10 months out and already second guessing.....

[uscgmouse]

So we booked a 3 night cruise in December 2013. I have been spending all my free time lurking around the cruise line forum and now I am second guessing my choice of cruise!

I have read that the 3 night cruises are a waste since you cannot enjoy the ship. I have also read that it is hard to relax because a lot of the people on the ship are running around trying to do it all. Since they only have 72 hours.

We could never afford a 7 night Disney cruise... So now I am looking at switching to a 7 night on Royal Caribbean.


I am so confused on what to do. I want to be able to enjoy our time on our ship....but now I am worried that I am gonna be rushed and won't have time to enjoy the cruise.

I have never cruised on Disney so I have no idea what to expect!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So we booked a 3 night cruise in December 2013. I have been spending all my free time lurking around the cruise line forum and now I am second guessing my choice of cruise!

I have read that the 3 night cruises are a waste since you cannot enjoy the ship. I have also read that it is hard to relax because a lot of the people on the ship are running around trying to do it all. Since they only have 72 hours.

We could never afford a 7 night Disney cruise... So now I am looking at switching to a 7 night on Royal Caribbean.


I am so confused on what to do. I want to be able to enjoy our time on our ship....but now I am worried that I am gonna be rushed and won't have time to enjoy the cruise.

I have never cruised on Disney so I have no idea what to expect!

You know, I'm so glad I didn't know anything about the DIS or Cruise Critic boards before our first cruise. I'd have been a real basket case.

Most of the things that people seem to obsess about here, can be resolved by the attitude "Whatever happens, we planned it that way".

Just relax, and enjoy what you can get done. And smile inwardly at the fools that are trying to do everything.

My #1 tip for cruising is don't try to do everything, you can't. As soon as you come to peace with that, you'll enjoy the cruise so much more. And have a better handle on what to plan to do the next time you go.

 

[disneypoor]

Hi! We are getting ready to do our 8th Disney Cruise and have also cruised on other lines. I definitely wouldn't say a 3 night cruise is a waste. Will it go by fast? Yes. Will it be a blast? Definitely. The 3 night cruise is a lot more rushed because people do feel like they have to do everything, but if you watch the boards and kind of know going in to your cruise what you know for sure you want to do, you will be fine. You just have to know that you probably won't get to do everything, and it's likely you could have some things planned that might not happen, but that even happens on 7 night cruises.

We have done all ranges and are getting ready to do a 5 night cruise. We got a great deal on it, so I'd say if you are just totally against the 3 night, try searching for one of the 4 or 5 night cruises and see if you can find a good deal. For us, Disney is our absolute favorite cruise line. We vacation a lot and have gone to some amazing places, yet our kids (17 and 14) always want to go back to DCL. That says something to me. Give them a try....even if it is on the 3 night.

Good luck with your decision!

Susan

 

[quickcat]

Our first cruise with Disney was a 3 nighter. I have to say it was great! It was on the Wonder, I never read anything on the boards before I went - which I think in some ways was a plus. That way I didnt know what I was missing!
You'll have a great time! Dont worry about being rushed, you'll only be rushed if thats what you choose. I think 3 nighters are a great get-away if you can do it. Dont let people deter you because they prefer a 7 night, go and see what you think.

 

[kcashner]

I don't like 3 night cruises. They are only 2 1/2 days, and not nearly long enough IMHO. If a 3 day is the most you can do...well, that's the way it is. On the other hand, a 4 night is a lot better than a 3 night. THe costs of getting to the port, etc. will not change whether you cruise 3,4, or 7 nights.

To save money, you can look at Kids Sail Free specials as well as other last minute bargains if your schedule can handle that. I would also take a 7 night in an inside cabin over a 3 night with a balcony.

 

[lodge]

We started with a 10 night, then did some shorter ones, and recently a 3 night. From our standpoint, our memories don't recall "time" but quality. We reminisce about the 3 day as we did the 10... it's the experiences that make it or break it, and Disney REALLY makes it something special (this coming from a lifelong "non" Disney person- just wasn't part of our lives as kids). I enjoy attention to detail and Disney does it superbly!

 

[NoodlesMom]

I can only afford to cruise the new ships on a three night . The Fantasy has been completely out of my price range. With that being said I LOVED my last 3 night dream cruise. I honestly didn't feel rushed and it was just enough to make me fall in love with the Dream. You could probably get a 5 night on a classic ship, but I would choose the Dream any day over the classics. I have a little under 50 days till I sail her again.

 

[BeeTeacher]

Our first cruise was a 3-nighter on DCL. was it too short? YES. Do we regret it--heck no! We had a great time and it was just dh and I. It was a great way to check out DCL, and while onboard we took advantage of the booking discount and book a 7 night for this spring.

Don't try to do everything, stay on board in Nassau (we got off and wish we had not), and enjoy!

 

[dizneekrazee]

If you don't mind sailing out of Galveston, there was an offer today on travelzoo for a 4 night on the Magic for $580 per person, plus Kids Sail Free. I don't know how many are in your party, but for a family of 4, this works out to be about $1300. This was for the April 16 sailing, but it said other dates were available too.

 

[kalc12345]

We have done 3 night cruises and had a GREAT time! We are going on another 3 night in Feb without the kids. Longer is always better but if 3 nights is all you can do go for it! You won't be able to do it all but do a little research and figure out what you want to do the most. You will have a fabulous time!!

 

[RedSox68]

Can you afford a 4-night? From a quick glance on the DCL site, it looks like they are about $300 more. We did a 4-night on the Dream in 2011 and loved it. You would get the extra day at sea to explore and relax. We've never done a 3-night, but some of my friends have and thought it was rushed and really flew by.

We've done 7, 10 and 11 night cruises on DCL, and the 4-night was fine for our needs and gave us plenty of time to explore the Dream and the activities.

 

[uscgmouse]

Thank you for all the info and thoughts!

Our issue is that my husband is Active duty military and his leave time can be changed by his command at any moment. So we aren't even sure if we can go on the one we booked.

Also we go to Orlando for Christmas to see MIL and family. So I figured we could just buy 1 set of plane tickets this year and knock our Christmas and a cruise at once.

I think I am going to keep this one booked but I may see about taking another longer cruise if we can get a good deal out of a different port or if we can get a great deal on a last minute deal or something.

 

[STLEdge]

Our first Disney cruise was 3 nights. We thought it was amazing. We didn't feel rushed or stressed to "do everything." We stayed on the boat in Nassau and enjoyed ourselves, got to see all 3 shows and had such a fantastic time, we booked another cruise while onboard, taking advantage of the discount.

Of course a 7-night cruise would be better, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't go on a 3-night cruise. You don't mention if you are bringing kids, but for us, the 3-night let us "test" out cruising with ours (who were 4 and 6 at the time) - I think we would have been more panicked if our first cruise had been 7 nights.

I'd echo the above posters that advise relaxing - December's a long time away and you can drive yourself crazy between now and then looking at all the stuff there is to do. You'll have a blast on a 3-day cruise on the Dream, and maybe you'll end up booking another cruise for 2014 while you're onboard!

 

[MagicMe]

My normal recommendation for people thinking about cruising DCL is to take the 4-day mostly to give you that day at sea to really experience the ship. However, any cruise is better than none! I would have no hesitation on taking a 3-day. I would use that to relax and would most definitely not get off at Nassua.

I've been on three 4-day cruises (2 on the Wonder and one on the Dream) and loved all three! I actually looked at the 2-days they were offering when the Magic was cruising out of New York but that pricing was just down right ridiculous!!

The shorter cruises are a great way to break the ice on cruising and see if you really like it.

GO AND ENJOY!!!

 

[stsomewhere]

So we booked a 3 night cruise in December 2013. I have been spending all my free time lurking around the cruise line forum and now I am second guessing my choice of cruise!

I have read that the 3 night cruises are a waste since you cannot enjoy the ship. I have also read that it is hard to relax because a lot of the people on the ship are running around trying to do it all. Since they only have 72 hours.

We could never afford a 7 night Disney cruise... So now I am looking at switching to a 7 night on Royal Caribbean.


I am so confused on what to do. I want to be able to enjoy our time on our ship....but now I am worried that I am gonna be rushed and won't have time to enjoy the cruise.

I have never cruised on Disney so I have no idea what to expect!

Due to cost, my family is sailing on a 10 night southern carribbean on NCl on 12/22.
It was the same price for us as DCl 4 night.

We love DCL and are sailing on an 8 night in March. But, are looking forward to the different ports on NCL.

 

[uscgmouse]

Well my husband is gonna kill me when he comes home and finds out what I did!!!

I called RCL and put down a deposit for a 7 night carribean cruise for December 15th 2013. I was able to get an aft balcony room for less than the price of a DCL 4 night cruise.

So as of now I have both a Disney cruise and a RCL cruise booked for the same week! I just need to sit down with dh and see which one he will rather do.

I like the idea of the longer cruise on RCL and I like that the kids club age groups are divided up seperatly. So instead of my 3 year old being in a giant area with ages 3-11 he will be in a group with children 3-5.

It is such a huge deal for us to be able to go on vacations I just want to make sure we get what we want for our money.

I may have to take a few years to save for a longer DCL cruise.

 

[ratt1345]

Just relax, and enjoy what you can get done. And smile inwardly at the fools that are trying to do everything.

My #1 tip for cruising is don't try to do everything, you can't. As soon as you come to peace with that, you'll enjoy the cruise so much more. And have a better handle on what to plan to do the next time you go.

Princess, I had to laugh when I read this. I do this when I go to WDW. I shake my head and say, "You're ruining your time at WDW and making others miserable." That said, I completely agree with you.