A few kids club questions
 

We leave in 9 days for our cruise on the Wonder:cool1: We have a son who recently turned 3. He has been potty trained for about 6 months so I am not concerned about that aspect but I am a little intimidated by the size of the club. If there are no organized activities do the CM's help "guide" them to age appropriate things to do? Is there a CM in every room to watch the kids? Is there anyway to restrict your child's ability to move between the club and the lab? Sorry for the long post. I am just trying calm my nerves a little. Thanks!

We did the fantasy but yes there were tons of CMs around. My dd is 4 and she was never alone. There was always someone playing with her even if it wasnt an organized activity time. It was really a great experience! I'm not sure about restricting the movement between the club and lab since ours were connected.

All children who are checked in will have to move to either the club or the lab when there is open house in the other area. I have seen one post recently where someone's 3 or 4 yo was discouraged from participating in an activity that was intended for older kids, but that may have been because it was more physical.

Yes, I remember the post you're referring to just because it was GAGA ball, which is my daughter's favorite (she's 8 ). On the ship they play in the main entry area to the club or lab and it involves kicking a playground ball at other kids. So, yes, if there were lots of 8,9,10 yos, I can see not letting a 3yo play.
OP, if your son does end up seeing a game or activity he wants to try, you could try asking if the CMs could organize a "little kid only" time so he could try it. But I also bet that your little 3yo will have a CM or two that befriends him. I've seen it happen every time--they figure out what he likes and occupy his time with that (movies, crafts, coloring, drawing, computers....). I've never ever seen a little one wandering around looking lost :)

i hope they are super mindful of germ transmission. we leave in 9 days, in the middle of flu season.

There are handwashing stations just inside the entrance to the Club/Lab and the kids are required to stop there on their way in. Also handwashing stations in the restrooms, though the kids must be capable of doing that on their own. I don't think the kids are any more likely to get sick from playing in the Club/Lab than going to school.

I have thought about this as well. Both my kids have their flu shot but I have heard of a lot of people getting the flu this year even though they got a flu shot.

I have never cruised disney but on all the other cruises we have been on, I have taken Lysol wipes and scrubbed down the stateroom the first day.

Actually, the kids get "classes" on hand washing and use of sanitizer.

As to restricting movement between Club and Lab--the CMs don't encourage the little ones to go over to the Lab except when the Club is scheduled for open house hours. If you pick up your child before the transition to the open house, there would be no reason for a CM to encourage your child toward the bigger setting. Actually the CMs would prefer to keep the little ones in the OC area where the bathrooms, etc. are all child sized.

Yes, there are CMs in each room. Yes, they try to guide the kids toward appropriate activities.

I think that you are more likely to catch something from an adult who is not adhering to the basic common sense practices than kids who go to the clubs honestly. I have seen people not wash their hands before leaving the bathroom and refusing the hand wipes at the entrance to the MDRs. We talked about all that on our last cruise. I don't suppose they wipe down the menu folders between meals. DS had a virus on day 4. The doctor said there was no reason for him to be confined because there were tons of other people walking around with the same thing or worse. He talked about the ship being a giant petri dish and that you have a better chance of getting sick on the ship than not.

I worry about that too. I just have visions of my three year old wandering around aimlessly crying. I hope there is supervision and people playing with the kids at all times.

There are a lot of crew members in the kids clubs with the children, and yes, they do interact with the kids.

What do you mean "open house" I thought both club and lab were open for us to tour before the ship leaves port canaveral and then adults were not allowed in from then on?

Open houses are scheduled each day in either the lab or the club -- along with the Edge and Vibe in the morning hours when the teens/tweens are not out and about yet. During that time only kids with an adult can go into the area of the club/lab. All kids who have been checked in for secured programing will be moved to the section that is not having the open house. If the OH is in the club, the secured programing will be held in the lab, and visa versa.

The open houses are usually for 2 hours in the morning in the club. If you want to drop off they have to go to the lab at that time. The open houses are really fun though! They do some really neat programs with the magic play floor and with characters coming in, etc. we had open house during mickeys puzzle playtime and lilo and stitch's Hawaiian luau.

Open houses also happen during dinner hours and in the evening some days. They are also held in the Lab area, so everyone 3-12 not with an adult would be in the club area.