Are you going to the parks before your cruise?

[disEAR]

Are you going to the parks before your cruise?

 

[kshu2014]

We have a cruise set for mid-April, but are not planning any days on the front-end. We're too nervous with the testing requirements, etc. We did tack on a couple of days on the back-end though and will be headed to Epcot & Magic Kingdom!

 

[lizzyb]

We are going to the parks before hand. We are going in May so hopefully things are a bit better but we also plan on taking all precautions i.e. sanitizing, washing hands, social distance and wear masks (when not outdoors or social distancing)

 

[Mango7100]

We haven’t done before, but we have done 3 days in the parks after a cruise. It was kind of nice because instead of the “oh no, the cruise is over and we have to go home” sadness it was “yay, we have another vacation to start”

I would be more hesitant to do parks beforehand in fear of opening us up for more exposure and potentially testing positive at the port. But we drive down instead of fly as well

 

[Annabell]

I think it´s better to do the parks after the cruise.

 

[kshu2014]

We are going to the parks before hand. We are going in May so hopefully things are a bit better but we also plan on taking all precautions i.e. sanitizing, washing hands, social distance and wear masks (when not outdoors or social distancing)

Yes, it's totally doable! I did a 5-day vacation at the parks the first week of January...when it was apparently the peak of Omnicron in Florida. Didn't get COVID from the trip (confirmed by both rapid & PCR testing)...but got it this week from family who had gotten it from work/school. We did keep our masks on outdoors since the parks are getting more and more crowded, but otherwise took the precautions you listed.

 

[kathi]

We are sailing in June and plan to visit the parks after the cruise. We don't like to get off the ship and head right to the airport and we don't want to risk catching covid at the park before the cruise.

 

[melmel]

We just boarded today, because we were coming from a cold climate we planned an extra day at the front. So it only made sense to go into a park. While it was a bit crowded at HS I never felt concerned. The only real issue is that short tickets expire so quickly so in order to do 1 day ahead and 2 at the after Ihad to buy 2 different tickets.

 

[kshu2014]

We just boarded today, because we were coming from a cold climate we planned an extra day at the front. So it only made sense to go into a park. While it was a bit crowded at HS I never felt concerned. The only real issue is that short tickets expire so quickly so in order to do 1 day ahead and 2 at the after Ihad to buy 2 different tickets.

You're on your cruise now? Have so much fun!!

 

[Cheburashka]

I'm going to Beach Club the evening before my cruise, and plan to spend the next morning swimming at Stormalong Bay. Around noon I'll head to the port. After the cruise, I'll spend a resort day at Kidani Village, before heading home the following afternoon.

No plans to visit the parks. I'm not enthusiastic about the reports I've read of crowding, trash, and the new Genie system.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

We have always arrived at the Parks 2 days before the cruise just in case there was an airline delay/cancellation. This year we have two cruises booked, May and July, with two days scheduled for May and four days for July because we have family in Florida and will be getting together.
We enjoy relaxing on the cruise after hectic days at the parks (with or without family).

 

[Intr3pid]

Let me preface this by saying that this new variant is highly contagious and your risk of contracting it in the parks is much higher. No matter what precautions you can take, you may still end up with it.

That said, we just returned from a 9-night trip on the Magic and did the Hollywood Studios the day before with our teenage kids. They really wanted to experience the RoTR ride - and all else Disney has added in the last couple of years. Plus, we don't like doing the hectic parks after a relaxing cruise. (If we want to extend our vacation, we simply book a day at a resort.)

So, how would you do parks safely before your cruise? Here are some things that worked for us:

1. Don't do parks. Choose one park to visit. That is, don't combine a multi-day parks vacation with a cruise to follow in this environment.
2. Mask up all the time in the park. Not just indoors, but also outdoors. The crowds are heavy and sometimes, there is very little difference in how exposed you are outside vs inside.
3. Use the lightning lane and Genie+ system. The new paid ways to jump the queue are your best friend. Yes, it will cost a bit extra money, but you are already splurging so much more on a Disney cruise. We were done with all the major DHS rides in just about 4 hours - an afternoon - without queuing up anywhere.
4. Try not to eat in the park - or, if you must, avoid crowded eating areas.
5. Skip any Disney transportation or buses. Invest in a rental car and parking to maintain your bubble.
6. I must emphasize again: avoid the queues. Try not to make this trip to the park an effort to hit everything. Do the rides without the queues. Think of a quick in and out.

While this all may sound like a hassle, it's not. Our kids had an amazing time with those DHS rides, and they would do them again. Good luck!

 

[mullysisters]

We were going to go to DL before our Pacific Coast cruise. We felt it was s sure fire way to test positive. Couldn't risk it when we are flying in from Canada. So we cancelled and rebooked to an Alaskan cruise in July. We will still go to DL in the future.

 

[jenushkask8s]

We just got off the Fantasy today and we did 2 park days before the cruise (including the crazy 1st day of the Arts Festival at Epcot). We wore N95 masks the entire time (even outside) and did not have any indoor meals.

We may have just been lucky but I do think the constant mask wearing went a long way towards keeping us healthy.

 

[bakerworld]

We use to do 2 days before a cruise and 3 days after. We do more time after to reacquire our land legs before jumping on a plane. We have a cruise in March and October of this year and we're only doing 1 day before for both just because we don't want to fly in the same day as the cruise.

 

[disEAR]

We just got off the Fantasy today and we did 2 park days before the cruise (including the crazy 1st day of the Arts Festival at Epcot). We wore N95 masks the entire time (even outside) and did not have any indoor meals.

We may have just been lucky but I do think the constant mask wearing went a long way towards keeping us healthy.

I think this is what we’ll do. We will go to Epcot for flower and garden. Very few if any rides, and no shared ride vehicle. Masks everywhere we go, and we only plan on eating at the food booths for the festival, which I think we can stay socially distanced for the most part.

 

[Husker Mike]

We're still up in the air for our April cruise. Our dates are pretty much set by the schools, so while we'll spend a couple of days at the parks afterwards, we have the weekend before our cruise leaves on Monday. Everyone is boosted, and we're thinking through our options. Right now, we're thinking getting N95 masks and still hitting Universal to roll the dice. If we test positive, we'll probably try to see if we can get into a place like Margaritaville or a VRBO with a private pool and wait it out.

 

[squirk]

We’re doing GSC right before our Fantasy cruise, so there really isn’t much in way of logistics to worry about other than how we will spend our DHS day.

I still need to figure out if they’re giving us an ILL for ROTR that day, but that’s a question for another board.

 

[MomOTwins]

We’re doing GSC right before our Fantasy cruise, so there really isn’t much in way of logistics to worry about other than how we will spend our DHS day.

I still need to figure out if they’re giving us an ILL for ROTR that day, but that’s a question for another board.

Just replied to your other thread. The DHS “excursion” on the starcruiser is pretty tightly scheduled so seems like they are planning to let you skip thebline to make that work. Here (scroll down to the bottom of the page) is a sample itinerary https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/star-wars-galactic-starcruiser/experience-highlights/

I think this is what we’ll do. We will go to Epcot for flower and garden. Very few if any rides, and no shared ride vehicle. Masks everywhere we go, and we only plan on eating at the food booths for the festival, which I think we can stay socially distanced for the most part.

Pro tip, go deeper into the back of the world showcase pavilions to eat. The crowded mob fills every inch of space in the walking loop around the lagoon to eat and drink, but if you venture a little ways into a “country” you can usually find a nice socially distanced bench or table.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

We cruise in December. No plans for park(s) before cruise but considering Universal after the cruise.