1st time cruise-can't make a decision...please help!

[always dreamin']

Hello everyone!

I'm having a difficult time making a decision and was wondering if anyone wanted to give me some helpful advice. See the problem is we LOVE the Disney Parks and actually all things Disney. We, however, have never been on a Disney Cruise. My two DD's will be 3 and 8 the next time we go...thinking about March 25, 2006. Are there things on the cruise for the kids to do WITh the family or do you have to put them in the clubs for them to have any fun? Do you get that Disney "magic" on the cruise that you do when you visit the parks? Since this trip is more for the kids, do you think they would enjoy the parks more or the same as a cruise? We have been to the parks several times and were thinking about the cruise for a change in scenery. Think we should wait till the little one is a bit older? We're not really interested in the land/sea thing...it would either be the Western Cruise or Disney World. Any advice? TIA

 

[DisneyZell]

Hi there! great question! we were on the 10/2 Magic, and part of why we liked the cruise was because the clubs provided the flexibility to have the kids have fun by themselves. If you want to do things as a family there are the two pools (Mickey and Goofy) to play in but these do get a bit crowded. There are ping pong tables, an area with basketball hoops, shuffleboard...and all sorts of activities that are geared toward kids and adults alike.

So don't think of the vacation as ONLY for kids, if your younger is potty trained and would be willing to go, you can have a blast as a family, and get some alone time with the kids entertained. My 5 year old loved the clubs, and I think that was the highlight of his cruise!

The DCL vacation is perfect because you can spend as much (or as little) time with your family as you want, and even if you are separate during the day, you can come together for dinner and a show...a perfect end to a great day! Hope you figure it out, good luck!

 

[crisi]

My kids go back and forth on if they liked the cruise or the parks better.

We did a four night cruise. The kids didn't spend too much time in the clubs.

We had character meets.
We saw the matinees of the shows
We saw a few family shows
We ate (and ate, and ate)
We saw a little bit of Nassau
We played on the beach at CC
We played ball on the sports deck
My son and his dad learned to draw Mickey Mouse
Went to movies (ok, only I went, the kids were sleeping and we ran out of time!)
Swam in both pools (not too crowded in the mornings or while in port)


I think there is "more" Disney magic on the cruise ship. Its classier. It doesn't have the "just rained on humid Florida feel" that even with great upkeep the parks get. Its elegant, more elegant than the Grand Floridian, while still being comfortable. The CMs were almost universally spectalular on the cruise - and much, much more personal than at WDW.

 

[brack]

If you have never been on a Disney cruise it will be hard for anyone to convince you of how much your children (and you) will love the whole experience. Yes, the kids programs are great and your children may tell you that they had rather be with their "friends" (I have actually heard this said!) There are things for families to do together. Give the cruise a chance you will not regret it

 

[marie2004]

Lets see.. lots of great food, and no standing in long lines to get it, everything to do in one place, no busses to ride, a club for kids to meet and play with other kids their age, giving the adults time to themselves. Great shows and beautiful islands to see ..whats not to LOVE!

 

[sillysmom]

Hi, there, first let me say we took our DD (now 9) to Disney World when she was 7, she loved parts of it, she only wanted to go where there were rides and only wanted to stay in the Magic Kingdom, well it was her vacation, so, thats where we stayed. So when we thought about the Eastern Cruise (April '04) we weren't sure, if (a) she would have fun being there are no "RIDES" there, and (b) would she be too old at 8 to enjoy the characters and stuff. But we started watching the dvd's from the cruise line and she was really into it. Let me tell you, my daughter will remember that cruise for the rest of her life, and so loved it, that we rebooked for next April for the Western cruise. We are not the type of people to leave our child without us for the entire day, so, we basically hung out together all day, they have shows, and bingo, and the pools, and contests, we played ping pong and just hung out sometimes. There was a little to choose from for lunch, lol, and we had that meal together. We also had late dinner, so, we stopped for the afternoon about 4:00 p.m. went to the cabin to get ready for the 6 p.m. show, they we had an our between the show and dinner, and we would always find something in the Navigator to do, then the first night we went to dinner and after dinner she went to the club from 10:00 p.m. till closing, her choice, not ours, then we picked her up (no we did not allow her to sign herself out last time, but next time, probably), she came back to cabin and ordered herself room service, chicken tenders, and a mickey ice cream. After the first night, I ordered her dinner as soon as we sat down to the table, our server brought it out with out appetizers, and when I was done with my appetizer, she was done with her food and I excused myself, took her up to the club, and she was up there from 8:45 till 1 a.m. She did not want to come back. She made so many friends. They also do little hunts, and go around the ship. This little schedule that our DD devised was perfect for us, the 2 other kids at our table also went, our tablemates were great and we hung out with them from the time our kids left till we all went to pick them up. We had 2 to 3 hours of adult time everynight. We had a blast. As for the age of your youngest, I think he or she will be fine. And they do have babysitting, so listen you afford disney world almost any time if you shop around for the good price, but if you have the money to go cruisin, go now while you can, you will not be disappointed. Also, IMO don't go crazy with the excursions just yet, we did the dolphin excursion (too expensive), the submarine (it was good), and the parasailing (unbelievable), but they were very costly and I think she would have been happier to stay on the boat with an empty pool, except for the parasailing with her Dad lol. Have fun, whichever way you go.

 

[bratray]

i was having the same thoughts as you- should i do WDW or cruise?.... as other posters stated you have the luxuary of everything in one place, your kids will have character interaction, great food, disney shows, seeing different ports & castaway cay

plus you have somewhere "free" to leave the kids when you and DH want some time alone- the kids can go to the club as much or as little as they like- so there will always be family time- i figure if the pools are too crowded for my liking we always have the beaches at the ports

DS5 is convinced we will be going on the DCL and the ship will end up right at Magic Kingdoms door

i really am looking forward to the cruise and having some adult time- good luck in your decision

 

[luckeylasvegas]

I agree with the DVD / Video part ! This will be our first Disney cruise also (10/29/05) although my husband and I have cruised (pre-daughter) before.
When we got our video in the mail last year my DD watched it three times in a row. We had hoped to cruise this year but could not afford it. I offered my DD the option of waiting a little longer or going on a less expensive vacation. She chose the cruise hands down and although we won't be going for a year she is already planning all the things that we will be doing , including a massage for mom! We now have the DVD and I catch her watching it every now and then.
WE can't wait !!

Luckey

 

[DisneyDiva4ever]

I have a bit of a story to tell on this one. I have cruised with Disney 4 times with 3 more already booked! March 04 was my last trip on the Magic. I cruised with 16 other people, including a 3 and 7 year-old (cousin's kids). I wasn't sure how these kids would handle the whole thing. They LOVED it!

Please note that these were kids that had never set foot on a ship of any kind. Their mom does take them lots of places though. They've been camping and taking road trips since they were born. I think that this really helped them adjust quickly to the ship. The kids didn't know they were even going on a cruise until they got to the ship! When we met my cousins on the ship my Mom playfully asked the little 7 year-old "What do you think, you're going on vacation or something?!" The boy replied "SEVEN DAYS!" He was grinning ear to ear. A couple of days later we were having a buffet lunch and the same 7 year-old told me that "This is the good life, no school, no homework, no dumb cousins to fight with!" I laughed so hard! After he returned home he carried a replica of The Magic in his backpack. He still takes it everywhere he goes.

The 3 year-old REALLY surprised me! She loved the characters etc. Most kids that age don't go on vacation and take so many memories home with them. Not THIS little girl. She's still telling her mom about things that happened to her on vacation, including the server trying to put ketsup in her hand instead of on her plate at dinner! She says, I don't want ketsup in my hand! She didn't know much about the characters before, but she loves them now.

Anyways, the point is the kids I cruised with absolutely loved the experience. I love it because it is more layed back than the parks. I get tired of waiting in line for a hug from a character or just plain waiting in line! The ship is VERY magical. It's easy to see your favorite Disney pals everyday! I always shed a tear or two at each evening show. I feel so at home on The Magic. I reccommend cruising to anybody who loves Disney but wants to try something new and exciting.

Good luck with your decision!