Disney Cruise and Age??

Hi N.-

I don't have any experience with a Disney Cruise but I have heard they are wonderful. However, we have done Disney World twice with very young kids.

I've responded to similar questions before and always seem to be in the minority. We took our daughter to Disney World when she was 19 months old and I was 5 months pregnant. We had a blast! We spent 4 nights there. She still remembers things that she did on that trip. There is so much to do for all ages. We went again about a year ago. She was 3 1/2 and our son was 20 months. Again, we had a wonderful time. We actually spent 11 nights there and had tons to do. Both of our kids talk about Disney frequently and how they are excited to go back.

I think what it really comes down to is more what you and your husband want to tackle as far as age challenges......strollers, diapers, naps, etc. It's definitely not the easiest trip to take with preschool age and toddlers, but for us it seemed much better than trying to go sit on a beach somewhere. Some people love Disney trips and others find them very stressful. My husband and I agree that we wouldn't trade our trips with our YOUNG children for anything. The way there eyes light up and the amazement that you can see on their faces is priceless. Disney is so family-friendly and has so much to offer for all age ranges.

Another benefit of going BEFORE the kids are in school is that you can more easily go at the low season times of the year. We have gone the last week in January both times and it was perfect. Mild weather and short lines.

I'm due with our third in 2 weeks and we are already considering a trip a year from now. Our kids would be 5 1/2, 3 1/2 and 1 year.

If you have any specific questions about Disney World with little ones, feel free to send me a message. I would be happy to talk to you.

Other good websites for Disney are:

www.intercot.com

www.allears.net

Good luck!

A good place to come for advice is on the disboards.com. It's a Disney chat community where you can find out everything you ever wanted to know about a Disney cruise. Also if you go to disneycruiseline.com you can get a free DVD sent to you.
We are going on our third Disney cruise next October. The Parks and the cruise are two different experiences. With the cruise you get more character interaction. My daughters were 3 and 10 the first time we went. There are wonderful daycare facilities so you and your hubby can enjoy alone time. There is Flounders for children whom aren't potty trained and the Oceaneers club for those who are potty trained and older. They also have their own island called Castaway Cay. It is beautiful!
There they have a adult beach. There is a place to drop off your children on the beach so you and your hubby can go to the adult beach for some alone time.
At 4 and two, the two year old probably won't remember much but my now 5 year old remembers most of who she met and what she did.
It is all inclusive but you do have to pay for alcoholic drinks and tips. The Dream is their newest ship and that will be taking over for the Wonder in the Bahamas starting in January. If you can do a 4 day cruise I would highly recommend it!
My oldest was 5 the first time we went to Walt Disney World. At that time they are more aware and able to remember more.

We will be on the Disney Wonder this October with a two and a half year old, an 8 year old and a 11 year old. My understanding is that any age is good and that they have activities and accomodations for everyone.

As a parent of children who have been on expensive vacations, what I will say is that you have to set your expectations accordly. We just got back from Kauai. I really wanted to take a canoe and a long hike. It didn't happen with the 15 month old. Instead, we found things the whole family could do. Did we have a great time? Yes, but is different from what we would have done if our kids were different ages.

We have fun where ever we go, but we set realistic expectations for ourselves, knowing that we will have to go back to do the other activities we missed.

By the way, our first trip to Disney World was when my boys were 7 and 4. We had a great time and there were plenty of rides to go on. We also used their baby sitting service at one of the Disney resorts. They are seasoned Disneyland goers though, so they knew what to expect.

Good luck and have fun!

We are going on the Disney Dream this February, our first Disney cruise. I've heard from people that have done them that they are wonderful for young families (and everyone for that matter!) What's nice about DCL is their kids program, which is available all day for kids ages 3 and up. Our youngest will turn 3 at the end of this month so, provided he's potty trained fully (we're working hard on it!) he'll be able to join is 2 older sisters in the camp, allowing DH and I some free time!:)

We did Disney World 2 yrs ago when our kids were 1, 3 and 5. We had blast! Our son was just shy of 1 and still not walking, so we rented a stroller from a local rental company (much less expensive than the Disney ones!) and he was happy as a clam taking in all the sights wheeling around the parks. Our girls were in princess heaven and couldn't get enough of all things Disney! I think our kids were at great ages for their first visit. Like others have mentioned, since 2 of our kids were not yet in school and our oldest only in K, we were able to go in the off-season to save a little money (we went in January) and only had to worry about our 5 yo missing a few days of school.
Some negatives: some lines were long, and our little ones grew very restless. We also had to plan around our son's naps, so we had to take turns returning to our hotel w/ him, and even our 3 yo who grew very tired faster than our 5 yo. You have to plan dining in advance if you want any kind of a good table and time for restaurants, and w/ young kids you just can't do the late seatings which were usually all that's left at the last minute.
Other than those things we LOVED it! Disney knows how to make kids' dreams come true! Have fun planning your trip.:)

I have been to Disneyland in California and I agree everyone should experience one or all of the Disney Theme Parks. Now as far as the age to take your kids. Remember you can wait in line for over an hour to get on a ride. There are also height requirments for many of the rides, I think it has something to do with the safety belts on the rides. I would think you could get more information from the Disney web site. You walk MILES through the park, yes you can take a stroller. No food/drink items are allowed in the parks except baby food/bottles of formula. The food is expensive so plan for that. Back to age, what is your first memory? How much do you remember of your childhood before Kindergarten? I would wait until the kids are in 2nd grade or older, they will still enjoy it and remember it more. They will also have more stamina to handle the walking and waiting in line. You will also have more time to save for this vacation. The Orlando area in Florida has a lot of places to visit, as long as you are going plan to take in the other attractions as well.
One thing I remember about Disneyland they shoot off fireworks everynight in Summer and most parents take the little ones home right after the parade and fireworks. All through the park you hear tired crying children, not wanting to leave but way to tired to continue. I always felt so bad for those little ones and their parents.
Disney also had packages for a 3-4 day cruise and 3-4 days at Disney World. I don't know if they are still offering these packages. But it is worth looking into.
Have fun!!!

I have been on 7 and going here again in the next month (whoop whoop). We started going when my DD was 2 and we have never had a better vacation... The reason we keep going back and have paid The Mouse almost $70,000 over the past years. (SHHH I do not think DH has realized that). Do know that DCL (Disney Cruise Line) is very high in price. You can take 3 Carnival cruises or 2 RCCL cruises for the price of a Disney one. We kept going to Disney though because I am a HUGE Disney fan and pay the extra for the MAGIC.... Now know that you do not pay for the 2 year old. The 2 year old only pays taxes and fees. The disadvantage is the 2 year olds do not qualify for the clubs so you will have the baby with you most of the time. The children have to also be 100% Potty independent (wiping & dressing). Also remember at ages 2 and 4 they will not remember any of it. You are really paying for the memories for yourself and to make photo moments of them having so much fun. My DS did not start to really remember until 10 and my DD does not even remember her 7 year old cruise. As far as choosing the cruise v/s the parks. I say that is a personality thing. We cruise because we are beach bums and enjoy the layed back no worry in the world vacation. The parks make me feel as if I am on the go all of the time. I like not having to think about where we are going to eat,etc. I like being served and getting a little me time. I enjoy formal dinners and live theatre. I like experiencing other countries. So if that sounds like you then cruise. If you like the hussel and bussel, NOTHING beats the Magic of WDW. Someone told you about our Disboards community. Come on over we can help you there. I am a VERY active member.

We are going on the new Disney ship (The Disney Dream) the last week of Feburary with our 3 year old - so I guess we'll find out!

Like Christine F. said, there is a number of discussion boards that are good to go onto if you have questions or want to see what others have had to say. Our daughter loves to swim, so she'll be happy just going in the pool and playing on the beach, but the new ship also has special play rooms with Toy Story and Finding Nemo themes, so I would think for toddlers and preschoolers those would be perfect.

Just some advice N.,

Just went to Disneyland and we took our 8 yo. We left the 2.5 yo and 16 mo with grandparents and we are glad we did. Granted there are amenities for all ages, but it is a matter of appreciation. Your 2 you will probably not remember nor care and would probably have more fun at a relatives house than on a cruise or in a disney park. I cannot tell you how many screaming 1-3 yo's I personally witnessed at Disneyland; it certainly was not the happiest place on earth for them. Now the 4 yo would probably have a blast; he/she may or may not have clear memories in the future, but they have plenty of activites that will keep him/her occupied and happy.

I think the Disney cruises would be great but they are very pricey. I have been on several Carnival cruises and for the last one I took my kids. Mine are older and I wasn't looking to utilize their children's programs much but it was very nice and all included and a Carnival cruise is probably half of what a Disney cruise will cost you.

They have staff and area dedicated to the little ones so you can have some time to yourselves and everyday there is a detailed itinerary of what will be done so you can decide.

We just went to Disney this year too. Mine are 10 and 9-we cruised two years ago so...

I saw some other families hauling babies around and littler kids and all I thought was what a pain. Lugging strollers, diaper bags, kids crying cause they need naps-yikes. One father in particular was asking if they could drop some of that stuff off because he had been lugging it all day and the wife was like-well-what's a few more hours then? I just thought that was pretty rude of her.

The younger kids won't even remember it. I just think it's better to wait until there are no naps needed, no diaper bags to haul, no stroller needed.

Just my opinion.

Oh and if you are for sure doing Disney in the future-look into getting the Disney card offered by Chase. It is a reward program and you can really save some dollars up if you plan on going in a few years and then they offer 6 months free financing as well.

We had over $1800 so we stayed on the grounds and had the dining package-which was really nice!