In this post, we’ll discuss the kids’ clubs aboard the Disney Wonder. We’ll start with things like the age restrictions for the different clubs and where they’re located before providing some photos of the clubs and some quicks notes on our experiences with them. Read on to learn all about the kids’ clubs on the Disney Wonder!
About This Post
This quick guide is meant to give a simple, straightforward overview of the kids’ clubs on the Disney Wonder cruise ship. It supplements our lengthy Disney Wonder Alaskan Cruise Trip Report.
You can find more (official) information on the clubs on the Disney website.
Note: By virtue of us having a toddler, this quick guide has a bias toward the two clubs for the youngest kids (ages 3 to 10)—Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab. We talk about the other clubs—Edge (ages 11 to 14) and Vibe (14 to 17)—but if you want to know more about these ahead of time, you’ll need to do some supplemental research.
Kids’ Clubs Basics
There are four kids clubs on the Disney Wonder. Oceaneer Club is for kids ages 3 to 10. Oceaneer Lab is also for kids ages 3 to 10. These two are both on Deck 5 and connected by a hallway that allows them to (oftentimes) function as one club (more on this in a bit).
Edge is for kids ages 11 to 14. Edge is located on Deck 9, forward, starboard, just outside the adult-only section of that deck. Vibe is for kids ages 14 to 17. Vibe is actually the only public space on Deck 11. You can get to it via stairs from Deck 10 or via elevator.
For more information on navigating the ship, check out our deck-by-deck breakdown of the Disney Wonder.
There are photos throughout this post, and I’ve put galleries of photos from each club at the end of this post.
Besides the basics that are available throughout the day—coloring, video games, board games, etc.—the clubs all have organized activities throughout the day. These include things like Elephant Soccer, Wacky Relays, Pirate Games, and Pictionary. The schedules for these activities are available in the app.
Kids’ Clubs Restrictions
Beyond the ages, the only requirement is that kids must be toilet trained to use the Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab (well, I guess that goes for Edge and Vibe too…). If your 3-year old isn’t toilet trained, you can pay for them to stay in the “it’s a small world” Nursery (also for kids as young as 6 months on most itineraries). The nursery does not take kids older than 3, so a 4-year-old kid who isn’t toilet trained won’t have any options apart from hanging out with their guardians.
The kids’ clubs are straightforward—they’re closed spaces for kids to hang out onboard the ship. They’re supervised by Cast Members, but adults are otherwise only welcome during Open House hours. I’ll talk about Open Houses in a bit, but during regular club hours:
all kids can check themselves into the clubs
kids 8 and older who have been given self-checkout privileges by their guardians can check themselves out of the Oceaneer Club and Lab
kids who meet the age requirements can come and go from Edge and Vibe freely
For kids who cannot check themselves out, Disney has strict pickup procedures. The person picking up will need to be on the authorized pickup list you set, and you’ll set a password that’s required for pickup.
Typical hours were 9AM to midnight, but these varied. In particular, usually either Oceaneer Club or Lab would close earlier.
You can complete the kids’ club registration before you get on the ship. If you didn’t, you can do it on the ship, too. I’d avoid this option because of the potential for lines. Disney Cruise Line has its own variety of MagicBand for check-in / checkout and to track which side of the Oceaneer clubs the kids are in. You’ll get this at the cruise terminal, if you pre-registered, or on the ship.
Kids’ Club Open Houses
Each club also has Open House hours. During Open House, anyone onboard can visit the club. At Oceaneer Club and Lab, you’re not to leave your kid alone in the club during Open House hours. Luckily, most of the time only one of Oceaneer Club or Oceaneer Lab has Open House at a time, and unaccompanied kids are moved to the other during Open House.
Playing at Edge during an open house
Oceaneer Club-Lab Connecting Hallway
This brings us to another point. When there is no ongoing Open House, the Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab are connected by a hallway. Kids can freely use this hallway to move between the two clubs (outside of Open House hours). I believe kids will also be deliberately moved between the two sides in the event that one side was closing (e.g. for the day or for open house time).
When you go to pickup, you might be told your kid has gone to the “other side” and you can either walk over there to get them, or they’ll send a Cast Member to go pick them up (we always just walked to the other one, that way Zoe could quickly see us rather than having to be corralled and brought the whole way).
Zoe’s Experiences in the Kids Clubs
Zoe absolutely loved the Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab. Having just turned 3, Zoe was probably one of the youngest kids in the clubs most times they were there, but we never heard any bad news at all. Zoe also was already in daycare, so somewhat used to being left to their own devices. Zoe was potty trained, but relatively recently. To that end, we always tried to take a restroom break before drop off.
There are plenty of scheduled activities in the clubs, from arts and crafts to games, to the occasional character appearance. There are a decent number of screens in the clubs, which might not be ideal if you’re trying to strictly regulate screen time. From Zoe’s own reports it doesn’t sound like there was too much focus on screen time. My fear was just that that there would be a lot of this:
It’s pretty common for parents to report the kids loved the kids’ clubs more than anything else on the cruise, and that was mostly our experience.
Something about a pirate, I think
More Photos from the Clubs
Here are some photo galleries of the clubs. I blurred the faces of minors, so sorry (not sorry) if that creeps you out.
Oceaneer Club Photo Gallery
Oceaneer Lab Photo Gallery
Edge Photo Gallery
Vibe Photo Gallery
