Can't decide between Disney Cruise or Land Disney.

[devotedchristian]

I have been back and forth between the Cruise forums and Disney Resorts. We are a family of now 4 going for our vacation. 2 Adults, 2 kids ages 3 and 14 at time of travel.

DH and I get enough *exercise* keeping up with our very active 18month old toddler! LOL so *we* want to relax a bit thus the sway to the cruise. We wouldn't be concerned about the teen. She may bring a friend with her to have fun with (we were concerned about the age difference and DH and I would tag parent) whether we cruise or go to Disney World.

And then I thought about Disney World and staying on site, a Deluxe, the Contemporary because of the convience of the Monorail and the closeness to Magic Kingdom. We wanted to be close to the hotel in case of a meltdown. But after you add in the resort costs+parks costs, it can get expensive so much that I might as well take the cruise.

Plus on a cruise, me or DH can just walk our toddler to the cabin in case of a meltdown. Oh I dunno, did you ever had this problem and whatever you chose, what was your deciding factor between Land OR Cruise?

 

[*Fantasia*]

I had that same happy/good dilemma. I was kind of undecisive, then it came down to taking the Disney cruise. I do not regret it one bit. The kids and I had a wonderful time. We didn't miss the parks at all. I would love to take the cruise again this August. You should try the Disney cruise. You will not miss the "magic" that you feel when you are at WDW. There's plenty of "Magic" and "Wonder" on the DCL! Enjoy!!

 

[luvsTink]

With those age ranges I think I would go with the cruise. For us with kids 5, 7 and 17 sometimes it is hard to keep everyone happy at the parks. the near adult was not too happy with Dumbo and the little ones didn't enjoy waiting for RnRC and Tot. We ended up splitting up alot and that is harder to navigate at the parks then it is on the ship. Just my 2 cents.

Anne

 

[BethA]

CRUISE!!!!
With the ages of your children, both will be happy on the cruise, without feeling tied to doing things not for their age, and there are plenty of family activities everyone can enjoy together.
We have a teen and a younger child and the cruise has been wonderful. The teen gets to make friends-something you don't get at WDW usually, and you can find time to relax too.

 

[BuzzMan]

No question, if you have to choose, make it the cruise.

But, if the dollars are there, I suggest that you get to Orlando a day before the cruise and/or leave a day after the cruise so that you can enjoy some of the WDW magic also.

My family especially likes the park visit after the cruise as it reduces (a little)the sad feeling when you walk off the ship.

 

[shannon1219]

Why Don't You Do A Land Sea Package? Then You Can Do Both.

 

[devotedchristian]

Why Don't You Do A Land Sea Package? Then You Can Do Both.

I wish we could but the finances only allow for one or the other. I just got back from the Disney w/Families forum and a good pt was brought up about splitting up (a pp mentioned it here) and it just confirmed what I don't want to do on our family vacation.

I could see splitting up on the ship but NOT as large as a place as Magic Kingdom.
Thank you for the replies, I really appreciate them.

 

[decoy86]

I would have to say both. We just come back for WDW and the 4 day cruise. They both were awsome. It would be hard to say one or the other if I had to choose. You don't have the character interaction on the cruise like you would at WDW. Our friends met us at on the cruise and only one 1 or 2 autographs. It was a bit harder to see the characters on the cruise. There are times on the cruise that there are no autographs and only professional pictures. EPCOT and Majic Kindom are our 2 favorite parts.

 

[CM_Mom]

If you've NEVER done the parks, then I might lean toward the parks but if you've been to the parks before, then DEFINITELY the cruise.

The cruise offers a better option that the adults will get a little alone time while BOTH children have a fantastic time in their activities. What could be better, a "date night" and the kids love it.

 

[sunil]

We did the land / sea package in Dec/Jan 2001 (4 days land, 3 days ship). I would say price wise, this is actually a little cheaper than a 7 day cruise (so if a 7-day cruise is in your budget, you can probably find a land/sea package at the same or lower price).

Another thing to consider : on the cruise there is a big difference between a 3-year old and a younger kid. At 3, you can leave your kid in the Kids Club, and you will get some wonderful time to yourself. Our kids were 3 & 6 when we cruised, and being able to leave them both in the kids club where they had a great time AND we got some "adult" time was absolutely wonderful ! If your youngest is going to be 3 by the time of your trip, the cruise will be great; if younger than 3, then I would recommend delaying your trip a little until your kid turns 3 !!

Be aware that the kids club can get crowded (we sailed over New Year's so it was peak time). My 3 year old was actually a little overwhelmed by the crowds, and did not enjoy the club nearly as much as my 6 year old did. So my 3 year old only spent a couple of hours each day in the club - my 6 year old wanted to be there all day...


Sunil

 

[disneyfan73]

I would agree with CM_Mom....if you never been WDW then I would definitely do the parks. But whichever way you choose., I am sure you will have great time.

 

[WDWLVR]

I agree with CM_mom too. If you have never done the parks then do those. If you have then go with the cruise.


A few questions - what do you and your family enjoy doing?

If a pool is a must for you - you'd be better off with the parks. The onsite hotels have some great big wonderful pools while the ones on the ship are small.

If you must be doing something every minute to get enjoyment again you may be better off with the parks. Between all the shows and rides there is always something. Don't get me wrong there is plenty of things to do on the ships as well but maybe not all the time for everyone in your party.

If you want some quiet adult time as well as family time then the cruise is the way to go. The kids clubs are great and offer the adults some time to themselves and the adult areas on a Disney cruise are kept for adults.

If you want an all inclusive package that includes great meals and shows then again the cruise is the way to go. Everything is included in the cost with the exception of drinks and Palo (soft drinks are free).

If you are a very first timer I actually would not recommend a land/sea package. It is two little time at either place to really get enjoyment and might be too much overload and not enough relaxation time.

Good luck on your choice and feel free to come back and ask any questions.

 

[debtman7]

With a 3 year old, I'd probably do a cruise. When we took our son, who at the time was a month shy of 3, it wasn't really a great time for him. He was hot, slept in a stroller half the day, couldn't ride any of the rides, got too scared in the haunted mansion and pirates of the carribean, and had to watch his big sisiter go on all the cool rides while he sat by the gate with grandma. Not a great trip I think they really need to be at least 4-5 to really make the most of magic kingdom. On the cruise he will have some fun activities in the camp (if he is within at least a month of 3), lots to explore, air conditioning to escape to, a real bed to nap in, and other activities. Probably be a better time for him.

Time of year would be important too. If you're doing it in the summer, Orlando is overbearingly hot. It can be downright miserable some days. On a cruise though, it's likely to be much better because you are on the water (or always near it) giving you a nice ocean breeze. It makes a huge difference, even with being in Tampa vs Orlando, it's amazing how much being near the ocean with that nice breeze helps. When we went to Kauai we were surprised that when it was in the lower 70's, we were putting on pants and jackets because it was chilly. You don't get that in a more landlocked area like Orlando.

 

[HooKooDooKu]

Of course you're on the Cruise forum and therefore you are likely to get more votes for "Sea" than you would for "Land".

That being said, here's the two primary things I can think of to consider...

1. Disney "Land" is generally not recommended when you have children below the age of 5. This comes from the general wisdom as laid out years ago in the "Unofficial Guide to Disney World", so I'm not going to qualify that statement beyond that supporting document.

However, I have never seen any similar recommendation for taking a cruise. I'm sure a part of the reason is that you are never far from "home" (your cabin) while on board.

2. You mentioned about bringing a 5th (friend for the older child). While I don't think it cost much more to take a 5th to "Land", on "Sea" it puts you into a whole new catagory.

There is a maritime law that does not allow more people to be booked into a cabin that there are beds in the cabin. This is a stand pat rule and includes infants regardless of what your actual sleeping arraingments will be (i.e. an infant must still "count" at taking up a bed even if he will be co-sleeping with parents or sleeping in a portable crib).

So bringing a friend on a cruise will require that you either book a catagory 4 stateroom (or above) or you will have to book two staterooms which will result in your paying for 4 adult fares and 1 "addon" rather than 2 adult fares and 3 "addons".

Once you start hitting a Cat 4 for 5 people, the following rule of thumb apply:

1 x Cat 4 = 2 x Cat 10 = 1 x Cat 6 + 1 x Cat 11

...and therefore your cheapest option becomes 2 x Cat 11.