7 night DCL or 8 nights at WDW?

[jeast]

If the price were the same (cruise would have 1 day pre-cruise at a nice hotel on the beach), which would you do with two kids, 4 and 7?

I asked this on the cruise board but I want an opinion from this board, as well. As background, these are the trips we have already taken/plan to take in the near future. This question is regarding our 2007 trip. Probably fall.

fall 2005 6 nights @ disney (kids were 2 and 5)
fall 2006 4 night DCL w/2 nights @ disney-3days at parks (kids will be 3 and 6)

Which would you choose and why????

 

[DisneyDadFaNaTic]

We have done the Disney World/Cruise package and loved it! We've also stayed for a week at the resorts and loved it! I think it would depend on the children. The cruise caters to them, but not as much as being at the parks. Cruising is a great way to end a trip, I've never tried it at the beginning.

The 7 year old would be fine with the cruise, but I think the younger one may struggle a little bit with it. They have child care for their age but it is not quite as interactive as for the older children.

They will love either way, I think it is a matter of preference for you and them.

Good Luck!

 

[disnutz]

Had the same dilemma. Decided I just couldn't give up either, so we are doing the 4 night cruise followed by 5 nights in Disney.

 

[lindakmonty]

I know what you mean! I usually end up planning a cruise. My favorite was the 7 night western w/3 or 4 days at Disney after the cruise. The cruise is so much more relaxing to me.. you don't have the lines and don't have far to go to anything you want. if you want to run to your room, if you want to be in the a/c, or the pool etc. it's so convenient The only reason we're just going to WDW this year is b/c we had concert tickets DH2B wouldn't give up! So we're doing 11 nights @ WDW... but of coarse we're coming down for our wedding! Good luck and you'll enjoy either... or both!

 

[jeast]

We are limited by time constraints. We only have the eight nights so we can't do a full week and then the parks.

Also, I don't want to split the week this time. I want either a full-out WDW with deluxe (AP rates or renting points) hotels or a full week of cruising.

Just for further info, we would do a split stay at WDW, renting points for BCV studio for four nights and Ft wilderness cabin for four nights.

On DCL we would do a 7 nt. western caribbean going to Key West, Grand Cayman, Ochos Rios, and Cozumel.

What do you think?

 

[nluvwithmickey]

Boy do I understand your dilemma....I recently cancelled our 7 night eastern DCL because of the free dining.


We are also very limited with time, we only have one week vacation and unless we go in the summer, 7 nights is the moste time we can spend on a vacation.

Having cruised and vacationed before. I just can't imagine going to Orlando without going to WDW. And with the cruise being so expensive, there wasn't any $$$ or time left to go to WDW. I booked the cruise because I wanted my 2 DD's to live the cruise experience. We had gone on our land/sea package as a couple.

But alot of factors weighed into my decision to cancel my cruise. First and foremost: the cost. I can get 2 WDW vacation for the price of one cruise. Life on ship: My 2 DD's are NOT kid's club fans. I think a cruise is great if your kids like the club activities...mine don't and I was getting worried they would end up bored. Especially DD14 who is extremely shy and not very fluent in English. So this would have meant no couple only time....at all. Might as well go to Disney World and be together all the time and not have my kids being bored.

I think it is a very personnal decision, but for me, with the free dining coming at around the same time as the time that my cruise was booked was a no brainer....Disney World it is.

 

[mickeymom629]

Personally, I'd go with WDW. It's a vacation less affected by the weather, and you can make it as relaxing as you want and you get to enjoy the attractions. With 8 nights, you can really enjoy so much and not feel rushed. I've only done a 4 night cruise with my kids, and while we would all love to do it again, I think it's so much money for something that can be so ruined by weather. I also think that the older the children, the better the cruise will be for them, whereas at WDW there is so much fun for all ages.

That's just my 2 cents. I'm sure either will be wonderful, of course!

 

[stampinshauna]

I love WDW, but If you've done WDW before and plan to do it again in the future, I'd pick the cruise. It is fun and relaxing. The kids all seem to love it. It is not as crazy as the parks. Fall is a great time to cruise. It is so nice to not worry about where you are going and not worry about what to eat. You get great food and don't have to pay extra. Either way, you can't go wrong. Have a great vacation however you choose to spend it.

 

[mickeymom629]

Just want to add that when you cruise this fall, you can book a cruise for the following fall and get onboard credit. So, I wouldn't worry about it until you see how your family enjoys the cruise that you already have planned. You can always cancel within the time frame that still gives you your money back.