RCL is open 9-12) and do lunch and go to the family pool and swim and do other fun things together for the rest of the day. She rarely went to the 2-5 opening unless their was something really fun planned. She always napped in the late afternoon too. Then after dinner she was back at the kids club until bedtime. It worked well for us.