Ideal age - is 6 months + 2.5 years enjoyable?

[jenc842]

Hi everyone! We had our first DCL experience on the dream with our first daughter, who was 1 years old at the time. It was a top notch experience, but to be honest it was quite tiring and not as enjoyable for us since she was still crawling and just getting used to table foods. DCL made it much easier though with all the baby amenities.

Now that we're expecting a second kid, we're considering going when one is 2.5 and the other is 6-7ish months old. Anyone have experience with these two ages, or one or the other? Do siblings make it easier? We're really wrestling with this decision because we are DYINGGGGG for a vacation, but it'll be an expensive trip and we are a little scarred from the first difficult cruise. We are bringing grandparents along this time which adds to the price tag, but also helps alleviate some of the babysitting

Would you go at these ages or wait longer?

 

[YayDisney]

I guess the answer depends on who wants the Disney experience and whether you are set on cruising. If you and your spouse love Disney and will be the ones enjoying the extra Disney touches, then I can understand, but even with the grandparents around, i think it might be going to be more hectic than the first time. If it is for the kids, I personally would wait a bit. Ultimately, the kids wont remember it and although the 2.5 one will probably really enjoy seeing familiar Disney characters, she will probably be just as happy on any vacation. I love Beaches - the one in Turks and Caicos is pure heaven on earth and has Sesame Street characters and shows and many kids amenities. It is priced in the same vicinity as DCL. If you are just looking for some time off in a beautiful setting and it doesn't "have to" be Disney, you might consider this as a perhaps more restful option. You won't have to contend with different ports, potential motion sickness etc. . .

 

[hardis5]

We did when the youngest was 18 mos and he turned 3 years old on-board his second time out. Last year he had a blast in the 3+ clubs at 5 years old (had a hard time getting him out of the kids spaces and if he had his way, we would have dropped him off at 9 am and picked him up just before midnight each day) and this fall, he cannot wait to get back on (and to him will always be) Mickey's boat and the kids spaces.

IMHO your then older one will likely enjoy the lab/club spaces which will take off some pressure and you having been through one sailing (and knowing what to expect) if planned as a family vacation with the grandparents, you should have a great time. Planning out 2.5+ years is hard to do and you are still a ways from being able to book but if the situation changes as the time nears when booked (not being PIF) you can always change your mind and cancel.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

I absolutely would NOT plan a cruise until your child is born and you know what it is like to parent two kids. It is a whole new ballgame.

 

[tomjude]

Agree with above. 2 kids is a new ball game. Personally, I would not be happy taking an infant and the 2 yr old won't remember a thing. And bringing grandparents along may not be as much fun as you might imagine (for the grandparents) no matter how much they enjoy their grandchildren. I would personally wait until your children were considerably older, potty trained, and at least have some hope of remembering the trip. If you and your spouse want a vacation, and it is possible to leave the kids behind, have Grandpa and Grandma come to the house, if possible, so that all amenities for the little ones are within arm's reach and the kids are in their comfort zone and you can enjoy a vacation for two? Just my 2 cents.

 

[Chemist]

There is nothing restful about traveling with young children.

That being said, I have lots of friends who have traveled all over the world with their kids happily.
We travel (fly) all over the place to visit Grandparents and have never found the experience relaxing.

We did VERY few vacations (as opposed to family obligations) when our kids were under 5! Our 3 year old has been on ONE vacation, and he reminded us why we stopped traveling--he doesn't sleep.
Kids generally sleep so much better at home.

 

[Ofinn]

I have 2 boys 17 months apart. We didnt start traveling until they were 5 and 6. Just being at home with them at that age was exhausting. Its the only time in my life I looked forward to going to work. My 13 hour shift at the hospital was like a vacation.
I will say I admire people that can handle traveling with 2 babies because Im not one of them. The best ages are 5-12. Now Im finding out that teenagers and their hormonal mood swings are no picinic either

 

[Colgal77]

We went on a 7 day disney cruise when my son was 10 months and my daughter was 24 months. We went since it was a family trip my parents were taking everyone on. Both age groups are too small for the kids club. We did put them in the paid nursery a couple of times but the cost added up pretty quickly. At that time we rushed to the adults only pool and had a drink. In all honesty, if hubby and I were planning a trip with the kids at that age we likely would not have picked a disney cruise. Don't get me wrong, we loved it but it was far from a relaxing vacation with two little ones. I would have waited until there were old enough and confident enough to be in the kids club to allow them some time to play and the adults to have some down time.

 

[Colgal77]

I should add its not the baby I would be concerned with bc with sleeping, etc that age is pretty good to travel with. Its the almost 3 year old who would require 24/7 entertaining.

 

[Drusilla99]

The first cruise we took our girls on they were 4 & 2.5. It was on carnival, so the plus there was they could both go in the kids club together, no problem. If I had had to split them up, or pay for the nursery, we wouldn't have gone. It was a fun trip, but the cruises are much more enjoyable now that they are older. Hanging out in my stateroom everyday for a couple of hours for nap time isn't super fun. They next cruise was Disney when they were 4 & 7 and that was much, much better!

 

[MSPeeler]

I should add its not the baby I would be concerned with bc with sleeping, etc that age is pretty good to travel with. Its the almost 3 year old who would require 24/7 entertaining.

THIS! I could not agree more. It is SO exhausting and not a relaxing vacation at all IMO.

 

[GoofyDisneyDaddy]

Not ideal at all. But, up to you. It will still be fun in ways.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

The first trip we took with our kids (well, only one then) our daughter was 1 year old and I was 4 months pregnant. Flew to London to visit my sister for a couple of weeks.

Then there was the road trip from southern CA to South Dakota and back with a 6 month old and a 2 year old.

Also flew to St Louis and rented a car for a two week vacation with a, then, 2 1/2 year old and a 4 year old.

Not to mention that we started camping (tent camping not in an RV) after having #3 child when he was about 9 months old (older kids were 5 & 6 1/2). Did that twice a year for the next 10-12 years. Not so much traveling together once the kids got into high school (they had too many other things they wanted to be doing).

 

[ldo]

you will be at an awkward stage for the next few years. If you wait til the 2.5 is older, the baby will be older and getting to tough travel age. The sweet spot will be at 3 and 5. Before that, it's really a roll of the dice, and the how your older child handles travel, sleeping in strange place, etc. We took twins at 18 mths old. It was fun, but not a vacation for me (Mom) at all. Will your 2.5 yr old sit thru dinner? Enjoy the nursey, or be too old for it? Will she enjoy some Disney movies in the theater, or not be able to sit thru that, or be scared or the dark (although they do have some 8:30am family movies with the lights on). If you manage your expectations, it might be OK. I would also not worry much about a 6 mth old--sort of the perfect travel age. One thing we did was odd man out for dinner, with each adult responsible for a night or two. They could eat at the buffet (when it was open), order room service, or eat in dining room, with the understanding that they would leave with the toddler if he got restless. That way, everyone got most of the dinners and no one was anxious about our toddlers at dinner. That worked very well. We also picked a cruise with a lot of port stops, and got off the boat and to the beach for toddler to be able to play in the sand or just walk around in Cozumel with the stroller. That worked well also. I think there is now Open house at the LAb, in which you could also take the 2.5 yr old to explore on some days. I don't know if they allow that young at open house. Maybe someone else will comment. Sorry, no easy answer. It depends....

 

[disneyholic family]

i don't know about cruising, but we went to disney world when our son was 6 weeks old and our daughter 2.5 years old...
it was kind of a present for our daughter - birth of her baby brother present...
6 weeks old was very easy to travel with (airplane, hotel, WDW, etc).....
but i'm not sure how easy 6 months would be when they're a lot more active and demanding...

i'm trying to remember how old they were on the next trip...i think he was about a year old and she was 3.5....
we always had an easy time traveling with kids - even traveling halfway around the world....
but our kids were extremely easy kids....not overly active.....and that makes a huge difference in ease of travel...

 

[DisneyWishes14]

When children are that age, you go on a trip, not a vacation.

We did our first DCL cruise when DS was 3.5. Thank goodness we brought our babysitter along, because DS was cranky and in meltdown mode the entire time. He just did not adjust well to the ship. If we hadn't brought her, it would have been a complete disaster. With her help, DH and I were finally able to get some time to relax. My favorite memory from that trip was taking a nap on CC. That's how desperate I was to get some time to myself. For the first few years of his life, we never went on any trips without a babysitter or grandparent with us. It cost a fortune, but it was worth it as it was the only way we could get any semblance of a vacation.

If you have grandparents going with you, I would do it. I never understood the argument of not traveling with children that age because they won't remember it. YOU will remember it and it sounds like you need a vacation. Book the trip, bring extra adults and try to get some moments to yourself to relax and have a vacation.

 

[TinkLoverSam]

I just flew home to with my 13 month old. It was his tenth flight (5th round trip) as long as you're prepared it can be relatively easy but then again I only have one child. I will say the flight we took with him at 7 weeks old to wdw was both the longest and the easiest due to his age.

 

[DCLDVC1]

I wouldn't hesitate to go especially since you have grandparents going. My youngest was Gold before he turned 3 and each cruise was enjoyable (no grandparents or babysitter). It will be what you make of it.

 

[jahber]

We sailed when my third was 6 months and he was very very easy. He didn't sleep through the night (ugh), but my husband took him during the day so I could nap. It worked great. He napped in the stroller and was pretty content to sit in his high chair at dinner. When he got fussy, I nursed him. We actually cruised twice for a total of 15 days right when he turned 6 months. We happened to have friends on the first cruise and the mom was delighted to hold the baby whenever I needed her to at dinner.

Next month we are sailing again and he will be 2.5-ish and kid #4 will be 6 months, so exactly your situation (well, OK, plus two more kids, but they are 9 and 12, so they basically take care of themselves on a cruise ). A friend of ours is coming along and she loves my kiddos, so she has offered to watch the baby or the toddler on occasion so I can nap again. Naps are my current life goal right now, as a homeschooling mom with four kids . We also took a road trip when kid #3 was 1.5. We ended up leaving that trip a day early, driving home overnight because the kid wouldn't sleep. 1 year old was a challenge compared to 6 months!!! Ha! But anyway, we travel. It's what we do. I had two surprise babies a little later in life (I'm 38), so I'm not putting my life on hold any more than I have to. And for me, I'll either be home with four kids, cooking all the meals, cleaning up after 6 people, and teaching the bigs and chasing the littles...OR, I can be on a cruise. It's a no-brainer.

All that said, we can't afford DCL anymore (especially now that we are 6), so we will be on the Freedom of the Seas. It's a bit different, but they also offer child care for littles, so we will make it works.

 

[drea21]

The last time we did a DCL my daughter was 3.5 and son was 10 months and we had a blast! I agree with the previous poster that it is a trip, a getaway, but not a relaxing vacation. Even though there isn't much relaxing, getting out of the everyday chaos at home feels amazing! The only thing I would consider in your case is waiting until your older one is 3 and can enjoy the kids clubs. My daughter loved them at 3.5, so much so that we said we would wait to cruise again until my son was also 3. We are going in Feb when they are 4 and 6 and while I know it is going to be a much more relaxing vacation than our last cruise, I wouldn't trade those memories for the world.

We have also gone to WDW 1-2 times a year since they were both infants and multiple other trips requiring flights or long car trips (always fly to Disney). I guess it depends on the kid, but I find that ours adapt to whatever we throw at them. You just need to keep your expectations in check, and be realistic that it isn't going to be like a pre- kids trip. We've found that the adults seem to have more meltdowns than the kids do ;-)