2 year old and pools

[DISfam2401]

We're cruising in February and our youngest will be 1 week shy of 3. I was under the impression that as long as she was potty trained (she trained herself right after her 2nd birthday) that she could swim in the pools. Now I'm reading they need to be potty trained AND 3 years old. She takes swim lessons and LOVES it - she can swim about 5 feet unassisted under water. I know this topic is controversial and I would not risk it if there was any chance she would "go" and have to shut down the pool. She's been trained for a year while some 3 year olds barely are. Do they check ID? How do they know she's a week short of 3? She would be really disappointed if her brother could go in the pool and she couldn't. Advice?

 

[dcassetta]

We're cruising in February and our youngest will be 1 week shy of 3. I was under the impression that as long as she was potty trained (she trained herself right after her 2nd birthday) that she could swim in the pools. Now I'm reading they need to be potty trained AND 3 years old. She takes swim lessons and LOVES it - she can swim about 5 feet unassisted under water. I know this topic is controversial and I would not risk it if there was any chance she would "go" and have to shut down the pool. She's been trained for a year while some 3 year olds barely are. Do they check ID? How do they know she's a week short of 3? She would be really disappointed if her brother could go in the pool and she couldn't. Advice?

The rule is that only children three and older are supposed to be in the pools. I will say that very little swimming occurs in the pools, because often they are so very full. There is a splash play area that's available for little ones, and she's welcome to play there as much as she likes.

 

[lilsonicfan]

I haven't seen them actually enforce the age restriction, so I guess the answer is, it depends. Presumably the lifeguards are on alert to spot swim diapers. And if she is only a week shy of 3, she probably looks about 3.

 

[Cheerio]

She should be fine, like someone said above - the lifeguards are looking for swim diapers not checking ID. We saw some young looking 2-3yos on our last cruise but none in swim diapers - as long as they don't have accidents.

 

[hpsalb]

We ran into this last month with the slide rules. I didn’t really put much thought into age requirements, just height. MDS is 3.5 and potty trained. Had been watching videos of the Mickey slide for weeks, so super excited. Apparently it’s “intended” for ages 4-14. I didn’t know if this was a suggestion based on size or strictly enforced, so I deferred to the lifeguards. He was measured a few times by different staff...on the last day one asked him his age. He proudly announced he was 3 and was told he was not supposed to be on the slide.

So, it depends on the staff, but they do check.

 

[girafkiraf]

I would be absolutely shocked if they check your child's age in the pool. Definitely no one questioned my tiny 3 year olds (they're both like 1% in height, so they definitely look young) when we were on the boat last summer. As long as you're confident that she's sufficiently potty trained I would not hesitate to take her swimming.

 

[xQuizx]

We were on the Fantasy last week and every time my son went on the Disney slide the lifeguard asked his name and room number. The lifeguard checked his info on a tablet or radioed someone about it, and then let him on. My son is 4 but small for his age so that's why they probably asked. But I was surprised that they looked up his information, maybe for age verification?

 

[apathetic]

The most obvious way they will know is if they don't have a kid's club band on. Pretty much every 3 year old gets one. So, if you don't have that don't be surprised if they scan your key to check ages.

 

[disneylove69]

Not much swimming going on. It's a soup bowl full of children.

 

[xQuizx]

The most obvious way they will know is if they don't have a kid's club band on. Pretty much every 3 year old gets one. So, if you don't have that don't be surprised if they scan your key to check ages.

My 1 year old received a band for the nursery. He wanted to wear it but his wrist is small. I put the band on his diaper bag. The nursery uses the band to check the kids in.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

We sailed when my daughter was under 2 and potty trained, same with my son. My daughter was just last fall. No one said a word either time, and I was expecting they would since my kids were younger than most potty trained kids these days. You'll be fine.

 

[DISfam2401]

Thank you everyone, that does make me feel better. She'll be mad that she can't do the waterslide but at least we can appease her with the pool and spray area. Honestly, if the pools are as crowded as everyone says we may wind up avoiding them most of the time anyway.

 

[Riss]

We took a 2 and a half year old with us on our cruise in September, his 3rd birthday was a month later in October. No one questioned us when we took him into the pools, I had no idea they were even supposed to be 3 until reading this thread! He was already fully potty trained by the time we went so he didn't wear swim diapers.

Additionally, while he wanted to go on the slide--we didn't let him because we were nervous with him sliding down by himself without sitting in a raft or anything and ending in the pool of water, thinking he might end up going under and being shocked--a lifeguard overheard how he wanted to go on the Aquaduck, which he was obviously too short for, but measured him to go on the smaller Mickey one and said he was good to go if he wanted to.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

We took a 2 and a half year old with us on our cruise in September, his 3rd birthday was a month later in October. No one questioned us when we took him into the pools, I had no idea they were even supposed to be 3 until reading this thread! He was already fully potty trained by the time we went so he didn't wear swim diapers.

Additionally, while he wanted to go on the slide--we didn't let him because we were nervous with him sliding down by himself without sitting in a raft or anything and ending in the pool of water, thinking he might end up going under and being shocked--a lifeguard overheard how he wanted to go on the Aquaduck, which he was obviously too short for, but measured him to go on the smaller Mickey one and said he was good to go if he wanted to.

I had no idea about the age 3 rule either. I always let mine get in as soon as potty trained and they did the slide as soon as they were tall enough.

 

[eva2015]

The most obvious way they will know is if they don't have a kid's club band on. Pretty much every 3 year old gets one. So, if you don't have that don't be surprised if they scan your key to check ages.

They won't give 3yr olds a lock for the band though so our 3yr old only wore her band when she was actually in the club.

She turned 3yr 10 days before our cruise. She was just tall enough for the Mickey slide. Every new attendant checked her height but we were never asked for her age or card.

 

[girafkiraf]

The most obvious way they will know is if they don't have a kid's club band on. Pretty much every 3 year old gets one. So, if you don't have that don't be surprised if they scan your key to check ages.

They won't do the permanent band attachment thing for 3 year olds because the little black thing is considered a choking hazard. So lots of 3 year olds can remove them. When my kids were 3 last summer we carried their kids club bands for them so they wouldn't lose them, and just put them on if they were going into the club.

 

[fredandkell]

They don't make them lock the band on anymore like they used to. When we cruised in 2014 it was mandatory for it to stay locked on all the time. When we cruised this summer they did not lock it on except for one time in the kids' club, and then they cut the lock off when they left? So my kids never had the band on in the pool.