Welcome aboard, Kathleen! My family loves sailing with Disney Cruise Line during the winter as it really is the perfect time to escape the cold and set out to sea with Captain Mickey! I'm sure you'll enjoy leaving the snow behind to head south too!
We, too, give our kids Disney Gift Cards before we set sail, and it's worked out really well. A few things you should know about them though. Because the ship is cashless, you'll be using your Key To The World Card to pay for any extras onboard and at Castaway Cay. This will charge your stateroom account which you settle with your credit card on file the last day.
However, Disney Gift Cards can be used a couple different ways. First of all, they are accepted as payment in the gift shops onboard the ship, so your kids can purchase their own souvenirs. Now, if they want to spend them elsewhere, they won't be able to do that, as the bars and arcade only take the Key To The World Card as payment. You can, however, take Disney Gift Cards down to Guest Services and they are happy to apply those as credits on your stateroom account. If you'd like to purchase play credits on the Quarter Masters Arcade play card, you can do so in
Quarter Masters with the Key To The World Card, or if you want the kids to see the direct correlation of their money on the gift card going to the play card, take the play card to Guest Services to have an amount from the gift card added to the play card. They may have to put it on your stateroom account first, then deduct it, but for the kids' benefit, sometimes it's nice to have them make the exact payment in person. I know my kids are better money managers if they physically have to pay for things themselves!
I hope those details help as you continue planning your winter get-away, Kathleen! Stop back if you have any other questions before you set sail! I'm happy to help!