Which one?

[kaymak]

We are considering a Disney 7nt. cruise for our anniversary. Our kids will be 4 and 7. How much character interaction is there on the ships. We have cruised RCCL before and I would also like to try out their Voyager class ships. That would probably cost less. I just want to know which would be more enjoyable for my kids!

 

[alexandrew]

without a doubt DCL...they are the perfect age to truly appreciate all that the kids programming has to offer....there is plenty of character interaction aboard the ship at impromptu times, designated character meets, as well as Castaway Cay.....It is truly a once in a lifetime family vacation

 

[ratfam]

There is a lot of opportunity for character interaction at those ages, particularly if you prioritize character events in your planning. Everyone gets a character breakfast. There is some character involvement in some of the club events, there is a tea with Wendy Darling, and characters are everywhere for photos and autographs, you just need to check the lineup and be willing to wait on line. Most of the big evening shows had the characters in them. My kids were 3.5 and 6 on our first cruise and both LOVED it, in fact we just cruised again and we will definitely do it again in the future. At 6.5 and 9 they were not quite as interested in the characters so I'm glad we went when they were younger. From what I understand it is definitely more expensive than RCCL but we have never regretted it.

Got a call so it took a long time to finish, sorry if this duplicates something that posted in the meantime.

 

[lbgraves]

You can call the PAL line at night to find out the minute by minute schedule for each character & their location for the next day. The navigator only gives a time range for meets which doesn't really help you plan for the ones that the kids really want to see. I wrote all of the times down then sat with the navigator to make our plans for the next day. If you get in line 10-15 minutes ahead of time for the characters ( a bit more for the princesses) you will be near the head of the line & not have to wait a long time for them to come out. I always ask the CM with the character to confirm that we are in the right location for the character that we want to see (there can be 3 places in the atrium alone). I am usually told that if we get at the end of the line for the current character that they will close the line at that point. I always let the people who get in line after us that we are waiting for the next character & if they want to see the current one, let them get ahead of us.

 

[LAMPSKIES]

We are not a "Mickey Mouse, Disney" family. My DDs have never been into the characters. We first sailed 5 years ago when they were 9 and 7 and they loved it. We have sailed every year since....last year I booked "Beaches" for thanksgiving week thinking they were older and would prefer that, they said "hey Dad why aren't we sailing DCL"? So I cancelled and sailed on the Western.......