Cruisers, what is your favorite kid friendly cruise? Is Disney worth the extra $?

Looking to do a European cruise with a toddler and 3yo.

Which cruise line has the best entertainment and kid activities for younger kids?

Is Disney worth the premium in cost?

It seems like a lot of the kid's clubs start at 3. Would like if DS#2 could also participate.

I am personally not a fan of cruises. It's not my preferred method of travel. I always feel rushed on shore. However, I think the boys may have a good time.

DH and I are not amusement/theme park people either and we had an amazing time at Disney. We are hooked!

Message edited 6/7/2012 12:46:52 PM.

Re: Cruisers, what is your favorite kid friendly cruise? Is Disney worth the extra $?

I am a big traveler with my kids - been all over the world with them since they were 6mths. We did a cruise over the spring and I will NEVER do it again. Kids were 3 and 2 and it was the worst week of my life. My DD was not allowed in the pool b/c she wasn't potty trained (PS it was a nick at sea cruise), my DS was not allowed on watersides without me, there was a tiny splash pool on the smoking side of the ship and the room was just a pain in the ass. The only good thing was camp - but you had to take them out often b/c they don't allow food.
I have been to europe, ice land, carribean, mexico with my kids and loved each trip..the cruise was not for us!

Re: Cruisers, what is your favorite kid friendly cruise? Is Disney worth the extra $?

Re: Cruisers, what is your favorite kid friendly cruise? Is Disney worth the extra $?

I took my son when he was 2 on NCL cruise lines to Disney and the bahamas. I was also pregnant at the time and had 5 other children with us ages 5,7,10,11 at the time.

Kids had a blast! No complaints what so ever....Camp was alot of fun for them they gave you a pager when you were needed.

Pools were fun there were no rules for the kids...kiddie pool, slides, etc.

Food was geared to them, even had night time parties for them with sundaes, chocolate fountains etc.

Re: Cruisers, what is your favorite kid friendly cruise? Is Disney worth the extra $?

Well everyone is different I understand so you have to see what matches your personality best.

We did a cruise last summer on Celebrity (Summit to Bermuda - out of Bayonne) and LOVED it. DD#2 potty trained just so she could swim in the pools (she was about 26-27 months). The fun factory did start at age 3 but they had options for younger kids (they had a toddler time which we didn't participate in - they also have boxes of toys for younger kids you can check out). They let DD participate with her sister in the 3-5 group as long as an adult stayed with her since she was potty trained.

My 4 year old loved it and we had to drag her out of the fun factory. My 2 year old didn't care as much about the fun factory she swam and mostly wanted to just wander around the decks and explore.

We are going again this summer and the girls are very excited. While I am a huge Celebrity fan. I would say with younger kids I would consider doing a disney cruise in Europe. I say this because I think their shore excursions tend to be more family oriented than say Celebrity, etc that might be more adult friendly. Keep in mind that there are no European cruises this year - so you would have to wait until next year because the ship is sailing out of NY this summer instead. Now if you plan to do your own sightseeing and don't plan to do the cruise excursions then you could try Celebrity, RCCL etc. But as someone mentioned - you need to do some investigative work if you have a child still in diapers because most cruise ships do not allow children who are not potty trained into their pools (no swimmies allowed). There are a select few that have splash areas etc that are exceptions to that rule. Now there are people who get larger balconies and then bring a small blow up pool and use that for their non potty trained child - if you need that option.

As to whether you have fun or not really depends on your expectations and if you picked the right cruise for you.

Etd to add the fun factory was great - they did everything from superhero activities (decorate and make a costume, then they played games etc), to pirate treasure hunts, games, make your own sundaes, decorate cupcakes, story times, arts and crafts, lots of games and activities. We tried to have DD pick and choose what she wanted to go in for and she would want to do it all (we skipped the food activities because she has a lot of food allergies).

While I love to go to Europe and spend 2 weeks in one city - with young kids I think a cruise is perfect because it gives them a hint of each city and you can then see what interests them the most and return at a later date. Also young kids don't have as much patience for spending all day in museums etc - so the cruise breaks everything up and gives them a chance to see some new surroundings and learn something but still have fun (which you wouldn't get if you just go to say Paris or Florence and stay at a hotel. They have built in activities to give them a break.)

Message edited 6/7/2012 7:31:28 PM.