Camp program with 3 year olds in diapers/pull ups question...

[Apple1012]

Hey everyone

We will be traveling on the harmony of the seas in December with our just over 3 year old twins. I am hoping to have them potty trained or hopefully and pull ups by then. I know the policy is that the kids must be fully potty-trained to use the camp. However I heard that we can use a pager service to have them page us if they absolutely need a diaper change while they are in camp. We don't plan on dropping them off and leaving them there all day it's really more for a little 2 or maybe 3 hour break during the day for hubby and I. Anyone have experience or advice and this type of situation? Open to any advice

[ColoradoGurl]

Not sure what the rules are nowadays, but when I had my daughter on her first cruise when she was 2, she was pretty well potty trained for all but certain circumstances and could even go without the pull up for several hours and be fine, but since it wasn't 100% certainty, she couldn't go to the club. I think it also had to do with her age though, for some reason I feel like the youngest age limit was 3. But the potty training thing was definitely an issue, and she couldn't do any of the fun activities with the other kids and it was a bummer of a cruise.

 

 

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[constable145]

Royal is pretty clear in their literature that all Adventure Ocean participants MUST be potty trained.

[Paulxyz2004]

IME this is rule is retty consistently followed and there´s no way around.

AFAIK "accidents" will result in the kid being denied AO Access for the rest of the cruise.

[Apple1012]

Just spoke with a representative from Royal Caribbean and I was told that we should be able to use the pager System since they fall in between the three and five-year age group however there are and specifications for what you can use the pager system for and he said to take that up with the camp as soon as you get on board. I really have no idea what to do because I don't want to take a Gamble and end up not being able to use the kids program at all

[SamFritz]

The would not allow our three year old to attend the program. We had to use the paid nursery care when we wanted a break.

 

 

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[Paulxyz2004]

Just spoke with a representative from Royal Caribbean and I was told that we should be able to use the pager System since they fall in between the three and five-year age group however there are and specifications for what you can use the pager system for and he said to take that up with the camp as soon as you get on board. I really have no idea what to do because I don't want to take a Gamble and end up not being able to use the kids program at all

 

You can use the Pager System, but it is not intended to page you for diaper changes or deal with accidents. The rule is potty trained no matter what.

[Apple1012]

The would not allow our three year old to attend the program. We had to use the paid nursery care when we wanted a break.

 

 

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Thank you so much....so there is a drop off paid nursery program for 3 year olds? I thought under 3 there's a nursery program but u need to be with thrm

[Argana]

When I traveled in April on Independence of the Seas, my son had just turned 3, and wasn't 100% potty trained. I was able to enroll him in the infant room, but they wouldn't allow him in the toddler room. The bad thing about the infant room and having a 3-year-old, is they don't let you reserve a time, you have to just call about 30 minutes ahead and see if there is room. The infants get priority. You also have to pay by the hour, but I don't remember it being too pricey. I ended up not using it the whole cruise because it just seemed cumbersome.

[Apple1012]

Thank you so much everyone, incredibly helpful responses! Now I'm seriously considering switching to NCL escape for thr sole purpose of hassle free drop off camp. Do you think it's worth it? I mean the harmony sounds amazing, but I don't want to spend the entire vacay running after my son. I wonder if the escape is as nice, I know it came out about a year ago

[cb at sea]

If the club/babysitting is a deal-breaker, certainly look at a different cruise line! You want to do your vacation your way...and there is a cruise line for everyone!

 

Be aware that kid's in diapers (even "swimmies") cannot use the pools. Few ships have "splash zones" for the diapered set...so swimming will be limited to ports and beaches!

[hansolosmom]

I agree with CB, if having childcare is that important to you then switch cruiselines or find someone (parents/in-laws) you can leave the kids with while you and your dh cruise.

 

One of my husband's friends did Escape last year and really liked it. He usually cruises NCL and loves the line.

[JinxyB]

The Adventure Ocean papers last month on the Enchantment said that AO is a "diaper and pull u free zone." Carnival allows 2 y/o in the free program and changes diapers. I don't think NCL is as strict as Royal but I would check. It would be a deal breaker for me and I would switch!

[mconthehighseas]

I don't recommend using the nursery for older children. Our son was 28 months on our last cruise and he did NOT want to go to the nursery. There was no one to play with and the toys were almost too young for him. We dropped him off regardless, because we needed adult time, but it was a great facility that catered to children his age. If there were more kids his age there, he wouldn't have been as reluctant. If he was 3, he truly would have been alone.

 

This year we are taking our son back, and we are dealing with the same dilemma as the OP. Hoping DS is potty trained by sailaway!

Edited September 2, 2016 by mconthehighseas

[mconthehighseas]

We were on Liberty OTS in December, and I brought our 3 year old to Adventure Ocean. I explained that he was potty trained, but sometimes has accidents. They told me that this is totally understandable, and since I would have a pager, if there was a problem they would call me. I asked specifically if an accident would get him banned from the program, and they said absolutely not.

 

The camp area was NOT empty, and there were constantly people coming and going.

 

I suspect that the literature says they can remove a child for an accident as a way to be rid of children who really are not trained at all. Of course, each ship might be different