For our first cruise ever...would the 4-night be enough?

[3kids4me]

We are planning our first Disney Cruise ever in 2006, if we can afford it.

Obviously the four night cruise is less expensive than the seven night. But...would it be "worth it" to spend all that money on just the four night, where you only stop at two places? (And how kid-friendly is Nassau anyway?)

Would it be better to splurge on the seven night. Would the four night be dissapointing for us?

I know this is a subjective question, but I really appreciate the input.

Thanks!

 

[mamalle]

we are trying the 4 day first since we have two small kids ages 3 and 4 at time of travel. dh thinks it would be too much for their first cruise do to a 7. he wanted a full day out at sea so we opted for the 4 instead of the 3. we will see..

 

[DepCor0311]

If it is your very first cruise ever, I would definately try a shorter trip. Although the Disney ships are great, and I'm sure your won't find anyone here who feels this way...There are some people who don't like cruising. I have heard people complain of feeling "trapped" on a boat. Additionally, motion effects everyone differently. (Side note...I love cruising...I am not one of these people...in other words...nobody flame me ) But anyway, I would reccomend a shorter cruise for a first one and if you enjoy it, save up for a longer one in the future. Personally, I am a big fan of the Land/Sea.

 

[DisneyBill]

We've only taken the 7 day cruises, and of course wish those were longer. However, a good friend of ours (that just went with us this past August on the 7 nite western) took the 4 day a year before and really wished they had done the 7 day the first time. Don't think they would ever consider a shorter cruise in the future.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

would it be "worth it" to spend all that money on just the four night, where you only stop at two places?

You realize when you're on the cruise that the fun and relaxation is on the ship!! We thought the same thing as you originally so did a 4 day as our first cruise. We booked a shore excursion in one port and were so mad at ourselves later since we missed most of the day on the ship! On our 2nd 4 day we stayed onboard and had a great time. We just booked the 7 day and are looking forward to those At Sea days! There is so much to do you can't do it all on one cruise. So don't worry about the ports - you can get off if you like but your "prepaid" fun is right onboard!! Have fun, you're gonna love it!!

 

[KMovies]

I would say that the four day is a great start to see if you like cruising - and the 7 day a great follow up.

On the four day, you get the day at sea, rotation dining and great shows.

Then when you come back for the 7 day, there are all of the elements of the four day PLUS a lot of extra shows, activities, different ports, etc. to make that trip interesting.

So you have two great vacation experiences.

 

[suz72]

I definately think that you can't go wrong with a 4 night for your first cruise. You could even rebook a 7 night while on board!

That being said, we are also in your situation. We have never cruised (DH, myself, DD4, DD2), so we just booked a cruise that is 2 years away so that we have plenty of time to save for it. For some reason a 4 night was never an option for us. We are doing a 7 night Western. DH & I have always wanted to visit Grand Cayman.

Hope you get to cruise, whether it is 4 or 7 nights!
Susan

 

[logan1_2000]

The total cash outlay is certainly higher for the 7 night than the 4 night (duh!). But the cost per day of your vacation is lower on the 7 day than the 4. And your time, trouble and expense in packing and getting there is a constant--do you depreciate that process over 4 days, or 7? This viewpoint shows my bias--I prefer the 7 day, and I have done both on DCL, and a 4 day elsewhere.

As others have accurately portrayed--1st time cruisers are often encouraged to try out a 4 nighter first before locking yourself into a full week just in case you discover that you do not like the entire style of vacationing that cruising represents. And I think many would agree, on a four night first ever cruise, just as you get the hang of crusing and discover what you like, it is time to put your suitcases outside the door for debarkation the next morning The do a 4 first, then book the 7 on-board philosophy is great--I did it, but I don't know how your travel budget agrees with that,and you did use the phrase "if we can afford it" or something like that,so I won't presume to spend your money for you.

Finally, the destinations are better on the 7 day, any itinerary. Its warmer, just in case your trip might be during a time of year when the bahamas are only marginally okay for swimming (CC was chilly in mid-January 2003). On the flip side, the Wonder is the finest ship available for shorter, 3-4 day cruises--most other lines relegate their older ships without state of the art features to the short trips (NEVER SAIL ON THE EMPRESS OF THE SEAS!!!).

My bottom line?Odds really are that if you like "Disney", you can get better VALUE for the larger cost outlay on the 7 day cruise. But whatever you choose,do go DCL for sure!!

 

[crisi]

We did the four for our first cruise and loved it. We are now booked on a seven in 2006.

But I'm glad we did the four day for our first cruise.

Most of the fun is on the ship. If you want to go to the Bahamas or Mexico - don't cruise. A day on shore here and there is enough time to stop, do an excursion (which are very similar from island to island) and get back on the ship.

But there are downsides to cruising. The cabins can get a little tight with a family of four after a few days - I'm not looking forward to day six of our cruise. Some people do get seasick. If your kids like to swim, the pools are small - swim vacations are better on land. Some kids don't like the kids clubs, don't like a two hour long dinner, and that can really change your vacation.

 

[TheWog]

I'd say if you can do it, go for the 7 day. We had a blast on the 7 day eastern as our first cruise ever and would have definitely felt the 4 day too short. That's just our personal experience. The ports were kid friendly and you have an extra day at sea to enjoy the ship and all it has to offer.

 

[jwann]

Our first Disney cruise was a 4-day and we were thrilled with it. You get a day at sea with a 4-day. Since then, we booked a 3-day and a 7-day. I think if you've never cruised before a 4-day is a perfect "get your feet wet" cruise!

 

[Muushka]

We did our first cruise as a 7 day, and kind of regretted it. I agree with the others that a 4 day is a great way to see if you like it. We have booked a 4 day cruise for our second one.

I know that we are not the norm, but I would rather leave the ship wishing that I could stay longer than leave the ship wishing I could have gotten off sooner. But that's us!

 

[dclwdwlover]

Another vote to start with a 4-day for the same reasons as others said, see if you like cruising and get adjusted to what it's like. Since there are several of you cruising, there could be several different experiences for the first time. If everyone enjoys it, you can always book something longer for the next time.

My family & I love to cruise & we typically don't get off at Nassau on the 4-day, either - we feel that our vacation is the ship & Castaway Cay. Besides worrying about not getting as good an experience from another line, one of the things that has prevented us from trying others, such as RCCL, is that they don't offer shorter cruises with a newer ship like Disney does.

As you said, it is a subjective question and you will be getting votes here for each cruise & each one is wonderful, but my personal feeling is that for beginning a 3-day is too short & a 7-day is too long.

 

[PoohJen]

You didn't say how old your kids are; that could factor into your decision.

I've never cruised before, but I knew that for me, the 4 day would be too short. My kids (boys - 7,7 and 11) are the type that will love the club/lab activities. I also went for the 7 day with the fewest ports - want to get the most from the ship.

Keep in mind that we've recently visited WDW, so we didn't mind substituting 7 day cruise instead of a Land/Sea. If you've not done WDW, or really want Land/Sea, then that factors into your decision too.

Good Luck - either way, you've decided to cruise, and that decision is a winner!

 

[antmaril]

We have cruised before and we are taking the 4-day Wonder in February (our first time on DCL). Although we like cruising, we don't LOVE it. I think four days will be perfect. Just long enough. We are looking forward to Castaway Cay and we will stay on the ship while in Nassau. I'm not a big fan.

I think a four day cruise is a great way to introduce yourselves to cruising.

Enjoy!

 

[KMovies]

One other thing to consider:

You just have to sail on both the Wonder and the Magic. Although they are identical in most aspects, the differences are nice too. I really like the Wonder better than the Magic.

 

[jdm]

We did our first cruise in Feb 2001 on the 4 day Wonder with 2 adults and DD8 and DN11. I posted this exact question and got relatively the same responses. In the end we chose the 4 day because DH was a little aprehensive, his only cruising experience being the Navy;~)

Our cruise had a Freeport stop so we stopped somewhere every day. The first stop was Nassau and we went to Atlantis. Fun, but tons of rushing to get there, lots of walking, and "hard play" all day. Then Freeport, got off and did some shopping and got both the girls hairbraided which took most of the afternoon. Then CC, wonderful, warm, great day.

I was so completely exhausted and FULL after these 4 days. I never once laid on a lawn (woops, make that deck) chair, saw a movie, mosied around. It was like, get up, get off, do what we have planned, get back, get to the show, have dinner, etc. etc. etc. I was DEAD! When people say to do land, sea with sea last so you can relax, I alway laugh to myself. In my wildest dreams I cannot imagine doing a cruise AND WDW in 7 days and still be able to stand to board your flight home!!

On our last night, I polled the family to see if anyone was sorry we hadn't done the 7 day and all votes were happy we'd done the 4. I strongly feel this was because we were heading to a very large condo the next day and a 7 day vacation in Orlando with lots of fun things planned like Univeral and Discovery Cove which we were able to take at a much more relaxed pace. We were very ready to rest, sleep, and spread out.

Having said all this, I realize our experience was due largely in what we did with our time. If we had taken it slower or had a day at sea, we might not have felt the same way. We have another 4 day booked for Feb and I have planned NOTHING. We are just going to go with the flow. I intend to lay on some comfy deck chairs, stroll around the ship and sleep in if I feel like it!! We may have considered the 7 day but by the time we booked it was well over twice the price of the 4 day.

So much depends on the way you travel, the ages of your kids, if you are adding on any time before or after your cruise. I think it would be a huge letdown to jump on a plane, cruise for 4 days and then head straight home.

Good luck with your choice... and when you do cruise, don't try to do everything as I did. It'll kill ya :~)

Jenn

 

[dclwdwlover]

Originally posted by KMovies
One other thing to consider:

You just have to sail on both the Wonder and the Magic. Although they are identical in most aspects, the differences are nice too. I really like the Wonder better than the Magic.

KMovies - Do you mind elaborating on what you like better on the Wonder than the Magic? Just curious. Did the Magic in 1998 & it's been the Wonder for the past 2 sailings & doing Magic again in January. Thanx.

 

[Ratt45]

DW and I did 2 4-night cruises to start. We are going on our first 7-night cruise in December. I'd say, do the 4-night first because in the event you do get sea-sick(which most don't), you haven't wasted a whole week. Mark my words, either on board or when you get home, you WILL book a 7-night cruise. We found out that we just ran out of time and wanted to do more. Have fun whichever cruise you choose.

 

[joepoe]

Thanks for all the feedback. We just booked a 4 day for Spring Break 2006, followed by 3 days at BWV. We have plenty of time to plan! (Half the fun!)