Current Youth Activities CM -- Ask me anything!

[CMontheseas]

Oh how magical! I love Cruise Director Brent! And I can recognize some of my Youth Activities team!


Yes, I am thrilled about the new clothing for our team, we were bouncing around ideas about it and I'm glad they chose this option. It's a bit sportier, not as unflattering- AND WE DON'T HAVE TO TUCK OUR YELLOW POLOS INTO OUR PANTS ! (This is a big deal for us too.)

The new Mickeybands are sure to be far better than the clunky expensive ones that got lost all the time. Now they're brighter and prettier and easier to convince a little one to wear!

 

[scootch]

Do 14 year olds have to chose which club they are going to, or can they go to both? Thanks.

 

[jnsma]

First off thanks for responding to all the questions, it is quite informative. Maybe we’ll see you on the Dream in Jan.

The information about the screens on the Dream was helpful. We have 2 kids (twins). My son is very social and when he comes out of the club he talks about games he played and friends he made. Meanwhile my daughter tells us about the shows she watched.

I did have 1 question. Do you know if DCL ever considered the dine and play for early seating at dinner?
We always eat early and it isn’t a big deal to run the kids to the club if they finish early so we can have a more relaxing dessert, but if the dine and play option were available we'd certainly make use of it.

 

[CMontheseas]

Do 14 year olds have to chose which club they are going to, or can they go to both? Thanks.

They can go to both as they please

 

[CMontheseas]

I did have 1 question. Do you know if DCL ever considered the dine and play for early seating at dinner?
We always eat early and it isn’t a big deal to run the kids to the club if they finish early so we can have a more relaxing dessert, but if the dine and play option were available we'd certainly make use of it.

I can't say for sure how seriously they considered it, I know on random cruises we tried it out and it was rarely used (most parents in the first seating wanted their kids to accompany them to the show afterward instead of leaving with us right away!) so in my experience at least it likely wasn't considered too necessary. I don't know if this was tried out fleet wide or if it was just our Manager trying new things.

I do know that the current Dine & Play model for second seating was because so many more guests at the second seating requested it compared to the first!

 

[klineyqueen]

Thanks CM. What is the youngest age required for someone to sign out someone else. For instance can an older sibling with sign out privileges sign out a younger sibling too? If so what is the age requirement of the older sibling? Is it 18? Thanks.

 

[CMontheseas]

Thanks CM. What is the youngest age required for someone to sign out someone else. For instance can an older sibling with sign out privileges sign out a younger sibling too? If so what is the age requirement of the older sibling? Is it 18? Thanks.

Anyone 13 years of age and older may be authorized to sign out a child!

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

CM-- I just wanna say-- The CM's make my cruise MAGICal!!!! I agree with the PP. I have yet to be on the Dream/Fantasy but I know a lot of the CM's say that it is more like a FAMILY on the Magic and Wonder. And I feel that as a guest onboard for sure. Also my Nephew worked on the Wonder and the Magic in entertainment, shows...good friends with Scar. he says the CM's like the closeness of the classic ships. SO DO I!!! We have built relationships with many CM's, followed their lives, shared in their triumphs. Watched some get married and now ready to give birth to beautiful baby girl....not sure you get that on the bigger ships. So let me thank you from the bottom of my heart for being an amazing CM!!!! And yes I know not all guests are like my family and build relationships. Some come on short cruises and it's obvious they aren't after that experience. We do longer cruises and those experiences make our vacation. That's really all I wanted to say---- you are part of my MAGICal experience!!

 

[disneygrandma]

Sorry, I wasn't able to read every post. However, I did see some of my questions answered. Although it appears there's quite a bit for younger kids to do, a AAA TA told me that our grand kids ages 13 - 17 will be bored on a Disney cruise. This will be our first ever cruise experience. Do the ships have anything special for this age group?

Thank you.

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

Sorry, I wasn't able to read every post. However, I did see some of my questions answered. Although it appears there's quite a bit for younger kids to do, a AAA TA told me that our grand kids ages 13 - 17 will be bored on a Disney cruise. This will be our first ever cruise experience. Do the ships have anything special for this age group?

Thank you.

I beg to differ. My DD(13) loves the DCL. She goes to the EDGE, makes friends and hangs out. The last 2 cruises when she was 12 & 13, I never saw her except at our family manditory times(i.e.- breakfast, dinner and the show) and that is basically all we got. My kids make friends and some we vacation with now and some we are going to visit in January. My kids shed tears at the end of most cruises cause they make awesome friends and have amazing time to remember!

 

[vacation_junkie]

How about Sunblock for the CM's? I know when we do island vacations we always bring Sunblock as it usually expensive for the island folks to buy.
I usually buy a case of small packets of sun block and give that along with other goodies!

 

[JoeP26]

Sorry, I wasn't able to read every post. However, I did see some of my questions answered. Although it appears there's quite a bit for younger kids to do, a AAA TA told me that our grand kids ages 13 - 17 will be bored on a Disney cruise. This will be our first ever cruise experience. Do the ships have anything special for this age group? Thank you.

no way I'm 16 and my favorite part of the cruise is chilling at the vibe with my new friends and CM's from all over the world I've never met someone who was bored at the vibe

 

[insureman]

Sorry, I wasn't able to read every post. However, I did see some of my questions answered. Although it appears there's quite a bit for younger kids to do, a AAA TA told me that our grand kids ages 13 - 17 will be bored on a Disney cruise. This will be our first ever cruise experience. Do the ships have anything special for this age group?

Thank you.

We've gone on 13 DCL cruises and my 2 daughters have never been bored with the programs they have on board for the kids, as a matter of fact my oldest just started college and is still in contact with kids all over the globe that she has made friends with on DCL.

 

[LamieMom]

CM- Are there any paved areas in Scuttles Cove on CC? DH and I were thinking of running the 5k on one of our upcoming trips and we would have to send the kids to Scuttles Cove. We've cruised DCL three times before, but the kids have never been to the club on CC. Our daughter (6) uses a manual wheelchair, and we can't tell from videos/pics online how much of any area she could actually access. Thanks!

 

[Seamama]

There isn't really a reference guide.

Muster - lifeboat drill
DH, DS, DD, DW - dear, darling, dumb, darn - Husband, Son, Daughter, Wife
FE - Fish Extender (if you check out the FAQ sticky above, there is a link to what a FE is - sort of a secret Santa gift exchange).

And CMs to me can be either CAST or CREW members. Equally important.

To clarify just a bit more...

DH = dear husband (or darling husband) but could also be dumb or darn husband, haha!

DW = dear wife (or darling wife), etc.

DS = dear son, etc.

DD = dear daughter, etc. If there's a number after that, it usually means the child's age. These are all basically just a way to reference people in our lives without having to say their names or spell out the relationships and are common shorthand on internet forums (not just disBoards).

FE = "Fish Extender". Not sure if you ever get to wander the ship and see people have hung "mailboxes" outside their stateroom doors? It's part of these really fun network on gift exchanges that people do- lots of fun!

And I always thought all Disney employees were called "Cast Members", so when I see CM that's what I think of... and that's what I call you all. Isn't it at way at Disneyland? (All employees called "Cast Members"?)

Anyway, THANK YOU so much for taking the time to post here. I do have one question... Open House in the kids' clubs is truly open to anyone, right? I'm just worried when my kids "age out" of there, they might still want to play a little bit. We could go in at Open House and play at least, right?

Oh! Just thought of one last thing, I really think that DCL should have a policy then when kids are registered for the clubs, they tell the parents what to do if their kids are in the clubs and there's an emergency requiring us to go to the assigned Muster station... I'm sure you can't change the policy yourself but if I as a cruiser wanted to suggest it, who would I tell? (And a note to parents: If you allow your child to have check in/out privileges, don't forget to have this discussion- emergency plans are important!)

 

[Seamama]

Below petty officers is essentially the majority of the ship ... They aren't allowed to be up on deck unless for work-related duties and therefore can't see the shows or interact with guests or go shopping except at special crew-only functions. They also tend to have less ability to go on excursions or do the things we'd get to do. ...

Woah, I didn't know that! I see you said that's industry standard but wow, it seems kind of cruel to me. I feel like if they're "off duty" they should at least get to come above deck. I can see the potential conflict if they filled the theatre and cruise guests missed out on seeing a show but I feel like they should at least be able to get unused seats at shows (maybe by a lottery system). Are there nice things for them to do below decks? I read some of your descriptions of what you have (mess hall, store, etc.) but is it nice? Is there a movie theatre? Exercise room? What do people do when they're not working if they can't be above deck? Just curious, thanks!

 

[MKRuns 26]

To clarify just a bit more...

And I always thought all Disney employees were called "Cast Members", so when I see CM that's what I think of... and that's what I call you all. Isn't it at way at Disneyland? (All employees called "Cast Members"?)

You are correct in calling those who are employed by Disney as Cast Members, but only if they work on land, i.e. working at a park, resort, terminal, restaurant, or office. Those working on one of the four ships are referred to as Crew Members, per governmental and maritime legal regulations. Long explanation short "CM" works when referring to both.

 

[lbgraves]

... Although it appears there's quite a bit for younger kids to do, a AAA TA told me that our grand kids ages 13 - 17 will be bored on a Disney cruise. ...

Evidently your TA has never been on a Disney cruise. My kids are 13 & 15 now. They wish we were going on another cruise soon.

 

[Seamama]

You are correct in calling those who are employed by Disney as Cast Members, but only if they work on land, i.e. working at a park, resort, terminal, restaurant, or office. Those working on one of the four ships are referred to as Crew Members, per governmental and maritime legal regulations. Long explanation short "CM" works when referring to both.

Thanks!

Also, to disneygrandma... I would say that if you let your grandkids have some freedom, they will have a fabulous time! There are the official hangouts for them to go, game show type activities and even comedy/magic shows for all ages (this is beyond the nightly show that's before/after dinner), and really just being about to hang out almost anywhere on their own (if you let them)... It will be great!

 

[Desi]

On the Magic several years ago we had a wonderful room host. He made our cruise amazing. We got the Romance at Sea package, which included Champagne. We don't drink, so at the end of the cruise we wrote THANK YOU with candy bars on the bed & left the champagne for him. Do you think he got to keep the booze?