Worried about cruising with a 3 year old

[FutureDis]

We are thinking about booking a 4 night land / 3 night sea package for my son's 3rd birthday, but I'm just not sure about crusing with a child that age. The trip wouldn't be until next year, so I have no clue if he would be potty trained by then (well, I HOPE so, but who knows?). Are there cots for kids to sleep / nap on in the Oceaneer club? How well do most 3 years handle evenings past 9pm? Right now, my son is 1.5 years old with a bed time of 8pm. I'm worried we will be heading back to the cabin at 8pm for bed time and my husband and I will be stuck inside with nothing to do!

I'm sorry, I'm a first time mom with no idea about 3 year olds... LOL What can I expect? I know every child is different, but... What have other parents of young ones done?

 

[Fizzgig]

If he isn't potty trained by then, he can still go to Flounders and have a blast.

 

[KensJen]

It is so hard to guess what your son will be like in a year and a half. I totally understand your worry and hesitation.

That said, my son is 4 and has been on 3 Disney cruises. On the first one he was about 21 months, second one he was just over 2, and then 3.5 last year. He had a wonderful time and so did we. We had to deal with Flounder's Reef Nursery the first two cruises, they are great, but it is a lot harder to work around than the club (because they are only open at certain times).

They start to slow things down in the evenings in the club, and the kids go to sleep as they get tired. We left my son down there until at least 10 or 11 every night and he would be sleeping when we got there, they had little nap mats. They sort of kept one area of the club more quiet and dark, and then some kids were up partying into the wee hours. My son is usually so tired on vacation that he doesn't really fight it. And my DH would carry him back to the cabin and he wouldn't even wake up. LOL

It is hard to say if your child will potty train by then, and it will be really hard for you not to stress about it as it gets closer. Try not to. (I know, easier said than done.) My son was not totally potty trained at 3, but was OK enough to last short stretches in the club without an accident. We would check on him often and remind him to go potty. The CM are really good about this, too. They understand that age is new to the potty thing and they do lots of potty breaks.

I think it is a great age to cruise, your son will have such a fun time. At that age the simplest things will be so cool, he will enjoy just looking out the window at the water, going up in the elevator and looking down into the atrium, ice cream at any time of the day, and splashing in the pool. And you should be able to get some time with your husband while your son is in the club. Even my SUPER shy son walked in and saw the pirate ship slide, and was like, "bye Mom"! It was harder for me to leave him, LOL!

HTH a bit!

 

[gummyvites]

We went on a Princess cruise when my dd was 3 1/2 (my ds was 6). She had really been struggling with the potty training thing and I was about to give up on the idea of her being "trained" in time. But then one day I said something to her about, "well, I guess you won't be able to go to the kids club when we're on the ship..." and that was like magic. It was pretty funny, really. I didn't say it to TRY to train her, I was just discouraged myself and it slipped out. But, wow, that worked for her. We also picked up a little plastic potty chair when we arrived the night before the cruise and carried that on with us to use in the stateroom. She really didn't like big toilets and I was concerned that she might backtrack if she was forced to use them. You should have heard some of the funny comments people made to us when we carried our own potty chair on board! But she did great! Not a single accident while we were on the ship.

The staff was also awesome with kids. The waiters in the dining rooms just doted on them, bringing them extra treats and showing us pics of their kids, etc. I had some trouble with my son (6yo) in the dining rooms, just because he was so out of his routine and such that table manners were a bit of a challenge. But my 3yo did great. We spent most of our meals in the buffet, though, because of the late seating dining was too late for our kiddos.

She really didn't spend that much time in the kids club, because she is a bit shy and didn't really want to be left there. But the time she did spend there she really loved. She still has some of her craft projects and speaks fondly of her time on the "Princess."

K.

 

[DVCDawn]

My youngest turned 3 and two weeks later we went on our first Disney cruise. I completely rushed her through potty-training so that she would be able to go to the club with her older sister. It was definitely harder to train her; she simply wasn't interested in being potty-trained and I'm sure that I've done some serious Freudian damage to her psyche.

That said, we did drop her off at the the club a few times during the day and one night so that DH and I could catch some time alone. Mid-way through our cocktails in one of the lounges our buzzer goes off. The text message read, "Your child has had a bathroom accident. She would like you to come and get her." Perfect timing, right? DH took one for the team and went down to the club. Of course, she had pooped in her pants. He took her back to the stateroom and changed her and she asked to go back! They didn't seem to mind that she returned despite her blatant rule-breaking. I figure it must happen every day there.

So, I recommend that you try to train your DS in time for the cruise. I think Flounder's is less fun when you know that kids are running around in the clubs. And if he has an accident, clearly, it's something that the CM's have seen a million times before. So, don't sweat it. Just have fun!

DVCDawn

 

[asreitzel]

Our DD was 3 and 3 months the first time we cruised. Although her "normal" bedtime was 7:30, we did not enforce bedtime for most nights on the cruise. It depended what was going on and what we were planning to do the next day. The night of the Pirate Party she actually outlasted me (I was pregnant and exhausted so she and DH hit the party!)
DD loved the club and often didn't want to leave when we came to get her. Obviously, it would be better if you child was potty trained (or pretty much potty trained - they could be overnight diaper wearers and still go to the clubs). I would pre-book some Flounders time just in case, I'm pretty sure you can cancel it if you don't need it. Age 3 is a really magical time to take them. DD (now 5.5) still talks about it and looks through the photo album!

 

[naner]

There is a good chance that your son will not be potty trained before three. Both of mine were over three by the time they figured it out.

So it's up to you about how you want to handle it. I'm sure he would have a great time in either Flounders or the club.

 

[crw]

Try this trick -- we did it with out daughter!

Book a cruise that starts BEFORE the 3rd birthday, but on which the child will have their 3rd birthday!

1) They get the 2 yo price (price is based on age at embarkation).
2) If potty trained, they get to use the club.
3) They get ALL KINDS of DCL love on their birthday!

Chris

 

[FutureDis]

Thanks everyone! I feel better... if he is or isn't potty trained, it sounds like we will all have fun anyway.

 

[jewelmicky]

My DD was 2.5 our last cruise...she hadn't been to preschool yet, and the only babysitter she had was grandma. She didn't do well in the Nursery. It was fine though....it was a 3 day cruise and we just took turns and had alotta bonding time...she did great at the early dinner seating and the show....we found the trick to be a nap in the afternoon (NO MATTER WHAT.) It really made the evenings ALOT more fun.

This time my DD will be 5.5 (will have her half birthday on ship)...for some reason 1/2 birthdays are a BIG deal for a 5 year old! She is VERY excited about the kids club. The only rule I put on her time there is that we have to eat dinner together at the main dinner seating. The rest of the time she can pick whatever she wants to do.

We are doing the Stingray swim at CC and she want to do the Dino Dig in a big way.

 

[honeymooner2004]

We're going on a 7 night Western this October and my daughter will be 34 months old - just shy of 3! She is just starting to get interested in potty training, but I'm not worried if she's not totally there by cruise time. My DH and I have decided that she will do Flounders for a while in the late afternoons and that is when he and I will have "our" time. Can you say cocktails b/f dinner?!! I'm also looking forward to forcing her afternoon naps - I'm taking along a great book and making the most of her downtime!!! We're just so excited to be taking her along. My Mom and best friend are coming to and said they would help, but I'm not one to impose since it's their vacation to.

 

[r_loverton]

My DD at 32mos had no interest in the potty. We were planned to go on another DCL cruise when she would be 40mos. I told her that if she wasn't potty trained by the time we went that she wouldn't be able to participate in the club and hang out with Mickey. Well that did it. She was so focused on wanting to play with Mickey that within 6 weeks, she was 99% potty trained.

She would still want us to help wipe and wash her hands, however she found the little sinks and toilets for toddlers in the club exciting and wanted to go by herself without any help.

 

[Daisy5115]

We were on a Disney cruise when my younger son was almost 3. His birthday is July, this was April. He wasn't even close to potty training and still was very attached to his blankie, a very young, "almost three". We used Flounders several times and it was great! He had a harder time with the pool rules and staying in Mickey's Ear, but there was the fact that under age 3 cruises free! I took him to the Oceaneers Club and he didn't really seem too interested. This surprised me and I was glad that we didn't push him if he wasn't even into it. In hindsight, he didn't fully train for another year so it wasn't even close.
Now, we are cruising again in April and he is so excited to be going on the "Mickey Ship"! This time he will be taking it all in and we are familiar with the routine too, so remember that there could be another trip in the future and just relax!