dianne1217

we are considering going on one in next Feb or April 2013 with our 3 kids, ages 8 and twins age 5. We live in NYC so would fly down to Florida and leave from there. Would love to know the good, the bad and the ugly...as we are "virgin cruisers" (haha) thanks in advance!

doug_stallings

I think cruising on Disney is as good a family experience as you can have on a cruise, but it's particularly good if you are big Disney fans. Unlike most cruises, soft drinks are included, and there are as many kids activities as activities for adults.

If you are new to cruising, you might appreciate the newer Disney ships, and since you are cruising next year, you have a choice of cruising from Port Canaveral or Miami (an older ship is sailing from Miami on mostly 5-night sailings). But realize that not all Disney cruises will leave from Florida in 2013.

Disney is moving a ship over to Galveston as well. But the two newest ships (Fantasy and Dream) sail from Port Canaveral, mostly on 7 night cruises (fly into Orlando and then take a one-hour or so bus ride). These are Disney's biggest ships, and they have the most features, including more features for adults.

The good is that Disney has a great cruise program and offers excellent ships, and they have more choices of cabins for families, but the bad is that Disney is a premium cruise line and will cost more than most other cruises of similar length. But I think you get what you pay for, so if it's in your price range, go for it. Flights from NYC are typically cheaper to Orlando than MIami, but those cruises will be more expensive since they are longer.

doug_stallings

I should have added one caveat. That is a LOT of people to cram into a cabin, even a Disney cabin, which is larger than normal, even if two of them are 5. But if you are used to sharing a hotel room, you'll probably be able to manage.

padams421

We took a Disney Cruise when our kids were 5 and 7. We are not "cruisers". My husband was reluctant to go because he thought he'd be bored on the ship. We had a fantastic time. My kids spent some, but not all of their time in the kids' clubs. Several times we went to pick them up at a pre-arranged time, and they told us "not yet". So, we went off to find another bar on the ship and enjoy some couple time. There are quiet places on the ship if you go looking.

The food was good enough. Service was excelllent. We had a cabin with a balcony. The cabin had a sofa that made into a single bed with another bed that pulled down from the ceiling so as to create a sort of bunk bed. It was perfect for our kids at that age. The cabin had a curtain between their beds and our bed area.

We got off the ship in ports but spent most of the port days on the ship because the nearly empty ship was quite enjoyable. Disney's Castaway Cay was worth a full day off the ship.

I don't have anything bad to say. However, my mother in law, who takes multiple high end, luxury cruises all over the world every year, took my nephews on a Disney cruise and had difficulty being with "the masses". She didn't like taking them to WDW either. Take that for what it's worth. You are going on a Disney cruise, not a 5 star liner full of senior citizens.

I am glad we did the Disney cruise, and that we did it at about the time our kids were your kids' age. My kids are now teens, and they wouldn't care about seeing characters and going to the kids' clubs.

dianne1217

thanks Doug_Stallings for all the info and we would def plan to get 2 adjoining rooms.

longhorn55

To read reviews of the various Disney ships and to read postings by lots of people who have taken Disney cruises, check out www.cruisecritic.com

Check out the Boards (Disney Cruise Line) and the Cruise Reviews (both Cruise Reviews and Member Reviews).