Mom and daughter on Expedition Everest; Animal Kingdom
  • On Jan 22, 2012
    Linda from TN Asked Note: This answer was provided prior to the change to planDisney and may still contain references to Disney Parks Moms Panel.

    Experiences, policies, pricing and other offerings are subject to change and may have changed since the date of this answer.

    Coming to DW in Oct and was wondering if you had to choose between the MNSSHP and the Pirates and Pal fireworks cruise which would you choose?..Have two toddlers 3 and 2 and an 8 year old....Not sure I can afford both...Thanks fo all your answers

    Hi Linda,

    A bit of this depends on the stamina of your children, but if your kids are anything like mine were when they were younger, then I'm going to vote for the Pirates and Pals cruise. Here's why:

    I love, love, love the Halloween party. The characters are wearing cool costumes, you get to trick or treat in the Magic Kingdom, there's a headless horseman at the start of the parade - all super fun. And your eight-year-old would have a grand time. However, the hours of the Halloween party are 7:00 p.m. until midnight. I can barely stay awake for the entire thing, I'd be surprised if toddlers could do this. When my kids were preschoolers, they usually went to bed around 7:30 or 8:00. I might be able to push them to stay awake a bit longer, but if I did, I'd pay the price the next day with cranky kiddos. Your two-year-old is free to enter the Halloween party, but my fear is that you'll pay the fee for the 3-year-old and he or she will fall asleep before even the first parade.

    I also enjoy the Pirates and Pals cruise, but the shorter duration of this means that your kids might actually be awake for most of it. He focus here is comedy and characters. The cruise is lead by a humorous pirate named Patch (think puns, puns, puns) and ends with a private character greeting experience. Here too, I think the 8-year-old will get much more out of the experience than either of your younger kids.

    To think outside the box for a second. Have you considered taking just your older child on one of these special excursions and leaving the younger ones with either your partner or a sitter. Disney contracts with a great sitting service, Kid's Nite Out, who will send certified caregivers to your room. Many of the moms on this panel have used them with great success.

    Good luck with your planning, please let us know if you need more input.
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Meet the Panelist: Erin, New York

I have three teenage daughters. We're DVC members obsessed with Disney travel. We've been to Walt Disney World countless times and have visited Disneyland & Disneyland Paris. We've taken several Adventures by Disney and Disney Cruise trips. Learn More About Erin

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