First Disney cruise: go all out or take it easy?

[PrincessShmoo]

There are still things we haven't done on the ship after our (meager compared to some here) 3 cruises.

There are some things we still haven't done after 12 cruises....

 

[darnheather]

Take a 7 night cruise but don't try to pack it full with excursions. Leave at least one day to stay on the ship and relax.

 

[Travel60]

Pick your cruise for the itinerary, not the ship. Look at the stops then the excursions for those stops (even if you don't plan to book an excursion through Disney, you will see what there is). What activities will your 9 year old like? Does your family want to just hang out on a beach or do you like hiking and seeing other cultures? I would suggest a minimum 5 day, push for 7. You can't do everything but that gives you enough days to sample most offerings.

Cruises are very different from WDW as far as planning. There are excursions if you want to book them early and then decide whether you and spouse want to eat at premium adult restaurant one night, but that's about it. No fast passes, show reservations or other dining reservations. Just show up.

 

[tlprice]

We started with a 4 day cruise because I wasn't really sure if I'd like it. Even after I got off of the cruise, I wasn't sure for a while. The longer I was off the cruise, the more I wanted to go on another one. We've now been on 6 DCL cruises: one 3 day, one 4 day, and four 7 day. We have a 10 day coming up in September (I can't wait!). I either choose the cruise for the itinerary or the timing and price. Our 7 day cruises have all been different itineraries. 5 of our cruises have been inside staterooms (on the Dream and Fantasy, we LOVE the magical porthole). We have never done a verandah. I figured if we started with the least expensive room and were okay with it, then that was good for the pocketbook. If we started with a verandah, it might have been hard to go to a different type of room. We found on our first cruise that we really don't spend that much time in the stateroom. I agree with others that a 4 day is a good way to start, just in case you don't like it. On one of our 7 days, we had table partners that HATED the cruise and couldn't wait to get off.
Sometimes I use a TA and sometimes I don't (only because sometimes I forget to transfer my OBB to my TA). I like the on board credit I get from her, it is also nice because she will spend time on the phone opening day to book a cruise for me and I don't have spend all day on the phone. Also, the website doesn't always show all available staterooms, but she can see them all and she knows the details of all of them, which I don't know (like my daughter insists on a pull down berth, but I don't know all the rooms that have those.) I basically do all the planning because I like to, but she does the work that I don't like to do and gives me money for doing it!

 

[flowsoul]

Go for the 7-night option and take your time enjoying the ship. Do not go all out on the shore excursions. Make sure you spend some time relaxing and lounging around too.

 

[Starwind]

Our first cruise was a 4 night on the Dream -- we weren't sure if we would like cruising, especially since I get motion sickness. We loved it and have since done a B2B on the Dream and an Eastern and an Eastern-rescheduled-to-Western on the Fantasy. We have a B2B2B scheduled for the Dream.

We sail in winter and travel from Canada, so winter storms affecting our travel down can be an issue. We therefore arrive 3 or 4 days early and have a relaxing stay at a WDW resort - the extra days give me enough buffer that if our flights were canceled and I had to drive I could. But not necessarily doing parks. For our next cruise, we will have a 3 night pre-park stay at AKL and NOT visit any parks -- we will spend our time enjoying the resort and its many activities. After the cruise we will have 3 nights at CCV. During that stay we will spend one night doing MVMCP, but no other parks. OUr last cruise we did something similar, adding in a visit to Typhoon Lagoon.

We don't use a TA. I found that between Disney's own website, a good travel guidebook [I like the Passporter cruise guide, though it is now out of print and I am not sure if you can subscribe to the electronic version anymore; but you can stll find the last version of the paper version on Amazon] and sites like the Disboards and some key planning websites, I had the information I needed to plan the trip.

 

[MomOTwins]

I honestly thought the 3-night was fine and not too short, but I am in the minority. I also just felt that since we were going to Orlando anyway, I'd rather pop in a visit to the parks before the cruise than go all the way there an not visit the parks. If I were going out of a different city (e.g., Miami, Galveston) I would definitely opt for a longer trip though.

 

[Cruise Diva]

Our first cruise was a 4 night cruise. We spent We spent 3 days in Disney World prior to the cruise. Of course there was not enough time to to everything we wanted to do on the ship. Since then we have completed 14 cruises. We have done 7 night, 3and 4 night B2B, and an 11 night Southern Caribbean and have loved them all! We have learned to relax , enjoy the ship, the excursions, and all of the people we meet. We do not try to do everything but we try to enjoy everything we do. Our next cruise is a 7 night Western Caribbean Cruise departing from New Orleans in February 2020. I would recommend the 7 day cruise. Enjoy the ship and all of your adventures!

 

[Numtini]

My feeling is that a longer cruise is better for a first timer. There's a lot of stuff to learn about the ship. Where things are. How to orient yourself. Little things. When we walked on board our first cruise on the Fantasy, we were overwhelmed. It didn't matter that I'd studied the videos, and the deck plan, and all that. I just looked around with a huge "wow..." We got turned around. We had to stop and find a map and what deck was what.

When we walked onto the Magic for our second cruise, not even the same class of ship, I knew where we were. Atrium balcony, ok, I'd expected the atrium, but that's fine. I know that straight across there's a passage aft and there will be a set of aft elevators that will bring us out right near Cabanas. We were off to the races and could make every minute really count, which made the shorter (5 day vs 7 day) cruise a little easier.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Sorry, don't have time ATM to read all of the replies. I just wanted to say that even if you do the most spartan Disney Cruise ever, you will have a full and complete vacation. You do not need to add anything special or do anything extra. DCL has enough going if you just do the bare minimum.

 

[tvguy]

I highly recommend using a TA for your first cruise. It is so helpful to have someone walk you through all the options and it’s the same price as if you book yourself through Disney.

I agree. Ours always finds us the best air fares, and since we fly in the night before, the best hotel rate at a hotel that offers a free shuttle from the airport, back to the Disney buses at the airport the next day.
I understand some feel they lose control of their vacation if they use a TA. Booking a trip like that is WORK, I don't want to spend time on hold on the phone booking the trip, etc, I don't have the time or patience to do that. The check I have to write is the same amount whether I do it my self or use a pro, well, it might be smaller on air fare and hotel.

 

[kiford]

We did a 4 night for our first cruise. We've done 10 cruises with DCL now. We love the longer cruises but I'm glad we did 4 nights to begin with. It gave us the comfort that we wouldn't be stuck if we didn't like it, were bored or got seasick and that we didn't pay a lot for it.

 

[xlxo]

If you don't plan to do another DCL cruise for a long time.... I vote for all out.

 

[hardis5]

The OP being a WDW veteran, I'd tag a 4-day onto a WDW stay to get a flavour for cruising and whether it is for your family. If you enjoy a first shorter cruise, book a placeholder on-board and that way you can plan your next (maybe longer) with a discount and OBC.

The ships motion and how all are affected by (DW impacted significantly but manages with medication and our first cruise was like glass and was not till the 2nd she felt the effects), sea days confined to the ship (a mental thing for many), port options and being able to get through the Disney detail on water will affect whether DCL becomes a long term option for your group.

For us longer is better but I'd never discount a shorter cruise because that is what time-off or budget allow even now. We started 4-day, have done a number of shorter tied to a DVC resort (Vero Beach prior to a cruise our preference and/or WDW stay tagged on a well), a number of week long, a transatlantic and will be doing a Panama Canal next year getting in the max days possible, but still consider a 4-day a good taste tester for someone questioning their first cruise. One of our most memorable was a 4-day Vero Beach stay followed by a 4-day cruise followed by a 4-day WDW stay which had us feel literally we had 3 vacations in 1 as each was distinct in what it offered but was all still Disney.

We book ours now thru a TA but did not at the start (transfer from OBB made) for the minor additional OBC obtained, but it is they knowing what we like (room wise and orientation) and managing the opening day process that makes the TA worth it for us.

Prior to us cruising, I'd never have thought we'd enjoy as much as we do and what we try and do each cruise is less than the one prior. I know our first few cruises we over-planned, tried to do all possible and if we'd done a 7-day to start, we'd probably have been as tired as after a WDW busy stay and may not have taken to DCL as fast as we did.

 

[UNDDisney]

I say go with the 7 day. We also fly from Michigan, so my thought is I don't want to go through the hassle of packing and travel for a short trip. We can actually relax and get settled in on the 7 day cruise. That said, we have done a 5 day (Castaway Double Dip - so fun!) and have another 5-day double dip scheduled for this summer. 5 days is the shortest I'll go. Even on the 5 day, I wish it was 7, but the 7 day summer cruises aren't in our budget!

 

[dclpluto]

For your first cruise you definitely don’t want anything shorter than 7 nights. Even a seven night cruise is to short especially for your first cruise. My first cruise was a short 7 night cruise. Way too short
Second a 14 night
Third 15 night
Fourth 12 night not dcl
Fifth back to a short 7 night cruise. Mistake way to short
Sixth was a 10 night cruise
Seventh was a short 4 night but it wasn’t as bad as it seems because after the 4 night I had two nights at wdw than a 7 night cruise.
Ninth and tenth was a b2b 13 nights all together.
Than I was ok to go back to the short 7 night cruise.

 

[DisMike]

Been cruising most every year since about 2010. Have missed a few years in between though.

A friend at work goes cruising with her family often and they decided to try a 3 day DCL cruise to see if it was worth the money. She came back raving so my wife and I decided to suck it up and book a DCL cruise. We also decided since we were going to Florida to combine it with a WDW 3 day trip.

We booked the cruise for Feb of this year. The rates in Jan & Feb are some of the best all year and frankly, I'd rather be in the Caribbean in the winter than in the snow (but that's just me).

We used a TA because we have a great one and use her all the time. It also made the transfers and all the inside stuff at WDW much easier. A couple of things about cruising in general and about DCL in particular:

1. The lower deck you are on and the closer to the center of the ship the less you will feel the movement of the ship if the seas aren't smooth. Other than that, it all depends what you want to be close to. I like being within a relatively short walk to the elevators. On our cruise on the Disney Fantasy we were on the last room aft on deck 2 right next to the restaurant (via a wall). The walk was short to the elevators and very short to dinner.

2. Verandas are nice. You should try one if it fits in your budget. Been there. Done that. We don't care if we have one or not anymore.

3. DCL has, IMHO, THE best buffet and MDR food in the business. Other cruise lines have dumbed down the "free" food so that you'll be inspired to go to the "pay" restaurants. DCL didn't do that. No need to pay extra for food.

4. There is far more to do on a DCL ship than any I've been on. Everything was first rate.

5. You will NOT regret doing a 7 day cruise. From my admittedly limited experience, the only people I've heard complain are those that would complain if they only won $1,000 in the lottery. A lot of the "complaints" that I read about I have a hard time fathoming. I think they expect to be disappointed and so are.

6. If you can, take the 7 day Star Wars day at sea cruise. If you evenly moderately like SW it's so worth it.

7. As for shore excursions, my DW and I have found that we often just like to wander around the towns and take in the local flavor. Lots of great places to eat and fun stuff to buy. Beware The first port you go to (if in the Caribbean) will be filled with a bunch of jewelry stores and high end whatevers. DON'T, DO NOT, DON'T buy anything from those places near the port. Not only are they overpriced and you will get the hard sell, you will find the EXACT same stores in every, single port. We have purchased jewelry but very specific stuff. My DW likes rings with the Caribbean opal. We always go to smaller shops (read locally owned) and negotiate the price. We have never NOT gotten less than a minimum of 50% off of what the asking price was. You will get great prices (on anything not just jewelry) if you are willing to walk away and show that to the vendor.

Enjoy your trip!