Best age?

[CPME]

Hey everyone!

We went on our first Disney cruise last year and got the bug. I'm sure you know how that feels!

We really, desperately want to go again.

We had a baby this year so were planning to go in 2019 when she's 3 to make the most of the kids clubs, free time as parents together etc. However I'm just not sure we can wait that long lol! Thinking of going when she's 2 instead, but is that silly? Should we just hold out the extra year until she's 3 and can make the most of everything?

I know we can put her in the nursery at 2 but it's not the same is it? She can't just come and go as she pleases and at 2 I'm not sure she'd be as willing to leave us and be alone (her sister would be with her in the clubs).

Advice please? Anyone cruised with a toddler or a just-turned 3 year old and have any preferences?

 

[FigmentSpark]

You could always plan a short cruise to satisfy your Disney bug, but then plan the big one for 2019.

 

[PoopDeckPappy]

I have sailed when my 2 kids were 6 and 22 months. Yikes! We then went a year later and then again when my 3rd child (my son) was 3 so I've been there. I have to say it was always great. We're going again next month and it will be even better (9, 8, 6 year old now). But I'm glad we did it then and while we'll have more freedom now it didn't "ruin" or detract from the trip. Just like at home there are certain things you can do and can't given the ages of a child. So I say go for it, it will be great. The only thing I say to people with very young kids is get a balcony if you can (& if someone is sleeping early). Our kids were sleeping by 8:30 when it was just the two of them and we enjoyed sitting on the balcony for a couple of hours each night. We also made sure we were aft and near the stairs so I could run up to the drink station for milk easily. My kids were huge milk drinkers and this was a great move.

We used babies travel lite and had our diapers, bottles, etc delivered to our stateroom. It was great and so worth it.

 

[MSPeeler]

In my personal opinion, having cruised this summer with a 20 month old, I will not be cruising again till he is 3 & potty trained. I was unable to stay through the shows, dinner was too long for him, he didn't like the childcare (plus it was $9/hr), we were not able to enjoy any adult only areas, etc.

 

[CPME]

@FigmentSpark - That would be ideal! Sadly for money reasons it would be impossible though. The week long one we're planning (whether 2018 or 2019) is the only one we're planning for the foreseeable.

 

[CPME]

In my personal opinion, having cruised this summer with a 20 month old, I will not be cruising again till he is 3 & potty trained. I was unable to stay through the shows, dinner was too long for him, he didn't like the childcare (plus it was $9/hr), we were not able to enjoy any adult only areas, etc.

This is my worry!! I'm worried we'll have planned and saved for 3 years for this trip and once there we'll be hugely limited, or we'll wish we just waited a year until she could make the most.

She'd be 2 and a half if we went in 2018, so very likely potty trained at least, but as you say too young to sit for the shows etc. But I know the price of the cruise is less before a child hits 3, and I SO want to go asap!!

 

[Kuzcotopia1]

I sailed on the Fantasy two weeks ago with my 14 month old daughter and had all the same concerns you did about bringing a toddler but it turned out to be a great vacation. The beginning of the week was a little rough only because she was off schedule and overstimulated from the new environment. She calmed down by day 3.

Some of the things we did to get a balance were:

• Utilized the nursery on "at sea" days for a few hours in the afternoon.
• Utilized the nursery for three nights from 7:30 - 11:00pm so we could see the shows and go out for a drink, get in the hot tub, etc.
• Booked a verandah room so we could be outside during naptime and she also played out there (it's plexiglassed in)

The two hardest things for us would be that she never wanted to sit still and not being able to find some of her favorite foods. Both of these were easily fixed. I would bring her to "safe" areas to run around like the atrium on deck 3, outside on deck 4, Nemo's Reef (where I would be in my bathing suit and either sit or follow her) and to Toddler Time. Food-wise, I felt like the kids menus weren't really geared to her age group. They seemed for older toddlers at 3 - 4 years. But all I had to do was ask the waiter if they had x, y, z and the next night they'd show up. For example, she loves blueberries/blackberries/raspberries which I couldn't find anywhere except one morning in my muesli. That night I asked our waiter about it and for the remainder of the cruise he'd have two bowls of berries ready to go - one for dinner, one for breakfast. He also gave me additional entrée options like turkey meatballs, meatloaf, things not on the menu.

If you decide to do this, and I think you should!, just go into it knowing that it won't be the adults-only relaxing vacation that you're used to. Just enjoy watching him/her wander or play in the splash areas. I plan to bring my daughter on another Disney cruise eventually. The only time I will refuse to bring her is while I'm in the process of potty training. It's either go before or go after. I've heard that can be hard since you never know where you'll be at the time.

Edit: Before you book, check out the excursions you would like to do. Many of the cruise ships have minimum requirements for age and you would not be able to participate. I was researching Alaskan cruises the other day and noted the age requirements are a lot of 8 - 10 and up, so I'll probably wait before booking that type of cruise (unless I go sans children). This past trip we did "do it yourself" beach days by just getting off the ship and into a taxi. Cheap, easy and she could nap in the stroller at the beach.

 

[CPME]

I sailed on the Fantasy two weeks ago with my 14 month old daughter and had all the same concerns you did about bringing a toddler but it turned out to be a great vacation. The beginning of the week was a little rough only because she was off schedule and overstimulated from the new environment. She calmed down by day 3.

Some of the things we did to get a balance were:

• Utilized the nursery on "at sea" days for a few hours in the afternoon.
• Utilized the nursery for three nights from 7:30 - 11:00pm so we could see the shows and go out for a drink, get in the hot tub, etc.
• Booked a verandah room so we could be outside during naptime and she also played out there (it's plexiglassed in)

The two hardest things for us would be that she never wanted to sit still and not being able to find some of her favorite foods. Both of these were easily fixed. I would bring her to "safe" areas to run around like the atrium on deck 3, outside on deck 4, Nemo's Reef (where I would be in my bathing suit and either sit or follow her) and to Toddler Time. Food-wise, I felt like the kids menus weren't really geared to her age group. They seemed for older toddlers at 3 - 4 years. But all I had to do was ask the waiter if they had x, y, z and the next night they'd show up. For example, she loves blueberries/blackberries/raspberries which I couldn't find anywhere except one morning in my muesli. That night I asked our waiter about it and for the remainder of the cruise he'd have two bowls of berries ready to go - one for dinner, one for breakfast. He also gave me additional entrée options like turkey meatballs, meatloaf, things not on the menu.

If you decide to do this, and I think you should!, just go into it knowing that it won't be the adults-only relaxing vacation that you're used to. Just enjoy watching him/her wander or play in the splash areas. I plan to bring my daughter on another Disney cruise eventually. The only time I will refuse to bring her is while I'm in the process of potty training. It's either go before or go after. I've heard that can be hard since you never know where you'll be at the time.

Edit: Before you book, check out the excursions you would like to do. Many of the cruise ships have minimum requirements for age and you would not be able to participate. I was researching Alaskan cruises the other day and noted the age requirements are a lot of 8 - 10 and up, so I'll probably wait before booking that type of cruise (unless I go sans children). This past trip we did "do it yourself" beach days by just getting off the ship and into a taxi. Cheap, easy and she could nap in the stroller at the beach.

Wow thank you, that's really helpful!!

That's a great idea using the nursery for evenings. She can go to sleep then and we can enjoy the 'older' stuff with our other kids. A verandah room would be essential too I think, for the reasons you stated. Of course you're right and it won't be relaxing at all in the day, lots of running around and keeping a constant eye out, but it's a family holiday so I don't mind that too much.

With regards to the excursions, I'm not sure we'll be booking any with Disney anyway. We have a son in a wheelchair and when we went on our last 12 day cruise Disney didn't offer any excursions that took non-folding wheelchairs so I don't hold much hope this time either, but I'll bear your comments in mind and look out for the ages! Thank you very much

 

[Kuzcotopia1]

lots of running around and keeping a constant eye out

This is why Toddler Time is perfect! They pushed back chairs to the edge of the room and put down big, cushy mats with tunnels/toys so the kids could climb and play. The parents could just sit around the circle drinking coffee (provided) and turn their minds off. It was like she was back in daycare except I was there and zoning out.

 

[Quellman]

I didn't see this mentioned - You can also put a 3 year old in the nursery if you so desire.
We have cruised at 14 months, 2.5 years and will again at almost 4. We only have a singleton so I can't comment, but if they are used to having a daycare or preschool the nursery should not be a big deal, especially if you drop her sister off second. She would never even know a second big kids club existed.
Also, you do not have to allow self check-in/out privileges. I wouldn't do it for a 3 year old, at this point in my life, I wouldn't even allow a 6 year old. But that is me.

You can have a great family vacation just remember that you are still mom and dad so your alone time to enjoy things will be limited as a result. Obviously we don't mind the trade offs to care for a toddler while on vacation otherwise we wouldn't keep booking cruises.

 

[puffkin]

We had a great time on our first family cruise last week. My youngest is a little over 4 and used to daycare environment at home since we both work and he ADORED the kids clubs. He even ate dinner there 2 of our 4 nights and should have our last night but my mom insisted he eat with us and he was NOT happy. We did plenty together on the ship and at Nassau and Castaway Cay, but he did want to also be in the clubs a lot as well.

That being said, it was still hard to enjoy the trip as adults. It was anything but relaxing. It seemed like the adult activities we wanted to do always coincided with the family activities or times he didn't want to be in the club. He wouldn't nap (and the 2 port days it would have been hard anyway) so he was tired by the evening show and requested to be picked up. But then we missed out on a lot to take him back to the room to go to bed when a lot of the activities were heating up on the ship. We had a GREAT time, but I found it to be a bit challenging with a 4 year old who loved the clubs, I can't even imagine taking a toddler, especially if they are too young or won't like the clubs. It just doesn't seem like much fun to me on a cruise. I have travelled with both my kids MANY times to WDW as infants and toddlers so I am not adverse to travel with that age group and we have had many great WDW vacations....but I wouldn't choose a cruise until they are older. At least in my opinion.

 

[Jess_S]

We cruised with my son when he was 23 months and had a great trip. We went in with an understanding of what he could and couldn't do because of his age and basically just accepted that we would have to adjust according to our whims. My son was actually great at all the meals, put up with being on deck for several hours on Tracey Arm day (I bought him a new toy from the gift shop as an inducement) and even watched 1 full production show. For adult time, we either had to wait for my son to nap or we split up and left one parent on kid duty. That allowed us to both get massages, each go to a movie or lecture of our choice and have hot tub time. We did not use the nursery because my son was in a clingy stage and I didn't want to leave him somewhere that he would be unhappy.

I would recommend cruising with an under 3 on Disney because it was the most relaxing vacation we have done since our son was born -- even with the lack of child care. My son also loved it. But if I had gone in knowing that I only had the budget and/or vacation time for one DCL cruise during my son's early childhood, I think I might have waited until he was old enough to at least try the kids club on his own.

 

[o&smom]

We have cruised as a family when our kids have been 6 mos, 15 mos, 2yrs, 3 yrs, 4 yrs, 5 yrs, 6 yrs, 7 yrs, 8yrs, 9 yrs, 10 yrs, 11 yrs and 12 yrs. All of them have been wonderful! Each one has been very different, and my husband and I still joke of how little we have explored the adult areas of the ships. On our next cruise this Spring our kids will be 6 and 13, and it will be diferent from any of our past cruises, but we will make many memories as a family that makes this cruise unique. Don't plan for the perfect cruise. Make your cruise a perfect family vacation because of the memories that will make it unique.

Happy cruising!

 

[CPME]

I didn't see this mentioned - You can also put a 3 year old in the nursery if you so desire.
We have cruised at 14 months, 2.5 years and will again at almost 4. We only have a singleton so I can't comment, but if they are used to having a daycare or preschool the nursery should not be a big deal, especially if you drop her sister off second. She would never even know a second big kids club existed.
Also, you do not have to allow self check-in/out privileges. I wouldn't do it for a 3 year old, at this point in my life, I wouldn't even allow a 6 year old. But that is me.

You can have a great family vacation just remember that you are still mom and dad so your alone time to enjoy things will be limited as a result. Obviously we don't mind the trade offs to care for a toddler while on vacation otherwise we wouldn't keep booking cruises.

She will be used to nursery so might not be too much trouble, but her sister will be 7 at the time so way too old to stay with her and I worry she'll feel left out, whereas if we wait until the year after they can play together. And no totally agree, I'd never allow the self check in privileges at this age! I just meant my daughter was 4 last time and she would just let us know she wanted to go and we'd run her in, then whenever she had enough they'd ring us etc, it was SO handy and she sometimes stayed for 10 mins, sometimes 3 hours! She was a really independent little thing though, I guess there's no telling how Baby is going to turn out and she might not want to go in at all!

I've taken everybody's replies into account and thanks SO much for helping me out! I guess my reason for wanting to go early is selfish - we just can't WAIT to go! But my daughter at 2 is likely not to ever remember it again, and with us not being able to afford to go a lot I'd really like her to. She's more likely to at 3 I guess. I think the basic rule is travelling with a 2 or 3 year old is not gonna be relaxing adult time and I'll have the same situation at either age won't I? Hmm, I'm thinking get me on that boat the earlier the better then haha!

 

[Laundress]

On our first cruise DS was 4m and DD was 2y. we had a great time. my son slept 11 hours every night because of the sea movement. That was enough to make me never want to get off the ship. even though my DD doesn't remember any of the trip I sure do. Thats makes it worth while to me.
they are now 13&15 and we have since sailed DCL 4 other times and they now have plenty of their own memories.

 

[TrySomethingNew]

Kids in the kids club span the ages of 3-12 before they move up. Of course, some 11and 12 year olds age up in the older clubs if there is room. I've read on here that some little ones (age 3) can be overwhelmed by the older kids running around/loud etc. So, being in the nursery (quieter, fewer kids all the same size or smaller) might fit certain temperaments better.

My kids were 5 and 13 first cruise. The 5 yo (attended daycare and school) enjoyed the club, but only for shorter periods - it was a sold out cruise over Christmas Day, so chock full of kids and the kids clubs were busy and loud with plenty of larger kids running about.

Check in/out privileges are only possible ages 8+ with parental permission. Once into the Edge club, they all have freedom to come and go as they please.

Enjoy your cruise planning!