Thanks for the replies! Can a family of four fit in a oceanview cabin on the Carnival Ecstacy or will it be too cramped?
Yes, you can all fit because the cabin will either have pullman ceiling beds or a pullout couch...but prepare for it to be VERY tight. Cruise ships cabins are very small. The ocean view and interior cabins on the Ecstasy are both 185 sq feet. (Compare that to one of the rooms in your house...roughly a 12x15 room, including the bathroom and closet area.) So, by booking a ocean view, you are basically only gaining a window...not any extra space. Depending on the pricing on the cruise, sometimes you can get 2 adjoining interior cabins (no window) for not much more money. The bonus is not only double the space, but you also get 2 bathrooms. Of course, sometimes it's significantly more expensive to do that...but not always.
Cruise ships cabins typically have very good storage areas. I've cruised on
Royal Caribbean several times (not Carnival), but cabins are all pretty similar. You should have a double closet with a hanging area and shelf area. There will be a small desk area, with drawers and cabinets around it. There will also be some built in storage in the bathroom. It's nearly impossible to live out of suitcases on a cruise like you would in a hotel, because there's really no extra floor space to lay them, unless you take up the whole couch area. We always take a few minutes to unpack our clothes, and we slide the empty suitcases under the beds.
Like someone else said, you spend very little time in your cabin, so it is doable...you just need to be organized, and everyone needs to make an attempt to keep their clothes, etc put away so you're not tripping over the mess. We always take one of those collapsible pop-up hampers with us, to keep the dirty laundry in check.
As far as the choice between Disney and a cruise...I'd definitely do the cruise as it's far more relaxing. I think there are 3 or 4 different cruise lines that sail out of Galveston, so check prices on all of them. Compare the ships too...some of the older ships are smaller and have fewer amenities. I'm not too familiar with Carnival, but I know that Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas does 7 night cruises out of Galveston. That particular ship has a TON of things for your kids...rock climbing wall, ice skating rink, in-line skating, mini golf, sports court, Kids Club, etc.
Don't forget the extra expenses on any cruise...tips for the staff (they recommend an amount per passenger, including kids, and you just pay it once), and the price of excursions if you book those through the cruise line. If you're a good planner, you can do your research on CruiseCritic.com and figure out much cheaper ways to do the excursions by either taking a taxi or by booking them through local companies instead of the cruise line itself.
To compare prices, I would go to a site like VacationsToGo.com and see the different offerings. However, I always book through my
travel agent after I find what I'm looking for.
because one bathroom, well...
) . I think it was last year that the ship went into dry dock and they redid it . They added a nice water area. 
