Are you considering taking your toddler on a Disney Cruise and wondering what to expect? My wife and I recently took our 4-year old daughter on a 4-Day Disney Cruise to the Bahamas aboard the Disney Wish. We spent a lot of time reading and watching YouTube videos prior to our departure however some of our daughters favorite memories on the cruise came as surprise to us. If you are planning to take your toddler on an upcoming Disney Cruise, here is a list of the top things your toddler is going to love.
Towel Animals & Quiet Time with Disney+ in your Room
If we learned one thing from our Disney Cruise experience, there is a lot of things going on. Shows, characters, food, experiences and more. There is something happening from morning to late at night and there is more than enough to keep you and your toddler busy. One of the things that we found essential was taking some time during the day for quiet time. This gives your toddler a minute to settle down and rest up. Each room on the Disney Wish has a flat screen TV that comes with Disney+ streaming service. This allows your little ones to watch their favorite movie or show while resting in the bed. Our toddler actually looked forward to quiet time each day because she could pick the movie. Also, your room is cleaned every day and as you return to your room, you’ll be greeted with a new animal created by your towels. To our toddler, this surprise animal was just like Christmas Magic and she loved coming to the room to see what animal would be there next.
Capturing Precious Moments with the Unlimited Digital Photo Package
For an additional $149, you can download all the photos taken by the wonderful photographers stationed around the ship and also on Castaway Cay. There are character experiences happening at all hours and in different areas of the ship. On multiple occasions, we would be walking and come across a character, who eagerly signaled for our toddler to come say hi. Our daughter would squeal with delight and we were able to instantly capture photos of her with the characters. The photos are automatically uploaded to the Disney Cruise app where they can easily be downloaded to your mobile phone. We took all our Disney Cruise photos and had them printed in a ChatBooks for around $20-$25 so our daughter could remember all her memories from the Cruise. It’s one of her favorite bedtime stories where we show her the photos from the trip and recap all the fun things we did on the Disney Cruise.
The Disney Cruise Check-in Process
This one really surprised us. Our toddler loved the process of driving up, seeing the massive size of the ship and going through the onboarding process. Her mind raced with questions like “where will we sleep”, “how fast does the ship go” or “will we see mermaids”? It’s a bit like trying to get through security and to your plane, however the Disney check in staff are amazing and very friendly. The staff complimented her on her first cruise and asked if she was excited to meet any princesses onboard. After security and in the staging area, there are several models of the Disney Cruise ships along with a place for us to take an official family photo. When you board the ship and walk into the atrium, they announce your family name so everyone can hear. Cinderella and Prince Charming are waving down to you as you arrive. The overall experience of arriving at the port, checking in and walking into the atrium area was just magical for our toddler.
Becoming a Princess at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is a magical experience for girls looking to become a princess or boys looking to become a prince. The experience is not included with the cruise and there are multiple packages that run between $65 to $199 per child. It should be on every toddler or child’s bucket list at least once in their life. The experience begins with picking a dress, tiara and wand or a prince costume for boys, followed by getting their hair, nails, makeup and pixie dust for the finishing touches. When your little one is finished, they will often be greeted with endless comments from others such as “Hello there princess” or “You are so beautiful”. It’s a wonderful way to let your child be royalty for the day.
The Sail Away Ceremony
The Sail Away Ceremony is a energetic show full of dancers, music and all around excitement. When it’s time for the boat to depart, head to the pool deck level. You’ll see Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald Duck, along with dancers and your fairy godmother wishing you a wonderful voyage. At the end, they’ll begin a group countdown that leads up to the ship horn blasting out the tune for When You Wish Upon a Star before your ship departs the port. This is a perfect time to let your toddlers sit on your shoulders, enjoy the view and celebrate your trip.
The Door Magnets
The door magnets is not really discussed on the Disney cruise website but rather on the Disney groups online. At least half of the doors on our ship had magnets on them. Many people get custom magnets made for their door on Etsy announcing their family name or with their favorite Disney characters. Some of these doors can get very elaborate with their layout of magnets and our toddler loved looking to see what other people had on their door. It was almost like driving around at Christmas looking for homes with holiday lights. Our toddler loved walking up and down the hallways looking at how each door was customized. We had also read comments about people hiding rubber duckies on the ship, but during our entire stay, we never saw a single one.
The Arendelle & Marvel Dining Adventures
There are two themed restaurants that come with entertainment on the Disney Wish. The Marvel dining experience features Ant-Man, the Falcon and a surprise appearance from Spider-Man who will stop by your table to take pictures. The Arendelle show features a center stage with Oaken (Yoo Hoo – Big Summer Blow Out) along with Anna and Elsa, and an animatronic Olaf that is wheeled around on a cart. Our toddler loved these shows as they were able to eat, sing their favorite songs and also watch the show. The Arendelle area was so well themed, that as we were leaving, our toddler laid down on the ground and put her feet up next to a grandfather clock. As I went to pick her up, I immediately realized she was mimicking Anna as she put her feet up and said “Just watching the hours tick by… tik-tok, tik-tok, tik-tok). We walked away with big smiles knowing that she felt as though she was right inside the movie.
The Hero Zone & Incredi-Games Obstacle Course
The Hero Zone is made up of three areas. The main area is an inflatable obstacle course called Incredi-Games and is based on the Incredibles. You crawl through a hole, then up and over a few obstacles before climbing a 10-foot wall and sliding down the other side. People are released two at a time in a sort of race format, but parents can go with toddlers to help them through each phase. Our little one needed a bit of help up the final wall, but loved the slide down the other side. The only downside was the wait for the Incredi-Games Obstacle Course which took us about 45 minutes as only two people are going at a time. Make sure to bring socks, which are required to enter the obstacle course. The Hero Zone also contains a side room with four ping pong tables and an upstairs deck that looks down on the obstacle area and has chairs, shuffle board and foos-ball tables. All of these were new for our toddler and she loved playing with each one finding out how it worked.
Catching a Movie at the Disney Movie Theater
With so much going on during the cruise, it was actually fun to head over to the Disney movie theater and enjoy a 2 hour break to let the legs rest. The Wonderland and Neverland theaters are small and fit around 30-40 people. They often shows Disney movies that are still in theaters which was a fun experience. There is a small concessions stand were popcorn, soda and candy can be purchased. Our daughter was able to see Wish and came out talking about the chicken dance and if we could find our own star later that night.
Nemo’s Reef Splash Pad
Our daughter loves swimming, so heading to the Nemo Reef Splash Pad seemed like a wonderful idea. The splash pad is build for kids under the age of 8 and it’s an enclosed area with lots of fun fountains, slides and water elements to interact with. Its incredibly well themed and planned out, our daughter played there for hours and loved every minute. The water interactions and splashing are mild and its basically a perfect water playground for kids.
Meeting a Princess at the Royal Princess Gathering
The Royal Princess Gathering is a must-do for any toddler on a Disney Cruise. Its free to sign up, but you must have an appointment set up on the Disney Cruise app. If you try to walk up without an appointment, they will turn you away. In the main atrium, three to four princesses gather and you get to meet them all at once. Its extremely efficient and you’re able to capture a lot of wonderful pictures in a short period of time. Our daughter loved talking with each princess, asking them if they have towel animals on their bed and if they had been to the pool yet. Just a fun all around time and something you’re toddler will love.
The Slide into the Oceaner’s Club
The Oceaner’s Club is a kids club aboard all Disney Cruises and for children age 4-12. To access the Oceaner’s club you can either walk down the stairs from the main Atrium, or take the dedicated kids slide. I cannot express how much our toddler loved the idea of a slide into the kids area. It’s a fun way to enter the kids club. The slide isn’t really set up for repeat slides as when you exit, you’re inside the kids club and will need to be checked out by a parent in order to leave the area. On a side note, while the kids club is amazing, we did have an issue one day where an older kid bumped into our daughter and knocked her down while doing a group dance. With no parents allowed inside the play area, she became scared and began to cry. We were sitting right outside the kids club and saw it happen, so we were easily able to check her out and give her a hug. Could have been a different story if we had not been in the area at that time. The check in/out process and monitoring of children is very efficient and well managed. We felt very safe with our daughter in the kids club.
The Castaway Cay Beach & Tram Ride
Getting to spend a day on a private island is a wonderful experience for anyone, but your toddler is going to love Castaway Cay. As you debark the ship, there are multiple places to get family photos and its a short 10-15 minute walk to the beaches. You can also wait in line and take the tram, which drops you off at multiple locations around the island. Our toddler loved this tram ride into and out of the beaches as it winds around the island and through a groove of trees. The beaches are well maintained, very clean and just a fun place for toddlers. There are life jackets available if they want to swim in the water. You can purchase sand castle buckets on the island, but my advice is to just bring your own from home. There are multiple food stands with summer treats like hot dogs, burgers and soft serve ice cream. Our little one loved building sand castles under the palm trees, walking to get a small ice-cream cone, then back to building more sand castles. There is a kids club area called Scuttle’s Cove that is available for kids age 3-12 along with a kids play area called Spring-A-Leak that can be visited. If your little one is adventurous and over 38 inches, there are some water slides on a floating platform play area called Pelican Plunge. Just know its a short swim out from the family beach and life jackets are required for everyone. There is a fun dig site at Monstro Point, where kids age 3-10 can dig alongside the paleontologists in training.
Bonus: Holiday & Seasonal Experiences
As an extra bonus, if you are taking a cruise around Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas, you’re in for a treat. The ship is transformed with decorations and some of the experiences are modified for cruises during those times. We were able to see a Christmas tree lighting ceremony along with meeting Santa aboard our cruise. Our daughter loved both of these experiences and was so excited to get to meet Santa and tell him what she wanted for Christmas.
If you are looking to take your toddler on a Disney Cruise, you’re in for an incredible experience that your toddler will love. Are you planning to go on a Disney Cruise with your toddler? Have any suggestions or tips that we missed? Please share your feedback in the comments below and make sure to follow MousePlanet on social media for the very best information on Disney parks and experiences.
About the Author: Brian, his wife and Victoria, an active 4 year old live in Orlando just a few miles from Disney World. They visit theme parks regularly so if you see them walking around, please introduce yourself and say hi. If you found this article valuable, please take a minute to subscribe to the Victoria Kids Show YouTube Channel at YouTube.com@VictoriaKidShow which features fun videos of adventures for toddlers to do in the Orlando area.
