1st time cruiser

[nurseb]

Our family of 6 will be traveling on the Magic, March 29th.
Since we have never cruised before I have a few questions...
When do we register the kids for their activities? we have 2 daughters (12 and 5) and 2 sons (9 and 3). The forum has had some wonderful comments about the childrens programs and I would hate to be shut out. Also, which night do you recommend the "adult only" dinner? And when do you make the reservation? Is this something our TA can do? The last question is in regards to the excursions... if we choose one that only the older kids can participate (ie,. swimming with the sting rays) do either my husband or I have to stay on board with the younger ones, or can we leave them in the Oceaneers club? (I would hate to leave them without a parent nearby, unless that is common practice and the folks on board are use to it). Hope these questions aren't too silly. I love reading this forum. I think I am more excited than the kids!

 

[nancyz]

Nurseb,

We've just returned from the 8/3 Western cruise, so hopefully I can answer some of the questions.

Children are registered at the Club or Lab the day of embarking. In the navigator you receive that day, there is a scheduled time for families to come by, register and receive the pager. BTW, our 5 1/2 and 3 1/2 were in the 3-4 year olds group with their 4 cousins. The counselors will assist you in deciding which age group is suitable for your kids.

As the adult only dinner, I would recommend the second night you are in a restuarant. We had the PLAPLAP rotation, so we went on Tuesday night. You should make reservations at 1pm on the day of embarking at Palo's on Deck 10. Go early, as dinners book early. Brunch and High Tea were also nice at Palo's. Your TA can not make the reservations.

As for excursions, we may be out of the norm, but we didn't take our kids off the ship until Castaway Cay. They stayed in the Club for our excursions in all of the ports. Never worried about it, since they loved being there and were well cared for. Normally, we were not gone more than 4-5 hours. The counselors know if you are off board, since as you disembark, your Key to the World card is scanned to show you are off board.

Any other questions, let me know. Not sure if you are on the Eastern or Western, but can help with Western cruise questions.

Nancy

 

[Michelle]

Welcome to the Cruise Board, nurseb!

One comment for you, EVERY child is guaranteed a space in the children's programming, so don't worry about that. Definitely do register the kids early the first afternoon just to beat the crowds, but no matter what all kids will have a space in the programming.

You can definitely leave your kids onboard in the programming while doing your shore excursions.

Have a great time!

 

[nurseb]

Thanks for your reply. Nancy, we are on the Western trip, so any other tips would be appreciated. Thanks again.

 

[nancyz]

One thing I learned from the trip, is take advantage of having the kids in the club/lab while you enjoy the nightlife. There are some fun shows for the adults starting at 10:30pm. We loved the '80s show especially.

Excursions are hard, since young ones normally can't go on them or get very scared. I understand from other messages, the young children don't like the stingrays. My relatives and I found that leaving the kids on board made the excursions very enjoyable.

Brunch was excellent and I loved High Tea. A definite must do for you and your husband. You pay extra for brunch, $10, but well worth it. High Tea is free on sea days.

Also, let the kids look at the adult menu and choose between the kids and adult meal. I found the adult menu had alot of great entrees which my kids eat, so I encouraged eating off the menu.

Breakfast was much better in the restaurant than at the buffet, since it was a wider selection. Worth the service and wait time, which wasn't that long. Normally out within half an hour or so. We were even able to eat in the restaurant and get out in time when we had to be on the first tender out at Grand Cayman at 7:40am.

Hope this helps,
Nancy

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Nurseb,

It is definitely not a problem to leave kids on board. We've done this on both previous cruises for at least part of the excursion days. It actually seems to be expected so Mom & Dad can enjoy themselves.

Of course ours will be older next time we cruise and we're looking forward to some excursions either as a foursome or 2 twosomes where preferences are disparate.

Nancy, what excursions did you do on the Western? We're particularly looking for input on the Back to Nature Kayaking in Key West, and DD is working on talking me into riding with her in Cozumel (horses that is). Also if you did one of the snorkeling with Stingray City in Grand Cayman which was it and did you hear one was better than another? DH and I agree to book through Disney so there is no charge in the event of weather or other changes in itinerary.

Thanks!
Deb

 

[nurseb]

Nancy,

I would also be interested in your opinion on Sting Ray City. Do you think it is frightening for younger children? Thanks to you, our DS(3) will always be on board (with the exception of Castaway Cay) I can't decide if our DD(5) will be up for the sting rays. She is an excellent swimmer...but is still afraid of bugs (know what I mean) Or should we just take DD(12) and DS(9)?

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I am getting more excited by the day for our first Disney cruise!!!

I keep telling DH that we might actually have some time alone if what I am reading on these boards is true....

 

[nancyz]

Nurseb,

There is plenty of opportunities to have "couple time" while on board.

On Stingray City, we did our own private excursion, not through DCL. When we were planning this excursion, we read extensively about how children were reacting, and many, even as old as 8-10 yr olds, were scared of the stingrays. It definitely put a damper on the parent's time enjoying the snorkeling. Personally, on our excursion, and I wasn't in the water very long due to snorkeling problems, I was even a bit scared as they swam next to my legs. When the 6 adults talked about taking the children, all 6 of them, we decided that we as parents wanted to enjoy this excursion to the fullest, so we left the kids on board.

Your DD age 5 may be a bit squirmish with the stingrays as they are large and very smooth to the touch, like many bugs. I'm not sure my DS age 5.5 would have been happy.

You may want to do a search on these boards for stingray city and the posts about the children may come up.

Nancy

 

[nancyz]

Nurseb,

There is plenty of opportunities to have "couple time" while on board.

On Stingray City, we did our own private excursion, not through DCL. When we were planning this excursion, we read extensively about how children were reacting, and many, even as old as 8-10 yr olds, were scared of the stingrays. It definitely put a damper on the parent's time enjoying the snorkeling. Personally, on our excursion, and I wasn't in the water very long due to snorkeling problems, I was even a bit scared as they swam next to my legs. When the 6 adults talked about taking the children, all 6 of them, we decided that we as parents wanted to enjoy this excursion to the fullest, so we left the kids on board.

Your DD age 5 may be a bit squirmish with the stingrays as they are large and very smooth to the touch, like many bugs. I'm not sure my DS age 5.5 would have been happy.

You may want to do a search on these boards for stingray city and the posts about the children may come up.

Nancy