First Cruise - Why disney?

[FOV]

We are considering taking our first cruise sometime in late 2004/early 2005. We have 3 kids who will be 4, 6 & 9 when we expect to cruise. I have just begun to research Disney and other cruise lines and the first thing I have noticed is how much more expensive Disney is. We love WDW so we are willing to pay up for quality - and we want the kids to have the time of their lives! A few questions:

1. Is a WDW cruise *really* worth the extra $$$?
2. Is there another cruise line you could recommend for a family?
3. Any advice on how to get a good deal for a family of 5? Looks like we will have to book an expensive suite to accomodate everyone.
4. Finally, we are leaning toward a 7-day cruise so we can really experience the whole ship etc... Is a 4-day cruise enough time? In the past our WDW vacations have been 7-10 days.

Thanks! I plan to spend a lot of time here in the next several months!

 

[Hygiene99]

well after 6 cruises and the 7th booked im not sure why lol
it is awesome...

here r 2 sites that will help u ALOT
www.castawayclub.com and www.Dcltribute.com
alll kinds of great info....

Go with the 7 day cruise

 

[Diznut84]

Besides the DIS, my favority cruise website is:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/

Cruise critic rates DCL as the #1 family cruise ship. Royal Caribbean (especially the Voyager level ships) is second. I might also consider Holland America. You might also want to take a look at Frommer's Caribbean Cruise Line Guide. You can't beat the kids programming on DCL!

In our case, an inside stateroom (cat. 11) DCL was actually cheaper than an inside stateroom RCCL. However, an oceanview or balcony unit was cheaper with RCCL.

Personally, I greatly enjoy the way DCL is geared towards my kids (DD 9 and DD 6). As soon as the girls are both teenagers, though, I will be watching RCCL as well.

If it were me, I would consider two Cat 11 rooms rather than a sleep 5 suite. It might save you a lot of money. Another option: how about connecting Cat. 10 "secret porthole" rooms?

Have fun planning!
Greg

 

[MarkLem]

We are doing our first ever cruise in a few weeks and it's Disney. We have 8, 6, 2 1/2 year old kids.

We have been to Disney World in the past and overall have had great times. The kids are familiar with and love alot of the Disney characters. Disney cruise is a quality outfit.

We are booked in a family category 4 stateroom with verandah. The other option was two adjoining rooms in a lower catagory. We priced it both ways and the single cat 4 was cheaper at the time than 2 adjoining rooms (we booked almost a year and a half ago, as Disney gets more $$ as you get closer and closer to the cruise date).

I would whole-heartedly recommend the 7 day. We usually take a 7 day vacation at the beach each summer, and 7 days goes by fast. At Thanksgiving we spend a 4 day weekend at a cabin in western Maryland with the family (26 of us), and that goes by WAY too fast. Alot of people are regular cruisers, or live alot closer to Florida or in Florida, and then I think the 3-4 day cruisers would be fine. But we are not regular cruisers and live a ways away, so we couldn't imagine getting all hyped up, traveling all that way (from Ohio), spending all the $$ for airfare, just for 3 or 4 days.

My 2 cents...

 

[rundogrun]

The extra money is for the "Disney" experience, and that is ultimately why you pay more. The food and service is excellent, but no more so than many other cruiselines which cost considerably less, and in some instances, have even better service and food.

Most cruiselines now cater to families so you'll find many have kids programs. Disney's is the most extensive, as it needs to be to accomodate the large number of children who sail on the Wonder and Magic. My 4 yo daughter loved Disney's progam. My son was just so-so. Both loved the Celebrity kids program.

The other advantage to Disney is their private island. Castaway Key is by far the best of the private islands based on what I've read.

So is it worth the extra money? Only you can decide. You don't need to spend that much for a first-rate cruise. You do if you want to take it with Mickey and Minnie. Either way you can't go wrong.

Oh, and 7 days better than 4 days. Absolutely!

 

[hydster]

OK I will try to give my opinion on a few of the things you asked about:

#1: In our opinion Disney is WONDERFUL to take the kids on. Ours have been on RCCL and Carnival and the only thing they liked better than Disney was the fact that Carnival's Kids Club had less kids so not as crowded at activities AND they had equal time of structure and free play where Disney seemed more structured when our oldest son would much rather sit and play a computer they made him do an activity that he wasnt interested in. On Carnival they asked who wanted to do it and then if they didnt then they could just do what they were doing. The Disney experience is great with kids. The characters dont seemed to be nearly as rushed since there is a limit to who is on board and they have them all day long so the lines arent horrendous. They really have the character meetings down pat. We only did a 4 day but I hear the breakfast with Characters on the 7 day is really fun so we are going to try out the 7 day in May.

#2:As for a different cruise line..they are all basically the same although Disney is really nice because the shows are NOT cabaret like they are on other ships. We took the kids once (didnt even think about it) on Carnival and the women had on G Strings and pasties. That was it for the night time stuff where Disney has family friendly shows and a movie theatre. Royal Carribean was pretty much the same and we havent taken our kids on Princess or Norwegian with us but they all have the same type of shows as Carnival or they did when we sailed with them. Another really nice thing about Disney is that they dont have a casino. On Carnival it seemed that everywhere you wanted to go you had to go through the Casino that was smoke filled and enthralling to little kids and then they got in trouble for pushing a slot machine button.

#3: We are a family of 5 as well and when we did the land/sea we stayed in a family suite with a verandah. While it was nice we were rarely there (our kids were old enough to go that long without napping every day) but it was on the 8th deck and pretty noisy (there is a thread about that further down) but it was pretty pricey so this time we got 2 connecting Cat 8's on the 6th deck and figure we will keep the doors between the cabins open and make it like a big spacious suite. Also that way you get 2 split bathrooms which makes getting ready much easier with 2 toilets, 2 showers. Our rooms have a window and that should be sufficient for our family. Our kids will be 10, 9 and 5 at sailing.

#4: We did the 4 day and while it was nice to just be on the ship we are looking forward to the 7 day alot more with the kids. They barely got time in the kids club before we docked at another port and got off to do an excursion. It seemed like we just got comfortable with the layout and where everything was and it was over. Also on the 7 day you get the Character Breakfast that you dont get on the 4 day and also a night or 2 as I understand it depending on your dining rotation to dress up a little bit. I dont know if we will ever consider a 4 day again. It is actually cheaper for us to do the 7 day in 2 connecting cabins than it was to do the 7 day land/sea package in 1 stateroom.

HTH and welcome to the boards

 

[kcashner]

We'll be leaving soon for our 10th Disney cruise. My daughter started cruising on Disney at age 7....and will now celebrate her 13th birthday on the ship (her choice). We cruised 2 other lines before Disney Cruise Line existed.....since then, the only cruise we do is Disney.

Yes, 7 days is much better than 4.

Travelling with 5, it is sometimes cheaper to book 2 low end cabins rather than one high end. Of course, it becomes a matter of what is important to you. To sleep 5, you will need at least a category 4. You will have a nice outside cabin with a verandah. On the other hand, 2 category 11s would give you twice the bathroom space. Only you can decide what is important. The rates, and whether or not it is a better deal depends on time of year, etc. The first 2 people in a cabin pay adult rates no matter what their age.

Of course, with 2 category 11s, you could have up to 8 people. Are there grandparents who want to have this wonderful experience (and you want along?

 

[Wishing on a star]

As a first time cruiser, we sailed on the Wonder back in September, here is my input.

1. DCL is a GREAT family cruise!!! I just don't care for what other cruise lines consider 'Adult Entertainment'. Casino's, Party Drinking, LasVegas style shows, etc... You just cannot beat DCL! While I have heard that other cruise lines can have decent kids programs... Number one, they may not always be open... And, Number two, I would rather my DS spend quite a bit of time enjoying the cruise with me. Not spending endless hours in the program while I indulged in the round the clock Adult Activities. With DCL, there is just SO much to offer where your family can be together and everyone have a WONDERful or MAGICAL time. The meals, the shows, everything, is geared for the whole family. I dare say my DS would NOT have enjoyed the dining, shows, etc. on any other cruise line like he did on DCL.

2. YES, the kids program, out of necessity, is very structured... My advice is to look for that all to rare Free-Play time and to allow the kids to enjoy that! We took DS for several of the main activities, but one of the things he seemed to enjoy the most was when his age group ( 5-7 ) Got free time to just PLAY with all of the stuff over in the Oceaneer Lab!!!

3. Even Castaway Cay just can't be beat for kids... they offer bicycling, snorkeling, the perfect beach and calm water to enjoy playing. The kids program goes full scale at Scuttles Cove. I may be wrong, but I do not believe that any other cruise line would offer such a family oriented private island experience.

4. You can cut costs on DCL by booking way in advance, as far as possible. Remember, your deposit is FULLY refundable until 60 days prior. You can also cut costs by sailing at a time OTHER than peak weeks. We did really well by doing these two things.

5. Four days was GREAT!!! But, yes it did go by way to fast!!! We tryed to enjoy so much, we wore ourselves out!!! Go for a week if you can manage.

Overall, our cruise was AWESOME!!! My only complaint... The food... Do not be afraid to ask for several appetizers or entrees to try.... Do not hesitate to let the kids order from the adult menu.... The kids menu was often cheese pizza, fries, bland pasta, etc....

I would say YES, consider DCL! Go, and enjoy!

 

[GenieDana]

Some tangebles:

+ Consider the "casino" floorspace on other ships is dedicated to the kids on DCL.

+ The old ESPN bar has been coverted to a Teen area recently (Magic). Won't impact you other than to make more space for your kids in the club areas.

+ Childrens pool area and separate family pool. Adult only pool area, which is enforced.

+ More children exclusive square footage on DCL.

+ No fee for child supervision on DCL, where other lines charge.

+ Movies are first run, and lots of choices for families

+ You can bring your own booze and soft drinks (for non-meal times) if you wish

+ More family oriented passengers (Not a Frat party)

+ Top notch family oriented shows. Adult entertainment in the evening too, but you won't find "Folies Bergere."

+ No other line is "themed" like Disney. The atmosphere is not the same on RCCL and CCL

+- Food is plentiful and overall will meet or exceed expectations.
You can order anything on the menus you wish, in any combination, and amounts (If you want three deserts, OK!)

+ Palo is a very nice adults only restaraunt

+ Themed rotation dining in the other restaurants

+ The best service staff I've experienced

+ Castaway Cay is the nicest "private island" of the lines I've sailed

- The price, but you can find bargains. We're Florida residents and sail during FR specials, $$$ to sail is then comparable to other lines.

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

We took our first cruise earlier this year, a 4 day on the Wonder. It was a great cruise! We're planning on taking a 7 day Western Caribbean on the Magic in 2005. One thing I noticed, though, is the huge jump in price from our last cruise. We had 2 cat 5 cabins on the last one, but for the next one we'll probably go for a 6 with an 11 across the hall. This seems like a good way to get a verandah and keep costs down. However, with the ages of your children, I'd suggest looking into connecting cat 9 or 10 cabins, or if your budget allows, connecting cat 5, 6, or 7 cabins (these have the verandahs).

I'm sure you'll have a great time!

 

[FOV]

Wow! Thank you all so much for the great information. After reading everyone's reply's DCL *does* seem to offer a great family atmosphere that may be hard to get elsewhere. I also have to plan for our youngest, who will only be 4, and he would most likely get more from a Disney cruise.

A few more questions:

1. Our kids will be 4, 6 & 9 (or10) depeding upon which month we cruise. My oldest dd will be fine by herself in kids programs but my 2 sons (4 & 6) will defintely want to be together. How does Disney do with keeping sibs together if they are in different age groups? If it is a big deal I could always wait until the yougest is 5 - but I want to go NOW!

2. How have your kids done being away from you? This will be a first for dh and I. Our kids are always with us 24/7 on a vacation. This is appealing because while I want to spend lots of time with the kids I would love some time (like maybe 1 dinner!) with dh.

3. As for booking in advance - how far out would it be for the biggest discount? I was thinking Nov. 2004 but would go later if it would be a big savings. I already got one quote from Dreams Unlimited. Ouch!!!

Thank you again for all your help. I am getting adicted to this board already!

 

[SandraLee]

You may be surprised about your two younger DS. They may be fine split up. The age groupings are 3-4, 5-6. Sometimes the groups are together in the Club, sometimes not. Sometimes, the 5-6 group spends time in the Lab (my DS loved it there when he was 6. In fact, he didn't care for the club -- LOVED the Lab)

My kids were confident to be away from us. They have been in daycare before and of course, the older one is in school. Actually, my older DS (this time he ws 8) preferred to spend more time with us than my DD4 did. She LOVED the club.

Concerning booking in advance -- you can't book too early! In fact, I booked for Apr 2005 and I'm waiting for the rest of 2005 to open up -- I want to go Memorial Day.

In my experience, the price only goes UP and UP and UP.

Relax, book it, and enjoy! Your family is the perfect age and they will have the time of their life.

 

[hydster]

When we went our kids were almost the same ages as yours will be. Oldest dd was 9, middle ds was 7 and youngest ds was 3 almost 4. Our kids have never been in a daycare program and have never been anywhere but preschool or regular school so I wondered about it too but kids if they want to be in there will make friends pretty easily. We didnt try to move our boys together but thought if it became a problem we might try it. We have shown them all the childrens navigators and what they can do for the 7 day and they are all pretty excited.


I dont know when the prices change but if you can be flexible you can usually find some cheaper rates. For us we knew we wanted to go in the Spring but not near Spring break so our Misti at Dreams helped me figure out some different dates and rates. We are 5 of us going in 2 Cat 8 cabins that connect. We didnt include air, transportation or insurance through Disney so that makes our quote a little less I guess.
For Me and DD to be listed in 1 cabin it was a total of $2514.70 and then minus 75.00 dreams rebate and it is now 2442.40 and we are in cabin 6024. For Hubby and the 2 boys in 1 cabin (you end up paying 4 adult fares to go this way but it was still cheaper than getting a family suite with a verandah by almost 1000.00) anyway for them to go it was 2947.05 after the 100 dreams rebate and they are in cabin 6026 but we plan to put the 3 kids in 1 room and us in the other room and keep the door open between. Depending on when you want to go in November if you are pretty close to Thanksgiving it goes up pretty high. It was a 1500.00 difference for us to go a week later last year in November than the week we went..it really depends on your timing. Have a dreams agent look at all kinds of different dates and see if any of them are cheaper. Also have them look at connecting rooms or a suite and see which is cheaper as well. Or if you have some grandparents or aunts that would go it would make it cheaper for you since you wouldnt be paying 4 adult fares but then the grandparents would have to have at least 1 child sleep with them.

You can also get a good idea of quotes if you just go to www.disneycruise.com and request a quote. Punch in different dates and scenarios and see what happens!

Heidi

 

[Momof4princesses]

We just returned Saturday from the 7 day Eastern. I will give you some things to consider:

1-My DD4 went off on the second day to the kids club without a problem. Bye, Mom, see ya. One hour later---beep-beep-beep--Sarah would like to be picked up...and she NEVER returned to the club after that. So never count on the kids loving the clubs. If they do, any "adult" time is a bonus. We had to cancel our Palo reservations because I did not want her to be upset, since it was her vacation too. And I would have just gotten paged anyway. This said, my DD6 LOVED the club. My DD 10 was OK with it, but preferred to be out. My DD13 did not get into it at all. Differences in kids, I guess.

2-The dining room staff is superb!!! We were a party of 15 and they set it up for the six adults to sit at one table and the 9 kids at the other. Sunny and Jonny did EVERYTHING for them, even poured their ketchup. It was so great, we actually went to dinner every night. We had the late seating (I would not recommend this).

3-We had 2 Category 10 connecting cabins (the secret porthole rooms) on deck 5. I loved them! The location was prime, did not feel the rough water as much as the other members of our party who were on deck 8. Loved having two full baths. We just kept the door open and had as much room as the family in the category 3 at a siginificant savings. We did not even sit on their verandah very much--way too much to do.

4-The shows are excellent. The kids loved them all. And that is saying alot when you put 9 kids under 13 in the same general area.

5-I really liked the seven days. Considering we had 3 days of less than perfect weather, we still had lots of time in the sun.

6-If you have your heart set on doing ANYTHING, book it as early as possible. Book shore excursions before you sail, go right away for spa appointments (although I was able to book a cabana massage of Wed for Fri). That being said, keep in mind that things are always changing. We also booked the wine tasting and the surial bath, but missed both due to many factors. Still had to pay since it was our fault. We did cancel our Palo reservations. So I guess the bottom line is BE FLEXIBLE but also prepared to be disappointed if something is sold out.

7-I did not care for St Marteen, would book an excursion next time. There are great buys on jewelry, but if you are not in the market for a $5,000 bracelet, then it is not worth it. Very poor and crowded, dogs laying in the street, people approaching you for hair braiding, taxis, etc. St Thomas was beautiful, went to Megen's Bay on our own. Perfect day!

OK--I guess I just wrote a mini trip report. Keep in mind, these are only my opinions and others may feel differently.

 

[mmouse37]

We are in the process of planning our 10th DCL cruise for early next year.....we were on the original maiden voyage of the Magic back in July of '98 and my kids pretty much graduated through all the kids clubs. They are all teens now and the two older ones who are 18 & 19 just love participating in all the adult activites.

I have cruised other lines and my 15 year old went with a friends family to Bermuda on Carnival this past summer and did enjoy it very much (she missed some things about Disney), but my two older ones have not cruised other lines. They are asking to try something different for comparison but I need to get one more DCL cruise under my belt!!! I am starting to go thru withdrawal!

We have always enjoyed the Disney experience at WDW and have found that the cruise is much more relaxing than our trips to WDW. Less rushing, not standing in line dying of the heat, etc. We still love WDW but will now only go in the cooler months.

MJ