Disney family cruising is marvelous!

10/2/20084:20:37 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Smart parents base their choice of ship on their children's ages, and Disney excels with infants and toddlers. On most ships your child must be three and potty-trained to be left in the child-care facility—diapers and pull-ups are forbidden—but Disney cares for kids starting at three months, and its counselors are licensed to change diapers (which means parents aren't forced to return to the kiddie club every time their child needs changing). While most ships don't allow swim diapers in any pools, the Wonder's wading pool is an exception, and there's a splash zone with interactive fountains, so even if your toddler can't swim he can still burn off a whole lot of energy. The Wonder's staterooms make life easier for families too: With one and a half bathrooms, neither tots nor parents ever have to wait for a toilet. Other shipboard features include a waterslide that leads into a pool shaped like Mickey's head, illuminated walls that change color in the Animator's Palette restaurant, live musicals based on cartoons, and a pirate party (note: BYO costumes) complete with fireworks display. Parents will appreciate the adults-only pool, hot tub, spa, fitness center, and restaurant, as well as the kid-free beach on Disney's private island, Castaway Cay, one of the Wonder's stops. The nightly shows typically skew their earlier performance to a family crowd, the later one to adults. Sister ship Disney Magic is also child-friendly, but the Wonder offers shorter sailings—only three or four nights long—allowing first-time cruising families to get their toes wet before committing to a week at sea.