https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 09 May 2026 19:20:25 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2463071 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 12:08:27 +0000 cat620 2463071@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Yoyo: Haha I guess you could call me a pro. We always go at off peak times, so the parks don't get as crowded and lines aren't as long. I can see how the cruise could be more relaxing, but I think Disney World can be somewhat relaxing too if you take time to rest, and you don't go with the goal to do every single thing at each park. Since we go every year, it's not a big deal if we miss some rides or skip a whole theme park. We take our time and stop for lots of breaks. </p> <p>Thanks for all your help! I need to talk it over with my husband some more and see what he thinks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2463032 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 11:42:55 +0000 Mrs. Yoyo 2463032@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: We did Disney World for a few days after. It sucked, but again, I'm not a Disney person and we went at peak time (right before Xmas) and didn't stay on property. They (and I) had way more fun at the hotel pool than in the parks! You sound like way more of a pro though :-)</p> <p>I think that the big appeal of the cruise is that it's more "relaxing" than the parks often are, but I'm not sure how true that will be if you're only going for a few days? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2462957 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 10:55:35 +0000 cat620 2462957@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Yoyo: Our plan was to do Disney World for a few days, and then do the cruise for a few days, so it would be a split vacation between the two. If we decide not to do the cruise, we could just add a few days to our Disney World vacation, or do something else like visit another theme park or stay at the beach. We love Disney, but we go every year, so we thought this might be a nice change, although I'm not sure how much the kids will get out of a cruise. At Disney World they have lots of rides they can go on, cool playgrounds, they have space to run and play and they can go in the pools. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2462952 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 10:49:03 +0000 Mrs. Yoyo 2462952@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: I wouldn't bring a stroller for the 3 yo, probably. Unless you plan a long port excursion with a lot of walking, you will probably end up doing what we did (make the older one walk and carry if desperately tired). </p> <p>You will have to ask for rails for the bottom bunk, but when they're up it would be hard to fall out. It's also relatively low to the ground. If you think your 1 yo would be good with that I'd probably go that route to avoid taking up space with a PNP.</p> <p>As for meals, I think even the buffet is table service in the evening, if I remember correctly. I don't think it would be as involved as the main dining room, but still something to consider. There are a few quick-eat stations with the basics on the pool deck that are open all day, though. </p> <p>So there are actually two shows. Basically one is earlier (6ish?) for the late dinner people, and one is late (8ish?) for the early dinner people. So in theory you could go to the early show as long as you were able to do an early dinner on your own. We never tried that, but it could be doable if you want to skip the early dinner seating. (You can't switch to the late seating on like just one day, though, so you would have to probably get dinner beforehand at the quick-service places.)</p> <p>I would definitely skip Nassau and maybe think seriously about the cabana at Castaway. It was a big bummer to walk around the beach and not have anywhere to sit, and then finally find one lounge chair but it was so far from the water that we couldn't relax anyway. </p> <p>I will say that getting there/getting checked in/etc was actually pretty easy. Disney is pretty good at smoothing out the logistics. The fire drill was annoying but that's just cruising, I guess. They let those of us with squirmy kids go as soon as possible. </p> <p>I guess whether it's worth it depends on your other options -- and how much they cost. I mean, it's doable with little ones, if not super ideal. But I think that could be said for any vacation with very small kids. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2462829 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 09:57:13 +0000 cat620 2462829@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Yoyo: Thanks for your in-depth review. It has been very helpful! I think we could get creative with storage in the room, so hopefully that would work. Do you think I would need a stroller for my 3 year old? I'm not sure how much walking we would need to do, so probably just the 1 year old I would think. If the bed has railings, I think the 1 year old could sleep there, but it's hard to say for sure. </p> <p>The pools sound not as fun for the young crowd. We're used to staying at deluxe Disney resorts that have huge pool areas that aren't restricted to potty trained kids. </p> <p>I'm worried about my kids having the patience to sit through long meals. My older son already gets mad if we eat somewhere longer than 45 minutes, unless there is a lot of entertainment. We might end up at the buffet every night. </p> <p>It is a bummer that the shows start so late. I know my kids will be tired around 8pm and might not make it through a show. </p> <p>Our ports are Castaway Key and Nassau. I think we might stay on the boat for Nassau, since I doubt there's much we could do there with them. I saw at Castaway Key you can rent cabanas, but they are several hundred dollars for the day! </p> <p>I'm really torn on going on this cruise. I think it could be fun for the older one but not so much for the younger one. Plus, Disney cruises are expensive, and it's a lot of work getting to the port, parking, going through security, going through the fire drill, and getting settled in. I'm not sure it's worth it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2462792 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 09:37:00 +0000 Mrs. Yoyo 2462792@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>OK, I'm back! While all this is still fresh in my mind:</p> <p>-Rooms. This should be the least of your worries, as long as you get one with a balcony they are surprisingly spacious. There is a ton of space under your bed for luggage and a ton of space in a storage unit that runs along the entire wall. I was scared of this too but honestly did not feel cramped at all. They even split the bathroom so that there is a toilet/sink on one side and a sink/tub/shower on the other. </p> <p>Would you have the 1 yo in a PNP? That would take up a bit more room but it probably still wouldn't be bad. They converted the couch into bunks for our boys (with rails on both) and they loved them.</p> <p>Someone said above that you could store a stroller in the hall, but I don't think that's the case. I never saw it done and I'd imagine there are rules against it. We just stuck our umbrella stroller over by the door and it was never a big deal. I wouldn't bring a big one.</p> <p>-Passports. Contrary to what some PPs say, you don't absolutely have to have them when you are entering/leaving from the same U.S. port. I believe birth certificates are OK. However, if there was an emergency and you couldn't complete the itinerary, it would be a huge headache. We went ahead and got them for the boys for that reason.</p> <p>-Pools. Also contrary to what some PPs say, there is no baby pool. There is a small splash pad that kids who aren't potty-trained can use, and that's it. Also, the two kids' pools that ARE for older kids are small and always packed. They show Disney movies on that main deck above the pools and people seriously just come and park their bums there all day. Between that and the fact that you have to have eyes on two kids in two different spots, the swimming aspect was kind of a bummer. Also, our 2 yo was seriously pissed that he couldn't get in the real pool so I was constantly dragging him out and trying to distract him.</p> <p>-Food. The food (and service) is very good - one of the best parts of the cruise. There is a huge, very good buffet as well as the more formal dining rooms and a casual-eating spot, and two adult restaurants. The dining rooms are great, but note that it can take awhile to get through dinner and the kids can get antsy. We had to whip out the phones a lot. I think the early dinner seating is at 5:45, so that's probably what you would do to have a chance for an 8pm bedtime.</p> <p>- Entertainment. They supposedly have very good stage shows but I only got to catch part of one once due to getting the kids in bed. That was a big bummer! There are lots of movies, of course. As for kid-friendly activities, there are tons of crafts and dance parties and character photo ops. The 1 yo will be trickier. They had a "toddler time" periodically but it was basically just little babies drooling all over each other while they crawled around and grabbed at the same toys. </p> <p>- Kids Club/Nursery. Our older son went to the kids club and liked it, though we still had to twist his arm to go. We also used the nursery a bit and it was fine, but it's a bummer that you have to reserve it/pay. Also, our 2 yo was definitely on the older end for it, so I kind of wonder how much fun he really had, but we didn't get called for any meltdowns. I would try to use them at least once if only to go to the spa or one of the adult restaurants on board and get some time to yourself! Both places have periodic open houses when they can play in either space regardless of age, but you have to stay with them.</p> <p>- Ports/Excursions. You'll be seriously limited as to what you can do with a 1 yo. 80 percent of stuff is for older kids/adults. We did a dolphin experience in Mexico but only my DH and older son could do it while I sat and watched with the little one. We were just going to do a generic beach excursion in Cayman but my smaller one ended up getting sick, so we stayed on the boat. Castaway Key is Disney's island and is a bit more family-friendly but be prepared to get off the boat first thing if you want to claim some beach loungers! Honestly, with little ones I might not even get off the boat except for at Castaway. That's when you can actually have some room on the pool deck!</p> <p>All in all, it was pleasant enough, but I'm not really a cruiser or a Disney person, so I'm not dying to go back. I think it's among the lower-hassle things you can do with kids this age, BUT I also think it would be much more fun with kids 3 or 4+ who can go to the kids club together, enjoy the big-kid pools, enjoy more of the activities, skip naps and/or stay up a bit later on occasion, and actually do more in port. @aprild: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2462054 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 13:31:55 +0000 catlady 2462054@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: Yes, they will need passports. We had room for a pack n play, small umbrella stroller, and our luggage in our room, but it was tight. We had a balcony room. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2461915 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 11:36:49 +0000 Mrs. Yoyo 2461915@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: we just went on the Disney fantasy in December with our sons, 4 and (just barely) 2. I'll come back later to post more in depth, but my short answer is I think it would be way more fun if both kids are 3 and up. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2461704 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 08:23:52 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2461704@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: Ive heard on most cruises people can just leave their strollers in the hallways at night. So that saves you some space. </p> <p>We would LOVE to do a disney cruise but will wait until all children are age 3+. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2461703 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 08:22:34 +0000 JoJoGirl 2461703@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are looking into this as well. I went on a cruise with my LO when she was 18 months old, just a weekend, but it was the EASIEST way to vacation with her ever. It was a gift from my parents, so was me and her in one room and them in the other. </p> <p>- Buffet meals = she could just pick what she wanted, no waiting for food to arrive, no menus, no waitstaff. No getting in a car, driving to restaurants, no dealing with any hassles. No going OUTSIDE at all to eat - just hop on the elevator and you're eating within 10 mins.</p> <p>- The ship itself - no traffic, no hazards of any kind other than stairs (which aren't even that frequent on a big ship). She literally just had fun running up and down the hallways, watching people splash in the pool, looking out the window, etc. The ship we were on had this one hallway with HUGE wicker furniture - like a dome-shaped couch (like a teepee) that could fit 4 adults inside at once. All she wanted to do was lay down in there, stare up at the top of the dome, have different people lay with her. We spent like 2 hours just playing on that couch!</p> <p>- The room was fine - queen bed and a pack n play fit with no issue (interior room)</p> <p>- Kids club - while she wasn't old enough for me to drop her off, they have AWESOME age appropriate toys, games, activities etc so we could go down there for an hour or two if we ran out of other ideas</p> <p>- Entertainment at night - We took LO to see the early show of "Mama Mia" after dinner (I think we ate at 6, show started at 7, so before bed). She had never seen live singing and dancing so was CAPTIVATED by it. And we didn't pay to go, so just sat in the back and left when she got bored. </p> <p>- The only downside was bedtime. My parents were comfortable with me leaving her sleeping in the room with our phone baby monitor so we could grab a quick dinner/drink after she was in bed, but I don't know that I would do that again. We were only 2 decks up but I don't think I'd repeat that. It's a bit limiting when LO goes to bed at 8, but I'm 100% sure the ship offers babysitting, even if that means sitting inside (or just outside) your cabin while LO sleeps.</p> <p>This was without any ports of call. Just a weekend on the ship. After doing more adventurous vacations with her to AirBnBs in Central America and the Caribbean, I'm definitely going to look for a cruise with her again after #2 comes! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2461696 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 08:17:10 +0000 psw27 2461696@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Also; we just went to an awesome all inclusive that was great for kids if you are looking for alternative vacation ideas. :happy: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2461695 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 08:16:05 +0000 psw27 2461695@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks for starting this thread, I've been curious about the Disney experience for younger kids. </p> <p>Yes, your kids will need passports if you are leaving the US. I would get them sooner rather than later, I just read an article about how thousands of passports expire this year and it could take longer than usual. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2461668 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 07:32:39 +0000 cat620 2461668@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks for the replies! I'm not sure how open my kids will be to going to the nursery or the kid's club. I assume the 3 year old will be more open to it, since he's starting preschool soon, and he'll be interested in playing with other kids, but my one year old might have separation anxiety. </p> <p>I'm also a little worried about how small the cabins are on the ship. Is it possible to fit 4 people in one room without being on top of each other? We would need to fit a pack n play for the one year old and have room for a stroller and all the luggage. </p> <p>Also, I assume I would need to get passports for the kids? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2461328 Sun, 14 Feb 2016 13:59:50 +0000 JCCovi 2461328@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did a Disney cruise to Alaska with our just turned 2 year old daughter and our 7 month old. We have another one planned for December when my daughter will be just over 3 and my son will be almost 2. I would recommend them for any age but the 2ish age is going to be the hardest (depending on the kids because they can't go in the kids club but are the oldest in the nursery). I would think you'd have no problems with a 1 year old, especially if he's willing to stay in the nursery. Our 7 month old was thrilled to crawl all over the place and they even have a special diaper race for pre-walking babies!</p> <p>The staff is so in-tune to the little ones. We had one lunch where my son was exhausted and we kept giving him carrots to get him through lunch and he finally just slumped down on the table and fell asleep right in his high chair. Within a minute there were 3 servers assembling chairs and tying them together with napkins to create a make shift bed complete with railing. It was fantastic and definitely left an impression on me! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2461314 Sun, 14 Feb 2016 13:05:55 +0000 catlady 2461314@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did a Disney cruise last year when LO was about 16 months. As others have mentioned, your 3 year old will love it (3 is the minimum age for the kids clubs). We chose the cruise specifically so that we could put our LO in the nursery during certain times so we could have some time to ourselves. That actually did work well before we all came down with the flu, and then we couldn't use the nursery anymore since she had a fever. But the first few days were nice! We got the early dinnertime and that worked fine (my LO is really good in restaurants). There were "toddler time" activities almost every day (although sadly most of them during her nap) and they had a Disney Jr dance party a couple times. </p> <p>Some cons:<br /> - Dealing with naptimes (she was still taking 2/day) vs. shore excursion times (ours doesn't nap well in the stroller)<br /> - Early bedtime meant we didn't get to see the show at night<br /> - @Mrs. Microscope: We didn't have a dedicated baby pool on our ship (the Magic). There was a very small water play area for babies but they needed to be potty trained to use the actual pools.<br /> - Very limited programming/activities for the under 3 set.</p> <p>Based on our experience, I will definitely go back on a Disney cruise (service was amazing), but we will either wait until all LOs are at least 3, or we will take a grandparent. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2461307 Sun, 14 Feb 2016 12:50:40 +0000 petunia354 2461307@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: trust me, you won't want to go in the pool. People are packed in there like sardines......the kids area looked fun, though I did see a boy (old enough to know better) pull down his bathing suit and blatantly pee in the water so that was kind of gross. You'll definitely be busy between catching movies and going to character meet and greets all day! Plus they have dance parties for kids and different activities all throughout the day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2461306 Sun, 14 Feb 2016 12:46:06 +0000 regberadaisy 2461306@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: if you check the blog, Mrs wagon did a whole series. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2461305 Sun, 14 Feb 2016 12:45:21 +0000 regberadaisy 2461305@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Microscope: I've heard from other posters that sitters are only for those potty trained or is it just for drop off daycare?</p> <p>Personally I would be torn. I think the 3 yo would have a blast. But it would be hard with a 1 yo since they can't do much. For us it would be a big financial commitment that we would probably wait until both kids could enjoy it? Unless the 1 yo is free? :P </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2461303 Sun, 14 Feb 2016 12:42:42 +0000 danda 2461303@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks for posting! Exact same situation here, minus the previous Disney trips. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2461243 Sun, 14 Feb 2016 10:33:54 +0000 Mrs. Microscope 2461243@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Disney cruises have one pool for swim diapers, so you will have a dedicated baby pool! And they should cater to every need you have... They have in room babysitting too. For bedtime and naps if you want to have some break. I say go for it! We are taking our soon to be 7 month old DD on a Celebrity Cruise in 3 weeks. I wish it was Disney, but the rest of our family vetoed that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2461213 Sun, 14 Feb 2016 09:33:26 +0000 cat620 2461213@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@catomd00: I'm pretty sure that's the case, so the one year old wouldn't be able to go in the pool. This is another concern for me, since I'm trying to figure out what he would do all day </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2461204 Sun, 14 Feb 2016 09:07:21 +0000 catomd00 2461204@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have heard your kids need to be potty trained to go in the pools, so I would advise you to check on that first. Otherwise I have heard it's a blast!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2461202 Sun, 14 Feb 2016 09:05:26 +0000 fuzzypeaches 2461202@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't know but I'm following as we are doing a family reunion type thing on a Disney cruise when I will have a 3yo and 18mo old. </p> <p>I'm scared hahaha </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2461178 Sun, 14 Feb 2016 08:22:12 +0000 petunia354 2461178@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Your 3 year old will absolutely have a blast!!! It'll be tough though with a 1 year old. We went with our 23 month old and there was tons of fun stuff to do but between naps and a longer dinner than he was used to, it was a little rough for him to adjust to. Since he wasn't old enough for the kids club we tried to drop him at the nursery but he hated that. I think the 1 year old is just going to be a drag for you, as awful as that sounds. You're going to constantly be running after them, holding them, thinking about naps and what they're going to/able to eat. Disney is amazing but cruises in general are just suited to the preschool age and up. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/disney-cruise-with-a-3-and-1-year-old#post-2461164 Sun, 14 Feb 2016 07:43:08 +0000 cat620 2461164@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We're considering taking our kids on a Disney Cruise later this year. My oldest son will be 3, and my youngest will be 1. We've already done Disney World a couple of times, so we thought this might be a nice change, but now I'm starting to think it might not be a good idea. I know the 1 year old will have limited options as far as entertainment on board, and my 3 year old has tons of energy, so I'm not sure if he'll have enough places to run around and be a kid. Has anyone been on a Disney Cruise before with small children? Would you want to go with kids that age, or wait until they are older? </p>