🚢 Our Honest Disney Cruise Experience With Kids (What Worked, What Didn’t)
- AlboApproved
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
Disney Cruise With Kids Review | 4-Night Bahamas Sailing on the Disney Wish (Jan 26–30)
👨👩👧👦 The Setup: Our First Disney Cruise With Kids
This was our first-ever cruise, and we did it as a family of four:
Me
My wife
A 6-year-old 🧒
A 20-month-old 👶
We sailed on a 4-night Disney Cruise to the Bahamas, with port stops in Nassau and Castaway Cay 🏝️, departing from Port Canaveral.
This isn’t sponsored. It’s the stuff I genuinely wish someone told me before cruising with kids.
✅ What Worked Well on Our Disney Cruise With Kids
✈️ Flying in a Day Early + Disney Transport = Cheat Code
We flew into Orlando one day early and stayed at Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport.
Because we booked Disney Cruise Line transportation, Disney mailed us luggage tags ahead of time. We tagged our bags inside the hotel room, and Disney picked them up and delivered them directly to our stateroom.
No dragging luggage. No juggling kids. No chaos. 😌
If you’re cruising with kids, this alone is worth it.
🏨 Using Hyatt Points for Peace of Mind
We booked the Hyatt using 20,000 World of Hyatt points 💳✨.
Flying in early removed:
Weather anxiety 🌧️
Flight delays ⏰
The nightmare scenario of missing the ship 😱
I break this down step-by-step in my Chase → Hyatt points guide for families. (Click to Read)
⏱️ Early Boarding Made a Big Difference
We boarded in Group 3, and Disney uses roughly 30 boarding groups total.
Early boarding meant:
Less crowding 🙌
More time to explore 🗺️
Happier kids 😄
For a first cruise, starting calm mattered more than I expected.
❌ What Didn’t Work on Our Disney Cruise With Young Kids
🍼 We Missed the Nursery Booking Window
Disney’s “It’s a Small World” Nursery (for kids under 3) opens for advance booking:
120 days before sailing for Concierge/Platinum
75 days for first-time cruisers
You can pre-book up to 10 hours.
When our window opened, availability was there — and we didn’t book immediately. We talked it through. We waited. 🤦♂️
By the time we went back, most slots were gone.
We ended up with one hour per day, which was fine — but more nursery time would have made the cruise noticeably more enjoyable for us as parents.
👉 Lesson learned: Book nursery time the second your window opens. You can cancel later. You can’t add time once it’s gone.
🚼 Cruising With a Toddler on Disney Cruise Line: What to Know
🚫 Age Restrictions Matter
Our 6-year-old absolutely loved the Oceaneer Club 🎮✨.
But:
Kids must be 3+
Must be fully potty trained 🚽
The same rule applies to all pools on the ship 🏊♂️.
That meant our 20-month-old couldn’t use any pools, only splash pads 💦.
We still loved the cruise — but adults enjoy the experience a lot more when all kids can fully participate.
Honest recommendation: If your youngest is under 3, consider waiting a year.
🏝️ Castaway Cay vs. Nassau: Very Different Experiences
🌴 Castaway Cay: Disney at Its Best
Castaway Cay was easily one of the highlights of the entire trip.
This is Disney’s private island, and everything just works:
Seamless transportation 🚋
Food handled for you 🍔
Organized beach setup 🏖️
Zero stress
You step off the ship and you’re still inside the Disney bubble ✨.
⚠️ Important parent note: The kids club on the ship is closed while docked at Castaway Cay. This is a full-on family beach day — no sneaking away 😅. They do have kids club on the island, but we didn't use that to spend time with the whole family.
🏙️ Nassau: Optional and Very DIY
Nassau is a public port, and it feels that way.
That means:
You plan your own activities
You manage transportation 🚕
Less Disney magic
You can get off the ship — but you don’t have to.
With kids, staying onboard during Nassau can actually be a win:
Fewer crowds 😎
Shorter lines
Slower pace
Parent takeaway: Castaway Cay = don’t miss: Nassau = optional
🎭 Shows on Disney Cruise Line: Bring Your Kids
The shows were excellent — and Disney gets it.
Kids cry 😭Kids talk 🗣️Kids melt down 🫠
No one judges. This is Disney. Bring your kids and enjoy the show. Or not, if they don't want to. Drop them off at the Oceaneer's Club.
🍽️ Is the Food on Disney Cruise Line Good?
Depends on expectations.
I went in expecting Disney World–level food, and that’s exactly what it was.
⭐ 6.5 / 10
Solid
Reliable
Kid-friendly
Not fine dining. Totally acceptable.
💸 Set Expectations: Disney Cruise Is NOT All-Inclusive
This matters if you’ve done Cancun resorts before.
✅ What’s Included
Main dining 🍽️
Shows 🎬
Kids clubs
Soft-serve ice cream 🍦
Fountain drinks 🥤
Bring reusable water bottles — it saves money 💰.
❌ What Costs Extra
Alcohol 🍷
Specialty coffee ☕
Bottled water (sometimes)
Specialty dining
Once expectations are right, the experience clicks.
🤢 Motion Sickness on a Disney Cruise (I Was Nervous — It Was Fine)
I get bad motion sickness.
Before the cruise, I talked to my doctor and got a scopolamine patch — game changer 🎯.
Did I feel motion? Yes. Did I feel sick? No.
If I could do it, most people can.
🎒 Disney Cruise Essentials for Families (What We Actually Used)
A Disney Cruise isn’t something you buy on Amazon — but what you bring absolutely shapes your experience. These aren’t influencer freebies. These are the small things that quietly made our trip smoother, cheaper, and less chaotic — especially with kids.
🧳 Packing Cubes — Sanity Saver in a Small Stateroom
Why I recommend this: Cruise staterooms are efficient… which is a nice way of saying tight. Packing cubes kept everyone’s clothes separated, made unpacking painless, and prevented the room from turning into a pile of chaos by day two.
I own three sets of these and use them on every family trip — cruise or not.
🧃 YETI 12 oz Kids Bottle — Refill Everywhere, Save Money
Why I recommend this: Fountain drinks are free on the ship, but bottled water adds up fast. Bringing reusable bottles saved money and made it easy to stay hydrated during shows, excursions, and beach days.
This size is perfect for kids: easy to carry, durable, and no spills all over the stateroom.
🧲 Magnetic Stickers — Fun + Practical Cruise Win
Why I recommend this: I didn’t know this before cruising, but stateroom doors and walls are magnetic. We saw other doors decorated and thought it was awesome for the kids.
These stickers:
Let kids “claim” their room
Made it easier to spot our door
Added a fun, personal touch with zero effort
Small thing, big smiles.
🪝 Magnetic Hooks — Instant Storage Upgrade
Why I recommend this: Cruise rooms don’t give you many hooks — and with kids, you need more.
These magnetic hooks were clutch for:
Hats
Bags
Lanyards
Light jackets
They stick anywhere metal and instantly create storage without damaging anything.
🍼 Swim Diapers — Required for Splash Pads
Why I recommend this: Toddlers can’t use pools on Disney Cruise Line — only splash pads, and swim diapers are required.
These were easy to pack, easy to change, and exactly what Disney expects. Bring more than you think you’ll need.
🚪 Over-the-Door Organizer — Small Room, Big Win
Why I recommend this: When space is limited, vertical storage matters.
We used this organizer for:
Sunscreen
Swim gear
Hats
Random kid stuff
It kept clutter under control and made the stateroom feel way more livable.
Links above are affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything extra — they just help support AlboApproved and allow me to keep sharing honest, unsponsored advice.
💵 Gratuities on Disney Cruise Line (Way Less Stressful Than It Sounds)
Gratuities were one of the most confusing parts for me before boarding — mainly because Disney gives you the option to prepay them.
Here’s how it actually works in real life.
Automatic Gratuities (The Easy Part)
Anything extra you buy onboard:
Drinks 🍹
Specialty coffee ☕
Add-ons
👉 Gratuity is automatically applied. You don’t need to do math. You don’t need to tip extra. Just sign and move on.
Your Stateroom Host & Dinner Servers
This part is unique to Disney and honestly pretty nice.
Your dinner servers follow you for the entire trip — same team, every night. Your stateroom host takes care of your room the whole sailing.
If you prepaid gratuities, you’re done. Nothing to think about.
If you didn’t prepay (we didn’t), here’s what happens:
Toward the end of the cruise, Disney gives you envelopes
Each envelope shows the recommended gratuity amount
You can:
Pay exactly that amount
Tip extra if you want
It’s very clear. No awkward guessing.
Do You Need to Bring Cash?
No — not required.
You can tip with your onboard account, and everything is tracked. Cash is not necessary if you want to tip extra for exceptional service.
We never felt pressured, rushed, or confused once it was explained.
Bottom Line on Gratuities
Disney makes this very parent-friendly
No surprise tipping moments
No need to carry cash
No fear of “did we forget someone?”
If you’re worried about gratuities going in — don’t be. Disney has this part dialed in.
💡 Albo's Tip
If you’re the type who likes everything settled before boarding, prepay gratuities. If you want flexibility, paying onboard works just as smoothly.
🎯 Who a Disney Cruise Is (and Isn’t) For
👍 Perfect For
Families with kids 3–10
First-time cruisers
Parents who value structure
⏳ Consider Waiting If
Your youngest is under 2
You want luxury dining
You expect all-inclusive resorts
⭐ Final Verdict: Is a Disney Cruise With Kids Worth It?
We loved it.
Would we go again? Yes.
Would we wait until kids are older? Possibly.
Disney delivers — but preparation makes all the difference.
