Have you or would you cruise with just you, your spouse and your only child?

[monica9]

Want to cruise a 7 night but it will be just me, DH and DD5. She is sort of shy but so used to being in camps, school, sports,etc that going into the kids room will be fine. I just hope she has fun. NO one will vacation with us at the time we are going or our second choice of time to go (Sept/Oct or Jan/Feb). So its just us. We did a norwegian cruise with our daughter when she was just 24 months old and it go boring at the end since she screamed when we put her in the kids room for the 1/2 hour the one time we tried and she was too small to do most things. She was scared of the water at that time too. She now loves the water, will need use to hold her or a life jacket but loves it. Will go into play room but might take a while to warm up to other kids. I just don't know if we should do a 7 night or 4 night since its just her by herself.

 

[Silver Queen]

We cruise with our only child when he was young and it was fine. Back then there was no DCL and we cruised on RCCL instead of the Big Red Boat. We were happy staying together as a family, but it was a short cruise and the kid's programs on RCCL were not exciting. If were were in the same boat now we would certainly go with an only child and play it by ear. There's plenty for children to do whether they are in kid's programs or with their parents.

 

[Samar]

I would do the 4 night just to test the waters (pun intended) so to speak. Then if she does well, then look into longer cruises The good thing about Disney cruises is that they're way more child-oriented than other cruise lines so hopefully this shorter cruise will go off without a hitch and she won't want to leave the ship

 

[MDTerp]

We have cruised with our only child on 6 DCL cruises, with #7 set for next month. Our daughter looks forward to making new friends each trip. Her first cruise was when she was 10 years old.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Much of the time they do structures activities with the kids in the club and they're listed in the Navigator so your DD can pick what she wants to go to the club for. The cast members are awesome at getting to know the kids and making them feel welcome too.
You'll have fun hanging out together at the pools, movies, and visiting beaches at the ports too.
Yes! Go!

 

[ladyj0212]

Our family has always cruised alone. On our last two cruises our daughter was the only child, and she had a blast in the nursery and then when she was old enough, the kids club. The counselors do an excellent job of keeping the children entertained and making the more timid ones feel comfortable and at home. Our next cruise will be the first cruise that she will have her baby sister...and even then, they will be separate because our youngest will be almost two, and our first born will be six.. I think you guys will be just fine.

 

[Meghatron]

Our first cruise was just me, DH, and DD (21m in the nursery). Second cruise was just me and DH (honeymoon). Third cruise was again going to be just the three of us (still pregnant with DS) but my BFF got a room solo last minute because she desperately needed a vacation. DD had no trouble in the clubs as an only child. Our cruise in May will be the first one wherein DD is coming onboard with playmates (her cousins).

 

[intertile]

We just did our first disney cruise on the fantasy this past January. Myself, DW, and DD(5). My DD has declared that "Disney Boat" is her favorite vacation. The kids clubs are great...even if she is shy, the councelers there are really good with the kids. They will get her involved, and if she is anything like my Daughter will love interacting with all the characters.

There are 2 "kids" pools on the fantasy. The mickey pool is shallow and the kids can play without floats. The Donald pool is deeper and requires a jacket or floaties. There is also a kids slide there, the aquaduck if she is tall enough, and the waterworks play area.

We loved it so much we already rebooked another cruise. If your still unsure you can try a shorter one on the dream, but IMO anything less than 7 days goes by to fast.

Good Luck!

 

[SnowWhite2]

The times you are planning to cruise don't seem to be prime time. That means the kids club will be able to provide more attention to the kids as it won't be so crowded. The main tip I can give you is to make sure your DD goes to the club the first night and the first full day. That is when everyone is new and the counselors take time to make sure everyone gets to meet and break the ice, so to say.

 

[meajuly5]

We sailed in jan and only one dd was eligible for clubs. She loved it and went for at least a but each day. Swam and enjoyed other activities as well

 

[bumbershoot]

Of course. My snap answer is "who else would we cruise with?" but then I remember that the only reason we went on our recent DCL cruise was because my cousin and her family convinced us to go. But...they got us on the ship, and we did spend some time together, but by NO means were they with us the whole time. It just got too chaotic dealing with the different needs of 3 very different children, the needs of different types of couples, and the needs of my aunt, to really be able to coordinate lots of time together.

We would go on a cruise just the three of us in a heartbeat. My son might be an only (he's also homeschooled), but he has a big casual social network via the YMCA, and is very good at making friends and joining groups of kids in play.

I assume your daughter is school-schooled, so she's got that plus the camps going for her. I bet she'd do just as well as DS did during the times that his cousins weren't with him on the ship.

 

[Loriekins]

We have one son, we have done 2 cruises on the Magic, both 7 night. He was 9 & 10. He doesn't do the kids clubs & had a ton to do to keep him busy both cruises. He went through the Navigators each night to see what he wanted to do the next day. We have to travel so far to get on the ships that doing less that a 7 night isn't worth it for us.

 

[monica9]

Thanks for all the help! Its good to hear such positive experiences. I guess I just picture other kids having their siblings with them and her having no one but I'm sure there's many other kids that are only children or have a big age gap with their siblings. I guess I worry because I played by myself when I went on a cruise with my parents when I was 8. My sisters are 7 years older than me and I was shy. My daughter is by no means like me so I know she will do fine. I guess its me picturing my experience. But that was 25 years ago and the children's activities were by no means like they are now!

 

[chrisrunty]

Our only DS (he is 4) is about to go on his 4th Disney Cruise. He has loved it so much and talks about the "Mickey Ship" all the time!

 

[monica9]

Btw, keep the good experiences coming! And all advice is welcome. I've read where another mother found othr families with only children going on the same cruise and contacted them through disboards .maybe that's something I can do.....

 

[chrisrunty]

Btw, keep the good experiences coming! And all advice is welcome. I've read where another mother found othr families with only children going on the same cruise and contacted them through disboards .maybe that's something I can do.....

I always put in a dining request for a 6 top table with a family with another small child. So far on my past cruises my request has been fulfilled. DS has become friends with the other kid and makes it more fun.

 

[monica9]

I always put in a dining request for a 6 top table with a family with another small child. So far on my past cruises my request has been fulfilled. DS has become friends with the other kid and makes it more fun.

Awesome! Love that idea!

 

[cleophus12]

We have 1 dd who is now 20. We have cruised regularly since she was 5. We started with a 5 day and graduated to 7 days immediately. We have never taken a friend because of the cost and she is fine with that. We have good family time together. She has gone to kids clubs sparingly and that is okay with us. We are glad to do things with her. We have chosen ships that have plenty for all ages and have never been bored--quite the opposite in fact. She wants to do everything. I can't imagine your only child being bored on dcl. Have fun.

 

[PrincessAbby'sMom]

We will be cruising for the first time in April... It will be me, hubby & 12yr old daughter. And I know she won't go in the clubs! But to me it's some wonderful family time!

 

[cleophus12]

We also request a large table and have usually been placed with a family who has someone her age.