Disney World before or after cruise?

[JRH1841]

How do you decide to make the Disney World part of the trip before or after the cruise? Thanks for any input.

 

[pgbear]

Before. All the walking and crowds. Think about it.

 

[JavaHound]

Keep in mind that I'm a 'local' and don't have to travel more than an hour to either DW or the Port, but having been on a few cruises and to DW more times than I can count, I'd view the cruise as a relaxing way to unwind after the parks. Not sure I'd want to do them in the other order.

 

[monkeygirl]

We have done it both ways but enjoy doing the cruise after WDW. After running around theme parks for days it's nice to end the vacation with the cruise. It just feels more laid back and relaxing.

 

[KBinCO]

before. We went after and my kids thought it was THE WORST compared to the cruise. They hated it and just kept saying they wished they were still on the boat.

 

[mmouse37]

We have done both depending on that vacation's circumstances but I MUCH prefer doing WDW first. I agree that after all the running around of WDW and paying out of pocket it is fantastic to relax on the ship and not have to worry about dipping into the pocket to pay for everything.

Totally personal choice.

MJ

 

[missyp]

Another vote for DW first. In my opinion the cruise is the better and more relaxing part of the trip. This way I find I am excited about DW and excited about the cruise, the vacation just keeps getting better. The other way I think I would find DW as a let down.

 

[JRH1841]

Thank you for the quick answers. That is very helpful!

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Another vote for cruise after WDW. The service on the ship is unmatchable. After one cruise we stayed concierge at the Polynesian and the service there wasn't even close to the ship, it was a huge letdown

 

[JoeFromSeoul]

We are going before out of necessity. That was the only way the school break dates matched up with the cruise dates. However - I agree with those who see the cruise as a great way to unwind after the hustle-and-bustle of the park.

 

[ChasRN]

I prefer going to Disney World after the cruise. The cruise gets us in the Disney mood and we are well rested and ready to hit the parks. We are always exhausted from our Disney World trip and I'm afraid we would do nothing but sleep on the ship if we did WDW first. Also, I can't imagine going from the ship to the airport. That would be too depressing!

 

[phinz]

First for us. That way we will be tired from all the walking and just want to relax on the boat.

 

[Brancaneve]

In my opinion, I prefer cruising first but for sake of vanity! Before the trip I get my nails done, possibly a spray tan, hair removal, have been working out and watching what I eat, etc. Normally I don't spend much time on my appearance.....really! But when I hit the parks first, my tan fades, my polish chips, I indulge in park treats and so on. Essentially, my carriage turns into a pumpkin and My dress turns into rags!

I've also found that after a cruise I'm so sad to leave that I am thrilled to enjoy some more magic before heading home. It's so sad to get off the ship and go straight to the airport.

Have a great time!

 

[DreamerWDW]

I am planning on going to WDW before the cruise. That way we can relax on the cruise after doing the parks.

 

[tuffyco]

We had this same question before our first cruise and 90% of the answers we got were WDW first and then cruise. We originally booked that way and had to change to cruise first based on my DH's work schedule and I'm so glad we did.

In our case our kids had been to WDW several times and this was the first cruise. They were so excited for the cruise and I believe if we would have done WDW first all they would have thought about the whole time in the parks was "when's the cruise".

We also were less disappointed getting off the ship and continuing our vacation than rushing off to the airport. Also, having all the walking after the cruise helped us walk off the cruise food.

 

[readytogotodisney]

I prefer going to Disney World after the cruise. The cruise gets us in the Disney mood and we are well rested and ready to hit the parks. We are always exhausted from our Disney World trip and I'm afraid we would do nothing but sleep on the ship if we did WDW first. Also, I can't imagine going from the ship to the airport. That would be too depressing!

This exactly. It's too sad to go from Disney to cruise to home. We like to ease back into everyday life by going to Disney first.
Because that's closer to my everyday life

We do fly in the day or two days before our cruise and stay at a Disney hotel, but we don't do the parks then.
For our next cruise we fly in two days before and are staying at Pop, we're only flying in that early bc it's a Saturday, my DH already has the time off work, and the flights were cheaper then flying in on Sunday. After our cruise we have another 3 days at DW, but only 1.5 days will be in the parks.

 

[MaleficentRN]

We went after and I regretted it. I didn't feel all that relaxed after our cruise from squeezing in three days at the parks. Before you know it, you're off to the airport, on your way home and you're exhausted.

 

[momof2n2]

Cruise first. Then parks.
It's SUCH a downer disembarking. Knowing you still have a little something to enjoy helped me as we left port

 

[TPBChick]

We like to split up going to the parks. We go to WDW for a couple of days before and after the cruise. We find that to be the most relaxing.

 

[belac]

We did WDW after first time. the second time we hated getting off ship and rush to airport, too shocking. The first time we knew that running around the parks would be exhausting, so we do what we do on the ship....don't expect to do everything.
We set our dining ressies, only get on rides we could get FP for (old days with the card thingy) and if we get to do more then that great, but we also took time to enjoy the resort pool which we didn't really do on board ship. So yes After for us, from now on.