Hey Brent!
So excited for your upcoming sailing and to be able to chat with you about your cruise plans. As they say in
Finding Nemo, “Welcome aboard explorers! Let’s get this show started!” We love answering questions all about Disney Cruise Line and sailing out in the “Big Blue.”
Yes, those
Oceaneer bands for kids ages 3-12 are still being used in
Disney’s Oceaneer Club and
Disney’s Oceaneer Lab. You are correct that these magic wristbands are very similar to a MagicBand, and they are used for checking in and out of the Youth Clubs. The Oceaneer Band only works inside these clubs and enables the Cast Members to be able to identify if your child is playing in Disney’s Oceaneer Club or Disney’s Oceaneer Lab, thanks to a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip in the band.
Children will receive their wristbands at the cruise terminal. These bands are to be returned at the end of your sailing, or you can keep the band and a small fee will be charged to your stateroom account.
The new protocols require that parents register their children 3 to 12 years of age for those Youth Clubs during the
Online Check-In process and then, prior to setting sail, reserve a specific session time online or via the
Disney Cruise Navigator app. The current timetable for these bookings is 15 days in advance of your sail date, but check the
Pre-Cruise Checklist as it gets updated very regularly and that time frame may change.
For Disney's Oceaneer Club and Disney's Oceaneer Lab, Guests can book one session per day per child on a first-come, first-served basis. Once onboard, Guests can also check with Guest Services about registering and reserving session time for their child, pending availability. I’ve heard that many families have had success booking more than one session a day for their kids, and I can SEA why the kids would want this after being in those fun Youth Clubs myself!
Brent, just keep swimming back to planDisney if you think of anything else. We may want to shout, “Mine! Mine Mine!” when your question comes in, but I promise that we will dive in and get back with an answer just as quickly as we can.
Bon Voyage!
Sherry