Cruise to Bahamas with kids 9 and 4

[macfreak]

We are doing our first ever cruise early next year thinking march or april or may not sure yet.

Our daughter will be almost 10 when we go. Our boy will just turn 4.
We are trying to decide between the Magic and the Dream. Looks like from Port Canaveral to Nassau that those are the only 2 ships. My daughter is so excited after she watched a video of all the things n the dream to do for tweens.
In the video it looked like tweens had several areas they could go to and do stuff. So are they free to roam about the ship?

Which boat offers the best kids stuff? We are pretty quiet so we as adults will likely enjoy either one.
What do the wireless phones in the rooms do?
How do you keep in touch with your kid?
Is there lots on both ships for younger kids too? I know our 4 yr old he is one of those he doesn't want mom and dad to leave but 5 minutes later he is having fun with other kids and then when its time to leave he doesn't want to go. So i know he will enjoy playing with other kids once he gets there and sees the fun

IS there anything special or better about 1 or the other? I know the Dream is bigger but otherwise what makes one or the other better?

 

[englanddg]

We are doing our first ever cruise early next year thinking march or april or may not sure yet.

Our daughter will be almost 10 when we go. Our boy will just turn 4.
We are trying to decide between the Magic and the Dream. Looks like from Port Canaveral to Nassau that those are the only 2 ships. My daughter is so excited after she watched a video of all the things n the dream to do for tweens.
In the video it looked like tweens had several areas they could go to and do stuff. So are they free to roam about the ship?

Which boat offers the best kids stuff? We are pretty quiet so we as adults will likely enjoy either one.
What do the wireless phones in the rooms do?
How do you keep in touch with your kid?
Is there lots on both ships for younger kids too? I know our 4 yr old he is one of those he doesn't want mom and dad to leave but 5 minutes later he is having fun with other kids and then when its time to leave he doesn't want to go. So i know he will enjoy playing with other kids once he gets there and sees the fun

IS there anything special or better about 1 or the other? I know the Dream is bigger but otherwise what makes one or the other better?

The Dream is larger, but the Magic was recently renovated/refit, so...

Both will have the same offerings for kids those ages. The Oceaneer Lab and Oceaneer Club will be available for both children. You can ask (and they'll have you sign a waiver) if your 10 year old can join Edge (the tween club). But, my daughter was 10 on her last cruise, and got bored of Edge pretty quickly. The activities and other things were slightly beyond her interest, at that age. The Oceaneer club has enough to do that your daughter should love it just fine, but the first night you can go check out Edge as well and see if she's interested.

Tweens are pretty free to roam the ship at certain times, and Edge will have some group events that are not in the club (like an unsupervised field trip). At Edge and Vibe, they are completely free (they can check themselves in and out of the club without a parent). At the Oceaneer Lab/Club a registered adult must be there for drop off and pick up. Kids are not allowed to come or go on their own.

I gave my kid an old iPhone (no service) and we used the app to keep touch most of the time, and that worked well. The app is free. And iTouch would have worked just as well.

On to your questions:

1) Both ships have similar activities. The Magic, being more recently refit, has a bit more to do and see, imho, but it is the smaller of the two ships. I haven't been on the Magic yet, but I've done the Fantasy, which is the sister ship to the Dream, so it's fairly similar. The Aqua Duck is on the Dream/Fantasy and is larger than the Aqua Dunk that is on the Magic...but both are fun I'd imagine.

2) They allow you to have text and voice conversations around the ship. I've never used them. The Wave Phones are neat, and don't cost anything, but they come with a steep price if they are broken/lost (a few hundred, iirc). I leave them in the room. The DCL app allows you to text message for free on the boat, and that worked fine on our trip.

3) See above.

4) The Oceaneer Club is aimed for slightly older kids (8 - 12) and the Oceaneer Lab is for slightly younger kids (3 - 8). Though, my daughter enjoys both sides thoroughly. The two clubs are (at least on the Dream, but I'm pretty sure on the Magic) are connected internally. So, your daughter will be able to touch base with your son, and even share activities if they wish (private meet and greets and story times may interest them quite a bit). The Cast Members there are very good about keeping the kids entertained, and age separated with activities they enjoy. I wouldn't worry too much about it at all. Frankly, odds are good after the first night, you won't see your kids that often...they'll want to go to their club. <wink>

I, personally, would check out the Magic. It is newer (recently refit) so the rooms are in better shape (not that the Dream will be bad). There are a few things for adults to do on the Dream that are not on the Magic...but it's minor. A few more bars, etc. The Magic has a lounge club, but the Dream has similar shows (magic shows, comedians, etc.) in other venues. Also, the Dream has Remy, which is french dining, so there is one extra fine dine (extra cost) option on the Dream that is not on the Magic. Also the Dream has more pools...but again, nothing really noticeable (satellite falls, for example, is on the Dream, it's an adult pool...but the Cove Pool is just fine, if you don't want kids around. The Dream has the Donald Pool and the Mickey Pool for families. The Mickey Pool is rather shallow (perfect for your 4 year old), and the Donald Pool is 5 feet deep or so, as I recall...it's for older kids/adults. The Goofy Pool on the Magic is a more traditional cruise ship pool with tiers around the edges for different depths. Personally, I think the Dream beats out the Magic in this respect only...but that shouldn't prevent you from sailing on the Magic by any means.

I can't say one is better than the other...

 

[macfreak]

Bars won't interest us as we don't drink.
Does one have bigger verandas? I saw a vid on YouTube and one ship had a glass wall and it seemed more space out there while the other ship had white wall.

Disney world and cruise in 1 year can't wait.

 

[englanddg]

Bars won't interest us as we don't drink.
Does one have bigger verandas? I saw a vid on YouTube and one ship had a glass wall and it seemed more space out there while the other ship had white wall.

Disney world and cruise in 1 year can't wait.

The Dream isn't much larger, in all respects. The cabins there actually start smaller than the Magic, iirc. The Magic is something like 180 sq feet as it's smallest, whereas the Dream goes as small as 170 some odd sq feet. Not major, but...

The Veranda rooms are nearly the same size for both, at around 220 - 250 sq feet. What will really drive this is what class of stateroom you get. I'd recommend a veranda midship on either boat. The larger rooms and balconies are on the aft of the ship (I've stayed in one once and loved it)...however, you can feel the vibration and hear the feint hum of the engines when aft. Midship puts you closer to everything you'll want to see and do.

That said, while most people seem to prefer midship (if they are not doing concierge), I personally would go aft again. The back of the ship is rather quiet, and that oversized veranda was quite pleasant and felt very private. But, it's a minor thing.

The basic top decks are quite similar. Both have glassed in main pool decks (deck 9 on the Magic, deck 11 on the Dream), and both have floor to ceiling glass at Cabanas (the buffet eatery). The main pool deck of the Dream is certainly larger, but it's a trade off...the ship carries a lot more people as well. So, I'd suspect that they feel equally "crowded" when fully loaded.

 

[macfreak]

Sounds amazing. I know our daughter will have a blast our boy may take him a bit to adjust but I bet it won't be long.

My daughter saw a video about the secret paintings or whatever wher they can go clue hunting she said that's awesome.
So I am sure we will have a blast. We are looking late april early May. Is that a good time?

 

[englanddg]

Sounds amazing. I know our daughter will have a blast our boy may take him a bit to adjust but I bet it won't be long.

My daughter saw a video about the secret paintings or whatever wher they can go clue hunting she said that's awesome.
So I am sure we will have a blast. We are looking late april early May. Is that a good time?

Just fine.

The paintings are the Midship Detective Agency.

If you want a review, check my trip report from 2013. Link is in my signature.

 

[jme]

Just a note on the Dream - it was just (as in a few days ago) also revamped with updates and such so will be in just as good of shape as the Magic.
The Magic and Dream offer the same amount of pools, adult areas, restaurants, etc. but the Dream is a bigger ship, which means more guests. It may feel slightly more crowded as a result.
The Dream's recent updates include a Star Wars themed area in the kids clubs, as well as a Disney Infinity (Video Game) room in the kids club. The Magic has a Marvel Avengers room in place of the Star Wars room.
As mentioned, the Dream has the AquaDuck - a "water coaster" - basically a long water slide with jets that push you up hills as you make a loop of the top deck. The Magic has the AquaDunk, a similar concept but much shorter/smaller of a ride as this is just a "trap door" style water slide. Both will be enjoyable for your older child, but I think the 4 year old would only be able to do the AquaDuck (on the Dream), as that one allows a parent to accompany a child, and uses an inflatable raft.

We always make use of the Wave Phones. Each room comes with 2 I believe, and you can call each other, and other rooms (if you are travelling with friends/family in other rooms). An easy/free way to stay in touch.

Ive taken my youngest when he was 4, on the Dream. He had a great time and played in the kids club a lot. He also had a great time on the beach. That being said he was kind of young and didn't want to live in there, and often requested we come pick him up (which was fine with us!) When he went at 7 years old, he never requested to be picked up. All kids are different, obviously, and you know your child best so you should be able to judge his experience. But there is definitely more than enough to do for kids of any age!

 

[macfreak]

I think we only have choice of the fantasy when we go in april or first of May. The magic goes earlier in the year.
We decided to do 7 day either eastern or western Caribbean crusie instead. Figure we only go on vacation every few years so we should stay longer and enjoy our time. People say 4 day feels rushed.

 

[jme]

I think we only have choice of the fantasy when we go in april or first of May. The magic goes earlier in the year.
We decided to do 7 day either eastern or western Caribbean crusie instead. Figure we only go on vacation every few years so we should stay longer and enjoy our time. People say 4 day feels rushed.

I will agree that 4 days feels too short, but for a first time cruiser with young children I think it's a great way to test the waters, so to speak. You can always extend the vacation with a few days at WDW before or after the cruise if the budget allows.

 

[macfreak]

Is late april or first week of May a good time? It's either that or wait till sept. Just not sure the weather that time of year.

 

[jme]

Historical average temperatures for the Bahamas in late April highs of 81-83, and lows of 69-70. Same for the first week of May.
In 2015 the highs were more on the 88-91 range, and lows in the 72-77 range.

Historically the humidity is in the 80% range, with little to no rain.
Crowds should be low as well, as there are no holiday breaks, etc. around this time.

September is peak hurricane season. Late April/Early May is your best bet between those time frame choices.