Tell me more about the nursery/infants....

[nycdisneygal]

Please.
Will be sailing with DH, DDs (11 and 18 months), Dsis and Dparents. DH thinks we should not put her in the nursery. But I definitely feel like I want some R and R and she is one of those kids that does not stay still at all (so different from DD1!). I work outside the home over 60 hours per week so I definitely want to spend time with her but I need a break too! I know it will be too much for my parents to really watch her (since she is always on the run). Dsis will of course spend time with her.
So anyways, to make a long story short, would love to hear more about people's experiences so I can discuss with DH...I tentatively booked 3 hours for our last sea day, and we can check it out when we embark to see what we think...
Also, I dont have a pack n play but I know we will get one for our room. I read somewhere to bring my own sheets. Just standard size pack n play sheet?

 

[5Texans]

I would definitely plan on using the nursery. We do not leave our kids w/ ANYONE except our parents and we felt very comfortable sending DD 5, 3, and 15 mo to the nursery/kids club.

Don't wait until the last day to check it out! See how she does early on, and I'd try at least twice before I gave up. This is part of what makes a cruise such a great family vacation.

I would plan on a couple hours in the evening/day for you and DH to have some adult time, go to the spa, etc. The rainforest room was my version of mommy paradise (I work full time at a stressful job too). My kids did fine w/ dinner, so we ate as a family every night, then dropped them off, except the night we ate at Palo.

The nursery is sparkling clean and the staff was amazing. DD has never been to daycare, but she did fine. No crying. We went in and pluto was playing with the babies one night, Daisy another night.

The pack n play was standard size, but it took up a lot of floor space, so we used the bed w/ the rails and had it left down all day for nap time.

We brought a small backpack/diaper bag w/ diapers/wipes/snacks/paci/sippy cup/change of clothes. But, I was kind of using as my purse too and had a pouch of my stuff, which wasn't allowed to be dropped off got temporarily confiscated by the staff (embarrassing but no big deal)- so just keep in mind.

 

[nycdisneygal]

I would definitely plan on using the nursery. We do not leave our kids w/ ANYONE except our parents and we felt very comfortable sending DD 5, 3, and 15 mo to the nursery/kids club.

Don't wait until the last day to check it out! See how she does early on, and I'd try at least twice before I gave up. This is part of what makes a cruise such a great family vacation.

I would plan on a couple hours in the evening/day for you and DH to have some adult time, go to the spa, etc. The rainforest room was my version of mommy paradise (I work full time at a stressful job too). My kids did fine w/ dinner, so we ate as a family every night, then dropped them off, except the night we ate at Palo.

The nursery is sparkling clean and the staff was amazing. DD has never been to daycare, but she did fine. No crying. We went in and pluto was playing with the babies one night, Daisy another night.

The pack n play was standard size, but it took up a lot of floor space, so we used the bed w/ the rails and had it left down all day for nap time.

We brought a small backpack/diaper bag w/ diapers/wipes/snacks/paci/sippy cup/change of clothes. But, I was kind of using as my purse too and had a pouch of my stuff, which wasn't allowed to be dropped off got temporarily confiscated by the staff (embarrassing but no big deal)- so just keep in mind.

Thanks so much. If she is there during lunch time do I just have to leave food or do they feed them lunch?

 

[bbel]

Thanks so much. If she is there during lunch time do I just have to leave food or do they feed them lunch?

If they're there during lunch/dinner times for the kids club (which is noted on the navigator), then they bring food over from there for the nursery. Lunch is sandwiched (cheese and turkey), cheese sticks and fruit salad.
The nursery also have a stash of milk, crackers, bananas and yogurts which are available at all times.
Each time you check in they'll ask you what they can or can't have, if or when you want them to eat etc.

 

[bbel]

Also, I would always book some nursery time, if you cancel with enough warning you won't get charged.
I don't know what ship your on, but the majority of the time on the classic ships it was possible to get walk-up reservations and almost guaranteed you can book on the day, so if anything comes up while on the cruise (like you all feel like going to see a movie or a tastings or the spa or even just go for a coffee for an hour) that's also an option.

 

[Trera]

Between time at meals and in castaway cay, you will get some good time with your kids. We went on 10 cruises from the time our DD turned 1 until she was potty trained and she always enjoyed time in the nursery. It was hard those first couple of times leaving her there but soon we realized she always had a good time and they have lots of crafts and activities going on all the time. I feel getting a little time to yourself at the adult pool or spa is crucial for me being able to truly relax and enjoy the vacation.

Good luck.

 

[kboo]

Jumping on this thread as well!

Our YDD will be 21 months at cruise time and goes to Bright Horizons day care all day. What does the nursery do as far as naps? She can nap on a mat at dc but they usually have a darkened room for all the toddlers in the room to sleep, and she naps horribly at home in her crib (1 hour is a win). So I'm wondering if it would be better to have her take naps at the nursery or in our room (with one of us, of course). Also, does it tend to book up in advance?

Also, for those of you who have used the nursery in the evening (our older one will love the kids club), how do your kids deal with bedtime/being tired, etc.?

 

[bbel]

Jumping on this thread as well!

Our YDD will be 21 months at cruise time and goes to Bright Horizons day care all day. What does the nursery do as far as naps? She can nap on a mat at dc but they usually have a darkened room for all the toddlers in the room to sleep, and she naps horribly at home in her crib (1 hour is a win). So I'm wondering if it would be better to have her take naps at the nursery or in our room (with one of us, of course). Also, does it tend to book up in advance?

Also, for those of you who have used the nursery in the evening (our older one will love the kids club), how do your kids deal with bedtime/being tired, etc.?

They have a sleep 'room' (it's technically not a separate room but a darkened corner). They have a number of cribs and strollers and can easily get a nap mat if that would work. Just talk it through with the CM at the time.
They will change them into pyjamas too if you want it.

As for booking up, totally depends on the ship/itinerary/time of year. Book what you know you need, you will be able to add more onboard or change it around. And usually they wont say no to drop ins unless super busy - they'll just pull CM from the club if they need to.

 

[kboo]

They have a sleep 'room' (it's technically not a separate room but a darkened corner). They have a number of cribs and strollers and can easily get a nap mat if that would work. Just talk it through with the CM at the time.
They will change them into pyjamas too if you want it.

As for booking up, totally depends on the ship/itinerary/time of year. Book what you know you need, you will be able to add more onboard or change it around. And usually they wont say no to drop ins unless super busy - they'll just pull CM from the club if they need to.

How dark and quiet is it? I'm leaning toward having her nap in our room and wondering other toddler parents have any tips!

 

[bbel]

How dark and quiet is it? I'm leaning toward having her nap in our room and wondering other toddler parents have any tips!

It's not pitch black, it's not allowed to be, but from my experience it's darker than any nursery I've been in on land. It's normally pretty quiet, it's away from the main play area, but obviously if it's busy or there's a screaming kid it probably won't be.
But do what works best for you. The nursery onboard will work with you and fit in your routine much more than any nursery I've worked in prior.

 

[Quellman]

There are nursery open house activities where you can go and explore the space with your little ones. We did this with our non-day care kid a few years ago at 14 months. During an open house we went to the space with him and engaged in some of the activities. When we later went to deop him off, he was practically knocking down the door to get in the place. Of course your experience may differ.
We didn't leave him in there for more than a few hours, and still don't even though he can go to the kids club now. It can be a lot of stimulation and a lot of experiences, so for a 3 year old, it can make for some cranky times without downtime.
On your first day, the room host will give you a list of all the nursery and toddler events happening on the cruise. There are events to engage them and you. Also, be sure to book some time in advance, you can always cancel it subject to the cancellatino policy if you feel you won't take advantage of it.

 

[pezgirlroy]

Bbel, I love that you are here to answer questions on this. My kids are daycare kids (Bright horizons as well actually) so I have no general concerns at all. My youngest will be 2 when we are on the fantasy next April. We will be doing early diner and will be concierge. I am thinking of booking a couple of hours each night right after dinner so that my oldest (7) can spend time with the rest of us and enjoy the shows and so forth. If I bring a pair of pajamas will they do her "bed time" routine ie some milk and change her and put her down in a crib and hopefully she will sleep till we get her. Maybe have her there from 8-10. Does that sound like a good plan?

 

[hnthomps]

We took our two year old last year. We never put her in after dinner (but she was there for our Palo dinner) as we are very strict about bedtimes. However, plenty of other people did -- when we went to pick her up after Palo, there was a mix of kids in various states of preparation for bed. It will not be a perfect routine and I don't think it would be a good option for the evening every night if you have a kid who needs a consistent routine / sleep schedule. We don't mess with bedtime because neither of our kids will sleep past 630am no matter how late or early they go to bed. So we just committed to having one person in the cabin by 8pm every night, which was fine with us. However, if your kids are more adaptable and don't turn into underslept monsters if they don't get a good night's sleep, it is definitely a reasonable option!

We did use the nursery quite a bit during the day, including for a couple nap times, and thought it was lovely. The staff was kind, the space was safe and had good toys, etc. I wish there were more gross motor opportunities -- lots of screen opportunities, even for babies, not a lot of physical stuff -- but we just let her climb up and down 10 flights of stairs a few times a day.

Overall, I found cruising with a 2 year old to be pretty hard. We loved the cruise, but so many things require kids to be 3 and up. It would have been much more fun for all if the kids could have been in the same kids club, and done the same activities.

 

[pezgirlroy]

We took our two year old last year. We never put her in after dinner (but she was there for our Palo dinner) as we are very strict about bedtimes. However, plenty of other people did -- when we went to pick her up after Palo, there was a mix of kids in various states of preparation for bed. It will not be a perfect routine and I don't think it would be a good option for the evening every night if you have a kid who needs a consistent routine / sleep schedule. We don't mess with bedtime because neither of our kids will sleep past 630am no matter how late or early they go to bed. So we just committed to having one person in the cabin by 8pm every night, which was fine with us. However, if your kids are more adaptable and don't turn into underslept monsters if they don't get a good night's sleep, it is definitely a reasonable option!

We did use the nursery quite a bit during the day, including for a couple nap times, and thought it was lovely. The staff was kind, the space was safe and had good toys, etc. I wish there were more gross motor opportunities -- lots of screen opportunities, even for babies, not a lot of physical stuff -- but we just let her climb up and down 10 flights of stairs a few times a day.

Overall, I found cruising with a 2 year old to be pretty hard. We loved the cruise, but so many things require kids to be 3 and up. It would have been much more fun for all if the kids could have been in the same kids club, and done the same activities.

Thanks. I agree that it isn't ideal with her being 2. It would be much easier if she were 3 and could be in the kids club with her sister but my parents offered to take all of us on the cruise and in concierge no less so you know what I am not going to say no.

 

[kboo]

We took our two year old last year. We never put her in after dinner (but she was there for our Palo dinner) as we are very strict about bedtimes. However, plenty of other people did -- when we went to pick her up after Palo, there was a mix of kids in various states of preparation for bed. It will not be a perfect routine and I don't think it would be a good option for the evening every night if you have a kid who needs a consistent routine / sleep schedule. We don't mess with bedtime because neither of our kids will sleep past 630am no matter how late or early they go to bed. So we just committed to having one person in the cabin by 8pm every night, which was fine with us. However, if your kids are more adaptable and don't turn into underslept monsters if they don't get a good night's sleep, it is definitely a reasonable option!

We did use the nursery quite a bit during the day, including for a couple nap times, and thought it was lovely. The staff was kind, the space was safe and had good toys, etc. I wish there were more gross motor opportunities -- lots of screen opportunities, even for babies, not a lot of physical stuff -- but we just let her climb up and down 10 flights of stairs a few times a day.

Overall, I found cruising with a 2 year old to be pretty hard. We loved the cruise, but so many things require kids to be 3 and up. It would have been much more fun for all if the kids could have been in the same kids club, and done the same activities.

This sounds like our kids - up at 6/6:30 every day. Our activities/excursions window just opened today and very few of the port activities seem suited (or even accessible) to our toddler. Our older daughter is 5, and even many of the activities on shore would be a stretch for her, or are cruel to animals (all the dolphin excursions, for example).

We are going to do an adults-only early dinner, but only for one night later in the cruise.

 

[bbel]

Bbel, I love that you are here to answer questions on this. My kids are daycare kids (Bright horizons as well actually) so I have no general concerns at all. My youngest will be 2 when we are on the fantasy next April. We will be doing early diner and will be concierge. I am thinking of booking a couple of hours each night right after dinner so that my oldest (7) can spend time with the rest of us and enjoy the shows and so forth. If I bring a pair of pajamas will they do her "bed time" routine ie some milk and change her and put her down in a crib and hopefully she will sleep till we get her. Maybe have her there from 8-10. Does that sound like a good plan?

Hiiii
Just to point out, I only worked on the classics (although, they all follow the exact same guidelines fleet wide, but the fantasy is obviously bigger and will probably look/be busier, but they also have more staff).
They will make a note of anything you request and try and carry it out to the best of their ability. There are no clocks inside the nursery so sometimes routines can be a bit off, but then I think thats most peoples vacations anyway. But yes, they will totally change her, give her milk and (at least try to) put her down. Unless its mommy-milk, you don't need to bring it with you, there is an unending supply in the nursery.
Make sure you book for those times though, they are the most popular (that and sea day mornings = palo brunch), you can always cancel if its not working for you.

 

[bbel]

The staff was kind, the space was safe and had good toys, etc. I wish there were more gross motor opportunities -- lots of screen opportunities, even for babies, not a lot of physical stuff -- but we just let her climb up and down 10 flights of stairs a few times a day.

They used to have those mini indoor climbing/slide things, but in the nursery (and kids club), everything is extensively cleaned at the end of the day. All toys are deep cleaned - preferably in the dishwasher, and they had too many gaps and holes in them - if theres dust/ bits in it then its not clean, if you cant get it clean it get chucked out, they were just impossible to pass Disney's inspections.
If a kid puts a toy in their mouth, its get taken away to be cleaned.
Although, all my time on the magic/wonder they had a mini basket ball set, trikes and a slide and only one TV, and if its quiet they would often take the older kids into the club to run around, meet the characters and use the big slide.

 

[pezgirlroy]

Hiiii
Just to point out, I only worked on the classics (although, they all follow the exact same guidelines fleet wide, but the fantasy is obviously bigger and will probably look/be busier, but they also have more staff).
They will make a note of anything you request and try and carry it out to the best of their ability. There are no clocks inside the nursery so sometimes routines can be a bit off, but then I think thats most peoples vacations anyway. But yes, they will totally change her, give her milk and (at least try to) put her down. Unless its mommy-milk, you don't need to bring it with you, there is an unending supply in the nursery.
Make sure you book for those times though, they are the most popular (that and sea day mornings = palo brunch), you can always cancel if its not working for you.

Thanks again. Very helpful. That is my plan to book for a few of those slots after dinner and on sea days at our 125 day out point. Thanks again.

 

[MagicallyMom]

I just want to say thanks for the thread! I had similar questions for use in the future, but now I don't need to post.

 

[Chemist]

Our activities/excursions window just opened today and very few of the port activities seem suited (or even accessible) to our toddler. Our older daughter is 5, and even many of the activities on shore would be a stretch for her, or are cruel to animals (all the dolphin excursions, for example).

Have you considered just doing beach days?

We were not "beach people" before our kids were born. We live 30 minutes away and seldom went.

Now we are at the beach ALL the time. Our kids can play for hours in the water, in the sand, back in the water.
My little guy had a blast at the beach before his 1st birthday just crawling around in the sand.

We cruise the Eastern Caribbean last summer and did beach days at all stops. Everyone had a great time!
(And no, I still don't enjoy lying in the sun "relaxing". But I love playing with my boys.)