Disney Cruise or Disney World with 9 year old and 8 month old

[RoseMom]

Trying to decide between Disney World and Disney Cruise in September of this year. Have done both but not with an infant. Looking for thoughts and ideas of those who have done both with an infant. Thank you!

 

[lorimay]

The youngest we have ever taken was our granddaughter (almost 2) on a cruise. She enjoyed herself, but she was older.
It was way easier than the parks IMO. But I am addicted to cruising.....
Maybe you can look for some trips reports with babies and read them to get an idea.
They will spoil you and spoil the baby.

 

[Ladybugx87]

We took the Alaska cruise when older daughter was 5 and younger daughter was 9 months old. It was a great experience for all of us. Disney makes cruising with an infant super easy. I’d opt to cruise now and do WDW again when little one is a bit older.

Edited to add - we did WDW when younger daughter was 3 with friends who had a just one year old. They were exhausted with the one year old compared to how we felt with cruise.

 

[DisLiss]

I think that cruises are easier with little kids. i really do. Because number one, there is simply so, so, SO much less space to cover on a cruise. If the kids need a break..you're a few floors away from your room, not a walk and a wait and a bus and another walk or a walk and a tram and a car ride, etc. During the day you're not asking them to walk or be push for miles. You can get away from the sun & heat if you wish to/need to. There are programs and services available specifically for their ages. I think it's much easier on parents. And I think it lends itself to sticking more closely to the regular routine of the baby than navigating parks & a resort as well.

Ultimately some families may find they like the parks better, but I doubt even they would say that the parks are easier. The parks are exhausting! Cruises are for relaxing. You can decide which excursions fit your schedule and lifestyle, or skip them altogether. It's pretty easy to customize your cruise to fit your needs. I feel at the parks the crowds and the weather make planning less concrete than planning on a cruise.

I hope whatever you choose, that you have a great time!

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Cruise definitely. There are the Oceaneers club and nursery to entertain and watch the children while you relax. Then for family time, the PP was correct about less acreage to cover on the ship versus the park. Never saw a mid afternoon melt down on the ship by a child that was hot and tired. Can't say that about the park. Doing the park is like running a marathon every day all day long. Cruising is relaxing.

 

[Ross Powell]

It depends on what you’re looking for - both are very different vacations but both have that Disney fun. The cruise does offer the perfect mix of fun and relaxation while the parks are pretty nonstop activity. We’ve been with an infant to Disney world which can be challenging because of the overwhelming environment of the parks and the need to keep feeding and napping routines. I would wait until your littlest is a little older to do Disney world so you can really enjoy it as a family!

 

[FigmentSpark]

The one advantage that a cruise has is you can book your baby in the nursery to give your older child some parent time and then you can send your older one to the club/lab and give the baby some undivided attention. And then... you can book the baby into the nursery and send the 8 year old off to the club/lab and get some spa-time or relax in the adult only areas of a ship.

I'm all for WDW, but you have a big age gap. If the baby will be happy in a stroller as you tour with his brother, and one of you is willing to go back to the room for naps with the baby, then that could work too, as the baby won't cost you anything to bring along. It might be a chance to give his brother a 'family vacation' that doesn't cater to 'the baby'.

 

[jfeasel]

In June we are doing 4 days in the park 6 days on the Fantasy with my 10 year old niece and her 8 month old brother. There are 13 of us going and thought the cruise after the parks would be relaxing for all involved. For the parks I booked all character lunches thinking it might be hard to get up and moving early in the morning and we all may hit a wall by dinner!

 

[gotomu212]

This almost matches my kids ages when we cruised and did Disney World. The cruise was MUCH easier (both were fun though). It’s much easier to deal with a baby on a cruise for the reasons others stated- your room is right there, there’s always food nearby, the nursery is great, you aren't standing in lines, and you’re. It out in the heat for the whole day. Keeping a semblance of a schedule is possible on a cruise for a baby too.

The other big advantage with your large age gap is that it also gives the older one some time to do their thing (hang in the Oceaneers Lab, watch a movie during baby’s nap, take a swim with mom or dad). Our older one sometimes gets lost in the chaos of a new baby and having to adjust plans/not do something because of the baby’s schedule or diaper or nap or whatever. On the cruise it was much easier to manage both kids equally and let the older one have more “me” time.