Kids Clubs Better on RCI or Disney?

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Heifzilla

Guest
I want to do a cruise next year with the whole family. I have two young sons that will be ages 7/8 and 5 when we are planning to go. I have ben considering Disney, but I really want to so a Southern Carribean and the price difference between a RCI and a Disney cruise is quite significant. I know Disney is THE Family Cruise Line, but I am wondering if I can still have a nice "adult" vacation and put the kids in clubs to enjoy themselves so hubby and I can enjoy some adult time.

I am looking for info from cruisers that have kids my age and have done any cruises on the Voyager Family of ships (and maybe on Disney, too), as the Adventure is the ship I am looking at.

Questions:


1. Did you feel safe leaving your kids in the clubs?

2. Did you have any trouble getting your kids into the clubs? Were they ever overbooked or anything?

3. Can you put the kids in the clubs every day if you want, for all the times listed? I know they don't have clubs during typical meal times, but if I wanted the kids in the clubs for all the sea days, for all the times the clubs are available, can I do that? I understand you can do that on Disney.

4. Did your kids enjoy it or were they bored?

5. Are the clubs locked so the kids can't get out and wander? I know that when we were in Cancun at one of the resorts, they advertised a club for the kids were the kids were supervised and you could leave them, but the reality was that anyone could leave and get in and supervision was laughable.

6. If you did Disney, too, which is the better for the kids clubs?

Those are just the questions I can think of right now. I love my kids, but I REALLY want some adult time where I don't have to worry about them.

Thanks in advance for any replies.
 
A

AJ coast

Guest
THe kids club is absolutely safe. RCL's kid's club is much more state of the art (on the newer ships), but of course you get that unique Disney ambiance on any Walt Disney cruise.
 
M

mi3stooges

Guest
I went on 2 Disney Cruises, WITHOUT the kids. Anybody I talked to said they could not get their kids out of the club. It may also depend on the type of child and/or counselor
 
C

cruisinagain07

Guest
We were on the Navigator at the end of January and my kids both loved the kid's club. In fact my son 5 1/2 didn't want to come out at the scheduled closing times. My daughter who turned 9 on the cruise was a bit tentative about the club and didn't want to go in. When I signed my son up I signed my daughter up just in case she changed her mind. The counselors were great with her and tried to get her to come, but gave her some space. I made a deal with her to try one activity for 15 minutes. She went in decided to stay. For the rest of the cruise loved it!
We went on a Disney cruise 2 years ago and she absolutly hated it. She cried and was overwhelmed. Too many kids for her. My son did ok on the Disney Cruise, but liked this one much better. With my kids personalities the end of January with less then 20 kids in each group was great for them. I don't know how many they normally take, but for our cruise the groups were so small on some activities they combined them which wasn't a problem ( not the teens though)
They had great activities and they were never bored.
My daughter cried when she had to leave and wants to go again next year!
The counselors on the Navigator were top noch! My kids got so much attention they didn't want to go home.

Good luck with your planning!
 
M

Mbandy

Guest
First of all you can't really compare the two. As AJ pointed out the Disney cruise is all about the Disney experience and the kids program is no exception. Having said that, The Adventure Ocean program on RCCL is exceptional, especially on the Voyager Class ships.

1. Did you feel safe leaving your kids in the clubs?
The staff of Adventure Ocean are all trained in some form of child development. Minimum of a Bacholer's degree in Education, Counciling or some other vocation specific to kids.

2. Did you have any trouble getting your kids into the clubs? Were they ever overbooked or anything? Never heard of any problem

3. Can you put the kids in the clubs every day if you want, for all the times listed? I know they don't have clubs during typical meal times, but if I wanted the kids in the clubs for all the sea days, for all the times the clubs are available, can I do that? I understand you can do that on Disney. It is a come any time kind of thing. They can participate as much or as little as they want.

4. Did your kids enjoy it or were they bored? I don't think they would be bored but it would depend on the child.

5. Are the clubs locked so the kids can't get out and wander? I know that when we were in Cancun at one of the resorts, they advertised a club for the kids were the kids were supervised and you could leave them, but the reality was that anyone could leave and get in and supervision was laughable. The rooms are not locked but the kids are closely supervised. Also, grown ups are not allowed in unless they are there to pick up or drop off a child. I stopped by Adventure Ocean on one cruise just to take a look at the facilities. It was less than 30 seconds before a staff member greeted me to inquire as to why I was there.

6. If you did Disney, too, which is the better for the kids clubs? Again, hard to give a realistic comparison.

Those are just the questions I can think of right now. I love my kids, but I REALLY want some adult time where I don't have to worry about them. No worries, you'll be fine on either.
 
D

Dawniepoo

Guest
My shy 4 year old would not leave Adventure Ocean all week on our last Navigator cruise. The counselors were exceptional. We just got back from a Disney cruise, and my son would only stay in the club for 30 minutes at a time. There were way too many kids in there for him to have a good time, and he never had the chance to connect with any of
the counselors, which I feel is vitally important.
 
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