Cruising With Children?

[mjaclyn]

DH and I are thinking about going on a 4 day cruise on the Disney Dream next year for our 10th anniversary. Our kids will still be very young then...4 and almost 2yrs, so we would take them with us. I was looking at all the activities for children to do onboard, and although our 4 yo would have a blast I'm not sure if we should go on a Disney cruise with a child that's just under 2. We'd have to pay extra for him to go into the Small World Nursery and he can't go into any of the swimming pools. I think the price for him is about $250 and I'm wondering if it will be worth it. Has anyone gone on a Disney cruise with a child that young? Should we just wait a couple more years until he's 3 or 4 and potty-trained so that he can do the activities with his sister? I've only gone on one other cruise before in my life and that was before we had children. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

[BrerGnat]

We are waiting. Our kids are 5 and 3. I still think they are too young to get a lot of enjoyment. The pools are small and crowded on cruise ships. Dinners are a long affair. Our boys don't really love stage show type entertainment and they couldn't care less about the character meets. I don't feel comfortable leaving them in the kids clubs at this age because the staff ratios are not really that good, especially during busier seasons.

We thought about a Disney cruise last year but our younger son was still not potty trained and loves to swim, and we thought it would be upsetting to not be allowed in the big pool with his brother.

We are waiting a few more years. For now, they love Disneyland. We are taking them to WDW in two weeks for the first time. I think that is the best place for preschool aged kids.