Hi, Julie!
Thanks for sailing by the Disney Parks Moms Panel with your questions! It's so great that you're already planning for next year's Disney Cruise Line vacation. You will receive the best rates and stateroom availability the sooner you book your cruise! You're asking some really excellent questions regarding sailing with a toddler. I'm happy to share my thoughts and experiences while cruising with my little buccaneer.
My son is not quite 3-years old, yet, and has a blast onboard! He loves all the music and characters during the deck parties. On our last cruise, we went to the "Disney Junior Pirate & Princess Dance Party" and had so much fun! The
character meet and greets are also a hit with my tiny traveler! Another activity onboard that my son couldn't get enough of is the splash zone! Each ship has a designated water area with fountains and bubblers for those cruisers who are not yet toilet trained to splash and squeal in!
If you have an adventuresome crew, I suggest taking a peek at the different family-friendly
Port Adventures that the Disney Cruise Line offers and seeing if you find a couple that your toddler would enjoy. If you choose an itinerary with multiple ports of call but decide it's a little too much for your smallest sailor to go on excursions, don't worry! You can stay on the ship while it's docked at each port. Your Personal Navigator newsletter will have all the activities for the day listed so you can still enjoy the ship's amenities rather than venturing ashore. I've often found that the water play areas are less crowded on afternoons when the ship is visiting a port of call.
Please let us know if you have any further questions while planning for your cruise next year!
Beth