Anyone ever seriously considered a cruise and decided not to take one?

[molly2004]

First of all, I'm posting on this board instead of the cruise board because I wanted to hear from those who don't already love the cruises.

We have two boys who will be turning 3 around the time of our trip. I was thinking of a land/sea package. We've never cruised before and are seriously concerned about being bored. Yes, there are pools and adult-oriented entertainment. I think our kids will be too young to go to the child-oriented ones all by themselves so the adult-only ones for us are out of the question. Will the kids be bored? Should I even bother with a cruise? Maybe we should just spend the 7 full days at the World rather than splitting it up and going out to sea.

Have any of you considered a cruise but then opted out for the same reasons? I'd be interested to hear.

Thanks!

 

[NoWorriesMate]

we took DS at 10mths and had a great time even though we couldn't really participate is most organised things.

this year he will be almost 3 and we are looking forward to our 7 day eastern. the kids clubs allow them to join in the bits they want and you can prob. stay with them if you want.

there are lots of things (movies, pools, shows, deck parties etc) for families to do together and CC is a great day at the beach for everyone.

that said you can't go badly wrong with a week at WDW so either way have a great holiday.

 

[crisi]

We went.

I wouldn't do a land sea. I don't think 3 or 4 days at WDW does it justice. And a four day cruise is just about right (cruisers like the seven day). Too much packing (my cruise wardrobe is very different from my park warddrobe. My park warddrobe is shoes I can walk ten miles in, shorts and tshirts. My cruise warddrobe is comfy sandals and swimsuit + coverup in the day, dress for dinner at night) and almost a whole day lost "switching vacations."

If your son's aren't potty trained yet I wouldn't book until they are. Kids need to be potty trained to be in the pools or in the kids clubs without a parent. My daughter was 4 1/2 when we finally cruised because I didn't book it until the day I was certain potty training had stuck! I know a lot of people have a great time with unpotty trained kids - we wanted to take advantage of the kids clubs to get some adult time, and my kids would have been quite upset not to be able to use the pools.

My kids certainly weren't bored. Between movies and shows, character greets, Castaway Cay, visiting Nassau, the kids clubs, dinner, snacking, and the pool we were always "pleasantly busy." It isn't the go-go of the parks, but we weren't sitting around reading books either.

 

[JoyG]

We seriously considered taking our twins on a cruise when they were turning 3 and decided against it...they were still in the terrible 2 stage and we were afraid of them running off, and God forbid, falling overboard...they weren't the best listeners back then! If it had been just one 3 year old, I would have felt better about it, but with twins it would have been a lot of watching.

However, we are seriously considering a cruise again for next year, but now the twins will be 6 and my youngest will be 3 1/2. That will work out better, the twins are more obedient these days and dh and myself can tag team the 3 1/2 year old rebel. The problem we're running into now is finding ships where we can fit 5 in a cabin cheaply.

Joy

 

[mslil65]

I was contemplating a cruise for September. I have a three year old and thought he was finally old enough for all of us to enjoy it. I debated back and forth wondering if he would enjoy the kids club and their activities...how would he act without me being around, would we be able to enjoy Palo without being beeped, etc. I figured we would just go with the flow...he would probably be fine. However, we have been trying (for two years) to get pregnant and I panicked thinking that I would somehow finally be pregnant and would be too far along to actually go on the cruise. So, we opted to do Disney again instead. Amazingly...I am now pregnant and would have been just past Disney's limit for pregnant women had we bought our tickets. So, somehow my intuition was correct! LOL! So, instead of going on the cruise, I'll be hobbling around Disney with my big belly!
I think your three year old twins would enjoy the cruise...especially since they'd have each other for security. Even if they didn't enjoy the kid's club, I would think there would be plenty of other things to do as a family to keep them occupied. I LOVE cruising...maybe I'm just biased! I'm sure you'll enjoy your vacation...whatever you decide to do!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Our twins turned 6 on our first cruise. We never thought of it before then but had we gone I think it would have been fine and we would have had a good time. We would never be bored on a Disney cruise!! You and DH can split up a bit and enjoy some time doing other things on the ship, then you can have time together as well. If they'll stay in the Oceaneer Club for a while then you could have time alone. Would any family members be interested in joining you - grandparents perhaps? If you decide to wait you'll have a good time whenever you go IMO.

 

[mom2kazkids]

We were booked on a 7 night Eastern Carribbean cruise on the Radiance of the Seas this past April with our 4 and 5 year old. Even changed the room once to upgrade to a cabin with a balcony so that we would have a little more space.

We took a road trip with the kids to Atlanta 6 months before the cruise, and on that trip changed our minds about cruising and planned our first trip to WDW instead. We were at the world this past May. I am so glad that we changed our minds, I think that the kids might have gotten tired of being couped up on the cruise ship.

Now I am anxiously awaiting May of 2007 so that we can return to WDW.


Barb

 

[mom23boys]

I really want to cruise, but DH does not want to. We have three boys (11, 6 and 3) so I wanted to go next summer, before the oldest got to old.

A few friends have gone on the Disney Cruise and some have loved it and others not. I think I a missing out, but I can wait till I have grandkids to go. LOL.

 

[pbharris4]

We've never cruised and always wanted to. This year we're doing 4 days @ Saratoga Springs Resort and then the 3 night cruise. It's all we could afford. We used points for the cruise (we're DVC owners) and the resort, but it cost a lot of points. We have a 9 yo DD and a newly-turned 2 yo DD. We thought we'd do a 7 day next year and then changed our minds. Now we ARE going to do it. EVery year it gets more and more expensive. And if we don't go..we'll probably never go. This time we aren't putting her in the nursery (she probably wouldn't go anyway), but I think she'd like it next year. We don't have a babysitter here..our kids go where we go. But she loves to do things and go places. We can't do somethings, but there are other things we can do. We'll take her to Stingray city and she can watch or participate if they let her and we'll do the dolphin encounter and shop. DH and I don't go out (once a month, maybe..if his mom or cousin will play with the kids) very much here so we wouldn't go to any of the bars or clubs. My 2 yo is starting that "whining"phase and this week has been a doozey!!!! But as long as she gets some naps, eats, and we can be flexible all should go fine. I think you should go for it! Now...if I could..I'd stay another day or 2 at WDW and still do the cruise only because I hate to have to repack.

 

[mareed]

I have 2 DS's, ages 6 & 9, and had booked a Royal Carribbean cruise for next January, but cancelled it and got my deposit back. We love Disney vacations, and I'm just concerned that we wouldn't really enjoy a cruise. I don't want to take dressy clothes to "dress" for dinner, and I don't enjoy snorkeling or other typical "beach" shore excursions. I can take 1-2 hours of lying around relaxing & reading, and then I need something to do! Maybe we'll try a cruise someday, but Disney vacations work so well for us, I'm just afraid of risking it!

 

[crisi]

Its probably worth while to check out the Navigators - which list all the events going on during the day. Dave has recent Navigators posted on www.dcltribute.com. That will give you an idea of what happens during the day. They change trip to trip, but you could print them out and say "if this had been our cruise, how busy would we be." You'll get some idea of the entertainment options, what happens in the kids clubs, what sorts of movies run, etc.

With little kids, you are welcome to be in the clubs with them for the activities. But with three year olds it will probably be much more a family togetherness vacation than it would be if you waited (which is fine, family togetherness is good - but so is going dancing while your kids fall asleep watching Toy Story in the clubs).

 

[kenziesmom]

We took DD then 3 on the Land/Sea and LOVED it!!! She is now 6 and still talks about how great is was. She even tried to convince DH and I to go on another cruise this year instead of WDW all 8 days. We told her next year (I'm too excited about our first WDW Christmas). They have a kids club and she had tea with Wendy and learned how to dance with King Triton and Ariel. The list is endless. We also made some great friends and they visit us in S.A.!!! Good luck deciding!!!

 

[MrsPete]

Take 'em! You talked about the pool -- that's only one of the many things on the Disney cruise! At age three, your twins would be stuck in the Mickey Pool, which is often crowded at mid-day; we swam (alone) after dinner frequently. The Goofy pool (a family pool) is too deep for three-year olds, and the adult pool is, well, for adults.

At age three they're old enough to go to the kids' clubs, which are WONDERFUL. The Disney club for kids that age is decorated like a giant pirate ship, and the sky has tiny white lights making up constellations (the Tinkerbelle, the Captain Hook . . . ). They do crafts and face painting with the kids, they take them up to the sports deck, they have pajama parties -- they do not take them swimming. They stress cleanliness; when kids come in, they're directed to the sink immediately to wash their hands. Parents are given a pager so the counselors can call you if your child is fussy or wants to leave the club. Kids get a bracelet to wear during the whole cruise; it has your name and your muster area (spot you'd go in case of an emergency) -- they look at it and demand to know your codeword before you can take your child out of the kids' club -- no one else will take your child. The kids' club gives you some adult-time.

The characters pop up everywhere -- especially in the kids' clubs.
You can see movies in the afternoons and shows in the evenings (G-rated movies tend to be shown in the afternoons).
You can take them dancing in the family night club.
They have games like putt-putt and horse racing in the lobby often.
You'll be able to take them to great ports where you have a wide variety of activites from which to choose; Castaway Cay (Disney's private island) is simply the best!
Believe me, you will not be bored!

Falling overboard is absolutely not a concern in the public areas. Everyone thinks that before they've been on a cruise; the reality is very different. The "main outdoor deck" where the pools, ping-pong tables, etc. are located is plexi-glass from the floor to the ceiling. If it weren't, the wind would be too strong. The other decks have high railings with plexiglass on the inside (no place to get a foothold). Plus, most of the public-area decks are "stepped up" like a cake -- if you managed to climb over the railing, you'd hit the deck below, not the ocean. My husband and I walked all over the ship LOOKING FOR a place where an overboard accident could occur; we found a place on deck four (near the lifeboats) where an adult who was trying could jump off the ship.

Private balconies in staterooms are a little different -- it would be possible for a child to climb on a deck chair and go overboard -- however, you don't have to get a balcony room.

Think about it: 100% of the people who have gone overboard, or who have disappeared from cruise ships have been adults. No children have EVER fallen overboard. Well, I did hear of one teen who jumped overboard while the ship was in port, swam around to the dock, and tried to reboard sopping wet with no identification; I don't think we need to consider him while talking about your three-year olds. Seriously, with all the incompetent parents (allowing children to run wild is a problem on cruise ships) and drunken parents on cruise ships, if it were easy to do, it would happen frequently. But children just don't go overboard.

Personal opinion: the Land and Sea thing doesn't appeal to me at all. It's too little time at Disney and too little time at sea. I love both vacations, but I don't want to mix them.

Having said that, I would suggest that you choose a 3-4 day cruise for your first time. While everyone I know personally has LOVED cruising, I know that some people get terribly seasick or just don't care for the venue. If you turn out to be one of these (unusual) people, it'd be better to be stuck out on the seas for 4 days rather than 7.

 

[crisi]

Mickey pool - only one "splash ear" if not potty trained.

Kids clubs - you'll have to be with them if not potty trained.

Other than those cavets, I agree with Mrs.Pete. Personal opinion, I wouldn't do land sea, I'd start with a 3-4 day and I wouldn't cruise with a unpotty trained toddler or preschooler (up to eighteen months - I would - for both my kids between eighteen months and potty training the restrictions on the pool would have been too much - and the older they are in diapers, the more the restrictions would have made the cruise less pleasant).

 

[MrsPete]

I wouldn't cruise with a unpotty trained toddler or preschooler

I agree. I assumed, however, that three-year olds would be potty trained.

 

[crisi]

One can never tell. I had two late trainers (both at 3 1/2). Might be me, might be my kids. But for very different reasons. My son has to have mastery of something before he will commit to it. So when he decided to train he never had an accident again. But he had to be confident he'd never have an accident. My daughter went on a power struggle tour hauling me along as a participant - but when I would get off the power struggle bus and not care, she didn't either (she is almost six and would still be perfectly happy in diapers, from her point of view, potty training didn't get her anything except the requirement that she now stop what she is doing to run to the potty. She never cared about wet or stinky diapers.). Personally, I wouldn't take the stress of booking a cruise a year out uncertain of if I'd be able to use the kids clubs in the way I'd want.

(And while 3 1/2 is late, I know several kids who refused to train until four, driving their parents crazy!)