Anybody done the Disney thing with teens?

[nealstuber]

Think about trying this with 15yods a d 13yodd. Prices Christmas week are amazing. Will we have "Its a small world after all" ringing in our ears after day one?

[Brenna's Mom1]

Once my kids were 10 they were done with Disneyland...visual stimulation is not what they wanted....they wanted the "thrill" rides of someplace like SixFlags/Magic Mountain and they thought the stuff at Universal was a lot more fun than the "kiddy" stuff at the Disney Parks....in fact they would have opted for a "free" day at the beach as being a lot more "their style".

[nealstuber]

Once my kids were 10 they were done with Disneyland...visual stimulation is not what they wanted....they wanted the "thrill" rides of someplace like SixFlags/Magic Mountain and they thought the stuff at Universal was a lot more fun than the "kiddy" stuff at the Disney Parks....in fact they would have opted for a "free" day at the beach as being a lot more "their style".

 

Guess I should clarify that we're looking at the Disney Magic which iscurrently priced almost half that of CCL magic with an extra day for this Christamas Week.....

[luvavacation]

No, you will not have any Disney song ringing in your ears! The Disney cruise is more subdued with the "Disney stuff" than the parks. Mickey is not in your face everywhere you turn. The ship is actually rather elegant and subdued.

 

I have sailed on DCL with my children since they were 11 and 6. They are now adults. DCL is still their favorite cruise line, and if you can get the Magic for a great price, go for it!

 

There is no casino onboard, so if that is important, you should be aware.

 

My children have never liked the kids clubs on any cruiseline, but others have loved them. I have sailed with friends that could not pull their kids out even for dinner, while my children felt that mom and dad might do something fun, so better to stay with them and see what they are up to. DH and I are good with that, though, since they will be off and on their own much too soon anyway.

 

DCL will offer programs for adults, kids, and families. You can be on your own and keep busy with wine tasting or cooking programs, while your kids are busy with their activities, or you can all get together and do family activities. One of the complaints my family has on other lines is that there seems to be very little to do together as a family, but on DCL, we can never hit it all.

 

The pools and their size on the Magic are often a complaint issue, and I do wish the slide was open for adults, but we are willing to overlook the pool issues because we just love everything else.

 

I have never been on any other lines over Christmas, but have done DCL. I have nothing to compare the DCL experience to how things are done on other lines. My DCL Christmas experience was very nice, there is an evening of Christmas music in the main atrium, and if the religious aspect of Christmas is something that is important to your family, you can find that onboard, but if it isn't, you can easily avoid it.

 

Enjoy your cruise! I wish I was going, too!

[heatherbelle]

I took my first cruise last year and chose Disney. I am a big Disney fan acing been to WDW and WDL on many occasions.

 

I sailed on the Magic which was a great ship as it's quite small holds around 2000 passengers for my first cruise.

 

It wasn't at all Disney in your face. Yes there were lots of characters about the ship, and everything was themed in the restaurants. The shows were typical Disney. I kept saying to my DH that I didn't feel like I was in Disney, there was just something missing. Then at one of the shows it hit me, the Disney magic. It started snowing in the middle of the show and then I true,t felt the missing Disney magic.

 

Would I sail with them again, yes you bet. They are higher in price than Carnival. My DS loved his first cruise.

 

Next summer we re trying Carnival in the Med. this is purely down to cost, getting more days for the same price. I still have my Disney cruise booked that I shopped on board. I got a 10% discount and $200 from Disney, plus another $150 from my American TA. I will move this to 2014 once I know where the ships are going. I would love to try the Fantasy and stay in one of the 8a cabins.

 

We wil see what Carnival brings, very apprehensive about it to be honest, but needs must. I might even prefer it to Disney.

[jerseyralph]

Our daughter's very first cruise was the Disney Wonder. She was 7 at the time and the ship was brand new. She loved the kids club and her father and I often had dinner alone. She was just not interested in leaving the club.

 

She is a sophomore in college now, age 19. She is a Disney maniac and has been on many cruises on many lines since her first. We visit the Disney parks every year. She was given her choice of cruises for semester break this year and she chose RCCL.

 

As a family, if we could get a bargain on a Disney cruise, we would go again. Love the ships, the shows, the staterooms, Castaway Cay. The food, in my opinion, is better on other lines. We do not gamble. DH has drink or two a night. We do not carry any on. If Emily was still a little one, I would not hesitate to book another Disney cruise, even at their usual rates. With a teen...........it would need to be a bargain and with Disney that is rare. If you can grab it, go.

Enjoy!

[davids68girl]

I cruised DCL on the Dream last year with a 9 yr old and a 15 yr old. They LOVED DCL, esp. the 15 yr. old. He just loved the kids club and did all kinds of neat activities (they made a zombie movie & did a teen only excursion at Castaway Cay are a couple I remember). He loved hanging around with the other kids and the counselors in the teen club.

 

My 9 yr old was the same with the kids club for his age also. We had to make him leave. We had meals together and that was about the only time I saw my teen and just about the only time I saw the 9 year old but he is younger and wanted a little more time with us than the teen. :p

 

I would think you would all have a great time, magical even. ;)

[deborahjo]

2004 we took our 2 teen age sons on the Wonder. They had a ball. Always had something to do.

[Me2]

Guess I should clarify that we're looking at the Disney Magic which iscurrently priced almost half that of CCL magic with an extra day for this Christamas Week.....

 

Here is a link to the DCL 2012 Navigators (daily activities) to view.

 

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/cruise-new/cr-stateroom-navigator.htm

 

The 09/22/2012 from Galveston showed the first 7-day sailing. The one you are considering will be the 8 day, with different itineraries. But this gives you an idea of activities for all, per day on the 7-day cruise out of Galveston. And there are links to other ships & Navigators as well. There truly is something for everyone.

 

We sailed on the Magic this month, and loved the ship & the crew.

[kc5grw]

Guess I should clarify that we're looking at the Disney Magic which iscurrently priced almost half that of CCL magic with an extra day for this Christamas Week.....

 

Where are you finding prices like this on DCL? I was all ready to sail on the DCL Magic 12/15 6-night but once checking prices I was able to book 2 cabins for 4 people on the CCL Magic 7-nigh for half the price I would have paid for 3 people in 1 cabin on the DCL Magic. I just looked at one of the sites that carries current rates for most lines and I see for the cruises over Christmas day the prices for DCL are still double the CCL rates.

 

We love Disney and have sailed Disney before. My girls are 17 and 19 now and will never outgrow their love of all things Disney but they'd rather have their own cabin on the CCL cruise than share with Dad on DCL.

[nealstuber]

Here is a link to the DCL 2012 Navigators (daily activities) to view.

 

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/cruise-new/cr-stateroom-navigator.htm

 

The 09/22/2012 from Galveston showed the first 7-day sailing. The one you are considering will be the 8 day, with different itineraries. But this gives you an idea of activities for all, per day on the 7-day cruise out of Galveston. And there are links to other ships & Navigators as well. There truly is something for everyone.

 

We sailed on the Magic this month, and loved the ship & the crew.

 

 

Thanks a lot me2!

 

Definitely have peaked out interest.

[Jeffnewc]

We took a trip on the Dream in September and our 13 year old daughter absolutely loved it!!! We almost never saw here as she had 4-5 friends instantly. She can't wait to go back!! No worries.

[Rhinodad]

To echo what others have said...our daughters are now 16 and 20 and have been cruising on Disney since they were 3 and 7 (8 cruises). They've always loved whatever club was for their age group. We're going on the Fantasy on 11/17 and the 16yo can't wait to hang in the teen club! Make sure they go to the orientation/mixer on the first day - that's the best way for them to meet others.

[gambit57]

When I first went, I was in college. My parents went with a big group of their friends and the kids. My sis would have been a sophomore in high school. A bunch of other kids were teenagers too. As far as I know, we all had a blast. Even the college aged kids.

 

And I don't remember ever going into the various kid club things. I was prolly too old, but I don't remember the younger teens going either. Still had a blast. And even after all the other cruises I've been on, that Disney cruise was still my favorite. We'll see how it ranks now that I'm a parent and will be going with my own kids.