MedicMom Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 We've had a rough year. DH has a permanent and painful shoulder injury requiring a career change, ds has been dx with HFA/SPD and I am in the middle of an unexpected, high risk pregnancy. After all that, we would like to plan a nice family vacation next year. I think the parks might be a little too much with the ages of our kids, but after pricing it out I think I can swing a Disney cruise for my Disney-obsessed children. They will be 5 and 3, and, please to God, a nine month old baby. I loved cruising as a single adult, but we haven't attempted anything but camping with the kids. Am I crazy for thinking about it at these ages? We really need a week away as a family. We are going to take some long weekends, but since we don't know what, exactly, is going to happen with the baby, we don't want to make any plans for sooner than next spring in case we wind up with a preemie that we don't want to take out until he's older. Do you think they are still too young? Has anyone done a Disney cruise with an SPD/HFA kiddo? I am hoping on a cruise we can take lots of quiet time to regroup if needed. Is a 9 month old going to just be way too young and make it difficult for the older kids to enjoy themselves? WDYT? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bensmom Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I am sorry I don't know what HFA/SPD is so I cannot address your son's needs, but if you are looking for a place your kiddos will have fun but you will have plenty of alone adult time, a cruise is a great option. Please be aware that Disney charges for nursery care. It is not included in the fare like kid's clubs so if you used it much, it could get really pricey. For me personally, I would hold off on cruising until the youngest could enjoy attending a kid's club. Sorry you have had such a difficult year. I hope your family has some wonderful, relaxing times together whatever you choose! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aiden Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I don't think you're crazy at all. We did our first Disney cruise in September with a very timid 4yo (socially-emotionally, she's much younger than her years). It was wonderful! The cruise is set up to make it a fun experience for children AND a relaxing experience for parents. The cast and crew are wonderful with the kids, and service is excellent all around. Your older two could enjoy the kids clubs at no additional charge. Even my extremely shy one went in there on her own eventually (because Pluto was having a sleepover, and parents weren't invited), after several trips during open house hours when we could go with her. Granted, it took her 10 days to do it, which is why we deliberately chose a long cruise for our first one, but most kids are nowhere near as timid as she is, and even if yours are timid, it should be easier since they have each other. And you can arrange for your infant to go into the nursery (advance arrangements, additional cost) so that you and your husband can enjoy a relaxing time in the adult-only areas (a separate pool/hot tub, coffee shop, reservations-only-additional-expense restaurant) or in the spa (reservations required, additional expense). During the time that you're together as a family, there are pools, non-pool play areas appropriate for littles, water slide(s). On our cruise, there were lots of times that one or the other of the kids clubs were in open house (so we could go in with my daughter; the two clubs were never open house at the same time, so there always was a place where kids could go play securely away from Mom and Dad, too). There are character meet'n'greets/photo ops. There were dance parties with the characters. There were princess-themed events. There was always an option of fun and/or relaxing things to do. And it really is set up to make it easy with littles. There's always a warning before they sound the "Wish Upon a Star" horn at noon, so you can cover little ears if it'll be too loud. Announcements are not heard in the staterooms after the first day (always available via TV, though), in case littles are napping. Every (or at least almost every) room has bath tub. There are 2 phones per room that parents can take with them and have calls forwarded to them throughout the ship, so if your child is in the club and needs you, you can be reached quickly. You can choose a room with a whitewall veranda if you're concerned about the traditional railing (though I think it's more of a room extension with a glassless window--we chose the more traditional veranda). If one of you needs to stay in the room while littles nap, just grab a bottle of water and your book or kindle, and go out onto the veranda to read while watching the ocean go by while the kids nap inside. (Assuming you get the veranda room, which we thought absolutely was worth the extra money). Some shore excursions are limited by age, but there usually are options for all ages--or just skip the excursions and walk around on your own a little, or skip going ashore at all and enjoy the deserted ship! (I found that some of the ports were interesting, but I really preferred the time at sea or onboard while others were ashore). And it is very possible not to spend a lot of extra money. The Disney cruises are more expensive than others in their base price, but they include *almost* everything. Not alcohol, not specialty coffees/food from the adult-only area, not the nursery for babies (unfortunately), not the professional photos (though the cast will take pictures for you with your own camera), and not the shore excursions. But plenty of delicious food that's available almost 24 hours a day, plenty of non-alcoholic beverages, all the shows. I think it's a great idea. I'm seriously looking forward to our next one--a short one this summer, and we're hoping to get back on the transatlantic in 2016. ETA: I also am not familiar with HFA/SPD. Or is SPD sensory processing disorder? If so, I've read a little about it but not enough to be of any help in that regard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I'll be honest with you, it depends. I have one at that age would not have tolerated it. The kids club is loud, the dining rooms are loud, the pool area is loud, the plays are loud, etc. There are a whole lot of people crammed into a boat with only so many places to go. I have lucked out that he has outgrown most of his issues and loves to cruise now, but at that age, it would have been horrible. We tried the Disney parks with him at 19 mos and he spent the whole trip with Grandma in the hotel room because he screamed from the moment you rolled him in until he was back in the room. At 3.5 he tolerated it better, but still had a few epic meltdowns. Disney is pretty good about kids with special needs. I'm not sure how the kids club is set up to handle them. I will say they will call you if the kid wants to come out and you need to get them. The baby will not be allowed into the kids club and you would have to pay extra for nanny service or keep the baby with you. You know your kids. If you can accept that you or your spouse will possible have to spend large chunks of the cruise in the room, then I say go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sophiasapientia Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 We went on our first Disney Cruise when DD was 18 months. It was a lovely trip but we did spend large chunks of time in our room (while she was napping, etc) and weren't able to take full advantage of everything the ship had to offer. At that age DD was terrified of characters, loud noises, fireworks, etc. We took advantage of the nursery a few times which did add a cost. For us, as much as we enjoyed it, we decided that, for as expensive as it was, it would be better to wait until DD was a bit older and able to participate in the kid clubs, etc, before we went on another family cruise. We took our second Disney Cruise this past summer and everyone had a fantastic time. The ship was, as others pointed out, very loud and crowded at times so that is definitely something to keep in mind when considering if it would be an enjoyable trip for your family. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan in SC Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I think the parks might be a better idea for your family. The cruise, while fabulous, is loud. The entire trip is filled with loud music, bright lights, thousands of people, and fireworks. If he tolerates it, it will be a fantastic experience. If he doesn't, you will be stuck in a room smaller than a hotel room, that frequently feels like it is rocking, for a long time. The parks are very doable at that age, even with possible issues, if you go at the right time. Try to plan a trip when it's not crowded and maybe limit the parks. There are days that you can walk around Epcot, and see very few other people. If you stay on property, you have more flexibility with your fast passes and reservations, which will improve your chance for success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 We have taken several Disney Cruises when DS was younger. He is a HFA and handled it well. We did try out the clubs and the workers knew he was a HFA. I put him in the clubs only when it was not at the peak during the day. He handled it well and I would come and pick him up before it got crowded. The meals were not that bad as we could always leave when it was too noisy. I will say that they are the best if your child has any sensory with food. They handled any request without a single issue with it. For your new one- the nursery was well staffed and those workers really seemed to make sure the little ones were treated like there own. PM me if you have any other questions. We don't cruise anymore as we prefer the parks. We need the space to run and move now. If you consider the parks- you can look and see if when the carolina homeschoolers are going. It saves you quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicMom Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 We have taken several Disney Cruises when DS was younger. He is a HFA and handled it well. We did try out the clubs and the workers knew he was a HFA. I put him in the clubs only when it was not at the peak during the day. He handled it well and I would come and pick him up before it got crowded. The meals were not that bad as we could always leave when it was too noisy. I will say that they are the best if your child has any sensory with food. They handled any request without a single issue with it. For your new one- the nursery was well staffed and those workers really seemed to make sure the little ones were treated like there own. PM me if you have any other questions. We don't cruise anymore as we prefer the parks. We need the space to run and move now. If you consider the parks- you can look and see if when the carolina homeschoolers are going. It saves you quite a bit. I was sort of leaning towards a cruise because my kids hate rides and parades but adore water parks. They will gladly spend all day in the water if I let them. They also both love characters, movies and shows. We are limited to the first and/or second week of March 2016 of next spring so that factored in as well. The noise and crowds are what concern me the most. I think we likely would keep the baby with us most of the time; DH and I may take an adults only trip next summer but we expect this trip to spend most of our time with our kids. I have never cruised Disney; just Norweigan and Royal Caribbean. But I was a single adult then and didn't pay attention to what might be difficult with small children. I have also considered one of those cruise lines as they are cheaper and I might be able to use a shorter flight to catch the port. We live in upstate NY and DS is very clear that he does not ever want to fly in a plane. I was hoping with a year to work on that he'd be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Crazy idea... you could just stay at the Disney Resorts and do the great pools and some fun character meals at the resorts. A lot of the resorts have special events. I would love to spend time at Animal Kingdom and just enjoy the animals daily. We did the parks with a 6 month old, 3, and 5 year old (long time ago) it was a delightful trip; time to play and time to rest. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murmer Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 There is a cruise group called Autism at Sea that does select cruise where they have autism specialists on board...also supposedly they have trained all the kids club staff to work with autistic children...but I would check to see if Autism at Sea has a Disney cruise at a date you are thinking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 You could do a stay at a Disney resort without the parks. They have awesome pools, some of which are like mini water parks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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