First Cruise..3 day or 4 day??

[msbinky]

Hello all. I am planning a Land and Sea Vacation and thought I had it figured out! I was planning on a 4 day land 3 day sea because we have never been on a cruise, not sure if kids (10,8,4) will like it, get sea sick, etc. But, will this be long enough? I'm not sure the 4 day would be worth it though because the only difference is the full day at sea. Any opinions or experiences? Thanks!

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

a 7 day. the other type of cruises are too short. we are doing 5 days at WDW then a 7 day eastern. last year we did the 3 day and it felt like it was over before we knew it. but thats just our opinion

 

[clh2]

I've never done a 7-day - so I can't comment on that.

I have done a 4-day - and it is a very short time - although for our family is probably the right length.

If you get off in Nassau, and have a day at Castaway Cay - you basically have no time to do any of the ship activities - the kids clubs, the character meet/greets, the wine tasting, hair braids, etc!

If my options we a 3 or a 4 day - I would definitely do the 4.

 

[CM_Mom]

Check out the Navigators at www.dcltribute.com/navigators . That will give you an idea of the activities on the sea day and the other days.

The only cruise we've done so far is the 7 day and we loved it. We're considering doing a 4 day in January since DD will be on the Wonder then instead of the Magic.

 

[zcubed]

We did the three day, but only because my husband's vacation began on Thursday, June 24th. If we did the four day, we would have had to wait until the 27th...


After our cruise, we were going to the other coast for another eleven days and flew out from Ft. Lauderdale.

But the cost is negligible and there is so much we wanted to do on the ship that we felt we did not have the time to do...

if given the choice, I would have done the four day... And I did Disney World the year before with my girls and the cruise is so much more relaxing yet at the same time filled with fun and activities, no whining and complaining about the heat, walking or lines... and when I asked them, they said that though they loved both, they enjoyed the cruise more!

Have fun!!!

 

[WVMD]

Since you've been at Disney before - I'd recommend the 4 day cruise.... You don't feel as rushed... and truly get a taste of the Disney cruise way....

Your kids should be fine... plenty of things going on in their age groups...

Have fun!

Virgil

 

[dclwdwlover]

Never done a 3-day, but have done the 4-day three times & it is NEVER long enough. Obviously, I vote for the 4-day - definitely!

PS - You will love the day at sea. It's beautiful & there's always things to do - OR - nothing to do but relax, if you'd prefer that!

 

[Queenk333]

7, 7 and more 7. Other than that, I would grab the 4 days. there is so much to do on board on sea days, you could never do it all. We have been on 2 cruises and are going on our third on Oct. and I still have not tried everything. Good luck and don't forget to write a trip repot to let us know how it went.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

I have done the 4 night land/3 night sea cruise and also the 7 night cruise in the past. While the 3 nights at sea, might not seem like much, I thought it would give my grandson (DGS) a taste of cruising. I already know DGS likes WDW. Three nights there didn't seem like enough. We chose 4 night land/3 night sea for our upcoming trip.

Good luck on your decision and have a WONDERful time!

Tink

 

[erikthewise]

3 days MAY be too short for a cruise, but 3 days IS too short for Disney World!

For kids that age, a year between WDW trips is like forever, so even if you are fortunate enough to go every year, for children it is not a case of "been there done that".

On its own terms, a 4-day cruise is a better value than a 3-day in terms of cost per day, but the 3-day is definitely worth doing if it fits your plans.

 

[Queenk333]

I just had a flash. Why don't you just do the 4 day cruise and add another day to your time at the parks? That is what we did for ours.

 

[msbinky]

Thanks all for your input. I think I will just add another day to the land portion of the trip as suggested. I just love this board, lots of great people and information!

 

[momof3luvs2run]

My kids are the same ages as yours -- 4 yo daughter; 8 yo son and 10 yo daughter. This is the kids' first time cruising. We decided to do the 3 night land 4 night cruise. We aren't sure how our kids will like cruising, so thought this would be a good combo for us at this time.

We are going in a day before our actual land portion of our vacation begins. We decided to do our traveling on Wednesday. That way we can get up Thursday morning and enjoy a full day at the parks, etc.

 

[shefor24]

We took a 3 night two years ago and it wasn't long enough, I vote for the 4 night.

 

[jwann]

IMHO, the days at sea are the funnest and you would miss that on the 3-day. I'd go on the 4-day. If you have 3-day park hoppers I think you could hit your favorites and the new attractions in a 3-day WDW trip. (That is - if you are going off season )

 

[DisneyJam]

Our first Disney cruise was a 3 day as part of a land and sea. Way to short IMO! We were traveling with a group and we all agreed we should have done the 4 day, but now having done the 7 day, I am not sure the 4 day is long enough either.

But if you have never cruised before, the 4 day would be a nice start to see if you like cruising. It is a different kind of a vacation and while I absoultely love it, I know others that would rather do something else.