Cribs at Harborside

[Bulldog91]

Hi All,

We are Harborside owners after visiting with my parents who traded their Vistana for a week there in Oct. 06. We didn't get to make our 2007 trip to Harborside due to me being 9 months pregnant when we were scheduled to go. Happily, we were able to rent out our week then by using Atlantis Family Fun, which someone here recommended to me when we realized we wouldn't be able to go.

Anyway, we are now very excited to be going for our first time as owners this October and will be bringing our one-year-old daughter! I am hoping someone here can help with details about being at Harborside with a one-year-old.

Is the crib that is provided a regular full size crib, or one of the portable pack-n-plays? I would like to bring her own sheets and don't want to waste space. I'm hoping it's a regular crib, because she doesn't sleep as well in the portable version that we have had to use at other hotels. Also, if it is a regular type of crib, do you know if it meets the current safety rules for bar spacing, etc?

Also, does anyone have any recommendation for the traveling portion of this trip? We have purchased her a seat of her own on the airplane just so we are all more comfortable. Do we bring the car seat along for use on the plane and for the cab rides to/from the airport? I know some babies are held on the lap for the airplane so what do those parents do about the cabs?

Any other general suggestions are very welcome!

Thanks,
Laura

 

[Westin5Star]

The past couple of years that we have gone to HRA (my youngest was 1 the first year and 2 the second year) we made a crib. We put the two padded chairs in the living room together. They have arms on them that connect perfectly so he couldn't roll over and fall out. My son loved sleeping on them. We obviously gave him a pillow and blanket to make it more comfortable. These chairs were in the 1BR part of the 2BR LO in both Phase 1 and Phase 2. Last year my 4 year old actually begged us to take a nap in the makeshift crib and he also wanted to then sleep there. You could probably just ask for a crib though. Have a great trip!

 

[DeniseM]

I would definitely take the car seat. Your daughter is already used to it and understands that she has to stay in it in the car, so it will be easy to keep her in it on the plane, for her own safety and comfort. Most children nap in their car seats, and since she is used to it, she may be more inclined to take a nap on the plane. If she doesn't have her car seat, it may be hard for her to understand that she can't get down and run around on the plane. Then when you arrive, you will have the car seat for auto transportation - it is NEVER safe to hold a child in your lap in a car.

You can contact the concierge for more info. about equipment for children - http://www.harborsideresort.com/conciergeServices.php

 

[Bulldog91]

Thanks for the replies. Taking the car seat definitely makes sense. The chair idea is very creative. That might be more comfortable than a crib. We might use that as a "Plan B".

Has anyone here ever used the cribs that are provided by Harborside? I just want to bring the right sheets.

Thanks also for the concierge link.

Laura

 

[clsmit]

The people at the Caribbean concierge phone number at SVO work on Harborside and WSJ and don't seem to handle other SVO issues. They are really helpful and seem to know a lot about the resort. I made my dinner reservations and Dolphin Cay reservations (DD 12th birthday present!) thru them. Call them at 888 857 3255 and ask them about the crib.


(As an aside, the person I most recently dealt with has this in his signature line -- guess he needs to update it!:
Caribbean Experience Specialist
9002 San Marco Court I Orlando, FL I 32819
telephone 888.857.3255| facsimile 407.903.4862
starwoodvo.com
Westin St. John | Harborside Resort |Westin Aruba Relax. Recharge. Replenish.)

 

[mariawolf]

The crib is not a pac n play--it is about that size but is a metal rolling crib--so it sits up off the floor like a regular crib--ours was like new so I would guess it met safety standards of today--and they also brought a high chair--they brought a regular flat sheet so I would bring one that you can tuck under.
Also your best bet for getting to the pool area is to take the shuttle to Royal Towers--go through lobby and just to the right before the shopping arcade is a set of double doors that go outside--just to the right is a set of elevators that take you down to the dig and ground level so you can walk out without steps!

 

[mariawolf]

Also check with airlines about car seat--our kids brought one once for our grandchild and the airline wouldn't let it be used as it wasn't approved by that airline--it had been used on other flights so call just to make sure. Also they make the child have the window seat--just FYI--they don't want anyone obstructed in case of an emergency.

 

[formerhater]

On a slightly related note...any experiences with cribs at Lagunamar? I'm specifically wondering if we need to brings linens or if they are provided. Thanks.

 

[Whirl]

WE were there in September with my twin 21 month olds. We had 2 of the metal cribs. They seemed standard size to me. When they were a younger, I always brought my own sheets, so could better answer the standard size question, but As we were already so laden down with stuff ( 2 car seats, stroller...imagine everything you already pack X 2!....plus a 4 year old and her stuffed animals!)....Anyway, they SEEMED to be standard size to me.

As for car seats....check with your airline, but good luck getting a straight answer. I am a big car seat safety fanatic and always travel with car seats, no matter how cumbersome and inconvenient....however, we had to fly American eagle from Miami and our seats ( Britax roundabouts) would not fix. On the way home, they gave us a very hard time taking them as carry on during the flight on American Eagle so that we could have them for the longer leg of our flight...lots of discussions with the check in attendant who refused to check with the GATE attendant ( who of course, said it was just fine).

Very frustrating....ended up without the seats for the whole trip. All was well, but is made me mad.... We did by chance get a whole row ( 6 seat across, aisle in the middle) for our family and everyone enjoyed stretching out and sleeping, so it worked out....actually made for an unusually enjoyable flight, but that was good fortune....still did not feel right about not having the seats.

But, I sure enjoyed not having to lug them through the airport!

Good Luck!

Cheryl