Kids camp question

[gal40]

Are the age breakdowns strickly enforced? We are going away with another family and my child will be 9 a month later and her friend is already nine. I was hoping they could stay together but the breakdown online is 6-8 and 9-12.

[Tra4]

Depending on how many kids are on the ship, they don't have keep them in groups. But if you tell the counselors, they are very accommodating. They also want to be with happy kids and happy parents. They are amazing, the highlights of my kids trips!!

[Onessa]

Generally at that age level AO staff will work with you to place the kids. They may require the kids to be in "their own level" for one session so that they can evaluate their maturity. And then they may allow the younger child to move up. They typcially don't like downward movement.

 

Much depends upon the number of kids (if it is really busy, they may not be able to work with you much), the staff (most are pretty flexible, but there are the occassional hard nosed ones), and the kids in question.

 

Be certain to seek out the head counselor early. Make your request as a request (not a demand). If they want the kids in their own age groups at least for a while, be certain the kids understand and don't pout about it (nothing more telling that a child is not mature enough to move up a group than that child throwing a tantrum or being uncooperative).

 

At that age grouping, it will likely work out for you, but good luck.

[veryhotred]

The two times I have taken kids cruising there were not a lot of kids and they combined the age groups. While we were waiting to introduce ourselves to the AO staff last time, the family in front of us asked if their two kids could be together (they were different ages, to be in different groups) and the AO staff said no. Only later did the family find out they were in the same group but only because there were not a lot of kids on board. We traveled in November, before Thanksgiving.