Am I Crazy?

[CouponDivaDesirae]

Hey everyone! I had posted a few months ago about planning our first Disney trip and got a huge amount of tips and I appreciate it. I ended up stressing myself out too much about it and stepped away and decided to say screw it we are not going. But now I am second guessing my craziness and really wanting to plan a trip especially since its our first one!

My thoughts are taking the week of the 20th in September and going to Disney for 3-4 days and ending it with a Disney cruise to the bahamas out of florida. My questions is am I crazy for wanting to do both of them in a week and our first with both? We are used to going, going, going so I feel like we could do this. I originally wanted to just do a full week at Disney but I am thinking of not doing that anymore and switching it up. Has anyone done this and really enjoyed it? Do you have any pro's or cons?

Thanks so much for the help

 

[jdb in AZ]

A lot of people to WDW and DCL in one vacation, especially those who fly a long distance to get there. I figure if we're going to fly that far, we might as well get as much Disney as we can.

I would suggest doing three days go-go-go at WDW, then relax on a 4-day (minimum) cruise. Many people here on the DIS have reported that a 3-day cruise is just too rushed. Our first DCL cruise we were very sad to leave the ship after a whole week.

What specifically stressed you out about cruising?

 

[CouponDivaDesirae]

A lot of people to WDW and DCL in one vacation, especially those who fly a long distance to get there. I figure if we're going to fly that far, we might as well get as much Disney as we can.

I would suggest doing three days go-go-go at WDW, then relax on a 4-day (minimum) cruise. Many people here on the DIS have reported that a 3-day cruise is just too rushed. Our first DCL cruise we were very sad to leave the ship after a whole week.

What specifically stressed you out about cruising?

Cruising didnt stress me out is was the whole planning of the actual park. I didnt think about adding the cruise in until this week. Planning a week at Disney was stressful to me because I can't decide where I want to stay, how many days at the park all that jazz so I just gave up. LOL!

 

[DahliaRW]

We did a 7 day Fantasy and then 5 days at WDW after. I wish we had done it in the reverse order. That being said, 2 days at MK, 1 each at AK, HS, and Epcot is more than enough time in my book. We actually enjoyed Universal Islands of Adventure better than a lot of WDW - we are DLR vets and it just wasn't as much to our liking at DLR.

 

[su_A_ve]

Cruising didnt stress me out is was the whole planning of the actual park. I didnt think about adding the cruise in until this week. Planning a week at Disney was stressful to me because I can't decide where I want to stay, how many days at the park all that jazz so I just gave up. LOL!

Well, the only problem is that you'll be rushing thru everything specially at WDW and you will not enjoy it one bit.

The cruise is relaxing but a 3n is too short and again, you'll be trying to do everything and also will not be enjoying it one bit.

I'd say just do the parks, 7 days at least. You'll have plenty of time to do it at your own pace.

You don't mention who would be going with you. If you have kids and they are little ones, even worse - you can't rush them no matter what.

WDW although needs planning a little bit, it's not that bad. Also, next week they should announce the fall free dining promotion and this will help you budget wise. I would recommend you stay at a moderate to maximize the value, specially if you have kids 10+.

On the other hand, I would say if you want to just relax, then a 7n cruise would be ideal. Or at least a 5n. Problem is, to get the best prices you need to book it at least a year in advance.

 

[yaddakal]

If it is your first time at WDW, I would
Do each park (4days)( mk
Would be all day , all night) then a 4 night cruise... We did the three night cruise after WDW and it was perfect to test if we liked it but way too short! That being said if I was really torn I would probably do WDW all week.. So much to see. We have gone three times and I want to go back everyday!

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

We live in AZ and have been going to DLR multiple times per year for the last 10+ years. We decided to try WDW back in 2009, spent a week there and swore we would never go back. 6 months later we decided we'd try it again in 2011 and add a 3 day Dream cruise on it, loved WDW but swore we'd never go on a cruise again. 2 weeks after we returned were kicking ourselves in the butt for not booking another cruise while on board to receive the 10% discount because we ended up booking a 7 day Fantasy cruise for 2013. Absolutely LOVED that cruise and are going back on the Fantasy in 5 weeks.

My point is the first time for both WDW and DCL were very overwhelming, we tried to do too much too fast. I think you could do both WDW and DCL but just don't try to do everything. I would spend 2 days at Magic Kingdom and 1 or 2 days at another park or 2. If you can swing the time and expense I would go for the 4 night Dream cruise to The Bahamas, that way you get a sea day, and that, in my opinion is the best part of cruising.

Just take things easy and have the mindset that you will do another vacation like that so you don't try to cram everything in. Don't over plan and stress yourself out, you'll thank yourself after you come home and will thoroughly enjoy yourself.

 

[fnrsgrl]

If you had been to WDW before, I would say your plan was great. It's exactly what DH and I did for our honeymoon in 2007, and we loved it. A 3-night cruise really is too short, but it can be a nice little intro to cruising. The problem is, with it being your first time and all, four days at WDW is possible, but really pushing it. You will be running like mad and possibly overwhelming yourself. If you can swing it, 5 days at WDW is much better because it would give you the time to go back to any park(or parks, with park hopper) that you didn't feel like you had finished. To some extent Epcot, but especially MK can be done in one day, but it takes a bit longer to do them well IMO, without feeling very rushed.

 

[MouseMomx2]

I would do either a week at WDW or a week-long cruise. Half and half will just be too rushed...especially for first timers.

Since the WDW planning was overwhelming I would suggest booking a 7-day cruise. A DCL cruise is a great first introduction to Disney travel. You will still get Disney shows, Disney character interactions, top-notch Disney service and more.

Once you select the itinerary much of the planning is done. You will have a set schedule of port and sea days, you will go to the dining rooms each night in a certain, assigned order, etc. You would still need to plan your port days but that's not too daunting a task. You can either go with DCL excursions, private company excursions or just see the sights on your own.