To Cruise or Not to Cruise? That Is My Question ;-)

I've never been on a Disney Cruise, but would LOVE to take one!

I have cruised the Mexican Riviera and Alaska and will say that I have NEVER enjoyed a vacation as much as I do when I'm cruising. You get so spoiled! The service, the food, the entertainment, the relaxation - can't beat it!

we took a Royal Caribbean cruise last year, on the Oasis of the Seas, one of the newest and the largest ship out there, it was Fabulous! we didn't have the kids with us, but they have programing for little kids that will keep them busy and give you down time! They even had Characters on board for the kids, it was Shrek I think, but like I said we were w/o kids so we didn't go see them. But we would gladly do it again, and take the kids if we could, either on Disney or on RC. we also did excursions while docked on two different days (out of three) and we were very pleased with the excursions we took. we loved it! I'm hoping to go Disney next year, but really RC was great, and would be great for children also, my kids are older so Disney might be less exciting for my oldest and RC might be better for him but I don't think a 3.5yo would mind either way they are so young it is all fun to them. have fun!

I LOVED our cruises that we have been on. Me and my husband went on 2 and then me, my husband, my kids, my brother and his girlfriend, my sister and her BF at the time, my parents and my mom's friend and her brothers and sisters all went on the 3rd. 1st one was to cozumel out of galveston on carnival. Had an inside cabin and got really sick. 2nd one was to alaska with me my husband and his brother and parents. we had a verandah and it was so much better. we did an excursion at every stop and it was awesome. It was NCL and was very good. The 3rd one was to alaska a week and a half after the other one to alaska but was on Holland America so a couple of the same stops but a couple different ones as well. i liked the holland america the best. the ships were the nicest but it was also the most expensive. i really want to take my kids on a disney cruise as soon as the youngest gets a little older. i would cruise every vacation if i could. I feel you get to go to more cities and see more things.

Cruising is great, because everything is in one place. Once you get on the ship, you don't have to worry about getting off (unless you want to) and there is so much to do! My suggestion (since you've never cruised) is to take a short 3 day one. See if you like it. Since I get motion sick and we never had either, we did a 3 day one with Disney for our honeymoon. Thanks to Dramamine, I was fine. Disney is one of the more expensive ones, but the service is Disney (5 star). There are sections for adults & children and even a babysitting service if you need a break from the kiddos. Disney is for kids of all ages (yeah adults!). We've also taken 2 Carnival cruises and enjoyed them as well, but were definitely spoiled by Disney. Overall, cruising is a great value for the money, considering you get your room, meals & transportation all included in the price. Call the cruise lines & talk with one of the reps and ask lots of questions about activities. And if you want to go to shore, take the excursions offered by the cruise line. It costs, but it's better than getting pick pocketed like we almost did. The cruise lines keep you safe when traveling. It's worth every penny.

We have booked our first Disney cruise for Oct. Our son will be a little over 3 when we go. This will be our first cruise. I have read great reviews about Disney. The pricing seems to be pretty much the same no matter where you look online. You may want to check out http://www.disboards.com/ which has a lot of information on Disney cruises.

my daughter and i went on a disney cruise last year - LOVED IT. she is 9 so she's a bit older than yours. but we loved the disney cruise. it was well worth the extra money. we got a "deluxe family" suite and had more than enough room.

We went in Feb. with our 2 and 4 y/o on a cruise. It was great! One time unpacking, a "home" base, clubs for the (older) kid, activities for the younger, unlimited food options at any time, good for the picky one, etc. Downside was that the pool couldn't be used by any child in diapers, so my younger child was a bit left out of there, but we were at the beach in the ports, so it wasn't a huge deal. It wasn't Disney (Royal Carribbean) but we are hoping for a Disney cruise next time. Whatever we experienced for the kids, Disney does tenfold.
Also, certain Disney ships have bathtubs as well as showers, though it wasn't a big deal for our kids to take a shower for a week. Disney is one of the most expensive lines though, and we chose that time not to use it because the kids were young enough that they would have liked to see the characters, but not over twice as expensive worth. However, I've heard great things about every aspect on a Disney cruise- when we go, my younger one will be old enough to go to the "camp" too!

Most people either love or hate cruising. I love it, and think its a great way to vacation as a family. My parents took me on cruises (standard lines, not kid-oriented) as a child, and I loved them. I took my oldest son on a Mediterranean cruise (Holland America) when he was 18 months old, and this summer we are taking both kids (now 3 and 5) on an Alaskan cruise, also on Holland America.

Most cruise lines offer kids clubs with age-appropriate activities starting at age 3, so you can have some adult time. I've also always felt like the crew like kids, and make a big fuss over them. Kid-friendly food is always available. The ship is fun to explore for the kids. And, unpacking only once is a huge benefit. It is fairly expensive to bring kids, however. They charge nearly as much for a child (even an infant) as an adult.

I think it is a personal preference.

We have never been on a cruise and to be honest, you couldn't pay us to go on one. It is just not our thing or our idea of fun to be trapped on a boat with a bunch of people. We are not into the structured schedules, meals and being around so many people all the time.

We are more independent and prefer to do our own thing, call our own shots and make our won schedule if we want a schedule. I would probably be claustrophobic as well.

Now on the other hand..... My brother and his family LOVE cruises and go yearly.

My mom and stepdad went on 1 and it rained the whole time, it was miserable and they never went again.

BIL and his family did the Disney cruise. He said it was ok and he also said he was surprised that he got a bill for $2000 at the end of the cruise when he had already paid for it supposedly. They are financially ok to handle that but were not happy with the surprise. They don't drink that much, I don't know what it was for.

Purely a personal preference.

I've heard fabulous things about Disney when traveling with a child on a cruise. They're also pricey, though. If they're out of your budget, just about every other mainstream cruise line has a kids program now.

I'd say the only real con is the small rooms. They can be very small to manage and you won't have a tub to bathe your 3 1/2 year old (only showers, and small ones at that). However, the idea of going on a cruise is to not be in the room all day, so it's not a huge issue.

Also, you may deal with seasickness in certain travel areas. For instance, the areas outside of San Francisco is known for being rough.

The pros: Fun activities, great shows, shore excursions, lots of food options, not unpacking at different destinations (easy travel), relaxation, friendly crew.

Have fun! You might check the site Cruise Critic as you get started researching this. It's a very useful resource, especially the boards.

I love cruises.
Pros: great food, all inclusive, on board entertainment, waking up in different places without having to pack up and move
Cons: small rooms, potential for seasickness

I am dying to try a Disney cruise with my family. we might do one this winter.