We are doing a huge family cruise on the Magic in May. We have tons of kids going. We are a bit confused with the whole age thing for the cuts off for the lab and Quest. I was told the lab was for 8-10 year olds, Quest is 11-13, and The Stack is 14-17. I have a family member who swear that the ages have all been ajusted lately.

I am in a bit of a panic because I have a 10 year old who I do not want in the Quest. He in no way shape or form needs to be with middle school kids. I did preregister him online and it did register him in the lab. If this is going to change when we get on board I would really like to know in advance so I can reajust our plans a bit. My hubby and I will need to be checking in on him far more then we would if he was in the lab. I also think I might have him join us on a few excursions rather then have be in the Quest while we are not on board. I know I am a freak and way over protective. This will really stink for us if it has changed because the main reason we loved our cruise on The Wonder last year was we were able to enjoy alone adult activities knowing our children were safe and happy in the lab. It is why we rebooked on Disney! Now I know I will be a bit, okay a lot less, relaxed and won't enjoy my trip nearly as much.

I have other family member who's son will turn 14 ten days before we sail. She is wondering if he will be allowed to hang in the Quest rather then the Stack?

Does anyone have current info on what age goes where now? Also, if parents can ask for their kids to be in one area over another if their b-day is close?

Thanks in advance!

Mily

Age Levels accourding to the Disney website:

Club: 3-7
Lab: 8-12
Quest: 11-13
Aloft: 13-17
The Stack: just says "teens" but I'm goign to assume it is the same as Aloft with 13-17

It looks like they have some over lap between the levels, but 14 might be pushing it for Quest. Does the 14 year old have any cousins who are older teen agers he could hang with if he has to go to The Stack?

Don't they group them into even smaller groups once they are in there? For example, separate 3 from 7?

Yes, they do. So, you'll have 3-5 and then 6-7 in sub groups. Occasionally, they will all be together for something special, but that is rare.

Good to know:) My daughter is 6, but close to 7, so she will like that.

A big thank you to all of you who went out of your way to try and help me through my freak out overprotective Mom meltdown.

Out of sheer frustration I called Disney to get the scoop on what is up with this. I was getting different information from family, friends, and even my wonderful TA. It turns out there is a very good reason why everyone had different info.

I spoke with a awesome cast member who was very upfront with me about the fact that Disney has been fiddling with the ages of The Quest and The Stack on the Magic based on customer feed back. Apparently the whole tween/ teen thing has been a bit of a learning experince for the DLC. As a parent of a tween, with two more closley behind, boy do I understand that.

Anyway, the information on the website is not correct. At least not today. This is the current break down of the kids and their clubs: Stack 14-17, Quest 11-13, Lab 8-10 and Club 3-7. I was also told that depending on the councilor/ kid ratio if you have an issue with where your child falls they will try to work with you on this. I sincerely got the impression that Disney gets that this is a touchy issue for families and is really trying to make us happy.

Mily

Sounds like for the most part they are trying to align the ages with middle school vs high school. My DD's will be entering middle school at 11 and high school at 14, so that seems like a good place to draw the line.

One thing to remember is location.
The Club and Lab are on the same deck.
The Stack/Aloft is near the top of the ship
Ocean Quest is 2nd floor midship.

We walked around the club/lab and quest on the first day and all looked amazing (they partied into the wee hours at the quest, too)

How often do the kids leave the club for activities in the 3-7 age group?

I mean activities sponsored by the club...

You mean to go to the pool or to eat?
From what I could see, they take the 3-4 kids every day to lunch and dinner ... and one day they go to the theater for a movie. Otherwise they re are in the club and lab (the two are connected and all parents are given the activity list for the week at the beginning of the cruise so you know where they are)

Oh, ok. I'm guessing my DD will want to hang in there sometimes, but I hope not too much since it's just me and her on the cruise. But, I hear all these stories about how they never want to leave.

Then again, there are a few onboard activities that I'd like to do that she would have to be in the club for.

So if I have a 9, 11, and 13 year old and want to keep them together, would my 9 year old be able to go into Ocean Quest instead of Oceaneers Lab??

A big thank you to all of you who went out of your way to try and help me through my freak out overprotective Mom meltdown.

Out of sheer frustration I called Disney to get the scoop on what is up with this. I was getting different information from family, friends, and even my wonderful TA. It turns out there is a very good reason why everyone had different info.

I spoke with a awesome cast member who was very upfront with me about the fact that Disney has been fiddling with the ages of The Quest and The Stack on the Magic based on customer feed back. Apparently the whole tween/ teen thing has been a bit of a learning experince for the DLC. As a parent of a tween, with two more closley behind, boy do I understand that.

Anyway, the information on the website is not correct. At least not today. This is the current break down of the kids and their clubs: Stack 14-17, Quest 11-13, Lab 8-10 and Club 3-7. I was also told that depending on the councilor/ kid ratio if you have an issue with where your child falls they will try to work with you on this. I sincerely got the impression that Disney gets that this is a touchy issue for families and is really trying to make us happy.

Mily

So if I have a 9, 11, and 13 year old and want to keep them together, would my 9 year old be able to go into Ocean Quest instead of Oceaneers Lab??

I don't think the 9 year old will be allowed in the quest -- but I think the 11-13 year old sometimes have things at the Lab. Someone who has been on the ship lately might have a better insight. :)