Is Disney really the best for young kids??

[scrapper4]

Hi there,

 

I've booked my first cruise - Disney Western Caribbean for October '07. I will be gong with DH and DS who will be 4 1/2. The children's programs on board are really important to me, so DH and I can have some "us" time. Does Disney really have the best program? I don't mind spending the extra $$ if the quality is there. I'd love to hear from people about Disney vs. Carnival or Royal Caribbean, etc. TIA!

 

Jen

 

Ist time cruiser...lots of questions!

[Onessa]

Does DS REALLY REALLY love all things Disney? If so, it might be worth your while.

 

We did a Disney with our DD (now 11) when she was not quite six and while she enjoyed it, she also LOVED both the NCL and RCI cruises we had done around the same age with her. She was not terribly enamored with Disney characters (however now, she's deeply into the Disney Channel's tween programming!) So Disney was no 'big dea' for her and she probably enjoyed the crafts and science projects on the kids programs on RCI more than some of the stuff on Disney.

 

Our niece is now 3 and totally not Disney, we've joined her family on an RCCI and she loved the kids program. She probably wouldn't have done as well on Disney since she is going through a phase where she is fairly terrified of costumed people!

 

One of my cousin's family did Disney this fall and thought it SPECTACULAR - but of course her 6YO DD's room is Disney Princess, and her 4YO DS's room is Disney Cars - they are VERY Disney.

[trvlgrl422]

I've been on several cruises with different cruiselines (RC and CCL) and they each have had postives and negatives. The Disney ships are so elegant. I think kids will have fun on any ship, but if you're a Disney fan you'll especially enjoy this cruise. It's so kid oriented! I really felt it was a magical trip like no other. I would love to go on another Disney cruise.

[crusinmama06]

I have posted about this a few times here and in our opinion, if you want Disney, go to WDW, if you want a cruise, go on RCCL or CCL.

 

My kids prefer to go to WDW the week before the cruise, then switch to a different cruise line. And my daughters are Princess OBSESSED! And even they weren't thrilled with the cruise.

 

You have to wait in LONG lines to meet with the characters on the ship. The times are announced. Then you pay $20 for that picture (yes I am a sucker and I did it). I RARELY saw characters just roaming around the ship, unless they were on their way to a meet/greet or on their way to dinner.

 

You have a son who won't be immpressed with Tea with Snow White. ;)

 

So unless you really love Disney (and we do), I would suggest booking another cruise line. For the price of my category 7 cabin on Disney I booked a Grand Suite (yes it is as grand as it sounds) on RCCL Freedom of the Seas.

[sunline2000]

Did Disney Magic 7 W.Caribean mine and DS'S 1st cruise they were 11 and 13...the best time...the balcony rm w/1 1/2 bath great for 4 in the rm...it was elegant for us adults great areas seperate from famalies...palo the tops,brunch the best.....you want characters they are there but not overwelling the entetainment in the dining areas the best....if not for cost and a group cruise this time we would do Disney again..by the way DS's voted for cruise only not parks...did Unerversal in 05..for 4 dys...I am a Disney person a collector to but as a family cant just do Disney ea yr do to the costs now a days and the fact that my teens enjoy family vacation and planning..the world is wide open if we plan right...

[tstobb]

Important note - Disney does not charge extra for any time in the clubs (except for the under 3s in Flounder's) where other lines charge after a certain time. DCL will also take the kids to meals so Mom & Dad can have a night alone where the other lines' clubs close during meals.

 

Pictures are expensive but the ships photographers have never had a problem taking shots for us with our own cameras. We've seen the characters on deck, at the pools, during deck parties, at shows, on the beach at Castaway Cay, etc., not just for portraits. True, they are not as prevalent as at the parks but they are out there :) The 7 day cruises also include a character breakfast but we weren't at all impressed with that - it seemed too rushed.

[tstobb]

Duplicate post :-)

[crusinmama06]

Important note - Disney does not charge extra for any time in the clubs (except for the under 3s in Flounder's) where other lines charge after a certain time. DCL will also take the kids to meals so Mom & Dad can have a night alone where the other lines' clubs close during meals.

 

Pictures are expensive but the ships photographers have never had a problem taking shots for us with our own cameras. We've seen the characters on deck, at the pools, during deck parties, at shows, on the beach at Castaway Cay, etc., not just for portraits. True, they are not as prevalent as at the parks but they are out there :) The 7 day cruises also include a character breakfast but we weren't at all impressed with that - it seemed too rushed.

 

Yes other cruise lines do charge after certain times (usually 10pm), but it is a $5 charge....not enough to choose Disney over another cruiseline.

 

And other cruiselines DO take kids to meals. So that part of the pp is not true. I know that on our last cruise Carnival took my daughters to the pool deck buffet for dinner.

 

And I have to say that the food was not impressive on Disney and neither was the service. I can tell you the name of my waiter, assistant waiter and cruise director on RCCL back in 1997...but I can't tell you the name of anyone on the Disney ship. They just never made an impression on me.

 

I call Disney Cruise the year of my $10,000 vacation. :eek: I don't mind paying alot of money for vacations...but they should be worth it. :)

[silkhair1]

We have never done a Disney cruise, but my boys absolutely LOVE the NCL kids program. I do not think they are open as much as during port days as Disney, but we usually spend the afternoon with the kids by the pool anyway, so it was not big deal to us. The price makes it more cost effective for us and we love watching them run to the kids cruise to go. Make alone time wonderful!!!!! Have a great cruise!!!!!

[F&H'sMom]

We just returned from the HAL Westerdam cruise with two boys (almost 4 and almost 6), and we had a great time--it's a premium cruise line with great service and we paid way less than the Disney cruise. The highlights for the 5 year old were chocolate milk for breakfast, chocolates on his pillow at night (seeing a theme?), the towel animals and the glass bottom boat excursion. The 3 year old said the best part of the cruise was the trip in the spotted van from the airport to get mommy's car (go figure). We purposely took the kids out of school so we wouldn't hit a spring break week--there were 25 kids under 13 although I never saw more than 6-10 in the HAL Club. The kids both loved seeing movies, painting on tshirts, making puppets and playing with the toys. We were told this week it's 160 and during spring break it's up to 400-500. We were able to leave them in the club when we were in port, which was not advertised ahead of time.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Carnival and Princess do have a kids' dinner sometime during the cruise. Princess has port kid-sitting for free for much of the port days, just in case the parents want to explore a port on their own. Most of the cruiselines have an intensive kids' program, especially when school is out.

 

I noticed that a Disney ship was going to be on the West Coast this summer (or in 2008, I can't remember) and decided to check out the rates. Almost twice as much as Carnival and RC at the same time of year. I guess you really do have to be into Disney to go on their ships.

[KimberlyC]

I certainly hope so. We now have a toddler so we are leaving behind our beloved X and giving Disney a try. I guess I'll find out for sure in May!

[lthomas]

We have sailed on the Disney Magic three times ( 1 4 night and 2 7 nights). As someone said, we LOVED Palos and the brunch. Our daughter loved the, cruise. We are very Disney oriented and go to the parks usually once a year. We have also sailed Carnival, RCI, Norwegian and Princess. Disney is tops in child entertainment in my book. Depending on when you go.........it can seem very hectic and rushed trying to do character breakfasts and pictures etc. I think everyone should do it once if they can. Obviously, we have always had a GREAT experience. We had friends ask us to go this Spring Break and after three times, I decided that the cost was just too much as compared to other lines. My daughter enjoys all ships or vacations as long as friends are around. Having said this...............YES......try Disney, you will love it. It is quite an impressive experience. Tip: It was cheaper for us to take a stretch limo from the airport than the Disney shuttle. However, I think other cruiselines will be fine too. The ones we have been on just have not had quite as much for kids as Disney but still plenty. We are doing Princess this summer. RCI has a lot of ships now with rock climbing walls, golf etc. Have a GREAT cruise whichever you choose.

[HookedAfterOne]

We have been on two Disney Cruises ... and we loved it both times! I do understand that they are a bit more expensive, but we found it to be worth every penny ... When we first cruised with them my daughters were 5 and 11 and my son was 16 ... and they ALL had fun ... including the 16 year old! My eleven year old still communicates with a friend she made on board and they are now 16 years old! IMHO, the best thing about the Disney cruiseline, is that there are lots of activities for the family together, the kids alone and the adults alone ... Castaway Cay in itself is just about worth the fare (well, that might be a slight exaggeration ... LOL) We enjoyed all the photo opportunities and didn't mind the lines ... it's a class act all the way! Definitely do Palo, it's definitely worth the nominal extra charge ... The character breakfast did feel a bit rushed ... but was still fun ... I do suggest skipping the Tea with Wendy -- it wasn't terrible, but it's not something that I would do again. Whatever you decide ... enjoy the cruise with the family!

[new2cruising2008]

I would really like to try cruising with my family. How can I get a deal or watch for deals? Family of 5 would like to do a 4-day cruise in Jan. 2008 on Disney or Carnival (leaving from Port Canaveral). Thanks

[KimberlyC]

I would really like to try cruising with my family. How can I get a deal or watch for deals? Family of 5 would like to do a 4-day cruise in Jan. 2008 on Disney or Carnival (leaving from Port Canaveral). Thanks

 

There are very few deals to be had with Disney. Occasionally there are FLA resident rates for less popular sailings but otherwise your best bet is to book early during the off season. January (excluding holidays) is off season. Disney no longer lets TA's discount but you may be able to get shipboard credit using a TA, or a gift card using a wholesale chain (don't think I can say the name on the board but you can buy food in large quanties and it COSTs less ;) The problem with being a family of 5 is that you have to book at least a Cat 4 (Cat 1 being the highest - opposite of many lines). Often it's cheaper to get 2 inside cabins.

[crusinmama06]

I would really like to try cruising with my family. How can I get a deal or watch for deals? Family of 5 would like to do a 4-day cruise in Jan. 2008 on Disney or Carnival (leaving from Port Canaveral). Thanks

 

Jan is a cheaper time. So keep checking for the best price.

[rebeccalouise]

Let me say this first- my (then 5 year old) son thought he died and went to heaven on Disney. From the waterslide to the all you can drink soda machines with rootbeer! The themed diningrooms to the characters to the ultimate kids club. He was in kid heaven.

 

On my part, the cabins were fantastic (had a balcony stateroom). The service was the best I have encountered. It was a magical experience. Loved the private island.

 

But I was happy to get off after three days on board. There is only so much Disney I can take! I do think a three day is long enough. You'll get a taste of it and maybe you'll come back. In my case, I like Celebrity the best and he is very happy with the program- so will stick with that.

 

But I have to say that if my son had it his way- Disney would be his pick.

[Warm Breezes]

We went on the Wonder when DS was 7 and DD was 4 and then on the Magic when DS was 10 and DD was 7. These were great ages to go on the Disney cruise and they had a great time. Especially DD - I loved seeing everything through her eyes as she still believed in Princesses and the magic that is Disney. Our last two cruises were on Carnival when DS was 11 and 12 and DD 8 and 9. They had a great time on these cruises too but I must admit used the kids club less often than they did on Disney. This year we will be trying NCL since we want to give the free-style cruising a try. Kids are excited and don't seem to mind the change in cruiselines. In fact we keep trying to suggest a land based vacation for a change and they keep talking us into going on another cruise! Oh well, I guess I'll have to "suffer" through another one ;) .

[familycruising4us]

I would really like to try cruising with my family. How can I get a deal or watch for deals? Family of 5 would like to do a 4-day cruise in Jan. 2008 on Disney or Carnival (leaving from Port Canaveral). Thanks

 

We too are a family of 5, and I just reserved a CArnival 7 day western cruise (out of miami, tho), 2 balcony rooms joining, the balconies also join, for about 1/2 the price of a disney cruise. Granted, we do a Disney vacation once a year b4 xmas, so we get our Disney fix. :)

(And the best thing is going to Chef Mickey's to get the Mickey and friends characters, and do a Princess breakfast to get the princess fix out of the way without any lines.) :D Can't wait til we go again, LOVE DISNEY.

Anyway, my booking agent covinced me to book my joinin cabins now, and any deals to call him and I can get the deals too, so ask. I am not going for 2 yrs, lol, but wanted to make sure I got the balcony joining rooms, and now I just save for the trip. ;)

LIke everyone said, it's a personal decision. You can also get suites on some of the older lines thru Carnival as well. I went thru each cruise I liked and entered in 5 people to figure out that. :D Inspiration, Imagination, I know those both allow 5.

Good luck!!!

[bird rock]

We just did our first ever cruise on the Wonder with our two teen-agers so I can't really compare it to anything. We're not Disney fanatics by any means but I can say that we all thought the cruise was really special - we loved every minute of it. My kids aren't really interested in teen programs anymore and spent their time with us or on their own. But if I had younger kids and was planning to use the clubs and/or babysitting I would certainly put Disney at the top of my list. Based on what I read about RCCL and Carnival it seems as if the Disney experience may be more upscale than those. It's also pretty easy to avoid the characters and experience some adult time if that's what you want. It's a minor thing but I loved that we didn't have to pay extra for soda. The ships are beautiful and elegant, the toiletries are excellent, the service we experienced was excellent (especially from our room steward) and there were lots of little special touches. Also, Disney's island (Castaway Cay) was just spectacular - the best part of the cruise. The production quality of the shows was first-rate - of course, they were a little hokey and definitely G-rated but they were so well done that we all enjoyed them - even our cynical, sophisticated 14 year old! That said, we will probably try RCCL since my kids are eager to try the rock climbing wall, flow rider, etc. But a 4 year old isn't going to be doing any of that. So if you can afford Disney I say go for it. When your child is older try some of the other lines.

[themickeyboat]

I have sailed on Disney – however only aboard the Disney wonder. What got me about the kids programs is the lengths they go to. I mean, in the Lab on the Disney Wonder they have a simulator of the ship – not just any ship… the Disney wonder. The fact that Disney goes out and has this made for them is awesome! (it is an exact replica too… all the port’s, the ships handling everything!)

My son is 11, and he was in the lab. He made so many friends – I was amazed as he is not normally a good ‘friend maker’. I put this down to the staff. Talking about staff, Sean loved them all. I was amazed that after having a conversation about art & cartooning one of the guys from the lab dropped off a limited edition lithograph made only for the crew at our room!!!

He loved the activities – the do a game show call ‘Ship Factor’ for his age of kids. It involved eating ‘disney-real’ sand worms, sticking their face in a bowl of cream, and a lot of mess. It’s all he talked about for days.

On the last night of the cruise, we went to pick him up… it took us almost 30 mins to get him out the lab – he was refusing to go! He had his picture with the staff, cried and hugged them. One of them said he should write to the ship to say ‘hey’ – he did. To our surprise the guy he wrote too, wrote back.

I loved the fact that all the staff had weird nick-names. To Sean one of the girls was ‘G-funk’, and there were boys Big Steve and Little Steve.

I had a great time – having a family vacation, where we had time together – but also having adult time with my husband was great!

[pjinaz]

We have been on several cruise lines including Disney. We loved the Disney cruise, but I do have to say we have loved all cruises we have been on (with the exception of Carnival, which we still liked). Disney is just different in that the whole cruise experience is very family oriented. For example they play family movies out by one of the pools, the normally have a movie daily in the theater. They have soda fountains by the children's pool that is included in yoru cruise. There are many family activities all day long that you can participate in with your children. While other lines have plenty of activities, most are not geared toward children, although normally children are welcome to participate in a number of them. Disney has a family nightclub that was a huge winner with my children. Castaway Cay was absolutely fabulous. Food by the pool was far superior to that of most other lines and ships. Although food in the dining rooms and buffet was alright, I didn't think it was as good as food on RCCL. Disney cabins are superior to cabins on comparable ships, disney always does a fantastic job with theming and use of space and it shows in its cabins. There feels to be a lot of extras included in the disney cruise that are not included in others.

 

I did not however think their kids club was that great. Yeah, I think they spent way more money on it and it looks absolutely fabulous compared to other lines and the kids have fun. But on Disney there were a ton of kids and not as much counselor interaction as on other lines. This is not really a fault of disney, just is due to their popularity. My girls 5 and 7 loved the Disney cruise, but though the kids club was okay. They love Royal Caribbean Cruise and absolutely love the kids club.

 

Disney does give a fabulous cruise and I would definitely go again, just realize other lines do things just as well, just in a different way. If the kids club is the most important to you, I did not think Disney's was that impressive, except in size and grandeur. The program and sheer size was its downfall. I am not saying the kids club on Disney was bad, my children just didn't seem to love it like they have on 3 Royal Caribbean cruises and one carnival cruise.

 

Have a great cruise!!!

[sunnydreams]

We just got off the Disney Wonder last week and we loved it! I am a big Disney fan, but it was more the beauty of the ship and the service that I loved the most. I don't tend to like the modern brass and glass of some of the newer ships- it just doesn't appeal to me personally. Our last cruise on Carnival was ok, but I don't like the style of their ships as much. Disney did a great job of creating a "classic" ship. My kids had a blast with all the family activities. I am planning another cruise- not Disney this time due to where we want to cruise. I am so nervous that the actual ship we choose will not impress me as much as the Wonder. I am ok with no characters, etc. I just want a beautiful atmosphere. I know you'll have a great time if you choose Disney!

[JRsMom]

We were on a Disney cruise in Nov. We loved it!!!!!! I'm in the process now if booking another cruise, for 2008. I want to do Disney again, but I am looking around. My concerns are the kids clubs, son will be 6. And the ports. My mom said the rooms on Disney are huge, compared to most other cruise ships. And that I am finding out!!!! I am going crazy!!!!:eek: Its a family vacation, and my mom says NO to Carnival. I've heard that Celebrity, Holland & Norwegian are all "High Class" cruises. I don't really know of the Princess or Crystal "brands". I've been torn between Disney and RCCL mainly. I'm afraid of my overactive 5 yr old getting bored!

 

What are some of the experiences with RCCL, with the kids programs?

 

Sorry to high jack the thread!