2 1/2 yr old too young for Cruise?

[Anjiebaby]

We really want to book a Disney Cruise this spring but our DD will be under 3. What are the negatives of this? Our DS will be 5 1/2 and he would love the OC and the big water slide. What is there to do with DD while DS is enjoying all this? Is she not allowed in the pools at all with swim diapers? She is actually a fantastic swimmer but I doubt she will be potty trained. Want the trip to be fun for the whole family. Would hate to see her dissapointed little face if she is restricted from all the fun. Should we wait a year until DD is over 3?

 

[crisi]

We elected to wait until our daughter was potty trained. That made it possible for her to enjoy the pools and the clubs. But plenty of people cruise with younger kids and have a fine time. She will not be allowed in the pools, but can play in one ear of the Mickey Pool which is set up as a tot area (its small).

 

[Rence]

We went with a large family group. The original date we were going to would have seen my youngest niece at 2 1/2. It would not have been a good idea. She would have had a fit if she could not have done what her older sisters and cousins were doing. She always has to keep up with the big kids. We postponed the trip by six months until she was 3 and potty trained and we're glad we did. She loved the clubs, loved the pool etc.

You have to base it on your children. If your youngest is going to be upset and feel left out than I would wait.

 

[Tink&SquirtsMom]

We also decided to wait till our ds was 3. He will be 3 and 3 weeks when we go. Since he is also now pottytrained, he will be able to go in the pools and better yet the kids club. He would have hated going to Flounder's with the "babies." He is so used to playing with dd (almost 5) and our neighbors (all dd's age) he hates getting separated out from them to go in the 3 and under groups and is usually bored stiff among their toys when he is used to playing pirates and Space Rangers. We don't plan on using kids club too much (we have a massage and brunch booked), but the kids are so excited about it, that they may have other ideas.

 

[MousseauMob]

We took our DD2 (2 years and 10 months) and not potty trained on the June 4th Mexico cruise. I worried that she would be disappointed to not be in the bigger pool with her older brother (DS9), since she wants to do everything he does. But amazingly enough she was quite content in the splash area ear of the Mickey pool. I think she thought it was awesome that she was climbing in and out by herself, jumping and splashing in the water. Also, when she would get out we would get her something to munch on or a popsicles or something. Scoops has popsicles - but you have to ask for them. She LOVED it.

She LOVED the nursery; they did a cute handprint craft keepsake for us. If I had realized how much she was going to love the nursery - we would have taken her more often.

Even though she wasn't old enough for the kids club, she was allowed to go in and play in the cool play area (with the bigger kids) as long as one of us was with her.

She was entranced during the Golden Mickey's, Twice Charmed, and Disney Dreams shows. I worried about whether she would sit through them, but she was totally engrossed in the show.

She had a blast on our beach excursions and totally got into pirate night! She was dressed up and saying 'AAARRRR' to everyone she saw! She danced and danced and danced at the parties.

Last but not least - the characters, the characters, the characters! Even just watching them from a distance made her happy and the look on her face when Minnie left a photo shoot and stopped in the hall to give her a BIG hug was priceless.

So my advice is: if you want to wait, then wait. But, if you don't want to wait, then do it and DON'T worry, your little one will have a BALL! Disney knows how to make everyone have fun! All the people were SO wonderful, my little one chatted with our stateroom host, servers, and concierge staff as if they were old friends.

 

[danicaw]

We took DS on the 14 day cruise in May. He turned 2 a few days after we got home. We all had a wonderful time.
We didn't spend much time at the pool, so I can't speak to that. Other than kids who aren't potty trained are only allowed in the one ear of the Mickey pool.
Our DS loved exploring the ship, the shows, our servers, the elevators (oh, I rode up and down on the atrium elevators a lot ) He spent some time in Flounders and that worked out fine, he struggled a bit at first, but settled into it. He loved the characters and it was a wonderful thing to spend that time as a family without the stress of life on land.
Hubby and I both think it was the best vacation we have ever taken including our trips before DS joined us. (Which shocked me a bit)
You have to do what you are most comfortable with. But in my experience home for a little one is where your parents and family are and our DS did better than I could have imagined he would.

Plus when they are older they may not want to wear the fun outfits you found just for the cruise....

 

[MousseauMob]

Plus when they are older they may not want to wear the fun outfits you found just for the cruise....

Your little captain/sailor is adorable!

 

[Ariel&Flounder'sMom]

We went in March, 2005 with a 2 and 1/2 year old... and LOVED it!

I would definitely not postpone the trip just because your child is 2 and 1/2... here were our pros and cons:

Pros:
1. She loved the Mickey ear - and basically had it to herself.
2. The wait staff was wonderful with her - and helped us at every step
3. She loved the clubs! As long as we stayed, she could be there as much as she wanted. She loved hanging out with her sister, and I personally enjoyed watching them. She didn't care I was there, and I had fun actually seeing what they were doing - and seeing how good the staff is.
4. She loved the shows, too - and is now in love with Hercules.
5. She still talks about the trip, and we always pretend we're still on "our boat."
6. The staff at Flounder's is wonderful, and really try to keep them happy - especially the older one's. There was one CM from Brazil who even brought her over to the kids club (they're connected) and let her hang out there. The CM didn't even know her sister was there! Once they found each other, the CM just let her play there and kept checking on her. It was so comforting to know the CM would help DD have fun.

Cons:
1. My DD is clingy - and was terrified of the characters. However, she loved watching them all from a distance. Her favorite spot was about 4 floors up, looking down on them. She loved Belle - we spent 20 minutes watching her with all the other kids. In fact, Belle made a special point of trying to get her to warm up to her, and now, my DD sees pictures of Belle and calls her "my friend."
2. Yes, Flounders is more geared towards the younger crowd, but my DD loved helping "take care" of the babies.

I guess my point is, why wait? Yes, there may be better ages, but if you want to do it now, do it!

JMHO....

 

[PearlandPaige]

Plus when they are older they may not want to wear the fun outfits you found just for the cruise....

Danica,

You have to share -- where did you find that adorable suit???

 

[ColeenD]

We took our children and grandson last July, he was two years and 3 months, and had a great time! The elevators were a big draw, as was the Mickey Ear pool with the constant running water (he wasn't potty trained then). He would touch the characters if one of us was holding him. Now all he talks about is us going back on "Mickey's Big Boat" in December. Go! You won't be sorry.

 

[beattyfamily]

I HIGHLY recommend 2 1/2 as a wonderful age for the cruise! Both my girls took their first cruise at 2 1/2 and they LOVED it and had a wonderful time and so did we. The photos are priceless!

I say go for it!

 

[HeelMD]

I actually would wait until 3 y.o. The Mickey kiddie pool is the only one you can use if the kids are not potty-trained and, if she is used to swimming, she will get bored with this quite quickly. Also, the organized activities don't start until the kids are three also and she would not really enjoy Flounder's Reef given she would be much older than the other kids. JMO.

 

[Bama4Disney]

Our first cruise was when our DS was 2 1/2 in 2003 and my wife was pregnant with our second. We had a wonderful time and we didn't have any problems. He wasn't potty trained but was almost there so he would tell us sometimes. In fact I lost him for about 20 seconds on the pool deck as he told me he had to go potty and I turned around to to get a towel and he was gone!. He actually started running toward the bathroom. Of course I panicked and because I couldn't find him immediately but something told me to look over toward the bathroom area and there he was looking at me like "What are you wating for". The longest 20 seconds of my life plus I had to tell me wife I lost him. The CM, especially at dinner will entertain you DS and it really makes your meal enjoyable.

Our second cruise was this past Feb with our DS now 4 and our second DS was 18 months. Both did great. Our 4 years old loved the OC as we couldn't blast him out of there. Our youngest is more shy and was scared of the characters but was ok if we where holding him. We put him Flounders for a couple of nights like Palo's and Pirate night. We took him to Flounders in his jammies and let him go to sleep while we enjoyed Pirate night with our 4 year old. He had so much fun and so did we.

Now we are in the states of planning our 3rd trip possibly next March 18th with friends that have a 2 year old. Our youngest will be 2 1/2 and we are all excited to go again. I asked my 4 year old ( who will be 5 in Jan) if he wanted to got to Mickey's House or Mickey' boat and he said Mickey's boat. We have been debating if we should go to WDW this year or another cruise or flip flop and go on the cruise next year and WDW in 2007. I think we are leaning toward toward the cruise in 2006 and WDW in 2007 as we can see Mickey in the air conditioning on the cruise.

I say go for it as wont regret it. Just enjoy!

 

[danicaw]

Danica,

You have to share -- where did you find that adorable suit???

http://infashionkids.com/boys-navy-sailor-vest-outfit---4-pcs.html

 

[rsjj]

our youngest was 2 & 2 months, when we went. along with others who've taken their little ones, he had a blast!

re:mickey pool...there were maybe 3/4 other little kids in there, w/him...and it didn't feel "crowded". most adults just sat on the black part of the ear, outside of the water area...just our feet were in the water area...and they were so tiny, we didn't feel "crowded". there was this one family that had brought some watertoys, and they would share the toys...our DS loved being in the mickey ear. he would see his big brother (who was 4 at the time) pop over from the other side, to check on him, and he was so delighted to see DS4 laughing & having a ball as well!

our DS (now 3) talks about being on the boat...and recalls quite a bit! of course, cuz we look thru the scrapbook all the time, and watch the dvd DH made of our trip...this time, when we go, he tells us "now i can go to the "big pool"...or go to the club"

oh...and another pro for taking your 2 1/2 yo...you only pay for port fees & taxes!!!!!!

whenever you decide to go, i'm sure he/she will have a great time, and you'll all have a wonderful vacation w/your family! have fun!!

 

[grlzmom]

Our cruises were just as enjoyable when our kids were 2 as they were when they were 3.

Our youngest, the twins will be 2 and 3/4 on our next cruise and we specifically booked before they were 3 because of the cost difference in their fares. This will be their fourth cruise and trying to get one more cruise in before we have to pay full kiddy fare for them.

We did love Flounders when they were babies, however, I don't think any of mine would have enjoyed it at 2 1/2 years old. Seems very geared towards the under 2 set.

Ours have all been potty trained early so the pool and club were never an issue. But they enjoy splashing in the mickey ear as much as playing in the mickey pool.

You will enjoy it whenever you decide to go

 

[Anjiebaby]

Thank you all for your great advice. 2006 was always planned as our Kauai, Hawaii trip. We were married there in 2000, and went back in 2003 we figured we would go every 3 years. Prices have gone up so much for airfare and the house we usually rent that now I'm not sure.
I suggested a Disney Land & Sea vacation to my 5 1/2 year old son and he thinks that is a way better idea than Hawaii. I will have to crunch some numbers to see what the total cost is of both ideas.
Reading about the cruises and how much fun others have had makes me want to go. This forum sells the cruises much better than the Birnbaum's book.

 

[pbharris4]

my youngest DD just turned 2 and we're taking her. we're also going for a 7 day cruise next year (in Sept.) she'll turn 3 in June. I am hoping she's potty trained dor that one though!

 

[lindakmonty]

Hmmm... before or after 3? BOTH My son is now 4 and he's getting ready to go on his 4th Disney Cruise! I waited until he was 18 months before taking him, but before and after he turned 3 ... he had a blast!! Disney makes it wonderful being right there to help with little ones. I found it to be very entertaining for him every time and we all love it. Better yet, they remember him everytime... "he's back" !!! Go, have a wonderful time and enjoy! after they're 3 it cost more to take them so might as well take advantage of the break, unless you plan on using the oc a lot...

 

[Contrariwise]

We took our DD2 (2 years and 10 months) and not potty trained on the June 4th Mexico cruise. I worried that she would be disappointed to not be in the bigger pool with her older brother (DS9), since she wants to do everything he does. But amazingly enough she was quite content in the splash area ear of the Mickey pool.

We're leaving in a couple weeks and I was starting to get a little discouraged until I read your post! I was worried our 2 yr old would see his sisters and insist on being with them. Still a little afraid he will attempt to run away into the big pool (he's a fast one!), but I may just use your tip about the popsicles to distract him!