cruise vs parks

[ruadisneyfan2]

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.

Lines per se were not longer but overall the ship felt more crowded. The theater is larger but also filled up faster. If we didn't arrive early & wait for doors to open we would not have gotten seats together with our friends & her mom. (6 together) I don't like have to fight for my space. On the Wonder last Aug we could stroll into the WD theater 15 mins before show time & still easily get 4 seats together.

 

[jjje]

My kids and I are HARD CORE Disney World fans but when we got off our first cruise I asked the kids what they wanted to do for our next vacation and we all agreed we wanted to do another Disney cruise. Our first cruise included a day in Disney World and as much as we love the parks there came a point in our day where we all just wanted to get back on the ship. If I had to choose between never cruising again or never going to Disney World again I would choose to never go to Disney World again. That shocks even me!

 

[kapoof]

My kids and I are HARD CORE Disney World fans but when we got off our first cruise I asked the kids what they wanted to do for our next vacation and we all agreed we wanted to do another Disney cruise. Our first cruise included a day in Disney World and as much as we love the parks there came a point in our day where we all just wanted to get back on the ship. If I had to choose between never cruising again or never going to Disney World again I would choose to never go to Disney World again. That shocks even me!

Wow!!! We are hard core wdw fans too! Sounds like so much fun! What do you like most about cruising?. The boat or the ports of call, excursions etc?

 

[mrcymbalplayer]

My wife and I used to come down to Disney twice a year every year to the parks until we took our first Disney cruise. We were hooked and now our only vacation is on the cruise ships. The reason? Come in, unpack and just relax and enjoy. Yes there will be some lines but nothing like at the parks.

 

[jjje]

We loved that we could do as much or as little as we liked. If we wanted to do non-stop activities (and we often did) we could do that. If we wanted to sit in the sun and do nothing we could do that. If we wanted to be together doing a family activity we could. If the kids wanted to be on their own in the clubs and my husband and I had time to ourselves that worked too. (I've been a stay-at-home parent for nearly 13 years. My kids and I are around each other all the time. The cruise let us have a ton of family time while still having a lot of "breathing room".) The best part for me was knowing I had a week+ with no responsibilities. I could sit down for an hour and relax without feeling like I should be doing laundry or starting dinner. It was a whole week with no worries or cooking or cleaning. You can't beat that in my book.

 

[declansdad]

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!

We just got off the Dream and the lines for the Princesses and many of the characters in the atrium were as long or longer that I have seen at the parks.

Personally I prefer the parks, in fact, we spent one day at MK after our cruise and that day was just as good or better than any of our cruise days for me.


Still enjoyed the cruise though and would do it again.

 

[iamadisneynut]

We just got off our first cruise. Family of seven (5 kids ages 5 through 13). I don't know why but I found the cruise more stressful than the parks. Maybe because it was my first time so I was a newbie and didn't have the routine down but I prefer the parks. The kids said they liked the cruise better but they didn't like the clubs (except for the 5 year old). They enjoyed having some freedom I think. I found getting off the ship at the port of calls stressful and hectic, again maybe it will be better my second time around when I know what to expect.

We will cruise again but I wouldn't trade it for the parks.

 

[Meghatron]

We just got off the Dream and the lines for the Princesses and many of the characters in the atrium were as long or longer that I have seen at the parks.

Except on the cruise, once you are in line you are guaranteed that character and also a picture before the CM's break. I despise the gamble in the parks, especially with kids still young enough that they don't understand why the person they have been waiting for is walking away.

 

[declansdad]

Except on the cruise, once you are in line you are guaranteed that character and also a picture before the CM's break. I despise the gamble in the parks, especially with kids still young enough that they don't understand why the person they have been waiting for is walking away.

In the parks we have always had the CM get in the line at the point where they are cutting it off. If the character is going to come back out they tell you they will be backin 10 minutes or so. Saw the same thing happening on the Dream, the CMs would get in the line to break it.

 

[DCLSailing]

We gave up the Parks for the Cruise - (Disney World/Disney Land) and haven't looked back. In fact, this December we thought we would try the parks once more, as we have 3 days worth of passes which don't expire for many years. We had planned to spend 4 days and then a short cruise on the Dream.

We spent one day at the Park and I was able to find a VGT that night, asked the kids what they would rather do and we left for Port Canaveral in the morning. It was simply amazing!

The one on one attention onboard is amazing. The Princesses get to know our kids by name and it is a much more personal experience. This is especially true onboard the Fantasy due to the duration. One night we all went for a late night snack and were even escorted back to our rooms with Belle and Cinderella. Something my Daughter still talks about...

The best part was we got to know several out of costume and the kids were none the wiser.

+1 for the Cruises.

 

[JnDRader]

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?

Apples to oranges comparison IMO. We've had annual passes to WDW several times and will get them again this fall.

The cruise to me was extremely relaxing. Very laid back. We never rushed to anything. One of our best vacations ever. Good enough that we booked on board and moved it out to May 2014 and jumped all over the KSF from Miami to go on the Wonder next month. We almost opted for another cruise over going to Beaches in the Turks and Caicos this May. The cruise was that good.

Now the parks are anything but relaxing. And we take the attitude that with annual passes if we don't hit something this trip we can hit the next time. We still have a great time. We still look forward to going back. However, I could do a cruise a year, or more, and never feel burnt out. We tend to always take a year or two off between annual passes because, even as much fun as we have, we tend to get burned out.

Was surprised today that my 10yo daughter mentioned she likes the cruise more than the parks. I love both of them but in very different ways. I do not miss the park at all on the cruise. Honestly the parks are the last thing on my mind.

 

[Feisty Fairy]

First off I vote cruise. Me and husband have made multiply trips to WDW since 2007. 2007-4 nights, 2008-7 nights and a 1 Night, 2009-8 Nights, 2010-8 Nights, 2011--14 Nights and 1 Night, 2012 1 Night Pre-Cruise and 8 Nights Post Cruise. 2012 First Disney Cruise for 5 Nights in the middle of Disney World stay. Now I have a cruise coming up in may and a tentative one for February. And as of right now no future WDW trips planed even though I still like WDW.

Why I liked the cruise most was I found it too be cheaper than Disney World considering it is more all inclusive than WDW. Even with a dining plan at WDW we wind up paying for extra snacks and water. The only extra we paid on the cruise was Palo, One mixed drink, and specialty coffee (way cheaper than Starring Rolls Coffee). Another factor I like is that it is more relaxing while still have the Disney Magic and entertainment.

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

There are lines but even the character ones that get long are in air conditioned atrium versus being out in the hot Florida at WDW sun which makes a difference.

 

[SigalTchelet]

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

I can't speak for myself (going on the Fantasy in November), but my friend went on the Wonder out of Miami to Western Caribbean in January and said they never encountered ANY lines. I am thinking the Classic ships might be less crowded?

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We just got off the Dream and the lines for the Princesses and many of the characters in the atrium were as long or longer that I have seen at the parks.

Personally I prefer the parks, in fact, we spent one day at MK after our cruise and that day was just as good or better than any of our cruise days for me.


Still enjoyed the cruise though and would do it again.

This was not our experience. Maybe because my kids are getting older and not so into the characters anymore.