Advice from parents needed!

[JillK]

Hi All.

 

I've just booked on the Wonder for three nights in February (very very excited).

 

This will be my 7th cruise, hubby's 5th and the first for our DD's (2 and 4). This is also our first Disney cruise.

 

I have a few questions I was hoping you experienced Disney cruisers wouldn't mind answering for me.

 

1/ We have second seating due to our late booking. This is far too late for the girls... I noticed that buffet dinner is only available on the 7-night cruises. Can we eat in the dining room(s) for breakfast and lunch and go top-side for casual fare for dinner (pizza, hot dogs, etc). I know this is not ideal (especially for mom and dad), but we're doing this cruise for the girls and want to cater to them.

 

2/ Any advice from parents and grandparents out there on some do's and don'ts for cruising with little ones? Any recommendations for motion sickness remedies that are effective for little ones would be appreciated too!

 

3/ I believe I read here that if the parents are there, children under 3 can "participate" in the Oceaneer's Club? Can anyone kindly confirm? Also, anyone with experience in the nursery with a toddler.... Our littlest will be shy of 3 by a few months, but as of today is not yet potty trained so I know she can't register for the Oceaneer's club. That being said, she is in daycare currently with her sister and that age group and loves it. I'm concerned she won't enjoy nursery as much as the activities in the club and confused as to why she's in an environment with younger children.

 

Phew - sorry to be so lenghty but any and all advice is very much appreciated. We are hoping to pass along our love of cruising to our girls and think that the Wonder is the perfect way to do it.

 

Any other general comments about the ship, Castaway Cay, hints and tips would be welcome.

 

Many thanks to all who take the time to reply!

 

Jill

[jjgoo]

Make sure your kids dont get lost at Castaway Cay. They shut down the entire place looking for my kid one time.

[truck1]

Hi All.

 

I've just booked on the Wonder for three nights in February (very very excited).

 

This will be my 7th cruise, hubby's 5th and the first for our DD's (2 and 4). This is also our first Disney cruise.

 

I have a few questions I was hoping you experienced Disney cruisers wouldn't mind answering for me.

 

1/ We have second seating due to our late booking. This is far too late for the girls... I noticed that buffet dinner is only available on the 7-night cruises. Can we eat in the dining room(s) for breakfast and lunch and go top-side for casual fare for dinner (pizza, hot dogs, etc). I know this is not ideal (especially for mom and dad), but we're doing this cruise for the girls and want to cater to them.

 

2/ Any advice from parents and grandparents out there on some do's and don'ts for cruising with little ones? Any recommendations for motion sickness remedies that are effective for little ones would be appreciated too!

 

3/ I believe I read here that if the parents are there, children under 3 can "participate" in the Oceaneer's Club? Can anyone kindly confirm? Also, anyone with experience in the nursery with a toddler.... Our littlest will be shy of 3 by a few months, but as of today is not yet potty trained so I know she can't register for the Oceaneer's club. That being said, she is in daycare currently with her sister and that age group and loves it. I'm concerned she won't enjoy nursery as much as the activities in the club and confused as to why she's in an environment with younger children.

 

Phew - sorry to be so lenghty but any and all advice is very much appreciated. We are hoping to pass along our love of cruising to our girls and think that the Wonder is the perfect way to do it.

 

Any other general comments about the ship, Castaway Cay, hints and tips would be welcome.

 

Many thanks to all who take the time to reply!

 

Jill

 

 

Let see here. In no particular order, you can change your dinner time on the ship. The minute you get on board, go to Guest Services, and they can change your dining time. You are probably not the only family that needs to change dining times for one reason or another. If not, there is always room service. No charge. (As far as I know.) You have 2 options for breakfast/lunch.Actually more than that but to keep thing simple. There is a breakfast buffet on deck 9 aft at Beach Blanket. At the same time, there is a sit down. When I had my son onboard in 2000 he was not quite 2,, and we tended to stay with the buffet as there was a little more choice, especially for the kids.Same with lunch. Plus just the feeling of sitting outside, watching the world go by.

Heres the other lunch options, since you are going on the 3 day, you will have a day in Nassau, and there are several restaraunts within walking distance. At Castaway Cay, a buffet lunch is served on the island, so that is not a big deal.

 

For your kids, I would either buy on the Island or on the ship a sand castle build set. This would prob keep the 4 year old occupied for hours.

 

 

As far as sea sickness, try warm ginger ale. If you think they are going to get sea sick, try and keep them outside in the fresh air, and also looking out farther than the ship. Sea Sickness is generally a sensory thing where you eyes are seeing one thing and your body is feeling something else. To be honest I dont see that being a problem.

 

When my son was that age, we took a gallon of milk with us, and kept it in the cooler in the room. You can do that with fav juices also.

 

Strollers. Your gonna hear both side of this one. A bigger stroller generally will fit under the bed, however keep in mind that when going out on deck for the parties, etc, there may be a lot of people moving around, and the chance of someone accidentally tripping over it and justy generally moving thru the crowd,might be challenging.A smaller one is generally more manuverable, on the ship. If you have both, take them both. Use the bigger one for walking around Nassau, or CC and the smaller one for the ship.

 

As always, keep a camera handy as youll never know who or what youll see. When my family boarded for the 4 day in Sept, we were wandering around the ship after lunch while still in port, killing time till we could get to the room and change.(this was about 1245ish) We were near one of the stairways, waiting on an elevator, when we heard feet pounding up the stairs. Turned around and Chip and Dale came racing by. 2 minutes later, Minnie walked up and waited on an elevator. We were invited into the same elevator as Minnie and we had her as a captive audience for the elevator trip.

 

Do bring plenty of kid friendly sun block and some type of sunburn relief.

Do make sure they drink plenty of cool liquids when out and about.

[JillK]

Hi Truck1-

 

Sounds like sound advice. Many thanks for such a detailed reply. Very much appreciated.

 

Jill

[truck1]

Hi Truck1-

 

Sounds like sound advice. Many thanks for such a detailed reply. Very much appreciated.

 

Jill

 

 

No problem. Anytime. Something else I just thought of. Depending on what time you get to the term, keep in mind that you might have a sizable wait to board the ship. Boarding is usually between 1230ish and 130ish.There are places in the terminal to sign up for or ask questions about the Kids Clubs etc.There is also a ships model with charachters roaming in and out posing for pics. Snacks might be in order for the young ones.Or some other diversionary device.Also, for the mandatory lifeboat drill, you can go to your muster station early to avoid the rush.

[Tinkerbell34]

We went on our first four day Wonder cruise a few months ago with my ten and four year old. We also decided on early seating because we normally eat early. I have to say that we decided that we will do late seating with our next cruise and just feed the kids a snack to tide them over until dinner. With the early seating we always felt rushed. It seemed like we were always looking at the clock to make sure we were showered and dressed in time for dinner. We never seemed to have time to lay the youngest kiddo down for a nap.....or knowing if we did he would only get about an hour or so in before dinner time (he is a 3 hour napper). Not to mention, we (the older kiddos ha-ha) could have used a nap too (just something about warm tropical breezes, salty air, and warm sunshine to tire you out). We just couldn't seem to stay up late enough to enjoy any of the "adult" entertainment. Well, hopefully, that isn't to much rambling. I just wanted to let you know that the late seating might not necessarily be a bad thing. ;)

Oh, also, I did not bring a stroller and was SO glad I didn't! As the above poster said, the parties and such were just to crowded to use one. Not to mention the elevators are very small and it is hard to fit everyone in if your lugging a stroller around. I was able to borrow a really nice stroller from guest services to use at Nassau. That was one decision I did not regret making!

Also as the above poster said, always take your camera EVERYWHERE with you! Even if you are running down the hall for something "quick". I swear, every time I forgot my camera in the room, I would run into a character coming down the hall or up the stairs!

I will also share with you my favorite tip (if you have not heard this already). If you bring a pillow case, shirt, or matte for a frame, along with sharpies in a zip lock bag, and take that to guest services, they will return it to your room at the end of the cruise with all of the character's signatures! It is totally free and my kids totally loved theirs! I was amazed at how many signatures were on them! You also have the option for just the princess signatures. I did note that the "all star" signatures included the princess ones also.

Have a great cruise! I'm sure you'll have a blast!

[Dale-N-Chip]

We also prefer the late dinner seating, for the same reasons as Tinkerbell34 Your kids won't starve, I promise! There are so many options. If you just want to "tide them over" you can get fruit or a hot dog topside and snack a little either before or during the shows. We often found just a healthful snack after a good nap got us to dinner without a meltdown.

 

mk