Adventure Ocean - Royal Babies & Tots

I am so excited to do my first post following our recent 19 nights on board Ovation of the Seas. Other than being a totally awesome experience, this was our FIRST cruise with Vinnie on the outside (we did one cruise when he was still cooking in the oven haha), it was a VERY different cruising experience for us...but at least I now know exactly what to expect in Adventure Ocean onboard a ship with a Nursery for Royal Babies & Tots.

How to Sign Up for Royal Babies & Tots?
Be sure to head to Adventure Ocean from about 1pm on the day you board the ship, they will be taking signups for all the age groups. There are limits to the number of children so you don't want to miss out. Once you've registered your child, you also need to book / reserve slots you'd like. This can be done straightaway or throughout the voyage subject to availability. For the first three days of our cruise, all Babies and Tots were allocated 15 hours you could prebook at anytime in the voyage. on the fourth day all booking hours become available on a first come first served basis.
Walk-ins are also welcome subject to availability.

When is Royal Babies & Tots open?
Sea Days from 9 - noon, 2 - 5pm & 6pm - Midnight
Port Days from 9 - 5pm & 6pm - Midnight
From what I observed, they aren't open at many mealtimes to encourage you to ensure your tots are fed. It is hard for them to juggle all the kids in attendance without having to pop them all in highchairs and feed them at different times. They also spent alot of the closed time cleaning!

How much does it cost?
It is $6 USD per hour from 9am - 6pm, then it is $8 USD per hour between 6pm & Midnight. They can also bill in 15min increments if you wanted say 2 hours and 15mins or 1 hour 45mins.
There are also cancellation costs and late pickup charges.

What do the Babies & Tots do in Adventure Ocean?
From what I saw, they will mostly play. It really depends on the mix of children they have. They had lots of floor space for activities, a TV on the wall showing cartoons like Peppa Pig. A reading area with big picture books, LOTS of toys for under 3s and a room off to the side with Cots / Cribs for naps and nappy changing area. There is NO WAY your child can escape or climb out so do not worry about that.
On a couple of the days Vinnie was the only bub in Royal Babies & Tots and we spotted him being walked around the ship by two Adventure Ocean team members, it was the funniest thing to see him, he looked at us as if we were cramping his style.

Cheeky Adventure Ocean Staff taking Vinnie on a walk!

How can Adventure Ocean notify me if Bub needs me?
Do not stress! If it is a Sea Day or a Port Day and you are on the ship, they will give you a chunky looking Mobile Phone. It is linked into the ship's phone system. I tested it and called my cabin and it worked! So it is the same type of phone all the higher up crew carry on them. There is a waiver you have to sign saying you will take good care of the phone and pay to replace it if you destroy it or lose it. Out of all the times we utilised Adventure Ocean they didn't call me once, even when he had a blowout and required new clothes!

The Phone

What to expect at drop off?
The Adventure Ocean staff member will ask you for your seapass card, and then complete a quick checkin form where they ask things like: "Does bub need to be fed, a nap, etc while in our care?" "Can we feed them water, milk, fruit, crackers?", "When was their last nappy change?". You can really go into detail at the checkin if you like and say "Bub needs a snack at 3pm, Nap at 4pm" etc and they will do their best to stick to your requests. They give you a phone to be contacted on and place a sticker on your bubs back with their name on it. You then just pass your bub or toddler through the gate and be on your way!

What to take?
Bottle / Sippy Cup, Snack, Nappies / Diapers, Wipes, Extra Clothes & your pram or stroller is handy. Label all aswell if you can before your cruise.

When did I utilise Royal Babies & Tots?
We cruised to Hobart then to New Zealand, which was two cruises. So I prebooked 2 hours per day for all the Sea Days. After day four on the NZ cruise I also added 2 hours for Bay Of Islands (a port we missed due to weather), Auckland (because we decided to stay onboard and go to North Star), Wellington (because it rained all day :( ) & The Sounds (which is pretty much a sea day as it is scenic cruising). I used the 2 hours of care to wash my hair, unpack or pack, have a hot drink and go to Trivia! It was perfect. We would drop him off at 930am and pick him up at 1130am. When we booked the cruise - before he was born - I hadn't considered using Adventure Ocean.

Which ships have a Royal Babies & Tots program?
The answer here is MOST have a nursery now, in Australian Waters Ovation of the Seas & Radiance of the Seas. Both Explorer of the Seas & Voyager of the Seas DO NOT have a nursery.

After More Info?
Pickup a copy of the Adventure Ocean information leaflet - they were on a table at the entrance to Adventure Ocean - this outlines all the information you need about Royal Babies & Tots.
OR join our friendly informative group on Facebook called "Royal Caribbean Cruising with Kids" link here 

Please post me any questions you have as I may be able to remember other important info if prompted!!

Happy Cruising :)