Disney Cruise tips?
- Thread starter cyflier
- Start date
Go to a resort or, if you are hellbent on a cruise, do Royal Caribbean or Norwegian.
I feel like a 4 year old on a cruise would make me want to eat a bullet
I have no insight into modern cruises but I went on a “family cruise ship” as a kid and I hated every second of it. Constantly rushed, super crowded, and herded like cattle. Everything was scheduled and felt like you couldn’t relax.
My advice is go to a resort.
My advice is go to a resort.
Lol, don't hate it if you havent been on it. Here is my advice: drop your kids off at the kids area for their age. Prepare to not see them again until it's time to sleep. Go to the adult area or spa and enjoy your kid-free day. They don't usually advertise this, but you can order as many things as you want at dinners so take advantage of it if you see multiple things you want to try.
Disney Cruises are the best! Let me preface that with this: If you want to spend your vacation drinking large amount of alcohol or if you don't enjoy time with your kids, you might want something different.
The only disadvantages are that you loose a little bit of variety on the buffet due to inclusion of kids food and they don't have gambling on board.
If you are any type of Disney fan, you will love it. Points of interest:
- You can check your kids into and out of the kids club whenever you want. You will get a daily schedule, segregated by age group (including adults) and can pick an choose what activity you want to do.
- Their entertainment is all family oriented, but it is first class. You will want to try to catch the evening shows if at all possible.
- As someone noted above, at your evening sit down meal, you will get options of different hors d'oeuvres, soup/salad, main dish, and desert. You can one more than one of each if you prefer.
- There is a theater on board that plays different Disney and extended Disney movies; i.e. we watched Star Wars movies while on board.
- If you or you're kids are any kind of Disney fan, you will enjoy the decor, the character visits, and the dining.
- With small kids, you will have the same waiters for evening sit down. They will cut up your kids food for you. At first, this freaked us out. But we quickly got used to it and missed it when we got home.
- There are 2 adult only 'fancy' restaurants on board. They cost extra, but if you enjoy fine dining, you might enjoy this. Check the entertainment schedule and reserve that early.
- If you go, schedule your excursions ASAP. Disney does a great job of screening local activities and coordinating with them to keep groups together.
- There is an adult section on upper deck with a coffee house and quiet pool - you can get away.
- We've been on several 7 day Disney Cruises. Never had any real trouble with kids getting in our way on those. I have friends that did shorter Disney cruises and commented their experience with all the kids was not great. Maybe longer cruises attracts better 'behaved' (for lack of better term) kids?
- Coke products and ice cream are unlimited and free (i mean included). Alcohol will cost extra. You can sign up for whiskey tasting, scotch tasting or 'how-to-become-a-bartender" classes. Small fee for those.
- I think all cruise lines have their own resort. We like to just hang on the beach at Disney's island. If you want to do anything there, reserve it early.
- Internet access is very expensive
- Disney owns ESPN. You will have access to ESPN sports broadcasts in your room or the sports bar.
- If you want to know more, buy a book about how to best enjoy Disney Cruises. There is a lot to consider to get the most out of it.
I've been on Princess and Carnival. I don't need a hairy chest contest, slot machines, or Vegas style entertainment. While I have never been at an all inclusive resort, I was never wanting anything that wasn't on board (ok, maybe internet - but that was good to not have). You can do as much or as little as you want. There is always something going on. I think the single biggest difference is alcohol. If you want to drink lots of alcohol - do a resort and you'll save a bunch. If that isn't the main goal, I strongly suggest a Disney cruise.
Look, I am not a big drinker and I like spending time with my kids. We used the kids clubs, but only for activities they wanted to do and only a couple hours a day. We enjoyed the onboard entertainment and the excursions. Generally, we loved every Disney Cruise we went on.
The only disadvantages are that you loose a little bit of variety on the buffet due to inclusion of kids food and they don't have gambling on board.
If you are any type of Disney fan, you will love it. Points of interest:
- You can check your kids into and out of the kids club whenever you want. You will get a daily schedule, segregated by age group (including adults) and can pick an choose what activity you want to do.
- Their entertainment is all family oriented, but it is first class. You will want to try to catch the evening shows if at all possible.
- As someone noted above, at your evening sit down meal, you will get options of different hors d'oeuvres, soup/salad, main dish, and desert. You can one more than one of each if you prefer.
- There is a theater on board that plays different Disney and extended Disney movies; i.e. we watched Star Wars movies while on board.
- If you or you're kids are any kind of Disney fan, you will enjoy the decor, the character visits, and the dining.
- With small kids, you will have the same waiters for evening sit down. They will cut up your kids food for you. At first, this freaked us out. But we quickly got used to it and missed it when we got home.
- There are 2 adult only 'fancy' restaurants on board. They cost extra, but if you enjoy fine dining, you might enjoy this. Check the entertainment schedule and reserve that early.
- If you go, schedule your excursions ASAP. Disney does a great job of screening local activities and coordinating with them to keep groups together.
- There is an adult section on upper deck with a coffee house and quiet pool - you can get away.
- We've been on several 7 day Disney Cruises. Never had any real trouble with kids getting in our way on those. I have friends that did shorter Disney cruises and commented their experience with all the kids was not great. Maybe longer cruises attracts better 'behaved' (for lack of better term) kids?
- Coke products and ice cream are unlimited and free (i mean included). Alcohol will cost extra. You can sign up for whiskey tasting, scotch tasting or 'how-to-become-a-bartender" classes. Small fee for those.
- I think all cruise lines have their own resort. We like to just hang on the beach at Disney's island. If you want to do anything there, reserve it early.
- Internet access is very expensive
- Disney owns ESPN. You will have access to ESPN sports broadcasts in your room or the sports bar.
- If you want to know more, buy a book about how to best enjoy Disney Cruises. There is a lot to consider to get the most out of it.
I've been on Princess and Carnival. I don't need a hairy chest contest, slot machines, or Vegas style entertainment. While I have never been at an all inclusive resort, I was never wanting anything that wasn't on board (ok, maybe internet - but that was good to not have). You can do as much or as little as you want. There is always something going on. I think the single biggest difference is alcohol. If you want to drink lots of alcohol - do a resort and you'll save a bunch. If that isn't the main goal, I strongly suggest a Disney cruise.
Look, I am not a big drinker and I like spending time with my kids. We used the kids clubs, but only for activities they wanted to do and only a couple hours a day. We enjoyed the onboard entertainment and the excursions. Generally, we loved every Disney Cruise we went on.
Bumping this. Thinking of taking a Disney Cruise with my family of five next year. We have three kids would be 6, 6, and 3 at time of cruise. We're big Disney fans, but have never been on a cruise before. Any thoughts about this? Or about cruises in general?
We went on one last year with my two kids and they loved it. It was alright, a cruise is a cruise but like everything disney its more expensive but the service is top notch. I recommend getting one with a balcony. We loved eating breakfast on the balcony in the mornings. The kids liked their kids club and the wife and i dropped them off there after dinner and we went and had a few drinks and listened to live music or play trivia. we had fun. They also have a high end restaurant that my wife and I went to. We are kind of foodies and it was pretty good. Side note: the table next to ours was a couple and the wife was so drunk she passed out at the table. literally face down on the table. They asked them to leave but the husband came back and finished his dinner without her. it was hilarious.
Have done multiple Disney cruises with our kids over the years. Always our favorite family vacations, tons for us to do together, tons to do on our own, it was great. Most relaxing family vacation we ever had. We went from when our kids were probably 6 and 8, all the way through now being aged out of the kids clubs. Now that they are too old to go to kids clubs together (daughter is 18). We are trying other lines that are less expensive. But Disney was top notch and always worth it for us.
We've been to Disney the last three years so looking to try something new but stay in the Disney 'world' so to speak.
