Traveling with 2 year old- first timer, help!

[YFamily]

Hi everyone! We are a family of 3 with an almost 2.5 year old. We've done something crazy (LOL) and booked a Disney Cruise on the Wonder for 4 nights starting on Mother's Day. We JUST booked it! Talk about last minute....

I need help! I need advice, please!

We are first timers. Our daughter is very adventurous and loves to be active and isn't scared of change.

I mention that because I'd love some advice on how to make this trip really special for someone of her age.

What would you avoid?? What would you suggest?

Unfortunately, we got late seating, since we booked so darn late. Maybe we can change it once we are on board?

I'm hoping for advice on excursions on Nassau. How about the glass bottom boat tour? Dolphin encounter?

Really, anything you can tell me would be great! Thank you so much!
Y Family
St. Louis, MO

 

[YFamily]

Oops, sorry, I realized I posted this in the wrong place! Sorry!

 

[dizneetravelagent]

Hey Y family,

I just booked a last minute cruise for this crazy family with a 2 year old. What were they thinking? You found my secret to finding out what makes me an "expert". It's the boards.

Just make sure you don't say anything bad about your travel agent

 

[YFamily]

OMG, our travel agent! She is probably... Probably regretting the day we called her and said, "So... we want to get away, we know it's last minute, what can you do for us?"

Let me just say, you've been a CHAMP! Planning a huge vacation in just a few short days.

I am actually VERY excited! Just trying to get all the details arranged in my crazy head.

Yay for Penny!!

 

[kathybeany]

Hi Y Family!! We just got back from the 3 night Wonder on Sunday. We had a fantastic time! This was our very first cruise also, so we were nervous.

DS is 20 months so he's not all that much younger then you're daughter. He had a great time. He just didn't take naps because he knew that there was sooooo much going on.

What to avoid? NOTHING! We did everything with him. We took him to see the Golden Mickey's, which he LOVED! Sat through the entire thing like a good boy. I'm sure your daughter will love it too. Enjoy all of the on deck things with her at night time if you can. I know our little man was too pooped by the time anything was going on deck at night. He stayed in the room with our mil so he could sleep. He LOVED Castaway Cay. Enjoyed playing in the sand and in the water. Played with a bunch of other kiddos.

We had the Glass bottom boat booked at Castaway, but it was cancelled because of being too windy and merky. That was the only excursion we could really do as a family so we didn't have any others booked.

As far as Nassau, we didn't like it all. just didn't like the pushiness, enjoyed the empty boat much more. However, there are plenty of people on this board who do do excursions there and I'm sure they'll be able to help you with that.

You'll have a great time!!! Don't try and do everything on your first trip, because it just won't happen. LOL

Hi everyone! We are a family of 3 with an almost 2.5 year old. We've done something crazy (LOL) and booked a Disney Cruise on the Wonder for 4 nights starting on Mother's Day. We JUST booked it! Talk about last minute....

I need help! I need advice, please!

We are first timers. Our daughter is very adventurous and loves to be active and isn't scared of change.

I mention that because I'd love some advice on how to make this trip really special for someone of her age.

What would you avoid?? What would you suggest?

Unfortunately, we got late seating, since we booked so darn late. Maybe we can change it once we are on board?

I'm hoping for advice on excursions on Nassau. How about the glass bottom boat tour? Dolphin encounter?

Really, anything you can tell me would be great! Thank you so much!
Y Family
St. Louis, MO

 

[MN_Cruz'n]

Hi everyone! We are a family of 3 with an almost 2.5 year old. We've done something crazy (LOL) and booked a Disney Cruise on the Wonder for 4 nights starting on Mother's Day. We JUST booked it! Talk about last minute....

I need help! I need advice, please!

We are first timers. Our daughter is very adventurous and loves to be active and isn't scared of change.

I mention that because I'd love some advice on how to make this trip really special for someone of her age.

What would you avoid?? What would you suggest?

Unfortunately, we got late seating, since we booked so darn late. Maybe we can change it once we are on board?

I'm hoping for advice on excursions on Nassau. How about the glass bottom boat tour? Dolphin encounter?

Really, anything you can tell me would be great! Thank you so much!
Y Family
St. Louis, MO

Our first DCL cruise was back in 2000 with our DD#1 who was 27 months at the time. This was a 3 day, and since it was our first cruise, we did not do any excursions.

We had such a great time that we agreed that we would someday go back. It took awhile, but we are finally going back in October for a 7-day Western.

DD#1 was not fully potty trained when we went. We did put her in swim diapers for the Mickey Pool, and had no accidents. She went everywhere we did, and had a great time. There is plenty to keep the 27 month old interested. Just running around on deck 4, 9 & 10 were great fun for her. She had a blast during the Sail Away party. We tried to get the to the Character meets as much as possible, not for autographs, but for pictures. Oh, and the best memories are the strange little things that happen when you don't expect them. My favorite pictures were taken during the Lifeboat drill, with DD in her giant orange life vest

Nassau, personally, was a big waste of time, since all there was to do at the dock was shop. And it was a drag carrying her around. And she was bored. But onboard was great.

Now, every kid is different, but our DD was really freaked out by the Animator's Pallet "show". Even though the pictures are all Disney, the room gets darker as the show progresses, to highlight the transition from black and white to color. Oh, she did not like that! Freaked her out. However, our servers were fantastic, and made great efforts to ensure we all had good times. After the first night, our servers realized DD likes Marachino cherries in her Sprite, and waiting for DD at her seat was an entire cup of them, just for her! Oh, they were her heros!!! No problems any other night.

Castaway Cay was terrific. Spent the entire day playing in the sand and the water. We bought one of the Sand Toy packages on the island (since we didn't know enough to bring one with), and she had a ball. Bring some sand toys with you, because they are spendy to purchase.

The biggest thing that I hated, and that my wife and I fought about (a little), was trying to keep her on a "schedule". She was still taking a nap at around 1:30pm every day, and bed time was around 7:00pm (we are all early risers). My wife was militant about keeping her to her "normal" schedule, even though we were on vacation and DD didn't want to be on her usual schedule (she didn't want to go to bed because she might miss something). This put my wife in the room in the middle of the day trying to get her to sleep, and in the cabin by ~7:00pm trying to get her to bed. Needless to say, my wife never saw any of the shows (we had early seating), and neither did my daughter, which to this day still bugs me. I think this may be a "first child" thing, as we were never as militant about keeping schedules with our DD#2.

Anyway, if you are not going to use Flounder's Nursery (we did not), and you understand that DD will be with you constantly (and you are OK with this), I think you all will have a great time. But go with the flow, and don't get worked up if your normal scheule isn't kept. Remember, it's vacation!

Oh, and we did have late seating that we were able to get changed to Main once on board. I think they accomodated us because of the 27 month old in our party. Oh, and we never had a problem with her eating. We could always find something she liked (cheese pizza, chicken tenders and fries, with a lot of fresh fruit thown in, if my memory serves me correctly).

If you have any more specific questions, let me know!

 

[YFamily]

WOW SUCH GREAT INFO!

How come Disney cruisers are so nice, huh? I'm loving this!!

You guys are making me feel really good about this decision. It's such a tough age. They're able to understand what's going on, yet so far into their own worlds and so prone to tantrums. It's a "magical" age.

Oooh, I have a question!

Worth changing the reservations to an enclosed verandah with porthole?

 

[MN_Cruz'n]

We are cheap travelers, so we were in a Cat 11 inside stateroom, with no window at all, on our first cruise, and have booked the same for our October cruise.

I guess your booking, or changing your booking, depends on what you value. We were never in the cabin, except to sleep, so a window/verandah didn't seem to us to be a huge benefit, or at least worth the extra cost for us. The rooms are bigger as you upgrade, but if it's just the three of you, I think you will find you have plenty of room, even in a CAT 11.

Some people on these boards want to be able to see where they are, or some want to be able to have coffee on their verandah in the mornings. Some just want the light. Again, all depends on what you value, and the funds.

Now, if they offer us a cheap upgrade during check in, we would probably take it, but for us, we are paying for the experience, not the room, so a CAT 11 is just cool for us...

Anyway, just our 2 cents...

 

[jodifla]

WOW SUCH GREAT INFO!

How come Disney cruisers are so nice, huh? I'm loving this!!

You guys are making me feel really good about this decision. It's such a tough age. They're able to understand what's going on, yet so far into their own worlds and so prone to tantrums. It's a "magical" age.

Oooh, I have a question!

Worth changing the reservations to an enclosed verandah with porthole?

With a very young child, I think a verandah is a very, very nice way to go. DH and I were able to relax and the verandah at night after DS, then almost 3, had gone to bed.

Think about it...do you want to go to sleep when your child does?

 

[Indea88]

Flounders Nursery!! Can't say enough about it, my 29 mos. old loved it, would rather have spent most of his time here and he spent alot of time there, more than I would have planned. He ate in there , slept in there, did'nt want to come out of there. We were even able to have dinners and 1/2 a day on CC while he was enjoying the Nursery!! He napped in the stroller as well, was never able to get him to nap in the stateroom!! He remembers the Mickey Boat!! Have a Blast, he will too!