The shows

We did not enjoy our Disney cruise- my kids were actually excited about kids' club, but they just watched movies / played video games there so my kids didn't want to go anymore. (They are the kinds of kids who love camps, activities, etc. and thought they would be doing art and making things and playing games.) There were also character meet and greets, which is a draw for some, but my girls were not interested in those. They are more ride/activity kind of people. Also, note that children cannot use the pool with a swim diaper. Even in the pool, they would have a big movie screen, and the kids were just bobbing up and down watching movies - they weren't swimming and playing.

We went for spring break to bahamas and castaway cay and the weather was too cold (obviously not Disney's fault) to want to swim, and there wasn't much programming outside of that. Again, there were a lot of movies. We love the parks and enjoyed a cheaper cruise in Alaska- but we did not like feel like we got our money's worth with the Disney cruise at all. The food was not better than on the cheaper cruise either.

Also, just wanted to add that this input has all been very helpful! None of us drink so I was trying to get a sense if the adult appeal is more around having adult alone time (we aren’t prioritizing this) or nightlife (not our interest) but it seems like the entertainment and private island are genuinely great and the kids club is a bonus if we want to try it out. Thanks!

Is a 3-night cruise fine or is 4 better? I assumed 4 would get a little repetitive but seems like I could be mistaken.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Confused how you can’t do Disneyworld but can do a cruise. If it’s a price issue, the cruise will be way more.

I am not the OP but my family prefers the cruises to the parks. Parks can be fun, but they are exhausting - especially if your kids are young. We joked that our children thought all of the characters only lived on the cruise ship because they are so much easier to see - vs. wasting an hour or so in line at a park in the hot sun. It feels like a more relaxing vacation with a sprinkle of disney magic , which made everyone in our family happy with the trip.

But OP said “can’t.” Not, “don’t want to.”

I imagine the “can’t” as “I can’t spend another summer pushing that stroller in 100° heat and 90° humidity.”

Like, I’m sorry, I just can’t.

OP here. Yes this is basically it. I wasn’t thinking so deeply about the language I used. We are also going with another family and if we were doing Disney World, we all may want to do a longer trip to visit Universal/ Harry Potter world (which will be more fun when the younger ones are a bit older and also into HP) and I don’t think we can do a longer trip this year. But yes, the logistics / convenience / comfort pieces are key.

I did speak to a Disney travel agent who said that the cruises (total cost) are cheaper than the park (staying at one of the 3 hotels that are adjacent to the park, so I’m curious about why you said the park is definitely cheaper?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Confused how you can’t do Disneyworld but can do a cruise. If it’s a price issue, the cruise will be way more.

I am not the OP but my family prefers the cruises to the parks. Parks can be fun, but they are exhausting - especially if your kids are young. We joked that our children thought all of the characters only lived on the cruise ship because they are so much easier to see - vs. wasting an hour or so in line at a park in the hot sun. It feels like a more relaxing vacation with a sprinkle of disney magic , which made everyone in our family happy with the trip.

But OP said “can’t.” Not, “don’t want to.”

I imagine the “can’t” as “I can’t spend another summer pushing that stroller in 100° heat and 90° humidity.”

Like, I’m sorry, I just can’t.

Anonymous wrote:I really loved the evening routine of dinner then a show. Structure plus good food and great entertainment = happy family. The day on the private island exceeded expectations too. I would have liked to spend more time at the adult only pool but our kids didn’t want be in the kids club. We did the 4-night cruise to Bahamas when the kids were ages 4 and 6.

Can I pick your brain on the 4-night cruise? We are considering taking one but fear it’ll feel too short, like when you’re finally feeling relaxed and enjoying yourself, it’s time to get off the ship. Did you feel it was worth it? Any tips on maximizing enjoyment and jumping right in?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Confused how you can’t do Disneyworld but can do a cruise. If it’s a price issue, the cruise will be way more.

I am not the OP but my family prefers the cruises to the parks. Parks can be fun, but they are exhausting - especially if your kids are young. We joked that our children thought all of the characters only lived on the cruise ship because they are so much easier to see - vs. wasting an hour or so in line at a park in the hot sun. It feels like a more relaxing vacation with a sprinkle of disney magic , which made everyone in our family happy with the trip.

But OP said “can’t.” Not, “don’t want to.”

Anonymous wrote:Confused how you can’t do Disneyworld but can do a cruise. If it’s a price issue, the cruise will be way more.

I am not the OP but my family prefers the cruises to the parks. Parks can be fun, but they are exhausting - especially if your kids are young. We joked that our children thought all of the characters only lived on the cruise ship because they are so much easier to see - vs. wasting an hour or so in line at a park in the hot sun. It feels like a more relaxing vacation with a sprinkle of disney magic , which made everyone in our family happy with the trip.

It’s great if you don’t want to plan to much and have your food and activities just sort of available to you. You can make it as relaxed or as busy as you choose. Something for everyone. A lot of people also like it for extended family/mutii generational since the structure is provided and you aren’t splitting checks all week.

Confused how you can’t do Disneyworld but can do a cruise. If it’s a price issue, the cruise will be way more.

We've done 3 Disney cruises. 1st one my kids were 4, 7 and 9. 2nd one they were 12, 14 and 16. Last one was an adult only one with just me and DH.

1. Family atmosphere. Yes, people were drinking but I never saw any black out drunk people. No casino.

2. Games/Entertainment. We really enjoyed going to the various entertainment/shows that were on board. Two of my favorite activities on our adult only cruise were doing trivia every day in one of the bars and sitting just listening to the live music in the evenings. I can't remember which cruise but there was a comedian/magician on board that we loved. He did a family show and then one night did an adults only version. The adult version was "tame R rated" so not too dirty.

3. Kids/Teen clubs and Adult Only areas - I was worried my kids wouldn't like the kids club. DH and I wanted to do one adult dinner ("date night") on the 1st cruise. We scheduled the dinner for the 1st night and that night was the first time they went into the club. They LOVED it and we had a hard time getting them out of the club. We had plenty of time to spend together as a family. But it was great to just get some adult time. When they were teenagers, they again loved the teen club. On our adult only cruise, we spent most of the time in the adlut only areas of the ship.

4. Castaway Cay - another person also mentioned the private island. It is great. We'll probably do another Disney cruise at some point and I'm going to seriously consider one that stops twice at CC. They have another private island now and I'm sure its just as fabulous.

Anonymous wrote:Intimate and very close contact/ experiences for children with the Disney characters.
Broadway level shows where you can get seats up very close to the actors, magicians, etc.

Yes, the access to the characters is a huge plus. We went when DD was age 5 and age 11. They also made an effort to seat us at dinner with similarly-aged kids each time. Instant friends.

I really loved the evening routine of dinner then a show. Structure plus good food and great entertainment = happy family. The day on the private island exceeded expectations too. I would have liked to spend more time at the adult only pool but our kids didn’t want be in the kids club. We did the 4-night cruise to Bahamas when the kids were ages 4 and 6.

Intimate and very close contact/ experiences for children with the Disney characters.
Broadway level shows where you can get seats up very close to the actors, magicians, etc.

We don’t think we can do Disney World this year and are considering a Disney cruise instead. I’m not someone who cared for cruises pre-kids but I definitely see the appeal in some ways (meals, activities on site). I keep hearing that the Disney cruises are amazing but I don’t really understand why. Would love to hear specifics about what people have loved about them (and any tips). A couple of people have said that they liked that the kids club is included but we want to be with our kids (luckily they are still at an age where they feel the same) so that doesn’t hold much appeal for us.