Have You Left Your Baby In the Nursery All Day?

[CarolAnnC]

We gave this a lot of thought on our last cruise and decided against it. Not so much as an emergency with your baby to consider as much as what if something happens to you off the boat, especially with private transfers, and you don't make it back in time. Does the boat leave without you with baby on board? Far out I know, but was our concern.

The ship will be held only for those on DCL sponsored excursions. That is a big consideration. We were caught in terrible traffic in St Petersburg and the ship was held since our excursion was with DCL.

No guarantees if you make your own excursions plans as the port fees to hold up departure have huge fines to the cruise lines, and they cannot hold the ship for individuals on their own plans. It would be a fiasco if something unexpected such as traffic or a medical emergency were to occur.

So, if you are leaving a child on board, I would definitely only take a DCL excursion for all of those reasons. Save the other plans for when they are older, or when you cruise sans kiddos.

 

[TLSnell1981]

And it's absolutely true that drivers are crazy in Rome. However, if I'm going to get hit by a car, I would rather it was just me getting hit by a car with my children safe back on the ship, than me and my DD in the Ergo getting hit by a car. If something does happen to you, the ship is not going to leave you with your baby onboard. Arrangements will be made.

you live in California and think Italian drivers are crazy?

We've driven in Rome and so has my 83 year old step father (several trips), it's not THAT bad. There's a lot of traffic, so it's easier and quicker to use the Metropolitana or walk. I don't fear being a car accident there, more than anywhere else.

 

[manateesmom]

If something does happen to you, the ship is not going to leave you with your baby onboard. Arrangements will be made.

I swear to god, this actually has happened, though not on DCL to my knowledge. When we were planning our first cruise with DS, there was a news story about a single mom cruising with her 15 year old, who stayed on the ship in the kids' club, and mom missed the ship. It did leave without her. Mom caught up at the next port, but the 15 year old was on the ship. I'm not sure what arrangements DCL could make - they can't take a baby off the ship and leave it with port authorities. They won't just stay in port indefinitely if you're in the hospital or something.

I would not do it. One, there's a difference between the caregivers I've selected at my daycare and the strangers I (and my child) meet for the first time on a cruise. An entire day is a long time to be out of pocket while my child spends time with strangers. I don't have such brand loyalty or brand trust that I think that DCL means that caregivers are perfect or that my child would have a great time.

Two, the risk of being separated, of having something bad happen to one of us would be too upsetting to allow me to enjoy the excursions.

I know you're already booked, but IMO it's better to save the port-activity-intensive cruises for when the little ones are older, and to aim for more relaxed-beachy cruises when they're young.

 

[gotomu212]

We left our son one day when we did the Baltic and it was the perfect fit for us. He was done was his Grand Tour and more interested in air conditioning, nap time, and a nice changing table (did I mention I changed his diaper in a Russian bathroom a day or two before that while straddling the toilet with him laying across one arm-that made the airplane bathroom look spacious and hygienic).

I had worried about us being an hour away if something happened, but my husband pointed out that our daily commute was an hour away from daycare at home and I didn't spend every day frantic at home.

Plus I figured Disney deals with 2,000 guests a week half of them kids. They have to have 20 contingency plans to deal with anything that comes up. There are so many more senior managers there then at the daycare. If heaven forbid something did happen, that old be the best place if ever you could say that.

If it works, for you and your family, do it.

 

[MyYearWithTheMouse]

you live in California and think Italian drivers are crazy?

We've driven in Rome and so has my 83 year old step father (several trips), it's not THAT bad. There's a lot of traffic, so it's easier and quicker to use the Metropolitana or walk. I don't fear being a car accident there, more than anywhere else.

Fair enough. I've only ever walked in Italy, it's crossing the roundabouts in Rome that freak me out.

 

[k3chantal]

You are awesome, thanks.

FWIW, my oldest DD has special needs. We've been through 2 years of occupational therapy. I've been surrounded by supportive parents of special need kids and great teachers for so long that I have apparently forgotten what it's like in the "real" world -- the one where people judge you and your child based on their insecurities and assumptions.

Never thought a simple question on daycare experience would turn into a "I'm a better parent than you" contest.

My middle DS has had years of OT and Speech too. Somewhere along the path I realized that it takes a community of caring individuals to raise a child because they may have skills and experiences that may benefit my child more than my own.

In this case, Disney has set up a nursery that allows our infants/toddlers to stay out of the hot sun and play with age appropriate toys.

If I had any fears it would be about getting back to the boat in time if you were on your own and not with a Disney port excursion.

Good luck with whatever decision you make.

 

[deanimal]

I agree that it would be really hard to decide what to do about long shore excursions with babies. We're waiting to do the Med with kids until they're older for exactly that reason. I would have no qualms about the care in the nursery, but I think I would worry too much about the "what ifs" to enjoy my day on shore. I don't think its a right or wrong issue, it's more about personality.

I don't think this has been mentioned in this thread, but you said your husband was quite concerned about leaving the baby. Have you considered having him stay behind with the baby while the rest of you went? Perhaps you could trade places at another port and let him go on his own on a different day? I'm not sure how this would work for your family, but my husband and I often trade off to let the other have alone time when we travel or to better meet our children's different needs. It's not an ideal solution, but sometimes its the best option for us.

 

[dharma517]

You are going to be in Rome! Enjoy yourself and leave your infant who will have no memory of the event in the capable hands of DCL CM's! I like the idea of a few couple hour test runs.

Worst case scenerio....you child screams for 1.5hours and vomits on someone while waiting for you to return. Ok...life will go on! I have 4 kids and as long as everyone is able to be found and is still breathing ..Im happy. Enjoy.

 

[Namsupak]

How did you handle feedings, etc? Did you have to leave pretty explicit instructions? Your daughter was 2 so I imagine she was having meals by then, but how did that turn out?

Well she was on solid foods so there are a couple of things you can do. We had an early excursion so we just made sure to give her breakfast before we left and then in the club and the nursery kids can have the lunch that the ship provides. It varies but I think it amounted to lunch meat and cheese and chips/fries with some fruit, that type of thing. You just have to tell the CM what you would like them to do, they will usually ask you if they have any food allergies, etc. It is not a full service lunch like the dining rooms and it is at a certain time I believe 12 to 1, somewhere around there. They can't leave the food out longer per health regulations and likely staffing issues. Also you can leave the snacks or prepackaged foods you want them to have. Our daughter is not generally very picky so she eats just about anything. By the time she was 2 I believe that was her 5th or 6th cruise, and we had used the nursery before that as well. Before she was eating a lot of solid foods and was still taking a bottle we would give them the formula pre-packed and they would mix the appropriate amount of water. When she moved up to more solids we would get those organic squeezables or the gerber prepackaged snacks and just made sure that the CMs knew they were in the bag if needed. Also they will do something similar for dinner but the nursery time has to be during the time they serve dinner, I think about 6. For us it turned out well. We would also make use of the quick services for feedings pre-nursery.

 

[Namsupak]

...
Has anyone left their baby in the Nursery all day on a port excursion? I remember reading some Alaska trip reports that mention this. What did you think? Pros? Cons? Regrets?
...

I am just taking a moment to repost the original OP question. I think it is crazy to me that the thread almost spiraled into a parenting argument. The OP asked a question regarding whether a person has experienced something or not. It wasn't a question asking for parenting opinions. It was well worded and the situation explained. The replies that are not attempting to answer this question really just bog the thread down from being helpful information that someone may be searching for later. Whether you personally would nor would not do this is not really pertinent. Only answers from people that have done this and their experience with it are going to help the OP.

Additionally to all the posts regarding leaving your child and then something terrible happening and you can't get back to the ship. Would you rather something terrible happen to all of you together? I mean what are talking about here, car accident in foreign country? medical injury? natural disaster? Disney is not going to just leave you and separate you from your family. I am not saying it isn't going to happen in an extreme situation but they will make reasonable accommodations to try and figure out the best thing to do to help you. Not just because they are Disney but because it is likely the best thing for them to at least attempt to help you. Now how far that attempt would have to go would be of course up to them. I've seen them back the ship up after leaving dock, and I have been there when they delayed leaving for a few hours. It really depends on so many circumstances.

Also people talk about the time to get back to the ship in an emergency. As a PP noted, a lot of us commute so that is a similar daily situation. Also the ship is equipped with an up to date medical facility if that is needed as well. The CM's won't hesitate to take a child to the ship doctor if there is a medical emergency.

Unfortunately on a lot of itineraries trying to find excursions that will allow a baby or toddler are either not going to interesting for the toddler or the adults. When we find an activity we can all do of course we will do that, but there are times when we are traveling in other countries when we feel better about leaving our child in a fun safe environment while we enjoy a bit of vacation for ourselves.

 

[lilpooh108]

Thanks everyone! We have a lot to think about. I feel like we're changing our minds (my husband and I) on a day to day basis. One day we'll think it's do-able, the next it's not.

Honestly, I think the best way to tell is to see her reaction to travel, jet lag, the Nursery staff, new people feeding her, etc. We'll do the 2 trial runs during feeding times and see what happens. Also will see what our comfort/energy level is by that point of our trip.

By the time we get to Rome, we will have been traveling in Europe for 10 days. If she does really well in the Ergo for the entirety of the trip, I will be hesitant to change things up. If she's anxious to move around all the time, then it may be best for her to get a break too.

K3Chantal - I totally agree with what you said about realizing that other people might have more skills to do certain things for our children. I had a REALLY hard time "letting go" the first 3 times my DD1 went to OT. I was like, the scary helicopter parent and the therapist was about to kill me (and grandma and grandpa, who all came along haha). As OT progressed, both my child and I both learned so much. Going through that experience (and her current ongoing classes) has really helped deconstruct any preconceived notions of "parenting." I also learned to distinguish between having concern over my insecurities (like leaving her in daycare) versus having legitimate concerns over "keeping" a therapist/teacher/preschool that didn't "fit" with her needs (we changed preschools last year due to this). Anyway, I no longer judge that mom in the mall with the screaming kid. You just never know, you know?

dharma - Your post made me lol. I never used to believe it -- that sometimes certain things aren't a big deal. I remember rushing DD1 to the pediatrician one day over a cold (she was 6 months). She had coughed to the point of throwing up, which I now realize is normal when they have to expectorate their phlegm. I was like, "But she THREW UP!" And the ped looked at me and was like, "Um, yes, she did." Now with DD2 I go, "Aw, did you fall down?" Then we both laugh hysterically. My friend who has 3 kids has told me that by the time you get to your 3rd kid, they almost raise themselves. LOL.

deanimal - My husband would do it. We're discussing all possibilities.

Namsupak - Thanks for defending my original question. Also, your comment made me realize that we need to do a trial run during a feeding to see how it works out. I actually didn't even think of that at all (duh).

Mods--can we close this thread to end it on a positive note? Would be much appreciated.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Fair enough. I've only ever walked in Italy, it's crossing the roundabouts in Rome that freak me out.

Know what you mean...it can be like a game of Frogger. Although, the Place de l'Étoile in Paris IS the worst. IMO

 

[neg58]

Additionally to all the posts regarding leaving your child and then something terrible happening and you can't get back to the ship. Would you rather something terrible happen to all of you together? I mean what are talking about here, car accident in foreign country? medical injury? natural disaster? Disney is not going to just leave you and separate you from your family. I am not saying it isn't going to happen in an extreme situation but they will make reasonable accommodations to try and figure out the best thing to do to help you. Not just because they are Disney but because it is likely the best thing for them to at least attempt to help you. Now how far that attempt would have to go would be of course up to them. I've seen them back the ship up after leaving dock, and I have been there when they delayed leaving for a few hours. It really depends on so many circumstances.

Many of our post were not that the child would suffer in the nursery, but what if the parents couldn't get back. Would DLC hold the ship? Everything I've read and heard is that they would NOT. Of course they would take care of the child, but how hard would it be for the parents to have to be away from the child for the night, trying to catch up with the ship in the next country.

You're right, only the OP can decide if the risk, however remote, is worth it. I was just giving my opinion that when I left my nephew on the ferry for less than an hour, and I could physically see the ferry the entire time, I didn't like the feeling that something could happen to me preventing me from getting back on board. I know I wouldn't enjoy a full day away from the ship leaving my child on board. No fear whatsoever that the nursery wouldn't take care of the child, only that something might happen to prevent my returning to the ship on time.

What happens when you can't get back to daycare in an emergency? They call one of the others on your emergency contact list, they take the child to an american hospital, and they may even charge you for being late or in the worst case call DPS to take the child. What does DLC do? I don't know.

Nancy

 

[MrsScooby]

Many of our post were not that the child would suffer in the nursery, but what if the parents couldn't get back. Would DLC hold the ship? Everything I've read and heard is that they would NOT. Of course they would take care of the child, but how hard would it be for the parents to have to be away from the child for the night, trying to catch up with the ship in the next country.

You're right, only the OP can decide if the risk, however remote, is worth it. I was just giving my opinion that when I left my nephew on the ferry for less than an hour, and I could physically see the ferry the entire time, I didn't like the feeling that something could happen to me preventing me from getting back on board. I know I wouldn't enjoy a full day away from the ship leaving my child on board. No fear whatsoever that the nursery wouldn't take care of the child, only that something might happen to prevent my returning to the ship on time.

What happens when you can't get back to daycare in an emergency? They call one of the others on your emergency contact list, they take the child to an american hospital, and they may even charge you for being late or in the worst case call DPS to take the child. What does DLC do? I don't know.

Nancy

valid points

 

[I❤MICKEY]

Well she was on solid foods so there are a couple of things you can do. We had an early excursion so we just made sure to give her breakfast before we left and then in the club and the nursery kids can have the lunch that the ship provides. It varies but I think it amounted to lunch meat and cheese and chips/fries with some fruit, that type of thing. You just have to tell the CM what you would like them to do, they will usually ask you if they have any food allergies, etc. It is not a full service lunch like the dining rooms and it is at a certain time I believe 12 to 1, somewhere around there. They can't leave the food out longer per health regulations and likely staffing issues. Also you can leave the snacks or prepackaged foods you want them to have. Our daughter is not generally very picky so she eats just about anything. By the time she was 2 I believe that was her 5th or 6th cruise, and we had used the nursery before that as well. Before she was eating a lot of solid foods and was still taking a bottle we would give them the formula pre-packed and they would mix the appropriate amount of water. When she moved up to more solids we would get those organic squeezables or the gerber prepackaged snacks and just made sure that the CMs knew they were in the bag if needed. Also they will do something similar for dinner but the nursery time has to be during the time they serve dinner, I think about 6. For us it turned out well. We would also make use of the quick services for feedings pre-nursery.

They also provide snacks throughout the day: yogurt, crackers, cheese, animal crackers, apple slices, etc.

Have a great cruise.

 

[gotomu212]

When we were in St. Thomas (or it could have been St. Marteen), they held our ship in port for 3 hours while we waited for a couple. I was on our veranda when they came and the Captain met them on the gangway and really told them off and said if they hadn't left their child on board we would have left them there. I called my husband out to watch since seeing the Captain yell at passengers seemed like a rare event.

I don't want to give the impression that DCL would always wait but we got the impression that on case by case basis (are you late to the ship for traffic or are you now in a hospital? Kind of thing) they don't want to have a situation where they sail away with your kids. Think about it, they don't want to provide 24 hour care for your children or pull into debarkation day with unclaimed children.

 

[Slappy32]

We left our almost three year old DD in the nursery to do the 12 meter regatta on St. Maarten. It was the first and only time we put her in the nursery on the cruise because we brought our babysitter with us on the cruise, but took her on the sailing excursion. When we dropped off our DD, she wasn't happy when she realized we were leaving her, but by the time we got back, she was having an amazing time. The people who work in the nursery are absolutely amazing. Our excursion only lasted about 3.5 to 4 hours and it took place within visual range of the Fantasy, so we were never concerned about missing the ship. If you're worried about leaving your children with strangers, don't be. The folks in the nursery are the finest nursery workers I've ever met and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. As for the possibility of missing the ship with your child on board, just be sure to do a DCL excursion as others have mentioned.