Is Disney a good choice?

[jennie99352]

Hi All--

I've been on several message boards and they seem to conflict on how good Disney is. Myself (28) and my mom (55) want to take my 2 kids (will be 3 1/2 and 5 then) in April/May 2005 on a cruise, and we had heard that we would be advised to book Disney early. My mom came up with this idea, with the agreement I'd do the research. A lot of boards have posted unhappy comments about the Disney cruise line and how good it is. Is this just some people that complain a lot, or are my kids really not in a good age group for Disney at that age. Would it be better to wait until they are a few years older? She wanted to do the 3 night land/4 night sea package, but I'm starting to get nervous about the cruise with all the negative comments.

I appreciate any specific comments you might have about kids that age.

 

[saturday97]

My DS5 had a fantastic time last April! We looked at other cruise lines but they can't compete with the "magic" that Disney has to offer. Definately book early.

 

[hydster]

Our kids had such a great time we rebooked for this May. At the time I had an 8,6 and 3 year old and we did the 3 day land / 4 day sea. They loved it! Dont let other's opinions sway you. Some people see problems in EVERYTHING and others see them in NOTHING...opinions are very subjective (mine included) but if you think you and your mom could keep the kids occupied if they hated the kids club and you are willing to change plans to accomodate things that come up when you have kids then I think you and your kids would have a blast. The nice thing about starting small like a 3 or 4 day cruise is that if you all hate it or the kids hate it it isnt very long to withstand it and you can usually find something to keep them entertained. The movie theatre, the characters, the Disney themed shows and of course the pool and food usually will keep any kid entertained. Now if they will love the kids club you wont know but if you dont care if they go or not you can all have a great time.

Also do book early for your best savings (unless you just won the lottery


HTH

Heidi

 

[SandraLee]

I have done the Magic 2 times. Once, DS6 and DD2 and the second time with DS9 and DD4. Both times we all LOVED it! I would say the second time was better because my DD was old enough to enjoy the club. But, it is amazing how much they talk about the cruise. So much more than any other vacation. Just yesterday, my DD said she loved the characters on the ship.

I would go -- especially if you enjoy the time with your Mom. Personally, the cruise is the better part of a land/sea, but I see the need for a park visit, too.

This time, we got off the ship and headed to Animal Kingdom for the day. Stayed at the Poly for Sat night and headed home on Sunday. Perfect.

 

[Cruisin]

I think that you will probably find that you will all love the Disney Cruise.

The only way to find out for sure is to try it.

But,,,be prepared to become hooked on cruising.

 

[kcashner]

We're booked for our 10th cruise on the Magic. My DD loved the Oceaneer's club when she was in that age range (3-7). She'd like to be a counsellor there. She was less thrilled with the lab as she got older...but now, she is really looking forward to being old enough for the teen program.

If you want/need specific dates, book early. If they put a special sale on for your dates and category, Disney will match the sale price. If they don't reduce it, you will have gotten the maximum early booking credit.

We did 2 other cruises before Dis started their's. Since then, we have sailed only DCL. We have considered another line in order to do an Alaska cruise, but are waiting as we've been told that Dis is probably going to have one in a couple years.

Should you wait till kids are older? If your 3 1/2 year old is comfortable separating from you (as in preschool or Sunday school), I'd say go for it. If this will be a first separation situation, maybe not...but that's not a cruise issue!

As to you and mom...there are plenty of "adults only" things on the ship. All I can say is that we LOVE it and find it well worth the $. I'd suggest a lower end cabin as you spend very little time there anyhow. That way, you can think about another cruise in a few years!

 

[gshoemate]

When we decided we wanted to take our first cruise, I looked into other cruise lines thinking Disney would be to expensive. I was wrong....other cruise lines charged full price for my 20 mth old when Disney only charged me the Goverment Fees. We loved our cruise. My DD (5) loved the Oceaneer club, she spent more time there then with us, and it was her choice. We loved it so much, we plan on going again in the next few months. I say give it a try, it's Disney, how can you go wrong.

 

[jwann]

Your children's ages are perfect for Disney. Don't pass this up. They grow up so fast. We've done 2 cruises (3-day and 4-day) and don't have a single complaint. They were both the funnest vacations we've ever had (and we travel alot!). The only reason they say to book early is for the "early booking discount". You'll probably find room on any cruise at least 60 days before you want to go.

Go - you won't regret it for a minute!!!!!!!!!

 

[TexasGirl]

My daughter was 3 and 1/2 at the time. She loved it more than I can say. I think it is a GREAT age to take them. Everything is real and magic to them.

 

[jennie99352]

Hi all--

Thanks for your imput. I think my mom and I are the kind of people that have fun no matter what we are doing, so I think it will work out for us. It is always scary visiting these forums, as it seems every cruise ship has people that love them and people that hate them and had a terrible time,and Disney is no exception. My mom & others in extended family have always cruise on Royal Caribbean, but with much older teenagers, never young kids. Mom loves everything about Disney (I think she is more excited than me or my kids will be) so it was her suggestion to try this.

I think my older son will like the kids club, not sure if the younger one will or not, but I think for a 4 night cruise if we have to spend most of our time with one or both of them it's not a big deal. We don't care much, and try and go with the flow.

I agree with the above to book a lower end cabin--we are planning of a category 10 (superior inside), that way we have the 1 1/2 bath but not the price of an outside. I'm hoping to get one of the cheap upgrades at the pier, but if not that's OK too.

I also agree that I would probably prefer a longer cruise and no disneyworld time; however, we live in Washington State and Grandma is just not going to allow her grandchildren to go to Orlando and not go to DisneyWorld for a few days before!

One of my final questions (I may have to post a new thread) is experience with kids 3 & 4 about arranging your own transportation on happylimo versus the Disney one. If you take the Disney transportation, will you certainly be locked out of Palo? My mom would prefer just to have Disney do everything (she's working with allseastravel), but I was pointing out to her the late arrival time. Any comments?

If anyone has more imputs, please post them!

 

[Brent B]

Warning kids that age will get hooked!!!!!! Just like us 31 year olds......


The cruise is great and your kids are at the perfect age....... JUST DO IT

 

[muscarello4]

We took a 7 night with our 5 year old and 3 year old. They had a blast. Regarding the transportation - We took the Disney bus so that we would not have to bring along the 5 year old's booster seat. They can't use boosters on the plane and they are now recommended, if not required by law in cars. The bus did get us there at about 1:30, but the kids enjoyed the movie they played. Also, we entered through a side door and avoided a LONG line of people going through security at the main entrance.

We have booked our second cruise and will go with DCL transfers again.

 

[Brent B]

Let me clear something up..... The town car service had the booster seat we did not bring one

 

[disneyholic family]

even though my kids were 'old' when we cruised (15 and 18) i really wanted to respond to your post in general....
my family and i can be hyper-critical when it comes to vacations...
we've stayed at the finest hotels the world over....
so when i say that all 4 of us had the best 3 day vacation we've ever had in our lives when we were on the disney wonder, that's saying a lot...
we enjoyed every second of the cruise (during the summer of 2002)....
and we'll be going again this coming summer (wow...only 6 months away now...i made those reservations so very long ago)...
anyway....
i can't say enough good things about disney and the cruise....

 

[newms]

We took our first 3 day cruise this year with our 8 and 11 year old. We were all a bit disappointed, mostly with the weather and lack of activities for our ll year old. I think we would have liked it more and the 4 and 7 year old range when they still "believed" in the characters. The shows were awesome, though.

 

[rosemary123]

Don't worry too much about the negative comments you read on the board. Although I have just had a bad experience with Disney, this is the first time in my many years of being a Disney fan.

Disney has extremely high standards which are usually consistent, so expectations are high.

Last year we sailed on the DCL and had an absolutely marvellous time, so much so, we returned again this year.

The shows are fabulous, the ship is marvelous, particularly at this time of year with all the decorations etc, I am sure you and your family will love it.

Jus go for it and have a great time!

Rosemary

 

[scotth1042]

Our tablemates told us they had cruised on several other lines and that Disney was head and shoulders above the rest. They said over and over again they would only cruise with DCL. In fact during the course of our trip we met many people who had cruised other lines and they all told us that Disney was the best. You won't be disappointed.