https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 06 May 2026 04:14:27 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2786439 Tue, 14 Nov 2017 18:35:13 +0000 lawbee11 2786439@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Charm54: Awesome! We loved our 7-night cruise. We wanted to do another one but didn’t want to go to the Bahamas again and a 5-night worked better with our dates so we’ll be doing a 5-night out of San Diego :) We had a Disney Jr character breakfast on ours and I’ve heard they only have those on 7+ night cruises so may be something to consider if you think your LOs would enjoy it! It’s Mickey, Minnie, Doc McStuffins, Sofia, Jake from Neverland Pirates. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2786437 Tue, 14 Nov 2017 18:21:56 +0000 Charm54 2786437@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lawbee11: We are close to booking for March 2019 too. Trying to decide between 7 night western Caribbean out of Port Canaveral or 5 night out of Miami. The 7 night isn't all that much more so that's what I think we will do. And we will definitely get a verandah! </p> <p>@littlebug: thank you 😊 That is really helpful. I can't wait to try one now!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2786416 Tue, 14 Nov 2017 16:10:49 +0000 littlebug 2786416@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Charm54: Yeah, 4 nights was plenty. I think maybe a 5 night would be about the max I could tolerate, although I might be convinced to go for a longer cruise to do the Star Wars Day at Sea because I'm pretty it would blow my son's mind. But yeah, by Friday I think the kids were on the verge of being overstimulated for too long.</p> <p>Our cruise stopped at Nassau, Bahamas and at Castaway Cay. Castaway Cay was great! We didn't get to do the snorkeling, but several of our family members did and they said it was pretty good! It was nice that the food on Castaway Cay was included so we didn't have to worry about bringing cash off the ship. On the Nassau day, we opted to stay on the boat and take advantage of the smaller crowds, which was pretty nice! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2786413 Tue, 14 Nov 2017 15:59:34 +0000 lawbee11 2786413@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@littlebug: Glad you had a good time! Agree about the verandah...totally worth it to be able to hang out there after LO goes to bed. We booked our March 2019 cruise a couple of weeks ago. 16 months and counting... :silly: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2786412 Tue, 14 Nov 2017 15:54:29 +0000 Charm54 2786412@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@littlebug: this is amazing !!! Thank you so much the for all the info. My SIL might come with us and has pretty restrictive food diet so that is really helpful. Did you find 3 nights long enough? Did you go to castaway cay? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2786353 Tue, 14 Nov 2017 12:08:15 +0000 littlebug 2786353@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Charm54: Ok, we just got back from our 4-day Disney Dream cruise. It was amazing. It was a LOT for our kiddos, but still... I'd definitely do it again. I feel like a cruise is where the Disney "magic" really shines! You're eating, living, breathing Disney 24/7, so they really pull out all the stops to make it feel as magical as possible!</p> <p>The check-in and boarding process was not as bad as I'd anticipated. From arrival to stepping foot on the boat, it was about 2.5 hours. But we were able to secure one of the earliest boarding times, so that helped. Be aware that your boarding time does not mean that's when you'll be getting on the boat - our boarding time was 11am, but I'm pretty sure we didn't set foot on the gangway until after noon. You can get into your rooms around 1:30, which worked out really well for us. We got on board, grabbed lunch, then took the kiddos to the cabin for naps and to unpack a little bit.</p> <p>It was a little tough with the 20mo because she still needs a nap in the middle of the day, so that meant a big chunk of our day, one or both of us were sitting back in the cabin (out on the balcony) with her. Our 4.5yo usually napped too at this time, but he didn't NEED it. </p> <p>I don't know if you have any dietary restrictions in your family, but Disney was SUPER accommodating for our family members with special needs. My step-dad is gluten-free, my nephew is dairy-free, and my sister has EOE and has a specific and VERY limited diet. The staff bent over backwards making sure they each had food they could eat. It was amazing. I cannot praise that aspect of the cruise enough. </p> <p>Let me know if you have any specific questions. We did a 4-night cruise on the Disney Dream, so if you're planning a 7-night cruise you'll probably be on a different ship. But I'd imagine things generally run the same from ship to ship.</p> <p>ETA: Both kids being over 3 would have been a big help. My 4.5yo wouldn't go to the kids' club alone, and my 20mo would have freaked if we'd dropped her in the nursery. So the only "alone" time Hubs and I had was after they went to sleep, when we'd sit out on the balcony. One evening we were able to sneak out and have a nice dinner at one of the "fancy" restaurants because my parents were cruising with us and they sat on the balcony for us. If you can afford it, splurge for the verandah room. It gave us some extra space, the kids loved hanging out on it and watching the water (we spotted a shark!), and it was nice to be able to sit out there with Hubs after they went to bed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2784127 Sat, 04 Nov 2017 00:48:05 +0000 JCCovi 2784127@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So long as the kids are over 3 and can go to kid's club you should be great! We've done 2 with younger kids than you have and had a lot of fun. I wouldn't recommend going any longer than 4 days. We've done a 7 night and a 6 night and you can feel all the kids on the ship getting overtired after about the 5th night. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2783280 Tue, 31 Oct 2017 12:06:15 +0000 yoursilverlining 2783280@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Charm54: I booked the week the cruise opened. I kid you not; the day they opened I looked at the price and then looked that night and the price had already adjusted a tiny bit upward so we booked the next morning. It's insanity. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2783258 Tue, 31 Oct 2017 11:06:23 +0000 Mrs. Toad 2783258@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Charm54: FIL booked in June/July 2016 for an August 2017 cruise. I knew this was the plan and informed them of the pregnancy very early to ensure that we would be able to go. DD had to be 6 months to go on the cruise and they were working with older kids around school time. The cruise was their 50th wedding anniversary celebration.</p> <p>We did have connecting rooms. It was rather nice to be able to hear the monitor from the next room over. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2783250 Tue, 31 Oct 2017 10:56:24 +0000 lawbee11 2783250@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Charm54: Yes, you choose your rooms right away. If you look at the deck plans you can see which rooms connect. I assume those would all be gone by the spring, though (but probably depends on the popularity of the cruise). Agree with PP about working with a travel agent. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2783249 Tue, 31 Oct 2017 10:55:02 +0000 catlady 2783249@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Charm54: I think we did book our exact room right away. I know some of them connect but you'd have to know which ones. I would definitely work with a travel agent for that type of thing! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2783246 Tue, 31 Oct 2017 10:52:15 +0000 Charm54 2783246@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lawbee11: @catlady: it's insanity!! We would be going first week of March so not as crazy as spring break crowds which makes me think (hope) we can maybe wait until next spring or so to book. On disney cruise you pick your exact room right away, right? Do you know if there are connecting rooms? I think my ILs might be joining us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2783237 Tue, 31 Oct 2017 10:45:28 +0000 catlady 2783237@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Charm54: Ha, I know what you mean. We are also considering Spring 2019 but there is no way I am going to book now. When we did ours, I booked about 6 months in advance, but we did a less popular time (early February) so the rates were still relatively low. I forget how it works with cruises, can you book now but change your reservation later if you need to? I know you only need to put down a deposit and definitely not the whole amount up front. Might be worth calling someone to see (either Disney directly or a travel agent if you are using one). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2783234 Tue, 31 Oct 2017 10:42:55 +0000 lawbee11 2783234@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Charm54: Haha we are looking to book this week for a March 2019 cruise as well! Definitely cheapest right when they go on sale.</p> <p>ETA: You put down a 20% deposit at time of booking and it's refundable up until 90 days before the cruise. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2783230 Tue, 31 Oct 2017 10:39:18 +0000 Charm54 2783230@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: @Mrs. Toad: @yoursilverlining: @catlady: thank you!! This is all super helpful. We are looking at a 7 day cruise for March 2019... how early did you book?? I've heard disney Cruises are cheapest when they first come out, but that would mean booking this week! 😮 Not sure if can get Dh to commit this early haha </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2783169 Tue, 31 Oct 2017 06:21:19 +0000 Mrs. Toad 2783169@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I forgot to mention a couple things about the room. There is a set nightlight and a curtain to split the room, so that the kids can go to bed early and you still have lights for yourself. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2783070 Mon, 30 Oct 2017 15:30:46 +0000 catlady 2783070@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You've gotten a lot of great responses and I don't have much to add (when we went, LO1 was only 16 months so a different experience than with older LOs), but just wanted to say that both LO1 and DH get motion sickness generally (especially in cars), and they were both fine without medication.</p> <p>We did a 7 day cruise and I was happy to have that much time. I am really hoping to do another cruise soon but am trying to decide if we should wait until both my kids are old enough for the kids clubs (if we go in the next couple years, LO2 will still have to be in the nursery, and I doubt he'd want to be separated from his big sis). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2783045 Mon, 30 Oct 2017 14:50:40 +0000 yoursilverlining 2783045@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@littlebug: Yes! hahaha, don't worry the split bathrooms left an impression on me too. There is one bathroom that has the shower and then one with just a sink and toilet. Both are small spaces but the split bath was handy. </p> <p>Oh, another good point I just remembered: one channel on the cabin TV plays nothing but old Disney movies 24/7. Great for downtimes, even short ones like changing outfits for dinner, etc. and you need to distract kids for 10 minutes while you do your makeup. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2783039 Mon, 30 Oct 2017 14:31:35 +0000 littlebug 2783039@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yoursilverlining: Wait, there's 2 bathrooms in the cabin?!</p> <p>ETA: Yes, THAT was my takeaway from that paragraph, ha! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2782969 Mon, 30 Oct 2017 12:09:53 +0000 yoursilverlining 2782969@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@kpc324: I prefer Half Moon Cay because the sand is much softer and also better setup/more availability of shade umbrellas and “clamshells” for the beach. My LO is extremely cautious so she doesn’t use water slides and stuff, although I can see that being a huge appeal if your kids would use that. Also, the food was really not good. Upside; they do have an ice cream machine there. That said though, that one stop isn’t make or break in my opinion. It’s only 1 day (or 2, depending on what cruise itinerary you pick) out of the entire cruise. I just expected to be more blown away by quality for the price. I am shelling out again for a Mediterranean cruise with Disney next summer so I’m not trying to sway anyone away lol :silly: I think the cost justifications for me are the character interactions which are much longer/more personal than at WDW/DL, the thoughtfulness towards kids generally (i.e., lots of splash pads and things for little ones who can't use pools yet, second bathroom in the cabin for kids who of course *have* to use the bathroom while you are taking a shower....), and the entertainment. The shows are freaking amazing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2782925 Mon, 30 Oct 2017 09:32:00 +0000 Mrs. Toad 2782925@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We went on a Disney cruise this past summer – 7 days – with my all of my in-laws. MIL, FIL, SIL/BIL, SIL/BIL, DH, me, niece 14, nephew 9, niece 6, DS 2.5, DD 6 months. </p> <p>There are always things to do. The daily schedule had kids items, family items, adult only items, Disney movies, and character showings at all times. The movies are relatively new. We went in August and they were showing Cars 3. They had about six new Disney movies, but I don’t remember what. (There was a superhero film, but I don’t remember which one.) In addition, there are mysteries that one can solve with the Muppets. They use the pictures on the stairwells (forward, midship, and astern). </p> <p>There are characters all over and they show up multiple times a day for pictures. We weren’t interested in that (my DS still doesn’t know most characters), but my SIL with the 9 and 6 year old got lots of pictures. She was also able to take pictures herself, so you don’t have to buy the expensive photos by the ship. </p> <p>For pools, children must be toilet trained, however, there is a splash pad for those who are not. There are multiple splash pads, multiple pools with different depths, from 2’ to 4’ to 6’. I think those are the depths, with my infant, I barely used the pools. </p> <p>The kids club is toilet trained and 3. The older kids seemed to enjoy it. DS and DD enjoyed the one room that was occasionally open to them with a parent available.</p> <p>They do a rotational dinner, which means that you keep your wait staff and change dining rooms. Each dining room has its own aspects. My favorite was the Art of Animation which had Nemo and Dory playing games with us. They had the fish guessing game from Finding Nemo. The second night, we drew our characters which were animated during desert. I could even tell my DSs character, because it was scribbles of arms, legs, torso, and head. </p> <p>The shows are quite good and some of the entertainers have a headlining family friendly act and an adult only act later in the evening. They did a showing of Aladdin and DS did well even though it was after his bedtime. </p> <p>Depending upon whether your kids nap or can stay up late, the main show is at 6:30 or 8:00. Dinner is at 5:45 or 8:00. You can only have the early dinner and late show or the late dinner and early show. We always go for the early dinner and late show, because we can always skip the show. My kids are usually okay even with staying up late, but that would depend upon your kids. We kept them up late, but that’s because we really wanted to see the shows. DD did fall asleep in the show, but neither of my kids get loud and cranky, they just get mellow when tired. </p> <p>I thought their private island in the Bahamas was the best. I have been on Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival as well. The other thing is that they have a tram to get to different areas. They even have a kids club on Castaway Cay. They have two play structures in the water that are included with the price. One is for children while the other is for anyone. DH and I rode the slides for anyone, though your children would probably be good as well. We went out to the children’s area and were throwing DS into the water. We brought his puddle jumper on the trip. They also have life jackets available for no additional cost.</p> <p>Personally, I refuse to go on another vacation with more than 1 nap, but my kids don’t sleep on the go. They need to be in their bed. DH or I were stuck in the room often with a sleeping DD.</p> <p>For seasickness, unless the cruise has some bad weather, most people don’t have a problem. Cruise ships have stabilizers under the water to prevent much rolling, which causes seasickness. Seasickness is a type of motion sickness in that the eyes and ears (balance) aren’t seeing the same thing. I get sick on small boats and even larger ships, but have never had any problems on a cruise ship. Cruise ships will also try to avoid bad weather. In fact, if the weather is bad enough, you may miss a port call. Due to a tropical storm near Cozumel, we didn’t get to go there. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2782899 Mon, 30 Oct 2017 08:09:34 +0000 kpc324 2782899@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yoursilverlining: what private islands did you like better than Disney’s? We are thinking of doing a cruise soon, and I keep reading that people LOVE Castaway Cay, but I’m having trouble justifying the cost of Disney vs other lines. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2782883 Mon, 30 Oct 2017 07:02:03 +0000 Adira 2782883@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We haven't done a Disney Cruise, but we did a regular cruise with my 2 and 4 year old and they both LOVED it. We did a 4-night cruise and definitely could've done another day. I'm betting a Disney Cruise will be even MORE fun and your 3.5 year old will definitely love it!!</p> <p>As far as motion-sickness, my kids weren't affected at all. Motion-sickness runs in my family, but seems to get worse as we get older, so I felt it, but Dramamine was my best friend, and the ship traveled mostly at night (at least on our cruise), so it wasn't much of an issue. The kids were totally fine! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2782828 Sun, 29 Oct 2017 11:21:16 +0000 ShootingStar 2782828@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a 5 day Disney cruise out of San Juan coming up in February. I'm hoping everything works out with the destruction after Maria. But we are still excited for the trip. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2782799 Sat, 28 Oct 2017 19:55:26 +0000 Charm54 2782799@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lawbee11: @Mrs. Pickle: thanks for the info!! It sounds amazing...I think a 7 day cruise would be ideal. I'll keep working on Dh 😉</p> <p>@littlebug: have a great trip!! Can't wait to hear your thoughts. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2782768 Sat, 28 Oct 2017 15:11:23 +0000 Mrs. Pickle 2782768@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Charm54: we sent DD to the nursery a couple of times on our at sea days. I don't know really how much she enjoyed it since she was a baby, but she was well taken care of. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2782767 Sat, 28 Oct 2017 14:57:52 +0000 littlebug 2782767@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Charm54: We're leaving on a 4-day cruise in 8 days. I'll report back when we return!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2782755 Sat, 28 Oct 2017 12:39:27 +0000 lawbee11 2782755@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO was 3 when we went and she loved it. None of us had ever been on a cruise before so I was nervous about seasickness as well but we didn’t have any issues. We brought sea bands and Dramamine just in case but I never needed it. </p> <p>We went for 7 nights and I thought it was perfect. I think 3 nights would definitely be too short. I’ve never been to WDW but I have been to Disneyland and I found the character interactions on the cruise to be much more pleasant than at the parks. You can get tickets to certain meet and greets (like the Frozen one with Anna, Elsa, and Olaf) so you have an assigned time. </p> <p>We sent her to the kids club a few times. She wasn’t begging to go back but she also didn’t cry or anything when we left her. I think it’ll also be easier for your girls since they’ll be together. Overall we loved it. My DH was super skeptical when I mentioned going on a Disney cruise but even he said he wants to go on another one. We also got a room with a verandah and would go out and drink wine after LO went to bed which was really nice. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2782750 Sat, 28 Oct 2017 12:30:03 +0000 Charm54 2782750@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yoursilverlining: @Mrs. Pickle: Thank you, that's helpful! Did you use the kids club? Did your LOs enjoy it? That's one thing that's super appealing...being able to drop them off for an hour or two and go relax by the pool with Dh kid free. But I wouldn't want to send them unless they really enjoyed it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-1#post-2782734 Sat, 28 Oct 2017 10:06:17 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2782734@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>One of my bff’s took his first on a Disney Cruise when he was 3 and absolutely loved it. They have done it another two times as their family grew. Don’t know more about their trip, but that’s pretty much how they Disney. WDW is 90 min away, but I don’t think they have gone. </p>