Anyone here been on a Disney cruise?

[itutorfortravel]

good morning, i thought i'd hop over here to get some input from some disney fans like me!

our family (dh, dd (6), and i) have been to wdw 4 times in the past 3 years. we have been able to get really nice accomodations thru dh's work offsite so that has saved us big $$$.

we are now booked on a dcl cruise for next may. now we're not sure that will work out due to other family obligations that month and the fact that we don't want to take dd out of school for a total of 8 days in one month!

so now if we change our plans it is more expensive than the awesome rate i got for may unless i move it to late in '09 or wait till the '10 dates come out and book then. we skipped a vacation this summer in order to do this cruise and i don't think my family could stand to skip another summer vacation!

anyhow, i am now back and forth on whether to do the dcl cruise (7 day), the land / sea pkg. (4 days on site / 3 at sea), or a wdw resort trip (this time stay on site - it would be our first)

i love wdw but now when we go it's not as 'wow' in terms of seeing things that we haven't seen before. it's very familiar and in some ways i like that but like last time we were there i was thinking that it was time for something different. the only thing is that dd still loves wdw and of course she thinks it's great!

so to really drag out this question , i am interested in hearing from others who have done both wdw and dcl with kids around my daughter's age (6/7)...did your kids really love the cruise or did they like wdw better? will staying at the resort make the visit all that much different than the other times when we've stayed off site? and is dcl worth the very high price tag or should we go with another cruise line if we want to cruise?

thanks to all who can / will give feedback!

 

[jenseib]

You should post this on the cruise section. You will get alot of answers there.
I am considering cruising this year over WDW too. It will be a whole different experience. They have a ton to do for kids onboard. More than any other cruiseline. But you could skip the land part and just do the cruise. That is what we will do if we go.
But staying on site is much different than staying off too, so that is exciting.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

We have been on DCL for the 7 and 4 day cruises. We still incorporated time at WDW after our 7 day. For us, we would be lost if we had only done DCL and not a stop at WDW too. I think the 4 day land/sea combo is a great compromise. You get a taste of new with the cruise and you still get to do the old and familiar. My kids (they were 9 and 10 I believe on our first DCL cruise), loved it, but they did not enjoy the kids clubs-they said they were the oldest ones there and didn't have so much fun there. I noticed the younger kids having a blast there though. So I think your kids are probably the perfect age for what the ship has to offer, not just for the kids clubs, but the activities in general. Now that mine are older, they are seeking out the pricey stuff...like going parasailing while at Castaway Cay and such....enjoy the time, there is plenty for kids and they will not be disappointed. All that said, we still were very happy to have WDW to look forward to AFTER the cruise. We never did like doing the land part prior to the cruise, but that is just us.

 

[itutorfortravel]

We have been on DCL for the 7 and 4 day cruises. We still incorporated time at WDW after our 7 day. For us, we would be lost if we had only done DCL and not a stop at WDW too. I think the 4 day land/sea combo is a great compromise. You get a taste of new with the cruise and you still get to do the old and familiar. My kids (they were 9 and 10 I believe on our first DCL cruise), loved it, but they did not enjoy the kids clubs-they said they were the oldest ones there and didn't have so much fun there. I noticed the younger kids having a blast there though. So I think your kids are probably the perfect age for what the ship has to offer, not just for the kids clubs, but the activities in general. Now that mine are older, they are seeking out the pricey stuff...like going parasailing while at Castaway Cay and such....enjoy the time, there is plenty for kids and they will not be disappointed. All that said, we still were very happy to have WDW to look forward to AFTER the cruise. We never did like doing the land part prior to the cruise, but that is just us.

were you able to book land/sea package and switch the order or did you have to create your own pkg and book separately? b/c the land/sea pkg i am currently considering looks to be a good price for the resort part when i back out the cruise a la carte and the price of tix.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

were you able to book land/sea package and switch the order or did you have to create your own pkg and book separately? b/c the land/sea pkg i am currently considering looks to be a good price for the resort part when i back out the cruise a la carte and the price of tix.

We did everything on our own (a la carte) and it worked out cheaper and better for us.

 

[squirrel]

I did the 4 day cruise and 3 day land years ago. I loved the DCL. If you are ready for a different vaccation do the 7 day cruise.

 

[jessica52877]

I have found that booking the land and the sea part seperate (not as a disney package) always came out cheaper too.

We have done 7 days mostly with one 3 day in there, the 3 day seemed so short.

 

[Poohbug]

We have done DCL and WDW with the kids. I have to say my DS LOVE the cruise. Now every vacation is called a cruise even when we are not going on a cruise. The kids clubs are wonderful, the rooms are nice(even the cheap ones) and we always have a great time. It has been over 3 years since the last cruise and I would love to go again but since we have 5 people now it is much more expensive. We are going to wait until the youngest is 3 so he can use the kids clubs also.

We tried the 4 day first because we had never cruised before. We loved it and would only book 7 days now because the others are too short. 7 is usually a better deal also.

You will have a great time whatever you choose.

 

[mjkacmom]

We did 5 days at WDW, 3 day cruise - I say go for the 7 day, since 3 is way too short! My kids had never done WDW (at least that they can remember), so it was a must for us.

My 4, 4, and 6 year olds love the kids center, my 9 and 11 year olds loathed it.

 

[CraftyCrissy]

We did the Magic 7 day eastern itinerary last September 1st. I have three kids and they were - boy 6, girl 6 and boy 5. The twins were 3 weeks away from being 7. They had a FABULOUS time. DH and I had a FABULOUS time. Now, we love DW and all the parks (have stayed on and off site and love both). If I had my choice between a 7 day DCL or 7 days in the parks, I would go for the cruise again.

#1 - the costs between a top notch on-site 7 night trip isn't too much cheaper than the 7 night cruise. Entertainment (which is great) every night, nice meals, entertainment all day long, etc. really even it all out.

#2 - on the cruise, the kids could go into the Lab. And believe me, they wanted to go! They made friends, ran around with them, had special activities just for them, and time away from us pretty much whenever they wanted it. The Lab is open from like 8:30 am - 1:30 am with non-stop activities for the kids (of all ages).

#3 - with the kids in the Lab, DH and I were really able to relax and enjoy ourselves. Whether it was at a beer tasting, some little seminar, sunning ourselves, hanging at the bar, etc. we never stressed.

#4 - time together as a full family was plentiful. My kids didn't spend every waking minute in the Lab. They would come and go and we did the same with them. Sometimes just my daughter would be with me and we'd find a movie or go play a game or see a character. Sometimes it would be one of the boys. There really is so much to do.

#5 - the ports are great (we're seasoned cruisers) but Castaway Cay is by far the BEST private island I've ever experienced (so much so that I would kill to book a Double-Dip cruise).

We love DW - don't get me wrong. I'd love to be able to do a week there sometime soon. And there is tons to do there outside of the parks and the resorts. Cruising is just a totally different experience than a 'land' vacation.

If you're concerned about your daughter being bored - don't be. If you're concerned about you being bored - don't be. A DCL vacation can be as hectic or as simple as you choose. As for the timing issue - that I can't help you on. If it were me, I would move the date (if I had to) in order to still do the cruise. You've done DW alot recently so maybe you're looking for something a little different.

Good luck with your decision.