Toddler Questions

[asamklove]

An activity both my 2 & 4yos loved was the Shuffleboard on Deck 4. It got a lot of their energy out. We did encounter a couple of dirty looks and heavy sighs when an older family wanted to actually play shuffleboard (by the rules), but we stood our ground & allowed our kids a fair amount of time to enjoy what they were doing.
At uncrowded times, deck 4 can be a great little running track for an active kiddo!

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

An activity both my 2 & 4yos loved was the Shuffleboard on Deck 4. It got a lot of their energy out. We did encounter a couple of dirty looks and heavy sighs when an older family wanted to actually play shuffleboard (by the rules), but we stood our ground & allowed our kids a fair amount of time to enjoy what they were doing.
At uncrowded times, deck 4 can be a great little running track for an active kiddo!

I would just remind people to be careful on deck 4 with toddlers. The railings aren't quite like on the other decks. There are small gaps where the gates shut, and I remember reading a post on here about the gates not being properly fastened at least one time. It scared us enough to steer clear of Deck 4 outside!

 

[asamklove]

OMG!!! That totally freaks me out. You mean the kids could have fallen off the ship?!? Yikes.

 

[goNDmay9]

Subscribing.

 

[Berger]

So, again, first timer - never cruised at all and excited to do our first DCL cruise in January.

I am travelling with the spouse, our 2 year old daughter and my in-laws. I was a little disappointed to learn about the swim diaper restriction as I highly doubt she'll be potty-trained by then but it is what it is... at least Disney has something for those kids. Is the area for the swim diaper crowd a decent size? In the pictures it looks tiny... wasn't sure if it was just the angle.

Also, suggestions on what to do with that age-set on-ship? She's pretty good about sitting still so we intend on seeing the shows. A lot of the activities on the website seemed to be geared towards the 3+ crowd. Is there an interactive floor that is NOT in the kids club? She'd get a kick out of that but again, can't attend the kids club....

Any suggestions would be great! Thanks so much!
Morgan

We had a DS just under 3 and he loved that nemo splash area all week. He was upset at night when we walked past it as the staff was cleaning the area. He had a blast all week.

 

[ladypiph]

We set sail on the Disney dream with my son just a few months after he turned 3. And he had an amazing time. Like others have posted going to the kids clubs during open house is a great idea as there are cast members who are more than willing to play a game of catch or do some hula hooping with your child while you guys are exploring the area. Nemo's reef is pretty large and most parents stand on the outside and just watch their children play so its never overly crowded. The water is also heated in Nemo's reef so it is the perfect temp for little one's. The D lounge had a lot of fun interactive things you can all do as a family. There is never a shortage of things to do on the ship. However your DD can verbalize when she needs to use the bathroom then I think that you can take her in the family pool w/o a swim diaper just keep a watchful eye. Hope this helps.

 

[Chemist]

However your DD can verbalize when she needs to use the bathroom then I think that you can take her in the family pool w/o a swim diaper just keep a watchful eye.

Oh, bad bad bad bad bad idea!
If the kid DOES poop in the pool, now you have nothing to contain it and the pool will be closed for a minimum of 24 hours while they de-germ it.
Please don't ruin everyone else's vacation with your selfishness!!!

 

[ladypiph]

However your DD can verbalize when she needs to use the bathroom then I think that you can take her in the family pool w/o a swim diaper just keep a watchful eye.

Oh, bad bad bad bad bad idea!
If the kid DOES poop in the pool, now you have nothing to contain it and the pool will be closed for a minimum of 24 hours while they de-germ it.
Please don't ruin everyone else's vacation with your selfishness!!!

As a parent we know our children's "schedule" as well as the signs involved with a child that needs to use the potty. I am pretty sure there are children already "passing germs" in the pool. And by simply wading in 2 feet deep pool with a small child who could say when they need to go is not selfishness seeing as a fully potty trained child (same age) could just as easily poop in the pool, mistakes happen. But i appreciate your feedback.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

I'm hoping no one minds if I jump in with a question related to toddlers.

We are tentatively planning a September 2016 cruise with our would-be 3 year old. (We want to leave our 9 month old at home for the four night cruise...). She is really great at enjoying and sitting through the shows at WDW (Nemo, Lion King...even American Adventure) and we know we'd want to go to the shows on the ship. Would you recommend early or late dining to have dinner and see the show? Right now, at age 2, her bedtime is 8pm and she is a sleepy crabby girl if she stays up past that time. I think she would have to do the early show....but then that would mean doing the late dining, which would be way too late for her. Would doing the early show and eating at Cabanas for dinner be our only option? It stinks to have to choose between the shows and the main dining rooms...

 

[MorganL]

I'm hoping no one minds if I jump in with a question related to toddlers.

We are tentatively planning a September 2016 cruise with our would-be 3 year old. (We want to leave our 9 month old at home for the four night cruise...). She is really great at enjoying and sitting through the shows at WDW (Nemo, Lion King...even American Adventure) and we know we'd want to go to the shows on the ship. Would you recommend early or late dining to have dinner and see the show? Right now, at age 2, her bedtime is 8pm and she is a sleepy crabby girl if she stays up past that time. I think she would have to do the early show....but then that would mean doing the late dining, which would be way too late for her. Would doing the early show and eating at Cabanas for dinner be our only option? It stinks to have to choose between the shows and the main dining rooms...

Room service, perhaps?

 

[DisneyDiva84]

I'm hoping no one minds if I jump in with a question related to toddlers.

We are tentatively planning a September 2016 cruise with our would-be 3 year old. (We want to leave our 9 month old at home for the four night cruise...). She is really great at enjoying and sitting through the shows at WDW (Nemo, Lion King...even American Adventure) and we know we'd want to go to the shows on the ship. Would you recommend early or late dining to have dinner and see the show? Right now, at age 2, her bedtime is 8pm and she is a sleepy crabby girl if she stays up past that time. I think she would have to do the early show....but then that would mean doing the late dining, which would be way too late for her. Would doing the early show and eating at Cabanas for dinner be our only option? It stinks to have to choose between the shows and the main dining rooms...

Jumping in. We took our son on his first cruise at 9 months. I will say between that one and the one at 18 months it was sooooo much easier. he was like a happy little backpack and we got AMAZING pictures. This was on Carnival so we blame the second time stuff on the fact that there wasn't a ton for him to do. He'll be 2 on our first DCL cruise next week and we can't wait.

Again to each their own but i thought i would give a good 9 month example if you were on the fence

 

[TestingH2O]

I'm hoping no one minds if I jump in with a question related to toddlers.

We are tentatively planning a September 2016 cruise with our would-be 3 year old. (We want to leave our 9 month old at home for the four night cruise...). She is really great at enjoying and sitting through the shows at WDW (Nemo, Lion King...even American Adventure) and we know we'd want to go to the shows on the ship. Would you recommend early or late dining to have dinner and see the show? Right now, at age 2, her bedtime is 8pm and she is a sleepy crabby girl if she stays up past that time. I think she would have to do the early show....but then that would mean doing the late dining, which would be way too late for her. Would doing the early show and eating at Cabanas for dinner be our only option? It stinks to have to choose between the shows and the main dining rooms...

We were in this exact situation and opted for early dining. We were in a large party and wanted to make sure we all had that time together for dinner. Now, the Dream and Fantasy do have all the shows broadcast on the stateroom TV's. I forgot to watch them, but it might be an option for you. That way if she got crabby or fell asleep, you would already be in your room.

Do you have a time change? The cruise was 1 hour later for us and we just didn't change her time. So instead of going to bed at 8:00/8:30, we put her to bed at 9:00/9:30. Then instead of sleeping till 7:00, she slept till 8:00. Because you can make the rooms so dark, it worked well and we could keep her from adjusting to the difference in light patterns.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

OMG!!! That totally freaks me out. You mean the kids could have fallen off the ship?!? Yikes.

Not likely, but you never know. Maybe @DISNEY FANTASY can weigh in; I think he is the one who mentioned the gates not being properly fastened one time.

 

[runjanerun]

Following! Our son was 6 months old on our first DCL cruise, and he too was like a happy little backpack. He would get a little fidgety at dinner (first seating), but he seemed to enjoy the shows. He sat through every show (at the 2nd show time) without any problems. He'll be 2 for our next cruise, and i'm wondering how he is going to do. I'm dreading dinner because he is done in 5 minutes and just wants to climb all over me. I am thinking of putting him in the nursery 30 minutes into our dining time like someone suggested.

 

[boosnicole]

My daughter is 2 and is PT except for nighttime. Only problem is she has to be helped with using the potty (can't quite get her clothing right). Will we get a side-eye for letting her swim in the family pool? Can I bring her to the kids clubs for periods of time and check on her, or is 2 just too young for the club in general?

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Jumping in. We took our son on his first cruise at 9 months. I will say between that one and the one at 18 months it was sooooo much easier. he was like a happy little backpack and we got AMAZING pictures. This was on Carnival so we blame the second time stuff on the fact that there wasn't a ton for him to do. He'll be 2 on our first DCL cruise next week and we can't wait.

Again to each their own but i thought i would give a good 9 month example if you were on the fence

The nine month old is still in the womb, so I'm not sure what her temperament will be like! I do know that at nine months, I liked keeping my daughter on a strict nap and bedtime schedule...but maybe that will fly out the window with kiddo #2. The cruise will be to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary and ideally we'd love to go alone (does that make is sound like rotten parents?) but we don't think any family members are going to sign up to watch a 9 month old and 3 year old for 5 nights.

We were in this exact situation and opted for early dining. We were in a large party and wanted to make sure we all had that time together for dinner. Now, the Dream and Fantasy do have all the shows broadcast on the stateroom TV's. I forgot to watch them, but it might be an option for you. That way if she got crabby or fell asleep, you would already be in your room.

Do you have a time change? The cruise was 1 hour later for us and we just didn't change her time. So instead of going to bed at 8:00/8:30, we put her to bed at 9:00/9:30. Then instead of sleeping till 7:00, she slept till 8:00. Because you can make the rooms so dark, it worked well and we could keep her from adjusting to the difference in light patterns.

Good point about the time change! We are central time so that buys us an hour. We will probably do early dining and then play it by ear...try taking her to the show and leave if she has a fit.

 

[TestingH2O]

The cruise will be to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary and ideally we'd love to go alone (does that make is sound like rotten parents?) but we don't think any family members are going to sign up to watch a 9 month old and 3 year old for 5 nights.

No. It makes you sound like parents who still like each other and value your sanity.

We traveled with grandparents so we could get some alone time.

 

[Rambler5678]

The nursery even though they charge is great. They do lots of activities and at the end of the cruise give you a folder with your kids crafts they completed plus some cute pics they took of them during the cruise. We have done this on the Magic and the Dream.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

My daughter is 2 and is PT except for nighttime. Only problem is she has to be helped with using the potty (can't quite get her clothing right). Will we get a side-eye for letting her swim in the family pool? Can I bring her to the kids clubs for periods of time and check on her, or is 2 just too young for the club in general?

To use the family pool, DCL has this posted on their website:
The United States Public Health Service requires that only children who are toilet trained are permitted to enter swimming pools and spas aboard cruise ships.

To me that means must be able to recognize that they need to use the toilet, and get there in time. Almost every cruise I've been on the family pool has been shut down unexpectedly, due to children who "are mostly potty-trained" proving that they aren't.

A 2 year old would be in the nursery. You can take her to Oceaneer's Club/Lab during the Open House times, but you must remain with her.

Oceaneer's Club/Lab is ages 3-12 for drop off child care.

 

[gizzardgoop]

I'm hoping no one minds if I jump in with a question related to toddlers.

We are tentatively planning a September 2016 cruise with our would-be 3 year old. (We want to leave our 9 month old at home for the four night cruise...). She is really great at enjoying and sitting through the shows at WDW (Nemo, Lion King...even American Adventure) and we know we'd want to go to the shows on the ship. Would you recommend early or late dining to have dinner and see the show? Right now, at age 2, her bedtime is 8pm and she is a sleepy crabby girl if she stays up past that time. I think she would have to do the early show....but then that would mean doing the late dining, which would be way too late for her. Would doing the early show and eating at Cabanas for dinner be our only option? It stinks to have to choose between the shows and the main dining rooms...

Some of the shows are shown at 3 in the afternoon too. Check some of the posted navigators to see what's typically offered during your cruise.