Disney Cruise Line makes changes in children’s programs

Captain Hook visits the 'So You Want to be a Pirate' lab, one of many children's activities on Disney Cruise Line. (Photo by Disney Cruise Line)

Disney Cruise Line has announced a change in its popular kids programming that is sure to please parents — children no longer will be grouped by age, but by the activities they choose to participate in.

While Disney will continue to recommend activities that appeal to specific maturity levels and ages, all offerings in the Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab are open to children ages 3 to 12 on the Disney Wonder and ages 3 to 10 on the Disney Magic. 

In addition to the obvious benefit of have a wider range of things to do, this change also makes planning easier for friends and extended families who vacation together and have children of different ages. That definitely would be a key point for my children and their cousins.

How could they not be excited by these possibilities with popular Disney characters?

** During the new Cinderella’s Royal Ball, young guests can feel like royalty as Cinderella shows them how to be princes or princesses. 

** So You Want to be a Pirate offers adventurous tales of the high seas, pirate training for young buccaneers, swashbuckling fun and a special appearance by Captain Hook. 

** Children are immersed in the world of Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story during Toy Story Boot Camp. Led by Corporal Green, toy recruits participate in interactive activities. 

Other activities are hands-on sessions designed to appeal to children’s sense of creativity and invention: 

** In Ratatouille Cooking School, kids work together to bake tasty chocolate chip cookies. 

** During the new Animal Tracking Series, children discover that conservation can be fun as they learn about endangered animals, create an animal tracking device and locate (plush) cotton-top tamarin monkeys using telemetry tracking on Castaway Cay. 

** In Flubber, one of the most popular youth activities on Disney Cruise Line, children join Professor Goo in creating magical green goo and other interesting concoctions.

Other onboard youth activities include playful programs such as Mouseketeer Training and Little Einsteins for preschoolers; challenge-and solution-games like Stitch’s Great Adventure and Detective School with Goofy; high-action group activities such as Kim Possible: Cruise Control and The Challenge of Davy Jones; and unstructured free time to enjoy the youth areas, play on computers and spend time having fun with new friends. 

And those are just the children-only offerings. Disney stage productions, family activities, first-run films in digital 3-D, poolside movies, deck parties, a family club and the Castaway Cay Family Beach provide even more opportunities for families to make memories together.