Nursery too boring for 3 year old?

We sailed with Disney when our son was 6 months old. The nursery was great for his age then as he wasn't doing much. On our next cruise, he will have just turned three, meaning he will still be in the It's a Small World Nursery.

I can't remember much about the nursery other than it seemed to have a lot of play mats and cots for babies. Will he be super bored as a three year old with a lot of energy? What activities do they do with the older kids in the nursery?

Thanks!

At three years old, kids move into the regular Club/Lab, so your son should have lots to do! The nursery is for under three only.

My grandson will be one month shy of his third birthday when we sail. I'm worried that the nursery will not keep his attention.

. He is already a yellow belt in Tai Quando and is in classes with kids who are 5-6 years old. Do you think he will be kept busy enough?

My grandson will be one month shy of his third birthday when we sail. I'm worried that the nursery will not keep his attention.

. He is already a yellow belt in Tai Quando and is in classes with kids who are 5-6 years old. Do you think he will be kept busy enough?

You can take him to the Oceaneer's Club during "Open House" hours. That's not a drop off (you must stay with him), but it does not have a charge. There is also a toddler exercise/dance activity in the morning, and you can take him to any family activities you wish. There are play areas in the nursery, but if the idea is a family vacation there is a lot you can do with him around the ship. Unless it is for some adult time, why pay for nursery if he is bored there?

We sailed with Disney when our son was 6 months old. The nursery was great for his age then as he wasn't doing much. On our next cruise, he will have just turned three, meaning he will still be in the It's a Small World Nursery.

 

I can't remember much about the nursery other than it seemed to have a lot of play mats and cots for babies. Will he be super bored as a three year old with a lot of energy? What activities do they do with the older kids in the nursery?

 

Thanks!

He should be able to transition to the kid's club at three-years-old. Is he potty-trained? If yes, he should have no problems at the kid's club. Have a great cruise!

We sailed with Disney when our son was 6 months old. The nursery was great for his age then as he wasn't doing much. On our next cruise, he will have just turned three, meaning he will still be in the It's a Small World Nursery.

 

I can't remember much about the nursery other than it seemed to have a lot of play mats and cots for babies. Will he be super bored as a three year old with a lot of energy? What activities do they do with the older kids in the nursery?

 

Thanks!

As above, your three year old will NOT be allowed in the nursery.

You can either keep him occupied or drop him off at the Occeanears club.

ex techie

My grandson will be one month shy of his third birthday when we sail. I'm worried that the nursery will not keep his attention.

. He is already a yellow belt in Tai Quando and is in classes with kids who are 5-6 years old. Do you think he will be kept busy enough?

Yellow belt in Tai Quando as a 2 year old?

Hmmmm.

I think you need to take off the Grandparent glasses.

Whilst you maybe super proud of your grandson, he is a still a baby, and whatever adult type of belt qualification they award him, he is still a baby.

And sorry, a 2 year old practicing Tai Quando to yellow belt standard...... Really?

Will the nursery keep him occupied, probably not since he has the maturity of a 5-6 year old?

So his parents, or you will have to keep him occupied.

Be proud about your 2 year old grandson. But be realistic, he is still a baby and should enjoy being a baby.

ex techie

Thanks for the responses everyone! I wasn't sure about the cutoff age on the nursery since it said up to age three, and I didn't know if that included three year olds or once they turned three, they graduated to the next club.

My 3 year old does not do tae kwon do, but he does like to run, jump and play. He's not potty trained yet but we are going to start next year ... he just turned two so we will have time.

Thank you again!

This is a good question. My son will be one month away from his third birthday on our cruise, so he will still be in the nursery age. I assume that they have activities and equipment for children up to the age of 3. Many older 2 year olds are physical (run, jump, etc).

I had the opportunity to peak in the Nursery on both the Dream and the Wonder in the past. They had items for older toddlers to play on.

These photos are from the Wonder before it's refurb. So it probably looks different now, but it will give you an idea of some of the toys they had out on embarkation day.

Thanks for sharing! I think what worries me is the Oceaneer's Club (from what I can tell on the website) is for ages 3-12. That's quite a large range, and I've read that the club can be chaotic. I just don't want my 3 year old to go mowed over or trampled on by the older kids.

We live in Belgium and it's quite rainy in the winter, so we go to an indoor playground to let our son run around and play. There are areas for ages 1-5 but in the main area it can get crazy, with kids running around, and sometimes the little ones get knocked down, or hit with the balls in the ball pit etc.

I think we are going to have to play this one out by checking into the clubs once we get on board and maybe double checking with Disney that he would be allowed in the nursery area.

No...they will have the kids "broken down" into smaller age groups..no way are 12 year olds with 3 year olds!!!

No...they will have the kids "broken down" into smaller age groups..no way are 12 year olds with 3 year olds!!!

I have heard people say that it is overwhelming for some kids because it's really a big open space in there. There aren't rooms with doors, more like 3 walled rooms that all over look a central area.

No...they will have the kids "broken down" into smaller age groups..no way are 12 year olds with 3 year olds!!!

Actually, on DCL it is very possible to have 12 year olds in with the 3 year olds. They rely on kids interest in the specific activities for the kids to sort themselves into smaller age ranges.

While it's unlikely that a 12 year old will want to participate in Do-see-doe with Snow White (along with many 3-4-5 year olds), there is nothing that will prevent them from doing so.

On the flip side, if a 3-4 year old wants to participate in sloppy science (geared towards the higher age bracket), they are able to do this as well.

Actually, on DCL it is very possible to have 12 year olds in with the 3 year olds. They rely on kids interest in the specific activities for the kids to sort themselves into smaller age ranges.

 

While it's unlikely that a 12 year old will want to participate in Do-see-doe with Snow White (along with many 3-4-5 year olds), there is nothing that will prevent them from doing so.

 

On the flip side, if a 3-4 year old wants to participate in sloppy science (geared towards the higher age bracket), they are able to do this as well.

WOW! I'm surprised the Disney kids' program is organized like this...Disney usually does everything so well. I have seen reports here that more than a few kids liked the Royal Caribbean program better than Disney. Maybe this part of the reason. I am sure many like Disney just fine, though. :)

WOW! I'm surprised the Disney kids' program is organized like this...Disney usually does everything so well. I have seen reports here that more than a few kids liked the Royal Caribbean program better than Disney. Maybe this part of the reason. I am sure many like Disney just fine, though. :)

If you mean the way the age groups are all mixed together, my understanding is that Disney bent to intense pressure from all the parents who wanted their differently-aged siblings to be in the same section together, or who wanted their special child "aged up" or whatever. Now, of course, people complain about 12 year olds being with the 3 year olds (unless it's THEIR two kids they want together--everyone wants to be the exception to the rule).

If you mean the way the age groups are all mixed together, my understanding is that Disney bent to intense pressure from all the parents who wanted their differently-aged siblings to be in the same section together, or who wanted their special child "aged up" or whatever. Now, of course, people complain about 12 year olds being with the 3 year olds (unless it's THEIR two kids they want together--everyone wants to be the exception to the rule).

Gotcha! Like the saying says..."you can't please all of the people all of the time" :D;)

ACK! Did not mean to start a debate. But yes, I'm one of "those" parents that doesn't really want her 3 year old with a rowdy bunch of 12 year olds. But if there's enough staff in there to keep things fairly orderly, I'm sure it'll be ok. Thanks for the feedback everyone!

Gotcha! Like the saying says..."you can't please all of the people all of the time" :D;)

Yeah, I actually feel for Disney on this one. I'm not a parent, but there are several situations (including the water play area), where it's clear that many parents want one of two things, loudly:

1) The age separation STRONGLY enforced if it benefits them (they are the one with the younger child among bigger kids)

--or--

2) To be the EXCEPTION to the rule if it benefits them (they are the ones who want their differently-aged siblings together, or they want their older child to be allowed to use the little kids' splash area because he's tall for his age, or something).

There is really no winning for Disney in this case.

So, there is portholes so you can watch the kids play from the hall way, and you can look in from the entry stations. From the cruises we have done, most of the time the kids self police into their own play groups. The cast members also help steer the kids towards the better areas for them.

The Club has activities like becoming a member of Captin Hook's crew.

While the Lab's activities that will appeal to older kids.

We cruise with a 3&4 year old last cruise and when ever we picked up or dropped off, I couldn't see any older kids in the Club unless they looked like they were siblings/cousins.

How many 12 year olds want to be around Toy story, Pixie Hallow and Monster Inc compared to Computer animation drawing?

Now, our 4year old was over on the Lab side but was "resting with his eyes shut" on one of the bean bags in the media/movie area.

In 1998, DCL started with 2 main groups each of which had 2 sub groups. the 3-4 and 5-7s were in the Oceaneer's Club while the 8-9s and 10-12s were in the Oceaneer's Lab. And just like in Lake Wobegon, every child was exceptional and wanted their child to be "moved up" to be with siblings, cousins, friends, etc. It was a very rare parent who wanted an older child moved down!

SO, DCL started playing with the age groups. 7s were moved to the Lab, etc. There were tons of permutations over the years and no matter what DCL did, there were always parents who wanted a child moved up.

DCL gave up. They decided that NO grouping would ever please all the parents. So they now have the Club/Lab as one big 3-12 age group with activities geared to specific ages. The counselors will not suggest to a kid outside the "suggested" age group that they participate, but they are welcome to if they wish.

In addition, they established overlaps of the ages between programs. The Edge (tween) group is for 11-14s. SO, 11s and 12s can go to the Lab or to the Edge--the choice is up to the child and the parent. But they must follow the rules of whichever space they are in (wear a locator bracelet in the Lab, can sign self out in the Edge). The Vibe (teen) is 14-17. Again, a 14 year old and his/her parent(s) can choose which is more appropriate based on school grade and maturity.

Now, parents of little ones think the age grouping is too big...they can thank the parents who cruised in past years and didn't like the smaller groupings.