Hi,

Disney cruises are great for everyone - kids programs are among the best at sea, with activity programs for all ages, Character Breakfasts, pin-trading, character meet-and-greets, deck parties for kids, Oceaneer Club/Lab, movies, snacks, swimming. Many parents find that children LOVE their special programs.

Disney cruises are also great for adults - the Vista Spa and Salon is amazing, there is a private adult pool/deck area, a private adults-only beach at Castaway Cay, backstage tours, first-run movies, family-friendly shows at night, an adults-only restaurant, Palo.

It has the same ambiance of Disney World, but on a ship!

Best Regards,
Julia

I just returned on Thursday from a 4-day cruise on Disney with my extended family, aged 4-years old to 82. Everyone had a great time, even my childless 30 year old brother and his wife! My 8 year old daughter loved the children's programs and met many characters in them, as did my 4-year old nephews. My 13 year old daughter had a great time in the teen area called the aloft. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this trip to anyone! Its a good idea to take a 3 or 4 day trip first with a bigger ship if you and your husband are uncertain, but I'm sure you will love it!

They have a great kids program on the Disney cruise. Our kids (ages 9 & 11) were able to sign in at 7 am and stay until midnight or 1 am, if they wanted to. Parents are allowed to go off shore for excursions without kids. However, kids were not allowed off shore without parents. Day care is also available on Castaway Cay (Disney's private island) so the adults can go to Serenity Bay (adults only beach) or snorkeling.

At the time of registration for day care, the adult in charge will receive a digital pager to keep during the entire cruise. If the child wishes to leave the day care, or if they need to contact the parents, the day care will page the parents or leave a text message. They will also make sure the kids are well fed. The children will be separated according to their age group as the activities are based on their age appropriateness. Our kids made friends with the other kids on ship and bonded quickly.

There are times when you will want the kids with you instead of day care. There is an organized character autograph signing session, and the nightly stage shows are worth seeing--do not miss them. The characters show up during mealtimes, and can be seen roaming the halls in the evenings. You will have to do these with the kids yourselves. If the kids are in day care during these events, they will miss them. Meals are provided at mealtimes for the kids in a separate dining room and characters do not show up there. A schedule of all the activities will be provided to you in your stateroom. There is a lot going at the same time so plan your schedule ahead of time.

There are activities in the evenings geared for adults only--nightclub, disco, comedy room, etc. They are lots of fun and very entertaining. The Bingo games are family oriented and kids are allowed to purchase Bingo cards and play to win cash prizes. There is no other form of gambling on the ship.

Hopefully you will have beautiful weather when you go. We were fortunate to have excellent weather in January. We were told that at other times during bad weather, they've had to cancel the stop at Castaway Cay.

Thanks for all the helpful advice!! I think we will go ahead and plan a Disney cruise, either 3 or 4 nights. (Sons can't get much time off from work, so this should work well.) The grandchildren should really enjoy the cruise, and we'll enjoy sharing their enthusiasm (even though we are not terribly fond of large ships!).....Again, thanks for the input.
Mary

My husband didn't want the large ship experience either, but he had a great time on our Disney cruise. We did the 3 day.

I highly recommend the Disney cruise, particularly for a multigenerational family trip with kids the age that your grandkids are. Your grandkids will have the time of their lives as they are the ideal age for the cruise. The cruise will be more relaxing for everyone than touring the Disney parks.

Not sure where you are traveling from, but if you fly through Orlando for the cruise, you could do one day at Disneyworld. When we disembarked the cruise ship, we went over to WDW for the day and then caught an evening flight home.

Search www.disboards.com for it disney cruise forum. There you will find an answer to any possible question you can dream up. You should also be able to find links there for a couple of sites that have program/activity listings and menus. One is www.wdwig.com. I'll post the other one if I can think of it.