Settling into IASW Nursery...

[steveyjc81]

Hi All,

As my cruise is getting nearer, I’m starting to get a little anxious about the nursery.

How to people fins their child settling in the nursery? I’ve booked a few hours here and there throughout the cruise - mainly justing Remy brunch and Remy dinner.

Most of the time we plan to spend with the daughter. She is used to going to nursery here at home 3 days a week.

I guess the cruise staff are used to settling children in a very short space of time.

Does anyone have any experience of advice?

 

[jeepnjudy]

My DS3 was very clingy and we worried about this as well but the nursery staff reassured us he would be fine and they would call if there were any issues. We never got a call and he did just fine. I found the staff great at diverting their attention away from mom & dad and toward engaging in fun activities.

 

[Quellman]

If your cruise has an open house time for the nursery (usually up until muster drill at a minimum) you need to take your little one. Our guys first cruise was at 14 months, and he has been again since. By you going into the space with them the first time, it isn't a shock to their normal way of doing stuff. You also get a chance to talk with any of the counselors around, so you can ease your own concerns.

By the time we got back for his check in time the next day, he was already at the playroom door knocking to go in before we even got to check him in! This was from a kid who hadn't had any daycare experience prior. He was happy enough to go and do, while we went and saw.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Whenever I walked by the nursery on the Wonder during my last cruise, I heard loud crying. If the ship you are on has the same type of set up, you'll be able to walk by without your child seeing you and you'll know if she is crying or not.

 

[cscream13]

This can really vary from child to child, and even vary for the same child! My older DS is 3 now and has been on 3 cruises. We've used the nursery all 3 times and have never had a problem -- but drop off did vary as he got older. His first cruises was when he was 6 months old and had not yet developed separation anxiety -- he happily went to the British nannies in the nursery (as we affectionately called them) when we dropped him off without any complaint. His next cruise at about 18 months and was harder, and his next at about 2.5 years was similar -- he resisted leaving Mommy and Daddy almost every time, and sometimes even cried, but every time he calmed within minutes and had fun, according to the nursery workers when we picked him up. We've got cruise #4 coming up, which will be his first time going to the kids' clubs instead of the nursery, and I still worry. Its natural -- you love your kids and want them to be happy. I think the bottom line is that, even if your child resists being dropped off, the nursery will do their absolute best to make your child happy and will call you if not. We felt very comfortable with the facilities and staffing in the nursery. Its one of the top reasons we return to DCL despite the price tag. if you have any more specific questions, let me know!

P.S. In terms of drop-off advise, we thought "ripping the bandaid off" was the best strategy -- lingering too long did not help (we tried once or twice). As long as DS could see us, he still reached out wanting us to stay with him. You cant go past the outer foyer for security reasons, so once he is in the hands of one of the nursery workers, its best to let them take him and get him settled and occupied.

Have fun!!

 

[mmouse37]

Just got off the Fantasy Saturday with extended family including my two granddaughters, 12 months and 14 months and my 13 month old niece. All were excited about going in and had no problems while in the nursery. None wanted to come out!!! They loved playing there. But, toward the end of the cruise they did figure out and associate that while in the nursery mommy wasn't there. All three would start to cry the last few times when moms said goodbye to them but my daughter and DIL would call a few minutes later to see how they were doing and both were fine after the initial separation anxiety.

MJ

 

[rmsept81]

Does anyone have any idea how long drop off takes? If I have a 12:30 brunch reservation how much time should we allow in-between?

 

[steveyjc81]

Thanks everyone for replying. Hoping for the best!

 

[cscream13]

Does anyone have any idea how long drop off takes? If I have a 12:30 brunch reservation how much time should we allow in-between?

I think it depends mostly on how many other families are dropping off at the same time, as there is just one check-in desk. We found it was busiest right before the first seating for dinner, around 5:30 p.m. After that we allowed about a 10 minute buffer for drop-off. We never had them turn us away if we were a few minutes early and this gives you some extra time in case you have to wait for a few when you get there.