Any advice for 1st cruise w/ the kids

[dennisnlisab96]

We will on the 7 night eastern cruise 5/1/2004. We will be travling with our 6 kids...12, 10, 7, 5, 2, 10mo (then). Tell me all...what not to miss...anything that might be helpful with all the kids. I am sooooo excited!!! Ant info will be greatly appriciated.

 

[TheGlensideGregorys]

Hey! Great question - I posted one like it the other day, but didn't seem to get many replies...

We're doing our 1st DCL cruise in January, and we have a DS-4. I would really like some ideas/tips/etc. The last cruise DW and I were on was back in 1998, when DS wasn't a glint in our eye!!

C'mon, people!! What are some great tips/ideas on making the cruise even more special for the kids..??

 

[moinab]

I think perhaps the reason you aren't getting replies is because you don't have to do anything special. It's a Disney cruise! For the kids over 3, you check them into the club/lab and they have a blast!

Also, it depends on your kids. Do they love the characters? Do they love shows? Movies? Dancing? Will they be comfortable separating from you? From what I've read, most kids love the club/lab, and have to be dragged away from them, but some kids would rather be with their families.

We had our toddler and infant with us on our July cruise. With children under 3, you can reserve time in the nursery. Otherwise, you're pretty much on your own to entertain them. Here is a link to my trip report.http://disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=417172

Keep reading this board. You will pick up a lot of ideas.

 

[tkd lisa]

My kids like reading the trip reports to see what to expect. They also hooked up with an electronic buddy before hand through these boards. Even though they didn't spend much time together on the ship, just knowing that there was someone who they "knew" on-board was nice.

You can see if there is a thread for your cruise on this page, and join in. If there's no thread yet, go ahead and start one. It usually reads something like "Official check in for the 5/1/04 Western".

Enjoy! You'll have a great time! Your kids will have fun too.

 

[westjones]

Well, for what it is worth, here is my advice. I have twins and we have been on 4 cruises so far (they are addicting ).

Even though my kids are 'twins' they are very different. I have one who never wants to leave the Lab and the other who wants to hang out at the pool a lot.

So we made this rule. During the day the kids picked what they wanted to do (the Lab activities or go to the pool with us, eat lunch with the kids in the Lab or have lunch with us). Then in the evening we all are together as a family for the shows and dinner. Afterwards they could go back to the lab for about an hour or so (depending on what was going on that night).

Sometimes my one child would ask to stay at the Lab, but then she was glad she didn't miss the shows or dinner with us....and I was glad too. It is a family vacation, so at least we knew that we were all together for those activities every day.

I suggest looking at the navigators on Barb and Tony's website:
http://www.castawayclub.com
and they will give you and idea of the activities for everyone (including the different age groups). Then come up with an idea of what you want in terms of a 'family' experience and then set up some guidelines for everyone to follow.

You will have a great vacation, and if you are like most people, it will be only the first of many more cruises to come!

DJ

 

[abitjaded]

Deck Nine alone:
1. Pool
2. Free ice cream and cookies
3. Pizza
4. Kid's clubs
5. Pool
6. Free ice cream and sprinkles
7. Chicken fingers
8. Kid's clubs
9. Pool
10. Free ice cream and strawberries
11. French fries
12. Kid's clubs
etc......

And don't forget Character signings, the Character breakfast, Mickey Bars for desert every night, Disney movies round the clock in stateroom, each and every show including but not limited to short pre-dinner in the clubs and the biggies, games in Quarter Masters, Lego racing contest, etc....

There is just too much to call out one single thing as "special". Your kids may suprise you on what they remember as best. My DS who was six at the time, remembers buying a captain's hat in Charlotte Amalie, which then never left his head, and having all the crew call him captain for the rest of the trip. My older son adored snorkeling and bicycling on Castaway Cay and eating pizza in each and every dining room each and every night. I remember best the first morning when I woke up long before everyone, got dressed, DS6 heard me, so the two of us went up to Topsiders and were the first customers to get breakfast and watch us sail by all the Eastern Carribean islands in serene peace. Get high-lighters in different colors, pick up extra Daily Navigators at Guest Services and let them mark what sounds good, then let them run you ragged in pursuit of it. But be sure and book one night at Palo without them, just so you can rest, trust me, you'll need it.

Carla

 

[plutospup]

Check out the "Island Magic" Character show, dancing in Studio Sea, Family Karaoke, Tea w/ Wendy, pizza at midnight!, character breakfast, meeting the Disney Princesses (and other characters), Deck Parties!(Sailaway, Tropicalifragilistic, etc).

As for the Kid's Clubs check out the Navigators at www.castawayclub.com There are all types of fun stuff for the kids to pick & choose. Also, check out Monstro Point (sp?) at Castaway Cay.

...and Mickey Ice Cream Bars!!!

 

[xoxoangel]

My best piece of advice is to relax and go with the flow and whatever you do don't sleep late on CC day like we did our first trip. It is so beautiful there and the time on the island is way to short.

 

[DisneyDarwin]

They have a kids show for all the kids in the lab towards the end of the cruise. It's a cute little thing with Mickey Mouse, and they all get free shirts. Be sure they participate in that, and that you are in the audience with your camera...you'll cry!

I agree on "making" your kids go to most of the main shows every night, they almost assuredly won't be disappointed.

The free ice cream at Scoops is a big hit. I think the boarding buffet is the poorest meal from a kids point of view, so we now skip it and eat burgers and chicken nuggets at Plutos as soon as it opens by the pool.

If you trust them, let the older kids check themselves in/out of the lab; that makes a big impression.

You've got some younger kids so I'd try to get the early seating so they don't end up face down in their dinner asleep. I find they can make it through dinner, see a show, then crash.

Don't even think about missing Disney Dreams. Or the chocolate souffle at Palo.

Consider having a surprise package waiting in your cabin for the kids. Shirley at The Perfect Gift can hook you up.

Get up and off the boat early and make a full day of Castaway Cay, you won't regret it.

If you and the kids drink a lot of soda, bring a case on board and buy more at each port. Or decide if you want to invest in unlimited soda mugs.

If the kids already own snorkel gear, you can save a bunch if you bring it, but you have to weigh the hassle of bringing it. We have prescription masks so it was a no-brainer.

I'm going on a 4-day in November, but want to go on another 7 day...can I go in your luggage?

 

[dthogue]

We will be on the 5/1/04 cruise as well. Our DD's will be 14, 12 and 5 at cruise time. Is your 12yo and 5 yo boys or girls? I know my girls would love to make some friends prior to getting on board.

This is our 1st cruise so I really don't have any advice, but I wanted to say hello.

 

[westjones]

OK, here is my one other 'secret' for fun with kids. My kids wear swimsuits under their clothes the day we board. We are in line to board as soon as you are allowed to get on.

Then we head right to the 9th deck (they tried to direct us to Parrot Cay, but we told them we wanted to go up on Deck 9 and they said to go ahead).

Then we get a great table near the pools (this time we went to the Goofy Pool first because the Mickey Pool wasn't ready yet). While the kids start swimming, we head over and get pizza and drinks from the drink station.

My kids were the ONLY ones in the pool for the first 1/2 onboard! Many others went by looking sad because they were still waiting for thier swimsuits (luggage isn't delivered to the rooms until later that afternoon).

My girls actually did RACES in the Goofy Pool because they were the only ones there. Then when the Mickey Pool was open we moved over there and again it wasn't full (by this time more kids had joined us).

This was the ONLY time on the cruise that the pool wasn't full. Now on a 7 day cruise you will have more repeat cruisers who might already have figured out this "trick". But it is still worth a try. It is the very best time for a swim!

DJ

 

[TheGlensideGregorys]

Thanks to all! Some of it really is common sense - and some of it is Disney MAGIC!!

With all the options, the commercials, etc. - DW and I worried that the reality vs. the image might be too different for the pre-school set. But after reading the encouraging things you all have to say we are more than psyched!

DisneyDarwin -- I'll definitely make a point of making the show in the Club (and packing some Kleenex for DW)!!

I'm sure he'll not only make his own fun, but mine as well!

Thanks, Gang!

 

[Buckaroo's Dad]

Ant info will be greatly appriciated.

Ok dennisnlisab96. Here ya go...

Ant is the name of a family of small insects that live in organized communities. Ants are therefore known as social insects. Other social insects include some kinds of bees, all termites, and certain wasps. However, ants are perhaps the most highly developed social insects.

 

[hilltopfamily]

We were on 7 Day Eastern (family of 5) for our 1st ever cruise and learned lots from these boards prior. I suggest: don't forget to order a room service snack at least one evening (or more! ) when you come back from an evenings entertainment. DH & DS were at a movie in the theater one evening, DD 12 was in the lab, so it was just me & DD 6 together. Well, after hanging out, shopping, etc. we went back to our room with a Disney game we checked out from the library. We then ordered cookies & milk from room service, which arrived in no more than 5 minutes! It was so fun to sit on the bed with a tray of delicious goodies with a Disney movie on the TV, playing a Disney board game, just us girls (by this time DD 12 had also showed up). Memorable times!

Also, let your kids get hair braids if they are interested. It is so special for them. My DD 12 only had braids in for about 10 days but she loved them and my DD 6 had just some loose braids put in & still insists on keeping the one remaining braid (it has now been almost 2 months!!!!)

Pin trading was a lot of fun for our kids. We had never done it before but bought about 8 pins each prior to the cruise to trade. I think we made it to the lobby for nightly trading about 4 or 5 of the nights. Dressing up for formal & semiformal nights was a lot of fun for our family, even my kids look at the pictures now & really like seeing themselves all "decked out". DH says the bridge tour was great, he really liked it. And probably one of the greatest parts of the cruise for us was going almost nightly to Studio Sea for family line dancing and family karoke, etc. It was just a blast and our kids LOVED being in there. The deck parties were also equally fun.

Bottom line is you'll have a great time! We never got to half of the activities and I felt like we were always busy!

 

[DisneyDarwin]

I forgot about the hair braids, those ARE big with the girls, as is "dressing for dinner". Keep an eye on the navigator, you usually sign up early in the cruise for an appt. several days later. Go get an appt. as soon as possible, they book up quickly, but it is quite convenient to get it done on board on a sea day.

I think the final kids show is "Remember the Magic" or something like that, and they have it in the big theater because all the kids get on stage.

 

[plutospup]

When DD was 5 she very much enjoyed wearing her "Belle" costume on formal night, complete with gown, necklace, and long white gloves. We saw other "princesses" including Cinderella, Snow White, and Aurora/Sleeping Beauty.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

All of the advice you're receiving on these message boards cannot fully prepare you for the WONDERFUL time you're going to have!

DH, DD and I will be going again in May. We can't wait!

 

[DisneyFansFour]

Everyone has such good advice, I can't add too much! But plan one night to put the kids in the Clubs and pre-register the kids under 3 in the Babysitting so you can go to Palo or Beat Street for some adults only fun.

On our first Eastern Magic cruise, we had a 4 year old and 2 year old so we didn't use the Oceaneer's Club too much. We spent alot of time in the clubs and at the pool playing with the kids, and we did use the babysitting one night to go to Beat Street, which is "adults only" after 9 pm.

Two years later we cruised on the Western Magic and the kids were 6 and 4 and we couldn't keep them out of the clubs! The older kids will love them! We did eat dinner together except for Halloween night when my son wanted to eat with the kids, but we got together for the shows. The kids usually enjoyed going to the clubs after the 8:30 show (we had first seating for dinner) and we had some time for a movie or one of the evening activities. We went to Palo on this cruise and got off the ship in Key West to visit some friends of ours who live there without the kids (you get a beeper and you're never more than a few minutes from the ship in Key West).

There is way too much to do, so just go with what you and the kids want to do!!!
Enjoy!

Anxiously awaiting our first cruise on the Disney Wonder!! 10/16/03

 

[Bbgrizzle]

Your kids will love the cruise, I'm sure! We took our kids on the 7-day western this past May. It was their first cruise and DH and my second. My girls are 9, 6 and almost 2. They LOVED it. My only advice is regarding your children under 3. There isn't very much for them to do. If they are in diapers, they aren't allowed to swim in the pools (although I heard they were thinking about changing this policy, so maybe it's different now). Flounders is nice, but you do have to pay by the hour. I'm glad I took my 2-year-old, but I wasn't prepared for all the things I had to miss out on due to naps and short attention spans. Dinner lasts a lot longer than my daughter is used to, so she could never last thru dinner. After having to take her back to the room a couple times before the entree was even served, I ended up putting her in Flounders for the next 4 dinners and shows. There were a few daytime activiites that were cut short also. At first it bothered me that I was missing out on so much, but then I decided to just go with the flow and make sure my kids were having a great time. Boy, did they ever! I don't want to take the wind out of your sails, because you will have a great time no matter what. Just letting you know to be prepared for that type of thing.

 

[ohiominnie]

A few things....

DEFINITELY either wear swimsuits or pack them in your carry on bag. We've boarded the Wonder twice, went up to deck 9 and went straight to the pools. There are bathrooms right there to change in. The kids go into the Mickey pool and are alone for quite some time. I do feel sorry for the kids walking by who want nothing more than to swim, but have no suits. We have yet to rush anywhere for reservations (Palo, spa, etc) so we can lounge around, eat pizza and chicken tenders and let the kids play! Around 12:45 one of us goes to the Lab or the Club to register the kids--both kids can be registered at the same place even if they are not in the same age group. That helped b/c this last time I went to the Lab and it was PACKED with a long line. So I went over to the Club and filled out the info and was 2nd in line to check them in. Around 1:30 one of us goes to the stateroom and drags the luggage in, maybe unpacks. Around 3:30 we head back to the room to prep for the life boat drill. So the kids have already been in the pools close to 3 hours! (pack sunscreen) This time we stopped a bit early (3:00 for a DIS meet) but next time I'll request an OUTSIDE DIS meet as ds was so miserable from being in wet trunks and in air conditioning that we couldn't stay long.

Another tip....when you sit down for dinner you can request your children's food be brought out early. We did this on the first night (early seating) as dd was anxious to get to the Lab when it FIRST opened! She was done with her dinner and on her way to Lab by 6:45 ---when I returned from checking her in my food had just arrived and our server kept the silver cover on it to keep it warm! Also on another night my ds HAD to get to Club by 7:15 in order to participate in the Flubber activity. We requested the kids food early and it actually arrived before we even ordered OUR food. The kids were done with dinner AND dessert by 6:45!!!

That's it for now. Have fun!!!