Options with little one

[mkm1998]

Hello, my family finally took the plunge and booked our very first Disney Cruise. We booked the week-long MerryTime cruise during Thanksgiving from San Diego. Super excited, but also a little nervous. My wife and I have been on many cruises, but this will be our son’s first. He’ll be 4 during the cruise. I’m trying to figure out what options we’ll have in terms of adult time. I know the kids club is open most of the day and night. Definitely don’t feel comfortable leaving him in the cabin by himself in the evening. Not even considering it. I also don’t know how I feel about leaving him at the kids club while Mommy & Daddy do one of the evening adult activities. Wondering if people in similar situations can share their stories.

The other question I had was regarding Ports Days. Not all the ports have excursions that I feel our son would enjoy. Has anyone left their kid at the kids club while they were off boat on an excursion? Is that even allowed? Would there be some way to communication with the tour group if there was an emergency?

Thanks!

 

[Calantha]

I also don’t know how I feel about leaving him at the kids club while Mommy & Daddy do one of the evening adult activities. Wondering if people in similar situations can share their stories.

The other question I had was regarding Ports Days. Not all the ports have excursions that I feel our son would enjoy. Has anyone left their kid at the kids club while they were off boat on an excursion? Is that even allowed? Would there be some way to communication with the tour group if there was an emergency?

To address part 2, I would not under any circumstances leave my 4 year old on the boat if someone else wasn't on there in my party. There is no way to get back if he wants to leave the club, and if he wants to leave, you are expected to come get him ASAP.

In the evening, if you want to an adult activity it would be fine. BUT, my then 4 year old hated the club despite a full year of pre-school behind him. Now, at 8, I still can't get him to stay for more than an hour or so at a time. Just not his thing.

 

[mkm1998]

To address part 2, I would not under any circumstances leave my 4 year old on the boat if someone else wasn't on there in my party. There is no way to get back if he wants to leave the club, and if he wants to leave, you are expected to come get him ASAP.

That was my first instinct as well. The cruise only stops at 3 ports in Mexico. One of the ports didn’t seem to have anything that our kid would really enjoy, and I don’t want him being bored and upset that he’s not getting to do what he wants in the middle of Mexico. So that day we’ll all just stay on the boat then.

Was trying to convince a friend or family member to come with us so we could swap adult activity days, but that didn’t pan out. Totally fine, as it sounds like there is plenty of things on board to do anyway.

 

[lanejudy]

Unless you have someone in your party to babysit, the only option for childcare is the Club/Lab. One side or the other is open for secure programming most of the day and into the late evening if you wanted a date night. They don't have beds but do have pillows/cushions where young kids tend to crash at night.

DCL does allow guests to leave a child in the Club/Lab during excursions off-ship. They'll need your cell phone number, though depending on the excursion getting back to the ship could be a challenge. However if you already aren't comfortable with the idea of leaving your child there for an evening while you are onboard, it's unlikely you would really consider that option while off-ship. It really all comes down to your comfort level as parents as well as your child's enjoyment of the Club/Lab programming.

 

[Flossbolna]

That was my first instinct as well. The cruise only stops at 3 ports in Mexico. One of the ports didn’t seem to have anything that our kid would really enjoy, and I don’t want him being bored and upset that he’s not getting to do what he wants in the middle of Mexico. So that day we’ll all just stay on the boat then.

Was trying to convince a friend or family member to come with us so we could swap adult activity days, but that didn’t pan out. Totally fine, as it sounds like there is plenty of things on board to do anyway.

I would do some research on what to do in the different ports. You don't have to take a DCL excursion. maybe you can find some private excursion that would be more fitting for your family.

Or you stay onboard for that day and play in the emptier pools, have fun on the slide, hang out in the kids club with your son during open house etc. Being onboard during a port day can be fun, too!

 

[lklgoodman]

If you do an adult activity on the ship, tell the club cms what you are doing and that you are hoping for a certain amount of adult time. They are pretty good at keeping the kids involved in the activities. If your son is crying or really wants to leave they will call to let you know. My dd was 6 yrs old on her first cruise and loved the clubs. We would let her go for 1 or 2 hrs at a time and usually had to drag her out of it to do stuff with us. And she was a shy kid.

 

[Marthasor]

We took our DS on his first cruise when he was 3 1/2. We did bring a family friend along to help us out if the kids' club didn't pan out, which ended up being a good call as he really did not enjoy being in the club without one of us when he was that young (we did open houses with him). You just won't know how your child will react until you are onboard. I would suggest making your adult evening plans later in the week, so you have a sense as to how he is feeling about the club. If it's not working out, you can cancel your reservation or, if he is able to handle it in small bits, you could drop him off and come right back after your meal (we did this when my DS was a little older and only wanted to be in the club 1 - 2 hours at a time). Your DS may love the clubs and then you are golden for adult evening activities. Personally, I would never leave my child in a kids club on a cruise ship while I went into port unless another adult in our party stayed on the ship. Too many variables beyond your control if something goes awry.

 

[brent02139]

Part 2 of your question, I wouldn’t be so worried about it. Do your port excursion, just give yourself plenty of time. Dont book anything too risky. And just to be sure, book through Disney. If the excursion goes long due to unforeseen events, the ship will wait for you.

 

[lilsonicfan]

We’ve left our kids in kids club once while attending an excursion. They were 6,7 and 10 though and they all stayed together so I knew they would be totally fine. A 4yo on his own, I don’t know that I would.

We have cruised many times on many different cruise lines and almost never do an excursion through the cruise line. It’s so often cheaper and better to book our own, plus we get to customize for what we like to do. Worth a look at least.

 

[MomOTwins]

4 years old can be tough with the kids club. They have to be completely potty independent (able to go and clean up with zero assistance). Too old for nursery where they get close adult supervision. And easily overwhelmed by all the older kids playing wildly. Plus get sleepy and cranky after a day at the pool. My son at that age never lasted more than 30 minutes in the club, and never in the evenings when he was ready for bed as soon as we were done with dinner. What DH and I did was take turns doing evenings out or going to the spa solo, while the other parent stayed with the little guy.

As for the excursions while leaving the kids on the ship, NO. Big NO. The horror stories are real (e.g., parents went on excursion, dad shattered a leg in a fall and had to be airlifted to hospital while kids stayed on the ship). Would only do it if I had grandparents staying on the ship with the kids and maybe even not then.

 

[5Texans]

It definitely depends on your kid. Mine were fine at that age in the Lab/Club after dinner for a couple hours. I did take them to open house so that they knew what was available. I also would check to see what the evening activities were- story time w/ a princess, toy soldiers etc. Then I would get my kid hyped up about that and when I checked them in I would ask the councellors to help them find their way to that activity. My kids also are not shy and talked to the staff there and asked for things etc.

 

[Anna131517]

We have 3 kids. The first cruise they were 2, 3, and 5. They didn’t really like being in the kids club / nursery so we didn’t use them. We would do dinner together then all have an early evening. We didn’t get to see any shows. On this second cruise we just finished they were 6, 7, and 9. They loved the kids clubs and we were able to drop them off there while we went to 2 shows (missed the third because they were just too tired that night). We also had some adult time at various times during the day while they went to the kids clubs. With your child only being 4 I wouldn’t expect a lot of adult time at night but you may be able to squeeze it in during the day. If you’re willing to have him miss the themed dining you could feed him early and then use the kids club during your assigned dining time to have an adults only dinner - I saw a few people do this. Edit - I would never leave my kid on the ship while I went on an excursion. I’m in no way comfortable with that because if there was an emergency we would not be there.

 

[mkm1998]

Thanks for the responses everyone! Definitely helped me out with my thought process. I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression though. I was definitely already on the side of being more cautious with my son. I just wanted to see if people treated the kids club more as a preschool. We were 99% sure we were going to stay on the boat if our son wasn't going on shore with us. Pretty much echoed the same thing everyone else said; emergencies can happen, and it would be a nightmare trying to get back.

As far as private excursions, my wife and I have done our share of those in the past. For instance we hired a private tour during our cruise to Havana, and it was amazing. Much more affordable, and we got to do everything we wanted with no crowds! However, that was before we had our son. That is one of the two main reasons I'm sticking with Disney Excursions this time around. The other is that this is a Mexican Cruise. I've seen all the news about the recent climate in Mexico, and I feel way more comfortable being on a Disney-Sponsored excursions than a private one that I booked on my own. I feel like the level of caution we take now that we have a son has increased exponentially. Haha, I think that is normal, which is fine.

Our son loves preschool and is fine with separation from us most of the time. We plan on taking advantage of as much 'open house' hours the first day as we can. I'm happy that the first two days of this cruise are 'at sea' days, so we can see how things go.

Side note: I may be the only person happy that Marvels movie just got pushed back to November. It now releases the week before our cruise, so can't wait to watch that on the ship!