Help with using the bathroom in kids club

[lscrivan18]

My son will just have turned 3 on our cruise and he is potty trained so I plan on dropping him off at the kids club for a bit. Will the staff help him to physically use the potty? He's not the best at fully removing his pants and underwear independently and climbing on top of the toilet.

 

[CinderEmma94]

My son will just have turned 3 on our cruise and he is potty trained so I plan on dropping him off at the kids club for a bit. Will the staff help him to physically use the potty? He's not the best at fully removing his pants and underwear independently and climbing on top of the toilet.

No they won’t. Kiddo will need to be fully independent when it comes to the potty.

 

[MomOTwins]

My son will just have turned 3 on our cruise and he is potty trained so I plan on dropping him off at the kids club for a bit. Will the staff help him to physically use the potty? He's not the best at fully removing his pants and underwear independently and climbing on top of the toilet.

No, children must be fully potty independent to use the kids club, not just potty trained. Counselors cannot help at all in the bathroom. When we had a 3 year old, we ended up sending him to the nursery instead. It was honestly better for that age anyway—too many big kids running around in the main club.

 

[Mr. Drauer]

My son will just have turned 3 on our cruise and he is potty trained so I plan on dropping him off at the kids club for a bit. Will the staff help him to physically use the potty? He's not the best at fully removing his pants and underwear independently and climbing on top of the toilet.

FYI - the toliets in the kids club are really low to the ground and smaller than your average toilet.

 

[Chemist]

Like others said, its potty independent, not potty trained.

For what its worth, at our child's kindergarten orientation about 10 years ago, the number one thing the teachers stressed for kindergarten readiness was potty independence.

Our 3 year old did short stints in the kids club (not potty independent) and longer stints in the nursery. (Can nap and they help you toilet.)

 

[lscrivan18]

Thank you so much everyone, incredibly helpful. On a 7 night cruise, are there nursery openings still available on board? In case we want to see how the first day goes and book nursery once we've set sail. Also, how much is the nursery? I only know it's a fee based service. Thank you!

 

[Aimeedyan]

I'd also add that after seeing the kid's club in action, I wouldn't be comfortable sending a 3 year old (esp without older siblings). The ages are mixed together, it's free play, and a huuuuuuge space. I'm glad Disney recognizes that age 3 may still need use of the nursery, not just for potty training concerns but also developmental.

We loved the nursery and he didn't want to leave. It was $9/hr, and we easily added on more time after trying it initially. You can also cancel within a certain amount of time with no penalty if you wanted to book times in advance in case your 3 year old enjoys it.

 

[MomOTwins]

Thank you so much everyone, incredibly helpful. On a 7 night cruise, are there nursery openings still available on board? In case we want to see how the first day goes and book nursery once we've set sail. Also, how much is the nursery? I only know it's a fee based service. Thank you!

You can reserve in 30 minute increments for $4.50 (so $9 per hour). They limit how much you can book in advance so on a 7 nighter there will definitely still be times available to book onboard, but if you have any adult only activities (meal, drink tastings) I would book ahead of the cruise to make sure you can get a spot at that time.

 

[missapril82]

We sent our (pee potty independent) 3 year old to the kids club, but I don't think I would have sent him alone. He had an incident with another kid (4ish) and the only thing that stopped him from getting hurt was the fact that my 6, 8, and 11 year olds were there and stepped in and got a counselor.

 

[lilsonicfan]

We sent our (pee potty independent) 3 year old to the kids club, but I don't think I would have sent him alone. He had an incident with another kid (4ish) and the only thing that stopped him from getting hurt was the fact that my 6, 8, and 11 year olds were there and stepped in and got a counselor.

That's frightening - the fact that your other kids had to step in and that a counsellor wasn't already involved!

 

[Chemist]

We had no problem with mid-afternoon drop in time. (I suspect dinner is busier.)

 

[MomOTwins]

That's frightening - the fact that your other kids had to step in and that a counsellor wasn't already involved!

I mean, I think that’s kind of the point we’re all making about how the club is better for older kids. The club is where the CMs lead activities for kids who want to participate but for kids who don’t join in the group game they aren’t really closely supervised and play among themselves—kind of like recess at school. The nursery is more like a daycare where the CMs are following the kids around and making sure they are entertained, playing nicely with the other kids, and helping them with things like potty and getting a drink of water.

 

[lilsonicfan]

I mean, I think that’s kind of the point we’re all making about how the club is better for older kids. The club is where the CMs lead activities for kids who want to participate but for kids who don’t join in the group game they aren’t really closely supervised and play among themselves—kind of like recess at school. The nursery is more like a daycare where the CMs are following the kids around and making sure they are entertained, playing nicely with the other kids, and helping them with things like potty and getting a drink of water.

Yes I totally get it. My youngest was almost 5 when we first sailed on DCL so he did okay. I will say that I've actually preferred kids clubs on other cruise lines. My two kids who were in kids clubs on DCL and HAL this year told me that they preferred HAL too - they said the counsellors actually interacted with them and they did fun activities, not just ipad time.

 

[lscrivan18]

You are all swaying me to use the babysitting service in the nursery. My son doesn't have siblings so there's no one to keep an eye on him.

 

[5Texans]

If your 3 yo does use the kids club, I’d encourage you to use the open house to find out what he likes. Then when it’s time- snack and potty first. At the drop off- ask the staff to help him find the area or activity he’s interested in. This worked well when I was dropping off my then 3 and 5 year olds. I would check the activities for fun things, then drop them off specifically for that and come back.

 

[Tenkawa]

My just 4 year old when we cruised was independent, but still was having some issues. He did have one incident, and the staff called us to take him back to the cabin and get cleaned up. They treated him with respect during this.

That said, they made it very clear that they could not assist in the bathroom.

 

[nancipants]

My son will be almost 4 next time we sail. He's been potty trained since June and recently moved to the preschool classroom where the teachers don't really assist with the bathroom. He goes by himself and the teachers may help him pull up his pants but that's it. I'm most worried about him knowing to shut and lock the door when he goes, since daycare just has one large room with three potties. I think he'll be fine by then, but I still plan on having him go beforehand just in case.

 

[MomOTwins]

My son will be almost 4 next time we sail. He's been potty trained since June and recently moved to the preschool classroom where the teachers don't really assist with the bathroom. He goes by himself and the teachers may help him pull up his pants but that's it. I'm most worried about him knowing to shut and lock the door when he goes, since daycare just has one large room with three potties. I think he'll be fine by then, but I still plan on having him go beforehand just in case.

I would take him in open house on the first day and show him the potty area. I still do that with my 7 year old so he isn’t lost when he really needs to go!

 

[MommyCMickey]

My son will just have turned 3 on our cruise and he is potty trained so I plan on dropping him off at the kids club for a bit. Will the staff help him to physically use the potty? He's not the best at fully removing his pants and underwear independently and climbing on top of the toilet.

We sent our fully potty trained little one to the nursery and the staff was amazing. I made sure to ask during open house about helping with clothes and they said they do so when we checked in and filled out the paperwork that’s what we put on there. When we picked him up the staff told us and it was fine. and to be honest I wouldn’t want my 3 year old to be in the kids club