Hellobee Boards

We went on a Disney cruise 2 years ago. Honestly, I don't think you actually can eat anywhere at any time, I'm not sure where you got that? We had the early dinner, in part because LO was only 16 months and had a very early bedtime (we missed the shows each night, except once when I snuck down while DH watched LO in our room). The way dinner worked (at least on our cruise) was that you had your assigned time and table, and the restaurant itself changed it night, but you had to eat at the assigned place or else the only other options were the quick service buffet or the little food stands near the pool. We were assigned a table with another family with a young toddler and it was fun to eat with them each night. Your server is also the same each night and we loved ours.

Disney cruises do not have in-room babysitting, so no, you can't really put the kids to bed and then go out. They do have kids clubs (over age 3) and also the nursery for babies and toddler (under age 3). They stay open relatively late so you could conceivably leave the kids there in the evening. One nice thing about Disney cruises is that they are BYOB so many people bring drinks aboard to have in their rooms.

Hope that helps, have fun! We definitely plan to go back on a Disney cruise in a year or two.

A couple of tips:

One of the best purchases I made on the ship is that when you get off to go to their island Castaway Cay, they have these padded coolers available for sale filled with chilled bottled water for $20. We have used that cooler so many times here at home for picnic lunches, outdoor concerts, etc. It isn’t huge – it’s just a nice/good size for picnic type events. Very good deal for $20!

When you get to the island, don’t get off at the first bus stop. Most people will get off at the first stop the bus makes, so that beach gets super full. If you want until the next few stops, you end up with a less populated stretch of beach.

There is a pirate themed night and party with fireworks. If you go up to the top deck, you have amazing views of the fireworks. They will give you a fabric pirate bandana, but many people dress up (we did!).

There is a fun and totally optional event called “fish extender exchange” that you can take part in if you join a private group for your cruise. I think they have these on some websites, but also via a private FB group for your cruise. You hang a fish extender on your door (google for ideas/description) and people exchange little gifts with each other during the cruise. It’s fun and LO loved checking whether we had any mail/gifts in “our fish”.

Have fun!

We did the the early seating. I guess it depends on your kids but I think it would have been meltdown city with ours if we did the later seating. And I wouldn't skip the dinners and just do buffet or quick service because the dinners are amazing and one of the best parts of the cruise! We chose a couple of shows to take LO to after dinner (the Frozen show and the Golden Mickeys, I think). We didn't do a show every night because one night was a magician and I think another night was a standup comedian, so I figured LO wouldn't really be into those. I don't think they have babysitters that will go to your cabin, but could you get family to watch them one night after they're asleep? You're going to have a blast!! Castaway Cay was my favorite stop...it's so gorgeous.

@littlebug: FYI, Disney changed their booze rules a bit - you can only bring a max of 2 bottles of wine (or 6 beers) max per adult and NO hard liquor at all. Of course, there is plenty on board - their chocolate martinis are ah-mazing!

My LO is pretty sensitive to loud noises so (they scare her too) we were not sure how she would do with the fireworks but she loved them - I think the whole celebratory mood and being on vacation helped a lot; but headphones can't hurt! !

@littlebug: You aren't locked into the later show, so you could always skip dinner and see the early show. The only issue I see that could come up is you won't know the show schedule until you're on board, but you'll likely want to make your Palo/Remy reservations as far out as you can. So it's sort of a gamble as to which show will be that night. Though you may be able to change your reservation once you're on board...will just depend on availability.

@ShootingStar: our ship had something called "toddler time" every day and it was great for my 13 month old. There was a section in one of the lounges that could be completely closed off and they brought out lots of age appropriate toys for them. It was the hour before dinner so DH and I took turns taking DD to play while the other got to have a little break and get dressed in peace. I would look out for that for your younger one.

If you want to go swimming you and your DH might have to split up. Your older one will be too old for the baby splash pad area and your younger won't be allowed in the pool.

Bumping any castaway cay tips