What age should I take my Kids on DCL?

[MilesofSmiles]

Looking for some advice, I have 2 boys (currently 6 & 1) that I’d like to take on a Disney Cruise. My issue is they are 4.5 years apart and I’m not sure the right age to take them. I’d like them to experience the magic but also kind of remember it? I went on a few Disney cruises pre-kids and know how high quality they are. My kids have been on plenty of other cruise lines (Celebrity, MSC, NCL, Royal) but I haven’t been able to justify the cost of DCL yet. I was thinking of waiting till my littlest is 3 and my eldest is 8? Should we wait longer? Would love some other people’s opinions.

 

[yowcruiser]

This is a tough one. Your six years old will definitely remember, and it is a great time for a 1st Disney Cruise... Sure, the 1 year old, not so much, yet this is where the nursery service is great so that all can still enjoy a lot of what the ship has to offer. Only having one kid, we felt that between 3 and 4 yo was a great age for a first cruise - but not sure how we would have handled an age difference between two kids

 

[ljhayes]

Since you've sailed other lines with them and you've sailed Disney before, what are you hoping for them/you to experience that is different from the other lines? That might help people give better guidance, otherwise everyone will likely have different opinions.

 

[Skippyboo]

The youngest needs to be at least 3 and potty trained for kids clubs.

 

[MilesofSmiles]

Since you've sailed other lines with them and you've sailed Disney before, what are you hoping for them/you to experience that is different from the other lines? That might help people give better guidance, otherwise everyone will likely have different opinions.

The things that interest me the most are: the character experiences, shows, the kids club experience. I just remember thinking it’s a more intimate environment for kids to get that character interaction? I went when I was early 20’s, lived in Florida and had friends who got cast member discounts. I actually thought they had the best adult only experiences, the kids always seemed engaged. It just seems like it’s magical but I also don’t think we’ll do more than 1 or 2 DCL since the cost is 2X-3X what I can spend on other cruises.

My husband works in central Florida often and we spend a lot of our school breaks down there so trying to plan the right ages to splurge on DCL.

 

[ljhayes]

The things that interest me the most are: the character experiences, shows, the kids club experience. I just remember thinking it’s a more intimate environment for kids to get that character interaction? I went when I was early 20’s, lived in Florida and had friends who got cast member discounts. I actually thought they had the best adult only experiences, the kids always seemed engaged. It just seems like it’s magical but I also don’t think we’ll do more than 1 or 2 DCL since the cost is 2X-3X what I can spend on other cruises.

My husband works in central Florida often of the time and we spend a lot of our school breaks down there so trying to plan the right ages to splurge on DCL.

I would wait until your youngest is at least 3, maybe push to 4 if their personality is such that they won't enjoy the club at 3. But be careful not to wait too long so that your older one doesn't outgrow the kid stuff too much.

 

[Mommb]

We did our first cruise when my son was 4, and our second when he was 7 and my daughter was turning 3 (although she will say, correctly, that she was technically present on that first cruise). That worked great for both of them. I don't know if the kids remember what happened when they were 3 or 4, but they enjoy looking at pictures that show what they did.

As with the parks, a very young child won't remember, but will have a good time in the moment. For kids under 3, you can use the nursery at a small cost. On my daughter's first cruise, she wasn't quite potty trained yet so my husband and I put her in the nursery while we were at Palo. The staff were great with her -- I think they enjoyed having a somewhat older child who could carry on full conversations.

So I would say waiting until your youngest is 3 and able to go to the Oceaneers Club makes sense, but if you want to go sooner while your older child is more into Disney magic, that would be reasonable too.