For those of you who have cruised with a 4 year old

[cinmell]

We are thinking of heading to WDW next October and we're now considering part WDW part DCL for the vacation. At the time of the vacation, our daughter will be one month shy of four years old. We are not sure if she would enjoy a cruise at this age. If you have travelled on a cruise with a 3 or 4 year old child, did they enjoy it? Did you? We are thinking she may enjoy it when she is a bit older.

 

[nedleycan]

Yes, he enjoyed it (1 month short of 4 as well!)
Yes, we enjoyed it.
Yes, he would have enjoyed it more if he was older. I am looking forward to November when he will be two months short of 5. His sister was 5.5 last year and really got into it, and I know she will like it even more this year.
If you think this will be the one and only cruise, I would wait one more year, if not, go for it! One thing that we noticed was that the Kid's Club for 3-4 year olds was pretty babyish. This year we are going to request that DS can go into the 5-7 group with his sister. He is pretty coordinated for his age and has been in Montessori school since he was 2.5, so that might have been the reason, but I thought the activities were more suited to 2-3 year olds.
Have fun, whatever you decide!

 

[walczak4]

My husband & I went on our first DCL last Sept with our then 3 yr old daughter. She had a BLAST and still talks about "Mickey's Ship" and asks when we can go back. She liked being in the kids club but usually only lasted for an hour or two. I think this had more to do with the fact that she would much rather be out playing in the pools than inside. She did surprisingly well at brakfast & dinner and LOVED our servers (they did spoil her quit a bit). Lunches we usually had at topsiders. She also loved the shows at night & the fact that she got to go to a movie theater to see Lilo & Stitch! One thing that she didn't like very much is going off the ship for excursions. She would have had much more fun just staying on the ship. If your daughter still takes naps I would recommend getting a room with a verandah if at all possible. This way one of you can sit out on the verandah and enjoy the view while she is asleep.

We now have an 8 month old son and I just booked a 7 night cruise for Feb 2005 when he will be 2 years old. I can't wait to see how he enjoys the cruise.

 

[Melrosgirl]

we traveled with our (then) 4 year old on a 7 night Princess cruise last year. She loved it. Princess had a terrific kids' program, so that helped a lot.

We did the Disney Wonder earlier this year and of course, she loved that, too.

 

[Masonpips]

My DD was 3.75 and loved it. She had no problems going to the clubs, told us about it afterwards (i.e. "Mickey came to see us!") and looked forward to going back.

She LOVED the Mickey pool; she loved Hercules and Disney Dreams. She loved Bingo (lol) and ordering food at dinners.

We are headed back in 3 weeks (OMG) and she'll be 4.75 and she is SO excited to go. I have one of the screensavers on my home computer and she happened to walk in last Saturday when the ship was on and she yelled "THERE's THE MICKEY BOAT".

You will not regret it - I promise!

 

[jel0511]

DD was 4 1/2 when we took our Wonder cruise last year and still talks about it. She keeps asking when we're going back, and it's next year and she can't wait!!! She LOVED the clubs and is SO excited to be getting back on the "Mickey Boat".

 

[crazy4cruises]

We have cruised twice with our 4 year old. He absolutely loves it. Don't wait too long, or you will miss out on seeing the excitement over the characters. My DS gives them all big hugs everytime he sees them. He also loves the kids club. Every night after dinner, he begged to stay longer. In my opinion, there is not a better age!

 

[sandygirl]

Our DD was 3 yrs 4 mths...4 yrs 4 mths...and 5 yrs 4 mths on each of our 3 Disney Cruises. Each year she enjoyed something different. Each year she was wonderful and had a wonderful, magical experience. She will turn 7 on our next cruise (how did we miss 6???)

Go, and enjoy this magical time in your child's life!

 

[cinmell]

Thank you so much for your responses, they really helped me . Have a great day!

 

[Tay N Evie's Mom]

We took our twins for their 3rd birthday's, and again at 3 1/2 and 4. They were all wonderful vacations and they ask frequently when we can go on the "Mickey Boat" again. We have cruise #4 planned for next August. Our kids cried when we would try to pick them up from the clubs. Before I planned our first cruise I also thought we should wait until they were older, but then decided that we could still get a taste of WDW on a smaller scale-if there's a tantrum or burn out we're only an elevator ride from the cabin vs. in the back of one of the parks, easier access to the characters and no worries about if our kids would be tall enough or brave enough for the rides. You won't be sorry if you plan a DCL vacation.