What would you do?

[SteffyLou]

DH and I have been on 8 Disney cruises- prior to having kids. We have done both Eastern and Western Caribbean, Alaska, and the Bahamas.

Next summer (2019)we are looking at our first cruise since having children. Our kids will be 6 and 4. We had been waiting until they were both old enough to get in the kids club.

Would you choose a 7 day Caribbean cruise or 7 day Alaska for the first cruise? Why? We live in IL so are used to cold weather and the kids are pros at flying.

 

[Dug720]

It really depends on what you're looking for. Rates are going to be a lot higher for Alaska - and cabin selection is going to be more limited, especially since those cruises have been open for booking for a while now. (The pricing and potential limited cabin selection applies to both really - but Alaska a little more.)

On the other hand, cruising in the Caribbean during the summer always carried the risk of a rerouting, cutting short, or even cancellation due to hurricanes (plus getting in and/or out of Orlando) - so you'd for sure want to include trip insurance for that at least.

Do you want scenic and possibly whales, bears, eagles, and moose? Or do you want a beach-centric cruise?

 

[dvcdisney]

It would depend on what kind of experience you're looking for. They are very different.

Personally, I would choose Alaska because we loved our Alaskan cruise. That doesn't mean we didn't enjoy your Caribbean cruises. But if given a choice - Alaska every time.

Both are kid friendly so it really depends on what type of experience you want.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

Not only are the destinations quite different, but the ships are quite different as well. Which ship do you prefer - Wonder or Fantasy?

 

[lklgoodman]

Our dd's first DCL cruise was to Alaska, it was for my IL's 50th wedding anniversary and we went with extended family. My dd was 6 yrs old at the time. She is now 10 and will soon be going on her 3rd Caribbean cruise( 1 WC, 1 EC, and the upcoming is also EC, but to different islands, all 7 nights). When we went to Alaska she LOVED the ship, the excursions were just OK for her. She didn't care about spending much time on deck when we were at Tracey Arm, she looked at the glacier for about 30 seconds said it was boring and wanted to go back to the kid's club. My dh and I both agree that the Caribbean cruises are better with young kids. My dd loves being outside, but the really fun Alaskan excursions like white water rafting and zip-ling we couldn't do, because she was too young. The Caribbean cruises are good with young kids because their is no age limit to go to the beaches, they are also a lot less expensive than most of the Alaska excursions. Our dd loves going to the beaches, we live in Ohio so the only time we go to a beach is when we cruise. If your kids don't like to go swimming or going to beaches, they may not like going to the Caribbean(most kids LOVE playing in the sand though). Our whole family LOVES CC, we usually cruise in the winter now, so being there when it's freezing back home is also a HUGE factor for us. We're glad we did the Alaska cruise, but think that dd would appreciate it a lot more now that she's older.

Edited to add, I realize that the W Caribbean also has thrilling excursions that young kids can't do, however with the Caribbean cruises you still have the option of going to the beach, Alaska excursions are more limited and cost a lot more.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Alaska is a much nicer destination, IMHO. Just be prepared for prices to be higher. You really can't go wrong with either. If you do the Caribbean, I would recommend either Eastern or Southern. Except for Grand Cayman, the western caribbean ports are not very nice, IMHO.

 

[DIS_MIKE]

I say go for the Caribbean cruise because your kids will love Castaway Cay.

 

[tigerchic89]

I'd prob wait until the kids were at least 10 and 8 before doing Alaska..... So my vote is Carribbean now, ALaska later

 

[bobbiwoz]

I say go for the Caribbean cruise because your kids will love Castaway Cay.

I'd prob wait until the kids were at least 10 and 8 before doing Alaska..... So my vote is Carribbean now, ALaska later

I agree with these.

 

[Meriweather]

Caribbean
Just took DGD (4 1/2) in April and she loved all the beaches (especially Castaway Cay), dolphins.
I think she would not have liked Alaska as much (I have been on 4 Alaska cruises)

 

[southerngirl528]

We live in IL so are used to cold weather and the kids are pros at flying.

This immediately made me think Caribbean cruise. So you & the kids could enjoy the beaches and Castaway Cay

My dh and I both agree that the Caribbean cruises are better with young kids.

While I have taken little ones on an Alaska cruise, and they did fine, and still talk about it (though I'm not entirely sure how much they REALLY remember, but photos sure help w/that! ). That said, as a mom, I think I would definitely lean toward a Caribbean cruise for your kids' first cruise. I think everyone would enjoy it more for your first one as a family. I agree with the PP that mentioned similar reasons. Either way, happy planning!

 

[darnheather]

I think you will have a wider choice of excursions in the Caribbean for those ages. Either way have fun!

 

[cmph]

Is it about the ship or the ports? I think there are pros and cons either way, depending on what types of excursions you'd want (not every likes beaches) and what shipboard experience you envision. Movies on deck every day, going all out for pirate night, lots of swimming and splash pad time? or whales, Frozen, Pixar Pals party, waiters bringing you hot chocolate as you glide past amazing scenery?

 

[cyclenut]

I recommend sailing the Caribbean with Disney. I do not recommend choosing Disney in Alaska. They are getting better itineraries now than when we did it, but there are other lines that still offer much more of the Alaska cruise experience. Disney is a great cruise line and you would enjoy an Alaska cruise, but you'll pay a LOT more for what amounts to a lesser Alaska experience in favor of a Disney experience. Alaska should be about Alaska in my view. It's so amazing and majestic. Save Alaska for when the kids are older and choose a different line.

 

[cadien]

Our 7-year old has done both and at this stage strongly prefers beaches. I prefer the lower price of the Caribbean.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Beaches, water and sand are definitely more fun to experience than a quick glimpse of a whale (if you are lucky).

 

[cmph]

Beaches, water and sand are definitely more fun to experience than a quick glimpse of a whale (if you are lucky).

My kids disagree, I'm afraid! Of course, we saw way more than glimpses on our whale watching tour, and they hate sand. Not everyone likes the same things. My son wants a warm water cruise next, but only because he missed having constant movies on deck. Both kids have already informed me they will not be getting off the boat at Castaway Cay ever again. Totally depends on the kids, and in the absence of any useful input from younger ones - then I think the parents just have to think about what they are envisioning as the perfect first cruise, and consider both the port experiences and onboard ones as well.

 

[dvcdisney]

It really does depend on what you're looking for.

We did Caribbean cruises when my children were younger, but as soon as we went on the Alaskan cruise, everyone agreed we wouldn't do another Caribbean unless it's a special cruise. So the last time we did one was a Christmas cruise in December. The decorations were wonderful and it seemed much different than the other Caribbean cruises we've done. We also liked that they decorated CC with Christmas themed decorations so that was fun.

Although, we like CC and my children LOVE the beaches, we prefer to do Alaskan and European cruises now. Not sure we'd do another Caribbean in the near future.

 

[lilsonicfan]

The Caribbean is the original cruising, in my view. Fun in the sun, beaches, tropical weather, it is where nearly every cruise line got their start.

Alaska is a little more upscale cruising because it's a little more about the destination and the chance to see things you may not see all the time / would only really see if you went on a cruise ship (more people would try an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean than venture up to Juneau, for example).

That said, I like both. Living in BC, the Alaska climate and scenery isn't different enough for me to love it for that reason, at least not the itineraries DCL does. Plus it is $$$$$.

 

[fredandkell]

I would do the Caribbean. For kids that age, it's all about the ship. You will have to drag them off the ship for ANY port. Since Alaska is so port-intensive, you may find that they whine and moan about getting off even for something really cool. Plus the Alaska excursions are so expensive, whereas for most Caribbean stops, you can easily do it on your own (go to a beach, etc.). Also the 4-yo may not be able to do a lot of the Alaska excursions due to age restrictions. Also a backward time change is BRUTAL esp. if you are east coast. We just got back from Europe and my kids did fine with the time change going over there but it really hit them when we got back home. DH and I did Alaska by ourselves and loved it but we struggled with the time change and getting up really early every day - I would not want to deal with a 4-yo getting up at the crack of dawn in Alaska every day, haha. Really though you know your kids best and you know your desires so I say go with your heart.