Disney Cruise or Disney World

[Bigdog2003]

My wife and I are trying to decide if we should take our 5 and 4 year olds to Disney World or on a Disney Cruise. We are just unsure if they are really old enough to enjoy thr park just yet. We went on a cruise this past January and they had a blast. Any input? What age were your kids the first time you went to a Disney park?

[TOlson70]

We took my oldest and youngest on a land and sea trip to WDW and a 4 Day cruise to the Bahamas. My oldest was 9 at the time and youngest was 5. WDW and the parks were fun but he didn't do everything and was exhausted from all the walking. He loved the cruise and subsequent cruises we've taken with DCL. I'd do another cruise and maybe wait a year or two before you do WDW.

[Gary from PA]

Younger kids get exhausted with WDW and bored very fast. Cruise is a better option.

 

Older kids might enjoy enjoy parks.

[dvc deernut]

My wife and I are trying to decide if we should take our 5 and 4 year olds to Disney World or on a Disney Cruise. We are just unsure if they are really old enough to enjoy thr park just yet. We went on a cruise this past January and they had a blast. Any input? What age were your kids the first time you went to a Disney park?

Our kids were at least 5 before all of us could enjoy most of the parks. I felt we were able to do more once they were 5. Friends of ours took there kids when they were 4 on the Dream last fall. They had a blast because there are things to do for all ages and if the parents want to do something they can be at ease knowing their kids are enjoying themselves and are well supervised while you are at a night club or spa on the ship. I would say the ship!!!!!!!

[karajeboo]

We took our daughter to WDW when she was 5 for the first time and I would not recommend going any younger.... That said, we have now taken 2 DCL cruises, and I would HIGHLY recommend those for your childrens' ages..... The intimacy of the characters is so much better, and much less stressful. Plus, you miss out on so many attractions with younger children, so I think DCL now so they can experience the "magic" of the characters, but WDW later when they can truly enjoy the attractions.....

[pampaul]

We took our boys to WDW when they were 4 & 5. They wer 9 & 10 on their first cruise.

 

I agree with other posters that WDW would be a LOOONNGGG day for them. Even if you had a stroller for them. Atleast on a cruise they can do a variety of things (kid's club, pool, back to the cabin for a nap, etc)

 

My vote would be to take them on a cruise.

[meatloafsfan]

I think 4 and 5 are the perfect age for their first taste of Magic at walt disney world. It's an age where they still believe that everything is real and there are so many special experiences.

 

If it's a "once in a lifetime" thing (going to WDW) then maybe when they are a little older.

 

But if it's a two or three times while growing up, I would say that 4 and 5 would be a great first trip - you won't be able to do everything (but who can at WDW?) but there will be so many great experiences.

[mdvlprof]

There is a lot of walking at WDW. I'd wait a couple years to do WDW rather than deal with whiny, tired, 4-5 year olds.

[stacyk9]

Agree with all other posters. We took our son to WDW for the first time when he was 4. What a disaster!!! Poor guy was so tired and actually got sick from the heat one of the days. We took him again when he was 5 and enjoyed it so much more. He was also 5 when we went on our DCL. This year we asked him what he would rather do and he picked the DCL hands down!

 

My only recommendation if you go the WDW route, either take your own strollers or rent one as soon as you get there. I think that would have saved us a lot of heartache on our first trip to WDW. We didn't get the stroller until our third day there and it made all the difference.

[Host Mick]

My kids have been going to WDW since they were 4 and 7. Their first trip was a Land/Sea so we ended up on the cruise well.

WDW was hot and crowded and they can't last all day there. Our plan was to run them around as much as possible until they got tired and cranky. We then bailed out back to the hotel for a cool-off dip and a nap. That plan worked very well. One day, our cool off was Typhoon Lagoon. They got cooled off, refreshed and didn't want to nap so they went until about dinner time at which they crashed. It messed up our dinner plans but it was still a good time. And YES, we used strollers. They save them, save us and give us a place to carry our belongings. On the cruise, it couldn't have been better. They wanted to spend a lot of time in the Oceaneer's club which they did calling us when they wanted to go get ice cream or to go swimming. We pulled them out for dinner, some activities and the shows.

[Cruisin_Vol_Fan]

The answer depends on the personalities of your kids and you. Our oldest went to WDW at 18 months (a little too young but still fun) and 3 years (awesome trip - but we did leave baby brother at home!). Then we took both boys to DL at 2 & 4 then 3 & 5. This past November was our first WDW trip for us all together and they were 4 & 6. We had an awesome time, no melt downs, no major issues, good balance of kids rides, character experiences, nice meals and thrill rides...overall great trip. But we travel a lot with our kids, we know their cues (and listen to them, regardless of how it affects our plans) and we knew it wasn't a once-in-a-lifetime experience (we are DVC members and know we will be back often) so we didn't push ourselves. Oh, and we weren't there when it was hot!!

 

We leave in 3 weeks for our first DCL experience (and first cruise for the boys) and we fully plan on it being a one-time trip. The boys are now 4 1/2 & 6 1/2. We are traveling with family and wanted to catch all kids in one age-group on the ship - this was the only year to do it. Cruising seems to provide more hands-off time for parents while still lending itself to great family memories.

 

WDW is magical with younger kids and super fun with older kids. As PP said - if you are only going to do WDW once, wait until they are a little older. Otherwise, going once when they are young and fully immersed in the magical moments is awesome. The visit again when it's all staying up late and crazy rides.

 

So, like I said...the answer depends on you! (I'm so helpful, huh?!)

[Bigdog2003]

Thank you all for the advice. I think we are going to book a cruise. We are really leaning toward the fantasy out of port canaveral. I can't wait

[deniuh]

The answer depends on the personalities of your kids and you. Our oldest went to WDW at 18 months (a little too young but still fun) and 3 years (awesome trip - but we did leave baby brother at home!). Then we took both boys to DL at 2 & 4 then 3 & 5. This past November was our first WDW trip for us all together and they were 4 & 6. We had an awesome time, no melt downs, no major issues, good balance of kids rides, character experiences, nice meals and thrill rides...overall great trip. But we travel a lot with our kids, we know their cues (and listen to them, regardless of how it affects our plans) and we knew it wasn't a once-in-a-lifetime experience (we are DVC members and know we will be back often) so we didn't push ourselves. Oh, and we weren't there when it was hot!!

 

We leave in 3 weeks for our first DCL experience (and first cruise for the boys) and we fully plan on it being a one-time trip. The boys are now 4 1/2 & 6 1/2. We are traveling with family and wanted to catch all kids in one age-group on the ship - this was the only year to do it. Cruising seems to provide more hands-off time for parents while still lending itself to great family memories.

 

WDW is magical with younger kids and super fun with older kids. As PP said - if you are only going to do WDW once, wait until they are a little older. Otherwise, going once when they are young and fully immersed in the magical moments is awesome. The visit again when it's all staying up late and crazy rides.

 

So, like I said...the answer depends on you! (I'm so helpful, huh?!)

 

Completely agree with you. It depends on their personality. we took our now 4 year old to Disney when she was 3.5 yrs old. She is very much into the princesses. Well it was non-stop. We were tired but she wanted to go go go. The stroller was never sat or slept in. She was deep into the Magic. We are spending 2012 Christmas at Disney and then taking a 4 day cruise afterwards on the Dream. When we asked her if she wanted to do the Park or the Cruise, she said both..LOL. She has done 4 cruises between RCl & Princess and loves that too. On our last cruise on Freedom out of Port Canaveral she looked over and saw the Disney ship and said Mom, "can we go on that next?" I was scrolling through pics from the 2011 cruise, and sure enough it was the Dream that was docked! It really depends on the child.

[sunrise&set]

We've taken DS to WDW when he was 2, 3 and one day in MK prior to a cruise right before his 4th Birthday. All trips were in Jan/Feb. He has also been on 4 cruises. We enjoy both WDW and our cruises very much and he was able to do most things in Disney when he was 3 (just a few rides he was too short). For some reason he was talking about Disney yesterday, so I asked him if he'd rather go on a cruise or to Disney, and he said "Cruise"!!!

 

Next year will be our first Disney cruise and it's a surprise for his 6th Birthday. We'll probably do a land/sea trip the following year.

[awaywego0000]

Our daughter is 8 and we decided it would be best for all of us to do DCL. It will be less stressful than walking around in the heat for several days. We still plan to do WDW for one day while we are in port. Once our daughter is older we may take her to WDW.

[Skitheboat]

We took our kids to DL at ages 2 & 4 for the first time. We used strollers (obviously). It was fabulous. I think there is no age that is really "too young" for a Disney park. The Disney parks make it so easy for parents. I think DL is way easier for littler kids, because everything it's contained in 2 parks & Fantasyland is so much better at DL, IMO.

I loved taking toddlers/ preschoolers to the parks. They were totally caught up in the magic. They thought Winnie the Pooh was actually Winnie the Pooh, not a dude in a costume. We set our minds that we were going to do what our kids wanted to do at the parks. Yes, we rode that Dumbo ride about 30 times, but the kids loved it.

I think the California parks are way less exhausting than the Florida parks, & you get a wonderful Disney experience with less crowds, no humidity & less hassle. If you go at an off time, you'll walk right on every ride. It's a really easy way to experience Disney for the first time.

[Liltx31]

4 and 5 are great ages for WDW. We have gone every year since my oldest was 18 months. Every trip has been different but wonderful! Please go before they outgrow the magic of believing. It ended around age 6 for both my girls. Before then they knew the princesses etc. were real!

 

Cruises are great too! My kids love them. We cruise every spring break to relax. But our kids want to be in the clubs all day and evening. We really end up spending little time with them outside of excursions. For us it works because we take several vacations per year. It might be an issue for some families.

 

Could you do 4 days at disney and then take a more affordable cruise like RCI? Just a thought. We love RCI. My kids are going on DCL with grandparents. I myself would not pay the difference for it.