Anybody done a Disney cruise with a kid under 3?

[h]

I know this board is skeptical of both Disney and cruises, but figured I would give it a try anyway...

We are thinking of joining my step-sister, BIL, and their kids on a Disney cruise next March.  They have already booked the trip.  Our older kids will be 7.5 and almost 5 then, and I know they would have a blast hanging out on a cruise ship with their cousins.  But DS3 will be 23 months old, and therefore too young for the kids clubs (which start at age 3).  He would inevitably have to spend a fair amount of time in the nursery, I suspect.

Any experience with the nurseries on a Disney cruise?  Would you take an almost 2 year old on this trip?  Are there things they would be able to enjoy?

[Deleted]

I'm curious to see what others think as we may be in this situation this winter.

[megs68]

We are going in July with our 4.5 year old, 2.5 year old and 13 week old.  I would never take an infant by choice but it's for my DH's family reunion.  I don't have any concerns with the older two, just have to make sure my DD is potty trained because they can't go into the pools until they're potty trained.  I think there are splash pads or something they can go in without being potty trained.  We won't do any excursions.  Most looked like they appealed to older kids but I think they'll be happy enough just on the boat.  We did Disney with them last fall (DD was 23 months) and they were surprisingly great.

[Deleted]

I would definitely go. I'm counting the days until we can go on a Disney cruise. I imagine having the two kids off in the Kids Club it will be like a vacation with only one kid to wrangle. I believe CloudBee took her DS for his first birthday.

[badgergrl]

Can you cruise with a 13 week old?

[ilikedonuts]

You don't get unlimited nursery time even though you pay for the nursery . You can book a certain amount in advance and then see what slots are left when you get on board so I'm not sure how much you consider 'a fair amount'

[h]

Apr 27, 2014 13:55:48 GMT -5 megs68 said:

We are going in July with our 4.5 year old, 2.5 year old and 13 week old.  I would never take an infant by choice but it's for my DH's family reunion.  I don't have any concerns with the older two, just have to make sure my DD is potty trained because they can't go into the pools until they're potty trained.  I think there are splash pads or something they can go in without being potty trained.  We won't do any excursions.  Most looked like they appealed to older kids but I think they'll be happy enough just on the boat.  We did Disney with them last fall (DD was 23 months) and they were surprisingly great.

Eek, I didn't know about the not going into the pool unless potty trained rule. I could see that being an issue, as there is obviously no way DS3 will be potty trained at 23 months, and I am sure he will be eager to get in the pool if his big brothers are swimming. I worry about the shore excursion issue as well, as the older kids will likely want to snorkle (we will have a 10 yo, two 7.5 yos, and an almost 5 yo counting my niece and nephew and my two older boys), but I think one of us could just stay with the baby while the other one goes with the older kids.

[karinothing]

@mrsbecky07 did

I don't think she was that impressed, said it was more for older kids.

[h]

Apr 27, 2014 14:10:41 GMT -5 karinothing said:

@mrsbecky07 did

I don't think she was that impressed, said it was more for older kids.

I am actually okay with it not being totally fabulous for toddlers. We would be going mostly for our older kids and taking DS3 along for the ride. I just want to make sure that he won't be miserable and will be well cared for during any times we end up using the nursery. We could consider leaving him with the grandparents if the trip isn't going to be fun for him at all, but I hate to leave him out of a family vacation.

[karinothing]

Apr 27, 2014 14:23:23 GMT -5 h said:

Apr 27, 2014 14:10:41 GMT -5 karinothing said:

@mrsbecky07 did

I don't think she was that impressed, said it was more for older kids.

I am actually okay with it not being totally fabulous for toddlers. We would be going mostly for our older kids and taking DS3 along for the ride. I just want to make sure that he won't be miserable and will be well cared for during any times we end up using the nursery. We could consider leaving him with the grandparents if the trip isn't going to be fun for him at all, but I hate to leave him out of a family vacation.

Yeah, hopefully she will chime in. i think she wasn't happy with the nursery (but that might just be because it cost money). But I think she said there was basically nothing for him to do aboard the ship. I do think she said that he was fine but it was more a PITA for her lol. But again, I don't want to put words in her mouth so hopefully she will answer eventually

[traveljunkie13]

We took our kids on one last Nov (DD was 3.5yrs and DS was 11mo). We really enjoyed it and it worked great at those ages. The nursery is $9/hr (it was $6 when we went) and you could book 10hrs pre-cruise and then as needed once on board. The only times we had issue getting space was on port days because many people booked their kids in for the whole day while they did excursions. We used it about 2-4hrs to get some alone time or eat dinner uninterrupted. The workers were great and DS fell in love with one of the guys that worked there (he would get mad if he went on break! haha!)

That being said I won't take DS back on one now until he is old enough for the kids clubs (we actually had one booked and I've cancelled it). The 2yr olds did not look like they were enjoying it at ALL! THe nursery was a little too babyish for them and those with older siblings knew their siblings were in another more fun area. I know DS would flip out if we dropped him off there now while big sis went to the club. (under 3yrs can go to the kids club with an adult present during certain open hours during the day). I'm also annoyed at the price increase. $6 was ok but $9 bugs me

[megs68]

Apr 27, 2014 14:05:39 GMT -5 badgergrl said:

Can you cruise with a 13 week old?

Some cruise lines are 6months+ but Disney is 12 week minimum.  I'm a little nervous about how young he is but our pediatrician had no problems and I'll just keep him with me, not planning to put him in the nursery.

[dragonfly08]

I've been on a Disney cruise and loved it, but my kids were 4 and almost 7. I'm not sure I'd have wanted to do it with an infant/toddler who needed the nursery. First, it's at a cost. Second, it's not drop off like the clubs, you have to book specific times and can only prebook a certain number of hours. Third, there's a lot a child that age can't do...no pool for the non-PTd, many excursions have age limits, some on board activities may not be appropriate (or even allow kids) and if you can't get nursery time somebody has to stay behind.

IMO, a child that age won't know the difference. But I'd think the vacation might be less enjoyable for you if any of those things are going to be an issue.

[h]

Thanks, traveljunkie13. That is helpful. Maybe we will talk to the grandparents about leaving DS3 behind. I don't want him to be miserable stuck in the nursery with babies if it isn't any fun for toddlers. I am aware of and okay with the cost and potentially limited hours, but I don't want an unhappy kid. Would could obviously wait and go later, but this is probably our only chance to go with the cousins, which would make it even more fun for the big kids.

[h]

Apr 27, 2014 14:44:32 GMT -5 megs68 said:

Apr 27, 2014 14:05:39 GMT -5 badgergrl said:

Can you cruise with a 13 week old?

Some cruise lines are 6months+ but Disney is 12 week minimum.  I'm a little nervous about how young he is but our pediatrician had no problems and I'll just keep him with me, not planning to put him in the nursery.

I bet it will be fine. I think I would actually rather go with a young infant who I could just wear around than a 2 yo who wants to be entertained but is too young to do anything on board.

[bronxgirl]

We took DD on a Disney cruise when she was 2 1/2 and she LOVED it, although she is really into Disney. we never used the nursery so I don't know anything about that, but the one we went on had a ton of things for little ones. In the AMs they had a little baby/toddler playdate where they put out a lot of toys and let the kids go at it. I think they had some toddler craft projects, too. They also had a family dance party most nights in one of the nightclubs. They had a real band and the kids could dance around. Although she couldn't go in the pool, they had a splash zone for toddlers that she loved. We were seated for dinner with 2 other families with 2 y.o. girls, so they made friends with each other pretty quickly. DD's favorite part was meeting the characters. It was a year and a half ago and she still talks about it. Yesterday she said "I hope Disney Cruise comes back to Manhattan so I can ride on it again."

[mrsnole]

We are going on a Disney Cruise this December. DD will be 3y4mo and DS will be 7 mo when we sail. I'm so excited to go.

I would definitely take a 23 mo old on a cruise. But I also think if you are going to take a family vacation the whole family should go.

Also h if your 23 mo old is potty trained they might let him into the Kid's Club. From reading disboards I think there is about a month window.

[h]

That is very encouraging, bronxgirl. Thanks!

mrsnole -- I agree. DH and I both feel like if we're taking a family vacation, DS3 should be with us. I just want everyone--the baby, the older kids, even me --to have fun.

So I called my mom to talk to her about it, and she and my step-dad basically said "if all the grandkids are going on a Disney cruise together, we want to go to!" So now it looks like the grandparents are coming along, and my mom (who hates all swimming and water sports) has offered to hang with DS3 if the rest of us want to do a snorkeling excursion or something. We will likely still try the nursery for a meal or two, but I think between DH and I and the grandparents, we can just keep him with us most of the time.

Yay! So excited!

[megs193]

We took our kids when the oldest was 3 and the youngest was 6 months. There were 2 childcare providers every time we dropped him off and they both always seemed to be actively engaging the kids. There was a tv that played disney movies nonstop and plenty of fairly clean toys. The only issue with the childcare is that you can only prebook 10 hours. When you get on board you can go to the nursery and book whatever time was left. On our cruise there were a lot of babies so there wasn't a ton of time left. In hindsight we wished that we would have brought someone along to watch our son because 10 hours of child free time is not exactly a vacation. We did love everything else about it and have already agreed that as soon as our youngest turns 3 we will be trying it again. The dining room staff is particularly amazing. They would literally cut my food for me if I was holding DS.

[mpc]

Apr 27, 2014 22:33:59 GMT -5 h said:

So I called my mom to talk to her about it, and she and my step-dad basically said "if all the grandkids are going on a Disney cruise together, we want to go to!" So now it looks like the grandparents are coming along, and my mom (who hates all swimming and water sports) has offered to hang with DS3 if the rest of us want to do a snorkeling excursion or something. We will likely still try the nursery for a meal or two, but I think between DH and I and the grandparents, we can just keep him with us most of the time.

Yay! So excited!

That sounds like a great solution! You all will have such a good time!