cruise vs parks

[kapoof]

i know this has been asked a million times probably, but which do you prefer disney world or cruise? my sister went on a disney cruise way back when it was on the big red boat, and LOVED it more than the parks even. if you go on the cruise do you miss the parks at all?

 

[texasgirl73]

I prefer the cruise but my kids prefer the parks. The parks take a lot of planning on my part (dining reservations, figuring out park schedules, etc.) The cruise is so much easier. The parks are more exciting for them. I promised that we would go back to the parks before we cruise again.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

No. Well, we might go for a day or 2 pre cruise but then while I'm waiting in line, or dealing with crowds, trying to find an empty table to eat at, I remember we'll soon be on the ship and we won't have to deal with that.

The cruise is all the warm & fuzzy we love about Disney but in a relaxing way. It makes the parks feel like work.
Our dinner table & 2 servers are there waiting for us with smiles & ask us how was our day, calling us by name often. They cut my son's meat & crack his lobster. If I were to try, they would remind me I'm on vacation.

Even though there are no rides, there's plenty to do with or w/o your family or you can just veg in the sun. We do a little of both. Then you wake up at new place to visit or if we've been there before, we can try something different or just stay on the ship. Either way it's awesome.

There are no casinos & very few smokers. Sure there are bars, but they're not pushy. It's mostly parents, kids, grandparents just having a nice time together. The evening shows are terrific: either Disney Broadway style or maybe a comedian, ventriloquist, or a new release movie in 3D. On our 1st cruise I thought my dad (60's) would fall asleep at the show. He really enjoyed it and went to the theater every night & even went alone on the last night while my mom & I packed. lol. It's good clean fun for all ages & unlike other cruise lines, I never have to ask if it's appropriate for families.

Now there are 4 ships: 2 classics, & 2 new ships. The new ones have all the bells & whistles but the classic ships are much smaller, more manageable with a lot fewer people. After having been on the Dream 5x & the Fantasy, we all agree we prefer the classic ships despite their age.

Give it a try!

eta: We find it's a great way to travel with extended family & friends. We've had groups of 17 & 19. One of them my kids had all 4 grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins & friends. It's great that there's plenty of time away from each other & then all get together for dinner, not stuck together as a group 24/7 with too much togetherness.

 

[sweetlovin']

My kids like whichever I book. For me, I like them both for very different reasons. I love listening to my kids laugh and laugh on the rides. I like the walking required within all the parks and I love that we can hang out together and all like most of the same things at the parks.

The cruises are excellent for making sure the kids aren't starving. I have walked the parks to the point where my kids became "Hangry" (when your so hungry your angry too) The fact that there is an abundance of food helps. I also really like that the cruises offer different experiences, like swimming with dolphins and sea lions and discovering new places like Mayan Ruins and Florence Italy.

I guess overall it depends on what you are doing. My kids are not the kind to stay on the boat, so the cruise can get much more expensive if I am not careful. I also have never gone on a cruise in the summer, so the water has been too cold to swim. I also won't go to the parks in the summer, spring break, or Christmas because I don't like crowds. It would make a difference if I was trying to find tables and fight lines in the parks.

 

[kapoof]

Thank you so much!. We a huge disney world people, but really want to try the cruise. We are deciding between the 7 night cruise or the 3 night with a stop at the parks for 3 nights maybe. You are correct, the parks are a lot of work! But we do love them and often say we need a vacation from our vacation That is interesting you prefer the classic ships. This would be our first cruise so any tips are welcome

 

[WaltD4Me]

I truly thought going on a cruise would be a waste of vacation time that I could be spending at WDW, but just got off a Dream cruise a couple weeks ago and LOVED it. I would do another DCL cruise in a minute, it was awesome. I love Disney World, but the cruise was a whole other Disney experience, different for sure, but I highly recommend it. I don't know that I could pick one one over the other either, parks vs. cruise. I would be just as happy going to either.

 

[tryin]

the cruise, mainly because of the young and diverse ages of my kids-11 mos, 3, 9, 20. If they were closer in age and older, tweens, teens, young adults, I am sure their answer would be the parks. We had the best of both because our cruise included one-day park hopper tickets.

 

[Hougy]

The parks and the cruise are so different, it's hard to compare. They are whole different vacations. But if you decide to cruise, I would definitely make it a 7 day. Just as you can't do WDW on your first trip in 3 days, you can't relax and enjoy all the cruise has to offer in just 3. I love them both.

 

[kapoof]

Great advice everyone.

 

[CruiseCrazy44]

To me that question is like asking if I like ice cream or cake. I love both! I've only been on one cruise so far, but we are going again in 2014. We will do several days at disney and then do the cruise. I don't think I could choose!

 

[m4travel]

We, too, love both WDW and DCL. We have always combined both with the WDW stay either before or after DCL. When we were working it was difficult to take off more than a week at a time, so shorter cruises and a few days at WDW was what we could manage. Now that we're retired, we're Platinum on DCL, so you could say we really like DCL cruises! We have 2-1/2 scheduled between now and August 2014. (The half-a-cruise is one that we're looking at and hope to book while on our May cruise for the OBC/OBD.)

In fact, our next cruise (May) is out of Galveston, so no stay at WDW this time - but, it's the cruise that includes a day at WDW and a ParkHopper, so we'll still get our fix, though a short one!

 

[maiyoli]

Hi, I love Disney cruises so much better then wdw not waiting on lines is the best. There are so many reasons why it's better. Even my kids only want to do Disney cruises

 

[kapoof]

Hi, I love Disney cruises so much better then wdw not waiting on lines is the best. There are so many reasons why it's better. Even my kids only want to do Disney cruises

Wow that sounds awesome!! But I have to ask are there any lines on the cruises?

 

[tryin]

yes, some, but not 30-50 minute long lines. more like 2-5 minutes. you sometimes wait to check your child into the Club or Lab, if they are that young. Some times there is a short wait for the MDR to open, if you get there early. There is a line when going through the buffet line at Topsiders (I have only been on Magic). The longest lines are for photo ops. But we never waited in long lines for photos, there are many chances to see characters when the decks are empty or if you happen to be in the right place and the characters appear before a line has formed.

 

[robhawk]

Wow that sounds awesome!! But I have to ask are there any lines on the cruises?

There are some lines. The Aquaduck line can be long on sea days. Lines for character greets can be too! With a little planning you can avoid these line too!

Our kids have been to WDW about 10 times and DCL twice. They said the cruises were there best vacations ever!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

yes, some, but not 30-50 minute long lines. more like 2-5 minutes. you sometimes wait to check your child into the Club or Lab, if they are that young. Some times there is a short wait for the MDR to open, if you get there early. There is a line when going through the buffet line at Topsiders (I have only been on Magic). The longest lines are for photo ops. But we never waited in long lines for photos, there are many chances to see characters when the decks are empty or if you happen to be in the right place and the characters appear before a line has formed.

And even if you want to wait in line for character photos, it's nothing like the lines at the parks. Maybe 10 mins tops.

We went to the Till We Meet Again party (last night of cruise) and in about 30 mins got pics with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Chip n Dale, & Snow White. It was amazing!

 

[kapoof]

Loving the feedback! You all are making me very excited to cruise!

 

[Meghatron]

I love cruising DCL so much more than going to the parks that if they brought a classic ship back to the West Coast and did more, shorter cruises, I'd probably give up my Disneyland passes. I have no desire to sail the new ships because from what I keep reading on the boards it's more like the parks with crowds and lines.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Thank you so much!. We a huge disney world people, but really want to try the cruise. We are deciding between the 7 night cruise or the 3 night with a stop at the parks for 3 nights maybe. You are correct, the parks are a lot of work! But we do love them and often say we need a vacation from our vacation That is interesting you prefer the classic ships. This would be our first cruise so any tips are welcome

For our 1st cruise ever (non DCL) we chose a 5nt to get a taste of cruising. We felt 7 nts was too long in case we didn't like it. 3 nts is really too short since there are no sea days which is our fav. On port days, the selection of activities is limited since most guests are off the ship.

 

[robhawk]

I love cruising DCL so much more than going to the parks that if they brought a classic ship back to the West Coast and did more, shorter cruises, I'd probably give up my Disneyland passes. I have no desire to sail the new ships because from what I keep reading on the boards it's more like the parks with crowds and lines.

We didn't find the lines any longer on the Fantasy than the Magic. Maybe just lucky. Rainforest room is soooo much nicer on the Fantasy.