Mark Warner Resort Childcare Information

[blaize]

I read somewhere that this resort did not offer the listening service where Madeleine was at.Going to go find that.May take me awhile though...haven't had my coffee yet so my brain in in putput mode

Thanks ceeaura, I'd appreciate that.

My whole point though in posting the child care info about the listening service is that since it's a service offered by the Mark Warner resorts and other resorts then it's a service regularly used by resort visitors. The whole point of the thread is to question if the McCann's choice of leaving the children alone and checking on them themselves was as unheard of as some posters seem to think.

Personally though considering the layout of that specific Mark Warner resort I find it difficult to imagine a horde of nannies marching around the walled resort and the village knocking on doors.

 

[blaize]

This is not the article I read,this is a blog I haven't read before.Still searching for the article I read where the listening service was not available.

http://anmblog.typepad.com/this_is_money_blog/2007/05/my_experience_o.html

Snip:

Interesting blog ceeaura.

Perhaps this is the article you're referring to?


[Source]

The spokesman confirmed that no special review was being undertaken at the resort, which Mark Warner believes offers adequate childcare services for those that require it.

The resort has a crèche where parents can leave children while they dine.

Families are also offered the option of private babysitters for £10 an hour although availability is limited and they have to be booked 24 hours in advance.

Unlike most Mark Warner resorts, the Ocean Club does not give parents the option of a "baby listening service" where nannies tour the complex listening for crying children and then alerting parents.

"That is not a feasible option at the Ocean Club," said the spokesman.

"It is a spread-out resort that is not exclusive to Mark Warner so it wouldn't work."

Notice that the spokesman said "baby listening service" which goes to my suggestion that leaving small children alone in rooms is not an unheard of practice in resorts.

 

[ceeaura]

Perhaps this is the article you're referring to?

Thats it! Thank you I also thought that blog was interesting.

 

[blaize]

Thats it! Thank you I also thought that blog was interesting.

I found it quite unnerving that the spokesman said they wouldn't be changing their practices and so would continue to offer the baby listening services even now. It irks me that he says that the service isn't offered at that specific resort because of the layout and not because it's not a good practice to leave babies and young children alone at night

I wonder is this still their standpoint considering that article was printed in May?

 

[ceeaura]

I found it quite unnerving that the spokesman said they wouldn't be changing their practices and so would continue to offer the baby listening services even now. It irks me that he says that the service isn't offered at that specific resort because of the layout and not because it's not a good practice to leave babies and young children alone at night

I wonder is this still their standpoint considering that article was printed in May?

Yes it also ticks me off.Maybe we should set up a petition or a letter campaign to get them to do away with the listening service period for children 12 and younger.Only the babysitting service and the crèche would be available.Also to put that leaving children 12 and under alone is not recomended.(I still would not leave my 13-16 yearold alone...I just put 12 as an example)

Steps need to be taken to keep children safe even while on vacation in a "Safe place".It should be the parents responsibility to make sure that happens but as we can see parents are not stepping up to that.(I am not just talking about the McCanns here either.Talking about the ones who have also done what the McCanns have done and the ones who see nothing wrong with leaving 3 small children alone.)So I think it is going to have to be up to these popular resorts to ensure safety for the childrens sake.

 

[pinto]

Yes it also ticks me off.Maybe we should set up a petition or a letter campaign to get them to do away with the listening service period for children 12 and younger.Only the babysitting service and the crèche would be available.Also to put that leaving children 12 and under alone is not recomended.(I still would not leave my 13-16 yearold alone...I just put 12 as an example)

Forgive me if this has been posted elsewhere, but are there accident reports or anything else regarding the listening service? Or, has this ever happened before, at another resort?

 

[STEADFAST]

Here's an interesting conversation on The Mirror's forum.

http://forums.mirror.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=16442&start=105

1st poster: "The way things are organised at Mark Warner, there is no real choice but to leave your kids in the room when you go for your own dinner. The children are all given their tea together and the parents dine together later. . . "

2nd poster: "I'm sorry, I don't quite understand ... are you saying that Mark Warner Resorts don't 'allow' parents to eat with their children in the evening ?"

1st poster: "Oddly enough that was something I discussed with my wife last week. She said she could recall one couple who came down to dinner with their children. Let's just say it wasn't encouraged. I think the evenng meal did not start until around 8pm, by which time our children would be normally asleep. So either way it was a less than satisfactory choice. Which is why we never went on a Mark Warner holiday again."

 

[blaize]

Forgive me if this has been posted elsewhere, but are there accident reports or anything else regarding the listening service? Or, has this ever happened before, at another resort?

Hello Pinto,

I'd imagine accident reports & statistics are kept but unlikely to be made public except in the case of an accident leading to a court case or an insurance claim.

 

[hcc2007]

Hello Pinto,

I'd imagine accident reports & statistics are kept but unlikely to be made public except in the case of an accident leading to a court case or an insurance claim.

Hey this is an interesting new line! Are the McCanns sueing the Mark Warner Resort? Seems they should be, and given how they are about money and all, you'd think they would be!

I'm sure a good case could be made for liability of MW Resorts if, as they say, the window was forced open. Or just having the bushes be too thick around the house. Or because MW lets pervs hang around. I'm sure there's a case there, no matter the circumstances.

I'm not the litigious type but if my child were abducted from a resort that claims to be family-friendly, then I'd sue the holy cr&p out of them, and apply the payment to the Search Fund.

Or ... does anyone know? Maybe MW Resorts made a large contribution already to settle any possibility of a suit?

Just another obvious-but-unanswered question in this case.

 

[Rino]

But I haven't seen anywhere that the children who were "checked on" by nannies were as young as the McCann children. That is my problem with letting them off the hook just because they "checked."

You can see in my post there was an option for leaving small children with a secure group where they could sleep if they wanted to. I understand why it would be better for them to sleep in their own rooms, but with an unlocked door?

Again, for older children (say age 10 and up), the nanny coming around to check might be a good thing. But for small children it's not the best option. I think a stay-in babysitter would have been better. I'm sure they could have afforded that.

In my state it is unlawful for children under the age of ten years old to be left alone. Of course people break that law all the time, but that doesn't make it acceptable to me.

By reading the brochure, the nanny service for children under 2 has a fee, but the creche and servces for older children is included with the price of the trip. My point is that I think the listening and nanny coming around was indeed for the older childen - not diaper wearing age.

So, no I don't think it reflects that leaving your kids "is done" there. I also don't know what resort would be able to brag about "AWARD WINNING CHILDCARE" if the indeed left youngster unattende.

 

[Jayelles]

You may be interested in this blog which was written by someone who was actually at the Mark Warner Ocean Club complex this summer at the same time as the McCanns:-

In their defence, they may have been expecting, as advertised in Mark Warner brochures, a ‘listening service’. Staff told us that the service had been discontinued because the apartments were too spread out.

http://anmblog.typepad.com/this_is_money_blog/2007/05/my_experience_o.html

 

[Pinkhammer]

A "listening service" does not seem to me to be the gold standard of childcare.

 

[Rino]

Very intersting, thanks Jayelle. Althought the writer is sympathetic I have to disagree with 2 of his opinions.

1. There is no defense upon finding out the service was cancelled and choosing to do nothing

2. I can't imagine their dilemma. If the twins need be asleep and the charge is $10 an hour neither one of the options seems to have been a problem for them. They can certainly afford the fee, or opt out of going. The twins they report were sleeping when the left, again no problem

 

[BethInAK]

Again, for older children (say age 10 and up), the nanny coming around to check might be a good thing. But for small children it's not the best option. I think a stay-in babysitter would have been better. I'm sure they could have afforded that.

In my state it is unlawful for children under the age of ten years old to be left alone. Of course people break that law all the time, but that doesn't make it acceptable to me.

At age ten, left alone in a strange hotel, I'd probably have been frightened. At home I felt more secure and had a dog to protect me but the hotel would have been scary.

In our state the age of legal to stay home alone is 12, I believe.

 

[BethInAK]

Here's an interesting conversation on The Mirror's forum.

http://forums.mirror.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=16442&start=105

1st poster: "The way things are organised at Mark Warner, there is no real choice but to leave your kids in the room when you go for your own dinner. The children are all given their tea together and the parents dine together later. . . "

2nd poster: "I'm sorry, I don't quite understand ... are you saying that Mark Warner Resorts don't 'allow' parents to eat with their children in the evening ?"

1st poster: "Oddly enough that was something I discussed with my wife last week. She said she could recall one couple who came down to dinner with their children. Let's just say it wasn't encouraged. I think the evenng meal did not start until around 8pm, by which time our children would be normally asleep. So either way it was a less than satisfactory choice. Which is why we never went on a Mark Warner holiday again."

you'll forgive me, but i could care less if its "encouraged" for my child to eat dinner with me. He's well behaved in a restaurant and there is no way I'd opt to leave him in the room because it was "discouraged".

And I'd probably alter my kids vacation schedule to fit the dinner time. Wouldnt' be hard after a time change anyway.

 

[STEADFAST]

you'll forgive me, but i could care less if its "encouraged" for my child to eat dinner with me. He's well behaved in a restaurant and there is no way I'd opt to leave him in the room because it was "discouraged".

And I'd probably alter my kids vacation schedule to fit the dinner time. Wouldnt' be hard after a time change anyway.

LOL My son wasn't all that well-behaved in restaurants (always kept trying to reach the knives on the table), but I sure wouldn't have left him in the room alone either! (Plus, when we took our kids on vacation, it never would have even occurred to us to go out to dinner without them.)

 

[colomom]

I think leaving a 3 year old and two 2 year old children alone at all is asking for trouble.

Regardless of what the resort offered, listening service or not, I would always worry that if I was not physically present, or a sitter physically present, I would worry about things like poking metal objects into light sockets, jumping on beds around furniture, playing with the stove, playing hide and seek in the refrigerator, drowning in the toilet....

Why didn't the McCanns hire the sitter for $20 an hour? Why didn't they have one of the party bring all the kids over to one apartment and take turns being a group sitter? Why didn't they order takeaway and have a dinner party at the apartment?

Why did they ignore the warnings from the Mark Warner staff that there had been burgularies and they should consider a sitter? Why did they have a sitter reserved and then cancel at 6:00PM that night? Why did they leave a door unlocked? Why would they leave their children alone when they thought they were being "watched" or "stalked"?

There will never be a lawsuit against Mark Warner Resorts because of what I have listed above. In fact, they bent over backward to accomodate and help the McCanns. Actually, the question is interesting....why haven't they filed a lawsuit? Perhaps it would get UGLY.....

 

[BethInAK]

I think leaving a 3 year old and two 2 year old children alone at all is asking for trouble.

Regardless of what the resort offered, listening service or not, I would always worry that if I was not physically present, or a sitter physically present, I would worry about things like poking metal objects into light sockets, jumping on beds around furniture, playing with the stove, playing hide and seek in the refrigerator, drowning in the toilet....

Especially since the twins were supposedly on a bed, and not contained in a crib. I mean, I imagine this apartment was not fully childproofed and it would be VERY unsafe to have 18 month olds running around there without supervision.

Maybe something like that DID happen. Maybe a terrible accident due to poor supervision and an unchildproofed room.

 

[blaize]

I think leaving a 3 year old and two 2 year old children alone at all is asking for trouble.

Regardless of what the resort offered, listening service or not, I would always worry that if I was not physically present, or a sitter physically present, I would worry about things like poking metal objects into light sockets, jumping on beds around furniture, playing with the stove, playing hide and seek in the refrigerator, drowning in the toilet....

[Respectfully Snipped]

There will never be a lawsuit against Mark Warner Resorts because of what I have listed above. In fact, they bent over backward to accomodate and help the McCanns. Actually, the question is interesting....why haven't they filed a lawsuit? Perhaps it would get UGLY.....

Hello colomom,

It would get ugly no doubt. But as I stated earlier my intention in starting the thread was to point out that these child care arrangements or non arrangements as most of us would see it, are not as unusual as people originally thought.

As sad as that is to say & as odd & downright dangerous as it seems to many of us to use the said "baby listening" services for babies & young children, it's obvious that many visitors have availed of the service & as long as it's available will continue to use it.

 

[colomom]

Hello colomom,

It would get ugly no doubt. But as I stated earlier my intention in starting the thread was to point out that these child care arrangements or non arrangements as most of us would see it, are not as unusual as people originally thought.

As sad as that is to say & as odd & downright dangerous as it seems to many of us to use the said "baby listening" services for babies & young children, it's obvious that many visitors have availed of the service & as long as it's available will continue to use it.

Alright, I will get down and nasty about it....ANYBODY how would consider useing a child listening service for a 3 year old and two 2 year olds is STUPID!! I don't care who you are....