Once you go Disney, can you go back?

[donaldsc]

12 hours ago, shorne said:

I'd recommend a policy of putting life jackets on the unruly children/parents and making them walk the plank.

 

The only things that I would disagree w you on that is that it isn't really the fault of the kids and why put life jackets on the parents.  After you make the parents walk the plank you would have to figure out what to do we the kids until you offload them at the end of the cruise.

 

DON

[70KToM]

Hard to imagine a worse cruise experience than paying twice as much to be surrounded by screaming children and people in weird fur suits. Hard pass.

 

Virgin Voyages or RCL all the way.

[shorne]

37 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

The only things that I would disagree w you on that is that it isn't really the fault of the kids

 

I quite agree that the fault lies not with the children but with the parents. Society unwisely assigns children to the people who engendered them, whether or not those people are able and willing to raise children properly.

[bob brown]

After doing more than 50 cruises on a multitude of lines, I took my first DCL on the Dream last November.  My ambition is to try every cruise line serving North America at least once, and since we were taking my wife’s son’s family, including their 8 and 11 year old kids, I thought it to be the perfect opportunity to try Disney.

I researched the product from their website, and read reviews and comments on their CC board, so pretty much knew what to expect.

 

In a nutshell, we had a great time, and of course, the kids loved it.  But it will probably be a “once and done” for me.   Even if we take the family again, we will try one of the large NCL, RCI, or MSC ships, where not only is the value better, but also where we enjoy high loyalty status…

[Toofarfromthesea]

I don't understand the idea of going on a vacation and then dumping your kids in glorified nautical daycare.  When my family vacationed it was to spend time with each other doing fun and interesting things.

[NoMadSean]

12 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

I don't understand the idea of going on a vacation and then dumping your kids in glorified nautical daycare.  When my family vacationed it was to spend time with each other doing fun and interesting things.

So, you don't like the idea of getting a few hours break from your kids after spending constant time with them?

 

It's not like we won't still be spending a ton of time with her. We will be with her 100% percent of the time at Disney for 3 days and 4 nights leading up until to the cruise. My daughter also wants to play with other kids. Maybe if you have a whole pack and they play together, it's not a factor, but my kid wants to play with other kids. I also an't imagine not wanting some time to spend 1:1 with my spouse, away from my daughter, to relax and nurture the marriage.

 

Whatever floats your boat. 

[ldubs]

3 hours ago, NoMadSean said:

So, you don't like the idea of getting a few hours break from your kids after spending constant time with them?

 

It's not like we won't still be spending a ton of time with her. We will be with her 100% percent of the time at Disney for 3 days and 4 nights leading up until to the cruise. My daughter also wants to play with other kids. Maybe if you have a whole pack and they play together, it's not a factor, but my kid wants to play with other kids. I also an't imagine not wanting some time to spend 1:1 with my spouse, away from my daughter, to relax and nurture the marriage.

 

Whatever floats your boat. 

 

My kids are all adults and more likely to send me to daycare!  Haha.   I've heard the kid's programs on Disney are pretty darn good and I suspect the kids have a blast.   

[bob brown]

Like many other kids, ours have to be strongly pushed into going to “sea camp” at first, but at the end of the day, they have had such a great time, they have to be dragged away , “kicking and screaming”…😁

[Hlitner]

On 4/9/2023 at 3:21 PM, Toofarfromthesea said:

I don't understand the idea of going on a vacation and then dumping your kids in glorified nautical daycare.  When my family vacationed it was to spend time with each other doing fun and interesting things.

When we started taking our DD on cruises (at age 5) she absoutely loved being "dumped" into the children's program (mostly on Sitmar and RCCL (now RCI)).  Even now, over 35 years later, she remembers those cruises and some of the friends she made in the kids program.  Many children do prefer being with a group of other kids rather than with "grown ups."  

[mjkacmom]

On 4/9/2023 at 2:21 AM, Toofarfromthesea said:

I don't understand the idea of going on a vacation and then dumping your kids in glorified nautical daycare.  When my family vacationed it was to spend time with each other doing fun and interesting things.

As a SAHM to 5, cruising actually gave me a break from my kids, who have always been very social (in their 20‘s now, that has not changed at all), one their favorite aspects of cruising is to meet new people. I loved reading books on deck or on the balcony, something my kids did not enjoy as much. Even though they are best friends and close in age, they’d usually each find their own crew on cruises.

[Razzo]

So do many of the kids actually like the kids club?  My son (age 4) absolutely loves his sister (age 6) and there is no way he would accept RC forcing him to be in a different kids club than his sister.  

 

From what I read - DCL will allow the kids to be together in the club.  So the question I have is really:  How much time do the kids spend in the kids club?  They aren't teenagers so I don't see them using flow rider or doing skydiving. 

 

I bit the bullet and we are taking our first DCL cruise this December and coupling it with a WDW night before.  If the difference is really not there and there are things for younger kids to do, I can make it a once and done type thing and get back to RCL where my status takes me much further.  

[Susan in Maine]

One and done for me.

 

Having said that:

 

We were three generations - my parents & mother-in-law, us, and our smallish child. My father was legally blind, and Disney was the BEST line for services for him. Among other perks, we were the second family on the ship so he wouldn't have to deal with the crowds and my parents were assigned a crew member to come get them should there be an emergency.

 

 

[navybankerteacher]

Disney does not strike me as the line which put others in the shade - the size and the toon characters are not that endearing - now, Azamara and Oceania do then to spoil things for the run of the mill mega-ships of the mass market lines.

[cruiserking]

No matter which cruise line you favor and book the most it's always nice to try other lines and you'll soon discover there are some other great choices out there. Variety is the spice of life. 

 

Jonathan 

[nolatravelgirl]

I have done cruises on Disney, NCL, Seabourn, Azamara and while we loved the Disney cruise I could have taken the whole family on a luxury cruise line for the price of what we paid for Disney. Granted we did a 7-day Wonder of NYE so it was probably the most expensive week of the year. 

 

We did a 7-day cruise on the NCL Breakaway for Spring Break for less than half the cost of the Disney cruise and this included the drink package and specialty dining. There was plenty for kids to do as well as plenty for adults.

 

I think it is great to try different lines and different itineraries. I don't want to have the same vacation over and over. I want to experience new and unique things. Look at the ship's amenities as not all ships are created equal. 

[JRG]

1 hour ago, nolatravelgirl said:

I think it is great to try different lines and different itineraries.

 

We've  always wondered about DCL but have not tried them because of cost,  the kids are allright.

 

But its good to know that some of the posters rank the food and other cruise comparables on par with the other lines,  sans the Disney culture,   and therefore the cost might keep us away.

 

BTW, we are big Disney fans (living 1 hrs from Anaheim) and have done Orlando multiple times, so we love Disney,  in fact,   we just spent back to back weeks in England and France and used the Eurostar tunnel to get over to DisneyFrance,   so we added that to our bucket list.

 

I will tell you that they have the que lines designed well,  so waiting 30 minutes for a ride was no problem,  but it is just not the same as Anaheim or Orlando,  IMO.

[JRG]

And It would be remiss of me to not add that alot of Grandparents and Great-grandparents have the time of theirs lives if they are lucky enough to treat their family to a Disney Cruise.   That's has to be priceless for them.

 

Disney almost has a monopoly on this slot in the market but I think most cruisers Do eventually go back to other lines.

 

 

 

 

[pc_load_letter]

OP, off topic but be sure you bring water shoes for the kiddo. The pool decks can be both very slippery and very hot.

[wineoclock]

We have done 4 DCL cruises when they kids were small. Stick to Celebrity now. 
 

DCL were phenomenal for when the kids were small, now I prefer a more adult line. 

[Markanddonna]

A question for some of us would be: Once would go Disney, why would you ever go back?

[_alan_]

On 3/28/2023 at 1:24 PM, DarrenM said:

Running the risk of upsetting parents here, but I would rather give up cruising than go on a cruise with hundreds of those little creatures.

 

And I am not talking about mice, dogs, cats and ducks.

 

It is my idea of hell.

 

 

 

Exactly.   Why does anyone do anything Disney?  It's all made up stuff....go to a national park...