Ahoy Meghen!
Disney Cruise Line's Youth Clubs are an awesome feature of a Disney Cruise Line vacation. The clubs are a safe place for cruisers ages 3-17 to stay and enjoy fun activities with attentive Youth Counselors while the adults in your sailing party have a chance to enjoy all that a Disney Cruise has to offer. Each club has activities, games, crafts, etc. geared to a specific age range:
Certain age restriction rules have no exceptions (no child under the age of 3 in the Oceaneer Club/Lab, and cruisers 18 and up are not allowed to go to Vibe). For kids that are on the cusp of the age cutoff, Youth Counselors can sometimes make an exception with parental permission. My daughter was able to "age up" by a few months to go to Edge with her older sister on one of our cruises, and I simply had to sign a permission form for her to do so. While I can't guarantee the Youth Counselors on your particular sailing will make exceptions, I encourage you to meet with them on embarkation day to discuss your request. I also encourage you to visit both Edge and Vibe to get an overview of their activities for your sailing, to see what fun things are planned for the kids!
It's important to understand that in Vibe, the Youth Counselors allow the kids a larger amount of freedom and free time than in the other Youth Clubs. Make sure to take this into consideration when considering your child's placement in the clubs.
I hope this helps with your planning and preparation for your upcoming cruise - have a magical day! - Diane W.