What You Need to Know About Kids Clubs on the Disney Wonder

By Jennifer Stuart

There  are five different kids-only spaces onboard the Disney Wonder for four different age groups.  Read on to find out what you need to know about these different kids clubs. 

Small World Nursery

The Small World Nursery is a child care space rather than a kids club.  This is for the smallest cruisers and has different guidelines than the regular kids clubs.  Small World Nursery is for babies aged 6 months to 3 years. This is a group babysitting service rather than a regular kids club and this comes at a price.  Reservations must be made in advance as there is a limited number of spaces available at any one time.  These will open up based on your Castaway Club status and a maximum of 10 hours can be booked before departure.  Additional hours can be added later based on availability.

Important Information:  6 months is the minimum age to cruise (1 year for Panama Canal or Transatlantic cruises).

​http://disneycruiselineblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/its-a-small-world-nursery-Schedule-Wonder-January-2017.pdf

Oceaneer Club

For kids aged  3-12 . 
There are two clubs for kids in this age group, the Oceaneer Club and the Oceaneer Lab.  Both clubs are located on Deck 5 of the Wonder and these interconnected spaces make up the bulk of this space on the ship.  The Oceaneer Club entrance is located on Deck 5 between the Oceaneer Lab and the Buena Vista Theatre.

​If you would like to have your child attend any activities in either the Oceneer Club or Lab you will need to register them and receive an Oceaneer Band that crew members scan to enter or leave and children wear while in the club. (These bands are similar to a magic band if you are familiar with those at Disney World).  Parents will need to sign kids in and out of the club in person.  For children 8 and older you can choose to give them permission to sign themselves in and out of the club or not.

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Adults are not permitted inside the club except during open house times (when the kids are not there) or during parent/child activity times. For instance we made space goo with our daughter and Stitch.

Activities in the Oceaneer Club  include: anyone can cook cupcakes, pirate crafts, Disney Infinity Challenge, Aloha Luau, parachute games, wacky relays etc...
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Oceaneer Lab

For kids aged 3-12
This is the sister club to Oceaneer Club and really they are the same club split over two different spaces.    The entrance to the Oceaneer Lab is located on Deck 5 across from the mid-ship elevators. As we said earlier it is attached to the Oceaneer  Club via a secured hallway and kids can flow back and forth between the two pretty freely depending on what activities interest them.  ​

Insider Tip: you can choose to keep your child's Oceaneer Band or to turn it back in.  If you choose to keep it your Stateroom will be charged $12.99 per band.  If you want to turn it in you need to give it back to the counsellors in the Oceaneer Club on the last night of the cruise.

Activities in the Oceaneer Lab include: Super Sloppy Science, Stitch's Adventure Squad, animation, scavenger hunt, craft corner, and marshmallow olympics.

Food in the Oceaneer Club and Lab

Food in the club:  Kids need to be checked into a club at least 15 minutes prior to a mealtime if you want your kids to eat in the club. Meals are served in the Oceaneers Club rather than the lab.  The counselors cannot force kids to eat meals, but they will make an announcement and encourage the kids to join the group. 
Foods served are usually turkey or cheese sandwiches for lunch, celery and carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, fruit and cheese sticks. Dinner includes food such as pizza, mac and cheese, mini corn dogs, lasagna, pasta and meatballs or chicken fingers, with fruits or vegetables like lunch.  All with water or apple juice to drink.

There are no snacks or drinks during the day, however there are water fountains available.  
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Dine and Play for guests with late dining

Many families with young children would prefer to have the early dining seating but this is not always possible  For families that have late dining, counselors will come to the restaurants around 9:15pm and pick up kids who don't want to stay through the entire meal.  These children will be served promptly and then the adults can enjoy a more leisurely meal while the kids play in the kids clubs.

Insider Tip: if you have a child that will straddle the age range (10-12) sign them up for both the Oceaneers Club, Lab and Edge.  That way they can do activities in both depending on their interests.  We found that ours were much more interested in Edge at this age but still wanted to do the odd activity at the Oceaneers Lab.  Similarly our son qualified for both Edge and Vibe on our last cruise and switched back and forth between the two clubs.

Edge

For kids aged  11-13 
Edge is the "tween" club - kids ages 11 - 13 can enter.  It is located on Deck 9, Midship on the Wonder. The space isn't as large as the younger kids clubs reflecting the fact there are fewer cruisers in this age group.  Also they will do crossover events with the kids in Vibe (the teen club) and be out of the space at times.  This is a much cooler space with more of an industrial feel.  The emphasis here is on games, sports, crafts and hanging out.  The counselors are there to supervise and organize group activities but there is no pressure to join in and kids in this age can come and go as they please. 
There is no band that kids wear in the club as they are not monitored in the same way as the younger kids.  When you register your child in the club they will have a sticker put in their Key to the World Card that shows they have been registered.  

Activities in Edge include: Gaga Ball, Wii Challenge, Heroes and Villains, Animation and Sports Deck fun.

​Food in the club:  There is no organized food but as kids are free to enter or leave at any time they can easily access any of the food options onboard.  If our kids are anything to go by they will most likely choose to go to the quick service choices such as Pete's Boiler Bites for burgers and hot dogs, Pinocchio's Pizzeria or Eye Scream for soft serve.  The beverage station is also easily accessible (also on deck 9).

Vibe

For kids aged 14-17.

Vibe is the teen club located on Deck 11, inside the forward funnel on the Wonder.  It is accessed through the entrance on Deck 10. This club is similar to Edge but with an older demographic.  The counselors are there to supervise and organize group activities. Kids in this age group can come and go as they please. 

Activities in Vibe include: Animation Cells, Game challenge, Smoothie Hour and Sports Deck fun.

Food in the club: There is no organized food but like in Edge, kids can come and go as they please and are able to go get food snacks and drinks at Cabanas or the quick service food locations.  

The 1820 Society

Disney Cruise Line ships may be in international waters but that doesn't mean that anything goes.  Ships follow American age guidelines for alcoholic beverage service which sets the age of consumption on board ship at 21.  This means that although they can be in adult only areas of the ship such as the Cove Cafe or the Quiet Cove pool, they are not allowed in the after hours district after 8pm at night. This can be a bit of a shock for international young adults who may be used to a younger legal drinking age.  For these travellers there is the 1820 Society.  This is specifically for cruisers ages 18-20 who are too old for any of the kids clubs but too young to be in areas serving alcohol. Look for an embarkation day meet-up to kick things off.

If you enjoyed this post you may be interested in some of our other Disney Cruise posts.

All Photos and Videos by Jennifer Stuart

Comments? Questions?  We would love to hear from you.