Is one on one childcare possible?

[cbnsoul]

We are planning to sail on the Dream for our 15th anniversary next summer and would like to go to Palo, as we have never been. My son, who will be 9 years of age when we cruise, is very reluctant to go to the kid's clubs so I was wondering if there is an option to pay for a "babysitter", for lack of a better word, to stay with him one on one while we eat dinner.

 

[KristiMc]

No there are no one-on-one childcare options.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Have to agree all of their blurb says no one on one care, most children love the clubs even if shy.

 

[cbnsoul]

Bummer. Thanks for the quick responses.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Bummer. Thanks for the quick responses.

Go with your child to the open house in the children's club and they will love it and you will be able to leave.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

We are planning to sail on the Dream for our 15th anniversary next summer and would like to go to Palo, as we have never been. My son, who will be 9 years of age when we cruise, is very reluctant to go to the kid's clubs so I was wondering if there is an option to pay for a "babysitter", for lack of a better word, to stay with him one on one while we eat dinner.

What is making him leery of spending time in the clubs? I agree with Disney Fantasy that you should go with him to one of the open houses to help him get comfortable and he should be fine after that.

 

[Cdaub]

I would go to the open houses and he may like it, however he may not. My son did not like the lab/clubs at 8 or 10 and didn't want to spend time there. At 10, I let him stay in the room and watch TV while we did Palo brunch. If you are comfortable with your son doing that, it's an option you can consider if he doesn't like the club.

Now, at 11, my son LOVED the Edge and it was his favorite part of the trip. I would just suggest a back up plan, or being ready to make a change of plans just in case. Just don't want you to be too disappointed if he doesn't like them.

Either way you will have an absolutely amazing time!!

 

[cbnsoul]

Go with your child to the open house in the children's club and they will love it and you will be able to leave.

We have tried in the past but we really can't even get him to go see what its like.

I would go to the open houses and he may like it, however he may not. My son did not like the lab/clubs at 8 or 10 and didn't want to spend time there. At 10, I let him stay in the room and watch TV while we did Palo brunch. If you are comfortable with your son doing that, it's an option you can consider if he doesn't like the club.

I don't think I'd be comfortable doing that at his age. We were kinda nervous having him wait by the exit of the Aqueduct while my wife and I rode (with no wait) and we could see him almost the entire time.

 

[SoozCruise]

You could check the cruise meet thread and see if there are other families with kids of the same age, and have him communicate with them beforehand. If they will be going to the Lab, he might be more willing to go? (Peer pressure as a good thing )

 

[wajones2]

The CMs in the clubs are excellent. If you go during an Open House, explain to one of the CMs his concerns and hope for a connection. The CM will do everything within his/her power to engage your child and make them want to participate and stay. There is so much to do independently if he doesn't want to do group activities.

 

[graviela]

My son didn't want to go to the clubs but we made him try one activity. He loved it. My husband and I didn't know what to do with ourselves because our son wanted to spend all his time at the club.

 

[professorandmom]

I strongly encourage you to connect with other families using the cruise meet threads as you may find some alternatives that may work for you and your son! That said, some cruise meet threads for the shorter cruises attract fewer families than the longer cruises...Good luck and plan on going to Palo! Don't cancel until after you board the ship and try out the clubs. You have 24 hours before your Palo reservation to cancel...

 

[Topper]

We are planning to sail on the Dream for our 15th anniversary next summer and would like to go to Palo, as we have never been. My son, who will be 9 years of age when we cruise, is very reluctant to go to the kid's clubs so I was wondering if there is an option to pay for a "babysitter", for lack of a better word, to stay with him one on one while we eat dinner.

You could book a second stateroom, and invite grandparents or a trusted friend/babysitter to cruise with you. This would also give you the option of having your child stay in the other stateroom overnight a few times, so you and your spouse can have some "alone time"

 

[FindMeAFishingSpot]

You could book a second stateroom, and invite grandparents or a trusted friend/babysitter to cruise with you. This would also give you the option of having your child stay in the other stateroom overnight a few times, so you and your spouse can have some "alone time"

Second this one! I have an only child who was not so thrilled with the kids clubs - too many kids, too hectic, not his cup of tea. The next cruise, we had originally booked us and decided to add my 15 year old niece as a babysitter. Worked out so well, she's joining us again in February!

 

[anna08]

Does he like computer games? If so, you could show him the computers at an open house and suggest he play while he's in there while you are eating. My son will plant himself at one and play to his heart's content - usually ends up making friends with whoever sits beside him. His reluctance to go in is ALWAYS turned into
reluctance to leave when we come to get him. It helps that we don't allow him to play on electronics otherwise while we cruise.

 

[C6PT7]

I don't think I'd be comfortable doing that at his age. We were kinda nervous having him wait by the exit of the Aqueduct while my wife and I rode (with no wait) and we could see him almost the entire time.

Sorry, but were you nervous or was he nervous or were you all nervous?
What were either of you afraid of?
At 9 years old he should be self confident enough to be able to stay in an area to wait for you without anxiety? (given that he is a regular functioning child)

 

[scm]

I hope the OP's original enquiry will not open the door to parenting advice or comments on child rearing rather than the factual information requested.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I know it's expensive, but I second the idea of bringing a sitter or family member along. We did this on a few cruises as my son also did not want to go to the kids club or would go for an hour here and there and then wouldn't want to go back. Kids club wasn't something we could plan on. If that isn't a possibility, I would try again when you get on the ship as a lot can change in a year. I took my son on the Magic last year and again he had no interest in the kids club. We just got off the magic last week after a back-to-back and I could barely get him out of the club! I agree the counselors are excellent and I saw many sitting with children who didn't want to participate in the bigger activities. They would color with them and play board games, etc. they have smaller, quieter areas in the clubs as well

 

[Disneyteachers]

I'm anticipating my DS6 to be reluctant, but I'm not opposed to bribery.

 

[aggiedog]

My 9yo ds is not a "joiner" and does not usually like going places on his own. After the first day, he was begging to go to the clubs, and in fact after buying him a watch and giving him navigation challenges around the ship to make sure he could find his way around on time, let him check himself in and out. He found a group of kids he liked to run with and had a blast. So you might be surprised at his reaction to the kids club.