Toddlers in Adventure Ocean and Diapers!

[stan1541]

Our sailing is in April 2010 on Freedom. Our son will be 3y 1m at that time. He is not yet potty trained. I read RCCL's policy stating kids must be potty trained but I'm looking for anyones experience with how strict they are. Its vacation, routines are broken and that is key to staying on top of potty training. If he has an accident are they going to not allow him in Adventure Ocean after that? Will they allow Pull-ups as long as they still use the toilet?

 

Any help here would be appreciated.

[rosejazz]

I would suggest that you ask this on the Family Board. You are more likely to get a quick reply to the question.

[cb at sea]

Unless a child is able to take care of ALL bathroom related things, he won't be allowed in AO. They must be able to pull britches up and down, and do any zipping/buttoning....they will NOT help with bathroom things!

I don't see where "pull-ups' would be a problem, as long as he can use the toilet...and if he can, why bother with pull-ups? (Most kids HATE getting wet...it's a good teaching tool!)

He won't be allowed in the swimming pools with swim diapers, either...he has to be potty-trained go swimming. I don't know if there is a "baby splash zone"---if there is, he'll be able to splash with the babies.....

You may want to work on the potty training issue!

[tankersbabe]

The pools are not chlorinated, they are sea water.

 

Any 'accidents' can affect the health of those around you.

 

Unless they are fully potty trained, then they need to stay out.

And I have a toddler, and am hoping to have him fully potty trained by our trip in April. If not, then oh well, he won't be going in the pools.

 

They are strict, and its for everyone's health that the rule is made. You really don't want to be swimming in an enclosed potty.

 

PS...my bad for not reading your post fully. Thought you were talking about the pool area, not the childcare. DUh...

 

But the PSA is out there for the pools too while we are at it.

 

Good luck on the potty training...we are hitting it hard too!

[nenner1]

The pools are not chlorinated, they are sea water.

 

Freedom class pools are freshwater..however swim diapers are not permitted, including in the H20 zone.

 

There is a small swim diaper splash zone area where non-toilet trained children and babies can "swim".

 

As a PP stated the child has to be able to handle all potty related activities to participate in AO.

 

Hope that helps some!

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

Unless things have changed drastically (my youngest is now 5), RCCL's childcare staff is not bonded to deal with toileting, nor do they have toileting supplies in AO, so no diapers, no pull-ups, no exceptions. It's a legal/health issue. And an accident, though understandable at that age, would be a problem, your child probably wouldn't be allowed back in.

 

There's always in-room babysitting, safe, easy, cheap, and pull-ups and accidents are allowed. I used babysitters on Vision and Voyager, both great!!

[stan1541]

In light of the answers, How much is in room babysitting?

[cb at sea]

It runs between $10-12 per hour...if you're going to use it, reserve it in advance...it's on an "available" basis only!

[kyriecat]

I thought 1 "accident" was allowed but a second would get your child banned from AO. I don't know if that is an "official" RC policy or just that of a particular ship. I didn't see it posted on RC's website.

 

If you think your child will have an accident, make sure AO knows where you will be. I don't think they provide any cleaning/changing services, although it's hard to believe they will let a child sit in his/her wet clothing if the parents cannot be located in a reasonable time frame.

 

Babysitting is $10/hr for 1-2 children or $15/hr for 3. No more than 3 at a time. However, babysitting is cannot be reserved in advance and RC makes no guarantees regarding availability since it's provided by "offduty" staff members.

[bigpuma]

Babysitting is $10/hr for 1-2 children or $15/hr for 3. No more than 3 at a time. However, babysitting is cannot be reserved in advance and RC makes no guarantees regarding availability since it's provided by "offduty" staff members.

 

The best thing to do if you want babysitting is head straight to the guest relations desk when you get onboard. From there you can reserve any nights you would like. I have done this on 2 separate cruises and it has worked out well.

 

ETA: I believe babysitting is only available after 5pm so this wouldn't work during the day.

[kyriecat]

The best thing to do if you want babysitting is head straight to the guest relations desk when you get onboard. From there you can reserve any nights you would like. I have done this on 2 separate cruises and it has worked out well.

 

ETA: I believe babysitting is only available after 5pm so this wouldn't work during the day.

The RC website says it's available from 8 am to 2 am, but I imagine that actually varies based on the number of babysitters and their availability.

 

Q: Are babysitters available onboard?

 

A: Babysitting is offered both in a group setting, and individually in your stateroom. In stateroom babysitting must be reserved through the Guest Relations Desk (Purser's Desk) at least 24 hours in advance.

 

It cannot be reserved prior to the cruise vacation and there is no guarantee that sitters will be available. The service is offered between 8:00 am and 2:00 am when personnel is available. Sitters will be assigned on a first come first served basis

 

Children MUST be at least 1 year old.

 

Approximate Rate: $10.00 per hour for one or two children within the same family or $15.00 per hour for three children within the same family.

 

Times and prices are subject to change without notice. Payment must be made in cash.

[jmf123]

Our sailing is in April 2010 on Freedom. Our son will be 3y 1m at that time. He is not yet potty trained. I read RCCL's policy stating kids must be potty trained but I'm looking for anyones experience with how strict they are. Its vacation, routines are broken and that is key to staying on top of potty training. If he has an accident are they going to not allow him in Adventure Ocean after that? Will they allow Pull-ups as long as they still use the toilet?

 

Any help here would be appreciated.

 

To participate in Adventure Ocean children must be toilet trained and pull-up diaper-free. A friend's son (just under three years of age) was on the Adventure about six years ago. He had an accident and was not permitted to return to Adventure Ocean.

 

In-stateroom babysitting is booked through Guest Relations and there is no guarantee that sitters will be available. The service is offered from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. and the approximate rate is $8/hour for one or two children within the same family or $10/hour for three children within the same family. Payment must be made in cash. The minimum age is one year old.

 

There is also Group sitting, known onboard as the Late Night Party Zone, but it is restricted to toilet-trained and pull-up diaper-free children. ($5/hour, per child).

 

(Oops, it appears that rates have increased for babysitting!)

[5inthefamily]

I would give AO a try...in our experience one accident doesn't get your kid thrown out. We were on the Mariner last week, and our 6 year old was waiting in a long line of kids to use the bathroom - and just couldn't hold it anymore. She was horrified, as she hasn't had an accident in years. But the AO staff was great, they didn't make a big deal of it at all, changed her (got a free pair of RCI shorts out of it!), put her wet stuff in a plastic bag and kept going with the scheduled activities. We only found out about it upon pick-up. This was on the first sea day, and our daughter continued to enjoy AO all week.