What can/cant infants wear in pool?

[buzz&woody'smom]

Has anyone found out what the true story is? I am cruising at the end of October with my then to be 17 month DS and 4 DS. How in the world can I keep the 17 month out of the pool when his 4 years brother is having the time of his life? I don't know what else I can do with him to entertain him except chase him around the chip? What about our day at sea what will I do to entertain him. I have used swim diapers at every private and public pool around and at all of WDW water parks.

I may cancel if this is the case. My toddler hears the bath water running and comes running to join his 4 year old in the tub. I understrand the health concerns but I have used swim diapers for 4 years and never ever had a problem. This is discriminiation against the littlest people! And those of you who are for it think back when you had little runs like we do and you would feel the same

 

[jel0511]

I just received a response from my TA at Dreams, gotta love that quick response time!!! Anyway, here is what she stated to me in the e-mail.

I just spoke with Disney Cruise Line and they advised that if this person sent an e-mail directly to guest communications at Disney Cruise Line, they probably did receive a response that children should be two years old. I asked the agent to check further and she said that they have nothing in writing saying that the child needs to be potty trained.

So, the plot thickens....

 

[indymom1]

We are scheduled to go on the March 29.2003 cruise with our 6 yr old and 11.5 month old son. Obviously our youngest son is not and will not be potty trained. If this becomes a serious issue then we will have no choice but to cancel and spend our vacation money in another way. I just can't see being on a boat for 7 days where everyone can get into the water except the little ones. I really hope we get more clarification so that everyone involved can make the decision that is best for them.

 

[jellymoon]

I got the same response from DCL that was posted at the beginning the thread. I wrote back asking what the refund policy would be for families travelling with toddlers, as this completely changes the product. I'm just not sure I'm willing to go through with what is working out to be a $10,000 vacation in a couple of weeks if it means my little girls must stay in the cabins because they can't participate in anything. If it is a health requirement, so be it. BUT, they have an obligation to make this clear in their advertising materials. The Mickey Pool is a wading pool--- clearly designed for infants and toddlers. Who would possibly think they wouldn't be allowed, when we all swim in public pools at home?

I'm livid right now and feel very cheated and ripped off by the cruise line.

 

[jel0511]

I wish people at DCL would get their stories straight. I just called DCL special services and specifically asked about my toddler using the pools. I was told, "We're a family cruise, we wouldn't exclude children from the pools." I said I was specifically asking, since I knew other cruise lines prevent non-potty trained kids from the pools. I guess if it's a US regulation thing, they really can't do anything to prevent it, but I'm hoping that the Mickey wading pool would not be included since it's really not a pool.

 

[indymom1]

I like you am cruising next March and am trying to find a concise and firm answer to DCL position on this matter. I will not be happy if this would become an issue once you are on board which is what I am afraid is going to happen. You know the drill every person you talk to gives you a different answer but then once on board you have to follow their rules. I have also just sent DU a message trying to get a better answer to these questions and depending on how this all gets resolved we may also have to cancel. Just can't see spending so much money and then telling our little guy that he can't go into the pool I really hope this works out but right now I have to say I am very nervous!!

 

[SueEllen]

I guess if it's a US regulation thing, they really can't do anything to prevent it, but I'm hoping that the Mickey wading pool would not be included since it's really not a pool.

Well if it is a US regulation, then they DO NOT have to adhere! They are a Bahamian registered ship, not US.

That being said, I cannot imagine that they would prevent the little ones from swimming! They do NOT have any activities for the under 3 group, and swimming is about the only thing they CAN do. If they prevent them from the pools, then I would think that they would have to do *something* in order to accomodate the under 3 crowd, other than charging for Flounder's Reef, which is difficult to obtain I hear.

Disney is about children and families. The Mickey pool is definitely designed for the little ones. I would imagine that is why they have 3 pools for the guests--a little kids pool, a bigger kids pool, and an adult pool.

I think that a "swim diaper" under a swimsuit (especially those suits with built in diapers) is fairly sanitary. Anytime you are relying on the public to use common sense about anything (i.e. children in diapers, etc..) you will never cease to be shocked at what some people will do. We can only HOPE that the majority of parents will have enough common sense about this matter.

Sue Ellen (who will be very upset if her toddler can't use the pools on the cruise)

 

[DreamsDoComeTrue]

Originally posted by DiznyMagic
give me a break - kids have been swimming in pools for years - so whats the point behind chlorine and all those other chemicals?

I think the bugs are getting harder to kill these days.
Let's see, E-coli, Hepatitis A (plus Pseudomonas, Giardia, Legionella, Staphylococci, Cryptosporidium...the list goes on) can be spread in a pool. Remember that water park outbreak?E-coli story A child may have had diarrhea a few weeks earlier that cleared up, and they can still contaminate a pool for the other kids, who might not have the strength to fight it off as well.
I guess the rules are there for a reason. Just remember to tell the kids who do swim, KEEP YOUR MOUTH CLOSED while landing from the slide! Don't even lick your lips!

 

[DreamsDoComeTrue]

I'm imagining a "Water Play Place" that has those fountains that shoot off unexpectedly, little fountains that mist, etc. Has anyone been to Legoland? Remember that ride where the parents can control the water jets and splash their own kids (and the kids didn't even know it)? Now THAT's fun! I'm sure that there would be regulations for the CM's to turn everything off, clear the kids and mop the floor and fountain nozzles several times a day with something pretty strong... but... it could work. Shoot, they clean the Suriel bathes often enough!

 

[shmoogrrrl]

Originally posted by indymom1
We are scheduled to go on the March 29.2003 cruise with our 6 yr old and 11.5 month old son. Obviously our youngest son is not and will not be potty trained. If this becomes a serious issue then we will have no choice but to cancel and spend our vacation money in another way.

I told my husband about this last night and he suggested that he might want to cancel too if they say our Daughter (who will be 10 months when we sail.) can't use the pool. Ultimately, I don't think we will because the trip isn't all about the Mickey Pool, but Disney really will need to come up with more activites for us to do with the tiny kiddies to make it worth while. I understand that it might be a mandatory thing that they have to comply with, but hopefully if it is they will come up with something that we can do with our little ones on sea days!

Guess we will just have to wait and see!!

Kathy

 

[indymom1]

I totally agree with you that it is not all about the Mickey Pool, however with kids that little if they don't have some activities to compensate for no pool time it would make for a long seven days. Especially in our case. Our little guy already follows his big brother and wants him around him all of the time. I can't imagine the ugliness that would ensue if his brother can swim in Mickey's pool and he can not. Please DCL use some of your Magic and come up with a solution that everyone can live with. Safety and fun for everyone's children should be the goal

 

[jellymoon]

Well, as I'm thinking about it, they really can't "prove" who is potty trained and who isn't. Is there going to be some sort of "test"?

Both of my little girls-- toddlers-- are well on their way to potty training. In fact, even my 17 month old now does her poops in the toilet rather than a diaper. So, I really think they can't do it by "age".

I doubt we can cancel without penalty at this point--- we leave in a matter of days. We'll just plan to be in the pool and if they ask, our kids are trained.

 

[jel0511]

I asked my TA from Dreams to look into this further and even sent her a copy of the first post, here is the reply she received from Disney.

Disney states that this is not official policy at this point and we will be notified if and when it becomes official.

I guess it's just wait and see at this point.

 

[taswira]

Even though the Disney ships are registered in the Bahamas, DCL as a business operates out of the U.S. Since such a high number of guests are American, that should be incentive enough to comply with the USPHS health regulations, which are generally higher than foreign regs. I would not like to think that DCL would use their foreign registry to get around healthy sanitation standards, as some lines have been known to try to do. As much as I symphathize with those with infants and toddlers, I am sure DCL is working hard to come up with entertainment for them and has no intention of leaving you standing there holding your child with nothing to do. Give them a chance! However, as someone posted, you will probably get a different story from anyone you ask about this. Your TA can only pass on what they are told by whomever. And we all know that if we call DCL reservations, each CM sometimes has their own interpretation of things. As for anyone wishing to cancel, if you plan to cruise at all, you could encounter the same situation on other lines even without notice. If you read the fine print at the back of brochures or terms of agreement, it will advise you that the cruise line contract itself (your actual documents issued) are the binding agreement over any advertisement, offer, or oral or written representation of any representative. So unless it specifically states that NON-potty trained guests <I>are</I> allowed in the pool, any line can ban them. But again, keep in mind that cruise lines want to stay in business so I would not go thinking the worst possible scenario just yet. Also, DCL's message said it has yet to be implemented on the Wonder. Sometimes "weeks" can turn into "months."

 

[pal2pluto]

If it has "yet to be implemented on the Wonder", does that mean it is already enforced on the Magic?

 

[Michelle]

No, as stated above, this is NOT YET AN OFFICIAL POLICY ON EITHER SHIP.

If and when there is a policy statement issued by DCL on this topic rest assured we will post it here.

 

[taswira]

I was only basing my statement on the first post and the message the poster received directly from DCL.

 

[Michelle]

I know, taswira, I wasn't directing the post at anyone in particular.

While DCL certainly MAY be planning a policy change, I just wanted to make the comment that right now they are stating they have not made an official policy change. That's pretty much confirmed by the posters above who said they saw plenty of kids in swim diapers (or less, yikes!) in the Mickey pool on recent cruises.

Hopefully DCL will clarify and publish a statement soon.

 

[taswira]

Thanks, Michelle. Since DCL's message said it was "already in place on the Magic," is there any DISer with infants or toddlers on the Magic right now who may be able to say whether any change actually <I>has</I> taken place yet . . and how (if at all) they are or will enforce the new policy? It does seem that IF the policy had already changed even on one ship, someone would post about it. Maybe they were going to but decided to wait until they DO have something new to entertain those affected. That would seem to be a wise decision.

 

[ducklite]

Not sure how possible it would be to retrofit, but a good, viable, cost effective alternative would be to install the rubber matting with the little squirties that send streams of water bubbling and squirting up for toddlers to cavort in. They'll still get wet and have fun, but not have the sanitation issues that exist when nature calls while they are in the pools.

Anne