Parks before or after?

[HatboxHaint]

Those with kids...do you like to go to the parks before or after your cruise? or Neither?

 

[FindMeAFishingSpot]

We've always done before. Run around like nuts at the park for several days, then we relax on the cruise for the remainder of the vacation.

 

[princessmocha]

We like the parks before. I feel like we are scrambling around the parks and then when we get on the ship, we start vacation and I can relax a whole lot more!

 

[jcjen519]

We like the cruise first. It's much harder for us to get off the ship and head to the airport. We visit disney a lot but cruise maybe once a year to year and a half. We like having a disney trip afterwards.

 

[mytripsandraces]

You missed an option: Park before AND after. On the last cruise that I did with children, we spent a week in the parks after the cruise and were exhausted. On our next cruise, some of us are going down early to go to the parks before the cruise, but will also spend the rest of the weekend there after the cruise.

 

[TPBChick]

You missed an option: Park before AND after. On the last cruise that I did with children, we spent a week in the parks after the cruise and were exhausted. On our next cruise, some of us are going down early to go to the parks before the cruise, but will also spend the rest of the weekend there after the cruise.

I agree with this option. We like to spend a couple of days before and then another couple of days after the cruise. We stay at two different resorts because we think it adds to the experience. I don't like to go to the parks too many days in a row. The cruise makes a perfect break. I also find this less stressful with going to/from the airport.

 

[Ravenne]

We did parks after. I would've liked to do them before, but scheduling didn't work out that way. In retrospect, I'm glad we did the parks after our cruise. The parks are exhausting, and had we done it before, I'm afraid we would've been too worn out to enjoy our cruise and the excursions planned. I didn't mind doing parks afterward, because we've done the parks many times so skipping something here and there wasn't a big deal (although we still got to do most if not all of what we wanted to) but since cruising and cruise destinations are newer to us, we got to enjoy those without being exhausted. Plus, going to the park after getting off the cruise made disembarkation less depressing and sad. We got to continue our vacation rather than rush off to the airport to go home.

 

[haj697]

Due to our touring style, we do the parks first and then the cruise. We prefer to use the cruise to relax from being on the go at the parks.

 

[NAB]

We like before, have done it both ways.

Found that when we did it after , the cruise got lost and as if we weren't on it in a long time even though it was a week before. WDW was like another vacation and got invested in that only talked about that one. Cruises are too expensive to have it go so fast then forgotten. If that makes sense.

 

[darkwing818]

We like to spend a couple of days before and then another couple of days after the cruise. We stay at two different resorts because we think it adds to the experience. I don't like to go to the parks too many days in a row. The cruise makes a perfect break. I also find this less stressful with going to/from the airport.

This is exactly what we have done for 12 out 13 cruises. Usually a couple of days before; followed up by 4+ days, at the parks, after our cruise.

 

[readytogotodisney]

We like the cruise first. It's much harder for us to get off the ship and head to the airport. We visit disney a lot but cruise maybe once a year to year and a half. We like having a disney trip afterwards.

This is us exactly.
We go to the parks every January, so we don't feel the need to rush through to do everything when we're there after a cruise other times of the year.
And it's just too sad to get off that boat and head home.

 

[grad201182]

Next May we are going to the park after the cruise. Really its up to everyone some do before the cruise and others go after the cruise.

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

We've always done before. Run around like nuts at the park for several days, then we relax on the cruise for the remainder of the vacation.

We like the parks before. I feel like we are scrambling around the parks and then when we get on the ship, we start vacation and I can relax a whole lot more!

Voted for parks before cruise for the same reasons as above

 

[mmouse37]

Have done it both ways but much prefer doing the parks first. I would not turn down a trip if we had to do the parks after the cruise, but before is our preference.

MJ

 

[NZMUM]

We like doing the parks after our cruise. It's depressing enough getting off the ship without having to go to the airport and home. Having WDW to look forward to after makes it a bit easier to leave the cruise .

 

[scrapshappen]

The only compelling reason I have heard for doing the parks after is that you can walk off all the extra calories consumed on board.

However, we chose to do the parks first for our next trip thinking we could use the first day or so of the cruise to get rested up before we start to hit ports. Love how well rested I felt after our first cruise and I would hate to spoil that by running around WDW for a week after.

 

[neoavatara]

I did the parks before on the last cruise...and it was depressing to go home directly from the port.

Reversed it for this round...will see how it goes!