Two Disney cruises in a year too much?

[lovewdwfun]

We booked our first ever Disney Cruise for November 7 night Western Caribbean in November 2018. The stars aligned and we have the funds and the time off to do an Alaska cruise in May 2019. The family all wants to do a Disney Cruise on the Wonder (we have never cruised before), but I am wondering if we should try something (gasp) non-Disney because we will have just done a Disney Cruise. Note we are going to Disney Land in 2018 and World in 2019.

Here are my key considerations:

- My son is 6 and has Down syndrome. I would like somewhere he can enjoy. I know he will LOVE Disney characters and the kid’s club, but might not be able to go alone. Royal Caribbean sounds like they can accommodate this.
- I will have a 9 year old and 11 year old who will want to be together in a kid’s area.
- We also will have a 2 year old. No babysitting required for her, but I want her to have fun.
- My 11-year old wants characters
- I want to experience Alaska. I would love a naturalist onboard who can point out birds and teach us about Alaska.
- We need a lot to do for kids on the cruise, but want things the entire family (2, 6, 9, and 11).

My family is sold on Disney, but I am wondering if it will be redundant having just gone - not to mention we will have inside staterooms and could do balcony on NCl or RC for the same price. Any advice?

 

[Shanti]

We booked our first ever Disney Cruise for November 7 night Western Caribbean in November 2018. The stars aligned and we have the funds and the time off to do an Alaska cruise in May 2019. The family all wants to do a Disney Cruise on the Wonder (we have never cruised before), but I am wondering if we should try something (gasp) non-Disney because we will have just done a Disney Cruise. Note we are going to Disney Land in 2018 and World in 2019.

Here are my key considerations:

- My son is 6 and has Down syndrome. I would like somewhere he can enjoy. I know he will LOVE Disney characters and the kid’s club, but might not be able to go alone. Royal Caribbean sounds like they can accommodate this.
- I will have a 9 year old and 11 year old who will want to be together in a kid’s area.
- We also will have a 2 year old. No babysitting required for her, but I want her to have fun.
- My 11-year old wants characters
- I want to experience Alaska. I would love a naturalist onboard who can point out birds and teach us about Alaska.
- We need a lot to do for kids on the cruise, but want things the entire family (2, 6, 9, and 11).

My family is sold on Disney, but I am wondering if it will be redundant having just gone - not to mention we will have inside staterooms and could do balcony on NCl or RC for the same price. Any advice?

Given your family's entertainment needs, I would go with Disney in Alaska. Royal can't get into Glacier Bay, either, so that's no consideration, and HAL & Princess probably won't satisfy your kids' entertainment desires. Only DCL has the Disney characters. DCL does keep a naturalist onboard for nature talks during Alaska cruises.

Sounds like you have a fair amount of money available for trips. Maybe spring for at least oceanview or Navigator's Verandah cabins on DCL in Alaska? If you have verandahs on the Western Caribbean cruise, those might be the ones to swap out for insides, as there is little to see in the Caribbean, and a lot to see in Alaska. Plus, you can easily lay out on the pool deck in the Caribbean instead of using a verandah, but that is not so comfortable to do in Alaska.

 

[lorimay]

No way! I am an admitted DCL addict, so if I can do 2 in a year and see new itineraries I am in!

Your kids will have so much to do, there are plenty of open house chances for your 6 yr old if he can't be left by himself. Maybe his siblings can bring him in as well.

Good Luck!

 

[ahain]

I agree with others...2 in the same year is great! I also agree that a verandah is wonderful for Alaska. Another consideration....you may be able to experience the classic ship (Wonder) for Alaska and the larger ship (Dream/Fantasy) for your Caribbean. Go for it!

 

[skittlesfirehawk]

There is no such thing as too much Disney

 

[bakerworld]

We cruised twice in 2017 - January 4D to Bahamas and September 5D to NE/Canada - best time ever

 

[Geomom]

From what you say, I'd do Disney with that group. For the 6 yr old, there are plenty of open house times where you could go in with him to the Club/Lab.

Disney does have a naturalist on board, they do multiple talks in one of the theaters during the cruise, and narrate the 'Tracy Arm' day. They also had some naturalist type things in the kids clubs. I had one kid in Vibe, and they had someone talking to them about Auroras and then they did a craft. I had another kid in Edge and she said that Alaska Minnie came to visit. I know they had some other 'Alaska' things going on in Edge, but not sure what.

Which ship are you cruising in November? I agree that if you do the Fantasy--it would be a completely different experience with different shows, etc. If you are on the Wonder for both, there will be some differences--in Alaska there is no Pirate night (can't do fireworks up there), instead it is a 'Frozen' deck party and lots of Frozen activities all day--so that would be a new experience for you! Also if it is the same ship, your kids might be more comfortable on the second cruise, as they will already know where everything is!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

We actually have 3 cruises planned within a year with Disney. A first for us this year. Anyway, we travel with our neighbors who have a special needs daughter. You cannot go wrong with Disney. Your son will be treated like a prince by all of the crew members as well as characters. DCL is also great with any special dietary or medical needs he may have. There are open houses where you can all go in and enjoy the kids club with him as well. He will not lack for anything to do to keep him occupied or entertained.

 

[FireflyTrance]

There is no such thing as too many Disney vacations. Once one is over I immediately want to go another one I probably wouldn't want to take two Disney cruises in one year to the same location. However going two different places will be a completely different experience. If you do choose to do only one I would recommend Alaska. RCL caters to kids, but I think Disney does it better. That is just my opinion having been on both lines with a little kid.

 

[hanscarlet]

We cruised twice last year for the first time and it was magnificent. We're scheduled to cruise twice this year as well. We are in the process of buying a new house though so I am not sure we will be able to do it in 2019 so I say go for it, you only live once!

 

[Ariel-Rocks]

We did 2 Disney Cruises on the Fantasy in 2017 plus WDW at Christmas. We are going again on the Fantasy October 2018 and just booked the Wonder Alaska Cruise for June 2019. Plus we are thinking of sneaking in 1 on the Magic for spring break 2019. The one we did on the Fantasy last year was our first cruise and as you can see we loved it. Never too much Disney for my family.

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

It really seems like Disney is going to best meet the needs/wants of your family members. I say go for it!

 

[mousefan73]

Sounds like you have plenty of two great resources ( time and money), so do it! I am sure many people would do multiple cruises if they could.

 

[UNDDisney]

Given your family's entertainment needs, I would go with Disney in Alaska. Royal can't get into Glacier Bay, either, so that's no consideration, and HAL & Princess probably won't satisfy your kids' entertainment desires. Only DCL has the Disney characters. DCL does keep a naturalist onboard for nature talks during Alaska cruises.

Sounds like you have a fair amount of money available for trips. Maybe spring for at least oceanview or Navigator's Verandah cabins on DCL in Alaska? If you have verandahs on the Western Caribbean cruise, those might be the ones to swap out for insides, as there is little to see in the Caribbean, and a lot to see in Alaska. Plus, you can easily lay out on the pool deck in the Caribbean instead of using a verandah, but that is not so comfortable to do in Alaska.

Totally agree with above! DCL is the way to go with your family needs and get a verandah for Alaska and inside for Caribbean. Have fun! This will be our family's 4th year in a row cruising DCL (to Caribbean) and no one in the family is sick of it!

 

[GPaLarry]

We have done two DCL cruises in one year twice. Two different Caribbean ones with two different sets of kids/gkids, then later did a Med./WBTA B2B without kids. Agree with above, you can not get enough of the water Mouse. As far as your son goes, DCL has seen/experienced/handled with great care every form of medical or physical situation. With all the characters they have to draw on, fun will be had by all your kids...and you big kids, too.

 

[Geomom]

I just wanted to comment on the people suggesting verandahs--it is great if you can afford them, but it is at such a premium in Alaska--for us it would have cost $3,000 more than our oceanview, $3000 much better spent elsewhere...and if you're getting 2 staterooms, that'd be an extra $6,000. We spent very little time in the room, when we wanted to go outside, we really enjoyed the views from deck 4. My suggestion if you want to splurge is to do 2 connecting oceanview rooms so that you can see the outside. Deck 2 has the large portholes and is the 'cheaper' option.

 

[KKKKCS]

We booked our first ever Disney Cruise for November 7 night Western Caribbean in November 2018. The stars aligned and we have the funds and the time off to do an Alaska cruise in May 2019. The family all wants to do a Disney Cruise on the Wonder (we have never cruised before), but I am wondering if we should try something (gasp) non-Disney because we will have just done a Disney Cruise. Note we are going to Disney Land in 2018 and World in 2019.

Here are my key considerations:

- My son is 6 and has Down syndrome. I would like somewhere he can enjoy. I know he will LOVE Disney characters and the kid’s club, but might not be able to go alone. Royal Caribbean sounds like they can accommodate this.
- I will have a 9 year old and 11 year old who will want to be together in a kid’s area.
- We also will have a 2 year old. No babysitting required for her, but I want her to have fun.
- My 11-year old wants characters
- I want to experience Alaska. I would love a naturalist onboard who can point out birds and teach us about Alaska.
- We need a lot to do for kids on the cruise, but want things the entire family (2, 6, 9, and 11).

My family is sold on Disney, but I am wondering if it will be redundant having just gone - not to mention we will have inside staterooms and could do balcony on NCl or RC for the same price. Any advice?

We have a great nephew with Downs. So far he has been on 2 Disney cruises with us and his family and they all had a wonderful time. The staff in the kids club were fantastic! They treated our great nephew so well his mother had a hard time getting him to leave the club. As for 2 cruises in a year, we would do 1 a month if we could afford it! I say go for it.

 

[lovewdwfun]

Thank you all! Disney it is!!!

 

[o&smom]

Is too much of a good thing ever too much? I think you will be sad that you booked with a different cruise line after you have tasted Disney. We went on our first cruise in 2010 which we thought was our one and only. Not so, the following year we cruised Alaska with Disney, a few years later we were lucky enough to cruise twice in one year, and we just booked our 9th cruise for summer 2019. I think Disney will be able to offer something special for everyone in your family. I have seen many families with a child with Downs Syndrome on our cruises. The more personal interaction that you can get with the characters rather than at the parks is very special. When my daughter was three she seriously considered the characters to be some of her good friends. Who am I kidding? She is almost 8 and feels the same way. When she gets to hug the charcters it is like hugging a family member that she hasn't seen in a long time for her. I am so glad we cruised with Disney and eventhough I am having a harder time choosing to pay the higher fares I still cannot imagine any other choice at this time for our family. Happy cruising!

 

[Bishoparc]

I did 4 last year lol. We've only been on the Dream and still love it just as much or more each and every time. No 2 cruises are the same. We always find ways to have a new experience while on board. Being a Florida resident I try to keep an eye out for discounts for us. Probably won't do that many this year but we are definitely addicted. If it's what you love and can swing it, go for it.