Taking a baby on the Magic.

C

CarolynU

Proud Mum twice over
Joined
Feb 28, 2002
I have cruised before on all of the ships apart from The Dream, but only as a family group of adults. Our usual mode of cruising is to stay around the quiet cove pool and perhaps join in the odd quiz or two. I'm booked solo on the WBPC in April next year and that's what I intend to do again.
Now suddenly my daughter has found out that her husband has to go abroad to work for a few weeks next year, and so she would like a family trip complete with a sixteen month old baby on a DCL cruise whilst he is away. He is not a Disney fan so is more than happy for her to do this.
So I have found a 7 night cruise on The Magic that fits in with work commitments for my son and his wife and so we might book, but this is a real new experience for all of us having a baby with us.
Now the whole concept of this idea is to introduce my beautiful granddaughter to Disney at a young age just as my children were. It is not for us to have the same type of cruising experience and put the little one in the nursery.
So, I understand that she will not be able to go into any swimming pool as she will be in diapers, but that there is a splash zone. Now this Huey Dewey and Louie section looks absolutely tiny. Is that right? Will she be able to toddle around the areas outside of that with the water spouts as long as she doesn't go into the pool?
She will be able to meet the characters, but is there anything else for babies to do without placing her in the nursery? Are there any times that parents can go and have some time in the nursery with their little ones or is it strictly babies only? I am sure that my daughter will perhaps reserve some time there maybe during meals, but especially during the day we want to be together as a family and that includes our new little one.
Has anyone got any other advice for us please? This is new cruising territory.
 
CarolynU said:
I have cruised before on all of the ships apart from The Dream, but only as a family group of adults. Our usual mode of cruising is to stay around the quiet cove pool and perhaps join in the odd quiz or two. I'm booked solo on the WBPC in April next year and that's what I intend to do again.
Now suddenly my daughter has found out that her husband has to go abroad to work for a few weeks next year, and so she would like a family trip complete with a sixteen month old baby on a DCL cruise whilst he is away. He is not a Disney fan so is more than happy for her to do this.
So I have found a 7 night cruise on The Magic that fits in with work commitments for my son and his wife and so we might book, but this is a real new experience for all of us having a baby with us.
Now the whole concept of this idea is to introduce my beautiful granddaughter to Disney at a young age just as my children were. It is not for us to have the same type of cruising experience and put the little one in the nursery.
So, I understand that she will not be able to go into any swimming pool as she will be in diapers, but that there is a splash zone. Now this Huey Dewey and Louie section looks absolutely tiny. Is that right? Will she be able to toddle around the areas outside of that with the water spouts as long as she doesn't go into the pool?
She will be able to meet the characters, but is there anything else for babies to do without placing her in the nursery? Are there any times that parents can go and have some time in the nursery with their little ones or is it strictly babies only? I am sure that my daughter will perhaps reserve some time there maybe during meals, but especially during the day we want to be together as a family and that includes our new little one.
Has anyone got any other advice for us please? This is new cruising territory.
Click to expand...
The Nephew's splash area isn't really that tiny. It's certainly larger than the splash area it replaced. Yes, she can be in the splash area even if still in diapers (that's what it's designed for).

There are several toddler activties that are listed in the Navigators - just check some previous cruise Navigators here: http://disneycruiselineblog.com/personal-navigators/ for an idea of what sorts of activities are available.

I'm not real sure, but I believe the nursery has some Open House hours that adults can accompany their child in to play. If not, Oceaneer's Club does have Open House times (usually 1-2 hours once or twice a day) where you can take her to play.
 
PrincessShmoo said:
The Nephew's splash area isn't really that tiny. It's certainly larger than the splash area it replaced. Yes, she can be in the splash area even if still in diapers (that's what it's designed for).

There are several toddler activties that are listed in the Navigators - just check some previous cruise Navigators here: http://disneycruiselineblog.com/personal-navigators/ for an idea of what sorts of activities are available.

I'm not real sure, but I believe the nursery has some Open House hours that adults can accompany their child in to play. If not, Oceaneer's Club does have Open House times (usually 1-2 hours once or twice a day) where you can take her to play.
Click to expand...

That's so helpful thank you. Going to check out all your info. Sounds promising.
 
Remember, DCL is a family cruise line so they have many activities for the whole family, including babies. A great activity is Jack, Jack's Diaper Dash (if they are still crawling...walking babies are disqualified). We had a cruise on the Fantasy in August with our adult children, their spouses and our two new grandbabies (they were 12 months and 14 months at the time).

My daughter and DIL both used the Nursery a few times and had nothing but great things to say. The babies were very happy there. We would all hang out together during the day with the babies going into the nursery during some dinner times and a few times during the different days so the moms and dads (and grandma and pop pop) could relax by the pool a bit.

Each family had a pack n play and a diaper genie in their room (provided by DCL. Make sure to request them). We also got a pack n play for our room as we had the babies sleep over different nights.

All in all I would absolutely cruise again with babies. Just like you we wanted to introduce our granddaughters to Disney at an early age. They have been one one DCL cruise already and are going for their second visit to WDW in January. They loved the cruise. If they remember anything or not who knows but they had a good time while experiencing it. We had late dinner seating and they were good for the first part and would get a bit cranky towards the end but that was expected. They loved the characters from afar but were a little skittish when they were up close and personal at meet and greets and character breakfast. We went in August and I can say they definitely needed to be kept hydrated and out of the sun. They absolutely loved the splash area on the Fantasy.

Our granddaughters LOVE watching the videos we took on our phones of the characters at the sail away party and dance parties. They want to watch them over and over.

Have a great time. Oh, we brought their strollers onboard and had no issues with them.

MJ
 
Last edited:


mmouse37 said:
Remember, DCL is a family cruise line so they have many activities for the whole family, including babies. A great activity is Jack, Jack's Diaper Dash (if they are still crawling...walking babies are disqualified). We had a cruise on the Fantasy in August with our adult children, their spouses and our two new grandbabies (they were 12 months and 14 months at the time).

My daughter and DIL both used the Nursery a few times and had nothing but great things to say. The babies were very happy there. We would all hang out together during the day with the babies going into the nursery during some dinner times and a few times during the different days so the moms and dads (and grandma and pop pop) could relax by the pool a bit.

Each family had a pack n play and a diaper genie in their room (provided by DCL. Make sure to request them). We also got a pack n play for our room as we had the babies sleep over different nights.

All in all I would absolutely cruise again with babies. Just like you we wanted to introduce our granddaughters to Disney at an early age. They have been one one DCL cruise already and are going for their second visit to WDW in January. They loved the cruise. If they remember anything or not who knows but they had a good time while experiencing it. We had late dinner seating and they were good for the first part and would get a bit cranky towards the end but that was expected. They loved the characters from afar but were a little skittish when they were up close and personal at meet and greets and character breakfast. We went in August and I can say they definitely needed to be kept hydrated and out of the sun. They absolutely loved the splash area on the Fantasy.

Our granddaughters LOVE watching the videos we took on our phones of the characters at the sail away party and dance parties. They want to watch them over and over.

Have a great time. Oh, we brought their strollers onboard and had no issues with them.

MJ
Click to expand...
That's brilliant news. Thanks. Seems like more stuff to do than I thought and will definitely request a pack n play. We are going with late dining. That way grand baby will be fresh for the show which I think she will enjoy as she just adores music and dancing even at her current age of eight months. She is crawling and standing right now so not sure if she will be walking or not at sixteen months, but I suspect that she might be. Presumably she is not allowed even with an adult into the oceaneers club because that's for over 3 years isn't it?
 
CarolynU said:
That's brilliant news. Thanks. Seems like more stuff to do than I thought and will definitely request a pack n play. We are going with late dining. That way grand baby will be fresh for the show which I think she will enjoy as she just adores music and dancing even at her current age of eight months. She is crawling and standing right now so not sure if she will be walking or not at sixteen months, but I suspect that she might be. Presumably she is not allowed even with an adult into the oceaneers club because that's for over 3 years isn't it?
Click to expand...
She will be allowed in Oceaneer's anytime during an Open House there, as long as she has an adult with her, regardless of age. The minimum age of 3 only applies to the secured programming time.
 
We just got back from our first cruise with a kiddo (14 DCL cruises before she was born), and it was a little different than cruising on our own. We were on the Wonder, so I'm not sure if it will be the same on the Magic.

Things to do:
-toddler time (Promenade Lounge had a little area set aside (new on the Wonder after dry dock)). Check the navigator for times
-open house time in the clubs (check the navigators)
-Nursery: we had a wonderful experience with the nursery. Each time you check the child in to the nursery you'll be asked to fill out a form detailing any allergies, what you're leaving with the baby, if they can eat nursery lunch/dinner, sleeping time, etc. One day when picking her up, they informed us that Goofy and Belle had been by to visit. If you leave an unopened snack, they will open it and mark on it who opened it and when and you can take that snack back to the nursery. They will not allow opened snacks.
-We had our daughter join us a few nights for the show (we had late dining), and the other nights we booked the nursery. We booked these onboard, but if you know you won't be able to enjoy the show with kiddo in tow, just go ahead and book the nursery now.
-The baby may only go in the splash pad. The aqualab is off limits to swim diapers (unfortunately).
-Baby can go to trivia, music, etc with you (provided it's not during adult only time).
-Spring a Leak (castaway cay)


Things to request:
-Pack n' play (mark it on your reservation)
-Diaper genie (just ask your stateroom host)
-high chair (mark it on your reservation)

Other notes:
-Wagons and strollers are free to use on Castaway Cay. They're across from Scuttles Cove. If you want one, you need to get off the ship early on. Our daughter loved the wagon (first time riding in a wagon), and it made it easier lugging her and stuff around the island.
-Strollers are complimentary at guest services ($200 deposit returned to you upon returning the stroller). We got one on embarkation day and used it maybe 3x. It was much easier carrying our daughter or using the back pack carrier.

Have fun and relax! My husband ended up napping every afternoon while our daughter napped. I used the time for some me time--relaxed on deck reading!

We had late dining, and it wasn't too bad but we did request earlier dining on next year's Magic cruise. Our daughter's bed time is 7:00, so it was an adjustment for her. We fed her dinner around 5:30 (her normal dinner time from the Gyro place, daisy's delites, etc) that way it wouldn't be a problem if she slept through dinner. She slept through dinner 2 of the nights. The other nights, our servers did a wonderful job getting us her food quickly and helping keep her entertained so that she wasn't grumpy. If she cried, they were quick to check on her and entertain her. They also cut up her food for us!
 


hamm1207 said:
We just got back from our first cruise with a kiddo (14 DCL cruises before she was born), and it was a little different than cruising on our own. We were on the Wonder, so I'm not sure if it will be the same on the Magic.

Things to do:
-toddler time (Promenade Lounge had a little area set aside (new on the Wonder after dry dock)). Check the navigator for times
-open house time in the clubs (check the navigators)
-Nursery: we had a wonderful experience with the nursery. Each time you check the child in to the nursery you'll be asked to fill out a form detailing any allergies, what you're leaving with the baby, if they can eat nursery lunch/dinner, sleeping time, etc. One day when picking her up, they informed us that Goofy and Belle had been by to visit. If you leave an unopened snack, they will open it and mark on it who opened it and when and you can take that snack back to the nursery. They will not allow opened snacks.
-We had our daughter join us a few nights for the show (we had late dining), and the other nights we booked the nursery. We booked these onboard, but if you know you won't be able to enjoy the show with kiddo in tow, just go ahead and book the nursery now.
-The baby may only go in the splash pad. The aqualab is off limits to swim diapers (unfortunately).
-Baby can go to trivia, music, etc with you (provided it's not during adult only time).
-Spring a Leak (castaway cay)


Things to request:
-Pack n' play (mark it on your reservation)
-Diaper genie (just ask your stateroom host)
-high chair (mark it on your reservation)

Other notes:
-Wagons and strollers are free to use on Castaway Cay. They're across from Scuttles Cove. If you want one, you need to get off the ship early on. Our daughter loved the wagon (first time riding in a wagon), and it made it easier lugging her and stuff around the island.
-Strollers are complimentary at guest services ($200 deposit returned to you upon returning the stroller). We got one on embarkation day and used it maybe 3x. It was much easier carrying our daughter or using the back pack carrier.

Have fun and relax! My husband ended up napping every afternoon while our daughter napped. I used the time for some me time--relaxed on deck reading!

We had late dining, and it wasn't too bad but we did request earlier dining on next year's Magic cruise. Our daughter's bed time is 7:00, so it was an adjustment for her. We fed her dinner around 5:30 (her normal dinner time from the Gyro place, daisy's delites, etc) that way it wouldn't be a problem if she slept through dinner. She slept through dinner 2 of the nights. The other nights, our servers did a wonderful job getting us her food quickly and helping keep her entertained so that she wasn't grumpy. If she cried, they were quick to check on her and entertain her. They also cut up her food for us!
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for finding the time to write such an informative reply with helpful tips. This is looking much more baby friendly than I originally thought. I really had the feeling that from 3 years up there was tons to offer but younger than that not so much, but I now think that there will be more than enough to keep the little one busy. I'm happy not to spend much time chilling out on this trip especially as not too long before I'll have taken the WBPC where I don't intend to do much other than rest, read and relax, so this will be a complete contrast and I can't wait to see my granddaughter's face when she sees the characters, and I intend being on hand to help DD apart from if I go on any port adventures involving sightseeing.
I'll pass all this info onto my daughter.
 
CarolynU said:
Thank you so much for finding the time to write such an informative reply with helpful tips. This is looking much more baby friendly than I originally thought. I really had the feeling that from 3 years up there was tons to offer but younger than that not so much, but I now think that there will be more than enough to keep the little one busy. I'm happy not to spend much time chilling out on this trip especially as not too long before I'll have taken the WBPC where I don't intend to do much other than rest, read and relax, so this will be a complete contrast and I can't wait to see my granddaughter's face when she sees the characters, and I intend being on hand to help DD apart from if I go on any port adventures involving sightseeing.
I'll pass all this info onto my daughter.
Click to expand...

Sure thing! Our daughter also enjoyed the music throughout the ship, and we saw lots of little ones dancing in Promenade Lounge each night. If I can answer any questions, just ask away!
 
hamm1207 said:
Sure thing! Our daughter also enjoyed the music throughout the ship, and we saw lots of little ones dancing in Promenade Lounge each night. If I can answer any questions, just ask away!
Click to expand...
Thank you. I'm seeing my daughter tomorrow to talk the whole thing over and show her these posts so if she has any questions I'll get back to you.
 
I just cruised w my 16 mo daughter #3 last month. In addition to the things listed above, most of which we took advantage of, I found a few things helpful

-The wake up w disney junior program was fun and interactive and a character comes at the end to play (and we were up well before the 8:30 start time)
-There is the character breakfast: my little one LOVED meeting the characters!!!
-They had a couple movie times that were family friendly- not as dark or quiet, no one upset if you come and go
-I brought a collapsible bucket and a few small water toys and filled it with water from the pool, then I let her sit next to me on the pool deck and she played happily for quite a while while I relaxed (well sort of, I watched the other 2 play in the mickey pool)
-we used a bed with rails instead of the pack and play so it wasn't in the way all the time- she slept on the big bed at naptime- depends on the child's sleep habits
-On the first night we asked the waiter to bring fruit and steamed vegetables as soon as we hit the table and he did every day and this was a huge life saver along with a long sleeved/smock type bib that easily wiped off, they provided baby sized silverware and a cup and straw with a lid that worked fine but is not leak proof, so you may want to bring a sippy cup
- My little one liked the shows and sat through all of the Broadway style ones
- I was so glad that I brought lots of kid friendly snacks for excursions because they saved the day several times
 
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