Disney Cruise Kids Club & Programs
There’s no doubt why Disney Cruise Line is considered #1 cruise line for families. While Disney Cruise Line has a lot of options for adults and children, it has dedicated disney cruise youth programs (apart from nurseries) for children of age between 6 months to 17 years. These youth programs are organized on all ships and have different admission policies that you should take care of. In this article, we will give you the information that is required to look for appropriate programs for your little ones. These programs are led by instructors who are well-trained in physical education, basic first-aid, and DIYs. The activities are chosen in such a way that they bring creativity, curiosity, fun, and engagement among the kids. And we bet that it proves to be an absolutely magical place for your kids to learn something new and be able to adapt to new cultures. Following are the Disney Cruise Kids Club for children of different age groups –
- all world” nursery! – Kids between 6 months to 3 years
- Disney’s Oceaneer Club – Children between 3 to 10 years
- Disney’s Oceaneer Lab – Children between 3 to 10 years
- Edge – Young teens between 11 to 14 years
- Vibe – Elder teens between 14 to 17 years
Things to keep in mind while opting for Carnival's Youth Program
- Age: Carnival Cruise Youth Program is completely dedicated to children whose ages are in between 6 months to 17 years. Different categories have been created to group children that will build up their spirit and interests. Therefore, it is mandatory to keep the authorized documents of your children while you onboard the ship.
- Pre-registration: Due to limited capacity on some cruises, it is mandatory to complete the pre-cruise registration process. Also, medical care consent is required while participating in any youth program.
- Embarkation Day: Embarkation Day is the Youth Program Open House that is organized in the youth facilities of all carnival cruise ships to guide parents and children about the activities, policies, and procedures. The time and place for this can be known during the registration process.
- Youth staff: All youth program activities are organized and guided by well-educated and well-trained youth staff who specialize in youth recreation and child psychology. Your children are completely safe in these youth programs as the youth staff is trained in CPR and basic first aid.
- Leaving children on board: You can leave your children in youth programs while you enjoy your shore excursion. In case of any emergency, the tour operator will inform the parent/guardian.
- Getting of the ship: While debarking the ship, only children above 16 years of age and older are allowed to be on a port without a parent/guardian.
Learn more about Disney Cruise Kids Club & Youth Programs
1. It's a small-world nursery
“It’s a small world” is a nursery for infants and toddlers, providing a safe environment and best childcare services. Several age-appropriate activities are provided on all the ships of this fleet. The instructors for this program are well-trained to feed, change, and maintain your little ones. There are various activities for toddlers like arts & crafts, games, character meets, kids’ movies, storytime, and then nap time. Especially for this group, the activities aren’t scheduled and children can play whenever they want. Since very few instructors are available for infants, we recommend you make pre-reservations for your kid as soon as possible.
Do you need to make pre-reservations for Disney Cruise Kids Club?
Make sure if you’re making online reservations then you can only make it for upto 10 hrs and the booking is available based on your Castaway Club Membership.
- For Concierge and Pearl Castaway Club members, booking window usually opens 123 days prior sailing.
- For Platinum Castaway Club members, the booking window opens 120 days prior sailing.
- For Gold Castaway Club members, booking window opens 105 days prior sailing.
- For Silver Castaway Club members, the booking window opens 90 days prior sailing.
- For first-time cruisers, the booking window opens 75 days prior sailing.
However, if you forget to pre-reserve, you still have a chance to make reservations for your child on the embarkation day of your journey, but this completely depends on availability.
How much does Disney Youth Programs cost?
The program charges $9 per hour (These prices may change). Minimum reservation time is 1 hr. In case of cancellations or updations to your reservations, make sure you do it before 4 hours of your reservation time to avoid any cancellation charges.
Snacks are provided in between meal times to toddlers or infants who are able to eat solids. Parents can also bring the following items while dropping off their kids –
- Extra clothing
- A baby blanket (children under 12 months can only bring a pacifier in their crib)
- Baby food and milk bottles
- Diapers and wipes
Nursery Locations on each cruise:
- Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, and Disney Fantasy – Deck 5
- Disney Wish and Disney Treasure – Deck 2
2. Disney's Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab
Disney’s Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab are connected programs for kids and children between 3 to 10 years of age. It offers interactive games, educational activities, and other themed activities. However, the Oceaneer Lab focuses more on creativity and experimentation. If you’ve already selected a Disney cruise packages then Oceaneer Club is one of the best experiences your children could have. It allows them to be more creative and they can make friends from different cities, belonging to different cultures.
Do you need to make pre-reservations for Disney Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab?
Unlike “It’s a small-world nursery “, the Oceaneer program doesn’t require any pre-registration, children can come and go whenever they want.
There are activities for children of all age groups where they can completely immerse themselves to find something exciting, which will be totally of their choice. There are several fun activities like Sloppy Science, cooking classes, marshmallow Olympics, etc. You must note that these activities are different for different itineraries and can be found on the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App.
Kids Club Hours
Generally, the timings for Oceaneer Kids Club are from 9 AM until midnight, except for the embarkation day, and these timings may vary accordingly.
Check-in & Check-out Process
Several youth counselors are present at dedicated check-in areas. Children are given one Oceaneer Band that they need to wear on their wrist so they can scan it at the time of entry and exit. These wristbands have RFID chips inside them so their location can be tracked by the youth counselors. These bands have other related information such as the child’s name, medical information, age, stateroom, and dietary concerns. Parents can also assign who can pick their children and can also set some passwords for it during the initial registration. Children below 8 years old must be accompanied by their parents, however, children above 8 years old can come and leave whenever they want.
Disney’s Oceaneer Club Locations:
Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, and Disney Fantasy – Deck 5
Disney Wish & Disney Treasure – Deck 2
Scuttle’s Cove
Scuttle’s Cove is an outdoor kid’s club on the island. So, do not forget to be a part of it if you’re having a stop at Castaway Cay as it is open from 9 AM to 3:30 PM, after which you have to onboard the ship again. It includes activities such as treasure hunt, digging, castle making, etc. and due to the safety concerns both parents and kids are required to check in and out.
Sebastian’s Cove
Sebastian’s Cove is a kid’s club on the Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. You can have a chill time at Family Beach or Serenity Bay and meanwhile, kids can have their splashing fun at the pools inspired by “The Little Mermaid”.
3. Disney's All-Inclusive Youth Program for Teens and Tweens
Disney Cruise Line offers an inclusive youth program for teenagers of age 11 to 17 years. Edge program is designed for children of age 11 to 14 years while the Vibe program is designed for children between 14 to 17 years. While Edge has interactive games with themed activities and cool lounges, Vibe has entertainment options where teens can socialize and interact with each other via movies, dance clubs, and video games. It also has a non-alcoholic drinks bar where teens can have sodas and juices.
Edge Youth Program Locations –
- Disney Magic & Disney Wonder: Deck 9
- Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy: Deck 13 inside forward funnel
- Disney Dream (during Falls season): Deck 5
- Disney Wish – Deck 5
Vibe Youth Program Locations –
- Disney Dream & Disney Fantasy: Deck 5
- Disney Magic and Disney Wonder: Deck 11
- Disney Wish: Deck 12
