Pirate Cruise

[Dagny]

I have signed my son up for the Pirate Cruise in May and have a couple of questions.


First, my son is potty trained, but I am afraid he will be sooo excited that he will forget to tell someone he needs to go Is it asking too much for me to ask the CM's if they can gently remind him? What happens if he does have an accident (heaven forbid!!)

Also from the posts I have been reading, it sounds like there are a lot of older kids on this excursion. My son will barely be 3 to begin with.... will he still have fun or should I wait until he is a bit older?

Thanks for your help!

 

[HookdonWDW]

Originally posted by Dagny
My son will barely be 3 to begin with.... will he still have fun or should I wait until he is a bit older?

Personally, unless your son is going with someone else, who can help keep an eye on him, I wouldn't send him. When ds went, the CMs asked all the parents to make sure that we sent them to the bathroom before the cruise began, since they wouldn't have facilities on the cruise. I just double checked with ds (he was 6 when he went last year), and he confirmed that he didn't see any potties on the trip.

I would wait until your child is a little more in control of his bladder, and can fully enjoy the experience. Although I know others will disagree with me, I don't think it's fair to expect the CMs to make sure kids don't have "accidents". Either they're trained well enough to last 2-3 hours, or they aren't. As far as what would happen if they had an accident... I'd guess you'd see a wet child and some unhappy CMs when you went to pick up your child.

 

[bthrsoon]

My son was on the pirate cruise last week. He is 8 yrs old. He had a great time and it was wonderfully done. There was a 3yr old at the marina that refused to get on the boat with his older brother. I checked with my son and at one stop there were bathrooms and your son would have to be able to walk himself there and get in and out without assistance. Most of the children were between 6-10. I sent my 4 yr old daughter to the Wonderland Tea Party. There were boys there too! I think he would have a great time. It's just for one hour in a restaurant setting so there won't be any potty issues. They give you a pager for the tea party so they can get back in touch with you for the little ones! Hope this helps!

 

[n2mm]

I think it would be pretty scarey for a 3 year old to be on a boat and watch as he leaves mom and dad on the dock. If he was with other family members, maybe. I wouldn't do it. My grandson is going in June and he is 8. I'm not worried about him, but would really question sending a 3 year old. I'm not sure about the CM/kids ratio, but I'm sure they can't assign one CM to watch one child. I would wait, and maybe do a character meal instead.

 

[cruisnfamily]

What exactly is the pirate cruise?

Sorry for being uninformed but I've never heard of this or the tea party before. Are there other events like this too? Please educate me!

 

[bthrsoon]

The Grand Floridian hosts some special kids only events

The Wonderland Tea Party with Alice and the Mad Hatter

Great Adventures in Cooking is a cooking/story class (no characters)

The Pirate Cruise is a 2 hour adventure hunting for treasure

All are kids only events. They each cost about $25 per child.
They book 60 days (I believe in advance). They only take no more than 25 children so during peak times they are hard to get.
This website has more info under restaurants

 

[Janet2k]

I've got photos of all three GF children's events posted here in Janet2k's On-Line Photo Albums (just look for the appropriate albums).

Is 3 years old too young? Only you can make that determination. My little one went when she was very young but she is a no-holds-barred kind of child. She had no problem leaving the dock with the rest of the motley crew. But I knew her personality before I signed her up and I told her all about it. She said she wanted to go, she would follow the rules, and she would tell me all about it afterwards. She went and had a ball. My nephew, however, is a few years older than my daughter and he had to be talked into the cruise by his mother (and his older sister, who was also attending the cruise). Right up until the boat pulled away from the dock, he kept telling us that he wasn't sure if he wanted to go (it would have been no big deal if he didn't go). He eventually made up his mind to go, and he had a wonderful time. But he almost didn't go. He is the polar opposite of my daughter. So, only you know if your child is old enough.

My only problem with the Pirates Cruise? That I am too old to attend. Drats!

 

[Ityldu]

I have to agree with others that I would wait until he is a little older. He might have the outgoing personality to handle it, but if you're still concerned about the potty thing, then it wouldn't be worth it. You'll probably be nervous the whole time he's gone and he'll probably be very upset if an accident happens while on the trip. It will also probably cause the crew and other "pirates" to become uncomfortable.

There are so many other great things you can do with him, I wouldn't risk the stress on everyone.