Disney World vs Disney Cruise

[Munis00]

Our only child turns 5 this November. We have travelled a lot but this time we would like to take a vacation which would be mostly for or daughter on her b’day!
The first two places came in our mind is Disney world or Disney Cruise! She has not been to any of them & we are planning as the ONLY during her childhood.
1. We came across minimum height requirement for may top attractions in Disney world is 48 inches & the age she can make most out of it, we are NOT inclined for Disney world until she is 8 or 9 years old. Does that make sense?
2. Disney cruise reviews suggest anytime after 3 years would be the best time & may be 5 if u would like them to remember for life-time. We did cruise last year on NCL to Eastern Caribbean with her & to Western Caribbean with Royal Caribbean & Princess to Alaska when she wasn’t born. Normally we don’t like to go on a cruise every year but considering want to do something special, we are getting sold for the idea. Considering this is the only Disney cruise we would take her in her childhood, is this a best age?
3. If so, which itinerary except the ones we’ve already been on & cruise ship do u recommend?
4. Are there any other vacation places in USA, which are worth visiting once in their childhood with your kids?
Thanks in advance.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Because you have a variety of questions but they all center about the best options to do with your daughter I am going to move this to the Disney for Families board.

 

[CamperMomma]

Is doing both a viable option? We initially started out as just doing the 4 night cruise on the Dream, and wanted to come in a couple days early to check out Cocoa Beach. Fast forward to looking into flights, and it was far cheaper (saving $100/pp) if we added a couple days onto the end of our trip as well. Then looked into Shades of Green (on Disney property, but owned by the DoD - my husband is active duty military) and found $89/night which was half of what we were finding for hotels over in Cocoa Beach area. So our cruise turned into a WDW - Cruise - WDW trip without adding much more than a little cost of food and tickets. Now, all that being said, due to the military status we can get super cheap park hoppers (4 day for $196) and the hotel is $89/night un-taxed, but depending on your situation it could be worth looking into? We, like you, plan for this to be the BIG 5th birthday present/trip. And likely won't do it again until his sister turns 5 in a few years.

 

[CaleCakes]

Like CamperMomma said we too are doing a cruise ahead, unfortunately not Disney, and then are staying 4 days at SoG. Although I haven't been on a Disney cruise since it was the Big Red Boat, we have been on a dozen Celebrity and Princess cruises, we decided to wait until little one is older, probably for his 5th birthday. I would think age 5 is a good age. Old enough to enjoy it and remember it. I remember being on the big red boat and loving the kids club. If you could split up the week and do a cruise and few days in the park I think that would be an awesome way to celebrate.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

We've been taking our daughter to WDW and DL since she was 2 1/2 yrs. old, she's now 11. One reason we did was to share that experience with extended family. If we waited till she was much older, her grandmothers wouldn't be able to do it. But I think we would of gone regardless. I'm not one to plan on vacation or anything according to age and if he/she will remember. I don't remember my vacations from when I was 5 or 8 or 9 so I didn't think my daughter will either. It's all about the moments when they are happening. Like previous posters, I was going to suggest both cruise and park but, IMO, I think a minimum of 7 days is needed for a cruise. By the third or fourth day, IMO, I think you're just getting the feel of everything and if it's not a longer cruise, than it's time to get off. We just went on our first Disney Cruise end of March this year on the Fantasy, Eastern 7 day. For us Castaway Cay was best stop of the cruise. Didn't care for the islands (St. Thomas and Tortolla). Been to St. Thomas MANY times years ago and it's certainly not the St. Thomas I remember. We just moved from California to Georgia. We're originally from the East Coast. We plan on taking our daughter to Washington DC, Philadelphia to see the Declaration of Independence and in general just things up and down East Coast. She's older now and can better appreciate the history.

 

[heath92681]

Two years ago we did a DCL cruise and a couple days in the park. It was a nice balance if you can swing both. We loved Castaway Cay. We did a 4 night cruise, but would have liked more time. I'm a fan of Disney when the kids are younger and can appreciate the "magic." We are squeezing in as much Disney as possible while our kids are little. We will do other destinations when they're older.

 

[tinkerbell1112]

my opinion fwiw, my kids have been going to Disneyworld/Disneyland since the age of 3. We didn't take our first Disney cruise until last year (11 & 8). After watching them on the cruise and watching the other kids on the cruise, I can honestly say MY kids wouldn't have enjoyed a cruise as much as they did DW when they were younger. A few reasons: fewer characters, and honestly, fewer things to do for them. They wouldn't have probably appreciated the nightly games and shows as much when they were younger. They were heavy heavy on characters when they were younger, and you see the same ones on a cruise. The ports wouldn't have interested them much when they were younger either.

DW has characters, shows, experiences, pools....they now appreciate both for different reasons.

Just my opinion and my observations on my own family. I will say that as a MOM, the cruise was way more relaxing with kids than going to DW

 

[disny_luvr]

We've been on three Disney cruises with a fourth planned next year and we absolutely love them! After our first cruise, both of my boys declared that they never have to go to Disney again. Obviously, we still go to Disney World and still have a great time but everyone in my family loves to cruise. I think Disney cruises are just magical, and in some ways, more so than the parks. The ship only has so many people on it and I appreciate not having throngs of people everywhere. I find that character interactions are better; lines are short and there are always characters somewhere. We bump into characters around the ship. One of my favorite memories is when my boys mini golfed with Pluto. Also, Mickey, and I believe some other characters visit the kids clubs throughout the cruise. Speaking of kids clubs, they are great! My boys would spend every second in there if we'd let them. We also enjoy the shows. Even my boys like them. We have never encountered a rude CM. Everyone is there to make you have the best vacation ever. And, I can't forget Castaway Cay. It's the best! I could go on and on but Disney cruises really are awesome!

I say give it a try. You won't know until you try it. You definitely are still going to experience a ton of Disney magic even though you aren't in the parks.

 

[Chris403]

1) There are very few attractions at Disney world that you have to be 48 inches for. Are you thinking of Universal Orlando?

Anyway it's a huge discussion of it's own what age to take your kids to Disneyworld especially if you are set to only take her once. I'll say this, Disney is not full of thrill rides, and the magic for her trip at 5 will be different than it is at 9.

2) I've never been on a Disney cruise, but I've been on a couple of Carnival Cruises with my kids and they loved it. Again, a 5 year old on a cruise is going to be a very different experience than a 9 year on a cruise. Any trip with a typical 5 year old is going to have some bumps in the road, and there will be some things they can't fully experience. That doesn't mean they won't love it.

My personal take on your question is that if you are going to do one cruise and one Disney world trip in her childhood, do Disney now and the cruise in a few years. But either way she'll have a great vacation so don't beat yourself up over the decision.

 

[jeepnjudy]

If you can financially afford it, I would not limit my visit to WDW to just ONE with a child as their experience will change based on the age when they visit. You stated you travel a lot...Is there a reason you are opposed to going more than once? I'm not implying you have to go every year but taking her 2-3 times throughout her childhood would be such a different experience for her each time...IMHO.

 

[Thing 1]

Oh I remember our ONLY WDW family trip.....that was many WDW trips ago! Five is a great age to go to WDW. There are very few rides that require over 40 inches and sooooo many things she will enjoy. We have taken our youngest at 5 and it was absolutely a wonderful trip. We choose to wait a bit older to cruise but have had plenty of friends that did cruise earlier and loved it with even toddlers. If it going to be all about her.....WDW for sure.

 

[Nancyg56]

I am afraid that if traveling with the trip as a once and done for your child you may be setting youself up to do what I believe is a mistake with kids. There is so much to do with a family in WDW, from toddles to teens, the experience changes each time. I have found that when a family decides they will make the trip one time, they also to to make it count....see and do everything there is to do. I do not think people really understand all that there is within WDW.

Last week my DD and her family booked a POLY stay, their favorite WDW resort. They have been many times so there was no pressure to get it all accomplished, thank goodness. Blistering heat!! Anyway, they were on the way back to their resort with a young mother and her three kids, 2, 4, and 8. The kids looked like they had barely survived a war. Mom had booked the Grand, but had barely see it. No pool. No play. Nope..... All that money on what is WDW Flagship resort, but the family had not used one amenity. They ran from RD to park close, packing sandwiches in their backpack daily. Now bringing food into the parks is no problem, but my daughter felt so bad after mom told her that they were hot and soggy, and that they had not visited one restaurant. There was FD going on, and had this family downsized their resort they might have enjoyed a few chaacters meals and been relieved from the pressure of maximizing what they were trying to accomplish. IT was 107 heat index the week DD WS there, and the thought of those little kids in the heat with no ice cream or pools broke her heart.

I am not suggesting that thsi woudl be your plan, but cautioning you when you plan a once in a lifetime trip to WDW because it can sometime backfire.

 

[Nancyg56]

Oh I remember our ONLY WDW family trip.....that was many WDW trips ago! Five is a great age to go to WDW. There are very few rides that require over 40 inches and sooooo many things she will enjoy. We have taken our youngest at 5 and it was absolutely a wonderful trip. We choose to wait a bit older to cruise but have had plenty of friends that did cruise earlier and loved it with even toddlers. If it going to be all about her.....WDW for sure.

LOL! Yes, ours was when my DGD was 4. Ten years ago we went but had never thought to make plans to return. LOL! WE had not even boarded teh plane to come home when DH told me that he planned to make sure our DGD went back every year, and whenever possible twice a year. He kept his promise, which was not an arm twister. My DD and DSIL were hooked from the second they arrived! LOL!

 

[Shanti]

Our only child turns 5 this November. We have travelled a lot but this time we would like to take a vacation which would be mostly for or daughter on her b’day!
The first two places came in our mind is Disney world or Disney Cruise! She has not been to any of them & we are planning as the ONLY during her childhood.
1. We came across minimum height requirement for may top attractions in Disney world is 48 inches & the age she can make most out of it, we are NOT inclined for Disney world until she is 8 or 9 years old. Does that make sense?
2. Disney cruise reviews suggest anytime after 3 years would be the best time & may be 5 if u would like them to remember for life-time. We did cruise last year on NCL to Eastern Caribbean with her & to Western Caribbean with Royal Caribbean & Princess to Alaska when she wasn’t born. Normally we don’t like to go on a cruise every year but considering want to do something special, we are getting sold for the idea. Considering this is the only Disney cruise we would take her in her childhood, is this a best age?
3. If so, which itinerary except the ones we’ve already been on & cruise ship do u recommend?
4. Are there any other vacation places in USA, which are worth visiting once in their childhood with your kids?
Thanks in advance.

1. Yes, I agree. Save WDW until she can enjoy more rides. At this age it's more about the magic & characters, & she'll get that on a Disney cruise.

2. If you're only going to take her on one Disney cruise in her childhood, I think 5 is a good age, because:

• She's the right age to love the kids club activities
• She'll get lots of photo opportunities with characters, who she'll be wowed by
• She's not so old that she'll get "hooked" on Disney cruise line's advantages & compare other ships she'll cruise on later to the Disney ship.

3. I recommend a Caribbean cruise with her on the Disney Fantasy. Disney's private Bahamian island, Castaway Cay, is lovely. Since it's a one-time only DCL cruise, I suggest only cruising the Dream or Fantasy, & not Magic or Wonder. All the ships are great, but the newer Dream & Fantasy have more features (such as mini-golf, a virtual detective game, Disney movies on demand in the stateroom, etc.) that the Magic & Wonder don't. I particularly recommend the Fantasy instead of the Dream because out of the two, only the Fantasy has 7-night cruises, and those 7-night cruises include character breakfasts, formal nights, etc., which the 3 & 4 night cruises don't.

4. Yes! Besides Disney's offerings, we have many amazing natural wonders in our national parks, including the Grand Canyon National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, just to name a few of the most famous. There are many more. Also, our nation's major cities (New York, San Francisco, Chicago, etc.) are all worth a visit.

 

[ajwolfe]

So I'm only offering our experiences, I realize it may not fit you the best or others.
Personally, we feel like WDW is for everyone, but littles experience in a magical form that us adults and older kids can't. The cruises (while great for kids) are still more an adult experience imo.

We took my oldest for his first WDW trip at 2 1/2 and our second at 18 mths. Those first couple trips to WDW were by far the most magical for us. The kids believed in the magic of everything, the characters, etc and were still able to ride tons of rides. They could just sit and soak it all in.

Fast forward to this last trip in May - our boys are now 12 and a new 9 for this trip. They still enjoyed themselves like crazy and can't wait to go again, but it's taken on a totally different vibe when they were little. I would have been sad if we wait until 9 to take our kids as they would have missed some awesome experiences. By 9 they understand the characters aren't real, that most things of those magical things are man created (even though they are still awesome), etc.

Also, at 5 your child should be able to ride almost everything there is to ride at WDW and maybe depending on height everything. We went with another family this last trip and their youngest was 5 - the only thing I believe she didn't ride was RNR. She love ToT, Space Mtn and EE.

 

[darkpixie08]

1. We came across minimum height requirement for may top attractions in Disney world is 48 inches & the age she can make most out of it, we are NOT inclined for Disney world until she is 8 or 9 years old. Does that make sense? I think it largely depends on what you are after. If you just want to Disney once, then 8 or 9 years old sounds about right. But I really enjoyed watching DD (she was 4.5 at the time) experience the magic of Disney. We did the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique where she got her princess makeover, and then we had dinner at Cinderella's castle with all the princesses. And for her, it was real. She actually got to meet those characters and not just someone dressed up as them. We were able to do plenty of rides, I think it was only the 3 Mountains, and the Coal Mine that she wasn't tall enough for. So plenty of fun experiences to be had.

2. Disney cruise reviews suggest anytime after 3 years would be the best time & may be 5 if u would like them to remember for life-time. We did cruise last year on NCL to Eastern Caribbean with her & to Western Caribbean with Royal Caribbean & Princess to Alaska when she wasn’t born. Normally we don’t like to go on a cruise every year but considering want to do something special, we are getting sold for the idea. Considering this is the only Disney cruise we would take her in her childhood, is this a best age? I thinks somewhere between 4-7 is optimal, so you could wait a year or two and still be right in the sweet spot for her enjoyment of a Disney cruise. She'll have a blast now too.

3. If so, which itinerary except the ones we’ve already been on & cruise ship do u recommend? If I were doing it this year and had my pick, I'd probably do a land and sea vacation, so two or three days at Disney World and then a four day cruise on the Dream. DD is young enough that you're still a probably a little limited on the types of excursions you can go on (harder to do snorkeling or scuba diving, longer hikes, etc). If you were to forgo the land portion, then I'd say repeat the Eastern or Western Caribbean cruise. A lot of the magic of doing the Disney cruise happens on the boat, so you can do a few beachy excursions, and still have plenty of time on the boat for her to do the kids club activities and character interaction stuff.

4. Are there any other vacation places in USA, which are worth visiting once in their childhood with your kids? Our kids loved Chicago, and we've done the Gatlinburg area too. We also plan on doing a trip (or two, or three!) to NYC, and I want to do a trip out to the Grand Canyon/White Water Rafting when they are a bit older. We'll probably hit up Detroit too at some point, and make our way up to the Great Lakes. Oh and Alaska and Hawaii, but I want to wait until both kids are a bit older for those too! There's a lot on my list!

We did the a land and sea vacation two years ago and it was great. DD had the absolute best time at Disney World, but although all the adults had fun, we were tuckered out! DD still had a great time on the cruise, but it was much more relaxing and enjoyable for the adults. So really you won't go wrong no matter what you decide.

 

[isabellea]

IMO 5yo is the BEST age to visit WDW. They really believe in the magic and see it everywhere. Last March we did our first DCL cruise with our daughters age 3 and 6. It was okay but the girls didn't have as much fun then when we were at WDW last summer or during our quick WDW visit prior to the cruise. We are not planning on going back on a DCL cruise anytime soon again but we booked a NCL cruise DH for next March for DH and I only while the kids stay with the grandparents. We are thinking of going to WDW with them right after our cruise since they have been asking about going back again.

 

[Hezzy04]

My opinion is that at age 5, if your child is at least 40 inches, she will be able to do basically everything at Disney World. There are a few things you need to be taller for, but I don't know that any of those would be at the top of a list for a 5 year old. At 40 inches you can ride Soarin', Splash Mountain, and Seven Dwarf Mine Train. Also Dinosaur and Kali....

My advice to friends and family has always been that at 40 inches it's totally worth it!

I took my girls at ages 3 and 4, and again at ages 4 and 5 and we had plenty to do and kept busy the whole time!!! There is no shortage of things to do at WDW!!