I took my 4 year old on Disney’s newest cruise ship and I wasn’t prepared for the outcome
What does it mean when a child is “a good traveler”? Some parents claim that this is the time when their little one can sleep anywhere, while others might say that it’s the child who is usually pretty docile. My four-year-old son is neither, but I’ve always considered him a good traveler. He is outgoing, adventurous and easily adaptable. But his first Disney cruise was unlike any trip we’d taken before, and he’s been jet-setting since he was three months old.
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Disney Treasure is a near carbon copy of its sister, Disney Wish, except for its own unique experiences: the headlining production show “The Tale of Moana”; Plaza de Coco, a dining and musical entertainment venue; and tapping into the nostalgia of parents and caregivers, The Haunted Mansion Parlor, an immersive bar that pays homage to the circa 1971 Disney World ride.
Our three-night Disney Treasure Cruise taught me a lot about my son, myself, and what it really means for a child to be a good traveler. Here are my four key takeaways.
1. Disney Treasure offers 24-hour entertainment brimming with magic, and that was a lot for my son to handle.
Disney’s ships bring the happiest place on earth to the high seas, and for fans of “Moana” and “Coco” in particular, Disney Treasure is an opportunity to savor many of their favorite characters. But it was a lot for my son to bear. He cried for – what some might consider “no reason” – all the reasons he should, like being in shock after meeting a character in “real life”, or not being able to run to his room at home, when he started to cry. feeling overwhelmed.
We never pushed him to take pictures with characters or try anything that made him nervous. Despite our conscious approach, we still encountered sudden outbursts mid-dinner; unexpected face-to-face moments, like my son stripping down to his underwear during “The Tale of Moana” and running down the aisle, which we later learn was his way of telling us he was tired; and the countless times he fell into my arms sobbing “I want to go home.”
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Then there were times when his jaw would drop, his eyes would widen, and he would turn to me with the happiest sense of wonder. It was at that moment that I realized that although much of the experience was challenging for him, some of his dreams could still come true.
2. The most child-friendly cabins in the industry have made way for prodigious naps.
No other cruise line designs its cabins with as much attention to families as Disney does, on all of its ships. From separate bathrooms to “hidden” storage spaces to privacy curtains, those with kids will find all the amenities they didn’t even know they needed, with fun decor and bedding to boot. I also learned that the living space in Disney Treasure’s Deluxe Ocean View Veranda Family Cabin—one of our favorite cabins for families who need more space—was essentially designed to accommodate Slumberpods (my new favorite travel item).
These design features allowed my son to nap, a prodigious feat since he stopped bringing them home over a year ago. With tons of overstimulating entertainment starting at dawn (because why would we sleep on vacation?), I knew his usual 30 minutes of quiet time wouldn’t be enough to recharge his battery for dinner and the evening festivities.
Did naps require a little bribery? (“If you take a nap, we can go get ice cream from Jumbeaux’s Sweets when you wake up.”) Absolutely. Did they also ask me to climb into the Slumberpod like a contortionist and snuggle up to him until he started dozing? You bet. But it was all worth it, and we wouldn’t have been able to do it so “easily” if the cabin hadn’t been set up the way it was, with all the crucial little touches that made it feel like home. ‘he had done it. his own room.
3. The new design of the children’s pool deck makes it much easier to supervise and contain your children.
Even though Disney is the only major cruise line to have lifeguards on board, it goes without saying that parents are still responsible for keeping an eye on their children at all times. Disney Treasure, along with Disney Wish, makes this more manageable – at least from the perspective of a parent whose child likes to run around – in what feels like a private patio space.
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Nestled on Deck 12 along the Funnel, you’ll find the interactive Toy Story Splash Zone, a small pool, and the Slide-a-Sauras Rex waterslide (suitable for those at least 38 inches tall). Unlike other ships that have a splash pad and kiddie pools right in the middle of all the action on the main pool deck, Disney Treasure offers a more enclosed area for families, while the splash area is fenced with plexiglass.
With the way the space is designed, our son was never tempted to lead us on a wild goose chase to the ice cream station or other nearby attractions because they weren’t to his liking. notice.
4. On Disney Treasure, kids can still be good travelers, even if they’re not “good.”
In the throes of the newborn stage, we parents are often asked if our baby is “fine,” implicitly implying that he or she is sleeping through the night. Does this mean he or she is not well when he or she cries (er, communicates his or her needs) every two hours in the middle of the night? I probably think about it too much. However, as a parent who enjoys traveling with my children, I am often asked if they are good in a different role, when we are on the road.
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Over the course of our three nights at Disney Treasure, my son found new ways to communicate his feelings and needs. Most importantly, he felt comfortable being himself not only with us, but also with the crew (while following the rules, of course). They engaged him in conversation “on his level” and even gave him the opportunity to make his own choices about what he wanted to order on the restaurant menu (obviously with Mom’s approval, and obviously always Mickey waffles).
Disney Treasure, like all Disney ships, is not just designed for families; he East family. I now find myself redefining why I have always considered my son a good traveler. He wasn’t as easily adaptable on this trip as he was on others, and he certainly wasn’t as adventurous. And he’s always a good traveler, because he’s a good child.
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