Disney Cruise with fractured collar bone...

[the.only.jams]

We're sailing on the Dream in a couple of weeks and my five year old fractured his collar bone this past weekend. He has a figure eight sling to wear and we've been told to basically follow his lead, but not let him do anything "stupid" by the doctors. Will he still be able to participate in the Oceaneer Club and Lab? Will the staff be able to look out for him to make sure he isn't getting too rowdy?

Anyone else have experience cruising with a child with a fractured collar bone?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We're sailing on the Dream in a couple of weeks and my five year old fractured his collar bone this past weekend. He has a figure eight sling to wear and we've been told to basically follow his lead, but not let him do anything "stupid" by the doctors. Will he still be able to participate in the Oceaneer Club and Lab? Will the staff be able to look out for him to make sure he isn't getting too rowdy?

Anyone else have experience cruising with a child with a fractured collar bone?

While I don't have kids that age (or in the clubs), I'd be leery about letting him have free reign in Oceaneer's. There are CMs there, but certainly not enough to dedicate one to watching just one child. And it can be pretty rough and tumble in there. I don't know what the DCL policy is on injured children being allowed in the club.

You can take him in the clubs during Open House and play with him to decrease the risk of further injury.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

We're sailing on the Dream in a couple of weeks and my five year old fractured his collar bone this past weekend. He has a figure eight sling to wear and we've been told to basically follow his lead, but not let him do anything "stupid" by the doctors. Will he still be able to participate in the Oceaneer Club and Lab? Will the staff be able to look out for him to make sure he isn't getting too rowdy?

Anyone else have experience cruising with a child with a fractured collar bone?

He can participate in the Oceaneers spaces, but I wouldn't expect the YA staff to keep that close an eye on him. They have a lot of kids to watch over. You can talk to them and they will try to keep watch, but the ratios are such that they can't guarantee they can keep him from getting too rowdy. Maybe pick out activities on the Navigator that don't require a lot of physical movement and let him go for those specific activities, but don't let him go for long periods of free play time?

I've never dealt with a broken collar bone but I can imagine the sling would put a pretty good brake on him doing anything too stupid. Every kid is different, but perhaps a warning that you won't let him go to the clubs if he doesn't keep a tight rein on his activities would help?

 

[the.only.jams]

It's our first cruise with children, so it's all new to me. Of course this would happen within a couple of weeks of going. My intent is to check out the spaces during Open House, etc. I just wasn't sure if anyone else had experienced this situation!

 

[MomOTwins]

I would be worried about going during crowded times. We had to come pick up our 6-year old twin boys several times (on only a 3 day cruise) because other kids had hurt them--pushing, kicking, running and crashing into them etc. While their injuries were of the ice pack or band-aid variety, I don't know if that kind of rough housing might be dangerous for your son's healing process. It just gets very "wild" in there in the late afternoons and evenings.

That said, the mornings were very quiet and calm compared to evenings--I think because most people were at the pools or on an excursion.

Agree with Schmoo that Open House is a good idea so you can be there to keep an eye out. That said, I wouldn't use kids behavior in open house (when being watched closely by their parents), as a proxy for how they might act once the parents are gone.

Have you asked DCL if they might be willing to waive cancellation fees to let you move to a later cruise? Disney sometimes will go the extra mile to make sure you have a good experience; I know that they were very nice and waived cancellation fees on my WDW park trip when I had to reschedule it due to my grandmother's passing a couple of days before our trip.

 

[the.only.jams]

It's a cruise with our extended family and unfortunately we're unable to postpone it. I know we'll still have a great time, I'm just trying to figure out if there will be plenty of other activities, etc.

 

[lilsonicfan]

My middle guy (7yo) fractured his elbow 5.5 weeks before our cruise and had a full arm cast which sadly didn't get taken off before we left. I didn't find there to be any issues with roughhousing or anything like that, (and my DS knew he wasn't allowed to be running around all crazy) but every cruise is different and ours did have fewer kids than normal. You could certainly consider sending him for more 'sedentary' activities that you see on the list rather than say the big group games. Or, maybe he could use it as an opportunity to have ipad time (that's what my kids love about the DCL clubs, sigh).

 

[lilsonicfan]

I should mention my DS had an arm sling and I did encourage him to wear it since it would help prevent movement. I see that the figure 8 sling is different and I would want to see how much it restricts movement. But the other tip I have is to go through the kids' clubs with him during open house and show him what activities he shouldn't do, if any. I would absolutely tell the staff that you'd appreciate if someone kept an eye on him particularly because he's only 5, but keep expectations somewhat low there.

 

[squirk]

Will the staff be able to look out for him to make sure he isn't getting too rowdy?

You really cannot expect the Youth Counselors to take on that kind of responsibility or assume that kind of liability.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Can the doctor find a more structural support for the broken collar bone than a sling? Temporary but sturdy.

 

[disney11fan]

We're sailing on the Dream in a couple of weeks and my five year old fractured his collar bone this past weekend. He has a figure eight sling to wear and we've been told to basically follow his lead, but not let him do anything "stupid" by the doctors. Will he still be able to participate in the Oceaneer Club and Lab? Will the staff be able to look out for him to make sure he isn't getting too rowdy?

Anyone else have experience cruising with a child with a fractured collar bone?

Don't do it. You will worry and the fun factor gone.

 

[otten]

Discuss with the doctor but most likely he'll be fine. Honestly. I don't have experience with cruising with a child with a broken collar bone but I do have experience with a 5 year old with one. Collar bones usually heal very fast at that age. My daughter broke hers at 5 and was cleared to go back to dance class (just no lifting her arm if it hurt) after a week and skating lessons after three. She stopped using the sling after a few days and was basically back to regular activity in two weeks. If they didn't already warn you, as it heals he'll get a bump on the spot where it broke. It's a normal part of healing and it will stay there for a while after.

 

[the.only.jams]

Discuss with the doctor but most likely he'll be fine. Honestly. I don't have experience with cruising with a child with a broken collar bone but I do have experience with a 5 year old with one. Collar bones usually heal very fast at that age. My daughter broke hers at 5 and was cleared to go back to dance class (just no lifting her arm if it hurt) after a week and skating lessons after three. She stopped using the sling after a few days and was basically back to regular activity in two weeks. If they didn't already warn you, as it heals he'll get a bump on the spot where it broke. It's a normal part of healing and it will stay there for a while after.

Thanks! It will be a full two weeks before we're on the cruise and he's already been playing and using his arm some. The sling we have keeps his shoulders immobilized, but he hasn't complained of any pain or anything. They did warn us about the bump where it broke and said that he should be fully healed in 5 to 6 weeks.

 

[DCLCrazy64622]

There is plenty to do outside of the OC. Check your navigator when you get onboard. Lots of meet and greets too. I would only put him in when there is a scheduled activity. It’s a little calmer then. Free play time is when it gets rowdy. All the scheduled activities are in the navigator too.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

I would not send a 5 year-old with a fracture into free-play time in a kids' club and just tell him to be careful and hope the staff watch over him. They cannot be expected to specially watch over one individual child, and 5 is a young age to expect the child to always be responsible. Another child might run into him, as well.

I would only take him into the club during daily Open House hours, when you can be there to watch over him. Even structured activity time isn't really safe as the kids are never required to participate in the activities, and are free to go off to play, instead.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

My dd broke her collar bone when she was 12. Her x-ray basically looked like a snapped pencil not fully disconnected. You would be surprised how quickly these kids heal! I also did additional supplements to promote bone growth. That's besides the point, but she was cleared for club soccer within a month. Your child should be about 3 weeks from injury and might be doing a lot better. I would still steer clear of contact or physical activities, such as the sports court or gaga ball. There are a lot of nonphysical activities he/she can participate in. I would have a conversation with the CM's in the club. Perhaps they can offer him another activity if there is something active/physical planned?

 

[deliela999]

We went on our first cruise in March, DD turned 6 1/2 on board. We visited the kids club open house when we first got on board and had signed her up and got her wrist band. We were so busy we never ended up sending her to the club.

 

[Spotthecat]

Having broken a collarbone, I can say that the figure eight sling doesn't prevent all movement so adding the sling is a kind of reminder...and really helps at the beginning. Is it his colouring arm? The kids club should be okay, it's the pool that will be the problem as I think you'd have to remove the sling and the chance for too much movement in the pool... frankly, the collarbone is probably the easiest to heal...after a couple of weeks, it will have kind of set already. Just watch out for those warm fuzzy hugs with the characters...might want to warn the "helpers" that he has a shoulder injury. Also, getting vertical in the morning, might need assistance, and he shouldn't be using the ladder.

 

[Spotthecat]

Oh and anything "stupid" by the doctor probably includes trampoline, horseback riding, wrestling, stuff like that which will jostle the shoulder. I don't think he'd be okay on the Aquaduck, too much jostling, but the mickey slide could be smooth enough if he's careful.

 

[MotherKnowsBest]

When my DS was 5, he broke bone in his foot and it was healed in 2 weeks. He wore a walking cast during those two weeks and then he was fine. Kids heal and make new bone so quickly. I think if he is already fairly active with it, he will likely be just fine.