Flounders Nursery

[ericsmom]

Anyone have any advice on the nursery? I am a first time cruiser and have a 1 year old. Will I have a hard time getting babysitting on the boat so my husband and I can go on excursions and go to PALO?

 

[HookedonMagic]

We used Flounders last year for our then five month old son. With a little preplanning, you should have no problem securing babysitting for your cruise.

When you check-in at the terminal you are given a Navigator. The Navigator lists times and place for all events on board. It will list what time Flounders opens. Go to Flounders (deck 5) just before that time with a list of all of the dates and times you plan to use their service. Simply sign your child up and you will be all set. We were first in line and got every request. Very easy.

If your plans change during the cruise, remember to cancel any unwanted time slots. You will be charged if you fail to do so, plus it helps your fellow cruisers. Someone may be on a waitlist for that spot...if the nursery knows in advance that you aren't coming, they can call someone else to use that spot!

Enjoy your cruise. Happy sailing.

 

[kcashner]

Unless policy has changed....when you board, you are allowed to book 2 babysitter sessions. Then, during the cruise, you are allowed to book more if they are available. So...book your Palo ressie and set up your babysitting for that, then go for whatever else looks good!

 

[CM_Mom]

When you make your Flounder's request, be sure to note when you have Palo or spa ressies. They will give preference to those times if there are more requests than they have times.

Since they know the ages of all the guests, they can make some educated guesses about how much demand there will be for Flounder's. Although they have maximums allowed for each age, the number of children aboard does fluctuate some from cruise to cruise. DD has mentioned some cruises with LOTS of kids on board and others with fewer kids on board.

 

[goofytwo]

Has anyone used the nursery while they did a shore excursion? If so, how do they contact you if needed? We will be traveling next fall with a ~15 month old and were begining to think of what to do for excursions if any.

 

[aprilgail2]

Originally posted by goofytwo
Has anyone used the nursery while they did a shore excursion? If so, how do they contact you if needed? We will be traveling next fall with a ~15 month old and were begining to think of what to do for excursions if any.

I am not sure of the hours Flounders is open but they do have limited hours....they do give you a beeper but they will not gaurentee that it will work anywhere off the ship so there is no way they can contact you in an emergancy.

 

[CM_Mom]

Flounder's is open 7:30 am - 1:00 pm on port days and again 5:45pm - 12:00 midnight most evenings according to the Navigators from our 5/1 Magic cruise. You would have to plan excursions that would fit within that time frame and then get reservations.

Don't count on the pager to work if you are off the ship. The CMs can check the computer to know if you are on or off the ship and I'm sure you sign some type of waiver authorizing emergency treatment if they can't contact you. The ships have very qualified medical staffs in addition to the CMs in Flounders so I the children are well cared for.

You just have to decide how comfortable you are with leaving your child on the ship while you go off.

Several families with very small ones have mentioned that they enjoy staying on the ship when in port because the pools aren't crowded and the ship is quiet.

I've also heard port days are excellent days to get ressies in the spa.