For Families Thinking of Cruising with Young Children

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

We could only utilise the kids spaces during open house

And in our situation (due to disabilities and such) I did not have another person I could swap standing in line with and watching the kids.

I did have an absolutely magical time on the cruise. I just felt like I didn’t get my money’s worth because of all the things we had to miss (and I also do take responsibility for not doing more research and planning!) for example we paid for the shows and I only got about ten minutes of golden Mickey’s before my little one started fussing and we had to leave, and I came to a realisation then that my child is not capable of watching a show yet.

You keep saying you missed out and didnt get your moneys worth. Having been on the same cruise as you, I'm at a loss as to try to figure things ou.

Which dining time did you have? I had early dining and only went to one show, Beauty and the Beast.

Did you do Midship Detective Agency?

Did you go to D Lounge and do the family events like Crafts, or just go there when there was no events on, and the little ones could just have some play time by themselves? Did you do Annas Scavenger hunt, they had the paper and pens at guest services one of the days?

Disney provide Its A Small World Nursey specifically for parents like you who have under 3's, so that you can have some adult time and a break.

Disney provide the secure kids clubs. Did you see all the activities listed on the App for Oceaneer Club and Lab? Things like Stitches Space Goo, where Stitch comes into the kids club and plays with the kids and they make slime???

Did you do the photo op with Cinderellas shoe in the Atrium? They had it out and anyone could take a photo with it?

These are just some of the things off the top of my head that I did or saw on the App that you could have done with a 4 year old.

You say you didnt get your moneys worth, but the thing with Disney cruises is theres so much going on, that no one does everything in just a 5 day cruise.

For example, this was my second time on The Dream. On last years cruise I didnt get to go on the waterslide and on this cruise I only got to do it once. Yes I missed out on doing it, yes I paid for it, so to use your logic, I didnt get my moneys worth.

I didnt go to any of the adult entertainment in the bars each night, again another thing that I paid for so to use your logic, I didnt get my moneys worth.

You keep saying you didnt do this that or the other, so what did you do?

Did you find the beach and parks in La Coruna?

Did you find the childrens playground in Vigo?

 

[Skippyboo]

If I remember correctly from my Fantasy cruise last year, the stateroom tv had previously taped performances of the shows on the ship that you could watch.

 

[Dailymeel]

You keep saying you missed out and didnt get your moneys worth. Having been on the same cruise as you, I'm at a loss as to try to figure things ou.

Which dining time did you have? I had early dining and only went to one show, Beauty and the Beast.

Did you do Midship Detective Agency?

Did you go to D Lounge and do the family events like Crafts, or just go there when there was no events on, and the little ones could just have some play time by themselves? Did you do Annas Scavenger hunt, they had the paper and pens at guest services one of the days?

Disney provide Its A Small World Nursey specifically for parents like you who have under 3's, so that you can have some adult time and a break.

Disney provide the secure kids clubs. Did you see all the activities listed on the App for Oceaneer Club and Lab? Things like Stitches Space Goo, where Stitch comes into the kids club and plays with the kids and they make slime???

Did you do the photo op with Cinderellas shoe in the Atrium? They had it out and anyone could take a photo with it?

These are just some of the things off the top of my head that I did or saw on the App that you could have done with a 4 year old.

You say you didnt get your moneys worth, but the thing with Disney cruises is theres so much going on, that no one does everything in just a 5 day cruise.

For example, this was my second time on The Dream. On last years cruise I didnt get to go on the waterslide and on this cruise I only got to do it once. Yes I missed out on doing it, yes I paid for it, so to use your logic, I didnt get my moneys worth.

I didnt go to any of the adult entertainment in the bars each night, again another thing that I paid for so to use your logic, I didnt get my moneys worth.

You keep saying you didnt do this that or the other, so what did you do?

Did you find the beach and parks in La Coruna?

Did you find the childrens playground in Vigo?

I apologise if I came across super negative. I only truly meant to share my experience for those who may not be able to cruise as often, and to hold back and cruise with older children so they don’t get to miss out on shows, dining, etc.

I’m not saying that the cruise sucked or had nothing to do. Just that we struggled as a family to manage the schedules. We ultimately did have a magical time but if I could have a redo, I would absolutely wait a few more years.

I understand traveling as a solo adult, you can do as little or as much as you want in your plans. But traveling with young children is just an entirely different ball game. It also sounds like you were able to cruise frequently, so the post was not really meant for frequent cruisers. I did say in my main post this was more for families with young children who may only get the chance to cruise once or very rarely, who have really young children.

To answer a few of your questions: I did mention in main posts we didn’t want to leave the kids. We tried all sorts of activities but couldn’t finish any of them. midship detective was too hard for them, especially for mine who were never introduced to any sort of video game.

If you only got to have one trip, and you missed all the shows, couldn’t participate in trivias, couldn’t watch the movies, couldn’t get on the aqueduct, couldn’t enjoy pools due to high winds, or even finish your dinner sometimes, would you have still felt that it was worth your year’s holiday budget?

All I really wanted to get across was that if I had known better/done my research more, we would have chosen a different holiday and revisited the cruise when the children are a bit older and can manage more complicated schedules.

Ps I did enjoy seeing your trip report. Maybe I should ditch the kids next time (joking)

 

[Dailymeel]

If I remember correctly from my Fantasy cruise last year, the stateroom tv had previously taped performances of the shows on the ship that you could watch.

Yes but it’s on a bit too late, my children couldn’t manage late bedtimes. It’s my fault really for not doing more research.

 

[Mags2002]

Yes but it’s on a bit too late, my children couldn’t manage late bedtimes. It’s my fault really for not doing more research.

You still could have watched the shows in the room while the kids were sleeping, at least you wouldn’t have missed out on seeing she shows.
It seems a lot of the concerns you raised about waiting or having not much to do could have been avoided if you had tried the kids clubs. They also potentially would have seen a lot of characters while they were in there, solving that problem too

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

If you only got to have one trip, and you missed all the shows, couldn’t participate in trivias, couldn’t watch the movies, couldn’t get on the aqueduct, couldn’t enjoy pools due to high winds, or even finish your dinner sometimes, would you have still felt that it was worth your year’s holiday budget?

Actually I did a similar trip to Disneyland Paris in October 2023. It was a multi generation trip, mainly for my 8 year old niece. I was the main planner and organizer. We had 4 days in Disneyland Paris. I missed out on so much, I couldnt go to my favourite restaurant, as one of the party had diet restrictions and the food wasnt suitable. I missed out on the main night time fireworks Castle projections show as I had to bring one of the party back to the hotel as they were tired. I missed out on many of my favorite rides as the focus was on rides that others wanted to do. I missed out on the early opening as the group preferred a big sit down breakfast and I usually just do a coffee and pastry.

I also spent far more on the trip than I wanted to, as we had to go during school half term due to my niece.

But you know what, looking at the videos of my niece meeting Stitch after queueing for 3 hours, or the fact that my sister could chill and relax knowing that I had organised meal reservations, or the fact that my mum had quality time with my niece made the trip. It was not my usual Disney park trip, I came home exhausted, after making sure everyone else had a good time, but in the end it was worth it for the memories.

 

[lanejudy]

All I really wanted to get across was that if I had known better/done my research more, we would have chosen a different holiday and revisited the cruise when the children are a bit older and can manage more complicated schedules.

i personally just missed out on a lot of things i wanted to do due to the nature of traveling with little ones.

I'm sorry you didn't have the cruise experience you expected. I think your edit -- the 2nd quote -- sums it up. However, I do have to ask: what were your expectations? Pretty much everything you've mentioned circles back to the fact you didn't really account for the young children and how that would impact your vacation. That's really a key point regardless of whether this was a once-in-a-lifetime cruise or an annual camping trip or anything in between. DCL really does NOT require a lot of pre-planning, though a little knowledge of the product you are buying is helpful to set expectations. Young children have pretty much the same "needs" whether at home or on vacation -- naps, bed time, meals, attention span, etc. The place for them to "play" was eliminated as an option by your own choice, and that is a big part of what you are paying for with DCL.

Hopefully you'll get a second chance in a few years. You have time to save up for it again.

 

[auntlynne]

You don’t have to apologize for your original post. You are undoubtedly not the first person to have those feelings. And you won’t be the last. But you have armed those who will listen with some useful learned knowledge.

Partly because people hear about these opportunities and think they will be great for the kids.

Read @tvguy ‘s post. He said everything I wanted to post.

Children don’t need expensive vacations. If I did something when I was little, I have no recollection of it. Photos are the only proof.

Give your child a happy family and safety. Treat them with love, encourage their love of learning and observation.

Then take them out into the world when they can pull their own suitcase and use a toilet. If they are fortunate, that window will last 70+ years.

Some families do function well on cruises, at Disney parks… but not all. It takes some introspection to learn what works for your tribe. We are not all cookie cutter duplicates. Even what I say doesn’t apply to a lot of people. The reader gets to listen to opinions and decide what to do. Hopefully, not basing it on pressure or high-pressure marketing.

I would like to think you might get another opportunity to try a cruise again and be fulfilled that you are getting your money’s worth. If that is still a goal. Disney cruises are expensive! And other cruise lines are working their prices up, too.

 

[enzy65]

I do a lot of camping trip with our kids, but this was the first time we had a holiday with scheduled activities by the hour. That was stressful!

I’m sorry your son is mad at you, that must be frustrating! You have a right not to want to babysit. My mum is great with my kids but I’d never hold it against her if she has times when she doesn’t want to look after them.

Thanks for the kind words. They live in TN and I live in IN, going to see them tomorrow. I’m sure they are over being mad, they just won’t speak of it ever again. LOL

 

[auntlynne]

Thanks for the kind words. They live in TN and I live in IN, going to see them tomorrow. I’m sure they are over being mad, they just won’t speak of it ever again. LOL

Where’s the hug icon?

 

[enzy65]

Where’s the hug icon?

Believe it or not I do not use emojis and I’ve never texted I use a simple old flip phone. I still write checks and I don’t even have a debit card. Just call me old school. LOL is about all I know. When my kids email I usually have to look up what they are saying with all the capital letters.

 

[Dailymeel]

I'm sorry you didn't have the cruise experience you expected. I think your edit -- the 2nd quote -- sums it up. However, I do have to ask: what were your expectations?

Thank you - I think the previous posts digressed a bit from my main point.

This is a good question and again, i take full responsibility for not planning well enough and not doing my research! I just really wanted to enjoy some shows and eat a nice dinner. My children have been capable of sitting through long dinners in our past experiences *and* I have brought them to watch shows before like the Big Bluey Play and the Julia Donaldson stuff. I honestly just thought they would be ok with it - but it was late, the ship was overwhelming and they were so tired, they couldn’t handle it.

my other expectation was just a place to play/climb/run around where I could also be there with them. (Specifically on sea days)

 

[Dailymeel]

You don’t have to apologize for your original post. You are undoubtedly not the first person to have those feelings. And you won’t be the last. But you have armed those who will listen with some useful learned knowledge.

Partly because people hear about these opportunities and think they will be great for the kids.

Read @tvguy ‘s post. He said everything I wanted to post.

Children don’t need expensive vacations. If I did something when I was little, I have no recollection of it. Photos are the only proof.

Give your child a happy family and safety. Treat them with love, encourage their love of learning and observation.

Then take them out into the world when they can pull their own suitcase and use a toilet. If they are fortunate, that window will last 70+ years.

Some families do function well on cruises, at Disney parks… but not all. It takes some introspection to learn what works for your tribe. We are not all cookie cutter duplicates. Even what I say doesn’t apply to a lot of people. The reader gets to listen to opinions and decide what to do. Hopefully, not basing it on pressure or high-pressure marketing.

I would like to think you might get another opportunity to try a cruise again and be fulfilled that you are getting your money’s worth. If that is still a goal. Disney cruises are expensive! And other cruise lines are working their prices up, too.

Thank you, for this. My family struggled - we had fun but we struggled especially on sea days.

And I hope so too - I would love to cruise with Disney again!

 

[Dailymeel]

We didn't even take our kids to Disneyland until they were 8 for the very reasons you list. We just felt it was too expensive when they would not be up for being in the park from 6:30 am until 1 am (back when Disneyland was still open that late)
Their first cruise, they were 11 and 15, and their first Disney cruise they were 12 and 16. So I completely see where you are coming from.
And we are also of a different school of thought in that we took our kids on cruises to spend time WITH them, not away from them. Our daughter only went to the kids club once, for an hour for a music trivia contest that she found very disappointing. And my wife and I did do the champagne tasting, so we were away from them for an hour. Other than that, we were together 24/7 for the entire week, hanging out with our kids as their friends, not their mom and dead.
Not that we didn't travel with our kids. Both had frequent flyer cards by age 2, but those trips were all half way across the country to Grandparents and Great Grandparents and immediate family, places where down time was easy to schedule, and you weren't concerned how much you had spent for a park admission that day while your were napping in the hotel room.

I seem to have missed reading your post - we have learned from this experience as well and won’t be going to a park until they’re much older! Our children not big travellers like yours, which is probably why they were overwhelmed on the cruise. I really related to your comment about napping. I felt like my money was literally dripping out of my pocket every minute my child spent snoozing away in the afternoon

 

[auntlynne]

Believe it or not I do not use emojis and I’ve never texted I use a simple old flip phone. I still write checks and I don’t even have a debit card. Just call me old school. LOL is about all I know. When my kids email I usually have to look up what they are saying with all the capital letters.

Okay, Old School. I use emojis to convey that I am trying to be funny, not mean, because tone of voice and a smile don’t always come through my posts. For that matter, I say, “that’s a joke” when talking to my concrete thinker, literal speech family members.

In your case, it’s amazing you are contributing to a forum, then. I hope you use a computer and not a flip phone for this. Otherwise, kudos. I’d give up if I didn’t have the keyboard display on my iPad. Or my posts wouldn’t be short stories.

 

[Mango7100]

OP—you do not need to apologize for your post about your experience. It is your experience and your thoughts. Some people on these boards will nitpick and attack anyone who posts anything that isn’t oozing pixie dust about their personal experience. Your post may help another family in your situation.

 

[enzy65]

Okay, Old School. I use emojis to convey that I am trying to be funny, not mean, because tone of voice and a smile don’t always come through my posts. For that matter, I say, “that’s a joke” when talking to my concrete thinker, literal speech family members.

In your case, it’s amazing you are contributing to a forum, then. I hope you use a computer and not a flip phone for this. Otherwise, kudos. I’d give up if I didn’t have the keyboard display on my iPad. Or my posts wouldn’t be short stories.

Yes I use an iPad, much better than a laptop. My husband thinks I need a smart phone, but I don’t want one. I was so sad when they took away the phone call feature in my 12 year old Buick, but I don’t think Bluetooth hooks up to an old flip phone. Maybe some day I’ll change.

 

[PAGA2003]

We could only utilise the kids spaces during open house

And in our situation (due to disabilities and such) I did not have another person I could swap standing in line with and watching the kids.

I did have an absolutely magical time on the cruise. I just felt like I didn’t get my money’s worth because of all the things we had to miss (and I also do take responsibility for not doing more research and planning!) for example we paid for the shows and I only got about ten minutes of golden Mickey’s before my little one started fussing and we had to leave, and I came to a realisation then that my child is not capable of watching a show yet.

I'm glad you still had a good time though I know it would be hard to spend that kind of money and not have the experience you were hoping for! And I hope you didn't find my post critical I just wasn't sure if you knew about the opportunities offered in the club/lab and that you could share line waiting duties

I appreciate that you still tried to find the silver lining even though it didn't go as planned! I'll be honest i have a friend that had much a similar situation to you but she says it was a horrible vacation. Rather than admit she didn't research and ask enough questions as well as expecting her children to magicaly behave differently on the cruise than they do at home she just wanted to blame Disney. She actually said she doesn't think DCL is made with young children in mind which blew my mind! It really is just all about individual expectations which is why many families with young children love it and others don't. I know if we cruised when our children were babies I would have been miserable myself but I also plan and research everything like mad Hopefully your post will help other new cruisers think more critically about the type of experience they want and what they can reasonably expect based on their own family and needs.

 

[Dailymeel]

Okay, Old School. I use emojis to convey that I am trying to be funny, not mean, because tone of voice and a smile don’t always come through my posts. For that matter, I say, “that’s a joke” when talking to my concrete thinker, literal speech family members.

In your case, it’s amazing you are contributing to a forum, then. I hope you use a computer and not a flip phone for this. Otherwise, kudos. I’d give up if I didn’t have the keyboard display on my iPad. Or my posts wouldn’t be short stories.

It’s hard to come across the way you want via text form! We aren’t all professional writers

 

[Dailymeel]

I'm glad you still had a good time though I know it would be hard to spend that kind of money and not have the experience you were hoping for! And I hope you didn't find my post critical I just wasn't sure if you knew about the opportunities offered in the club/lab and that you could share line waiting duties

I appreciate that you still tried to find the silver lining even though it didn't go as planned! I'll be honest i have a friend that had much a similar situation to you but she says it was a horrible vacation. Rather than admit she didn't research and ask enough questions as well as expecting her children to magicaly behave differently on the cruise than they do at home she just wanted to blame Disney. She actually said she doesn't think DCL is made with young children in mind which blew my mind! It really is just all about individual expectations which is why many families with young children love it and others don't. I know if we cruised when our children were babies I would have been miserable myself but I also plan and research everything like mad Hopefully your post will help other new cruisers think more critically about the type of experience they want and what they can reasonably expect based on their own family and needs.

I didn’t find it critical at all, i did not know that the club/lab had different things going on like surprise characters, etc. because we only limited to open house times but it was nice to learn that too! I have been enjoying having these conversations, and seeing everyone else’s experiences.

So, thank you to everyone who has replied!

I just added the edit as I didn’t want to seem ungrateful