Thinking of a 4 day after being on a 7 day..good or bad idea?

[squirrelgirl]

Hi all!

My family has still not gotten over the trip to Mexico this past summer. Rarely a day goes by when my little ones aren't talking about the DCL...seriously, it must be a sickness

I wanted your input on a 4 day. Is it a let down after a 7 day? Other than being shorter (duh, I know), what else should I know? How else is it different. Is it still worth doing, or is it a little bit of a let down after doing the full week?

I am looking at 2007, and if the Magic is going to the Med like rumor has it, then I know we can't go. It will be enough to get us all out to FL from the West Coast. My problem is that my 5 y.o. son is constantly asking when we can go on the Mickey Ship again. He has some special needs, and the trip this past summer was, without exagguartion, transformative for him. We have told him we will go again when he is 7...so now he smiles and tells everyone he is 7 years old. I know I can't let him down.

So what do you think? Is a 4 day still ok to do after such a great first time experieince?

Thanks

 

[Muushka]

We did a 7 day last year (but not the best of experiences-rough seas). We just did the 4 night Christmas cruise. Quite honestly, I think we both preferred the 4 night as opposed to the 7 niight. Of course the cruise itself was better than the 7 night (calm waters), but I didn't feel wrestless like I did on the Magic. Good luck!

 

[dairyou]

We did a 4 day after our 7 day cruise (with RCCL though) and had a great time! Coming from the West Coast like you it made it easier then coming home that day. Usually you get off the ship around 8:00 but have to allow to 10 or 11 in case something happens. Then we are stuck in Orlando until 1 or 2. Not enough time to visit a park, maybe enough time to go have lunch and waste time at DTD. By the time you get on the plane at 2 or 3 you don't get home until 8 or 9 here in California.

If you decide to extend your trip to WDW then your vacation is not over yet! That's a plus in itself

Have you been to WDW before?

Deb

 

[DisneyBill]

Well, of course it is a sickness. -And very wide spread, and easily caught.

We had only done the 7's, until last year my DW went on the 4 with her mother, sister, and neice. DW picked the 4 instead of the 7 because she wasn't sure she could take 7 with her DM (DW's words).

Now all they talk about was how short it was, how much they wished CC would have been the last day of the cruise like the 7's are. (Guess CC isn't the last day)

DW thinks it is somewhat of a waste of travel expense and arrangements to only do the 4's. Just 2 cents worth.

 

[WDWLVR]

We've done 3 days, 4 days, 7 days and 10 days. We have both a 7 day and a 4 day planned for next year. The nice thing about taking a 4 day after you have already cruised on DCL is that you already know your way around the ship. As long as I have one sea day in I'm happy.

 

[westjones]

We love the 4 night! It is our favorite. There are two chances to make it to CC (if the weather is bad the first day, they try the next day). Also, by having a day at sea on your last day you don't have to rush around to pack right after getting back on the ship from CC. If you have kids and they are going to be in the farewell show, you don't feel rushed getting them to that after getting back on the ship on CC day (since on the 4 night the show is on the day at sea). Also, on the 4 night, you still have a couple of days at the end that you can go over to WDW before ending a week's vacation (and we can only do one week at a time).

So this is the one we will be doing in the future. I think you will like it. Sure it will seem like it ends too quickly, but honestly, you feel that with the 7 night also. It is just hard to leave the ship no matter what.

DJ

 

[dairyou]

Duh...I just notice I totally misunderstood what you were asking!

Please disregard my stupidness

Deb

 

[lbgraves]

IMO a 3 or 4 day is just too rushed. If your DS enjoyed himself on the 7 day, there will be alot of things that he wont get to do on the 4 day. I would have to consider what someone else said about the travel expense being more worth it for a 7 day as well. Even after 3 7 day cruises, it still takes my family a day or two to get adjusted to life on the ship & relax completely.

 

[tigger53]

we did a 4 day cruise followed by two nights at wdw and then boarded the magic for our seven day cruise. we all had a great time and enjoyed the break between the two cruises.

 

[2disneycruzrs]

We did a 4-night last month after having done a 4 then a 7. Even though this was our least activity-packed cruise, it seemed rushed. As soon as we were unpacked, it felt like we were re-packing not much later. Part of me wishes we had done a 7 but financially, we were glad to do the 4 and see her decorated for the holidays. Unfortunately, with DH's work schedule, it seems we'll be stuck with 4's. I would definitely NOT do a 3. But any DCL cruise is great no matter the length as we all know.

 

[MommaluvsDis]

I've been on a 7 and a 4. While it is a little rushed, it was nice to sail on the 4 day Wonder. The 7 was, of course, on the Magic. If you can, try going to the parks for a couple of days afterwards or before. That's kind of a nice addition. I like going after the cruise because we have to be off the ship so early and that gives us a little something to look forward to.

 

[nzdisneymom]

We did a 7-night in December and have a 4-night scheduled for this coming December because the Magic is doing 10-nights and was out of our price range. We'd rather do a 4-night than a zero-night, KWIM?

We know a 4-night will fly by (shoot, so did the 7-night) but as others have said, we won't lose time wandering around lost on the ship, we'll know better what we want to do / not do, and regarding the shows, if we miss one we've already seen, no big deal. We loved our At Sea days and also Castaway Cay.

I tried to convince DH that we should do a 4-night / 3-night combination and just consider Port Canaveral as a port-day while we waited to pick up the new passengers, but he wasn't keen on doing the same cruise back to back - I told him we could do Nassau 1/2 a day each time and we'd get to double-dip at Castaway Cay, and re: the shows, we didn't have to go and could do other things like see movies or whatever... I'm still workin' on him but don't foresee a change of heart, so I'm glad to have the 4-night - and I'm waiting anxiously for the Magic's itineraries for the rest of 2007 (which Danielle on DCL said would likely be published in April 2006).

 

[WDWDeb]

I completely agree with what westjones said above. We love the 4 day! Having a day at sea after CC means you are not rushed to get packed after returning from CC.

There isn't much that we care to do or see in Nassau because we've done it several times before. We just enjoy the ship while at port that day. We do the cruise for the DCL experience and CC.

Also, because we like to combine a trip to WDW with a cruise, the 4 day works well.