@FairyGodmother00 - everything we said is opinion. And that’s what makes figuring this out a challenge.
Some 5 yo kids are very happy going to the kids clubs area of the ship, where they are dropped off and then are supervised by Cast Members while doing whatever the activities are. If they are daycare, this may seem normal. My nieces were used to vacationing with the family and enjoyed being together with theirs sisters around the ship. These areas are open from morning til late night and have some Open House times when the parents can join in. They have different areas for various age groups.
But the challenge becomes what if the kid doesn’t like the clubs and you counted on that, expecting to have adult time, which some familles do.
Any Disney ship will have small pools. Often crowded. There are life guards, but you need to stay close and finding loungers is a challenge. Over the pool(s) is a large Jumbotron screen (called FunnelVision). During the day, it continuously runs Disney Channel shows and cartoons. It is not blaringly loud.
There’s a kiddie pool on most ships, often with a little curving slide. And a splash area. A 5 yo might enjoy all of these.
There are opportunities to meet characters. That does involve standing in line - longer than I realized, based on the current threads on this forum discussing taking kids in
DCL.
Your question, or very similar, has been asked several times this week (which is not typically the case).
The daily schedule may include an arts & crafts project (very simple) that is mainly DIY in a location, with supplies and instructions given. That lasts for 30-60 minutes. There is family trivia, karaoke, silent disco - all versions offered for families.
Two or three of the evenings, there is a ~60 minute stage show in the large theater. You don’t have to stand in line to get in. It’s offered at a time coordinated with your dinner time. Dinner is scheduled twice a night, 5:45 and 8:15. You are in a fixed time and rotation through the dining rooms, with the same wait staff following you. There is usually some type of entertainment during part of the dinner. The restaurants are large and noisy. Kids meals come out first and the waiters are very good with interacting with kids. They even cut meat. But dinner can take 1.5-2 hours. Some families will take a kid to the clubs once the child has finished his meal.
… If this sounds good to you, I would recommend a 4-night cruise on the Wish. It does 3- and 4-night itineraries to the Bahamas. Sails from Port Canaveral. It mainly does a stop at Nassau (many/ most guests opt to stay onboard in this port, getting more time to use the ship). And then it goes to
Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island. It is a very relaxed beach day. There is clean sand, a protected ocean swimming area (you can’t drift out to sea, thanks to a rock wall). Loungers and umbrellas are free. Towels are provided. There is a kids play area in the island. A tram will transport you most of the distance between ship and beach. Lunch is provided in the island. Adults can access a bar. There is a separate beach for adults only.
The Wish’s pool deck has lots of smaller pools, so it may not feel as much like a pool soup. There’s a water ride that he may be tall enough to use with an adult. Think gerbil tube + raft, with a rise up and then mild downhill to a splash.
Dining rooms: one themed to Marvel, principally Ant Man. One is based on Frozen. Both have shows. The third is less kid - 1923, celebrating the origin of Disney and a California cuisine menu.
There is a Pirate Night. Some guests dress for that occasion and there is a ~5 minute fireworks show at night following a musical show on the pool deck.
The kids clubs have a slide between decks, from the lobby down a deck, for an optional entrance. Many adults wish that was for them, too.
Bottom line, Disney does put the most effort into kids than other cruise lines. For some, it’s a great fit. Others are a one and done.
I hope this might be more in line with what you are hoping to find here.
! All of the ships really do have their own special and unique things so I don't think you can go wrong!
