In room babysitting

[LuvWilliam]

I will be cruising in two weeks with my then 12.5 month old. Can anyone inform me about in room babysitting on Royal Caribbean? We will be on Independence of the Seas. We only would be using it for a couple hours while DS sleeps since he goes to bed so early. Any info would be great, thank you!

[boulders]

The cost is $19/hour. They send two people. Availability is not guaranteed. To give yourself the best chance of getting someone, go to Guest Services as soon as you board to request the times you want.

 

You used to have to pay the fee in cash to the person who babysat. I'm not sure if that's still the case.

[Gunner22aa]

We used this service for the grand babies a while back. It was $15/hr then but I'm sure it has gone up. Off duty staff do it to pick up some extra money. The service was great and the young ones loved the one we had. Made for a great adult evening out on formal night

[flhokie]

Does independence have a nursery? If so, I'd recommend that. They have cribs for little ones to sleep in while they are there. You can make a confirmed booking on embarkation day & it's $8 per hour.a

[Ashland]

Does independence have a nursery? If so, I'd recommend that. They have cribs for little ones to sleep in while they are there. You can make a confirmed booking on embarkation day & it's $8 per hour.a

I believe they do now..and agree I would opt for using the nursery over in-cabin babysitting..Just got a look at the one on Oasis and it looked amazing !!! We'll be using the one on Radiance when we sail Alaska May 2014 for our 17 mos old grandson.

[crusinmama06]

Yes, Indy does have a nursery now. It was suppose to be added during the "Royal Advantage Upgrades" in April 2013. So if they stayed on schedule - Indy should have a nursery. :)

[jc24cruiser]

Hi,

 

I'm taking my kids on their first cruise next October, they will be 7 and 8 by then.

 

Looking at doing the in cabin baby sitting so that they can sleep, rather than be up late in the group setting.

 

Does any one know if you can book this in advance? Or does it have to be when you board the ship?

 

Thanks in advance

[gerif]

Hi,

 

I'm taking my kids on their first cruise next October, they will be 7 and 8 by then.

 

Looking at doing the in cabin baby sitting so that they can sleep, rather than be up late in the group setting.

 

Does any one know if you can book this in advance? Or does it have to be when you board the ship?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Must be booked on the ship and, as previously noted, is subject to availability. If none of the staff volunteers, it is just not available.

[Seraphine]

Hi,

 

I'm taking my kids on their first cruise next October, they will be 7 and 8 by then.

 

Looking at doing the in cabin baby sitting so that they can sleep, rather than be up late in the group setting.

 

Does any one know if you can book this in advance? Or does it have to be when you board the ship?

 

Thanks in advance

 

 

Most kids clubs we've experienced have "quiet time" during their late night sessions - the kids get to lay out on mats with blankets and pillows, with a movie playing. Keep in mind that they'll have been on the go ALL DAY and will be tired - chances are they'll fall asleep even if it's a group setting. Also, unless you've got an early morning excursion planned, you're all on holiday so you don't need to be getting up as early as you might on a school day.

 

The other poster above me is right about the availability of in-cabin babysitting. Some cruiselines don't do it at all, and some have extremely limited staff. The staff that did it on RCI for us in 2010 were actually housekeeping staff - they worked in teams of 2, and while they watched our kids until midnight, they needed to be up at 4am to go back to their shift the next morning; they did the babysitting as extra money. Since then, the hourly rate has almost doubled (around $20/hour?) and it's not really feasible. I'd prefer to use the kids club, myself.

[chandon]

We used it on Freedom last January. The woman was wonderful. We never saw the second woman. She came late once and left early once. She told us that unless it was peak spring break, scheduling was rarely a problem. Enjoy!