Family Cruise March 2013 / Kids Ages: 2,6. - Miami Beach,FL

My daughter and I went on a cruise together a little over a year ago (She was 9 at the time) - we went on Disney and it was THE BEST. I've been on other cruise lines with friends (Carnival & Royal Carribean) and although a cruise is nice , regardless.......... Disney was just amazing. It was pricier but worth every cent. & The kids club was so awesome, I didn't have my daughter go in because it was just me and her ...... and I didn't feel right about it - BUT we met other kids and they loved it, my daughter actually wanted to. Next time I will let her.

Disney cruise!!!! So family n kid friendly. Worth every penny. Best cruise ever.

royal carribean was great.. but the child care was just that.. they watched them in a large toy room.. so we only left them in child care while we had dinner in the fancy dining room.

What cruise line are you going on? My family & I just got back from Norwegian cruise to the Bahamas in December. My entire family went (18 of us). We had children ranging in age from 2 to 9. I ask what type of cruise because some are more geared toward kids than others. On our cruise they had a kids area that was separated by ages. For example 1-2 yo were in one room, 3-5 yo in another room, etc. They had many fun activities for the kids to do. We didn't take part in this but only because we had other things we wanted to do. We also weren't fond of the idea of leaving our 2 yo son by himself with other kids & people he didn't know. Some people really like this because it lets the adults go to the spa or go to dinner by themselves. To each their own. The other kids friendly things to do on our cruise were arcade, a kiddie pool with hot tub, basketball court, etc. I would just do a little research & see what your cruise ship has. Each cruise ship is different.

Hope this helps and I hope you have a really fun time! We have been on 2 cruises now and have enjoyed ourselves each time. So many things to do whether you want to include kids or just be adults. Have fun!

We took our 5 and 1 year old (he was 20 months) on a cruise last year. We would have had a better time if we had left them with grandma. The 1 year old wasn't allowed in the pool and we didn't realize the ship pool would be so small and crowded! Eatting in the dining room wasn't so much fun with children so we ended up going to the on your own time dining.

It sounds like you have already booked this so best wishes to you. I would consider a larger than usual cabin as the cabins are quite small for 4 people and your kids won't have much room to play. Also bring some toys as you can't really buy them on board although Disney may have more options - we were on Royal Caribbean and they didn't have much. Bring your own crayons and paper too!

I have been looking into a family cruise as well...so even though I have never been I did want to share what I have found so far: Some cruise lines have designated 'children' areas that are geared only towards the kids, which is great if you are into that, but what I have found is that they are segregated by age, so it is possible that your two kids would have to go to two separate areas. Just something to think about. I personally, didn't like that idea.

Disney is absolutely phenomenal for families and kids! We've been on 2, and are going to doing a third, and my daughter has a blast! They really cater to the kids plus they have the characters like Mickey, Minnie, the princesses, etc. on board. Just FYI though - kids have to be at least 3 years old and potty trained to be able to drop them off to the Kids' Club; kids also have to be potty trained to go swimming in the pools - no swim diapers allowed. Just something to consider if you were thinking of waiting until your younger child is 3 or 4. The Kids' Club is a ton of fun, and if you let your 6 year old daughter go, she'll have a great time and probably even make some new friends - it's your decision, but there's no reason to have them attached to your hip the whole time. While DD is having fun in the Kids' Club, I am able to work out, lounge by the the pool, etc. It's very safe and secure too - they don't let any child leave without a parent and parents have to show ID and give a secret password to pick them up, so I've never worried about anything bad happening. We also get ship phones that they will call in case we need to come get here for some reason.

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ships-activities/ships/...

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ships-activities/ships/...

We did 3 European cruises with our daughters in the span of 1 year starting just after their 3rd and 1st birthdays and the last one about 9 months later (we were living in Ireland at the time and trying to get in as much sight seeing as possible!). We went on Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Holland America. All were fantastic with the kids (though we only used the kids club on Holland America) and we took the kids everywhere we went on the ship. The only places that were strictly off limits were some of the bars and clubs at night and usually 1 swimming pool which was reserved for adults only. We never had a problem with other guests or staff getting irritated with our children. As long as you are respectful to the other passengers and staff and keep on top of your children's needs in order to help them be on their best behavior, you should be fine.

Disney is definitely the way to go though if you really want your kids to be best accommodated since they specialize in families and that is pretty much all that will be on board. On other cruise lines you'll get a lot of adult couples, singles groups and foreign tour groups which may not be as receptive to children (though, as I said, we never had a problem).

You'll want time to yourself. You won't be allowed in many area's of the ship with the kids. People use those services because the kids deserve to have some kid time and have fun.

If your 6 year old is not used to going to school and being away from you then perhaps they might have a hard time going to the kids programs. BUT I still think you need to realize how limited you'll be by having the kids with you every minute.

There are restaurants that are adult only and some programs are not kid inclusive. Like the salon or other personal areas where one might not be totally dressed. How sad you'd not be able to do those things.