05/07/2023
Completed our first Disney Cruise as a family of 4! What a marathon- such a learning experience but so fun. What did we learn?
1) research your ports for child friendliness before booking your cruise. We did 7 days in Eastern Caribbean and Costa Maya had 0 excursions for our 1 yo and 3 yo. Cozumel had 1- and it wasnt great.
2) pack your babies snacks in diaper bag only. When we went to port security, one agent told us to dump all non factory sealed snacks and food…then another agent saw us throwing it away and said no if its for the baby its not replaceable on the ship so just keep it in diaper bag 🤦♀️wish we knew before throwing away all those snacks. We needed all of the snacks we had to keep Sawyer busy at meal times and in between so stock up- they dont have many options for baby snacks onboard (puffs/ pouches/ teething biscuits)
3) respect nap times. We thought wed power through the first two days with no naps and just put the babies to bed early…this made for some very fussy kids. The rest of the cruise we abided nap times and the boys had a lot more fun.
4) If your baby needs to sleep in a crib or pack n play- bring your own. I requested ours 6 months ago along with a diaper pail and we didnt get one the entire cruise because “we didnt realize this many babies would be onboard” So the baby slept in our bed with us but if you arent comfortable with that, just bring your own.
5) If your baby needs milk- stock up from cabanas in the morning and keep extra cartons in your in room fridge for use throughout the day. Sometimes sawyer couldnt wait until meal times and it was really helpful to just run to the room and get a carton real quick.
6) Dont overplan- you will not be able to do everything and the more you do the more exhausted you will be and wont enjoy it. Its vacation, go with the flow.
7) Expect children to be children- your kid will have a tantrum or meltdown at least once, theyre off their normal schedules in an overstimulating environment. Literally almost everyone onboard is a parent and gets this- you will not be shamed or glared at so just take it in stride. It will be ok.
Part 2 to follow…