Complaint Review: Disney Cruise Line - Orlando Florida

The children are not the spenders though - thus they are USED as a tool by Disney Corporation for profit. Just booking a cruise with the Disney Cruiseline indicates precisely that - it is a marketing device that intices people to choose their product over another line. If you want to gamble, you choose a ship that offers a good game table. If you want to incorporate your children into the trip, i would think "Disney" would be the one to choose! As such -- they should take impecable care of the kids. Do you know how many people die *and no I am not being a "drama" queen* - every year by falling overboard? This past year a man was suspiciously missing with sign of criminal activity in his room. Pedophiles leaning over and taking an unattended child is not drama. Disregard money -- if Disney is offering this service they set the premium. I'm sure parents would pay. Your talking sometimes a once in a lifetime vacation for these families. I would think you and your wife would appreciate a night without the kids - even though you love them. It is a the "full package" for a vacation. Disney should not offer this service if it is inferior - most assuredly not by using children in the first place to entice the dollars their parents bring. But then why would you book with Mickey if you could go on another cruise line for less? ~

First off, to Patrick in Arizona: Before Disney launched Magic and Wonder, The Big Red Boat operated as Disney's cruise line for many years. That's how Lauri could have taken 3 cruises over an 18-year span. Now, to the original poster: Frankly, *threatening* legal action on this website, months after the original incident, is useless. As a small claims case, the refund of the child care expenses is likely to be ruled fair recompense. As a municipal court case, you will spend far more money on legal expenses than you could be refunded for the last day of the cruise, without certainty of outcome (and the odds are overwhelmingly against you). The very best thing you could do is start writing very calm, non-emotional letters to all levels of Disney Cruise Lines management, on-ship and off, giving some constructive suggestions on how they can improve their child care services. Lower staff/child ratios, consistently manned check-in/out desk, and increased area awareness (like closing doors to rooms that are not lit and are empty) are examples. In your post, you mentioned that you observed that the check-in/out desk had not been manned during the several times you passed by the area, prior to dropping your child off. In hindsight, red flags should have popped up in your mind - if you were aware that the desk was not manned, why did you leave your child there? Now matter what child care service Disney offered, no matter how many staff were on hand and supposed to be do their jobs, no matter how much was paid for the service, a parent is ultimately responsible for what happens to his/her child. I would encourage you to be more aware of the details, and be ready to sacrifice your own plans if something isn't kosher, when you are leaving your child in the care of strangers.

As we all have opinions, mine is no different and I would only suggest that it is taken with a grain of salt. Yes, I am a former Disney employee. Yes, I have many ties to Disney as my father originally helped build the place back in the 70's when I was a baby. I still have several siblings and siblings-in-law, that work at various management positions within Disney/Epcot/MGM Studios/Resorts/ESPN. I will not deny this and if you feel as though my opinion is slanted based on this divulgence of information, I completely understand. 1.) Disney sponsors that "Disney college program" and has "Disney University". These kids come from all over the place for a chance to work in an environment on "internship" while attempting to obtain a degree in whatever field. These kids are paid a minimum salary and given the worst hours and duties. Their room and board is taken care of, out of paycheck deductions. With this in mind, it is a 50/50 chance that the "young girl" that panicked along with the original poster had "book experience" and training but had never experienced the actual happening and event. Good reason for her to panic, as a young kid that doesn't have very much experience. 2.)Other Disney employees, may have more experience (ie: the two sitting at the desk not in panic) that are there to over see and supervise. Ultimately to make things run a little smoother. 3.)It is impossible to keep on eye on every child in every instance, whether it is a daycare setting,,, or your own child in the mall. I have two kids, graciously they are teens/preteen now, but I can't tell you how many times, to this day, my daughter (12yo) will walk behind me, around the other side and when I "look to see where I thought she was standing and wasn't there"... that I instantly get a sinking feeling. Is that apron strings too tight? Yes, ofcourse it is. But no matter how old she gets, she is still my child. She is beautiful and she is at the age that most "abductors" would go for. Thankfullly, I've taught her to kick/scream/yell and do everything possible, if someone attempts to grab her. **within reason** 4.) How does this relate to the situation? Well, it's easy. As a parent, we want to protect our children at all costs (mostly, as my BA is in Psych and I worked at a child rescue center for 4 years, it's not all parents' goal). But as a former Disney employee, it is completely understandable to get caught up in the confusion of what is going on. This is in part of all behalfs. Parents/kids/employees... everybody tends to get bewildered by their surroundings. I've seen some pretty stupid things done by parents or parents allowed their children to do during my past time at Disney and it never ceased to amaze me. Even events of letting a 4 yo jump out of a moving vehicle as the ride (spaceship earth) was going up the trolly. Rather than the mother asking me to hit the emergency stop button,,, she placed her own child over the side of the car and onto the catwalk and jumpout after her. Ofcourse, this hits an emergency stop in the ride anyways, but the danger she put her child in was unbelievable. On the other hand, I've helded children's and/or parents hands, while one or the other was "lost" and until we could find them. Never have I ever incurred an incident when 10 minutes was a reason to sue/get refunded/or free service. An apology has always sufficed. Now, under the circumstances, this is a little different. The original poster did put her child in the care of the caretakers. When she returned her child was not out in the open in view. Rooms were checked and people were asked. The chaos of the entire situation did nothing but exacerbate all feelings that are relative. I do completely sympathize with the original poster, but I can not lay blame the careworker/Disney/Disney Cruise line,, either. It was an unfortunate incident and hopefully it won't happen again. But a child hiding under a toy and crying, when the nephew knew where she was but nobody bothered to ask, and a care center that has umpteen different children to care for (and security cameras in force)can not be litterally blamed on any one individual or a company in it's entirety. I will readily admit though, I find it interesting that this cruise was stated as being taken in October of 2004 and this grievance wasn't filed until August 2005. Unfortunately, a full year later, there are still bitter feelings. However, be forwarned, I have seen people complain like this. Disney has bent over backwards in the past with free cruises, tickets, dinners, etc... and when people get something for free, especially because they know Disney wants to ultimately protect their reputation, then they begin to abuse these types of situations. This again is unfortunate, but you can guarantee that your name will appear on a "complaint list" of people that either have been compensated in the past (with number of times and types of compensations) or weren't compensated because of bogus reports. Disney is a company, like no other company, and they will keep an eye on things. *I have my own personal grievances with Disney and very easily have a lawsuit, but truth be told, a lawsuit is the last thing I would want. Think in terms of workers compensation, termination for job related injury, and never given a word about any of the above, even though everything I incurred was directly job related and proven by all Dr's reports. But such is life. It's still a sore spot, but life goes on.* No matter what.. Good luck and best wishes to all

Tracy where I worked had different rooms for each age group/maturity level. It had different ratios for each room. For example the infant room was 4/1, the toddler room was 5/1 the 2 year old room was 7/1, but for some reason (this was in NJ.) Anything room over 3 years old was 15/1. I only had that happen a couple of times. (I was the closer. And most of the time the kids were picked up before the other person got off but a couple times. I was SOL.) I can't even explain how hard it was. Luckily one time it happened a worker in another room, that only had one child left, took many of mine. But then I dealt with parents yelling at me (and complaining to the owner) that I had done that. Like I said before I do understand about the gate. My original question was never answered though. Why didn't she or her aunt ask her nephew if he knew? They were looking all over the place and yes she could have been taken over the gate. But he knew all along where she was. My first thing even now when I turn around and don't see my daughter, (she just turned 3 on monday.) I always ask another child (most of the time her brother) if they have seen her. If they say no, then I start panicking.

Tracy where I worked had different rooms for each age group/maturity level. It had different ratios for each room. For example the infant room was 4/1, the toddler room was 5/1 the 2 year old room was 7/1, but for some reason (this was in NJ.) Anything room over 3 years old was 15/1. I only had that happen a couple of times. (I was the closer. And most of the time the kids were picked up before the other person got off but a couple times. I was SOL.) I can't even explain how hard it was. Luckily one time it happened a worker in another room, that only had one child left, took many of mine. But then I dealt with parents yelling at me (and complaining to the owner) that I had done that. Like I said before I do understand about the gate. My original question was never answered though. Why didn't she or her aunt ask her nephew if he knew? They were looking all over the place and yes she could have been taken over the gate. But he knew all along where she was. My first thing even now when I turn around and don't see my daughter, (she just turned 3 on monday.) I always ask another child (most of the time her brother) if they have seen her. If they say no, then I start panicking.

Tracy where I worked had different rooms for each age group/maturity level. It had different ratios for each room. For example the infant room was 4/1, the toddler room was 5/1 the 2 year old room was 7/1, but for some reason (this was in NJ.) Anything room over 3 years old was 15/1. I only had that happen a couple of times. (I was the closer. And most of the time the kids were picked up before the other person got off but a couple times. I was SOL.) I can't even explain how hard it was. Luckily one time it happened a worker in another room, that only had one child left, took many of mine. But then I dealt with parents yelling at me (and complaining to the owner) that I had done that. Like I said before I do understand about the gate. My original question was never answered though. Why didn't she or her aunt ask her nephew if he knew? They were looking all over the place and yes she could have been taken over the gate. But he knew all along where she was. My first thing even now when I turn around and don't see my daughter, (she just turned 3 on monday.) I always ask another child (most of the time her brother) if they have seen her. If they say no, then I start panicking.

Tracy where I worked had different rooms for each age group/maturity level. It had different ratios for each room. For example the infant room was 4/1, the toddler room was 5/1 the 2 year old room was 7/1, but for some reason (this was in NJ.) Anything room over 3 years old was 15/1. I only had that happen a couple of times. (I was the closer. And most of the time the kids were picked up before the other person got off but a couple times. I was SOL.) I can't even explain how hard it was. Luckily one time it happened a worker in another room, that only had one child left, took many of mine. But then I dealt with parents yelling at me (and complaining to the owner) that I had done that. Like I said before I do understand about the gate. My original question was never answered though. Why didn't she or her aunt ask her nephew if he knew? They were looking all over the place and yes she could have been taken over the gate. But he knew all along where she was. My first thing even now when I turn around and don't see my daughter, (she just turned 3 on monday.) I always ask another child (most of the time her brother) if they have seen her. If they say no, then I start panicking.

I never said in my post that I would expect a caregiver in a larger day care setting to know where every single child is at every single moment. If I went to pick my son up at the daycare center at the gym where I belong and he wasn't in plain sight, I certainly wouldn't immediately blame the caregiver. I know the area is secured and there is no other way into the area but through that locked door, so I would know he was there. If he was hiding so he could jump out and "surprise me", I think he'd be the one surprised at my reaction. But I certainly wouldn't "kill" the caregiver in the room for not knowing my son was hiding. It would absolutely be my son's fault. I'm not the type of parent that immediately blames everyone else for the choices my son makes. My point was that the day care area in the gym where I belong is absolutely secured. No one can get in or out without the caregiver knowing it. So there would be no way for anyone to take my son with them or for him to leave the area. The OP said that there was no one watching the entrance to the child care area on the ship. While I realize they were probably all busy with the kids there, maybe there should be someone sitting at the desk checking kids in and out at all times. She worried that anyone walking by could have scooped her daughter up over the half door that was near the entrance. That was why I said that some changes should be made to the area to make it more secure and that they should have a plan in place in the event of a lost child so everyone knows what to do. Now, my question is to the caregiver who posted right above me. Just for my own curiosity, why did you have the 15-1 ratio? In NY that ratio is illegal. You're only allowed 5 kids if there is a child under the age of 2. If there are no kids under the age of 2 then there can be 6 kids. In addition to the 5 or 6 kids, they are allowed 2 school age kids. On the days that there is no school, including summer vacation they can have the 2 older kids in addition to the 5 or 6. So I am very surprised that any day care center (family day care or not) would allow a 15-1 ratio. Whether that was illegal or not, I would think that ratio would certainly be unsafe and it would not be humanly possible for you to know exactly where and what each and every child was doing. Kudos to you for even attempting that ratio. I personally would be very uncomfortable knowing that I was caring for 15 children by myself. I know that caregivers as a whole get little appreciation and little money if you figured out their hourly pay based on the number of hours they spend with our children, so I have a lot of respect for them and have always treated any day care provider that cared for my son well, although I know there are parents out there who don't. My post didn't say anything about the caregivers as a whole not caring for the child well. My post pointed out that the cruise ship might want to consider some changes to their child care area to make it safer and that they should have an emergency plan in place in the event a child is lost. I didn't blame the caregiver for not knowing where the child was. I simply stated that it might have made the mom feel better knowing that there was no way her child could have gotten out of the area (with or without help) and that if there were an emergency plan in place, everyone would know what to do. I never blamed the caregivers in the child care center on the ship and I wouldn't have were it I in that situation.

But you expect that since is a corporation that they should be robots who always know when the kids are hiding? I do have sympathy for what the OP went through. Because I went through it too at a child's birthday party with my son. (Only he was 1 at the time.) It turned out that I learned from another child (same as she learned from her nephew,) where my son was. A party guest had upset the birthday girl and she ran inside. My son went and was trying to comfort her. (Her parents took a picture because they thought it was so sweet.) But then they asked me to get my toddler wrist band so that we would always know where he was. also my experiences at the daycare center that I posted before. (Where some would hide to surprise their parents.) Have me wondering about your post. I'm supposed to watch (our count was 15 to 1) and yet you seem to expect me to have known the drop of a hat where all were. And then kill me for not knowing where one was, even though I knew that they had never left the room. (No unlocked doors into unopen rooms.) Why don't you try to do that.

Tracy from Hyde park, You couldn't have said it any better. I guess you must be the assistant editor of the "Gopel According to Jill." Per Peter from Pony Alabama, a message like ours is interpreted as us knowing it all...Just reread his reponse to my email that was sent..talk about him having personal issues!!??? Just wanted to let you know that it is nice to see there are a few sympathetic moms out there who can offer some constructive criticism!!!

The bigger picture here is that this is a service being offered by a company. That company should stand behind it's service regardless of the cost to the consumer. An example...I belong to a gym. The gym I belong to offers child care. Now, do I think it will be one on one child care? Obviously not. The gym charges me $3.00 per hour for child care. For $3.00 an hour, do I think they are going to be getting educational enrichment or listening to Bach or Beethoven? No. Do I think that the situation is safe for my son? Yes. They are behind a locked glass door which you have to ring a bell to get into. They have two child care providers in the room with toys, puzzles, games and a computer station. I belong to this gym because they offer child care and the one that is cheaper and closer to my house doesn't. I specifically looked for child care at the time I joined because I didn't think it was fair to ask the man who was my boyfriend (who is now my husband) to watch my son so I could trot off to the gym. I still don't ask my husband to watch him. Instead, I limit my gym days to the day I already have a sitter at my house (Wednesdays) and to Saturday mornings right after my son bowls in his league. We stop by the gym on the way home. He goes into the child care center and I take an hour and work out. I can sympathize with Stephanie. I consider myself a good mom. It is always a struggle with all our expenses partly because I work part time so that I am home with my son before and after school and the fact that I stopped getting any child support from my ex-husband because he started working off the books in April. Not that I was getting much to begin with, but at least it would help pay for my son's after school activities like CCD and CYO basketball, his Saturday morning bowling league, the monthly instrument rental fee for the instrument that he insists he wants to play and would have paid for his school supplies and the few new pieces of clothing I bought him for school. Everything is definitely a struggle, but my son wants for nothing. I make sure he has what he needs. My new husband and I go out once a week together to shoot league pool on Wednesdays. We have a competent 16 year old who babysits for us. All parents need individual adult time. Any of our other "adult only" social activities are reserved for the two weekends a month that my son is with his father. However, even I have "lost" my son. We had just gotten to Walmart and he had to go to the bathroom, badly. He was 8 at the time. I let him run into the store from the sidewalk where we were walking and assumed he would use the bathroom right up front as it was the closest one. This isn't something I would normally do, but he was crying and was desperate so I told him to run to the bathroom. He was about a minute ahead of me. I walked directly to the men's room in the front of the store and stood outside waiting for him. After about 3 minutes I asked a man who was going in to look for him. My son wasn't in the bathroom. I began to get worried. I asked a cashier for help and she just told me that I needed to go to customer service. I raced to customer service and they did a code adam. They found my 8 year old son innocently looking at games in electronics. He had used the bathroom in the back of the store, right near electronics. To this day, I remember the panic and the awful feeling that came over me when I couldn't find my son. Every second your panic level rises, even when you are doing your best not to panic. So even good parents sometimes lose it when they can't find their kids. Don't bash this parent because she utilized a child care service so she could take a breather and be "kid free" for a few hours. All in all, if the service is offered (even if it was free) Disney has to make sure the service is safe and good. If she had entrusted her child to the one on one babysitter and the babysitter was awful and ended up losing the child, would you still blame the mother? I don't think so. Then it would definitely be Disney's problem. Do I think the whole situation is sueable over? No I don't. Do I think that the particular cruise line should make some changes to the child care area? Yes, definitely. It should be made a safer area and they should have an emergency plan in place in the event a child is lost. What a help that would have been to this mom who instead of watching panicked people run around and look for her child, they would have taken her arm and said, we will find your daughter with our missing child action plan. Walmart's Code Adam doesn't make the panic go away, but you sure feel better when you know that there is an "army" of folks in blue vests looking for your child and that no one can leave the store without proving their child is their child. If Disney (and come on, it's Disney) was offering child care so that parents can have some one on one time with each other, then they should make darn well sure that they have employees that like kids and that the kids are safe and can't get lost. Disney markets itself to be kid friendly and family oriented. Most parents I know would be comfortable leaving their kids in a company sponsored child care situation because it is implied by the company that the situation is safe.

You are not allowed, or even capable of loving your children. This is the Gospel according to Jill(whose teenage daughter "screams hysterically" when she sees rubber gloves). At least I know I can now be unfeeling towrds them. I have waited patiently for this, and I shall pursue it with due dilligence. All children, WARNING! There are men out there in the real world, some even have rubber gloves. Run for your lives, as they will not have any concern for your well-being. Men can now be the uncaring brutes they were born to be. Thank you Jill, for releasing us of all of our responsiblities as fathers, husbands, brothers, sons, etc. I'll be sure to go right out and start smacking around every kid I see, just so they understand the Gospel, according to Jill.

Hi Stephanie You are using this forum to air your grievances about a company that does not want to take full responsibility for lack of sufficient services. That's your right. You are making others aware. Exactly what this site is designed for. To all others who are using it to take CHEAP SHOTS at someone they don't know; You do not have the right to assume things about a person's motivation, thought process and feelings and then STATE THEM AS FACT. It's slander. ITS NOT WHY I READ THIS WEBSITE. AND IT'S NOT THE INFORMATION I WILL BE TAKING FROM IT. To The Point: Stephanie..I think You are right to expect more from a company such as Disney. If they are providing a service then it is their responsibility to ensure they have the staff and resources in place to accomodate the load. They should also have an effective security plan in place. If anything this story should highlight their vulnerabilities in how they run the child care system aboard the cruise. It also gives parents a chance to see that just because a company is "kid first" like Disney,it does not mean their care is up to scratch.

Ok Folks, Got some news for you all especially Stephanie...This Peter from Pony Alabama is debating many people writing in on this website. He is continuously putting negative and derogatory comments back and forth for the sake of argument. Please look up the submission called McDonalds or McRubbers and you will see how he responded to my complaint! Funny enough, McDonalds and Disney are contracted partners. I wonder if this Pete is working for them by doing this!!!! Either that or he has no life, poor thing!!! By the way, you were appropriately concerned about your child and Disney was in the wrong!! No other person (especially a man) unless they have gone through something like this themselves should even respond. Any good mother would be in a frantic, crazy state of mind if they lost their child, unless of course, you are someone like Mr. Pete who I now think is hired to rebutt all these blogs against companies false doings!!!

You mention that you and you sister left kids around the same age there. Then you mention later on that your nephew told you where she was hiding. Why didn't you ask your nephew first if he knew where his cousin was? (not in as many words because he was only 2 but he still knew.) I used to work in a daycare center. (A floater between the 2 year old room and the 3 year old room.) It could have been that both were waiting and when your daughter saw you coming she decided to hide as a joke. (You will not believe how many times I saw that one. And yes I couple of times I didn't see where they had went so I didn't know where they were.) And then was crying because you were so upset. (Seen that too. Not just about the hiding child, but anytime a parent is upset.)

Stephanie had actually inquired. I own a travel agency here in Orlando and cruises are my specialty. I've been on 17 Disney cruises in the past 5 years and EACH ship offers one-on-one childcare for an additional fee. I have children and I use these services EVERY time we, as a family, go on a Disney cruise (assuming my wife and I want time to ourselves). In a nutshell it sounds as though the child care providers should have been a little more aware of the children but at the same time a ratio of 3:30+ sometimes makes it difficult to keep every single second accounted for. I wouldn't waste your time on attempting to locate an attorney who would actually take this "case" as it would not provide any type of compensation or results in the end. My advice, thank God that your daughter was okay and is safe and drop the whole attorney speech.

Stephanie had actually inquired. I own a travel agency here in Orlando and cruises are my specialty. I've been on 17 Disney cruises in the past 5 years and EACH ship offers one-on-one childcare for an additional fee. I have children and I use these services EVERY time we, as a family, go on a Disney cruise (assuming my wife and I want time to ourselves). In a nutshell it sounds as though the child care providers should have been a little more aware of the children but at the same time a ratio of 3:30+ sometimes makes it difficult to keep every single second accounted for. I wouldn't waste your time on attempting to locate an attorney who would actually take this "case" as it would not provide any type of compensation or results in the end. My advice, thank God that your daughter was okay and is safe and drop the whole attorney speech.

Stephanie had actually inquired. I own a travel agency here in Orlando and cruises are my specialty. I've been on 17 Disney cruises in the past 5 years and EACH ship offers one-on-one childcare for an additional fee. I have children and I use these services EVERY time we, as a family, go on a Disney cruise (assuming my wife and I want time to ourselves). In a nutshell it sounds as though the child care providers should have been a little more aware of the children but at the same time a ratio of 3:30+ sometimes makes it difficult to keep every single second accounted for. I wouldn't waste your time on attempting to locate an attorney who would actually take this "case" as it would not provide any type of compensation or results in the end. My advice, thank God that your daughter was okay and is safe and drop the whole attorney speech.

Stephanie had actually inquired. I own a travel agency here in Orlando and cruises are my specialty. I've been on 17 Disney cruises in the past 5 years and EACH ship offers one-on-one childcare for an additional fee. I have children and I use these services EVERY time we, as a family, go on a Disney cruise (assuming my wife and I want time to ourselves). In a nutshell it sounds as though the child care providers should have been a little more aware of the children but at the same time a ratio of 3:30+ sometimes makes it difficult to keep every single second accounted for. I wouldn't waste your time on attempting to locate an attorney who would actually take this "case" as it would not provide any type of compensation or results in the end. My advice, thank God that your daughter was okay and is safe and drop the whole attorney speech.

We go every few months and they do have one on one daycare.

if you leave your children where it is not a one on one daycare and there are many children that is what you get. i think you were a bit of a drama queen, your daughter was there the whole time, she was hidding. im sure the day care can not keep track of all children and it sounds like there were alot , you should have used your own judgment and said wow there are a lot of kids and no one is at the desk,maybe i shouldnt leave them here. i know it is very scary when you think your child is lost, but if you stop and look back it really wasnt disneys fault and of course not yours it was an accidant, she was there the whole time, just be happy you have her and maybe you wont leave her again when it doesnt look safe!!!!

OK, having just graduated law school, I am able to see both sides here. I definitely sympathize with the mother. Whether it was right to leave her daughter or not, I can't imagine a mother who wouldn't get at least a little hysterical by returning to pick up her child from daycare, one with apprently sketchy safety practices, only to be told they can't find her, but they will. Now when I say hysterical, I mean panic at least a little. I mean, she didn't say she threw herself on the floor, kicked and screamed and sucked her thumb. She freaked. A lot of possibilities run through your head. I was watching my 10 year old cousin in an amusement park once and he was sitting by me on my right side on a bench while his mother was in the bathroom (I'm 25, no kids). His sister was on my left. She showed me something and I looked at her, and he got up and ran somewhere, then was lost in the crowd. Long story short, he ran to a game to look at stuffed animals and was only like 20 feet away, but my mind was racing, thinking someone snatched him up or something. It was a very long 5 minutes. It's not crazy to think someone's mind would fear the worst in situations like that. Yes, Disney was wrong. How wrong is the question. You pay $6 an hour for an 18 year old college kid to watch your 1 in 30 kids, I agree, you shouldn't have the highest expectations. The issue of the uneaten snacks is one you need to quickly get over. But it's reasonable to think that she would be there when you get back. My problem with Stephanie's complaint - she was there, and she was fine. Move on. From a legal standpoint, there's nothing you can sue for. I'm picturing you hiring a babysitter to come to your house and watch 3 kids. You come home and he's on the couch with 2 of them. You ask where the other is and he says in her room asleep. You go to the room and she is not in the bed. He says "I don't know where she is but I'll find her." You all frantically search the house for 10 minutes. You panic, thinking she wandered outside or was kidnapped. Then you find her hiding under the bed. Do you sue the babysitter? No, it's just silly. Be grateful that your child is alive and well. I'm sure you can find a lawyer who will take your money just the same though. I'm familiar with customer service concept, refunds, etc. In the old days, refunds were commonplace. Now everyone wants something free, and WANTS TO SUE FOR EVERYTHING, so corporations have to be a little tighter with the comps. People complain about every little think so they can get money back. Disney especially. People get mad that it's to expensive: "The ride broke down, I demand my money back." "My daughter didn't have fun; I want free tickets." "We waited in line for 2 hours, I want my money back." "There was no parking at the hotel we had to walk and pay for a taxi, refund our whole trip." Yada yada yada. I see them all the time on here. And people get dramatic too, like in Stephanie's post. It probably actually took 5 minutes to find the girl. Then she tells the story to her sister and it's 10 minutes, then she complains on the ship and it's 15 minutes, then she writes a letter to Disney and in all caps "I WAS FREAKING OUT AND HAVING A PANIC ATTACK FOR 30 MINUTES!!!!" And all the drama in the original post (Go back and looka t all the CAPS in the post for a laugh.) The story keeps getting bigger as she ponders calling a lawyer. It was soooooooooo serious, yet she ponders calling a layer for days. If you can afford a Disney cruise you can afford to have called a lawyer by now, not just keep talking about it. I want to add though, if I had a 2 year old I wouldn't leave her in that situation under those circumstances with people I don't know or she doesn't know. A friend of mine wanted me to watch his 2 year old son once but his son didn't know me so he threw a fit when his dad tried to leave, so he just missed his meeting. Kids that young are too little to be dumped off somewhere. I think you and your sister (to Stephananie) should have just taken turns watching the kids. That being said, the word "abandoned" is getting a little carried away, especially from people claiming YOU were dramatic. Bottom line, if you choose to take your children on a child-friendly cruise, keep them with you or leave them at home. I can't imagine leaving a 2 and a half year old with those people. I would spend all of my time with her. If I wanted an adults only trip, I would leave her with my mother, father, trusted person, etc. But that's me I guess. Disney did nothing wrong though. They kept your daughter safe while you were doing other things. Yes she was safe. That's what you pay for.

Thanks Patrick for breaking it down to these people. Especially that Pat. What an ***** to say it nicley. Well, at least he has made a fool out of himself by the ridiculous comments and family life that he leads by writing it publicy. Hope nobody he knows reads his threads. I feel bad for him truley, especially his poor family. He needs to get a grip, again thanks!

Nope, never have. If the older boy can't or won't watch his little brother, we don't go out at all unless the younger one goes too. When we just had the one(now 22), we never went out without him. That's how it goes in life. Life isn't fair and parents MUST make scrifices for their offspring. If that means they don't get to go out and pretend they have a hip, swinging lifestyle, so be it. My kids come before anything else in my life. The problem with most kids today is the parents don't understand that. They want to have "fun". You had your "fun" people, that's why you have kids now. Some like to talk the talk. I walk the walk.

I'm not a parent but I'm going to try and look at this from a 2.5 year old's view. Stephanie, you mentioned that the girl from Disney called out your daughter's name when you could not find her. Did it occur to you that since this was the first time your child had ever met this girl, she might not respond? Did you actually call her name or did you freak out in a blind panic? Did it ever occur to you that your child may have hidden in response to hearing her freaked out mom go berserk? Maybe she thought she did a BAD thing and was scared, that's why she hid. All this aside, I don't see a RIPOFF here. Your child never left the immediate error, my have actually been hiding out of fear of her own parent and it seems that Disney was more than reasonable by waiving the fee and apologizing for the incident. So who should be the one "getting a grip" as you like to say?

I'm not a parent but I'm going to try and look at this from a 2.5 year old's view. Stephanie, you mentioned that the girl from Disney called out your daughter's name when you could not find her. Did it occur to you that since this was the first time your child had ever met this girl, she might not respond? Did you actually call her name or did you freak out in a blind panic? Did it ever occur to you that your child may have hidden in response to hearing her freaked out mom go berserk? Maybe she thought she did a BAD thing and was scared, that's why she hid. All this aside, I don't see a RIPOFF here. Your child never left the immediate error, my have actually been hiding out of fear of her own parent and it seems that Disney was more than reasonable by waiving the fee and apologizing for the incident. So who should be the one "getting a grip" as you like to say?

I'm not a parent but I'm going to try and look at this from a 2.5 year old's view. Stephanie, you mentioned that the girl from Disney called out your daughter's name when you could not find her. Did it occur to you that since this was the first time your child had ever met this girl, she might not respond? Did you actually call her name or did you freak out in a blind panic? Did it ever occur to you that your child may have hidden in response to hearing her freaked out mom go berserk? Maybe she thought she did a BAD thing and was scared, that's why she hid. All this aside, I don't see a RIPOFF here. Your child never left the immediate error, my have actually been hiding out of fear of her own parent and it seems that Disney was more than reasonable by waiving the fee and apologizing for the incident. So who should be the one "getting a grip" as you like to say?

I am pretty sure all of us in this thread have kids...that's sort of why we ALL accuse you of abandoning your child, as something we would not do. My younger boy had day-care. It took several interviews and about a solid week of them to find suitable providers for him. Let's see...an average of 5 prospects and an hour each time before deciding on one person to watch him. Tell us again how much time you spent looking for a good one? As for Stephen's concern for my wife and kids, good job guy. My wife and kids love me. They know I will always be there to take care of them. They also know I don't mince words. I tell the whole truth and have NEVER told a lie to anyone in my life. Everyone who knows me understands this. This is why I have very loyal customers. I don't nod my head and smile alot. I tell them the facts and let them decide what they want done. That's also the reason I did what I did in the Marines. My superiors knew I could be trusted to do the job, no matter what. My troops hated me untill the heat was on. Then, I was their hero. When we go somewhere, my 10 yr old goes with us. If my wife and I want to go somewhere alone at night, we have his 22 yr old brother watch him. If he can't do it, we stay at home. You see, in our world, the children come first and our "fun time" comes second. My wife wants to go on a cruise. Fair enough. If she can get the older one to watch him or another family member to do it, we're off and sailing. If not, too bad, so sad. We'll stay on dry land. Here's a clue for you two in Orlando...cruises are for ADULTS, no matter how the things are advertised. A 2 yr old won't even remember the trip, unless you include the time her mother abandoned her and left her hiding and crying. That will probably be a lasting memory.

I agree that Stephanie has a valid complaint. And quite frankly, I am surprised at all of the responses against her. I don't think that getting a babysitter for your child for a few hours would be considered abandonment. Peter - I don't think you understood that they actually looked for the child for 10 minutes prior to Stephanie panicking. And they were calling her name. She did not immediately go on a "tirade" as you suggest. Robin - You think $6/hr for daycare is cheap. Let's break down some numbers. Say you have a child in daycare while you work. Most charge anywhere from $100-$200 per week for most kids. Let's assume the worst and use $200/week. Daycare hours are usually 7am-6pm. That's 11 hours per day, times 5 days is 55 hours. $200 divided by 55 hours is $3.64 an hour. Even if you use 40 hours for the week, that still works out to only $5/hour. So $6/hr is cheap? And your comment about where would an abductor go with a child. What if they were a child molestor? They would not need to leave the ship to cause irreparable harm to your child. Or, if the child was not properly supervised, what would prevent them from leaving the care area and just wander around the ship aimlessly, or God forbid, fall overboard? Do you have any children? Can you even comprehend how it would feel if you thought even for a second that your child might be missing? My only child is 3 1/2. I don't know what I would do if she ever went missing. Robert - Did you ever hire a babysitter to watch after your children while you and your wife went out for dinner or a movie? I don't see what the difference is in this case. Disney Cruises offers a dining area for adults only. Their website even encourages that parents book at least one night there to enjoy a relaxing dinner while the kids play. You would think they would provide adequate care. Lauri - Actually, it was some of your comments that finally prompted me to post on this report. So you've taken the Disney Cruise 3 times in the past 18 years, huh? How is that possible? Disney's first ship, the "Magic", first sailed from Port Canaveral on July 30, 1998 (that's just 7 years ago for those who are counting). Their other ship, the "Wonder", first sailed on August 15, 1999. I've searched their website, and nowhere can I find any shipboard services that will send a babysitter to your cabin for one-on-one care. Maybe they did 5 years ago, but they do not now, so that does not apply. Maybe Stephanie would have a hard time finding an attorney to take on this case, but that does not mean the staff wasn't in the wrong. I think Disney should have at least offered some sort of compensation other than not charging for the services. Again, I can't understand why there are all these comments saying that Stephanie abandoned her child, or that she is an unfit mother, simply for having dropped her child off at daycare for 2 hours. Stephanie, I wish that I could offer you some advice on what to do (in keeping with the true spirit of the RipOff Report), but it seems like you have already done everything that I would have suggested. I know you want to consult an attorney, but in my opinion, I don't think that would do any good. It would be difficult to prove that there was any long-term damage done. But good luck to you if you do.

All of you are pretty unreal to say the least. FYI Lori, THEY DID NOT OFFER ONE-ON-ONE care in your room. I had inquired about it. Also, I had only wanted a refund on the last day of the cruise for the time they ruined for my family. As we missed a couple shows etc. They should have done the right thing and credited us for that evening. ( being we couldn't enjoy the last day we met with management, etc.)Anyway, there is nothing wrong with placing your child in a supervised daycare enviroment. These people are insane. They say I went to a dance down. What is that? One wrote I am a bad mother. What a joke! Many people count on Disney to provide childcare for their children while on this ship. They claim it is a safe enviroment, how safe is it if they don't realize your kid is not to be seen? They ONLY offer Flounders Reef Nursery to children aged 0-3 years old. Also they offer Some kids club for all other aged children. The theory is the kids get some time away from the parents to play with other kids, while the parents can dine a night alone or whatever they choose. I brought my daughter there for 1 hour and 40 minutes. I was told my daughter was in good hands. She was in the nursery. As I understand that there is not one on one care, I also understand that they SHOULD KNOW WHERE each kid is each and every second. The employees of that nursery should not be working in that enviroment if they can not handle it (which seemed to be the case) You are all going off about the wrong issue at hand. This has nothing to do with one on one care. I was told upon boarding the ship that they ( Disney ) has a wonderful nursery as well as adult only restaurent ( They talk you into taking advantage of both. you are promised that your children are in great hands.) In a childcare enviroment, these workers should know if one child is not accounted for. Think about it! She was lost for 10 -15 mintes when I was there, how long before that was she not in eyes view? They had no clue that one kid was not accounted for. That is the big picture, it doesn't matter if I was at a dance down or whatever the prior message from some idiot wrote. ( I was at an all adult restaurant on the boat) I did not abandoned my child as one other idiot wrote. If you are only here to bash this report, like Stephen from Orlando wrote ( FYI not my husband, as some other idiot wrote) you are making yourself look like a fool. This is not a debate forum. This is where you can write your experience on a Disney Cruise, good or bad. The couple of you that had written some pretty stupid comments should not even be writing about this message. No where in your letter except for Lori and Stephen did I see any of you make reference to taking a Disney cruise. How can you possiby make a comment on something you know nothing about? Why would you even be looking on the Diseny reports? Go Debate somewhere else no one wants to read about a couple fools debating! You even picked apart Stephens spelling, let's talk about petty and immature. Leave the thread for real people to respond that have had similiar expereinces or have been on a Disney cruise. I am confident I got my point across to the peolpe that count ( people with children) as I am sure MANY poeple will read this and think twice before they use the Disney Nursery or other kids programs offered on the ship! So you guys looking to bash people, get a grip, go do something positive with your life. Maybe perhaps you should take a Disney cruise and they will lose you...:-)

Rip-off Report is also not accepting comments like those found on many sites that have "threads" with meaningless comments, ..in most cases using foul and insulting language against others, similar to those assaults on victims who have come to the Rip-off Report for justice. ..And NO trivial comments will be accepted. Solid, productive criticism, your opinions and other Consumer Comments will be treated like letters to the EDitor, and if accepted by the badbusinessbureau.com Review Board, and they will be posted within 72 hours. I first read this story assuming it was what I got from it, not to take my children "if I had any" to the day care aboard this cruise ship, and or now I would have the option of knowing not to take them at all. The fact is something occurred that I "as a non parent, but Aunt" can totally understand. I am grateful for the courage this mother has to come here to a place meant for her to come and state her complaint. It is without saying that people who have problems is what this site thrives on. I am saddened that I just today joined to file a complaint of my own (unrelated to this issue) and now see comments from others in debate on something I feel is important and worth knowing about. I am also sickened that ripoffreport.com is allowing such rebuttals to be posted. I know Disney has a university they send their employees to before sending them out into the sadly enough "Minimum Wage" work force. I am sure they train their employees to have better manners with the guests, they teach you how to point. I am sure they teach you how to defend their company so they don't get sued to. I am quite sure they don't want their employees from any of their divisions talking to anyone about a potential legal matter where they would be the defendants in. Disney is thriving on parents to make these wrong decisions (if that is what they are) and bring their children to this daycare. If it was such a bad thing for parents to do, why should Disney (which is mainly advertised and revolves around kids) be offering it. Why not poison all their guests and kill off a few hundred or so people but offer their families the $50 or $60 bucks they paid to get into their park back to them to avoid a law suite? I don't think a judge would be throwing that one out of his court. The negative comments and less than warranted remarks coming from any of the rebuttals to this woman's complaint speak for themselves as been allowed by this website. I know by the attitudes and demeanors of those few I will receive negative repercussion or nasty comments but I have a heart and a functioning brain and I wont sit quiet like I am sure allot of others are doing now knowing complaints can quickly become debates which not everyone is deranged enough to actually like to argue and fight about, while no one bothers to at least identify with a mother who is upset with good reason, and the way I see it not looking to sue Disney but just attempt to warn other parents about. This is a cruise ship out in the middle of the ocean, you wish to provide child watching services and you decide that oh we will change only $6 an hour a child but since it is minimum wage were being paid we don't have to watch them or keep our doors locked to ensure they don't get out because the possibility of them falling overboard is a 1 in one thousand chance? Now I ask anyone who can tell me please, what is this sites purpose, to expose the bad in companies or the bad choices of parenting? Also if bad punctuation or misspelling is a problem then this site needs to be closed down for sure. I take that back the whole internet needs to be.

Having taken 3 of the Disney Cruises over the past 18 years, there was a different solution. If you had contacted anyone in Shipboard Services, or looked in the folder in your room that specified different services available, you'd have known that not ONLY did they have the child care center available for a nominal fee, but they ALSO have sitters available that come to your room, or elsewhere on the ship, and that ONE sitter is in charge of your ONE child. Now this is from 5 yrs ago, and my youngest was 4 at the time, but the fee was $15/hour. Money I felt was well spent to take one dinner without the kids. Of course, American's today feel that lawsuits are the way to go, and that no matter what the cause of distress may have been, or what portion of the blame for it is squarely the person's responsiblity...they should still be compensated for ANY distress they have suffered. IMO - any attorney worth his/her salt will not take the case once they confirm that there were other child care options available that the parent chose NOT to use.

Stephen, from the sound of your remarks, you are probably the husband of this cry-baby child-abandoning melodramatic woman who originally made this complaint. And please ... learn how to spell, it will help you out later in life. Robert and the others who have posted here should get two thumbs up for telling it like it is. Like it or not, this woman abandoned her young child on a cruise she claims "is for the children" so she could go to the hee-haw square dance or whatever she and the other "adults" (and I use that term loosely) wanted to do. This woman has no business being a mother with her lack of parenting skills and lack of good judgment and plain old common sense! It is a shame she is more insistent on being "right" in this situation rather than caring about the impact this has had on her child, as well as her need for parenting classes and intervention. In fact, it seems as though her child's well-being is the farthest thing from her mind at this time, as she seems most interested in going sue-happy over Disney and their minimum-wage-paid employees.

Your blathering would make more sense if you at least spelled most of the words corrctly. Again, where exactly was the kid going to go? The child was found HIDING and CRYING. She was hiding because she was in a place completely unknown to her, with strangers. She was crying because her parents ABANDONED her. These are exactly what all children do given the same circumstances. At 2 1/2, she does not have the mental capability to understand why her parents dumped her ina room with strangers. The proper way to find a "provider" is to take the child with you on the interview process so everyone involved can do the "meet and greet". This allows the child to see the day-care provider as a friend, not a stranger. This was NOT the case here. Her parents had to run off to the big dance-off or whatever they had to do without the child present. Her mother keeps saying the cruise is for children(Disney caters to children) and yet, she had no qualms about dumping the kid and doing her own thing without the girl. Her mother freaks out over everything, so I am sure the child had zero trust in the people around her at the day-care on ship. She knew nobody in there. Children immitate their parents. Her mother cannot seem to behave rationally in any circumstance that she does not control, so the child will do the same. Maybe we should all be bedwetters and have a group hug. Better yet, the parents should get a clue and try parenting instead of expecting complete strangers to do the job for them. Contrary to what Hillary Clinton pretended to write in a book, it does NOT take a village. It takes at least one, and preferably two parents to raise a child. Here's a thought for all of you. This day-care is working for minimum wage. Just how good do you think the "care" is going to be? This is an instance where common sense and deductive reasoning come into play. How many kids are YOU willing to watch at one time? If you are not willing to handle the "child to adult" ratio you see in the center, why would you allow anyone else to do it...and at fast food wages yet? Nope, not me. And yes, Stephanie, if the majority tell you you are wrong, you are wrong. So far, you have one cheerleader, an illiterate one, but one nonetheless. Yay!

COMMENTS WERE UNCALL FOR AND STUPIT,BY-Peter -Pony, Alabama and Robin-Everett, Massachusetts and Robert - Jacksonville, Florida I read this posting of the problem this consumer had with Disney Cruise Lines. I have taking this cruise myself with my wife and we loved it. However we didn't bring any children with us, our kids are all grown up. After reading the writers comments and her concerns and some of the so call rebuttals, I am appalled with the comments by the rebuttals. I am surprised that these comments were even allowed to be posted due to the nature of this Consumers Compliant. It seems that the people that gave a negative rebuttal to this consumer (Stephanie) in my opinion was very insensitive to the situation she reported. Also, for someone to comment the way they did appears that they have a personal interest in Disney or are connected to them in some way. Instead of attacking her and telling her what a bad mother she may or may not be is not the situation here. She was merely reporting a problem that she had experienced with Disney and the employees there at the time as well as Disney's main office agreed that they needed to establish a plan for this type of situation. She did say the rest of the cruise was great and she and her family really enjoyed it. I think the negative comments given to this consumers compliant by, Peter -Pony, Alabama and Robin -Everett, Massachusetts and Robert - Jacksonville, Florida that I read was very disrespectful to her, as mother and a person, they owe her an apology. I feel sorry for your wife's and children if you have any, because your approach to commenting on this matter was beyond a dough stupid, to say the least. I can't help but remember years back when one of our children was missing in a store and we couldn't find her for about five minutes and we were very upset about it. Of course and with no dough we should have been watching her closer, still there was a empty spot in our stomach and worry that came over us until we found her on the other side of a two coat racks from where we were standing. So when you leave this kind of responses and personal attack or as you call it, a rebuttal comment, instead of sticking to subject of the compliant. As I see it, these Disney employees were responsible for all the children in their area and kids this young should be accountable or seen at all times, that's why Disney charges parents for this service, and because extra care like this is required. Just my thoughts,

Abandoning my child, have you lost your mind. Let's loose sight of the real problem at focus. Not to mention over 2000 people board disney Cruise ships and leave their children in Daycare, I guess we all abandon our children right? Nobody was in Hysterics until the 1 crew personel announced she was missing, and rightfully so I was in hysterics! As far as the "Debate or "opinions" as you call them, you think because a couple people wrote in opinions, that they are the majority, that they are correct. All of you were not there! the people who witnessed it had the same view point as I do. I can only describe the situation as best as possible. I think it is pretty sickening how for the sake of debate that the consumers who wrote in are in fact just looking for a debate and not at the big picture, the childs safety. The scene was not caused by me, my daughter could not hear me calling her name over all the other children playing and crying etc. None of you make sense, one of you say "cut the apron strings" then the next comment out of your mouth is "how could you leave you child in daycare" and "you get what you pay for". So much for looing out for looking out for the welfare of a child! Well this warning was intended for people that are researching for a Disney Cruise and are looking to put their children in the daycare progrm. It is an actual and factual description as to the events that unfolded. Nothing was brought on by "emotion" this situtaion was brought on by carelessness on Disneys' behalf. This is listed here to warn other people (with young children) and to get the experience of others who took a Disney cruise, and their experiences, not for the couple of you to debate. If your looking for a debate forum, go to www.debate.com

When I take my kids anywhere, I keep them with me. If I go somewhere that they don't need to be, I leave them at home. If the Disney Cruises "cater to children", why stick them in a room being ignored by the parents? This report makes very little sense. The only part that does make any sense is the part about the little girl crying. Perhaps she was hiding and crying because her parents ABANDONED her. I would have never thought of dumping my sons in an unknown day-care setting when they were that young. Children cling to the parents at that age in normal circumstances. The parents in this case put the child in totally alien surroundings and left. The child cries because something is wrong. What's wrong is the lack of common sense and good parenting skills. Having the parent(s) going into a coniption fit and being hysterical does nothing to help a child calm down. I do agree with Peter. While you undoubtably will find some attorney to sue Disney for your lack of self-control and parenting skills, do not expect it to go very far. The courts are not going to reward you for this and may even stop the case as soon as the Judge reads it. You can sue for anything, including your own foolishness. I also agree with Robin. Wher did you think your daughter was going to go? Here's a thought. If everyone has the same opinion, but yours is different, perhaps your opinion is not held up by facts. Emotion gets nowhere in a debate, and even less far in the real world. Facts count for 100% of the argument, and right now, you are your own worst witness.

When I take my kids anywhere, I keep them with me. If I go somewhere that they don't need to be, I leave them at home. If the Disney Cruises "cater to children", why stick them in a room being ignored by the parents? This report makes very little sense. The only part that does make any sense is the part about the little girl crying. Perhaps she was hiding and crying because her parents ABANDONED her. I would have never thought of dumping my sons in an unknown day-care setting when they were that young. Children cling to the parents at that age in normal circumstances. The parents in this case put the child in totally alien surroundings and left. The child cries because something is wrong. What's wrong is the lack of common sense and good parenting skills. Having the parent(s) going into a coniption fit and being hysterical does nothing to help a child calm down. I do agree with Peter. While you undoubtably will find some attorney to sue Disney for your lack of self-control and parenting skills, do not expect it to go very far. The courts are not going to reward you for this and may even stop the case as soon as the Judge reads it. You can sue for anything, including your own foolishness. I also agree with Robin. Wher did you think your daughter was going to go? Here's a thought. If everyone has the same opinion, but yours is different, perhaps your opinion is not held up by facts. Emotion gets nowhere in a debate, and even less far in the real world. Facts count for 100% of the argument, and right now, you are your own worst witness.

When I take my kids anywhere, I keep them with me. If I go somewhere that they don't need to be, I leave them at home. If the Disney Cruises "cater to children", why stick them in a room being ignored by the parents? This report makes very little sense. The only part that does make any sense is the part about the little girl crying. Perhaps she was hiding and crying because her parents ABANDONED her. I would have never thought of dumping my sons in an unknown day-care setting when they were that young. Children cling to the parents at that age in normal circumstances. The parents in this case put the child in totally alien surroundings and left. The child cries because something is wrong. What's wrong is the lack of common sense and good parenting skills. Having the parent(s) going into a coniption fit and being hysterical does nothing to help a child calm down. I do agree with Peter. While you undoubtably will find some attorney to sue Disney for your lack of self-control and parenting skills, do not expect it to go very far. The courts are not going to reward you for this and may even stop the case as soon as the Judge reads it. You can sue for anything, including your own foolishness. I also agree with Robin. Wher did you think your daughter was going to go? Here's a thought. If everyone has the same opinion, but yours is different, perhaps your opinion is not held up by facts. Emotion gets nowhere in a debate, and even less far in the real world. Facts count for 100% of the argument, and right now, you are your own worst witness.

Hmmm... your "update" clearly indicates that your dramatic representation of the facts does not lend room to input from others, which leads me wonder why you posted this "complaint" on this website? If you do not want to be open to others' suggestions and comments, nor do you wish to consider additional information which may or may not correspond with your views to a "T," perhaps you are barking up the wrong tree by posting here. I find it hilarious that you are going to find a lawyer and sue Disney over this situation that YOU caused to escalate out of control. I think you should go for it though. Every lawyer could use a good belly-aching-rolling-on-the-floor laugh every now and then, as do your future mental health workers who you will likely be referred to. PS - And yes, since you inquired, I do have children. And I have not only taught them how to behave in public, but I SHOW them by example, including by not engaging in cry-baby lunatic hysterics and making myself look like a fool as you seemingly did. Also ... I NEVER leave them at a $6/hr "day care" as I KNOW what level of care they do provide. (And, by the way, for $6/hr they do NOT keep an eye on your little one "every second" as you incorrectly believe.)

FYI Peter, $6 an hour is the standard charge disney charges parents to provide CARE for a child, which includes "knowing where your child is located at all times" especially a 2 1/2 year old. If they had a service that charged more I would have used it. They say they charge a nominal fee for the service. Come on this is Disney look at the big picture. This has nothing to do what they charge, they are supposed to cater to children. As far as the other responses I read, get real. "Cut the apron strings" My 2 1/2 year old was presumed missing by a bunch of Disney employees that should have not have been quilified to watch dogs never mind children. One would hope upon entering the Disney realm that they screen and train their employees. Seems not to be the case though. The more I read the rebuttals the more interesting and willing I am to call a lawyer and to see exactly who is in the wrong. Both of you obviously don't have chldren. Thanks for helping me make up my mind and consult an attorney. I also hope neither of you find yourselves in this situation one day. let me tell you, kids dissapear all the time, you obviously don't watch tv or read the papers. Not to mention have you seen the headline referencing the man who was just married and missing from a cruise ship? So this does happen! You both were not there and I appreciate your insight as useless as it was, but we all have to have an opinion. My take on it is, either you work for Disney or represent them in some way. I can tell you, everyone that witnesed this event, numerous parents, (I did not know at the time) were trying to console me and said that they felt my pain and were as horrified as I was. So it was not "my drama" I guess all the people around watching (approx. 15 or so) were full of drama too! Get real, we are talking a bout a 2 1/2 year old that has every right to go on a Diseney Cruise and should rightfully so be there, and if I choose to leave her in childcare program , "THEY SHOULD KNOW WHERE SHE IS EVERY SECOND" This has nothing to do with one on one care. They were in the wrong! And they admitted it when they apologized and repremand there staff for this incident. Anyway, I will be contactign an attorney and if any read this they can contact me, this should be interesting to see the outcome. i will keep all of you posted!

...with a few comments of my own. First, you paid $6/hr. for childcare while on the cruise ship. Ever hear the old adage, "You get what you pay for"? It's always amazed me how little parents are willing to pay someone else to do what we're always being told is "the most important job in the world." Second, you were on a *cruise ship*. Where, exactly, was some abductor going to take your daughter -- jump overboard with her? When things like this happen, it is your responsibility as a parent to take a deep breath and try to think rationally. Freaking out doesn't do anyone, least of all your daughter, any good. Third, I *hope* you've impressed upon your child that when you call her, she's supposed to come to you, or at least call out to you to let you know where she is. She, not the underpaid Disney childcare workers, caused the entire scenario by hiding and not coming out to you when her name was called. Fourth, I really feel bad for your daughter. You're teaching her to be afraid to be away from your side for even a short while, and that hysterics, "waterworks," drama-queenery, and demands to be compensated for harm that never even happened are perfectly acceptable ways of dealing with the world.

Well, you certainly have a flair for DRAMA! Realistically, Disney did nothing wrong. Your child was safe inside the daycare premises the entire time. It was YOUR haste in jumping to incorrect conclusions and your emotional outburst that caused this situation to escalate for everyone involved. When you did not see your daughter by simply glancing around the room from the main entrance, you should have entered the room and calmly LOOKED around for her, before going off on your tirade. The staff was more than gracious to not charge you for their services when your daughter was in their care the entire time. It is unreasonable for you to expect one-on-one childcare on a cruise ship, especially a Disney cruise to say the least. Do you honestly think they should have 100+ babysitters to individually keep an eye on each and every of the 100+ kids on board? That is ridiculous. I suggest you learn how to control your emotions and perhaps learn to loosen the apron strings a bit. If you find this difficult to do, then perhaps taking a 2 1/2 year old on a cruise ship is not a good idea in the first place.