Cruising in May?

[DisneyLovingHusband]

Howdy friends! So my Disney nerd wife and I (also Disney nerd) just booked a 3 night cruise on the Fantasy for May 1-4, we're doing this as a late 3yr Anniversary trip. We cruised on the fantasy for our first time back in 2021 for our honeymoon, and fell in love with DCL! This will also be a couple days after i've taken my spring finals at college, so it will be a nice way for me to unwind after a gruiling semester. Afterwards we're going to a hotel for a few days while I take my wife to the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood studios for the first time. (no she's never been.)

I was wondering if anyone else has done a May cruise or park visit and if so, how children busy is it? i'm just trying to get prepaired now, incase I've gotta work my way around little Timmy to get my unlimited soft serve all day. haha

 

[Kit Jackson]

I went later in May and it was not wall to wall packed with kids. There were kids on the ship. I saw them in line for character meet and greats and around here and there but I did not feel like I was constantly surrounded by children.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

We have cruised in May. Kids, always kids, on a DCL cruise. And the parks... Not sure if you will have to arm wrestle any of them for first place in line for soft serve-lol, but I believe by mid May or so schools do get out in some parts of the country.

 

[OhThePain]

My wife and I tend to travel the first week of May because that's when our anniversary falls. Are there kids? Yes. Can it be crowded? Yes. Is it really that bad? Not at all. The first week of May is that time when some areas are just finishing up their Spring break and other areas are going into the home stretch for the end of school, so not as many parents are willing to take kids out of class at that moment. You'll get a mix of DINKs, empty nesters, retirees, and families with younger kids. There will be families with school aged kids and teens, but not nearly as much as you'll see during the times when school is out.

Afterwards we're going to a hotel for a few days while I take my wife to the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood studios for the first time.

I think the more important question here is why not EPCOT?

 

[DisneyLovingHusband]

My wife and I tend to travel the first week of May because that's when our anniversary falls. Are there kids? Yes. Can it be crowded? Yes. Is it really that bad? Not at all. The first week of May is that time when some areas are just finishing up their Spring break and other areas are going into the home stretch for the end of school, so not as many parents are willing to take kids out of class at that moment. You'll get a mix of DINKs, empty nesters, retirees, and families with younger kids. There will be families with school aged kids and teens, but not nearly as much as you'll see during the times when school is out.


I think the more important question here is why not EPCOT?

That’s what I was thinking, knowing most schools will still be in that first week. I’m not against kids, I can’t wait for us to have our own. Just was wondering what to expect since our only other experience was the end of Covid when you needed to be vaccinated to get on, I think there were 20-30 kids on that cruise. That was it.

Why not Epcot? We only have time for 3 parks, so obviously Magic kingdom, she wants to see Pandora, and I’m a Star Wars fan. we had to cut somewhere, so Epcot kinda lost this time.

 

[DisneyLovingHusband]

We have cruised in May. Kids, always kids, on a DCL cruise. And the parks... Not sure if you will have to arm wrestle any of them for first place in line for soft serve-lol, but I believe by mid May or so schools do get out in some parts of the country.

I mean… if there is only enough left for one more vanilla cone, I just Might arm wrestle if it comes down to it! lol I’m always expecting kids on DCL, but with my only experience being a covid cruise with the tiniest amount of children I ever expected to see, I was curious.

 

[Skippyboo]

There is a big dance competition the first week of May so you could see some large groups from the competition in the parks. I went the first week of May this year. Wasn’t crazy level crowded.

There is also a large adult only section on the front of the Fantasy with bars, pools , Cove Cafe. Much calmer than the kid craziness at the funnel vision pool.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

I mean… if there is only enough left for one more vanilla cone, I just Might arm wrestle if it comes down to it! lol I’m always expecting kids on DCL, but with my only experience being a covid cruise with the tiniest amount of children I ever expected to see, I was curious.

We never felt overwhelmed, but always out numbered? LOL When the kids traveled with us and finally turned 18, we stuck to adult areas for the peace. You will definitely notice a difference from your covid cruise.

 

[DisneyLovingHusband]

There is a big dance competition the first week of May so you could see some large groups from the competition in the parks. I went the first week of May this year. Wasn’t crazy level crowded.

There is also a large adult only section on the front of the Fantasy with bars, pools , Cove Cafe. Much calmer than the kid craziness at the funnel vision pool.

Good to know about the dance comp! I’ll keep my ears open for that, thank you! And yeah, we enjoyed the adult only section. We enjoyed it last time, we did have a few instances where someone brought their child back there. But what can you do?

 

[OttawaJohn]

My wife and I have done 12 cruises, and of them, half have been in April/May timeframe. We prefer it and have never ran into bad weather or issues. Being Canadians though, we like the cooler weather so typically avoid things when it's too hot, so take our perspective with a grain of ice salt

 

[sponica]

Based on the dates, I wouldn't expect the cruise to be super kid heavy, it's too close to the end of the school year to pull kids out of school and that cruise is not one I would expect a lot of people to book for our school vacation week (NH) that week.

 

[2010dvcfan]

We cruise every May, in fact we are on that same cruise, booked a B2B on Fantasy we are going the 4 day April 27th to May 1st then get back on for May 1-4 before we head to Boulder Ridge for a week after that.

I think you have picked one of the best times to cruise and attach a WDW parks trip on the end of it, we do this every year without fail and the crowds are much more manageable compared to when we use to book our cruise and park visit the last 2 weeks of June when my daughter was school age.

 

[justafigment27]

We did a 4 night Wish on May 1-5, 2023 with our college kids. It was great! I’d highly recommend early May for college students or families with college students! Lower rates, smaller crowds and great weather. Early May is also the sweet spot before summer jobs, summer classes, internships, etc. start.

We flew in Saturday afternoon and spent two nights on Disney property (but didn’t go to any parks - had a pool day with dinner at Steakhouse 77) before the cruise. Pool day at the resort was great and didn’t feel crowded (we were at Boulder Ridge and stuck to the quiet pool). The cruise was great - definitely a lot of kids b/c it’s Disney, but my kids are adults and we hung out on the adult pool deck on our sea day and Nassau day. We stayed at the family beach at Castaway Cay because my kids found a hammock and wanted to camp out there … it was lovely.

We liked it so much that we are doing it one more time in May 2025 right after the oldest graduates! Two nights on property getting into vacation mode and then a 5 night cruise with stops at both islands.

 

[auntlynne]

Early May is great for a Caribbean cruise. One of my choices. I don’t go during school breaks or holidays. I avoid known crowd periods and unfavorable heat or cold. The ocean will be comfortable. The air should be warm, possibly a bit humid. It’s a month away from Hurricane season’s start, so not too stormy.

Easter is April 20, 2025. School vacations that are based on that should be done by the time you get to the cruise.

The big takeaway is that, currently, every vacation destination is popular. If you haven’t travelled lately, you may be surprised. Even in a traditional travel “shoulder season,” when demand and prices drop. Apparently, the “revenge travel” from Covid has become just the norm.

This upcoming weekend is expected to be the highest number of airline passengers - ever - for Memorial Day. I imagine they will say that for July 4 and Labor Day…

WDW used to have low seasons. Then they put the Marathon Weekends in those. And cheer and dance competitions use it as their destination. I’m not sure there are any times that are not too crowded for me. … But look at ticket prices. Dynamic pricing clues you in to when Disney expects lower crowds. The lower price will bring in some people, but never to the extent that holidays and school breaks do.

…and fascinating there’s a 3-N cruise on the Fantasy. It’s a new era of Disney cruising with the new ships.

Ah, yes. The next cruise is the Transatlantic. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear some fellow passengers are doing B2B. Start a vacation by visiting CC on two cruises.

When I have cruised in months like yours, I found the children to be mainly littles. Stroller riders or pre-schoolers with parents and grandparents attending them. If I wasn’t looking around to observe, they really aren’t noticeable other than for cuteness. I do notice middle and high schoolers.

Good luck on your finals and the classes this school year.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Why not Epcot? We only have time for 3 parks, so obviously Magic kingdom, she wants to see Pandora, and I’m a Star Wars fan. we had to cut somewhere, so Epcot kinda lost this time.

The problem with cutting out EPCOT is you'd miss the French Pastry Shop. I would do half a day of EPCOT with half a day of Hollywood Studios.

 

[auntlynne]

The problem with cutting out EPCOT is you'd miss the French Pastry Shop. I would do half a day of EPCOT with half a day of Hollywood Studios.

That does require a Park Hopper, with the added expense on every day’s ticket.