I saw that there is a similar post, but it is for a honeymoon. I am thinking of taking my 6 y/o DD on a cruise in Feb/March 2009. Neither of us has cruised before and it will be just the two of us, we are doing a Girls ONLY Vacation.

How much of a difference is there between a Disney Cruise or something else when it comes to things to do for a 6 y/o? On a Disney cruise we could only do the cheapest room compared to a nicer room on another cruise line. I want this to be the best experience for both of us, but I'm having sticker shock.

I looked at the Disney virtual tour and was in looooove, but I still would like some advice.

Also, typically how much more money would I spend on board? I would like to factor that into my budget and decision making. I don't like to pinch pennies too much when we are on vacation!

Thanks!

And, I meant to ask how crowded they are? In my mind I imagine since you are "stuck" on a boat, it would get crowded compared to and entire park or 4. Again, I have never cruised, can someone show me the light??? LOL.

Meisha B - I don't have a child your age, just a baby. But I do know there are sooo many things for the kids to do on DCL. They have a whole kids' club an Oceaneer's section that someone with kids could explain better, but I've heard of kids really enjoying themselves on DCL.

I'd really recommend getting the "Passporter's Guide to Disney Cruise Line" book. It's really common and I bet you can find it in your local bookstore. It'll answer a lot of your questions and give you a great idea what DCL is like.

You may very well find you are so busy doing things around the ship that what category room you're in doesn't matter as you'll only be there to sleep.

I went on the Big Red Boat Disney cruise when I was 11 (I know it's a but older than 6) and I thoroughly enjoyed all the kids activities. There were so many different options for things to do. We could watch movies, see shows, do arts and crafts, learn about the ship, do dancing and karaoke. There was never a dull moment and I really enjoyed meeting so many different kids form everywhere, I still talk to one of the girls today and we are both 25 now! I can't reccomend Disney enough for kids! I am actually thinking of doing Disney for my honeymoon!

We just took our 6 year old on a Disney cruise, and she absolutely loved it. The kids' activities were amazing. Before the cruise she was feeling shy about the kids' club because her older sister would be in another group, but once she got in there, she never wanted to leave. One day, was, effectively, a day at sea, because the weather was poor. She spent hours in that club, and had a great time. She loved seeing the characters, she enjoyed the restaurants, she loved the pools on-board. She had the time of her life. To me, it's a no-brainer. Take the Disney cruise, even if you are in a lower grade cabin. The Disney cabins are larger than those of other cruise lines, so you will probably have about as much room as a higher category on another ship. Go and enjoy!

Meisha B - I don't have a child your age, just a baby. But I do know there are sooo many things for the kids to do on DCL. They have a whole kids' club an Oceaneer's section that someone with kids could explain better, but I've heard of kids really enjoying themselves on DCL.

I'd really recommend getting the "Passporter's Guide to Disney Cruise Line" book. It's really common and I bet you can find it in your local bookstore. It'll answer a lot of your questions and give you a great idea what DCL is like.

You may very well find you are so busy doing things around the ship that what category room you're in doesn't matter as you'll only be there to sleep.

I agree about the room! And, I probably will go and look at books, I'm surprised I haven't yet. I guess I was still on the fence so I hadn't thought of it. Thanks:)

We just took our 6 year old on a Disney cruise, and she absolutely loved it. The kids' activities were amazing. Before the cruise she was feeling shy about the kids' club because her older sister would be in another group, but once she got in there, she never wanted to leave. One day, was, effectively, a day at sea, because the weather was poor. She spent hours in that club, and had a great time. She loved seeing the characters, she enjoyed the restaurants, she loved the pools on-board. She had the time of her life. To me, it's a no-brainer. Take the Disney cruise, even if you are in a lower grade cabin. The Disney cabins are larger than those of other cruise lines, so you will probably have about as much room as a higher category on another ship. Go and enjoy!

Thank you soooooo much! Perfect! I have another question. I was worried that since she will be 6 she will be one of the older kids in her group, I think I read that group goes to 6 or 7. Did that seem to be an issue? I don't want her to feel like a little kid or be bored.

And, what were the crowds like and what time of year did you go AND which cruise did you do?

Thanks again:)

Thank you soooooo much! Perfect! I have another question. I was worried that since she will be 6 she will be one of the older kids in her group, I think I read that group goes to 6 or 7. Did that seem to be an issue? I don't want her to feel like a little kid or be bored.

And, what were the crowds like and what time of year did you go AND which cruise did you do?

Thanks again:)

We did the 4-night cruise in mid-June. My daughter will be 7 in October, and the activities were "just right" for her. What I saw of the activities was not too young. My older daughter was almost 10, and was with kids her own age. The ship does not feel crowded at all, because people are spread out, doing different activities. In the evenings, they have two dinner seatings, and if you have late seating you can see the evening show first, then have dinner, and then the early seating people see the show. At Castaway Cay (Disney's own island), the kids can do group activities, or hang out on the beach. There is a separate adults-only beach. In Nassau, everyone is going on different excursions, or just shopping. In other words, with the exception of the safety drill, and one or two events, like the fireworks (Disney is the only cruise line that is allowed to shoot fireworks off the ship), you will almost never have everyone at the same place at the same time. And, even then, they are spread out on more than one deck. My husband and I went on two other major cruise lines, before we had kids, and he says this was the best vacation he ever had.

We did the 4-night cruise in mid-June. My daughter will be 7 in October, and the activities were "just right" for her. What I saw of the activities was not too young. My older daughter was almost 10, and was with kids her own age. The ship does not feel crowded at all, because people are spread out, doing different activities. In the evenings, they have two dinner seatings, and if you have late seating you can see the evening show first, then have dinner, and then the early seating people see the show. At Castaway Cay (Disney's own island), the kids can do group activities, or hang out on the beach. There is a separate adults-only beach. In Nassau, everyone is going on different excursions, or just shopping. In other words, with the exception of the safety drill, and one or two events, like the fireworks (Disney is the only cruise line that is allowed to shoot fireworks off the ship), you will almost never have everyone at the same place at the same time. And, even then, they are spread out on more than one deck. My husband and I went on two other major cruise lines, before we had kids, and he says this was the best vacation he ever had.

That's good to hear. I am trying to decide between a 7 day cruise or the land and sea package. We just did Disney in May, so I don't know if we REALLY NEED to do it again, but I can't imagine being there and not doing it. The land and sea and the 7 day cruise are about the same price, any suggestions? I would save money doing the 7 day cruise because I wouldn't be paying for food and stuff at Disney.

And, I know that they are four of you, but how much money would you say you spent ON the cruise? Or, what was half. I'm trying to figure out what I'd need to take for just my daughter and myself.

And, I know that they are four of you, but how much money would you say you spent ON the cruise? Or, what was half. I'm trying to figure out what I'd need to take for just my daughter and myself.

There are so many variables, with different seasons, discounts, and cabin categories (we had a category 6 cabin, which has a verandah), I suggest you go through a travel agent, and get quotes. I used Small World Travel, which did a great job, and I got a good rate. I did not do a package, because we used our DVC points for the land portion of our trip, and actually did land-sea-land. I'm thinking the cruise portion was something like $4,000, but that was in June, and March would probably be a different level season. Also consider, that if you did land and sea, you may not be eating at equivalent restaurants-if you did a lot of counter service, your meals may not be that expensive. There is a great deal of food, and the dinners, although kid-friendly, are pretty long. Several nights, my 6 year old got restless, and I did not get dessert. Personally, I would do a four-night, for my first cruise with a kid, then a few days at WDW. Best of both worlds. If you stop at Nassau on the cruise, I recommend the Dolphin Encounter excursion-it was amazing, and my daughter could not stop talking about how she got to hug a dolphin.

Meisha B, as far as your expenses while you're on the boat, they're all in the Your Mileage May Vary category.

For me, (single adult) it was excursions, alcohol, a few pictures, and a couple of things from the gift shops. Oh yea, and a new memory card for my camera because mine was, all of a sudden, "unreadable"! (Fortunately, all was fine and the picts before were not lost!)

And if you do a "land and sea" you are very limited on the land portion, and it doesn't save you any money. I'd recommend, even if you do a land/sea combo, that you book the land individually and just pay to get the cruiseline bus from the resort. They only go from a limited list of resorts, so you should check with them about which ones they use before you book. (You can stay at other resorts, you just have to get your luggage from your resort to one they use on your own - TONS easier to have the nice person come to your room that morning and pick up your bag to get it on the boat.)

There are so many variables, with different seasons, discounts, and cabin categories (we had a category 6 cabin, which has a verandah), I suggest you go through a travel agent, and get quotes. I used Small World Travel, which did a great job, and I got a good rate. I did not do a package, because we used our DVC points for the land portion of our trip, and actually did land-sea-land. I'm thinking the cruise portion was something like $4,000, but that was in June, and March would probably be a different level season. Also consider, that if you did land and sea, you may not be eating at equivalent restaurants-if you did a lot of counter service, your meals may not be that expensive. There is a great deal of food, and the dinners, although kid-friendly, are pretty long. Several nights, my 6 year old got restless, and I did not get dessert. Personally, I would do a four-night, for my first cruise with a kid, then a few days at WDW. Best of both worlds. If you stop at Nassau on the cruise, I recommend the Dolphin Encounter excursion-it was amazing, and my daughter could not stop talking about how she got to hug a dolphin.



I mean spending money while on the cruise. And, again, thanks for the info.

I mean spending money while on the cruise. And, again, thanks for the info.

We did one excursion, the Dolphin Encounter, which was not cheap (if memory serves, it was around $100 a head), but was worth it. We did not spend all that much on alcoholic drinks, but that can add up with the yummy mixed drinks they bring around the pool area. Because there were two adults in our party, we got the wine package, which was a bottle a day, for a lot less than buying four individual drinks (assuming two per adult per day). We ended up taking a full bottle with us. A big expense was pictures. They take pictures of you all the time, and most of them are pretty good. They do packages, but you will probably spend at least $200 on pictures. We also bought a package from the dolphin encounter, which included a video. There is always all kinds of food available, even ice cream, so you won't have to spend any money on food. The only money we ever spent on food was to get the kids a snack on the excursion, which did not include lunch. We had lunch on-board, after the excursion. My kids enjoy pin trading, which is a big thing on-board, and we bought some cruise-exclusive pins on board. For trading purposes, I go on Ebay, and buy small lots, for a lot less than buying pins individually. I would budget maybe $300-$400 for "extras" on board, for a three or four day cruise. If you take a longer cruise, you would budget more, for additional excursions and pictures (a big reason, the cost is not really offset by not having to pay for meals). There is lots to do on board, without any extra cost, including movies, stage shows, the kids' clubs, and games. A lot of people are into the big bingo game, which does involve a charge.

Thanks:) I'm happy to hear about the pin trading, she loved that at WDW. From our first trip she probably has $250-300 in pins and pin accessories!