First Disney Cruise.... BOOKED!

[bibba410]

Well, we finally did it. We booked a Merrytime Cruise out of Galveston on the Disney Wonder for December 2018 (Key West, Nassau, & CC). We are sooooo excited!!! We called & spoke with a couple different castmembers who they were SUPER helpful. DH & I will be traveling with our (at the time) 2.5 year old, so had a lot of questions - all of which were answered & then some!

We thought the first big intro to Disney characters & awesomeness would be ideal on a cruise ship so if our little one gets overwhelemd it isn't a crazy schlep back to the hotel room.

Have you traveled on the Wonder with a little one? If so, how did they take things? Any other advice, tips, hacks, etc that you care to share - I'm all for it! TIA!

 

[mandylovesdisney]

Congrats!!!! This was my first cruise itinerary, only out of Miami! I haven't traveled with a little one, but it will be fun!!

My advice for your first cruise is this: RELAX! Don't try to do everything b/c you will end up exhausted! On my first cruise I made sure I did a ton of research as to how things worked. Mostly b/c I was afraid of cruising...ha! Now I'm an addict!
The Wonder was my first ship and I love her dearly and she will always be special to me

 

[tink1970]

Congrats on your cruise

I think it's super smart of you to take the little one when nap time is an elevator or stair trip away versus a bus trip!

Agree with PP-even if this will be your only cruise, don't stress out trying to do everything. Make sure you know your child's rhythms (eating, napping, etc) and respect those. Even on vacation (or perhaps EVEN MORE) critter functions are important! Try to get the dining time that lines up best with your regular dinner times; don't be afraid to use quick service or room service if (s)he's exhausted and the dining room sit down will seem too long, etc. Even if (s)he doesn't want to nap then "quiet time" during usual nap time is a good idea (although my DD will tell you I would nap and she would watch cartoons!). If you're in a veranda room bring a clip or clothespin to secure the curtains to help with sunlight during nap time. Look at previous Navigators to try to decide if there are adult activities that you and DH would like to do -separately (splitting up child care if he's into that) or together for say Palo or just "couple's time" then you can discuss nursery reservations.

The two most important things is remember to enjoy yourselves and try to keep a schedule (IF of course your child is ON a schedule)

 

[mevelandry]

I don't have kids but I just want to tell you that I teared up a little while watching the princesses interacting with the children at the Princess gathering. The ladies were absolutely amazing. The other characters are amazing as well.

 

[disneyfan888]

Hi there and congrats on your first Disney cruise! You are in for a big treat and be prepared to be hooked for life, lol. We have had the opportunity to do all 4 ships, and have done 2 of the ships with our baby girl. We were on the Wonder in March and our little one loved it. She enjoyed walking around, playing in the Splash area and taking pics with the characters and princesses. She also did very well in the movie theater and shows.
A concern this time around with her was food since she is very picky eating at the moment, but she did very well even if all she wanted was tenders, rice and bread. At one of the rotational dining restaurants they did not have anything she liked and our server was very nice and ordered tenders so she could eat which was very sweet and made the night a lot less stressful.
The Nursery staff is outstanding. They are very sweet with the children and do a phenomenal job taking care of them.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask, glad to help.