Disney Fantasy in May

[Heathera40]

Hello Everyone!

 

This is my first post here in a LOOOONG time. (So long I had to create a new account!). I used to cruise fairly regularly with my best friend who lives across the country, but then we both got married and I had two kids and, well... I haven't cruised in 8 years.

 

But I've been bitten by the bug again, and we are looking at taking my family on a Disney Cruise in May. I have two boys, ages 7 and 4. I have a million questions, and I barely know where to start. I've never cruised with Disney before - nor have I cruised with kids so it's kind of like being a first time cruiser.

 

We live in Seattle so it will be a long flight to Port Canaveral. We will have to fly out at least one day early. Does anyone have any tips on whether it's better to overnight close to the airport and then transfer to the port the next day? Or better to get all the travel done at one time? Also, what's the best way to get out to the port?

 

For our return flight on the day we arrive back in port, what is the earliest time that I should book a flight? The Costco booking I looked at yesterday had us on a flight leaving Orlando at 12:22 pm, which I thought might be tight as it used to take a while to disembark (no idea if the procedure is still the same, 8 years later).

 

Also, my older son has some special needs. He has Sensory Processing Disorder and ADHD. Generally he's perfectly fine in drop-off playcare places like I imagine the kids club to be. But sometimes it takes him a little time to get used to things. Has anyone cruised with kids with special needs? Any tips? If I try to contact Disney before the trip to let them know he has some issues, will they do anything to help me or will we be on our own? Like I said, generally he's perfectly okay once he has had a chance to get used to an environment, but transitions are sometimes difficult for him as he gets overwhelmed. I just want to try and prevent any problems from occurring, instead of trying to deal with them after they have developed into bigger problems!

 

Thanks so much for any and all help and advice with anything!!

 

Cheers,

Heather

[cb at sea]

If your flight arrives early enough to enjoy the port area...by all means, go ahead and get there! If your flight arrives late, just stay near the airport and head to port in the morning.

 

Your return flight should be around or after noon.....12:22 will be perfect...you will still have plenty of "waiting" time before your flight!

 

Yes...contact Disney about your son's needs. They will do their best to make him comfortable!

[flhokie]

if you arrive late stay at the airport (there is a Hyatt in the terminal and quite a few hotels nearby). If you get in early either go towards the port or take in an Orlando area attraction.

 

Definitely let Disney know about your son's needs. Definitely go to the open houses to try to help him get used to the areas. I will tell you that they have ages 4-12 all together in the kid's program. There are programs suggested for certain ages, but the rooms are open play so they can get loud and chaotic. DD was 4 (just her, no siblings or friends). She did ok with the open houses when we were there with her (& they did have a lot of those), but did not like being dropped off because of the setup. The week we sailed was spring break in Canada and there were a lot of older kids which seemed to impact her opinion.

 

The return flight time seems fine. You won't have a lot of waiting time for your flight, but you shouldn't be rushed either. Be prepared for long security lines (I dread when my business trips leave Orlando weekend mornings b/c that seems to be the busiest security time), but they move quickly.

[c-cruise]

Hi Heather,

 

We are in Seattle as well and have done this flight many, many times. We have always stayed near the airport and then taken a shuttle to the cruise port in the morning. Last thing we want to do is get off a 6 hour flight and then have to drive another hour to get to our hotel. Maybe if it was just the two of us, but definitely not with the kids. Tons of hotel options right near the airport that have shuttles.

 

There are lots of shuttle services that you can book in advance to transport you from your hotel to the port. I don't believe board rules allow me to post the one here that we use, but just Google orlando cruise shuttle and you will find lots of them.

 

The kids clubs on Disney are huge and pretty wild and unstructured. There are scheduled activities, but the kids are pretty much allowed to run around and be in whatever area they want to be at the time. Our kids love it, but I do know this environment doesn't work well for everyone. On our first Disney cruise our youngest was just three and it was really overwhelming for her.

 

Your going to love Disney, by far the best cruises we have done with our kids. Fantasy is a beautiful ship!

 

Oh, if you haven't already, take a look at Alaska for your flights. They have non-stop flights from SEA to MCO, which really saves a lot of time.

[Kcheine]

Hi!

I have been on 3 Disney cruises with my children, with one having special needs. Definitely contact Disney about your son. They have a form to fill out.

 

I always stay at the Hyatt right at the Orlando Airport then take the Disney Magic Express from the lower concourse to the port. Easiest for me traveling alone with kids and they handle the luggage for me. I always fly to Orlando day before in case of delays, canceled flights, etc. I also fly out later afternoon on the day we get back to port. A 12:22 flight would make me uncomfortable because its an hour to Orlando then security... I thought Disney suggests flights after 1.

 

Definitely go to the Open House for the Kids Club to get kids used to area and meet the counselors. They were great with my son, who is in a wheelchair. They do have structured events everyday so your son can pick what he would like to do like Science experiments, cooking, arts and crafts, video games.

 

There is so much to do on the Disney Fantasy. Do not miss the shows every night because they are fantastic. My kids loved the mystery game on the ship that sends them all over for clues. The pool area can get super crazy and we enjoyed the pool when everyone else was in port. Like having the pool to ourselves.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise and good luck!