Welcome aboard, Douglas! Your family is going to have a really great experience when you set sail this summer on your very first Disney cruise! If your family is anything like mine, I bet this will not be your last sailing with Disney! There is so much excitement in store for everyone in your family from kids to adults. And yes, like you said, you can rest assured that your children will be safe and well cared for when they are in the Youth Clubs onboard.
I have great news for you about keeping in touch on the ship. Disney Cruise Line gives each stateroom two
Wave Phones for guest use onboard the ship and at Castaway Cay. These are like cell phones that help families stay in touch. You can call, leave voicemails and even text on the phones. If you need more than the two that are included, you can request another one or two from Guest Services once onboard for a small extra fee. Your older children can keep one with them to call you whenever they need you, or simply send you a text to keep in touch. Younger kids who don't use phones can still benefit. When you check the younger kids into the Oceaneer Club or Lab, they'll scan their Mickey Band so the counselors know who is there and how to contact parents. Should your child want to leave or should the counselors need to reach you for some other reason, they'll simply call or text your Wave Phone so you'll always be in touch. It's a great thing for peace of mind when you're a little nervous to leave the kids for the first time in the clubs.
I hope those details help as you count down these last few months until you set sail, Douglas. I'm happy to help with any other questions you might have, so please feel free to stop back again!