They absolutely WILL change a diaper and use gloves to do it. Here is what I post about FR when people ask. I hope this helps and I hope you enjoy your cruise!
Our DD was 2 1/2 when we cruised the first time.
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We liked Flounders Reef. Our DD is not in daycare, so the closest thing we can compare it to was church nursery.
The Reef: There is a small waiting room out front with a split door to the nursery and a large porthole with one-way glass so you can come and peek anytime without getting caught.
The first room is large and brightly colored. There is a tv always playing Disney movies. Some rocking chairs, some pads and soft chairs on the floor for the kids. There is a bookshelf with lots of books. There are tons of toys, though they tend to be aimed at the younger children (understandable). The changing table is right out in the open, and CMs wear gloves to change diapers. There is a a large play area. Then there is a smaller, back tv room with some rocking chairs and another tv so, as was the case with our DD, kids who didn't want to sleep, but just wanted to veg out and watch tv in a quiet area, could do so.
Then there is the crib room, for children who go to sleep while being rocked by CM, fall asleep on the mats watching movies, or its nap time.
When we were there, the child to CM ratio was 2:1 sometimes even 2:4. It just depends.
The trick is to be at the Reef door when it first opens on Saturday. (If not open yet, go ahead and form line along the wall.) Then when you can go in, book every single night. And then cancel as you do not use it. Just make sure you know the cancellation policy and remember to make the call! You may not get every time you request, but they call you everyday to confirm the next day if they are expecting you.
Also, when we were on the ship, there were no Reef times that coincided with Palos brunch on days at sea. Check it out to see if that is still the case.
M.M.'s Magical Guide talks about the nursery and how safe it is as far as no one being to be alone with your child without being noticed and about the background checks and training on Reef staff.
http://hometown.aol.com/entropym/pages/index.htm
They give you a pager. They are SUPER diligent about paging you if your child needs you. We appreciated this. One time, our DD started asking for us. They were seconds away from paging us when she got interested in something else. But I appreciated them telling us this, and them being willing to page us just cause she wanted us.
We took our umbrella stroller on the cruise. When not in use it was folded up in the closet, but otherwise, we took it everywhere. It really helped when it came to not wanting to wear DD out!
CAN'T MISS: Make sure you get a wake up call every morning! You just dial it into the phone and when it rings, it is Mickey Mouse calling to get you out of bed! This was one of DDs favorite things to do was answer the phone and have it be Mickey Mouse who was calling her. We ended up doing it several times even after we were all awake. We just dialed in 7:45, 8:00, etc. She loved it!
Any other questions? Let me know!
Have a great cruise!
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I think this will help ease everyone's mind!
