Disney World Question?

[Warren W]

What is more more expensive, WDW or Disney Cruise Line? What restaurant should we go to (we have 6 kids and 4 adults)? Should we get autograph books or just plain notebooks? What resort should we stay at? Should we include the dining plan? Thanks!!

 

[OKW Lover]

Wow - that's a wide possible range of costs. No straight answer.

How many days are you planning? If at WDW, what type of hotel? If a cruise, what size/level of cabin?

Don't forget that the price of your cruise includes all meals so be sure to include that when comparing WDW with DCL.

 

[mkymouse4ever]

In our personal experience, the cruise was always wayyyyyyyyy more expensive. You talking 10 people and on a cruise you could be looking at up to 3 cabins. Ouch. Not many discounts offered either.
WDW has alot of discounts and if you plan well can cut your budget in many ways.
My personal stragedy > stay away from packages.

 

[Lynne M]

What is more more expensive, WDW or Disney Cruise Line? What restaurant should we go to (we have 6 kids and 4 adults)? Should we get autograph books or just plain notebooks? What resort should we stay at? Should we include the dining plan? Thanks!!

First, a DISboards tip....you'll generally get a lot more responses, and more detailed responses, if you post individual questions on the boards that are specific to that subject. Your autograph book question would be a great one for the Theme Parks and Attractions board, and the folks on the Disney Dining Plan board can help you figure out if the dining plan is right for your family.

We also have a Restaurants board to help you with that decision....there are dozens of restaurants on Disney property, with varying price ranges, all kinds of cuisines, and assorted themes, from buffet-style character meals to interactive dining where you become part of the 'show', to some of the best fine dining in the Southeastern US. Lots and lots to choose from.

Now (finally ), on to your questions about resorts. There are more than 20 separate resorts on Disney property, if you are looking to stay on property. I'd start with this link:

Disney Resorts

You'll find rates and detailed descriptions for all of the resorts inside WDW. That will help you narrow down what combination of price and amenities suits your family's needs. Then c'mon back and ask lots of questions here.

As for which is more expensive, a cruise or a WDW vacation, the only answer is "it depends". On the length of the cruise you're interested in, the kind of cabin you'd want to book, compared to the level of resort you'd be interested in at WDW, what kind of dining you'll be doing, and what sort of park tickets you'd buy.

The best thing to do is to hit the WDW site and the Disney Cruise Line site, and start pricing out vacations.

 

[msminnieears]

When looking at an average trip to WDW and an average disney cruise I have found the cruise is more expensive. So with that said I have never been on a Disney cruise (yet). But I can tell you some tips about WDW. With at 8 people in your party you will be better (cheaper) getting two rooms vs. a 2br villa etc. The resorts range from value to deluxe so it depends on your budget. you will need to do a little research about the dining plan. it will depend on your children's ages and appetite levels to whether it will be better to do the ddp. You can go to allears.net and check out the restauants and prices of meals. I have found that with my family the dining plan usually saves us about $200 but we tend to eat more than we would normally. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions. Planning is part of the fun of WDW!

 

[Missytara]

You can also do a land/sea package; part in the parks and part on the cruise. I priced it out and for the 4 days in the parks and the 3 days on the cruise, it was about $500.00 more. If I can snag a room discount for the days I am at the resort, it works out even better.

 

[nkereina]

In my experience, I've found the cruise to be more expensive. There are more options doing a WDW vacation than there are with a cruise, therefore you can pretty much tailor a WDW vacation to your budget by making adjustments. A cruise doesn't have as much flexibility. A cruise includes all your meals whether you like it or not, while DDP at a WDW is optional. At WDW, you can buy tickets cheaper from multiple outlets. On the cruise, there's not many outlets for discounted excursions or cabins or anything like that. It's basically these are the prices, take it or leave it on the cruise.

 

[Angie789]

My family LOVES cruises, and IMO, you can get way more bang for your buck if you choose other cruise lines instead of Disney (Norwegian is our favorite, Royal Caribbean is a close second). You don't get all the Disney touches, but other than that there is not a lot of difference PLUS they are cheaper to start with and have more deals available. There is just nothing that compares to the WDW experience, so I'd choose to spend my money there!

 

[Warren W]

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[chalee94]

What is more more expensive, WDW or Disney Cruise Line?

cruise line.

What restaurant should we go to (we have 6 kids and 4 adults)?

whispering canyon cafe in the wilderness lodge resort.

Should we get autograph books or just plain notebooks?

aw, heck...get the autograph books if you're going to do it.

What resort should we stay at?

the suites at all-star music or art of animation resorts might work better for occupancy of up to 6.

Should we include the dining plan?

nah.

 

[Sue M]

Good advice from Lynne. You need to be more specific in what you are looking for. Impossible to suggest resorts without knowing your budget, ages of kids, etc. I think you need to do some research on what is available to you.
A good guide book would help you too. WDW- The Unofficial Guide is a good one.