To Cruise or not To Cruise - With a one year old...?

[Minnie13]

Hello -

My husband and I are thinking about taking a Disney Cruise with our now 7 month old, who will be around one when we are looking to go. We are looking to cruise in either February or March.

What should we know? Is this a good idea or not a good idea? Some concerns are will the ships movement bother her. With sharing a single room with just a curtain to divid us keep her awake until we finally decide to go to bed...? Are we allowed to take her to dinner with us if she's awake/sleeping? How does the nursery work, are we only allowed 10 hours? Finally - is this a time when the ship is less crowded?

Again, any advice from a family who has done this before would be greatly appreciated!

 

[angieandtrevor]

We cruised (not with Disney) when our son was only 6 months old and we had no issues at all (although many told us we were nuts), there was a few challenges but nothing too serious. At the time we had never sailed with Disney and knowing what I know now you will most definitely be okay, Disney really does cater to children of any age. We did our first Disney cruise when our son was only 2 and it was amazing and he loved every part of it. We generally cruise in the fall because the time works best for us, the prices are a little lower and the crowds are too.

The nursery was fantastic and I never hesitated to leave him there. I think you are only allowed to pre-book so many hours but you are definitely not limited once you get on the ship. Planning ahead is easier so that you know you have that time already booked, it can get busy however we did a few last minute bookings (the day of) and we never had any issues.

The ship movement never bothered our son, he actually slept really well because of it. The room is very spacious and we had room to put the crib on one side of the curtain until our son fell asleep. Most nights he was so tired that he would crash in a matter of minutes. The rooms are very well laid out that you will still be able to sit and watch TV (or if you have a balcony you can sit and sip on a glass of wine while listening to the waves) while the little one sleeps behind the curtain.

Dining was our biggest struggle because it can be a long process, Disney does a great job of this but it does still take some time to get through your entire meal. They definitely do their best to get you in and out quickly but for little people who don't like to sit too long it still can be challenging. You can definitely take your child with you, it is worth trying it out and if it doesn't work for your child then there is plenty of other options to eat (room service or the buffet) or just put them in the nursery while you enjoy your meal.

I wouldn't hesitate at all. Go and enjoy yourself, your daughter will have an amazing time and you will love seeing her eyes light up at all the excitement. Hand Down - best vacation you will ever have !!

 

[EOD K9]

I'm taking my to be ten month old girls early next year. Thanks for the info @angieandtrevor

 

[fltink]

We took our son on the Wonder for 14 nights when he was 13 months and it was an awesome experience! It's unique from other vacations, and I think even easier, because when he needed to nap, one of us went back to the room and read, watched a movie, or napped, and the other could still have fun with our five year old daughter. The crew made everything easy for us and went out of their way to help with the stroller, get his food ready quickly, etc. The only small snags I experienced: 1.) With a stroller, don't be surprised if you find yourself frequently waiting for an empty elevator so you can fit. For some reason, I find that fellow guests elevator manners don't tend to be great on the ship. (Probably because they do sometimes take a long time and everyone is excited to be getting to whatever they are doin next.) 2.) remember that when you do excursions, there are pretty much NO car seats, let alone SEATBELTS in taxis, so you will have to either be comfortable riding in a car, holding the baby in your lap, or stick to walking around the port area. Overall, though, it was fantastic! Don't shy away from going at all!