How Young is Too Young?

[CM Dad]

I don't think any age is too young, but here is the one thing I would worry about if I was taking a young child and it is this: What would happen if DH and I got sea sick or became ill. I would think it would be very difficult to care for a young child in a stateroom, at sea, if we were very, very ill throwing up , etc. It wouldn't be a picnic to be in a hotel room sick at DW either, but at least you could take the sea sick equation out of it. I am someone who always thinks of every worst case scenario and that one would be enough for me to wait a while.

Having said all of that, though, the chances of you going and everything being 100% magical are quite high! I say trust your gut and go with that. Have you ever cruised before? If you have an know what to expect, then I would think that would make your decision easier.

Good luck!

When we went in January the youngest was just 12 weeks old. That cruise was booked before they changed to the new 6 months/1 year minimum age policy. It was my wife and I, 4 adult children, 2 husbands, 1 long time boyfriend and 6 grand kids (12-months to 6 years). There was some sea sickness involved, but that was the 4 and 5 year olds. Multiple adults around to help out. We had a great time.

 

[MommyMK]

Cruising with little ones can be a good time, but you really need adjusted expectations. Personally I would not cruise with a non-potty trained child, we like to use the pools often and you can't do that with a kid still in diapers. I'd also be fine cruising with a potty trained 2 year old who can go in the smaller, calmer, nursery but not a 3-5 year old who has to go in the very overwhelming kids club. We cruised with oldest DD when she was 3 and while it was fun there were things that I was expecting that didn't happen and it kinda sucked. She hated the kids club and wouldn't go which meant DH and I had to tag team caring for her and basically not spend much time together. She also wouldn't nap but was exhausted and in bed by 7:30 every night which meant only one of us could go to the evening shows. Not what we were expecting and it made us feel like we didn't get a good value out of the cruise. We are going again next year and we have waited until our youngest has completed kindy and will hopefully be able to handle the chaos of the club with her sister.

 

[bumbershoot]

When she is older and can wait patiently in line and can endure the hotter temps all day

But you live in FL. So the heat thing will just be part of her life.

And I gotta tell ya...going to Disney HELPED my son be good at waiting and lines. He didn't encounter lines anywhere else, and saw the benefit of learning to wait. Doing countdown chains helped him work out his sense of time passing. I don't think DS would have gotten those skills anywhere near as early as he did if it weren't for Disney trips.

 

[Crystal O_o]

With Fastpass, who waits in lines? I don't. I refuse to wait more then 20 minutes for a ride.

 

[disnerd123]

My daughter turned 4 on our 1st Disney cruise. I wanted to wait until she was potty trained and able to go to the kids clubs, if she chose to. Personally, it would wear me out having to deal with formula, strollers, diapers, naps, etc; but that is just me My cruise experience changes as my daughter gets older. She will be going on her 9th cruise Christmas of this year and every cruise has been different as her interests change.

 

[hardis5]

Our youngest was 18 mos when we first sailed with him. As long as one enjoys spending 24/7 with their little ones (outside of any time booked in the nursery) going on a DCL cruise is different in one important way from going on any other ordinary vacation; virtually all activity is family geared or oriented on the ship (and for many of the excursions) and the CM's are there to ensure all (regardless of age) have the best time they can.

Yes much of the activity and clubs are geared to older kids, but there still is Nemo's Reef and the nursery specifically geared to the youngest guests along with other ship planned activity, walking the ship (or running in a toddlers pace - only wished we had video of our little drunken sailor that had one pace moving down the room corridors ahead of us whenever we went somewhere), going to the Oceanner's Club/Lab open houses (had a blast in the toy story room), beach time during excursions and Castaway, walking the ports (San Juan was beautiful), taking in a first movie theater movie (and not feeling bad leaving after a short period), character meets, a funnel vision movie, a deck party, and enjoying the routine of each day (starting with the mandatory Mickey Waffles for breakfast, your servers having a favorite start to a meal at dinner to putting him down for the night and taking in an on-demand movie in cabin) there is plenty to do with a toddler on-board.

 

[PandL]

I think a lot of it has to do with expectations. We are planning on cruising with our 18 month old in 2 months and personally I chose a Disney Cruise because he was so young. I literally had zero desire to cruise ever, but when we were talking about where we might want to go on vacation the ease of a cruise won out. The fact that everything is so convenient and the nursery is available for childcare were big selling points. I thought this would be one of the only ways that my husband and I would be able to travel with our toddler and maybe actually get to have a meal or two just the two of us. Sure we know we aren't going to get to do everything and see everything the ship has to offer, but we know that it will be a relaxing week and there will be a lot of joy and excitement that we get to experience through our little one. I guess for us when it came to vacation it wasn't IF we wanted to go somewhere with a toddler, but it was WHERE we wanted to go with a toddler and for us a cruise seemed like the most relaxing option we had for this stage in our lives.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

My daughter turned 4 on our 1st Disney cruise. I wanted to wait until she was potty trained and able to go to the kids clubs, if she chose to. Personally, it would wear me out having to deal with formula, strollers, diapers, naps, etc; but that is just me My cruise experience changes as my daughter gets older. She will be going on her 9th cruise Christmas of this year and every cruise has been different as her interests change.

I look at it the following way--how is dealing with any of those things (strollers, diapers, naps, etc.) on a cruise any different from dealing with them at home? Either way I am going to have to deal with them, so I would much rather deal with them in style and comfort on vacation than in my boring house.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

Our youngest was 18 mos when we first sailed with him. As long as one enjoys spending 24/7 with their little ones (outside of any time booked in the nursery) going on a DCL cruise is different in one important way from going on any other ordinary vacation; virtually all activity is family geared or oriented on the ship (and for many of the excursions) and the CM's are there to ensure all (regardless of age) have the best time they can.

Yes much of the activity and clubs are geared to older kids, but there still is Nemo's Reef and the nursery specifically geared to the youngest guests along with other ship planned activity, walking the ship (or running in a toddlers pace - only wished we had video of our little drunken sailor that had one pace moving down the room corridors ahead of us whenever we went somewhere), going to the Oceanner's Club/Lab open houses (had a blast in the toy story room), beach time during excursions and Castaway, walking the ports (San Juan was beautiful), taking in a first movie theater movie (and not feeling bad leaving after a short period), character meets, a funnel vision movie, a deck party, and enjoying the routine of each day (starting with the mandatory Mickey Waffles for breakfast, your servers having a favorite start to a meal at dinner to putting him down for the night and taking in an on-demand movie in cabin) there is plenty to do with a toddler on-board.

I don't know what it was about your post, but it got me super excited for our cruise next month with our two-year-old. Sounds like you guys had a great time!

 

[ilovebassets]

We've taken ours at 5 months (can't do anymore), 2yrs, 2.5 yrs, and 4.5 yrs. had a blast at all those ages but not gonna lie, it's great to be able to drop them off at kids club anytime for free as opposed to having to book the nursery and pay for it. If you see one and only one DCL cruise in your future, wait until 3 years old. If you think you'll do more, any age is fine.

I will say that we have never seen a show on DCL because we are fairly strict about bedtimes. We also do early dining. And we have spent many afternoons in the cabin with little ones sleeping (that's when we sit out on our balcony, order room service, drink wine, and feel very peaceful!). They're only this little once. Late nights will be for when they're older and can handle it without being cranky the next day.

Can't wait for our next cruise when mine will be 3.5 and 5.5.! Wahoo!

 

[lbgraves]

With Fastpass, who waits in lines? I don't. I refuse to wait more then 20 minutes for a ride.

FP+ screwed that up. FPs were wonderful before the change!

 

[MunFam]

I think that it has to do with what type of vacation-style your family has...if you want to see it all, do it all and "get your monies worth"...I feel kiddos should be potty trained and 3 or 4. We took DD on a 14 nighter at almost 5 and it was perfect. She could go to the clubs, she thought all the characters were real, she was able to swim in the pools, she could handle no naps and late nights for shows and dinners followed by early morning wake ups for port days and could do it all without mental breakdowns. We are a go-go-go kind of family. You could not pay me to "just sit" in a lounge chair by the pool and relax. We like to be doing things. Our family travels that way. We spend the entire time we are in port doing activities, shopping and dining. I can honestly say we saw it all and did it all...and we came home exhausted and it was PERFECT! We slept in our stateroom and got dressed in our stateroom. The rest of the time we were on the go...for 15 straight days.

Now, if stopping in the middle of the day and heading to your stateroom for nap time is cool with you and missing a one time only activity is okay...then any age is fine. If skipping a show because the kiddo is melting down is no big deal, any age is great. If the kiddo is over it and refuses to wait in character lines without causing a scene so you happily get out of line and move on to the next thing, any age is great. All of those things would have made me so mad if I had to deal with that as a parent on a vacation that we paid for. If its hot as Haiti and you are not allowed to use the pool with your un-potty-trained kid is not a big deal, awesome! If not getting to use the free childcare/clubs is not important to you, perfect.

Our family motto is "We travel the world to see it all and do it all. We can relax at home for free. If you come home from vacation well rested, you wasted your time and missed opportunities to see more and do more".

Hopefully, that gives you a little look in to why I feel that 3-5 is a good starter age for cruising. We did take DD on a HAL cruise when she was 1. She was 1 of 3 children on board. It was fine, but the whole trip cost us less than $400 for a balcony suite, yes $400, so my expectations were quite low as far as seeing it all and doing it all and getting our monies worth compared to what we paid for our DCL 14-nighter.

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

I'm looking at a WDW/Cruise trip sometime next year. Our daughter will be 1 in January. How young is too young for a Disney Cruise? Any tips/advice?

Thanks!

I took DS on his first cruise to celebrate his first birthday (he turned one on the cruise). We had a great time! It's a memory I'll cherish forever. We had a verandah (4a) and we loved it. The separate tub was great for DS! I called it his mini spa tub. I loved the diaper genie elite and we used the pack n play just for play. DS LOVED castaway cay! The pools onboard are so tiny and they were so crowded, I'm glad DS wasn't "eligible" to get in them. When he's potty trained, we will be cruising on another line with MUCH nicer pools and play areas!

We stayed on DS's schedule. It was nice to head back to the room for naps. DS lit up whenever he saw Mickey and Minnie! It was priceless! Dinner was my least favorite time. DS was very distracted by the other one year old and the 5 and 6 year olds at our table. He did well during breakfast and lunch when it was just us. I wish we had our own table at dinner.

We are booked for Alaska next year when he's 2 and I can't wait! DS is going to love seeing whales from our verandah! I've requested our own table for this cruise. Cruising with DS was such a relaxing and fun vacation for us. We are cruising DCL now because they cater to the babies to my satisfaction. When DS is 3, we will be cruising on NCL, with an occasional DCL cruise every now and then.

 

[Uncleromulus]

My answer would be another question--how old would a kid need to be to appreciate being on--or even REMEMBER being on-- a cruise???

 

[Crystal O_o]

FP+ screwed that up. FPs were wonderful before the change!

I love the change, to be able to choose ahead of time works out great.

 

[Crystal O_o]

My answer would be another question--how old would a kid need to be to appreciate being on--or even REMEMBER being on-- a cruise???

Does it matter? Why is this a prerequisite? Even if my children won't remember anything before what 4 maybe 5 doesn't mean I shouldn't take them anywhere. I remember, my husband remembers, we have pictures and we have a great time with our children.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Trera]

Our youngest was 18 mos when we first sailed with him. As long as one enjoys spending 24/7 with their little ones (outside of any time booked in the nursery) going on a DCL cruise is different in one important way from going on any other ordinary vacation; virtually all activity is family geared or oriented on the ship (and for many of the excursions) and the CM's are there to ensure all (regardless of age) have the best time they can.

Yes much of the activity and clubs are geared to older kids, but there still is Nemo's Reef and the nursery specifically geared to the youngest guests along with other ship planned activity, walking the ship (or running in a toddlers pace - only wished we had video of our little drunken sailor that had one pace moving down the room corridors ahead of us whenever we went somewhere), going to the Oceanner's Club/Lab open houses (had a blast in the toy story room), beach time during excursions and Castaway, walking the ports (San Juan was beautiful), taking in a first movie theater movie (and not feeling bad leaving after a short period), character meets, a funnel vision movie, a deck party, and enjoying the routine of each day (starting with the mandatory Mickey Waffles for breakfast, your servers having a favorite start to a meal at dinner to putting him down for the night and taking in an on-demand movie in cabin) there is plenty to do with a toddler on-board.

Well, said!! I am glad our DD gets to experience DCL at such a young age.

I think we would go crazy if we couldnt go on a vacation until she was 3 or 4.

 

[Trera]

I look at it the following way--how is dealing with any of those things (strollers, diapers, naps, etc.) on a cruise any different from dealing with them at home? Either way I am going to have to deal with them, so I would much rather deal with them in style and comfort on vacation than in my boring house.

Agreed! at Castaway Cay, we get a cabana and our DD will happily nap in there for a couple of hours after lunch so we dont have to go back to the ship. Now that she has been on 6 cruises, we have it fine tuned how we can give her the best experience with the least amount of stress as possible. If that means we split up now and then so one of us can catch a spa treatment or movie while the other one stays with our DD.............then so be it.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Crystal0-o It mattered to a # of people I know who took toddlers on long vacations--and swear they regret doing so.

 

[Crystal O_o]

Crystal0-o It mattered to a # of people I know who took toddlers on long vacations--and swear they regret doing so.

Well, I don't know what to say to that. I have never regretted taking my children with me on vacation. At 4 and 5, they have traveled to a lot of places and I wouldn't have it any other way.