My family of five (Dad and Mom in 40s, three boys aged 12, 10, and 6) have traveled extensively, but have never done a cruise. We are not all-inclusive types. We prefer to seek out local restaurants, learn a bit of the local language if we're abroad, learn about and participate in local culture. However, despite some trepidation that a cruise would be too cushy and artificial, we splurged on a Disney cruise the week of 2/18. I figured we would enjoy it a bit and could cross "cruise" off our list of things to try.
Two days into our 7-night E. Caribbean cruise aboard the Disney Magic, we were already making plans for the next cruise.
Stateroom: After considering a category 4 Veranda family suite, we booked two connecting category 9 staterooms on Deck 2. While it would have been very nice to have the outside veranda, we definitely appreciated having two toilets, two showers, a bit more privacy (Mom and Dad in one stateroom, the three boys in the other) and about 100 sq. feet more room. And it cost nearly $1000 less.