Disney cruise or World

[Jamesfam]

Planning a vacation with extended family that have 3 kids ages, 4,3 and 8 months. Do you think the cruise or parks would be more enjoyable, and easier with the kids. Any advice or experience is appreciated.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Planning a vacation with extended family that have 3 kids ages, 4,3 and 8 months. Do you think the cruise or parks would be more enjoyable, and easier with the kids. Any advice or experience is appreciated.

Me, personally, with kids that young, I'd say the cruise would be easier. You're never far from your room for a little down time, and the crowds are much less on the ship.

 

[lorimay]

^^ this.

The parks are so hectic, a cruise is the opposite IMO.
There is so much for the kids to do and adults too.
DCLblog.com has past navigators for you to take a look at to see all that is available.

 

[dtrain]

Do both!

 

[ScooterScott44]

A Coworker of mine, who’s kids are younger than mine and just a little older than yours, finds the cruises easier. We never really had trouble with either but he has three like you where we are one and done.

 

[dclpluto]

Since you are asking on the dcl board I’m guessing you are leaning towards the cruise. Most of the answers will be cruise since you asked on the dcl board. Go with the cruise.

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

I'm another vote for a cruise! Fewer logistics and details to manage, and a slower pace.

If someone in the group has their heart set on parks, I actually recommend Disneyland for families with lots of young kids.

 

[GoBlue99]

Our kids are 4.5 and 1.5. We thought about the theme parks, but decided that would be too stressful with such young kids. So we ended up booking the cruise. Everyone says the cruise is much less stressful. We will do the theme parks when the kids are a little older.

 

[mmouse37]

We used to LOVE taking the kids to WDW (before DCL came on the scene) and since cruising DCL back in 1998 we prefer the cruise.

Even now I just find WDW so hard to plan. So many things you have to do beforehand if you want to make the most of your day in the park and have somewhere to eat. The cruise is so much easier and always easy to get out of the hot sun if need be.

MJ

 

[MichelleCanada]

In the last three years we have done two cruises and been to WDW twice. We waited until our DS (7 now) was tall enough so he could ride most of the rides.

So....I vote for a cruise as well. Nothing on the ships is hard or far to find. We also found time to do some adult things on the cruise - which doesn’t happen at WDW. There is so much less planning and prepping for a cruise. As others have said - a cruise is much more laid back and less stressful.

 

[Riss]

We did both a cruise and WDW with a child that was a month shy of his 3rd birthday and honestly, it's hard for me to choose.

He loved being on the ship and having the convenience of meeting so many characters there was definitely a plus. There are a lot of activities that they have, even for someone of his age, and he loved the dance parties and such and never wanted to leave the pool deck. However, he also got the same excitement from being in the parks. He enjoyed the rides and pretty much just looking at everything. He did get sick for a little time when we were there but for the couple of days he was feeling up to it, he loved it.

Since you do have an 8 month old in the mix, though, I'd say that the cruise might be easier. It'd definitely be easier to put the child down for a nap since the room is very close and is very easy and convenient to get to. There are also a lot of activities to keep the other children at bay while the parents are separated. While the dinners on the cruise will be pretty simple, the whole sit down thing with your dinner restaurant already determined in advance by your dining rotation, eating at the buffet, at Cabanas, could prove to be a little difficult. We did the tag team thing, though. One person sat down with the child and found a table while the others went and got their food. Also, Cabanas does seem pretty busy most mornings, especially the first day on the ship, but it's not entirely impossible to find a table.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

This is a great question with fantastic responses. My nephew and family (DS 5, DS 3, DD 2 today) are planning their first vacation to WDW in 2 years (saving up and no one in stroller or carrying). Probably should have them also consider a DCL instead of the park.

 

[Chrispy97]

We did a night at WDW with a 3 night cruise when our DD was 3.5 . We treated a day in MK as a PoC trip for whether she was ready for a longer trip to WDW soon or we had to wait longer.

She did have a meltdown mid-day in MK but otherwise did well with it. I am glad we did a single day given that; I think trying to do 3-4 days at WDW would have been overwhelming at that point. By age 5 when we went again she did better with multiple parks.

The big thing we noticed with the first cruise was early bedtime made many nighttime activities only available to one of us. Our DD had a 7PM bedtime so we didn't even do the shows after first dinner seating on the first cruise. But it was also my first cruise ever so I had to wrap my head around "you don't have to do everything" when looking at the Navigator. She did enjoy the kids club (only available to your older two, 8mo would only get to go to nursery at added expense.) Other than that, the cruise was a success.

Given the ages and managing 3, I agree with those who say the cruise would likely be more relaxing.

 

[Jess_S]

My preference is the cruise because it is more relaxing for the adults. From my son's perspective (now 6), he enjoys both equally. But he's not the one carrying himself around when he gets too hot to walk or dealing with his own meltdown when he's hungry and hot, but refuses to eat, drink or rest in the shade.

 

[DietCokeMommy]

We did both a cruise and WDW in 2018. Cruise was last February, and WDW was over Christmas just last month. My kids are 5 and 2 (were 4 and 1.5 for the cruise) and I would pick a cruise over parks any time. We had fun at the parks but it was hard. It took a ton of planning to make itineraries and there wasn't always the availability for what I wanted in terms of fast passes and ADRs. Eating, waking and napping schedule were all messed up to account for park openings and the ADRs I was able to get. It was also difficult at the parks because my 5 year old always wanted to be in the stroller and the 2 year old never did. Everywhere you go you have to push the giant stroller around, make sure the toddler hasn't disappeared in the crowd, find stroller parking, wait in line for the ride, spent 5-10 minutes on a ride and then it's time to go do the next thing. Whereas on the cruise we could eat at any time we wanted. No worries about lunch not being until 1:30 and screwing up afternoon naps. No huge lines to wait in (unless you want to meet the characters), no massive itineraries with minute by minute plans needed. The other huge plus: Kids club + nursery. On the cruise we could bring the kids in and go off on our own during the day and have a great time in the adult pool or Cove cafe or whatever. At WDW there wasn't anywhere to get a break from the neediness of two really small kids. Even nap time was great on the cruise. We had a verandah room and we'd get soom food, put the kids down, and relax with an audio book on the verandah. Everything at WDW just seemed harder and more exhausting.

My day to life with two little kids, a full time stressful job, a long commute and everything else is stressful enough. I like vacation to have a big relaxation component to it. A few hours on a beach or walking around seeing sights and then some rest time and pool time are really all I want for vacation. Action packed days running from ride to ride or waiting in long lines for something that lasts 5 minutes is just not my thing. One day we'll back to WDW, maybe when the kids are more like 8 and 11. When they're completely past the stroller stage, past afternoon naps, and able to be excited for the parks and remember it.

 

[lilsonicfan]

A cruise is definitely more geared towards relaxation and convenience than parks. My favourite part with young kids is not worrying about where or what we are going to eat, which has always been my biggest struggle about travelling. It's also super convenient to be able to put the kids down for a nap, and even if you're all in one stateroom, you'll be able to pull a curtain closed so that you can at least watch some TV while you wait for them to wake up. I love WDW, but the days are long and potentially painful with littles!

 

[pearljammer]

Planning a vacation with extended family that have 3 kids ages, 4,3 and 8 months. Do you think the cruise or parks would be more enjoyable, and easier with the kids. Any advice or experience is appreciated.

Having just done 2 days at the park and a cruise afterwards....easy for me! CRUISE! The parks were exhausting!! With the kids clubs and all the characters around....it’s a great experience! No brainer for me!!

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

I haven't gone on my first DCL trip yet, but I would never plan a trip to WDW with extended family. I'm too much of a control freak and WDW needs to be planned down to the minute to avoid long waits. I can boss my mom, kids and DH around to get them to the monorail/FP ride/ADR on time, but I would lose my mind trying to herd a larger group than that. Also, it can be harder to make ADR and FP reservations for larger groups, and harder to please a group with different ages/heights/preferences. Take the cruise. You can do different activities during the day and always get back together for dinner. ETA: Also, there's no awkwardness about who pays for what, since everything is pre-paid.