new to disney cruises .. looking for advice

[dannyt818]

Hello. My wife and I are thinking about taking our daughter on her first cruise next summer. We just got back from a cruise and missed her entirely toooo much. She will be 2 1/2 at that time. We have never cruised Disney before because we have never taken her with us, she usually stays with grandma so I thought I'd post a couple questions.

1. Will there be things to do with our 2 1/2 year old daughter or should she be older? (i.e. will she have fun?)
   
2. What's a good ship out of Florida, (our first port of choice would be Port Canaveral but we are open to others)?
   
3. We usually sail RCCL and are used to there Junior Suite Aft Balcony is there an equivalent to this type of room on Disney? Any cabin number suggestions?

Thanks in advance!!!!

[mom x4,grandma x4]

If your daughter isnt potty trained by the cruise she can still play in the water in the Mickey pool. One of Mickeys ears is reserved for kids in swim diapers. It only has little jets of water, so no worries there. Moms or dads can sit on the edge of the ear if they wish to be close. Kids LOVE this!!!

It is in the direct sunlight so bring plenty of sunblock and swim diapers.

They do sell them on the ship, but they run out often and they are spendy.

Down by the adult club areas there are a few BIG port hole windows with a padded bottom area. Kids love to sit and lay there and watch the ocean. I know it sounds weird, but lots of kids do this.

 

The Flounders nursery is quite nice so you can have some alone time, but it is reservation only, $6 per hour, 2 hour minimum. Make reservations on line or as soon as you get on the ship. They do have a limit of hours per family each cruise so everyone can have a chance. It is a small nursery so the kids get one on one attention. There is a 2 way window you can peek in at anytime without your child seeing you so you can check on them easily. Plus you have a pager they can contact you if need be.

Your child will have ablast. Try to introduce he rto a few main characters so she know who they are and that will help add fn to the trip too.

 

mom x4,grandma x4

[lborne]

1. We decided to wait until our youngest was 3 to do the Disney Cruise because others had told us that there was not much for those under 3 to do. I think that may have been before the nursery.

 

2. Disney has only has 2 ships, and they both leave from Canaveral (except for some upcoming Med cruises).

 

Take a look at this guide. It should answer many questions.

http://www.allearsnet.com/cruise/mdcg.pdf

[Capella1]

My kids and I just finished our first Disney cruise (Disney Wonder) yesterday. I have cruised many times before (Royal Carribean and Carnival), but had never taken my kids and didn't know what to expect. Let me tell you, I needn't have worried! My daughter is four and spent quite a bit of time in the Oceaneer's Club (3-6 year olds or potty trained two year olds). There was no additional charge for this service and they had numerous activities for the kids, and fed them at meal times. My daughter actually sent me away a couple of times when I went to pick her up! If your daughter is potty trained by the time you cruise, she should be eligible. If not, I heard nothing but positive things about the Flounder's Nursery, but can't speak from first hand experience. In either case, they give you a text pager so that they can easily reach you if your child has trouble adjusting or an emergency occurs. This was a nice touch and comforting.

 

I used to think no cruiseline would ever top RC, but I can say now that for families, Disney has done that. You will have a blast and so will your daughter!

 

Have fun!

 

LS

[AspiringCindy]

They will accept your child in the youngest group in the Oceaneers Club if they are 3 or atleast will be 3 within 30 days!...Also potty trained! I would wait until she can be placed into the Club. Otherwise, they have major limitations as to how many times you can reserve Flounders(under 3)!

 

http://www.castawayclub.com has tons of info!!!

[cindi0511]

We took our then-2.5 year old daughter with us three years ago on a 7-day Magic cruise and had a ball. She was in the nursery only twice. You can also take your child to the Oceaneers Lab and play WITH them without charge, which is what we plan to do a little bit with our now 2.5-year-old second daughter. We've read all the posts saying it's not worth it to take a young child, but we really enjoyed taking her on the excursions with us, playing in the sand and water at Castaway Cay and watching the shows and stuff with her.

 

Flounders may also depend on your child. Some say the toys are too "young" for 2.5 year olds, but it didn't seem that way for my first daughter. We'll see about my second daughter. :rolleyes: My eldest went to Flounders once when we had dinner in the very good adult only restaurant, and once for an excursion. You will have to work around naps and stuff, but if your expectations are reasonable for a child of that age, I say it is totally worth it. We had the late dining, which worked out well for her because she could be awake for the early show and fall asleep as soon as she ate in the dining room (our servers served her first ASAP). We had a table in the back corner, so we'd take a blanket and lay her on the floor while we finished our dinners.

 

My opinion is to go for it!