Has anyone here done a Disney cruise? We are thinking about taking daughter, son-in-law, 2 grandkids (one will be almost 4 and the other 21 months) and possibly son and girlfriend (if they are interested) next May. Will probably do 4 days. Any suggestions are welcome on cabin choices, etc. We will be flying from Ohio. We are AAA members so I am going to go there to talk to them for suggestions but I know I can get great advice here, too.
We have... Have you cruised before? I don't think 4 nights is worth it, especially with air prices these days. We did like Disney BUT it is roughly 30% more than other cruise lines (due to no casino for that income...) and we didn't feel it is 30% better. ALL cruise lines have children's clubs, so not an issue. There were 26 of us & one couple had a 2 year old & a 1 year old. We tried to convince them to leave them with the other grandparents but they didn't. It was not a terribly pleasant trip for the children or the parents. They cannot go to kids club at that age. Although you can pay $10/hr or so for a sitter if you book in advance. I would recommend waiting until after the youngest is 3 & potty trained so they can go to kids club (a break is nice sometimes). And I would look into another line. Would I recommend DCL--yes, if the price was competative.
I'm doing a 4 day Disney cruise in mid June so I'll have a better perspective after that trip. Disney is not my thing but my MIL is paying. We landed on Disney because my BIL, who is a Disney fanatic, was in charge of the trip so to no one's surprise that's where we ended up. We could have traveled to anywhere in the world, withing reason, and we end up on a Disney Cruise. If it was my choice we would do a full one week stay somewhere in the Caribbean. It seems like we are paying a lot for the Disney brand, because the ship itself is no better than the Carnival lines. But then again, I haven't seen any reports of fires on the DCL or massive food poisoning outbreaks. Anyhow, I found out that Atlantis has a nice casino so that might be one of our excursions. And we can bring our own booze on board so that will help.
We have gone on Disney 4 times (4 day, 5 day & 2-7day). On the 4-day, we were just acclimating to the ship and it was time to get off! The 5-day, was a better deal than the 4-day...it was good. The 7-day was great!! We have also taken a 7-day Carnival...no comparison to Disney! I would like to try Royal Caribbean but my kids (in their 20's) beg to go on Disney!! The shows are fabulous and the food is even better!
There are Disney Cruise documentaries on cable television all the time. Check your local listings. They do seem like they are a blast for children A Las Vegas for children.
Born to cruise It doesn't matter which cruise you go on. You will have a blast and not want to get off the ship. LucyR.
My wife and kids (ages 8 and10) did a three day disney cruise in January and loved it. The kids enjoyed the kids clubs, water slides, shows and meals. They also had a great time with the island day and bunk beds. While my wife took the kids to see the shows after dinner I did a bourbon tasting in one of the bars. We also did a dolphin excursion which the family enjoyed. I would recommend it.
Most of the major cruise lines have some sort of programming/activities for children. What sets Disney apart is that is their specialty rather than a sideline. Bottom line: If you're going on Disney, it's for the kids. Bill
Thanks for the comments and advice, everyone. I understand that we will pay somewhat of a premium for the Disney name but kids are Disney's specialty and that is why we are going. I have questioned whether we should wait a little longer due to the kids being so young - at this point they won't remember it forever but I think they will have fun at the time. Chitownjohn, please let me know what you think after your cruise.