Ahoy there, Susan! Welcome to planDisney!
I love this question because if there’s one thing that Disney Cruise Line does exceptionally well, it’s
kids' activities! As a mom who’s been sailing with Captain Mickey since her now tween and teen were babies, we’ve done our fair share of kids' activities at all different ages, and I would love to share them with you!
The
Youth Clubs on board Disney Cruise Line are the most fun kids' spaces your kids will ever experience! In fact, whenever I drop my kids off, I secretly wish that I could be a kid again and join in! There are multiple Youth Clubs on board the entire fleet, for ages 0-all the way up to 17 years old (technically, there are also Clubs for 18-20 year-olds, so they can hang with their group too)!
- “It’s a small world” nursery! is for ages 0-3. During operating hours, tiny cruiser guests must have a reservation, and there is a paid fee to enter. This is the only Youth Club where reservations are required.
- Disney’s Oceaneer Club is for guests aged 3-10 years old during operating hours.
- Edge is for tween guests aged 11-14 years old during operating hours.
- Vibe is for teen guests aged 14-17 years old during operating hours.
For all the Youth Clubs, guests must be the proper age to enter during operating hours. However, during Open House hours, anyone may enter. Parents may drop off their kids at any time, including during dinner time.
One of my favorite Disney cruise parenting hacks is to feed my kids dinner first (you can request that your Dining Team bring out their dinner as soon as you’re seated) and then take them to the Youth Club so that we can enjoy the rest of our dinner with some calm adult time. This definitely held more true when my kids were younger and needed to get those wiggles out!
As for activities, there are some taking place at all hours of the day, in every Youth Club, as well as all around the ship! Some activities that kids can look forward to in the Youth Clubs are dance parties and story time with favorite Disney Pals in Disney’s Oceaneer Club, Nintendo tournaments and movie marathons in Edge and Vibe, as well as SO MUCH MORE!
Around the ship, some of our favorite activities are Family Karaoke, Trivia, Character Dance Parties, meeting with our favorite Disney Pals, and much more! Nothing requires a reservation other than Royal Gathering, though I do recommend arriving 15 minutes early to each activity to ensure a good seat with your kiddos.
No matter where your activity runs take you, you can find all that's happening on board in the "My Plans" section of the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App.
Susan, I hope I provided you with plenty of fun options! I wish your family the most magical memories ahead. Please sail back to planDisney if you have any more questions.
You’ve Got a Friend in Me,
Rana