Disney Cruise Line in a Jiffy: What is the Oceaneer Club?

Disney Cruise Line’s largest youth club, for potty-trained children ages 3-10 is called the Oceaneer Club. When DCL first set sail, there were separate spaces for younger kids in that age range (called the Club) and for older kids in that age range (called the Oceaneer Lab). While you may still see this different names used, in current practice there is just one entity, the Oceaneer Club.

Disney’s ships all have sub-areas within the Oceaneer Club where younger kids and older kids can be separated for an activity, for interest or safety. For general Club usage, older and younger kids might mix, which can often provide reassurance for younger siblings who know that their big brother or sister is nearby.

Hours vary daily (check the Personal Navigator app for the specifics during your trip), but Oceaneer hours tend to start at about 9:00 a.m. and may run as late as midnight. There will be counselors on site at all times to facilitate interactions among the youth and make sure everyone is safe. Children in the Oceaneer Club will wear special wristbands that will sound an alarm if they try to leave before a parent or guardian signs them out. Kids 8-10 may sign themselves out, with parental permission.

At most times there will be some basic diversions available such as board games, movies, or self-directed art projects. Throughout the day there will be an array of organized activities to choose from including science projects, cooking lessons, parachute games, relay races, character visits, or dance parties.

Each ship has areas themed to Disney, Marvel, Pixar, or Star Wars films. These spaces tend toward basic on the Magic and Wonder and are nearly film set quality on the Wish. Many kids can’t be dragged away from the Oceaneer Club, but if you have a youngster with separation anxiety look for Open House hours where parents may visit with their children.

Disney Cruise Line in a Jiffy is an offshoot of our “Disney in a Minute” posts. Both are bite-sized nuggets of information that can better help you understand a Disney term or planning topic, but here we’ll be focused on all thing Disney Cruise Line (DCL). Have a question about a DCL term that is unfamiliar to you? Suggest it here for an upcoming segment.