Eastern Caribbean or West Coast?

[mommykeg]

I need some advice. I have a room booked on the July 9th West Coast Cruise in 2005. Have always wanted to do a Disney Cruise, kids will be the right ages (DD8 and DS4), it will be our 10th wedding anniversary...perfect timing! But the West Coast ports don't seem as appealing and we won't have Castaway Cay, so I've been second-guessing myself and wondering if we should wait a few months and go to the Eastern Caribbean. The Eastern Caribbean in November (the next month I could go since I'm a teacher at a year-round school) would actually be a bit cheaper, but I'd have to wait 4 extra months and our 10th anniversary (June) would be a bit more removed. And I would have to take my DD out of school for a week. Also, I'm concerned about the extra travel time and the time change and the effects those might have on the kids, especially my son (we live on the West Coast). I would love to hear from you experienced Disney cruisers about this...which itinerary do you think would be better? which month do you think would be better for a cruise? any and all comments on my dilemma would be welcome...I have the July cruise booked and a hold on a cabin for the Eastern cruise...but I need to decide! Help!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dreamer04]

hi! Here is my take on your dilemma. First, the ship is a destination of its own. The ports don't really grab me on any cruise. Go in June. It's easier on the family.

 

[bobsuzla]

I have never done a cruise, but while deciding on our Nov 12th 2005 cruise, I too felt that the Eastern was more appealing, more days at sea to relax and enjoy the ship, more fun at the ports etc. My daughter will be 10 by then and in 5th grade, she will actually miss almost 2 weeks of school, but it will be worth the family time that we spend together... She already understands the responsibility of working hard to get some enjoyment out of life, and we are rewarding her hard work and good grades with Disney Dollars that she can aply to her shipboard account! Choose whatever it is that is going to make your family the happiest, either choice will be very rewarding.(and if you can't decide use the old eenie mmenie miney mo) Good luck!

ps- with the money that you save by going in November you can treat yourseves to a couples massage or something luxurious at the spa, that you might not do otherwise, a little late anniversary present. Better late than never right

 

[TheWog]

If you can wait I would do the Eastern. Remember this is just my personal preference. If none of the ports appeal to you in CA and ports are a part of what you want to experience then go for the Eastern. Both islands are so beautiful. There is so much to do or not do on them. You also get CC and it sounds like that is part of what you want. Airfare will be your biggest concern, but with the cost difference compared to the CA cruise it may be a wash. You get the 3 sea days and the caribbean. You will love it no matter what you choose, but I would go with the Eastern, just my opinion though. Make it an adventure.

 

[Sarangel]

I'd say go with the West coast cruise... You don't have to pack the kids into an airplane, so you get an extra 2 days, you don't have to take the kids out of school, and it's your anniversary.

Another point to consider is that you won't get another chance to cruise the west coast on DCL any time soon, and the carribean cruises are a staple (and I'm sure you'll want to go agian).

Good luck. You'll have a great time no matter what you decide.

Sarangel

PS. My DH, DD (2) & I will also be on the 7/9/04 cruise.

 

[mommykeg]

Sarangel--do you mean July 9, 2005? If so, yeah!!! We'll be in cabin 6060 if we stay with the West Coast decision.

 

[Sarangel]

Sorry, I do mean 7/9/05. I want to say we're going to be in cabin 6080, but that's just from memory. We're on Deck 6 somewhere.

For us this trip will be very different from the last two cruises we've done because we'll have our daughter with us. She'll be 2 years old & I have no idea how much attention she's going to need (first kid & all). You'll have the Oceaneer's club to keep your kids busy, so maybe you & your DH will actually get to celebrate your anniversary.

I know the ports may not seem as cool as the carribean ones, but we have no idea what the excursions will be, and they may make up for it. You should have up to 60 days prior to your cruise to make the decision, at which point we may actually have more info regarding what the cruise is like.

Good Luck,

Sarangel

 

[GrumpyMom1]

We'll be on the 7/9/05 cruise too!

We went on the Eastern last year and really enjoyed it, but I'm really looking forward to not having to worry about airfare, flights, loosing a day while traveling east, where to stay the night before, tranfers, etc. We'll just drive to the port, park the car, and get on the ship!

I too was hesitant about cruising to Mexico, but now that I've done some research on the ports and possible shore excursions, I'm more excited about it. The biggest attraction to me is the ship.

 

[mommykeg]

Where did you find info about the ports and possible shore excursions? Maybe that will help me make my decision!

 

[GrumpyMom1]

I started by reviewing all the shore excursions offered by other cruise lines that go to Mexico like Princess, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean. All of their websites have shore excursion pages. The cruisecritic.com message boards also have a lot of info.

These sites are also good:
http://www.vallartaonline.com/tours/
http://www.hypermex.com/html/pv_actix.htm
http://mazinfo.com/mazinfo-new/visitors_first_frame.htm
http://www.loscabosguide.com/activity/activities.htm

It's pretty sad that the cruise is over a year away and I'm already researching this stuff!

 

[goingbacksoon]

There are some different trains of thought here, if you are a Californian...

1) Despite the fact the eastern cruise involves airfare, transfers, room night before, etc, it is probably still cheaper than a West Coast cruise.

2) Mexico is close, if the ports really are interesting, many other lines go.

3) Forget the ports - all I care about is the ship.

It depends which is true for you. For us, we'd love to do a West Coast in 2005, but it really is less for us to fly to MCO, get a hotel, and have transfers than leave from Long Beach, even though we could drive there. If the latter is true, than go with whichever is most convienent.

goingbacksoon

 

[jin diesel]

Going back soon makes very valid points.

I too went thru the same dilemma in making my choice.

I have been wanting to take a DCL cruise for 2 years now but there are two things I detest that have kept me from taking the cruise:

1. FLORIDA
2. FLYING

I kept saying, "I'll just wait till they bring the ships to California" because I knew they would do it sooner or later.

When the West Coast cruises became available on 5/5 - my intention was to book a West Coast cruise; until I saw the rates and the ports. Boy I was I ever disappointed! As a Californian, there is no way I'd pay what DCL is asking for the West Coast Cruise. Those prices are outrageous for those ports of call! Cruises to Mexico are a dime a dozen around here, any time of year (and they include stops in Catalina, San Diego, etc.). So, after taking everything into consideration, I realized that if I were to book the West Coast cruise it would have been ONLY for the sheer experience of being on the Magic. Which didn't seem like enough of a reason for me to justify the $$$ I'd be spending.

BUT I JUST HAD TO TAKE A DISNEY CRUISE...so I started fishing around - looked into some Eastern cruises and then found the Canal Cruise. The Canal Cruise cost us almost $1k more than the West Coast cruise would have cost - which in the grand scheme of things didn't seem like that much more. So that's the cruise I chose.

Now, for your family the timing seems right. And sometimes timing is what makes or breaks a vacation. If it's important to you, and you are wiling to sacrifice the extra cost, and the not-too-desireable ports of the call: THEN GO FOR IT!!! And I'll bet you'll have a great time because it will work out for all of you!!!

And if you decide on the Eastern, maybe you could plan it around some other special time so that it coincides with something important to your family. Although November is a pretty festive month anyway!!! As far as school goes, I found out that my district allows the kids to do "independent study" if they're out of school for more than 5 days. (Basically they get a ton of "homework" to take with them). Which is great because the abscences aren't unexcused, and the schools still get their money for having the kid "in class".

Either way, I'm sure you're gonna have a great time! And you WILL make the right choice!! But I know where you're coming from in terms of the decision making process...

-jindy