Cruise vs. Theme Park

[MammaMurphey]

Hi guys,

I am sure this question has already been asked somewhere, but since I am too lazy to scroll past page one, I figured I would take the risk of asking it again. I know. Shame on me.

I am hoping to get some feedback on the Disney cruise. I've never gone, because this wasn't a thing when I was a kid, but I am wondering what others thought of the experience?

I want to bring the kids at least once to the theme park anyway. Absolutely. But I am wondering if the cruise is also worthwhile?

Let me know what you think! And thanks in advance.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

I'm glad we did the cruise once, but I don't feel any urge to repeat it. The kids didn't want to stay in the kids club much, and by the 3rd day they were bored and irritable. We had never had any desire to go on a cruise until several families raved about the Disney cruise, so maybe that played into our feelings on it. I much prefer the theme parks - more entertainment for the kids.

 

[chris31997]

We have done both. Quite frankly it all depends on what you are looking for and what kind of vacation the family is looking for.

If you are rope drop people the cruise might not be for you.
If your kids love rides then the cruise might not be for you.

Now of course there are exceptions to that We are not rope drop people and we love rides. But we love the cruise.

Unpacking one time, getting a taste of different locations, lid's club(mine loved it), character breakfast(on longer cruises), things scheduled that we may or may not participate in, servers that rotate with us and a date night with hubby. We enjoyed the shows and the random things around the ships. My family enjoys looking for hidden Mickeys no matter where we are. We can do excursions OR just walk off the ship. We can also sit on the deck or verandahs and do nothing.

 

[Shanti]

The cruise is a great place to relax and be taken care of. I liked it for that, and my son & I loved being on the ocean. From reading the boards & other reviews, it seems that many parents like the cruise because of the kids clubs, in that they could drop the kids off there for several hours per day & then they could kick back and relax without parental worries. There is fun to be had on the cruise, but it is low-key fun, compared to the parks, and fun activities that are often separated by age in a way they typically aren't at WDW (kids at the kids clubs & kids pool, adults at the adult clubs, adult pool & adult restaurants.)

If you're looking mainly for family fun & togetherness, go to the parks. That's where the rides & top-quality attractions are. But don't go expecting relaxation. There are ways to relax at WDW, but it doesn't have an atmosphere of relaxation like you get on the cruise.

So it all depends on what you're looking for in a vacation.

 

[Julylady]

We have done both several times. Both are great. However, when asked to pick between the two, my two girls (ages 14 and 11) picked Walt Disney World over a DCL cruise. Why? The rides and they don't like the pools on the cruise ship (too small and crowded).

 

[dreiwhit]

I did a cruise once back in 1990 (not with Disney.) For me, it was a neat experience, but I doubt i'll ever do another one. It just didn't appeal to me as much as going to the Disney parks.

As always, you're mileage may (and will) vary.

 

[quagmire0]

My wife and I did two cruises pre-kids, one cruise with our first baby (oh man, never do that ) , and 3 Disney trips (1 DL, 2 WDW). So, we haven't cruised with kids. But what I will say is that I don't really plan on taking our family on a cruise until our kids are older. Why? Because cruises don't have as many 'all family' activities as WDW has. So there's going to be a lot more of "some of the kids want to do X, but some of the kids aren't old enough to do X, they need to do Y or Z, but the other kids don't want to do that". Granted, Disney packs on a lot more 'all ages' stuff onto their cruises than the other cruise lines, but it comes at a premium. As Shanti mentioned, seems to me that a lot of parents like the cruise because they can 'go off' and do their thing. Which is another reason that we probably won't do it until the kids are older and old enough to do their own thing. Personally, I'd feel a little bad going on a family vacation and just dropping my kids off at a daycare for most of the day. That's what happens during the rest of the year. But if your kids are in the 'I'm too cool for you old folks' stage, then you don't feel so bad splitting up. Also, part of the fun of a cruise are all the ports and doing excursions. Most excursions will involve tours or physical activities that only older kids can participate in. Sure, you can just go to the local beach, but you can do that in a lot of places. Part of cruising is exploring new places - something that won't necessarily thrill the toddler/pre-K/K-2 crowd.

 

[jeepnjudy]

We have done both the theme parks and the cruise many times and the kids love both. I really think this is family specific based on your likes/dislikes and what you enjoy as a family. The cruise is not geared toward theme park rides but our kids love it for the relaxation and the adventure of visiting other ports. They also love the theme parks for the obvious reasons...the rides. Depends on what type of vacation you are looking for.

 

[mrsp1030]

We have done both also and our kids love both. Our older two DS (9,7) loved the kids clubs and would stay in there all night if they allowed. Our younger DS (3) would go in for about 60-90 min after dinner but it was just enough time for us to grab a drink solo and relax. To me, they are completely opposite types of vacation. Yes both Disney related but the cruise is more of a relaxation vacation, which is what our family really needs somedays. My kids truly loved Castaway Cay and this is why we are doing the double dip next summer so we can stop there twice! I think you get your feet wet by trying the 3 night one and go from there!

 

[Mousemommy1]

Any chance you could do both on one trip?

We go to the parks annually and LOVE the parks but really wanted to try a Disney cruise. But, there was also no way we could fly to Orlando and not do the parks so next week, we have 4 nights in the parks and 4 nights on the Disney Dream!!

I think it's the perfect compromise to experience both!

 

[AshleeH]

We loved the cruise! We didn't want to leave - I was nearly in tears saying goodbye to our amazing servers. We love the parks and are always sad to leave there too, but the cruise is just as magical.

 

[happymommy]

I've been to WDW over 25 times, and did the Disney cruise once. Kids were 7 and 9 IIRC. Maybe 9 and 11? Older one NEVER did the kids club - boring. Younger one hung out with our friends daughter.

I'd say if you want to cruise, and have toddlers or young kids, do the Disney cruise. If not, and you want to cruise, it does not make sense to pay literally double what other lines charge. You are paying for the kids clubs, which my kids didn't use at all.

I much prefer going to WDW. I am looking into a cruise, but just for me, not my family! My husband had issues with his company, so had to spend hours on his laptop. It was frustrating. We also didn't much care for the Eastern Caribbean itinerary. And my son got a terrible case of bronchitis - so it was fun but not a great trip. And expensive!

One tip: It was cheaper for us to book two connecting interior cabins that it would be for us to all 4 of us share one balcony cabin. No way would I cram all of us into 250 square feet (roughly)!

I'd say if you are looking into a cruise, do your research.

 

[Brancaneve]

How old are your kids? We have been on 5 Disney cruises and they have all been wonderful, memorable and amazing! Our first cruise was tough because my son was still in diapers and wasn't old enough to be in the kids' club. However, as they got older I felt that each cruise got better and better. On our last cruise to Alaska, my son was 10 and my daughter was 12 and they didn't want to spend much time in the clubs and wanted to just wander around on their own. Maybe they didn't connect with any other kids or the Wonder's club was not as fun?

There seems to be a sweet spot in age for the cruise where they are so excited to meet the characters, want nothing to do with you and wake up asking to go to the kids' club. But in my opinion, it's worth going just to spend a day on Castaway Cay......... And I definitely second trying to combine the parks with the cruise, even if it's for just one day in Magic Kingdom or even a day in Universal.

 

[isabellea]

Just did the WDW/DCL combo last March. It was our first cruise and my parents and MIL came with us. My kids didn't go to the clubs because they wanted to stay with their grand-parents and their spoken english is not perfect (they understand everything but dont speak it much). We liked the cruise but thought there was very little to do outside the clubs for them. The splash area on the Wonder is tiny and the Mickey pool and slide are also very small. There are character M&G but the wait is awful unless you go during the day on port days. So for spring break (first week of March) 2017 the kids will stay with my parents in FLL while DH and I go on a cruise on NCL. After our cruise we will all go to WDW for 3 days.

 

[MammaMoe48]

I can't say what WDW is like because we will be taking our first trip in August so I have nothing to go by personally but based on all the planning I've had to do and all that I've heard, WDW is more about getting up, getting out, riding rides, eating, rushing, buses, ADRs, fireworks, lines, crowds, etc - it seems to be a more quick paced, exciting type of fun.

I've been on 3 Disney cruises and have enjoyed them immensely. It is a slower pace and while it can get crowded around the pool on sea days it's not crazy packed like the parks (the Fantasy's total capacity is something like 3,000-4,000 including crew so there's plenty of space to move around). Plus there are so many things to do it's hard to get bored. There's a whole adults only section with all kinds of bars and clubs so if you wanted a grown up night, you can send the kids off to the kids club. But it works both ways - while the kids club is a great way for adults to have some grown up time knowing that their children are safe, it's also a way for kids to get a break from the parents as well, play some games, make new friends. We never used it but people we've met onboard said their kids love it. I like the rotational dining - you have the same table number at each restaurant each night and the same servers so you will always have a table to sit at for dinner and the servers get to know you and any special needs you and your family might have. But you don't have to eat in the restaurant if you don't want to, you can get room service or eat at the buffet and since most people are at dinner, the ship is yours to explore. I especially love formal night, people gets dressed up (but you don't have to) and the CMs pass around cocktails and you can meet the captain. The character meets/photo ops are nice too, thee are lines, but you may have a 30 - 45 minute wait max and that's really only for Mickey. Most waits are more like 15-20. There are a number of port adventures you can go on if you want to but those cost extra and if you don't go out on port days, the ship is virtually empty (on our third cruise we skipped Cayman because we had done it twice before and we had the entire pool and deck to ourselves, it was great). We saw Aladdin the musical before it got to Broadway and if you do the Caribbean cruise they have a pirate night with fireworks. It is pricey but all your food (except for Remy and Palo) and non alcoholic beverages are included.

So if what I'm thinking WDW will be like is true, comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges. They both have their good points.

EDIT: I forgot to add that while there are scheduled character meets, they also just roam around the ship so you may just wind up riding the elevator with Belle or Taina or Chip and they will stop and talk to the kids and take photos.

 

[moose81]

We did a cruise last year when our daughter was 16 months and we'll be doing a parks trip this year. The cruise was nice, very relaxing, loved the service, and having the option of the nursery was very convenient. We chose it so that we could use the nursery and have some "date nights" while also having a family trip (I imagine using the kids clubs would be similar). We were also exhausted after our daughter's first year and wanted a lazier type of trip.

Unfortunately, our whole family got sick with the flu (we went in February and apparently brought the winter with us) so we didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked. But the CMs went above and beyond for us (for ex. when our server heard we were sick and would skip dinner in the dining room, she sent a three course meal up to our room!). We probably missed out on 75% of everything that was available to us (including all the night time shows, the special pirates night, half of the port days, plus our child was too young for kids clubs), and we still want to do another cruise one day because we were so impressed with everything that we did get to experience. We chose the parks this year though because our daughter is now 2 and it's the last year we can get her in for free. We'll definitely go on another cruise once she's old enough for the kids clubs. We'll probably take a grandparent along too, for good measure.

 

[Madzac]

We've done both. Ive always been a diehard park fan but wanted to try a cruise so when I got an unexpected bonus in 2013 we booked a 4 day Dream cruise. It was supposed to be our one and only. Well my family LOVED it! So much that the kids were in tears leaving last day and they all said even if it meant no vacation for a year to save they wanted another cruise! I was shocked! But we loved the food, the shows, the family game shows, the dance parties, the islands. It was awesome!

We did another cruise last year and are doing a third this summer. My oldest made friends and practically lived in the tween club. My 8 yo also loved the clubs. My 11 yo enjoyed movies and eating and exploring. We had family dinners and shows together every night and did our excursions together so lots of family time and what I liked most was no phones or technology getting in the way!!!

After this years trip we are doing the parks in 2 yrs as I'm missing them but my family of ride lovers has just adored the cruises!!

 

[MammaMurphey]

Wow, thanks for all of the feedback. It's really helpful. I'm feeling the consensus is that the cruise is fine when the kids are a bit older and want to be able to go a little on their own, but while still young and wanting to do everything together as a family, the parks are the way to go for now. So parks it is for now. Thanks again!

 

[SandyinMonterey]

We went on our first Disney Cruise just a couple of weeks ago. 7 night Eastern on the Fantasy. After our last two park trips (WDW April 2014 and DL April 2015), I was done with it. Too much planning with WDW trip, first time with FP+ and magic bands. I felt like if we weren't going to wait for almost 2 hours in line for a ride or didn't have a FP for it, you didn't get on. DL in 2015 was much busier than expected. Never seen it so bad and what made it worse that most FP not working and many rides breaking now. So, we went on a cruise. We knew it was probably going to be a one time thing, so we did it big. Stayed concierge. Had many big milestones we were celebrating. Anyway, the cruise was very nice. More relaxing than the parks. The pools are just way too small and very crowded, I expected that. For us, personally, I don't think we'll be doing another cruise. It was very nice and I can say we did it but that's about it.

 

[DisneyOliverMom]

We love doing both as a family. We love the Disney cruises because we get that magical Disney experience without sweating in long lines and worrying about the long walk/tram ride back to the hotel. You can shower before dinner, swim or eat any time of day, and see the Disney difference around every corner. We don't need the rides to have a memorable, magical, Disney family vacation. We just love to be together and be immersed in Disney. And DCL definitely does that for us. But we still love the parks!