What is that magic age on a Disney cruise?

[tree.star]

I have never been on a Disney cruise before but my family is full of Disney lovers. I am thinking of planning a trip on a Disney cruise with my four sisters (we're all adults) and my little niece who is just 10 months old right now. However, this trip wouldn't happen until 2017 at the earliest as we would need time to save up for it.

 

My question is, at what age will my niece start to really enjoy the trip? Yes, I know even babies can enjoy cruises, and she was already going to Disneyland at 6 months, but there seems to be an age at which kids start to really "get it" in regards to their surroundings, while at the same time still being filled with a lot of wonder and excitement. I am thinking this is about age 4 for Disneyland. However, I haven't been on a cruise in a long time so maybe the age would be different for that.

 

What are your opinions? If we set the trip for late 2017, she will be about 2.5 years old. I am thinking it might be better to wait and do the trip in late 2018, as that extra year may make a big difference in terms of her enjoyment (and ours). This is likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of trip.

 

Of course, I plan to discuss this with my sisters, I am just usually the planner in the family so I wanted to have some basic information before I presented it to them. I'd love to hear what you think!

[cb at sea]

I would think around 5 and up....too young, and they simply don't "get" the magic that is Disney! Same goes for the parks....

[helenb]

Another factor to consider is that if she is 3, then she can enjoy the children's facilities, while if she is 2, she cannot.

[Ex techie]

4-7/8 I would say if they love the princesses and Characters.

After that, if they still love Disney Characters, even up to 10 or 11.

After 11, it is totally child dependent on whether they like the kids clubs and they find enough to entertain them.

Some kids are still kids, and others want more at that age from the ship, than what DCL offer. Like rope courses, flow riders, zip lines, climbing walls. And some kids are happy to chill out in the teen lounges and just be social with each other.

 

ex techie

[Ex techie]

Another factor to consider is that if she is 3, then she can enjoy the children's facilities, while if she is 2, she cannot.

 

Great point!

 

ex techie

[Keith1010]

I would recommend four or older.

 

Keith

[cruise2727]

I would say that you should take a cruise with your children or niece whenever you want. We started when our oldest was 1 and now she is 4 and our youngest is 2. We have done 3 Disney Cruises and just booked our 4th for next November. Our girls love them and have the time of their lives. Even at 1 yr. old they still had an amazing time. I honestly think it is best to take them when they are 1, 2, 3 or 4. Because they see the magic and pixie dust and all that is Disney. Walt Disney said that the reason children see magic is because they look for it.

I talk to families all of the time and they ask us about our cruises and they say well we are waiting till our children are X number of years old. I always think that is crazy. Just GO. The kids will love it and have an amazing time. People always say to wait till they can do the kids clubs. Honestly our oldest does not like the clubs. They are too loud for her. So, if you are waiting till they can do the clubs and then find out they do not like the clubs, well you have just wasted several great years of trips you could have been taking.

[moki'smommy]

Most kids know that they've met the REAL Mickey Mouse, Tink, Pluto, etc. till about age 6...so I'm definitely for doing it before that age.

 

I'm another one who would consider that you can't use the kid programming till age 3. Prior to that, it is nursery care, currently at $9 per hour. Of course part of that is made up by only paying 1/2 of the 3-12 cruise fare for a child 0-2.

 

I honestly think 4 and up is a perfect age, but I was never one who wheeled an infant thru WDW. Yes, I had a 4 year old in a stroller (hey, that's a ton of walking!) But the right answer is whatever works for you.

[MarLieb]

Of course, every child is different. We took DS on his first Disney cruise when he was 3 1/2 and it didn't go very well. He was a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing. I took him on his second DCL cruise when he was 6 and it went much better. He didn't want to go into the kids clubs, but he really enjoyed the shows, the onboard activities and the excursions we chose. We then did a B2B on Disney Magic this past summer (a total of 20 nights on the Magic!) and he LOVED it. He was completely engaged in every aspect of the cruise. He now asks to go back on DCL.

 

I think, again, depending on the child, the magic age is probably somewhere between 5 - 9.

[LuCruise]

We went on Magic when our daughter was 2.5 years. It's a great ship but she was late toilet training so she couldn't go in any of the pools (,just the splash pad(. And she could only attend the kids club during open house hours when we could go with her. Thirdly, she fell asleep during the evening shows or just skipped them altogether as they started as at 8pm. But the trip will still be precious family time. Just keep those things in mind if it matters to you .

 

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Edited January 2, 2016 by LuCruise

[Ex techie]

We went on Magic when our daughter was 2.5 years. It's a great ship but she was late toilet training so she couldn't go in any of the pools (,just the splash pad(. And she could only attend the kids club during open house hours when we could go with her. Thirdly, she fell asleep during the evening shows or just skipped them altogether as they started as at 8pm. But the trip will still be precious family time. Just keep those things in mind if it matters to you .

 

Sent from my ONE E1005 using Tapatalk

 

They do have early showings if you have late dining, but I assume early dining was more of a priority for your daughter!

 

ex techie

[mek]

I have taken all of our grandkids on cruises - the youngest was 12 and the oldest was 20. I want them to remember the trip, not necessarily me, so in general I think 12 is the perfect age. I do have a 1 year old that I would like to take on Disney, so I will probably lower the age to 8 just because after that I think most kids start thinking Mickey and friends are just a little corny.

[llachance]

the grandson on cruises since he was 8 months old. He just recently turned Gold on Disney. However, I think this was the first cruise, he just turned 4, that he really appreciated the characters and the time in the kids club. I wouldn't hesitate to take younger children though as it is/was a good time for all.

[sm3ds]

My kids have grown up on DCL. They are entering their teen years, and I think they enjoy it more now than when they were younger. They have never been into the characters, shows etc. The enjoy the clubs especially since they've gotten into the teen club. They have more independence now plus they love making new friends. As prices go up I've considered trying other cruise lines, but DCL is like our second home. I really don't think their is a "magic age". I think it really depends on the kid.

[karin5]

I took my son on an Alaskan cruise when he was four. It didn't go very well. He didn't understand the "magic" and didn't want to be in the kids clubs. Too overwhelming for him. We tried again at age six. It was a week Bahamas cruise. What a HUGE difference. He loved it! The characters, the pirate party, formal night... I know all kids are different, but I would wait till age five. My son has no memory of the Alaska cruise either.

[swatts1]

We are WDW lovers. My granddaughter is 4 and has been 6 times to WDW and once to DL. She loves it and has been going since she was 5 months. Having said that, we are taking her on her first Disney Cruise next month. The parks are easy because she rides around in a stroller and can sleep as necessary. We wanted to make sure she was old enough to enjoy the cruise. We took a short cruise (NCL) at Thanksgiving and she loved it. She will be blown away by a Disney Cruise.

[SeattleLiz]

We cruised last summer (Alaska) with a 2.25 year old and an almost 5 year old. I contemplated waiting another year, but decided against it as I really wanted to go. Initially, I was bummed that the nursery had an extra fee, but then I realized that the under 3 cruise fare is much lower, so I felt ok that I would I have to spend a little extra money. And actually, given the difference between what we paid for the 2 year old vs the 4 year old, there was no way we would have racked up the difference in nursery fees (at $9/hr).

 

Additionally, I was very happy with the nursery. While my 4 year old had a blast at the kids club, it seemed like it would be a bit chaotic and overwhelming for a 3 year old, especially if they're newly potty trained. The nursery is much more soothing/nurturing and I knew my daughter was getting individualized focus and age-appropriate games/fun. I saw a couple three year olds that started out in the kids club switch over to the nursery because their parents realized it was just too much for them. It probably is a bit boring compared to the giant climbing structures in the kids club, but we did open houses too and I think she liked the slow pace in the nursery from time to time. The nursery ladies were lovely and my daughter cried once when she realized I was back to pick her up. :p

 

Here are a few things I would recommending thinking about regarding taking a two year old vs a three year old: Potty training--kids in diapers can't use the pool (only splash area). This was no big deal on an Alaska cruise, but if you're going to a hot-weather location, then maybe something to think about if you have a kids that loves to swim. Napping--If you've got a kid that NEEDS their afternoon nap and is a nightmare without it, then that can really cramp your cruise plans. We had to be really mindful about the actual departure/return time of excursions so that we could get our daughter the rest she needed. Having a napping kid on board also translates into time that a grown up has to hang out in the room during the day. If waiting a year means that you'll be bringing a child who has the ability to make it through the day without taking a nap, then I would seriously consider it. Meals--It's hard for a two year old to make it through a full meal in the main dining rooms, but Disney does a lot to make it as easy as they can. We only had to end one meal early due to crying children, probably we were pretty liberal with giving them ipad time to prolong the time they were willing to stay in their seats.

 

We're heading on another cruise this summer (Dover to Barcelona!!!) with a potty-trained (god-willing) 3 year old and an almost 6 year old and hoping for a magical time :)

[kdzgon]

I think if your child will nap in a stroller at the parks he or she can nap on the cruise, too, no?

 

As to the perfect age, IMO that age is one where the child will truly enjoy the trip even if they remember little. We took family including a 2.5 DGD on an NCL cruise, specifically because it was the only line that accepted children under three in the kids program. That was a mistake, as she hated the clubs (and I was not too thrilled with the deteriorated quality of the cruise line, either!). Of course, the truth is her mom was no more ready to leave DGD in the club either so that anxiety didn't help.

 

Took two DGSs on a Disney cruise when they were five and seven, respectively, and the four of us will be going on another Disney cruise this week. In discussing the upcoming trip, the younger GS remembers almost nothing and the older remembers a decent amount, though less than I might have expected. Even so, the first cruise was a trip of a lifetime for them - I cannot begin to describe how much they loved pretty much every moment other than when we would pick them up from the clubs or when we disembarked.

 

There will never be a "perfect" time, so I say go as soon as you think she will enjoy her time there while limiting how much you will be restricted during tat same trip. To me, that means potty trained and (both of you) ready to separate for a few hours at a time OR while young enough for the nursery IF you are comfortable leaving her.