Anonymous wrote:I really want to try a cruise but hate sharing a hotel room with my kids. I still want them in bed at 8, even on vacation or we will all pay the next day. How can I accomplish this on a cruise? DH says it's not possible which is why we haven't done it yet.

The Disney cruise has this cool curtain that separates the room-- it's like having two rooms. And the other room has bunk beds (and some have a third bed too).

Anonymous wrote:I really want to try a cruise but hate sharing a hotel room with my kids. I still want them in bed at 8, even on vacation or we will all pay the next day. How can I accomplish this on a cruise? DH says it's not possible which is why we haven't done it yet.

Get a balcony and spend time outside together, reading, talking, whatever, after the kids are in bed.

Anonymous wrote:I really want to try a cruise but hate sharing a hotel room with my kids. I still want them in bed at 8, even on vacation or we will all pay the next day. How can I accomplish this on a cruise? DH says it's not possible which is why we haven't done it yet.

Get connecting rooms

I really want to try a cruise but hate sharing a hotel room with my kids. I still want them in bed at 8, even on vacation or we will all pay the next day. How can I accomplish this on a cruise? DH says it's not possible which is why we haven't done it yet.

For getting from the airport to the port, just use a transfer company. We usually use FL Tours, but there are others as well. They are waiting for you at the airport with a sign with your name on it. They will drive you to the port and often will make a grocery stop for you it you want to. We tend to pick up beer/wine and bring it on the ship with us, so that we don't have to pay the expensive cruise ship prices all the time.

We have 3 rooms on hold on deck 7. Any thoughts on this deck? Also, how did you get from Orlando to the ship?

We stayed on board during the Nassau port day and met characters, watched first run movies, went on the Aquaduck 10x, ate lunch, went shopping, etc. All the time enjoying the short lines and empty boat. I might try Atlantis next time, but I'm not getting off the boat for Nassau.

Anonymous wrote:Disney cruises are amazing. Your kids are the perfect age. The on,y downside with the dream 3 day in particular is that it can seem a bit frantic to get everything done on the ship. The entire vibe isn't as relaxing as a 5'or 7 day. Staying on the ship,in Nassau will,help that.

Fwiw, I disagree. We didn't feel compelled to get anything done on the ship. We did a five night western caribbean cruise and had a blast, but we didn't agonize over activities on the ship. We went to the shows after dinner each night, and we participated in a few special activities...but I'm really not sure that you need tons of time on the ship.

Disney cruises are amazing. Your kids are the perfect age. The on,y downside with the dream 3 day in particular is that it can seem a bit frantic to get everything done on the ship. The entire vibe isn't as relaxing as a 5'or 7 day. Staying on the ship,in Nassau will,help that.

We did it last year at this time and LOVED it. Wish I was there right now. 11 y-o DS loved the kids club that was geared to tweens. Castaway Cay was a great day.

We went to Atlantis on the Nassau stop. It was a highlight for the kids.

Everyone came off the boat relaxed. That does not happen when we visit the theme parks.

The interior cabins were good for sleeping in. The kids were on the bunks, and they probably had a little ambient light. But the parent area had a thick curtain to section off the bed, and it was pitch black. Blissful sleep!

I've done numerous Disney cruises and had a great time every time. My only advice is to stay on the boat in Nassau and enjoy the ship instead. Nassau is a nasty, dirty port with nothing really to do there.

Anonymous wrote:Would do a Disney cruise with slightly older kids? Thinking about it for next Feb. Kids will be 8, 6, and 4. Is that too old? Is it the kind of thing that is only fun for toddlers?

No, those are perfect ages! I know a couple who have taken numerous Disney cruises, and they don't even have children! We've taken one cruise on the Wonder and had the best vacation ever. A Disney cruise is great for kids of all ages, and for adults! We can't wait to take another one.

Why wait a year? What do you think will be different with your kids?

Tip: don't splurge for the verandah. Get a room with a big window on deck 2 and save some money. The only time we spent in our room was to sleep or shower. There's no reason to hang out in your room.

We are thinking about doing a 3 or 4 night Bahamas cruise. Kids will be 3 and 5 when we go. Do you recommend the 3 or 4 night option? It is so expensive that I'm leaning toward 4 nights (my thinking is that if we are going to spend that much, we might as well get as much vacation time as possible).

I was also wondering if we would be better off waiting a year, until the kids are 4 and 6. . . I'm overthinking it right?

Our kids were 11, 7, 4 and 2 when we went. Everyone had a blast! The evening shows and activities entertained all of us. Beach days were our favorite part. We barely used the pools (which are tiny and crazy crowded).