Traveling with a 15 month old on the allure.

[Kday11511]

7 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Nice, good job showing your children that it’s ok to break the rules and endanger others because you feel like it. That’s rude.

I never spoke anything about breaking any rules. I am actually a rule follower by nature. I only spoke of kindness.

[BNBR]

1 minute ago, Kday11511 said:

I never spoke anything about breaking any rules. I am actually a rule follower by nature. I only spoke of kindness.

 

And your point was just proven. Lol.  I totally agree with you. 

[ONECRUISER]

2 hours ago, Kday11511 said:

I never spoke anything about breaking any rules. I am actually a rule follower by nature. I only spoke of kindness.

Been on Cruise Critic for now 20+ yrs and here like another site you will get lot of Bad with the Good. Think poster was referring rule breaking to your Comment "I am too a mother of young children, one of which will be wearing one of those wonderful tea bag swim diapers on our upcoming cruise in 2 weeks." Think Poster thought out meant they'd wear them in the Pool...

Edited October 25, 2018 by ONECRUISER

[mjkacmom]

14 hours ago, ONECRUISER said:

Been on Cruise Critic for now 20+ yrs and here like another site you will get lot of Bad with the Good. Think poster was referring rule breaking to your Comment "I am too a mother of young children, one of which will be wearing one of those wonderful tea bag swim diapers on our upcoming cruise in 2 weeks." Think Poster thought out meant they'd wear them in the Pool...

That’s exactly what I meant. I have read so many posts from parents of the baby set who insist their diapered kids are going to use the pools anyway.

[ETaylor1015]

21 hours ago, LrgPizza said:

Actually, ALL the Disney and DCL pools restrict kids in swim diapers.  

Not at the Disney resorts in Orlando . I have never been told she can’t swim and haven’t seen that rule anywhere

[ETaylor1015]

Are we stilllllll talking about swim diapers????? I thought we moved past this !! 

Can someone answer my question about sleeping in the nursery ???????????????

[BNBR]

22 minutes ago, ETaylor1015 said:

Not at the Disney resorts in Orlando . I have never been told she can’t swim and haven’t seen that rule anywhere

 

Correct. They definitely do not restrict swim diapers at the hotel pools. It's strictly a cruise ship rule and it's the same across all lines.

[gerif]

58 minutes ago, BNBR said:

 

Correct. They definitely do not restrict swim diapers at the hotel pools. It's strictly a cruise ship rule and it's the same across all lines.

True. Land-based pools can use a much higher concentration of chlorine than ship pools. Even then, there are occasional stories in the newspaper of a young child dying from ecoli picked up from a water park. Only Disney and newer RCI ships even have splash areas for the diapered set - no ships have actual pools for them. These areas are equipped with specialized filtration systems. 

 

I know it’s upsetting to book a pricey cruise and then learn that your diapered child can’t go in any of the pools but don’t blame the cruise line as it is a CDC regulation. And by all means don’t try to sneak them in and put others at risk. 

[socks33]

4 hours ago, ETaylor1015 said:

Are we stilllllll talking about swim diapers????? I thought we moved past this !! 

Can someone answer my question about sleeping in the nursery ???????????????

 

I have yet to sail with a child (going on a cruise with our 21 month old in December), but from what I can tell in the pictures, it looks like that they can sleep in the nursery. 

 

These are pictures of the royal tots area on the Oasis: 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/oasis-of-the-seas-368/adventure-ocean-162922/adventure-ocean--v8871308/

 

Aha, I found the pictures of the Allure tot area (I knew they would be same/similar, but I know it feels better to actually see the area):

https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/allure-of-the-seas-530/royal-babies-and-tots-nursery-175879/

 

Edited October 26, 2018 by socks33
Found a more relevant link

[BNBR]

16 minutes ago, socks33 said:

 

I have yet to sail with a child (going on a cruise with our 21 month old in December), but from what I can tell in the pictures, it looks like that they can sleep in the nursery. 

 

These are pictures of the royal tots area on the Oasis: 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/oasis-of-the-seas-368/adventure-ocean-162922/adventure-ocean--v8871308/

 

Aha, I found the pictures of the Allure tot area (I knew they would be same/similar, but I know it feels better to actually see the area):

https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/allure-of-the-seas-530/royal-babies-and-tots-nursery-175879/

 

 

It was common to go in the nursery and several of the tots were sleeping.  The sleeping area is separated as you can see in the pictures.  It's very much setup as a quiet area. Only one parent in the door at a time, others wait outside, whispering, etc. 

 

By the way. In the same area, they have a movie theater for families and also a rather large play area that is open for you to use with your little ones. 

 

They also have activity rooms and do science projects and what not with family involvement.

 

The kids area on Oasis class is huge and really comprehensive. 

Edited October 26, 2018 by BNBR

[GarlicBread]

5 hours ago, ETaylor1015 said:

Are we stilllllll talking about swim diapers????? I thought we moved past this !! 

Can someone answer my question about sleeping in the nursery ???????????????

 

Yes they can. The nursery have cots, cribs or strollers little ones can sleep in. Parents can also bring their own stroller if they just want to wheel their sleeper out at the end of the night. 

 

There is a sleep area which can be made darker and slightly away from the play area so sleeping/awake kids don’t get in each other’s way. 

 

They nursery will follow any routine you want to the best of their ability: what time you want them asleep, rocked or just put down, changed into pyjamas, milk etc. 

 

Its usual for the nurseries to have a family activity on a sea day: usually a very basic art or music activity. If ships don’t have an open play area, then normally the nursery will be open for free play at some point in the day when drop off is not being offered. 

[ToniV]

On 9/9/2018 at 7:41 PM, ETaylor1015 said:

 

For one I doubt she would be the first kid that has peed in a pool. I would rather her pee in a swim diaper then do what all the other kids do, which is pee with nothing on. My daughter can fully swim since 8 months old and a proper high quality swim diaper that is ISR approved absolutely holds in poop. That is what the purpose of them are. I would never be a parent that would spoil it for the other kids. It just seems that if they are charging an infant a full adult fare to go on the cruise , then she should have a place to have fun and swim too.

The rules come from the Centers for Disease Control's Vessel Sanitation Program (CDC/VSP). All the cruise lines must adhere. The rule is, no diapers of any kind (including "swimmers," cloth diapers, Depends, "pull-ups," etc.). NO DIAPERS. The other part of the rule is, no one who NEEDS diapers of any kind. If your kid isn't COMPLETELY toilet-trained, they can't get in the pool. Period. It doesn't matter if you disagree with it, doesn't matter if you don't like it, doesn't matter if your tot cries about it, doesn't matter how much you paid for your child to cruise, doesn't matter if you have a doctorate in microbiology or if you are absolutely convinced that your child doesn't poop and even if he or she does, it is the crystalline pure poop of the gods. Follow the rule. Everyone knows that a child who can neither walk nor talk isn't toilet-trained and many aren't even after they acquire these preliminary skills. Just. Obey. The. Rule. If you don't want to obey the rule, stick to land-based vacations with different rules until you can. I for one will rat you out if I see you violating this rule because it is a health and safety rule. 

Edited November 4, 2018 by ToniV

[ToniV]

On 10/25/2018 at 2:33 PM, Kday11511 said:

I am typically just a "lurker" as they would call it on this site, looking for pieces of information that would help me plan my trip and living vicariously through those kind folks that post reviews. However, after reading through the responses to this topic, I feel inclined to say something, even if it is short and sweet. 

 

I am too a mother of young children, one of which will be wearing one of those wonderful tea bag swim diapers on our upcoming cruise in 2 weeks. I am appalled by the nasty, sarcastic responses. It is despicable. There are ways to communicate your opinions without being rude or downright mean. 

 

I applaud you for being for being so mature in your responses to these downright immature responses. Thank you for not sinking to their level.

 

Bravo for taking your small children on vacations with you. We have taken small children on a few cruises now and I have so many memories that I will cherish for a lifetime. People will be nasty where ever we go so it is important for us fellow parents to cheer each other on. Ignore the haters. I am certain that you are doing a fabulous job raising wonderful children who will be more kind to others than some of our fellow Cruise Critic members posting here. 

Will your non-toilet-trained child be in a pool or hot tub with a swim diaper? Because that is against the established rules designed to protect your child and everyone else. I don't think anyone here has been "rude or downright mean." I think folks who announce their intentions to violate health and safety policies are worse than "rude or downright mean." 

[ToniV]

On 10/26/2018 at 11:12 AM, ETaylor1015 said:

Not at the Disney resorts in Orlando . I have never been told she can’t swim and haven’t seen that rule anywhere

Resorts and ships are governed by different rules.

[creel5857]

As a mother of 3 and grandparent of 6 we have been fortunate to be on 9 cruises through the years with kids and grandkids all ages.........that said I now have these thoughts.  Taking kids that young is hard and you will not fully enjoy your trip so just count on that ahead.  I know it is your child and you might say you have no choice or that you really want your child with you (all very good answers) but please understand the ordeal can be exhausting with a baby.  Moving along......please honor above requests about not doing anything to shut down the pool.....because they will do it in a heart beat if they think someone has used the pool......and you will definitely become the well known disliked passenger on board so just dont chance it.  Also, it is hard to bathe babies In most cruise ship bathrooms unless you have a suite.  Space is hard to navigate so think ahead about a product to help with that and the fact that you can only carry so much on and off ship and through any airports.  Also, again from experience, crying babies in dining rooms does not win you any passenger awards so please take the baby out if they become fretful.  We all understand babies and love them but people pay a lot for cruises and dont care for crying babies when they are trying to eat a relaxing meal.   So have a great time but just be prepared for above type situations,

[ETaylor1015]

I still don’t understand why the only responses I keep getting are related to swim diapers. It was a question I had months ago, got the answer, and have moved on. I hear you LOUD and CLEAR and do not plan on bringing a non potty trained child swimming in the pool. I am not arguing this. Are you people just looking for an argument ? Maybe we should move on to something else that fires people up like “Sharing a drink package “, how dare me for even saying such a thing 😂

Please enough about the diapers. 

Does anyone have any useful information for traveling with a toddler ? 

Want to hear more still about sea tots nursery. 

[Djsmrs]

Wow - you're just getting raked over the coals here!  Crazy.

 

We have traveled on cruises with our kids since my eldest was 9 months old.  While he didn't have a tonne of access to the pool, it was fine.  We found other things to do, and made the best of the little area where he was allowed to go.  It's amazing what kids can do with a couple of cups or an old water bottle, and maybe even a bucket in a small pool area... it's still bigger than the tub and they thought the tub was magic!  Speaking of tubs - I'd avoid the blowup tub and just take them in the shower... it's a gong show trying to manage that thing in those tiny little bathrooms and can be more stress than it's worth.

 

When they were older (2'ish - closer in age to your child) it was challenging to explain to them that they couldn't go in the big pool, so we just avoided the area and explored other areas of the ship.  They'll have activities all the time, and if I remember correctly they even had story time in the evening where we could go with them and they could have run of a kids area and burn off some energy before bed (and completely ignore the story teller... the poor woman who was trying to read it didn't know what to make of it until we gave her a look that said it was okay to give up on the story.  haha!).  The carousel will provide some fun, as will the parades with the Dreamworks characters... maybe even a character breakfast might be fun.

 

We would have continental breakfast delivered each day ... and that was a big win and everyone loved it (and still does).  

 

We made sure we had lots of movies loaded on our tablet/computer to watch and after the kids went to bed one of us would go out for a couple of drinks, bring them back to the room and we would sit on our balcony and enjoy a beautiful Caribbean evening while catching up on films/tv shows.  We would also take turns to go out and explore the ship separately while they were sleeping.

 

Kids club is a great option to give you some "date" time, and I would urge you to take it.  Being on vacation with little ones is exhausting and you need to have some adult time (even if you just go have a nap!).

 

We were so stressed before each cruise for the first couple, but then we got the hang of it.  Don't sweat bringing snacks and food - they have so much on the ship you'll always be able to find something, even if it's a box of cheerios.  

 

Have fun!  But for the love of god don't go in the pool for fear of being keel hauled!  haha 🙂    Besides - you'll be able to hit some beaches where munchkins can have fun in the sun, sand and water... and sand... and more sand... oh - and don't forget the sand!