Cruising *before* the parks... tips and tricks to avoid misery? :D

[Princesca]

When we booked our combo cruise/parks trip originally, it made more sense to us (from a sickness/wellness perspective) to do the cruise first. At the time, we reasoned that if we did the parks first, some of us might get sick, and that would prevent all of us from traveling on the cruise. At least if some of us got sick on the cruise, it's possible that others (as long as they tested negative) could still go to the parks. Or amuse themselves around Orlando in some other fashion.

Since then, I've been reading that it seems to be preferred to cruise before the parks, and now I'm nervous that it's going to be really rough on us, especially with three kids under six. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to handle vacation exhaustion across both phases of this trip? We have built in a 2-3 hour break during the days at the parks, and will probably exit the parks by 5 or 6 PM every day, but other than that?

 

[auntlynne]

You sound like you’re making good plans to avoid exhaustion - those built-in breaks. It’s knowing that it can be exhausting and taking steps to prevent it that is half the battle. The second half is making sure both parents on onboard with this concept and you follow through with the plan.

Have a great cruise and park stay. Make sure every kid has some place to ride, not just the littlest. It is a lot of walking.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

We’ve tried park visits both pre-cruise and post-cruise. Although either works, our preference is to do parks post-cruise, perhaps out of step with what many suggest. We simply fit our WDW park pacing to reflect the post-cruise slowdown that we experience. You plan sounds fine to me.

 

[TNewman1024]

We only did this once. Living in AZ a single trip to Orlando and our first trip to WDW was tagged on behind the cruise. This was one of the last cruises before covid. We got of the Fantasy Star Wars Day at Sea cruise 3/8/20 and spent 5 days in the parks right before everything shut down. No COVID issues we really didn't have those affects but we were exhausted after the cruise and WDW just drained us. I think trying to do too much. Obviously it was our first trip to WDW. We assumed more like Disneyland and we were overwhelmed.

Family is big Star Wars fans, the first sea day was my birthday, and the 2nd sea day was Star Wars day. We did an excursion in each port, snorkeling, tours and so on...so we had a really full cruise and were beat. 7nights. Then getting back our travel agent recommended well get off the ship and do epcot on that 1/2 day as many of the epcot areas were under construction. We booked dinner at a different park eat night to make sure we got reservations where we wanted and then...just seemed like we ran raw all those 4-5 days to the point the last day we had park passes and didn't even want to go back to the parks. We slept late and did Disney Springs and hung out at the resort.

We obviously tried to do too much at one shot. Had to get to Star Wars rise of the resistance as it was new, had to do the M&M Rockin roller coaster it was new. And it just felt like we were be led around by the next fast pass reservation or the dinner reservation or what ever. We never even saw 1 fireworks show as we were so beat everyday.

Yes is was fun trip but our fun-o-meter was pegged by the time we got off the ship and most of the other stuff was a blurr. It was memorable more for showing up at home exhausted and finding there was no toilet paper at the store and then everything shutting down than the WDW part of the trip. We decided if we do again it would be pre cruise WDW and relax on the ship with little to no excursions.

Disneyland is always good with a little break we usually we go early then head back to the hotel and nap for a couple hrs then back in the park by about 3-4pm and then we can till close. WDW because everything is so far away it was hard to go back to the room for a couple hrs it was 45min to an hr just to get back to the room. Port Orleans Riverside we liked as the resort but was not really too close to anything. We learned a bunch about what to do and where to stay when trying to get to specific parks attractions we would be better prepared next trip. I think how much you travel and between parks and what your goals are will make a difference. Our goals for the next WDW trip will not be to see all the parks. It will be to stay close to the park we want to spend the most time and in and then not plan it out so much. just flow with the wind a little bit.

 

[dreamer17555]

My only concern about doing the parks after is potential land sickness. I don’t get sea sick on ship but I feel land sick (Still feel like you’re rocking on the ship on land) for several days following a cruise.

I would be unable to do many rides if I went after a cruise because of it. I would be too sick.

 

[Evita_W]

I would say always do the parks/tourist stuff before the cruise, that way you are relaxed when you get home.

 

[Keyser]

Since then, I've been reading that it seems to be preferred to cruise before the parks, and now I'm nervous that it's going to be really rough on us, especially with three kids under six. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to handle vacation exhaustion across both phases of this trip? We have built in a 2-3 hour break during the days at the parks, and will probably exit the parks by 5 or 6 PM every day, but other than that?

Don't let this general advice get to you. The reason for that advice is that the cruise tends to be (not always, but often) more laid back, so many people want to end with the somewhat more "relaxing" of the two things. There's less physical space to walk on the ship, there tends to be a bit more "down time" (at least, you can't do stuff as many hours of the day), the activities tend to be lower-key. But, that's just a preference. On our one "ultimate Orlando" trip we did a cruise in the middle. We found the park days after the cruise were more relaxed than those before - so you might already be able to minimize exhaustion by scheduling it your way!

But in general, here are my personal recommendations (others might disagree):

• I'm guessing the cruise is a 3 or 4 day one. Not sure if you've cruised before, but if not, do not try to do everything! Just pick things to do that seem fun, don't worry at all about things you don't get to do, and realize that if you really love it, you will find a way to come back in the future. The times cruises seem exhausting are when people are trying to fit every possible activity they've heard of or see into the trip. This is especially hard on a 3-day (and even 4-day) cruise, and can make it less fun, overall.
• You don't say how long you will be in the park phase, but if it's for 5+ days (i.e. enough that you'd still have at least a full day at each park) then I'd recommend taking a "down day" off in the middle. Spend one day just sleeping late, use your hotel pool or other facilities, maybe do something lower-key, like shopping, or mini-golf, or something like that. Back when Disney Quest was open, we'd do that, or see Cirque du Soliel, or one of us drive an older kid to the Titanic museum that was (is?) in town while the others napped, etc. Point is to give yourself a real break from the parks, since no matter what happens, people have a tendency to go-go-go when they are in the parks, and drive themselves to exhaustion. This day in the middle always helped us rest and "reset."
• As painful as it can be, try to be at the parks at opening and at least "plan" the first things you will do. You can sometimes do more in the first hour than in several hours later in the day. That way you can take the breaks later, without feeling like you're missing as much. The very end of the day is also often a good time to ride with minimal waits, but usually doesn't work well with young kids. Even though it's counterintuitive, waking up early makes it more relaxing overall!
• Leaving parks early is likely to be helpful. An alternate approach (that worked for our family; yours might have sleep and eating schedules that are different) and might be what you mean by breaks: We would leave in the early afternoon, go back for a nap/pool/quiet time, and return to the park for dinner and the nighttime show (or sometimes a couple of rides - but not trying to do too much) in the evening. This only works if your hotel is reasonably nearby, though, so you don't waste travel time. It can actually be really relaxing to return to a park in the evening with a plan to just do things at a relaxed pace. This was also how our family saw all the evening shows (which were important to us) without losing too much sleep overall. With young kids, though, you'd have to be careful about staying up too late.
• Everything I've heard from people who've gone recently is that Genie+ is pretty much a necessity to avoid excessive lines, so plan to spend the $ on that, unfortunately. I find standing in lines makes me more tired than just about anything else... I could race-walk across the park for an hour and feel less tired than if I'd stood in a line for an hour.
• Let kids use strollers if you're able to. You don't say the exact ages, but that can really help keep them from getting as tired. My daughters used strollers at the parks even when they were well "past" them in everyday life.
• Last thing: make an extra effort to keep hydrated! It's easy to forget to drink enough water at the parks, and this leads to exhaustion I think more than even the actual activities.

 

[tee11]

When we booked our combo cruise/parks trip originally, it made more sense to us (from a sickness/wellness perspective) to do the cruise first. At the time, we reasoned that if we did the parks first, some of us might get sick, and that would prevent all of us from traveling on the cruise. At least if some of us got sick on the cruise, it's possible that others (as long as they tested negative) could still go to the parks. Or amuse themselves around Orlando in some other fashion.

Since then, I've been reading that it seems to be preferred to cruise before the parks, and now I'm nervous that it's going to be really rough on us, especially with three kids under six. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to handle vacation exhaustion across both phases of this trip? We have built in a 2-3 hour break during the days at the parks, and will probably exit the parks by 5 or 6 PM every day, but other than that?

We’ve done both with similar aged kids. There are pros and cons to both ways. I think I like cruise first slightly better! It’s nice to look forward to the parks and some more magic after the cruise. Hopefully the kids had their fill of Mickey Bars, characters, and other included offerings on the ship, so that’s nice, too. Planning in time at the (much larger) resort pools and the additional space as opposed to onboard can be very relaxing.