gabysmom04,
Glad to have you with us.
We have taken young grandkids with us on cruises so I can offer you a little advie.
1. Don't worry about the dining with others. Some tables only have 4 people at them some can have 6 or 8. You may have a small one all to yourselves.
Plus this is Disney, it is not meant to be a quiet meal time, accept at Palo's. There are little kids everywhere!!! Yes there are spills and some crying, but mostly the little ones fall asleep, even at early dining. Most have been so busy all day that once they get a little warm food in their tummy's they fall asleep. The wait staff caters to the kids.
They are fantastic with the little ones. If your worried about the menu for kids it has many choices and if you want something special, just ask they will do it if at all possible. My GS wanted a cheeseburger a few times and they were not on the menu so they sent up to the food places by the pool and had one delivered just for him.
At lunch the buffet has one side of the table that is all kid friendly foods too, which is nice.
2. If you want you can reserve a time in the nursery to have someone watch you children while you dine. They are limited and it is who ever reserves first. It's $6. per hour , per child, 2 hour minimum.
3. If you don't want to use the dining room you can get pizza, hamburgers, fries, chips, chicken sandwiches, chicken strips,around the pools. Usually they open around 11:00 a.m. and stay open until 11:00 at night. but check the navigator, because sometimes the hours vary.
4. Scoops ice cream parlor always has fantastic fruit table to choose some healthy snacks from. Put a little extra fruit on a plate and put in the frig in your room for a late snack in case your children fall asleep at dinner time.
Scoops has some wraps(sandwiches) too.
5. Then you have room service. Really basic stuff, sandwiches, soups, mac and cheese ect.. No extra charge, but gratuity is optional for this service.
Personally I'd go to the main dining room and see how it goes. There are so many little kids there nd no one seems to mind if they are making noise, because everyone is sharing all their experiences with each other, so it's got a lot of noise anyway.
If your going to let your kids in the Mickey Pool ( one ear is reserved for the little ones to play in) remember to take a lot of Drypers or swim diapers, they have some for sale on ship, but they are very expensive!!! And they usually sell out quickly. And lots of sunblock, there is no shade over any of the pools and again, they do sell it, but it's very expensive.
If you do the character meet and greets in the atrium, get there early, at least 15 minutes ahead of time or you may be waiting an hour only to have the characters go back in until the next time.
There is a gazebo on deck 9 by the family pool where characters appear a few times, there are not as many people there, lines are usually very short and move quickly. Your navigator will have times listed for you.
On
castaway cay ,the navigator will have a time listed where characters will be along the walk way to the beach. They have very short lines and they move pretty fast as most people are on their way to the beach and don't stop. This is a great time for the little ones not to have to wait really long lines.
Most people don't realize that there is a sand box in the grouper game room that is a great place for little ones to play.It is under a covered area so you don't have to worry about the sun or wind as much.
The bike rentals do have baby seats on some of them and they do have helmets, if you want to take them for a ride.
Most of the shows in the disney theater do feature a few characters, your children may like to see them on stage. The theater is full of families and that includes lots of little kids that make noise, ask questions and get restless, so don't worry about that either. Most kids quiet right down when the characters appear or when the music starts. You can take a drink or snack into the theater for them to help occupy them if you want. They have a concession stand just out side of the theater on one side. Try to show u p 15 minutes early to get a good seat, but there really aren't any bad seats
One tip is, if you go to that theater or the movie theater, grab a free drink from the drink stand on deck 9 and take with you instead of buying a drink in the theater. In the afternoon they bring a cookie tray to the drink area, take an extra cookie for each kid and save to take to the theater. That saves a little money.
While in your room, there is a TV channel that shows all animated disney cartoons that the kids can watch while your unpacking or cleaning up, as well as the disney channel.
If you take strollers, it easiest to use the umbrella type, as the halls can get crowded around dinner time. Regular strollers do fit and you will see a few, but the umbrella ones are best for the ship and for excursions or just fitting into the shops. They have very narrow isles in them.
I hope this helps some, if you have any specific questions, be sure to ask, even if I can't answer them, someone will. People are very helpful on these threads.
Welcome aboard,
Kathy
mom x4,grandma x4
We made a point to just relax and enjoy every moment. We were lucky enough to get three "complete" pin sets. Not an easy task, as you have probably heard. We got off at all of the ports, so we could look around. I personally like the Carribean ports better then the Mexican ones. 
We have to take our vacations when DH has the time off and this is one of the few times except the beginning of Jan. Which is still place of works no vacation time...UGGGHH so depressing. I enjoy my job, but family is so excited about going on cruise. Well I am too I cannot tell a lie! Kinda in a bit of a pickle.. It is just sooo depressing.
oh well, thank for the advice...
