First Disney Cruise with little kids

[Tmorte]

I have three little ones and have NEVER been on a Disney Cruise before. Our kids will be 4, 6 and 8 months when we go. We aren't too sure if we want to bring an 8 month old on the cruise. When we planned our cruise our little one was not born yet and he was a surprise adoption and has blessed our lives greatly. Because of this... we don't know if we should post-pone or not. We were going to be in the Family Deluxe Oceanview Verandah. We understand that there two room bathrooms in the room. Does anyone know if a pack-n-play would fit in the bathroom with the tub and sink? Has anyone done this before? Any thoughts on an 8 month old on the cruise? Thank you everyone!

 

[AshleeH]

I haven't been on the Fantasy, but the Wonder would not be able to fit a pack-n-play in the bathroom - and I don't think you'd really want it in there. However, it did fit perfectly in the space between the door to the verandah and the bunks (without blocking the door). We left it there all week and it was never in the way for us or our steward (we checked to make sure). In fact, our steward "decorated" with our daughter's stuffed animals in a different way every night, which I thought was adorable.

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

I have three little ones and have NEVER been on a Disney Cruise before. Our kids will be 4, 6 and 8 months when we go. We aren't too sure if we want to bring an 8 month old on the cruise. When we planned our cruise our little one was not born yet and he was a surprise adoption and has blessed our lives greatly. Because of this... we don't know if we should post-pone or not. We were going to be in the Family Deluxe Oceanview Verandah. We understand that there two room bathrooms in the room. Does anyone know if a pack-n-play would fit in the bathroom with the tub and sink? Has anyone done this before? Any thoughts on an 8 month old on the cruise? Thank you everyone!

You want to put the pack n play in the bathroom???? No, the pack n play will not fit in the bathroom.

I haven't cruised with an 8 month old. My DS turned a year old on our first Disney cruise. We had a great time. I loved the tub for DS. He didn't sleep in the pack n play (we co-sleep), but he played in there everyday. I also loved the diaper genie. We are cruising to Alaska on DCL next year when DS is 2 y/o and I'm super excited.

Good luck with whatever you decide. Enjoy your cruise.

 

[MunFam]

First of all congratulations on your new addition!

Would I want to cruise with an 8 month old? No, not at all. There is so much to see and do on a Disney Cruise and the few families that were on our Panama Canal Cruise with infants said they regretted bringing them because they felt like they missed so much because the kiddos were always napping during the activities during the day, when they skipped the baby was melting down. One parent was always stuck back in the room and if one kid wanted to go to one thing and the other kid wanted to go somewhere else...well, too bad. They could not go in to the shows...or if they did they were stuck in the back in case the baby got fussy, the deck parties were too noisy, if the baby started crying in the MDR one parent missed dinner. It just was not an environment for an infant, where parents could enjoy themselves (especially for the price!).

I think the ideal age for a kid on a Disney Cruise is when they are past the nap stage and are independent of parents...as in, willing to go to the clubs, meet characters without being afraid, interact with the cast and crew...etc. DD was 4.5 and it was the perfect age. Everything was magical to her. She went from sun up to 10pm every day without naps or meltdowns, she understood the concept of waiting our turn in lines for characters, she just loved it all.

If you are just going for a "vacation" and not for a Disney experience per se any age would be great, but if you want to see it all and do it all, my opinion is that the kiddos need to be a bit older.

 

[clemsonlongs]

Our next cruise in April 2016 will be with our 3 little ones (6, 3 1/2, 8 mo). We took our first cruise in Sept 2014 when our oldest two were 4 and almost 2. We did daily naps with the youngest in the room and my husband and I alternated staying with her while the other took the oldest around to various activities (or she rested too). We booked another cruise onboard and had to change it when we found out (surprise!) that we were pregnant again. I saw plenty of infants in the 6+month range onboard and, honestly, it seemed like the toddler crew had more meltdowns than the infants.

My husband and I are not ones who need to be constantly on the go so having some downtime in the afternoons to rest is not the worst thing in the world. We did sail concierge on our first 4 night sailing and are booked to do the same this coming 7 night sailing so my only experience with pack n play placement is in slightly larger rooms. I will tell you that my kids slept better on the cruise after moving around all day than they do at home and they were ready to crash after a busy day. I'm hoping the 8 mo old will do the same!

I am normally a super organized trip planner but cruising has relaxed me a bit. I've already glanced at a few "traveling with infant" posts on this board and have some ideas on how to manage with an infant.

I'm sure things will go well for your family too. Just don't set your expectations too high and know you are going to enjoy some downtime in room...that's why you paid for a verandah to enjoy!

 

[Weedy]

The bathrooms are not big enough for the pack and play. they are just slightly larger than an airplane bathroom lol.
You may want to look into booking 2 connecting inside staterooms. I know the balconies are great but this would give you a little more flexibility for naps.
By the way we put our daughter and her pack and play in a closet when we rented a condo at the beach one time. Lol

 

[cheermom2four]

I think the ideal age for a kid on a Disney Cruise is when they are past the nap stage and are independent of parents...as in, willing to go to the clubs, meet characters without being afraid, interact with the cast and crew...etc. DD was 4.5 and it was the perfect age. Everything was magical to her. She went from sun up to 10pm every day without naps or meltdowns, she understood the concept of waiting our turn in lines for characters, she just loved it all.

YIKES! If I waited till my 4 year old wasnt afraid of characters (in person that is) then I'd never make it on a cruise. Halloween in our house sucks because she just doesnt like to see people dressed up and freaks (yep there is no visiting santa or easter bunny LOL). She has gotten a little better though if I'm holding her and we are at a distance and I'm hoping by next year when we take her on our sept 3rd cruise she will at least stand near the princesses. I wouldnt take a child younger though as I'm like ops in the fact I like to go go go and my little mini me is the same way and over the nap stuff.

 

[coloradocutie]

Congrats on your new addition!

We frequently use the bathroom as a makeshift nursery when traveling but the bathrooms on the ship aren't that big. We have taken both of our little ones on cruises when just a few months old and we adjusted our expectations accordingly and had a wonderful time. We would bring a monitor and while the little one was sleeping, one or both of us would hang out and read on the verandah. I love traveling with the little ones and feel that it is rich for the entire family to be together in a new environment, but with the infants, we just took it easy. No excursions. We just enjoyed the ship and made sure that every day there was nap time to keep everyone happy! The 4 and 6 year olds are such a great age. We just returned and we found that our 6 year old was taking a daily nap with the little one because she was having such a great time during the day!

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[pgroom48]

Everyone had answered the bathroom question. So to address the age. We've been taking our kids since they were 3 months (prior to the change in policy) and never had an issue and would absolutely do it. That being said we don't so the port intensive cruises yet like Alaska or the Med bc I want them to get more out of those for the cost. When it was Bahamas or EC it was fine. We are flexible people so we took a stroller and when they needed to nap we put them in the stroller and went about our day. The nursery is also great to get some adult time.

 

[Tmorte]

I love everyone's replies!!! Thank you so much. 8 almost cancelled last month and have had a REALLY hard time because it is the five night cruise from California to Mexico in October! We jumped on it last year when it was a HUGE sale! We got a Family Deluxe Verandah for only $3500 for a family of five! But we weren't sure if bringing an 8 month old would be hard, worth it, etc... But we just couldn't let go of what a good deal we got for a Disney Cruise.