10 Tips for Going on a Disney Cruise w/ Young Kids

This summer (2024) we went on the Disney Wish with kids 4, 3, and 15 months. Of course there are “Wish” specific tips I would give but here are my general “Disney” cruise tips w/ kids.

1. Use a Disney planner – Many of them are free and get paid by Disney. We used OutPrincessed who was free and so incredibly crucial for every detail of our trip. Absolutely the best money we ever spent that we did not spend 🙂 She also planned our park trip.
2. Stay at a Disney resort if you’re flying/driving in the night before (which is recommended so you don’t miss debarkation) stay on Disney property. This gives you free transportation and baggage transfer to the ship from your hotel the following morning and also moves your boarding up to group 5 which is one of the earliest slots and allows you more time to enjoy the ship.
3. Leave the car seats at home. If you’re flying and staying at a Disney property, you can get away with no car seats on your trip. After landing at the the airport arrange for a shuttle bus to your Disney property. From there take Disney buses to the port. (If you’re not comfortable riding without car seats on the plane or shuttle, try out these portable ones that fold into your suitcase. )
4. Roomsharing is a breeze: We fit 5 people in a room no problem. We even had an unused bed! There was a drop down bunk bed from the ceiling above a couch that turned into a bed, a murphy fold down bed, and they provide a pack and play, we just brought our Slumberpod tent. The room is transformed for you for turn down service then turned back to a regular room in the morning. They also have blackout curtains between all the sections that help with noise and light so my husband and I could watch TV or sit on our porch while the kids slept soundly. You can also ask for a diaper pale in addition to a pack and play!
5. 3 day vs. 4 day – A 3 night cruise is really a 2 “day” cruise because you are getting on the ship one day and same with a 4 night cruise being a 3 “day” cruise. We chose to do the 3 night cruise because we also chose not to leave the ship at the first port (Bahamas) because our kids were too young to do any excursions. This seemed to be a popular decision because a lot of people were left on the boat. But if you planned to exit the boat at the first port and the second port (Disney Private Island) , you would barely have time to use the ship pools, etc. unless you do the 3rd day on a 4 night cruise which is just “at sea”. There is SO Much to do on the ship, two movie theaters, 8-9 pools, trivia, a basketball court, characters, a spa, Bippidy Boppidy Boutique, list goes on.
6. Free childcare if your child is 3+: Disney ships have a “Kids Club” that is open ~8am-11pm for children 3-17 (separate clubs for 3-11, tweens, and teens) all with planned activities, no reservation needed. We aren’t talking about a drop-off daycare style room with a few activities, we’re talking “Elsa’s Coronation Day” celebration at the kids club, 6-7 rooms DECKED OUT with crafts, characters, activities, dance parties. Looks like a Disney park in there. My kids were obsessed. Put them in there so you can go to the adult pool for a few hours or eat a nice dinner then get them free room service 🙂 For babies 0-2 there is “it’s a small world” nursery which was ~$8/hr and had nice cribs in a dim room for naps with very qualified caregivers. It’s also important to note that no baby in a swim diaper can use any of the pools, only the one splash pad.
7. All rooms are magnetic everywhere: even though I was unbelievely impressed with the spacial use in the tiny room (shelves, hooks, etc) all walls in the whole room are magnetic so you can bring your own hooks to hang things up like bathingsuits, towels, etc. I brought hooks but didn’t use them there was so much space, even with the 5 of us.
8. Private island: Most Caribbean ships stop at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. This was a lot of walking (I’m glad I had my foldable stroller from the airport which we stored under the bed) and ALSO had a free kids club for 3+ on the island! Also there is an adult only beach . Definitely one of the highlights is this island and all the Disney touches (fresh cut fruit everywere, Ninja Warrior style course over the water, delicious barbecue, characters on the island, cold towels on your walk back)
9. Wifi is paid but messaging is free: If you’re planning to work or use true Wi-Fi on the ship that is $18/day but iMessaging works on the ship for free and the DCL Navigator App allows you to message other individuals on your reservation for free which is great for coordinating at sea.
10. Disney Cruise is a great way to get the “Disney” magic without schelpping around the park. If your kids are old enough to do rides at Disney like Guardian of the Galaxy, the park is the way to go. But having done the park 2 years ago I would say that this was a better option for very young kids (think under 6-7). My daughter loved meeting princess at the park and that led us to about 7 miles of a walking in a day to different meet and greet spots. On the ship there was ONE princess meet and greet and we met 10 princesses in 30 min, in about 50 steps 🙂 Plus the free magical childcare. Certainly give and takes of both but something to think about if you’re weighing the two options.