Help! My kids are swimmers.

[sjbakerus]

I understand the kids are not allowed to swim while in kids club or at the beach on Castaway Cay. Can they be left by themselves at the kids pool with the water slide or do they need parental supervision? Is there an age or height limit on the slide?

 

[Favorite Auntie]

I don't think the kids can be left alone at the pools or the beach, but I am not sure on that one. Probably depends on the age of the kids. There is no weight limit on the Mickey slide, but there is a height limit, I believe it is 64 inches....hope this helps!

 

[cathyrob]

I think what it will come down to, is your children are going to have choose either going to the club or going swimming with the family. I don't personally think I would leave my children unsupervised at the pools, because they tend to get very crowded. Obviously if they were teens, it would be a different story. But if your children are still young enough to want to go into the Mickey Pool, I would not leave them.

 

[Wishing on a star]

You don't mention the age of your kids... and I think that really makes a difference.

Small kids, obviously will need constant supervision... I have always heard how crowded and chaotic the kids pools can be...

The real kicker for me seems to be the middle-aged kids..... (You are are mentioning the Mickey Slide, so I am thinking that your kids may fall into this category.) I do not know how many times I have heard families on the boards complain about these kids being very unruly and sometimes causing problems for other families. Always hear posters comment..... "And where were their parents!!!" Many parents may think that "Hey, it is a Disney 'Family' Cruise, and the pool areas are adequately supervised.' Or they may think, "My kids are so 'responsible for their age', they are little angels...." Unfortunately, I do not really think that either of those statements can be counted on to be true. Get that many unsupervised kids let loose, and they tend to lose all sensibility, kind of like a 'Pack' mentalilty! I know that my DS is indeed a complete angel.... But remove parental supervision... Add half a dozen other boys running wild... NOT good!!!!

This is JMHO. Since you asked... I wanted to throw in my two-cents worth!

 

[AnnMorin]

but I do know that in the 10-12 lab group they do have a swim party where the kids take over the pool and swim under the stars.

 

[trishy]

If you're wondering if there will be any DCL cm's at the pools supervising, then the answer is no. There is usually a cm somewhere at the bottom of the slide enforcing kid-removal and one at the top for enforcing kid-descent. As far as lifeguard duty - that's one job they leave for the parents. The Mickey and Goofy pools get pretty crowded and wild. We personally save the swimming for home, the resorts, the beaches, the water parks - not the cruise. It's a zoo.

 

[sjbakerus]

My kids are 5 (6 in Sept) and 9 (10 in Dec). I would not leave my 5 yr old, but my 9 yr old is well behaved and can be trusted. Are there life guards? I have experienced on other cruises the "where are their parents" situations. I would hope my kids would not be seen in that light, but they're not perfect.

I did call the cruise line in reference to the height limit. They said there is not one. Has anyone found that to be different on board?

 

[trishy]

*JINX* Ha, posted at the same time - great minds think alike. As far as the height limit - no. My littlest - first time down slide was age 5 - my oldest (and very tall) - last time on slide was age 12. As far as swimming, though, there is no *swimming* in the mickey pool. There's hardly any water. Your 9 yr. old would be able to swim in the Goofy pool. Like others have shared, there is a lot of rough play involved at times - including jumping in (don't see how they can see through the water to know who's swimming underneath before they jump). Anyway, quite rough, but my kids did like to try the slide once or twice during the cruises.

 

[sjbakerus]

Thanks for your helpful input!!!

Trishy: I noticed your sailing July 5th. So are we!!!

Check out the July 5th postings. There are a bunch of us loging in.