Disney Q's from a Newbie

[MrsZee]

We are considering doing a 4 day Disney cruise next year, and while I am excited at the prospect, I don't like that I will be a "newbie" all over again. I was hoping that you guys could share the basics with me, just so I know what to expect.

 

We are thinking of going in October 2011 and getting a verandah room. We will have a 3 year old and we are trying to get pregnant, so hopefully we will have an infant too.

 

I know that being 3, our son will get to enjoy the kids clubs. And I know they offer a nursery for infants. What time can you use the nursery, and how many hours a day do they offer it? Do they have it at night like Carnival does? We realize that cruising with an infant means that he/she will be with us just about the whole time, but it would be nice to check out the adult pool for a couple hours or try the adult restaurant.

 

If any of you have been on Disney and Carnival and can tell me the significant differences, that would be awesome. I also thought it would be nice to hear from parents of younger kids on what to expect. Thanks!

[orville99]

We are considering doing a 4 day Disney cruise next year, and while I am excited at the prospect, I don't like that I will be a "newbie" all over again. I was hoping that you guys could share the basics with me, just so I know what to expect.

 

We are thinking of going in October 2011 and getting a verandah room. We will have a 3 year old and we are trying to get pregnant, so hopefully we will have an infant too.

 

I know that being 3, our son will get to enjoy the kids clubs. And I know they offer a nursery for infants. What time can you use the nursery, and how many hours a day do they offer it? Do they have it at night like Carnival does? We realize that cruising with an infant means that he/she will be with us just about the whole time, but it would be nice to check out the adult pool for a couple hours or try the adult restaurant.

 

If any of you have been on Disney and Carnival and can tell me the significant differences, that would be awesome. I also thought it would be nice to hear from parents of younger kids on what to expect. Thanks!

 

I presume you're looking at the Disney Dream, so the name of the nursery has changed to "It's a Small World", but on the Magic and Wonder, Flounder's Reef was open from 9AM to 11PM every day (6PM-11PM on embarkation day).

 

I presume the hours will stay the same on the new ship.

 

The minimum age is three months, so you should be ok. I know they take reservations, so I presume you can book the nursery for a nice adult dinnertime.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

We are considering doing a 4 day Disney cruise next year, and while I am excited at the prospect, I don't like that I will be a "newbie" all over again. I was hoping that you guys could share the basics with me, just so I know what to expect.

 

We are thinking of going in October 2011 and getting a verandah room. We will have a 3 year old and we are trying to get pregnant, so hopefully we will have an infant too.

 

I know that being 3, our son will get to enjoy the kids clubs. And I know they offer a nursery for infants. What time can you use the nursery, and how many hours a day do they offer it? Do they have it at night like Carnival does? We realize that cruising with an infant means that he/she will be with us just about the whole time, but it would be nice to check out the adult pool for a couple hours or try the adult restaurant.

 

If any of you have been on Disney and Carnival and can tell me the significant differences, that would be awesome. I also thought it would be nice to hear from parents of younger kids on what to expect. Thanks!

 

 

I dont know if the Dream will have different rules or not but for now the nursery limits you to 10 hours per cruise and it was $6 per hour, 2 hour minimum. How ever they often have cancellations so you can usually get extra hours by checking back with them during the cruise.

 

To use the clubs make sure your 3 year old is completely potty trained, that is a rule they have.

 

We have done Carnival and DCL both with grandkids. How ever they were not as young as your son is. But for their age groups they didnt like it at all. Many things are cancelled if not enough kids showed up, counselors didnt interact with the kids like they do on Disney. When we asked they said Disney was 100 times better than Carnival.

I cant comment on the younger kids club on Carnival, But on DCL I have had little ones in the clubs and they loved it.