An attached 3 yr old

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We are going on the DVC cruise in April. We have a 3 yr old who is attached to mommy and we were wondering if anyone else has gone on the cruise with an child who is shy and what experience they had? Is the Oceaneer Club going to be an option or are we doing the family thing all the time. Either way is fine, just interested in other people's experiences.

Thanks,
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[CamColt]

My DS was 3.5 when we cruised and he was at a stage where he had trouble adjusting to new situations. He didnt want to go to the club and since this was a family vacation after all, we didnt make him. We still had a good time and so did he.
Good luck!

 

[kayladoo]

Hello there! To ease your mind a little, I also have an attatched
3 year old and to my surprise he really had fun in the club, he went
right off on his own and enjoyed the activities that were going on.
Unfortunately, I also have a very stubborn 6 yr old daughter who
was a little obstinate about going and after 2 days of the little guy listening
to us haggle with his big sister, he decided he really didn't want to go either!
Anyway, had she not "rubbed" off on him, he would've been fine and never thought twice
about being signed in a few times a day. Oh well, we're planning on going
again in October and hopefully they'll both take advantage of the great fun that''s
taking place at the Oceaneer Club. Hope you have a wonderful vacation!!

 

[Alihall]

See my trip report on the trip report board. We just got back from the 1/26 Magic and our 3.5 yr old was less than willing to go to the club. She went for an hour the first night and loved it then would not go back. Anyway, you can still have a great time, just be prepared for a change in plans, but then again you have a 3 yr old so plans always change, right? Have a good time and don't set your goals to high!

 

[jkester]

We took our 3 year old son on the Magic Dec. 1st. I thought that he would love going to the Oceaneer's Club; however, he didn't care for it. He stays home with me during the day, but he is very outgoing so I never even thought about him not enjoying the club. He went the first night for 1 hour and they paged me to get him (he missed us) and he went the second night for 1 hour and again we were paged to get him. He said he didn't like going and he wouldn't go back. We were fine with this and began a super family vacation together and even enjoyed having him dine with us (the servers are fantastic at helping to entertain the kids). A month later he said that he didn't know the other kids' names in the club and that is why he wouldn't stay in there and play with them. I would encourage your daughter to go, but if she doesn't want to stay then you can have a super family vacation- we did, but we were still shocked that he didn't want to stay. We are going again this Dec. and some friends of ours with children his age will also be going so I think we will get much more use out of the club. You really can't tell with kids! Hope your DD has a blast!

 

[hydster]

And I am VERY worried about him actually doing the kids club too! He is VERY attached....so much so that I cant leave him with a babysitter unless it is one of his grandparents! I have 2 older kids that will probably go in without any problems (9 and 7 when we go) and I think I will move the 9 yo down with the 7 yo but will have to see but my 3 yo will probably refuse to go. Thankfully we are taking "nannies" with us (grandparents) so it shouldnt be too bad but I wish he would try something new. I cant get him to go to nursery at church either for 2 hours so I am doubtful that he will go on the ship but you never know! He does great at little gym as long as I am in the room he is fine so who knows! It will be very interesting!
No help I know but at least you know you arent alone!
Heidi

 

[cgajdzisz]

Our DD was 3 when we went on our first cruise andshe was so excited when we signed her up for the Oceaneer's Club. 5 minutes after we dropped her off we were paged to pick her up because she was upset and crying. We weren't upset since it was a family vacation and we planned on spending most of the time together anyway. She did enjoy the sing along with Snow White. It was very cute. They let the parents stay for this and I was able to videotape her dancing along with Snow White. There are so many things to see and do you probably will be happy if your son wants to stay with you. Enjoy. They grow up and become independant so fast!

 

[Eric Julie and Hailey]

We brought out DD3 to the Club as soon as we got on board. It was nice because there weren't many people there at that time, and she got a lot of attention from the counselors (they were great). We hung out and played with her and the counselors in the Club. She had a blast and after that, all she wanted to do was go to the Club (which was fine with us!!!).

We also built up the Club before going by calling it the "Special School". We looked at the IPIX photos with her at DCL's web site and watched the propaganda video six thousand times. She was so excited about it by the time we boarded, she was ready to burst. The Club matched the hype for her -- so it all worked out great.

We had so much fun, we just booked #2 for next February. That time we'll have DD4 + a DD10months. Oh man...we're keeping our fingers crossed for a relaxing trip!

 

[wave]

Thank you for all your replies. It's good to know we are not alone. We will give it a shot. Who knows maybe Erin will suprise us. Again, thanks.

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