In all of our travels to Disney, we have never enrolled our children in any of the kids club activities partly because they did not fit into our time schedule, and partly because our children were not both old enough to participate as drop-offs. My own memories of traveling as a child always include these types of special drop-off kid club activities, so I was excited to finally have two children within the required age range while on the Disney Dream Christening Cruise. While we found that there were so many things to do both on ship and off that we did not utilize the youth clubs as much as we would have liked, Emma and Noah both agreed that the kids’ clubs were even more fun than they had anticipated! When we cruise with Disney on the Dream again in the future, we will be sure to plan more time for the kids to be alone in the Oceaneer while my husband and I find time for a quiet dinner or even just a stroll around the ship. Because the time my kids spent in the Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab was their favorite experience on board, it’s guilt free alone time!
Disney’s Oceaneer Club
My first impression of the Oceaneer Club and Lab on board the Dream was that no detail was overlooked from the automatic hand washing and drying stations just inside the entrance to the incredible security measures. This was our first time dropping our children off in this type of environment, so I was thrilled to see that each child was fitted with a security bracelet. The enrollment process took just enough time to make me feel secure as a parent, but to not become a hassle in an already short vacation. My kids kept their security bracelets on for the entire duration of the trip and never complained about them. While my kids traveled back and forth between the Club and the Lab, they had the most fun in the Oceaneer Club. With four themed play areas extending off of a central hub, the kids never found themselves to be bored. My son, the computer nut, loved the walls of computers, which he found very easy to use on his own. My daughter loved the opportunity to dress up and work on coloring pages in Pixie Hollow, and they both enjoyed playing in Andy’s Room. The Disney Dream Cast Members in the Oceaneer Club were patient, outgoing, and clearly very responsible. They were that perfect blend of fun that kids love and trust-worthy that parents need.
Disney’s Oceaneer Lab
The Oceaneer Lab is connected to the Club through a workshop room where cast members lead the kids in a variety of special activities and experiments. My kids loved the interactive floor in the giant media room of the Oceaneer Club. At different times during their stay in the Oceaneer Club and Lab, various games began on the floor, led by a cast member. The interactive experiences reminded me very much of those dance themed video games asking players to move their feet in certain ways on an digital floor. This was something my kids had never experienced before and they loved it!
While we did not take advantage of this service, kids have the option to enjoy their meals in the Oceaneer Lab, and the cast members were kind enough to ask my kids during their longest stay if they would like to eat there or wait and dine with us. Knowing how easy it was for my kids to become acclimated to the Club and Lab, this is definitely a service we will utilize in the future!
For more about the Disney Dream including the Oceaneer Club and Lab, visit the Disney Cruise Line.
My travel expenses including my airfare and cruise package were provided by Disney Cruise Line as part of the Disney Dream Christening Cruise, which provided members of the media with an opportunity to preview this new and exciting ship. All opinions are my own.