{"id":15556,"date":"2016-10-17T21:14:36","date_gmt":"2016-10-17T21:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/inspire\/?p=15556"},"modified":"2019-11-13T00:48:22","modified_gmt":"2019-11-13T00:48:22","slug":"disney-cruise-right-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/inspire\/disney-cruise-right-family\/","title":{"rendered":"Is a Disney Cruise Right for Your Family?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eric Stoen of <\/em>Travel Babbo<\/em><\/a> has taken his kids on three Disney cruises, first <\/em>when his kids were 1, 3 and 5 years old, again when they were 4, 6 and 8 and this past summer at 6, 8 and 10. <\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

So you\u2019re thinking about a Disney cruise<\/a>? If you have kids, it\u2019s a great vacation option. Who wouldn\u2019t want to sail with Mickey? Kids get the Disney experience without the lines of the theme parks, and adults get \u2026 happy kids. Plus you’re exploring a new city or island every day. We\u2019ve returned a couple of times since our first Disney cruise five years ago, and we\u2019re not the only ones – on our most recent sailing, from Copenhagen to Dover, the check-in line for returning families was far longer than the line for first-time cruisers. That\u2019s a pretty good sign that people have been happy with the Disney Cruise experience<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Disney<\/a>

The Disney Magic anchored in Santorini, Greece<\/p><\/div>\n

Disney\u2019s typically more expensive than other cruise lines, however, so that makes the choice of whether to book with them a little more complicated. If you\u2019re thinking about a Disney cruise but haven\u2019t made up your mind yet, here are a few things to think about before booking.<\/p>\n

\"Disney<\/a>

The Disney Magic<\/p><\/div>\n

How old are your kids?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve gone on European sailings with our kids at seven different ages, and their enjoyment of the cruise elements has varied from cruise to cruise, from kid to kid, and from year to year. My youngest daughter says that four years and above is a good age for the cruises, since the kid\u2019s club especially fosters creativity and she\u2019s not sure that kids under four enjoy it as much. My son, the middle child, agrees. Although he\u2019s never been into the kid\u2019s club activities, he says that he had the most fun on the second cruise, when he was six, and that three was a little young to be able to do much. My oldest daughter loved our first two cruises, but says that ten is the worst age for a cruise. This summer she was frustrated by the kid\u2019s club that was oriented towards (and filled with) younger cruisers, and she wasn\u2019t quite old enough to get into the more interesting clubs that start at 11. She\u2019s convinced that 14 is the best age based on the things that 14-year-olds have access to and she wants to return at that age. While every kid sees greener pastures ahead, she makes a good point. She loved the independence that we\u2019ve always given her and her siblings to run around the boat by themselves and make their own decisions, but she was limited socially by Disney\u2019s age groupings.<\/p>\n

\"Disney<\/a>

Our kids love exploring the ships by themselves (except this one occasion when I trailed my daughter on a scavenger hunt)<\/p><\/div>\n

Which ports is the ship going to?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Disney cruises are about both the on-board experience and the port stops. The on-board experience is very good \u2013 nicer than other ships that I\u2019ve been on \u2013 but even then it starts to feel repetitive after a few nights. The adults on board notice this far more than the kids. So pick an itinerary that makes you (the adults) excited for each stop. That doesn\u2019t mean that the stops won\u2019t be kid-friendly \u2013 there are always family-oriented shore excursions. Our favorite Disney destinations have been the Greek islands, which have the perfect family-friendly mix of culture, food and beaches, Iceland, with its natural beauty, and Scotland, with its history and ruins.<\/p>\n

\"Disney<\/a>

At Iceland’s Gullfoss waterfall, on a shore excursion<\/p><\/div>\n

Are you into shopping or casinos?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

With other cruise lines there is often a heavy emphasis on getting people to shop while on board, with ships resembling floating malls. Disney\u2019s not like that. On our ship, the Disney Magic<\/a>, there are really only two stores, one for clothes, toiletries and souvenirs and one for Disney merchandise. The two stores aren\u2019t in the middle of the ship, and you\u2019re not constantly funneled through them when heading to meals. Disney also has tables set up with information about future sailings and about the Disney Vacation Club, but I\u2019ve never felt like it was a hard sell. Likewise there are no casinos on board, with bingo being the only gambling. If you envision spending money while on board, you may be happier on a non-Disney cruise.<\/p>\n

\"Disney<\/a>

The Disney ships are more about the onboard activities and pools than about shopping<\/p><\/div>\n

Do you prefer flexible dining?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Disney has two set dinner times every night and will assign you to a table with other cruisers. You rotate among three dining rooms but keep your same servers and table mates. Other lines offer flexible dining where you can eat at different times, tables and restaurants every night. We\u2019ve always been fine with the Disney dining experience, choosing the early dining schedule on all three cruises, but I know others who don\u2019t like to be locked into a set schedule.<\/p>\n

\"Disney<\/a>

Post-dinner tricks at Lumiere’s aboard the Disney Magic<\/p><\/div>\n

Do you like Disney?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This may seem obvious, but a Disney cruise has a LOT of Disney elements, from character appearances to the constant soundtrack to the restaurant themes. Our family is mixed \u2013 my wife and son aren\u2019t Disney fans, my daughters enjoy the Disney elements (although they haven\u2019t wanted photos with any characters since the beginning of our second cruise), and I\u2019m fine with anything that makes the kids happy. If you have a family that\u2019s in the middle, like we are, you\u2019ll likely still have a great cruise. Disney\u2019s ships are nice, and they do most things right. If you\u2019re not really Disney fans, you\u2019ll be tired of the themes by the end. And if you have kids who like the Disney characters and movies, they\u2019ll have a great time.<\/p>\n

\"Disney<\/a>

Waiving goodbye in Invergorden, Scotland<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eric Stoen of Travel Babbo has taken his kids on three Disney cruises, first when his kids were 1, 3 and 5 years old, again when they were 4, 6 and 8 and this past summer at 6, 8 and 10. So you\u2019re thinking about a Disney cruise? If you have kids, it\u2019s a great vacation option. 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