10 Tips For Cruising With a Toddler

Disney Cruise Line is made for families, and they know how to make even the littlest cruisers happy. After a recent cruise with a toddler who was too young for the Oceaneer Club (ages 3-10), I’ve got some specific tips for you!

1. Go to the Open Houses – On the first afternoon onboard, all of the kids’ clubs will have Open Houses. Later in the cruise, there will be designated Open House times listed in your Navigator app. That means guests of all ages are welcome to enjoy the space. Take your toddler to the Oceaneer Club and Lab and let them run around and enjoy it all. Our toddler fell in love with the Magic Floors on the Fantasy (and the Dream) on the first afternoon, and we made it a point to go back to Open Houses so he could enjoy them as often as possible.

2. Use the Nursery – “it’s a small world” Nursery! is made for the littles who can’t be dropped off in the kids’ clubs yet. There is a charge of $10 per hour per child, but it’s worth it for a few hours so the adults can enjoy the spa or upcharge adult-only dining, for example. We took our toddler to the Open House at the nursery on the first day so he could get used to it and meet the crew there. They remembered what he liked to play with when we dropped him off, and it made the transition even easier. He had a great time!

3. Toddler Time – Parts of the kids’ clubs sometimes open up specifically for toddler time. We found this a great way for him to play with the toys with other kids his age. Check your Navigator app onboard for listed times.

4. Swim or Use the Splash Pads – If your toddler loves the water, make sure you find time to take them to the pool or splash pad. If they aren’t potty-trained, they can’t get in the pools, but they’ll probably be just as happy on the splash pads, where swim diapers are allowed and required. Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay both have splash pads as well.

5. Take Breaks – We say this often when touring the Disney parks on land, but it’s true onboard a cruise as well. Toddlers need breaks! Make sure to take some downtime for naps or quiet time in the room, watching a Disney movie, or playing. It will make the rest of your day more enjoyable for everyone.

7. Use Disney Supplies – Disney has a list of things that you can request before boarding (free of charge) to make it easier on parents. They have diaper genies, pack & plays or cribs, bottle warmers, sterilizers, and bedrails. There are also strollers to request once onboard, and both Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay have wagons to use that are available first come first serve. Request them in your reservation online and save yourself some packing space!

8. Your Stateroom Host/Hostess Can Help – As soon as our rooms were ready on embarkation day, it was nap time! We found our stateroom hostess, and she quickly made a bed for our toddler and set up the bedrails for us. She checked in with us throughout the cruise to see what we needed as well.

9. The Dining Room Team Are Your Friends – Your server and assistant server can also be a huge help. Meals in the main dining rooms can be long, so after the first night, our server brought out the toddler’s food early and kept him at an accelerated pace so there wasn’t as much sitting and waiting for him. They also pureed some veggies and tried some off-menu items for him, with our permission, of course. They were a huge help!

10. Let the Toddler Toddle – Toddlers need space to roam and not be held or directed every minute of the cruise. Make sure there are times when you just let the toddler be the boss. For us, that sometimes involved just following him wherever he wanted to roam. There are plenty of open spaces to take advantage of! The deck parties often have a lot of room in the back. We could still see the show on the screen, and there was plenty of space for our toddler to dance and play.

Bonus – Get the photo package! They captured some amazing memories for us!

Do you have any questions about traveling with toddlers? Any advice for others?