Newbie here...tell me everything...PLEASE

[MissieTodd]

First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone who posts here. I have been reading and gathering information here for the last few days. My name is Missie and my husband and I are planning our first ever Disney Cruise for the summer of 2014. The cruise has been booked for the Eastern Caribbean on the Disney Fantasy July 26, 2014. When we get back to FL after the cruise we will then be spending a week at WDW.

We will be traveling with our two boy who will be 6 & 7 when we sail. My mother in law and father in law will also be joining us, and my sister in law and her husband. We have booked 3 cabins for our group through our travel agent.

So, what do I need to know about traveling with boys this age? We have intentially waited until we thought the boys would be old enough to handle a two week vacation. Has anyone else done this with young children? Is it too much for them?

I have been reading about the fish extenders on here, and I'm excited to join up with a group for that here! So far I haven't seen anyone else with a reservation for that week- but I know it is still early.

Ok- give me all the details!

 

[KBT35]

Yay congrats on your cruise! You'll love it! Your boys will be the perfect age, nothing specific to know in regards to them you know them best! As for finding others on your cruise look for your date in the cruise meets thread. Everything else you'd need to know is here so just keep reading! And use the search tool for specific questions as they've likely been asked before!

 

[kcashner]

You'll need to go to the "Cruise Meets" section of the boards to try to find others on your cruise. Since it is 18 months away, it could be a bit early! Since you booked thru a TA, we will hope it is an experienced one who has actually been on the ships and can answer your questions. A good TA is a huge asset; a not so good one can be a pain.

No, no one has ever cruised on DCL with young children. If they are normal, healthy kids, I don't know why you think it will be too much for THEM....it might be too much for the parents. Cruising is easy. Parks are a lot harder on mom.

First hint--when you pack for the kids, place a full day's clothing (undies, socks, etc) in a zip lock bag. That way you have a top and shorts that match and all the pieces. Smash the air out and toss the bags into the suitcases. When you unpack in the cabin, all you do is toss the bags into the drawer. Each morning, you get out a bag--no hunting for missing pieces, etc. Very easy.

Are you all going to WDW? You might look at renting DVC points and getting a large villa that will sleep 12. That would give you a full kitchen, laundry, etc. all in your suite--literally a home away from home. There are smaller units that would sleep 8 also. Look at the treehouse villas for a real treat for the kids!

 

[Dawg91]

We just got off our first DCL cruise today! I highly recommend joining the meet thread for your cruise. I really enjoyed running into people that we "knew" from our group which also had a Facebook page.

We also had 3 groups/3 cabins of family with cabins next door to each other. We had balconies and used them like adjoining doors because the balcony dividers can be opened up. That was a very pleasant surprise.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

Your boys should both be able to go on Aquaduck at that age, but they will have to go with an adult, so be prepared to ride with them!! Plan on doing the Midship Detective Agency game at least one time - my 2 boys loved it and wanted to do all 3.

 

[MissieTodd]

Thank you all for the suggestions and advice. I have been reading everything I can get my hands on. It looks like there might be a few other family members joining us now. We were talking about it this week and some cousins might come along as well! I'm so excited!

 

[kdeans1010]

One thing that I think was sooooo easy to forget/not think about it, that no one mentioned:
Pack a t-shirt for everyone despite it being in the Caribbean and it being in the summer. I thought you wouldn't need it, packed tank tops, and yeah. Major sunburn and nothing to cover it with.

Oh and that spray sunscreen sucks.

 

[Luv2Diz]

I highly recommend PassPorter for Disney Cruise Line and Ports of Call. The 10th edition was just released which covers the new ships. There is a LOT of information in this book about the 4 ships, shipboard activities, the kids clubs, ports, excursions, onboard restaurants, sample menus and more. It is an excellent supplement to the DisBoards.

 

[kcashner]

Thank you all for the suggestions and advice. I have been reading everything I can get my hands on. It looks like there might be a few other family members joining us now. We were talking about it this week and some cousins might come along as well! I'm so excited!

If you do this, talk ahead about people's expectations. Will you hang together 24/7? Will each family do what they want and catch up at dinner? Excursions together or what each family wants? The more you establish the "ground rules" in advance, the smoother it will be.

 

[Minnie321]

First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone who posts here. I have been reading and gathering information here for the last few days. My name is Missie and my husband and I are planning our first ever Disney Cruise for the summer of 2014. The cruise has been booked for the Eastern Caribbean on the Disney Fantasy July 26, 2014. When we get back to FL after the cruise we will then be spending a week at WDW.

We will be traveling with our two boy who will be 6 & 7 when we sail. My mother in law and father in law will also be joining us, and my sister in law and her husband. We have booked 3 cabins for our group through our travel agent.

So, what do I need to know about traveling with boys this age? We have intentially waited until we thought the boys would be old enough to handle a two week vacation. Has anyone else done this with young children? Is it too much for them?

I have been reading about the fish extenders on here, and I'm excited to join up with a group for that here! So far I haven't seen anyone else with a reservation for that week- but I know it is still early.

Ok- give me all the details!

I am getting ready to go on my first cruise, so I can't give any advice from the cruise end, but I did do three weeks in Orlando when my DD was 7. We did ten days at Disney and 11 days at other attactions like Universal and Sea World. It was a long time, but we had a great time - we just took lots of breaks. The kids never complained - my son was a little older - 11 at the time. Some days they just wanted to sleep late and swim in the pool and so we did - just relaxed - it was one of the best Disney vacations we have ever done!