Cruise length with little kids/ hurricane season

[TinkB278]

Hello!

I was hoping to get some advice from the experts. I currently have a 4 night cruise on the wish booked for May 2025, but now with the new sailings released, I see a 7 night eastern cruise on the treasure for only $1500 more. My concerns are that I have two small kids (will be 6 and 3 at the time) and am thinking maybe 7 nights is too long for two kids that aren’t proficient swimmers, I’m worried I’ll spend my entire trip helicoptering over them. Are things set up on the cruises so you don’t have to worry about that so much?

Also, any thoughts on cruising during hurricane season? Thanks so much!

 

[Dug720]

I have no comment on Wish vs. Treasure (I'm more a fan of the Classics and Dream Class), but...

Honestly I'd invest in swimming lessons. It'll give you peace of mind. Also, I believe the 3 year old would need to be fully potty trained as swim diapers aren't allowed.

 

[Mommb]

If your kids like the kids’ club, you will not need to spend all day hovering over them. There are also family events throughout the day, such as crafts and character meets, that don’t involve swimming.

My family never did water activities in ports, except for Castaway Cay. We did submersible tours, zoos, and museums with the kids. We did 7 night cruises when the kids were 4 and 8 and again when they were 5 and 9, and didn’t regret the longer cruises. But only you can decide whether your kids would enjoy the extra time.

 

[Stitch'sCousin]

As far as hurricane season goes, with the exception of one July cruise, we have always cruised mid to late August. We ran into a hurricane once and have a rough night, and another time they switched ports on us due to potentially rough seas. DCL does a pretty good job of avoiding storms when possible and sailing to where the weather is better.

 

[lanejudy]

Will they be 3 and 6 for either cruise? Or by the fall cruise? If the younger one will still be 2 for the May cruise that means Nursery instead of Club/Lab, though even at 3 s/he will need to be fully potty-trained for the Club/Lab and the pool. I honestly wouldn’t plan for a lot of pool time, especially on a short cruise. It is so crowded the kids have no space.

 

[TinkB278]

Will they be 3 and 6 for either cruise? Or by the fall cruise? If the younger one will still be 2 for the May cruise that means Nursery instead of Club/Lab, though even at 3 s/he will need to be fully potty-trained for the Club/Lab and the pool. I honestly wouldn’t plan for a lot of pool time, especially on a short cruise. It is so crowded the kids have no space.

3 and 6 for the September cruise! 2 and 5 for the May. Would it be bettter to wait until he can go to the club?

 

[Dug720]

If you think the younger one would want to be in the area with the older one, then yes, I'd wait. BUT as @lanejudy said, they will have to be 100% potty trained (as in can go completely independently - no pull-ups, no assistance re-dressing) to go - so if that's not going to happen, then at least they'd have somewhere to go with the nursery for the earlier cruise.

 

[TinkB278]

If you think the younger one would want to be in the area with the older one, then yes, I'd wait. BUT as @lanejudy said, they will have to be 100% potty trained (as in can go completely independently - no pull-ups, no assistance re-dressing) to go - so if that's not going to happen, then at least they'd have somewhere to go with the nursery for the earlier cruise.

Thank you! Probably best to plan on him not being able to do all those things just to be on the safe side, so maybe I should stick with May so there is somewhere for him to go?

 

[Dug720]

Thank you! Probably best to plan on him not being able to do all those things just to be on the safe side, so maybe I should stick with May so there is somewhere for him to go?

I would. You can go with him to the club during open hours, but if you wanted some free time with both kids occupied and he won't be trained by August, the earlier one would allow that as one could go to club and one to nursery.

 

[CamColt]

As others have said there is a lot to do on the ship that does not involve swimming....family activities, shows, character meets, even dining can be an event in itself. Not to mention the kids clubs, to give you a break.

As for it being hurricane season, we usually sail mid-late August and have never had a cruise ruined by weather. We have had to miss a port, change a port, and change our sea day with our CC Day, but nothing to get upset about. In 28 attempts at CC, the only time we had to miss it was in February.

 

[lanejudy]

so maybe I should stick with May so there is somewhere for him to go?

3-yr-olds who are not yet potty-trained can go to the nursery, you just can’t pre-book time for him there instead book onboard. Club/Lab doesn’t need to be booked in advance.

And yes, there is Open House at the Club/Lab to which you can take him.

May vs fall is really more of a personal choice if you are good with the kids’ club situation.

 

[NAB]

Hurricane season isn’t bad. They will move the ship out of harms way. They might have to change the ports and come in when safe.

There are splash pads where the kids don’t even have to go into a pool. Swimming is always a good skill to learn either way.

My kids were 3 &5 on our first cruise. We always did 7 day cruises. The 3 year old stayed with us most of the time. Just took them to see the characters, did family crafts and now they have open house hours in the club so that the whole family can go in and play.

 

[TinkB278]

Lo

3-yr-olds who are not yet potty-trained can go to the nursery, you just can’t pre-book time for him there instead book onboard. Club/Lab doesn’t need to be booked in advance.

And yes, there is Open House at the Club/Lab to which you can take him.

May vs fall is really more of a personal choice if you are good with the kids’ club situation.

great! So even if he is 3, we have the option of putting him in the nursery if he isn’t potty trained?

Also, my kids are in swimming lessons. I’m just really nervous about them being around water at these young ages.

 

[unrequited23]

Also, my kids are in swimming lessons. I’m just really nervous about them being around water at these young ages.

The DCL pools and Castaway Cay have an ample amount of life jackets. You will see a lot of kids wearing them. DS9 will swim for a while, but grabs a life jacket if he just wants to be in the pool and watch the movie on the funnel vision. The life guards are pretty vigilant too--moving around and rotating at the recommended intervals.

 

[sponica]

Lo

great! So even if he is 3, we have the option of putting him in the nursery if he isn’t potty trained?

Also, my kids are in swimming lessons. I’m just really nervous about them being around water at these young ages.

I just did a 4 night with my 3 and 7 year old and you can prebook time in the nursery for the 3 year old, or at least I was able to but I was silver.

We actually never made it to any of the pools on board. The 3 year old was in the splash pad and the 7 year old was on the rexasaurus slide.

If the 3 year old is fully potty trained, he'll be in the kids club but the 3 year olds and 4 year olds are now in their own pod. I was picking up my 7 year old one night and one of the CMs had them all in a potty train to take them to the bathroom, it was actually pretty cute to watch from the outside.

There are tons of life jackets at castaway cay.

Just a word of warning on the kids club open house, at least the first day, it was waaaaaaaaaaaaay too overwhelming for my 3 year old. So much so that she didn't want to go back because there were "too many people".

 

[Carohs]

Those are great ages to go on a Disney cruise. I would book more nights if I could. As for your concern of non-proficient swimmers...Neither are my kids. You have to go up steps to even get into the pool, and there's always a life guard around. You won't need to stress about anyone accidentally falling in. Plus there's plenty of life vests available. Besides that, between kids club and activities, most of your time onboard can easily be spent not on the pool deck.

 

[TinkB278]

Those are great ages to go on a Disney cruise. I would book more nights if I could. As for your concern of non-proficient swimmers...Neither are my kids. You have to go up steps to even get into the pool, and there's always a life guard around. You won't need to stress about anyone accidentally falling in. Plus there's plenty of life vests available. Besides that, between kids club and activities, most of your time onboard can easily be spent not on the pool deck.

So you would go with a 7 night treasure sailing? How are the ports with small children? Is there much for them to do? I’m looking at the eastern Caribbean so it would be the Virgin Islands.

 

[sponica]

So you would go with a 7 night treasure sailing? How are the ports with small children? Is there much for them to do? I’m looking at the eastern Caribbean so it would be the Virgin Islands.

I'm in the short cruises are nice for first timers camp, but my friend went on the eastern caribbean itinerary with her 7 year old and they had a good time. I don't know if they did official excursions or just walked around on their own.
We're looking at a 7 night treasure cruise Eastern Caribbean either in August or Sept 2025 but mine will be either 4 and 8 or 5 and 8 depending on which itinerary we book.

We didn't do a 7 night first because my youngest does not travel well, she would not have handled a 7 night cruise well right out the gate.

 

[Carohs]

So you would go with a 7 night treasure sailing? How are the ports with small children? Is there much for them to do? I’m looking at the eastern Caribbean so it would be the Virgin Islands.

I haven't yet done the Virgin Islands, but we have enjoyed and found things to do at every port we've ever visited.

Only you know your kids, and how they handle being away from home/routines. But me? Yes, I certainly would. Our first ever cruise was going to be a 13N TA when they were 4 and 6, but then COVID happened. We rescheduled twice, only to get notification that our 7N Mexican Riviera was going to be split in two. We decided to keep the booking, only a 4N to Cabo. The kids did so well (then 5 and 7, which to be fair is not the same struggles of a 2-3 yo), and we were sooo bummed to be leaving so soon. Especially as a first-timer there's so much to discover and see and do; it's tough to have to leave at the end.

 

[rockchick04]

I just did a 4 night with my 3 and 7 year old and you can prebook time in the nursery for the 3 year old, or at least I was able to but I was silver.

We actually never made it to any of the pools on board. The 3 year old was in the splash pad and the 7 year old was on the rexasaurus slide.

If the 3 year old is fully potty trained, he'll be in the kids club but the 3 year olds and 4 year olds are now in their own pod. I was picking up my 7 year old one night and one of the CMs had them all in a potty train to take them to the bathroom, it was actually pretty cute to watch from the outside.

There are tons of life jackets at castaway cay.

Just a word of warning on the kids club open house, at least the first day, it was waaaaaaaaaaaaay too overwhelming for my 3 year old. So much so that she didn't want to go back because there were "too many people".

Can you elaborate the 3-4 year olds in their own pod? Does that mean they're with a CM the whole time or a separate area? I will have a 4 year old and she's a bit intimidated by bigger kids, so wondering if she'd enjoy the kids club at all. I can see her being ok with kids her age though.