newbie Questions...

[tchan03]

HI We will be on Disney Dream 4 night cruise on Feb 24th 2013.
I have a 2.5 years son, not potty trained yet. Wanna ask some questions....

Q1 Pool area: I heard that kids cannot go to children pool unless they are already potty trained. Well then...so there will be absolutely no pool and no slide for him ??
If yes, i am curious what can my son play , other than the water splash area.

Q2 Dinner timing: we are on 2nd seating. How can we switch earlier time (1st seating ) ? Usually Disney will let you switch ?

Q3 Formal or Dressy night. I know there is no formal night on 4 night cruise. I suppose one of the nights will be "dressy". If i wear tuxedo , would that be over-dressed ?

Q4 Disney transporation. How can i find out their schedule between port and MCO airport ?

Thanks!
TC

[PrincessShmoo]

Originally Posted by tchan03

HI We will be on Disney Dream 4 night cruise on Feb 24th 2013.
I have a 2.5 years son, not potty trained yet. Wanna ask some questions....

Q1 Pool area: I heard that kids cannot go to children pool unless they are already potty trained. Well then...so there will be absolutely no pool and no slide for him ??
If yes, i am curious what can my son play , other than the water splash area. Yes, in order to use the pools the child must be potty trained. There is a splash zone for those still in diapers (or swim diapers).

Q2 Dinner timing: we are on 2nd seating. How can we switch earlier time (1st seating ) ? Usually Disney will let you switch ? Immediately call DCL (or have your TA do it, if you used one) and request to be placed on the wait list for early dining. If it hasn't come through by the time you check in at the port, go to where the dining changes are being handled onboard and ask again.

Q3 Formal or Dressy night. I know there is no formal night on 4 night cruise. I suppose one of the nights will be "dressy". If i wear tuxedo , would that be over-dressed ? On the 4 night cruise it's called a "Dress Up Optional" night. A tux might be a little overkill. But I've seen them on regular "formal" nights on the longer cruises.

Q4 Disney transporation. How can i find out their schedule between port and MCO airport ? Do you mean the DCL transfers? They open at either 8:00 or 8:30 am. The busses depart every 20 minutes or when full, whichever happens first. No real set schedule.

Thanks!
TC

See my answers in red.

[lanejudy]

Originally Posted by tchan03

I have a 2.5 years son, not potty trained yet. Wanna ask some questions....

Q1 Pool area: I heard that kids cannot go to children pool unless they are already potty trained. Well then...so there will be absolutely no pool and no slide for him ??
If yes, i am curious what can my son play , other than the water splash area.

Further about Q1...this is not a DCL rule but a (Health Department?) law that applies to all cruise ships. Swim diapers are not allowed in the pools. If a "bio event" occurs, the whole pool must be drained, cleaned an refilled. You can imagine that is not a simple or quick task, impacting all guests. Therefore, no swim diapers in the pools. The Dream and Fantasy have splash zones specifically designed for the youngest kids to offset this issue. At least on the Dream, this includes a small slide in the Nemo's Reef area.

Enjoy your cruise!

[kcashner]

A 2 year old is unlikely to meet either the age or height requirements for the slide regardless of toilet training or lack thereof. No, he will not be allowed in any pool unless trained. Guess you'll just have to book another cruise for when he is of suitable age for those activities.

[lbgraves]

DCL was one of the first cruiselines to get special permission to have a splash area for non-PTd kids from the CDC when they had one of the ears of the Mickey pool designated as a splash area. Here are the regulations regarding pool/water areas on cruise ships.

http://wwwn.cdc.gov/InspectionQueryT...f9TWo%2foyQ%3d

[jdb in AZ]

Originally Posted by lbgraves

DCL was one of the first cruiselines to get special permission to have a splash area for non-PTd kids from the CDC when they had one of the ears of the Mickey pool designated as a splash area. Here are the regulations regarding pool/water areas on cruise ships.

http://wwwn.cdc.gov/InspectionQueryT...f9TWo%2foyQ%3d

Thanks for the link. I understand the need for this and the recommendations from Center of Disease Control and all that, but since most cruise ships are registered by foreign countries, why does the U.S. govt have jurisdiction over the pools, especially in international waters? Not trying to stir up things or start a controversy, just curious.

[bats]

Originally Posted by jdb in AZ

Thanks for the link. I understand the need for this and the recommendations from Center of Disease Control and all that, but since most cruise ships are registered by foreign countries, why does the U.S. govt have jurisdiction over the pools, especially in international waters? Not trying to stir up things or start a controversy, just curious.

I couldn't care less where the rules came from, I'm just glad they're there!!!
I used to be a lifeguard in a pool and the amount of adults who thought that their littlie wouldn't do anything in the pool was astonishing. If they can't hold it in in the home, why do people think a pool is any different?

Nasty memories of having to deal with that!!