Disney Fantasy with a 2 year old?

[Pirate927]

My wife and I are looking at a Disney vacation for summer of 2015 and right now we are leaning towards the 7 night western Caribbean cruise on Disney Fantasy. Our daughter will have just turned two when we go on this cruise. The ports are Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Falmouth, and Castaway Cay.

 

I've been reading through a lot of reviews and posts and already picked up a lot of information. I understand the pool rules regarding swim diapers, and the nursery situation too, as examples. I am still unsure of the big picture, though.

 

My wife and I are not planning to drop our daughter off or use childcare in the nursery. We want to have our daughter with at least one of us the whole time. Outside of those staffed nurseries, is there a good selection of activities we can enjoy with our daughter during the day? Play areas, activities, etc, that we can enjoy together? How is the entertainment factor for a two year old on board each day?

 

Likewise, do shore excursions offer fun options for a two year old? Are there excursions that are designed with cruisers that young in mind? Any feedback on shore time with young toddlers is very helpful.

 

Finally, any testimonials about the health care are appreciated. Being away from our pediatrician, especially in foreign areas, brings up a little anxiety in case something goes wrong. Any input on the quality of the medical care on board would be helpful and reassuring.

 

Overall, we just want to feel confident that the days and early evenings with our daughter will be entertaining and safe. We stayed at Animal Kingdom at WDW when she was 9 months old and Disney expertly met all our needs. We are looking at the cruise as a different option, but just have that worry that our daughter might become bored if the entertainment/activity options for her are limited.

 

Thanks, in advance, for your help. It is greatly appreciated!

[moki'smommy]

You are welcome at any "family" area or family activity. You can go to the Oceaneer's Club with your daughter during "open house" hours. As you noted, there is a splash area to play, toddler exercise session most morning, etc.

 

LOTS of places to hang out/play,and have fun.

[packyourpixiedust]

I feel you will have plenty to do. We did 7 nights with our son, who was at the time 9 months and there was a lot of group activities. He would have gotten even more out of it if he was older I think.

 

 

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[Scrapnana]

We took my grandson on the Fantasy the week after he turned two. He was never bored. He liked the shows, the characters, the water area, everything.

 

The doctor onboard can take care of anything that might pop up. Unless your child has some medical condition that necessitates special care, you likely will have no need for the doctor.

 

We did Eastern Caribbean so I can't help with the ports.

 

BTW, two years later he still talks about the ship.

[moki'smommy]

There are no excursions designed with 2 year olds in mind, but many are suitable for them. You may find "on your own" the better way to go--you can have your own time schedule. If the child is tired, hungry, etc. you can head back to the ship..

 

 

The medical care on the ship is excellent. As above, unless your child has some sort of chronic problem, it is unlikely that you will need it, but it is there 24/7 for emergencies and they have regular "office hours" for non-emergency needs.

[ubish00]

I took my then 2 year old niece of her first cruise last year and she absolutely loved it. At least once a month she tells me "I need to go back on the Disney boat". She loved the Disney characters, the toddler splash zone, walking around the ship checking out all the areas, watching the babiy races, chit chatting with the cruise staff and the character dance party to name a few. There were so many things going on to choose from.

 

She did find the shows too loud so we found other things to do.

 

The day of the Pirate Party, I put her down for a late nap so she would be able to stay awake to enjoy it.

 

Do not worry there is plenty for a 2 year old to enjoy.

 

As for the ports, in Grand Cayman we went to the beach at Royal Palms. In Cozumel we went to Playa Mia. Even though she loved the beach she enjoyed the water park more. It was perfect for her age.

 

She had such a good time we are sailing again in a few weeks.

[Pirate927]

Just want to say thanks for these replies. So helpful to hear each testimonial as we plan and make some decisions here. You're the best!

[TriGator]

We took our daughter on Disney Fantasy at 22 months for the 7 night eastern Caribbean cruise and it was the best family vacation we've had. It was just the 3 of us and we never ran out of things to do. We got off at each stop and explored the beaches and shops early before most people without kids were up and going. Castaway cay was amazing. So many fun places for little ones to play, particularly the splash area and the Dino dig. We went to numerous open houses of the kids clubs and she played and interacted with characters. We got to the character meet and greets right before they started and saw so many characters without long waits. All the pictures we got were a treasure as I look back at my little girl when she was an only child and think about the memories we made. She also started sleeping in a "big bed" on this cruise because our room steward set up the pull out bed with a rail along with the pack n play the first night and she wanted so badly to sleep in the "big bed" so we let her and the day we got home we bought her a big bed and moved out the crib. Sweet memories. I can't say enough good things about our Disney cruise. The dining rooms, the staff, the shows, the fireworks. We loved it all and we kept our daughter with us the whole time and she loved everything just as much.

Edited November 13, 2014 by TriGator
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[Pirate927]

Thanks again everyone! We wound up booking the cruise and can't wait! We actually opted for the Eastern itinerary in the end. Your feedback was so helpful and hugely appreciated. =)

 

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[Wallskm]

We took our (then) new two year old on the Wonder last year and he had a blast!! He loved meeting the characters, playing in the splash area, and seeing the shows. He remembers the cruise as the "boat with the ice cream". I know you said you weren't planning on using the nursery but I did want to add that we did use it and he loved it, he would throw fits when we picked him up. They were wonderful there, in fact I am not hesitating to use the nursery some for my baby on our next cruise (she will be 5 months).