What can you tell me about your Transatlantic cruise with your kids?!

Hi!

We are new to Disney cruises (not new to cruising) and decided to go big or go home with our Disney Magic Transatlantic Cruise next May. My children will be newly 8 and 6 1/2 at time of trip. I’d love to get anyone’s thoughts/advice as this will be our first Disney Cruise (and it’s a long one 🤪) if they have ever done this trip with their kids. I’d imagine they’d have enough going on with kids clubs, arcades, entertainment, etc to get us through those first 7 days at sea but would it be wise to bring additional items from home just incase?

This will be our first trip without a casino onboard. We aren’t huge gamblers but tend to frequent them when on other ships. I’m looking forward to the shows but what else is offered for adults in the evenings? Is it included or should we expect to pay extra (I.e. martini mixing class) and about how much? Just trying to figure out budgeting for onboard items too!

Thank you!

Other than a favorite toy or "lovie," there is no reason to bring extra stuff for the kids to do. DCL has been doing 2 week cruises at least since 2005 and they can keep kids occupied IF your kids like the Club or Lab activities. Remember that there are kids who don't like the programming. They also add a lot of adult activities for these long cruises including special entertainment.

If you are the kind of people who want to "go" all the time or who want constant entertainment, the TA cruise may not be for you. If you can enjoy reading on deck with the ocean breeze in your hair, you'll love it. Evening entertainment on DCL is less involved and doesn't last as late as many other lines--they do have themed adult dance evenings, game show type activities, etc. but basically everything shuts down by about 11:30. We do late dining--a typical evening schedule would be the main stage show (there are extra ones on long cruises), family show by a variety entertainer or family dance party/game show, dinner, adult variety show/adult game show/adult dance party. At the same time, there are a lot more movies shown. Everything is included except the mixology classes. They also increase their daytime "educational" offerings such as the cooking series, napkin and towel folding, ice carving, etc.

Lucky that you can have the kids out of school in time to do this!

There are lots of things to do on the longer cruises. If you want to check out what has been provided before you can go to the Disney Cruise Line Blog and look at past navigators for the trip.

Our daughter’s first-ever cruise was a TA when she was just 3 years old! (And boy, did I have some sleepless nights wondering if THAT was a wise idea.) She is a kid who does/did enjoy most of the programs offered at the kids club, and also enjoyed the pool whenever it was available (which was not much in the mid-Atlantic in September). I worried for nothing — it was a great experience for all of us and turned her into a cruiser for life. I should mention that trip was NOT on Disney, and had it been I’d have been even less concerned. I never understood watching a movie on a cruise until our Star Wars DCL Cruise last year and then discovered those opportunities to enjoy a late-night showing in a nice theater was great! So that where we ended up rather than the casino after dinner. Enjoy!! Sadly I think our TA days are done until DD is in college — the days of elementary school and yanking her out for a couple of weeks are over! [emoji24]

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Thank you for the feedback y’all!

We were on the transatlantic last May with a nine-year-old, and seven year old twins. I had the same concerns, but there was no need to worry! We had a fantastic time and I don't think the kids were ever bored. I brought UNO cards (which they did play a couple times while waiting for us to get ready), and they had homework that they did spend a bit of time on, but during the small amount of time they were awake in the cabin they were fascinated by the old Mickey cartoons on TV.

We were blessed with excellent weather and were able to spend considerable time by the pool every day that first week. My kids also enjoyed going to the theatre, which my husband was happy to take them to. However, the big hit was the Kids Academy. I wasn't sure if they would be keen, but they LOVED it! I found myself saying 'you can't spend all your time there'!! My husband and I were able to have some alone time every day which was nice. There was always something going on, but I found one of the best things about having such a long cruise was that there was no pressure to do everything. Many things were repeated, so if I felt like sitting on the balcony with a book (or taking a nap), I did.

Other miscellaneous advice .... book the early dinner. We had late, which meant the kids were getting to bed at 10:30/11 every night. With the constant time changes we were having a hard time getting them up and going in the mornings. It wasn't a big deal at sea, but when we had port days, it became an issue. Take autograph books for the kids and keep them with you - there are tons of formal opportunities to meet characters, but you will also run into them by the pool, in the elevator, etc. Have your kids order from the adult menu (you have already paid for it!) - much better food (and variety). If you're using the fold-down Murphey bed don't keep the kid's clothes in the cabinet opposite. I always forgot to get the next day's clothes out before dinner and the bed would be in the way. Take a few laundry pods and do a couple loads on sea days.

Enjoy! You have made a great choice for your first cruise ... Except that after, nothing else will be as good :)

Great to hear!

I’d imagine they’d plan activities in the clubs to keep the kids occupied on all the sea days but hearing it with confirmation from y’all is great news! Thank you!