Carnival Cruiser Taking Mickey Obsessed 5 Year Old on Disney Land/Cruise Vacay

Hi Disney Cruisers! I have been a longtime avid and loyal Carnival cruiser. Never been opposed to branching out and trying other cruiselines, but we've always loved Carnival and just stuck with it. But now my almost four year daughter is asking pretty incessantly to go to Disney World and is dying to see Mickey and Friends in person! Since we also love cruising so much, we thought it would be best to do a Disney Land/Cruise combo trip. We are looking to do this the summer before she starts Kindergarten (2020) when she will be five (almost 6 years old).

Booking Disney is completely foreign to me, so thought I would come here for some guidance/suggestions. I am leaning toward doing 3 days at the parks and then a 3-4 (preferred 4 day) Disney cruise.

Questions - when is the best time to book for Disney?

Best method for booking? Travel agent/direct through Disney

Are there discounts/benefits to booking both land/cruise together?

Best ships for shorter cruises?

What parks are best for a 5 year old?

What else am I missing (I'm sure it's alot)?

Thanks in advance for all the help!

Sounds like a super fun trip. Most likely the two ships you'll be looking at are the Fantasy which mostly does 7 day cruises and the Dream which does the 3 and 4 day cruises. Both have Port Canaveral as their home port. The other two ships, Magic and Wonder, sometimes do sail into the Caribbean, but much less. So probably the Dream. Cruises are cheapest in the off season and with DCL, booking as early as possible is advantageous as the prices go up, hardly ever down. That said I am not sure how much the Dream prices go up since there are many of them. I think some 2020 dates will come out in the fall sometime.

Parks: Magic Kingdom for sure, my kids also really liked Animal Kingdom, and they were sort of "meh" on the other two parks.

Sounds like a super fun trip. Most likely the two ships you'll be looking at are the Fantasy which mostly does 7 day cruises and the Dream which does the 3 and 4 day cruises. Both have Port Canaveral as their home port. The other two ships, Magic and Wonder, sometimes do sail into the Caribbean, but much less. So probably the Dream. Cruises are cheapest in the off season and with DCL, booking as early as possible is advantageous as the prices go up, hardly ever down. That said I am not sure how much the Dream prices go up since there are many of them. I think some 2020 dates will come out in the fall sometime.

 

Parks: Magic Kingdom for sure, my kids also really liked Animal Kingdom, and they were sort of "meh" on the other two parks.

Thank you for the info! I was wondering when the 2020 dates would come out. So that is very helpful!

DCL releases itineraries approx 3x/year so the next set of dates that releases in October will probably cover up to April or May of 2020.

I forgot to comment on the land/cruise part of it. I don't think there are any real discounts. We have done WDW but I've booked it separately on my own, because we are a family of 5, and staying on-site is very pricey. I love WDW but find that the planning itself is very time consuming and intensive. Dining reservations at WDW open up 180 days in advance, and the really hot restaurants go fast. Fastpass reservations open up 30-60 days in advance depending if you are staying onsite, and again, the hot ones go fast. I found it all a bit stressful. There are tons of sites out there to help with the planning though so I would check out wdwinfo, wdw prep school, among others.

As for the cruise itself, DCL doesn't offer discounts either (with a few exception, see below) so the price should be the same whether you use TA or not. The difference is that TAs will often include on board credit, or cash back, etc.

Discounts: DCL does sometimes offer military, Florida Resident, and Canadian Resident rates. And when you are on board, if you enjoy the cruise, book a future one on board or book a placeholder. A placeholder is a reservation that is not yet attached to a cruise. It lets you book a future cruise that sails within 24 months, and you get a discount as well as some on board credit for that future cruise.

DCL is unlike many other lines. The price is the price; no TA is allowed to discount it, although they can offer you some OBC or other perks. We are not allowed to name agents or agencies here--sorry.

Booking--as soon as the dates are released OR last minute if you can grab a *GT will give you the best price.

There are actually benefits to booking land and sea separately. If you book together thru DCL, you can't take advantage of any sales going on at the parks. If you book separately and want to use DCL transportation, all you need to do is to add transfers to your cruise reservation AFTER you can tell them which resort you'll be staying at.

Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will be the most interesting parks for a young child, although that's not where the Frozen stuff is located.

There's a lot you need to know. We actually prefer the Magic to all the other ships, but you have to see where it is sailing on your dates. The Dream 3/4 nights and Fantasy 7 nights go out of Port Canaveral all the time. I'd definitely vote for 4 nights on the ship. It is hugely better than 3 nights. Do your homework and ask questions here to get up to speed.

DCL releases itineraries approx 3x/year so the next set of dates that releases in October will probably cover up to April or May of 2020.

 

 

I forgot to comment on the land/cruise part of it. I don't think there are any real discounts. We have done WDW but I've booked it separately on my own, because we are a family of 5, and staying on-site is very pricey. I love WDW but find that the planning itself is very time consuming and intensive. Dining reservations at WDW open up 180 days in advance, and the really hot restaurants go fast. Fastpass reservations open up 30-60 days in advance depending if you are staying onsite, and again, the hot ones go fast. I found it all a bit stressful. There are tons of sites out there to help with the planning though so I would check out wdwinfo, wdw prep school, among others.

 

 

 

As for the cruise itself, DCL doesn't offer discounts either (with a few exception, see below) so the price should be the same whether you use TA or not. The difference is that TAs will often include on board credit, or cash back, etc.

 

 

Discounts: DCL does sometimes offer military, Florida Resident, and Canadian Resident rates. And when you are on board, if you enjoy the cruise, book a future one on board or book a placeholder. A placeholder is a reservation that is not yet attached to a cruise. It lets you book a future cruise that sails within 24 months, and you get a discount as well as some on board credit for that future cruise.

Thanks so much for the info and tips! I definitely feel like I'm stepping out of my element a bit. I've done 17 (soon to be 18) Carnival cruises...so it's second nature when I book them. I know exactly when I want to book, what kind of cabin we want, and what to expect once on the ship! I anticipated that this trip would take ALOT more research and planning - which I'm okay with. I just want to make it a special experience for our daughter!

DCL is unlike many other lines. The price is the price; no TA is allowed to discount it' date=' although they can offer you some OBC or other perks. We are not allowed to name agents or agencies here--sorry.

 

Booking--as soon as the dates are released OR last minute if you can grab a *GT will give you the best price.

 

There are actually benefits to booking land and sea separately. If you book together thru DCL, you can't take advantage of any sales going on at the parks. If you book separately and want to use DCL transportation, all you need to do is to add transfers to your cruise reservation AFTER you can tell them which resort you'll be staying at.

 

Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will be the most interesting parks for a young child, although that's not where the Frozen stuff is located.

 

There's a lot you need to know. We actually prefer the Magic to all the other ships, but you have to see where it is sailing on your dates. The Dream 3/4 nights and Fantasy 7 nights go out of Port Canaveral all the time. I'd definitely vote for 4 nights on the ship. It is hugely better than 3 nights. Do your homework and ask questions here to get up to speed.[/quote']

 

Thanks for the info. I definitely agree that 4 nights on the ship would be the best route! I have never done a three night cruise - it just seems way too short!

 

Seems like Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are the clear winners as far as parks! Any other Disney land things that are not to miss (outside of just the parks)?

Thanks for the info. I definitely agree that 4 nights on the ship would be the best route! I have never done a three night cruise - it just seems way too short!

 

Seems like Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are the clear winners as far as parks! Any other Disney land things that are not to miss (outside of just the parks)?

This really depends on where you stay. Character meals are fun for kids, but costly. There are several good ones at the hotels, so you don't need to do them while in the parks. Chef Mickey's and 1901 Park Fare are our favorites. If you stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge, there are several public viewing areas with nature guides. Best animal viewing is at dawn and dusk. Some of the hotels have kid activities and such--get the schedule when you check in.

I would definitely book in the spring rather than summer. The weather is better are the crowds are not as bad at the parks. You want to avoid the parks when schools are on break.

I would definitely book in the spring rather than summer. The weather is better are the crowds are not as bad at the parks. You want to avoid the parks when schools are on break.

You want to avoid the ships too when schools are on break...but it isn't as bad as the parks~

You want to avoid the ships too when schools are on break...but it isn't as bad as the parks~

My daughter's preschool usually gets out the second week of May. So I'm hoping we can schedule this right after then before most of the other schools are out for the summer and before the Memorial Day holiday.

My daughter's preschool usually gets out the second week of May. So I'm hoping we can schedule this right after then before most of the other schools are out for the summer and before the Memorial Day holiday.

That sounds good, but it really wouldn't be so bad for her to miss a few days of preschool either.

She'll learn more on the ship than in pre-school! You can make it as educational as you wish, talking about the captain steering the ship, the wildlife she might see, how the ship works, where the various crew come from, the countries you'll visit on the cruise, etc. My daughter once had to choose a country for a report at school. She did Croatia because that's where her favorite server was from. On one of her early cruises, she asked our serving team to sign her autograph book--they each wrote something in their native language and then wrote the translation. Big hit in elementary school! Another time, she had an assignment to write about a wonder. Wanna guess what that report was about?

Obviously, the level you'll pitch it at for a pre-schooler is different than an elementary kid....but get books and learn about the colorful fish. Learn about how big the ship is (it weighs as much as however many elephants), and such.

That sounds good, but it really wouldn't be so bad for her to miss a few days of preschool either.

No it wouldn't...but I'm hoping to coordinate this with some other family with older school aged kiddos. They might not be willing/able to take their kids out of school for a week.

She'll learn more on the ship than in pre-school! You can make it as educational as you wish' date=' talking about the captain steering the ship, the wildlife she might see, how the ship works, where the various crew come from, the countries you'll visit on the cruise, etc. My daughter once had to choose a country for a report at school. She did Croatia because that's where her favorite server was from. On one of her early cruises, she asked our serving team to sign her autograph book--they each wrote something in their native language and then wrote the translation. Big hit in elementary school! Another time, she had an assignment to write about a wonder. Wanna guess what that report was about?

 

Obviously, the level you'll pitch it at for a pre-schooler is different than an elementary kid....but get books and learn about the colorful fish. Learn about how big the ship is (it weighs as much as however many elephants), and such.[/quote']

 

Great ideas! I LOVE the idea of the autographs from all of our servers and cabin attendants. I think that would be awesome!

Are you set on land/sea trip? Personally, I would do a 7 nt on the Fantasy and do WDW in a few years. Our kids are 6yr and 3yr and we have done 2 cruises with a 3rd scheduled. They get their Disney fill without the lines/stress of the parks. We will do WDW at some point but want to wait until they are a bit older.

On 7 nt cruises, there is a character breakfast with Mickey, Sofia, Doc and Jake; Princess and Frozen gatherings. All require tickets but no extra charge.

Are you set on land/sea trip? Personally, I would do a 7 nt on the Fantasy and do WDW in a few years. Our kids are 6yr and 3yr and we have done 2 cruises with a 3rd scheduled. They get their Disney fill without the lines/stress of the parks. We will do WDW at some point but want to wait until they are a bit older.

 

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This should be a serious consideration--not necessarily the Fantasy, but a longer cruise. We like the parks, but we LOVE the cruise.

This should be a serious consideration--not necessarily the Fantasy' date=' but a longer cruise. We like the parks, but we LOVE the cruise.[/quote']

 

 

Right but I figured by mid-May the Magic might already be headed to Europe and Wonder to Alaska, leaving Fantasy cruising for longer than 3-4-nights.

Only you will be able to choose what is best for your family but my daughter would campaign for a longer park stay and shorter cruise....well really she would WANT to do 10 days at Disney and a 7 day cruise on the Fantasy but unless Tink sprinkles some fairy dust our way that wouldn't be happening.

We have only been on 2 Disney cruises and enjoyed both immensely but we have been going to the park for at least a week at a time once or twice a year since the summer she turned 2 (she just turned 9 this month) We are headed back a week from today! Most often we will pair a week or a little longer at the parks with a 7 night cruise out of Port Canaveral or FLL on another cruise line (which lowers the amount invested by a bunch!!) She loves the parks, all 4 of them and the water parks, and Disney Springs, and Disney Putt putt, and character meals....you get the picture. Anyhoo I would strongly consider spending as many days at Disney as the budget and time restrictions will allow. Magic Kingdom is probably her favorite but she really enjoys the other 3 as well. Her new favorite ride is Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom it is not to be missed. With the new Toy Story land opening last week at Hollywood studios that has added additional things to do there and a 5 year old girl would I am sure love the Frozen attractions at Epcot. There is just so much to do it is hard to know what to pick and choose from if you are only there a few days.

Whatever you decide she will love it and you will have a great time I'm sure!!

Whatever time you end up spending at the parks make sure you utilize the app and make fast pass reservations as soon as you can for early in the day so that you can continue to get other passes throughout the day. With limited time you want to spend as least time as possible standing in lines!!

Are you set on land/sea trip? Personally, I would do a 7 nt on the Fantasy and do WDW in a few years. Our kids are 6yr and 3yr and we have done 2 cruises with a 3rd scheduled. They get their Disney fill without the lines/stress of the parks. We will do WDW at some point but want to wait until they are a bit older.

 

On 7 nt cruises, there is a character breakfast with Mickey, Sofia, Doc and Jake; Princess and Frozen gatherings. All require tickets but no extra charge.

I want her to experience both the parks and the Disney cruise and I'm not sure if we can feasibly do more than a week away. My husband is a home inspector and as you can imagine, spring/summer is his busy time. So being gone longer than a week isn't great for him work-wise.

I think doing both of them to start would be a good mix for her. At five years old, I'm not sure if she could do more than 2-3 days of walking around the parks. And she's loved the cruises she's already been on...so add the Disney magic into that equation and I'm sure she'll be in heaven. Once she experiences both of them, she can pick what she wants to do more of on future trips.

You cannot possibly experience all of WDW in a few days. The only time I felt that we approached that was on a 9 day trip. We did get a lot done on a 4 day with two teens when we took our exchange student and we were limited to the 4 days....and likewise, you can get a feel for the ship, but not really do it all, on a short cruise. However, I'm a person who thinks 10 or more days is the right cruise.:)

You need to figure out what works best for you and your family and go from there.

The four night Dream cruises typically leave Port Canaveral on Monday and return on Friday. Depending on your schedule, if you can swing arriving on Saturday, you could still experience a park that day and then again on Sunday. Likewise, you could then hit a park on Friday and Saturday after the cruise.

Magic Kingdom is a no-brainer for a four year old, but I'll be contrarian: seriously consider Hollywood Studios instead of Animal Kingdom. Hollywood Studios just opened a new Toy Story Land which kids should love, and can change the dynamic. (My kids were seriously underwhelmed by Animal Kingdom last year.)

Although to be honest, a four year old could be completely content to go to Magic Kingdom every day they are at Disney World. As Moki points out, there's no way you can see everything at Disney World in one trip, so don't even bother trying. Figure out what things you'll really like to do, and concentrate on those.

If at all possible, stay on property. This can allow you to go to a park in the morning, return to the hotel for a nap/break in the afternoon, and return to a park later in the day. With a little one, this can be sanity maintenance! If you have rented a stroller, keep your receipt--you can pick one up again when you return and there will be no additional charge.

You can miss the mid-day heat, take advantage of the "extra magic hours," and have a much more sane trip.

It’s not possible to experience all of WDW in 3 or 4 days, but it’s also too much to put on a younger kid anyway. Each park is a great experience in itself. Your daughter will have no idea what she’s ‘missing’ and the adults can be just as happy. We do 3-4 day trips. It’s just a different mindset. Pick one or two parks and pretend the rest doesn’t exist.

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