help planning

[simba928]

Ok, we need help!!! LOL! Me and my mom want to go on the DCL next January (probably around Martin Luther King Jr., Day) , so we are looking at it so that we can convince my dad. We have gone on Carnival and are going on Royal Carribean this summer. If any of you have any tips (4 day vs. 3 day, which one to go on, eastern vs. western, etc.), they would be very much appreciated. We want to do Disney World too, so we don't want the 7 day. Should we do the land/sea package or do it seperately? We usually stay at the All-Stars, so is it worth it to do the package if we have to book at one of the "nicer" resorts?
We have been to:
Key West
Nassau
Freeport
Bermuda (going there on Royal Carribean)
so we would rather not go to any of those places again. We want to see different places.
Thanks in advance for all of you help!

 

[alexandrew]

well. ...

if you want to do a 3 or 4 day DCL cruise, yet dont want to do Nassau again, it is unavoidable....you, however, can technically avoid Nassau by taking a quick taxi to Atlantis, which is on Paradise Island...lots of fun there...

My advice, book 3 day cruise for around MLK day...the pricing is great, the weather is great, and the ship is typically not crowded....Also, book the land and sea separately....I recommend for just about the same price as the ALL Star , the Embassy Suites Lake Buena Vista.....really nice hotel, with a great suite layout and a really good breakfast buffet included...I really think it's shameful what Disney charges for the rooms at the ALL Star....I'm not a fan of Disneys budget and moderate hotels....the luxury hotels are unparalleled though....

 

[simba928]

thanx-
its not that we don't want to do Nassau again, it's just that we would rather see something different, but if it's. We actually went to Atlantis and I guess you could say that we did not do Nassau. Another thing is that we want to stay on site for the days in Disney. I'm sorry, I guess I should have been more clear. But thanks for your advice. Any more advice?

 

[alexandrew]

the 3 day cruise sails to Nassau and Castaway Cay...the 4 day includes 1 day at sea...so, again, Nassau would be unavoidable....Eastern/Western is only for 7 day

Do you want to stay onsite at WDW to avoid renting a car?....If not, then I can't think of any advantage of staying onsite...The Embassy Suites is very close...as close as you can get without staying on site....one left, and a right, about one mile and youre at the road that some of the Disney hotels are on...a little further, youre at the parkss....note that if it is 3 of you traveling, you could stay in a single suite and have way more privacy...its like having 2 hotel rooms in 1....just my $.02.....while I'm a big advocate for staying onsite at the 3 great Universal hotels, I'm not about WDW, unless I have the budget to stay at Fort Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club, or Grand Floridian......

 

[simba928]

I forgot to say who all is going. It will be me (15), my brother (10), and my parents. The reason we like to stay on site is first off the transportation and its Disney. I don't feel like I am in Disney unless I'm staying at a Disney hotel. We always rent a car just to get from the airport to the hotel and back to the airport, so its not just to avoid renting the car. It is just easier to get around if you stay on site (just my opinion)

 

[alexandrew]

if you are not on a tight budget, stay at Fort Wilderness Lodge, booking it separately from the cruise.....onsite and top notch....

If you are on a budget, consider once again booking the Embassy and keeping your rental car....Besides the fact that the suite will comfortably accommodate the 4 of you, vs budget Disney rooms, you would have the freedom of having that car to go to restaurants, shopping, and attractions other than Disneys....Trust me, I'm all about Disney, especially DCL, but they really fleece you at some of the restaurants.....

 

[simba928]

Thanks for everything so far. Just bumping this up to get some more great advice!!! :thewave: (I love the new smiley icon things ) LOL

 

[simba928]

bumping, yet again!!! :thewave: :thewave: :thewave: :thewave:

 

[simba928]

bumping just one more time!!!

 

[jrabbit]

If you're happy staying in the All Star resorts (we are) by all means book the land and sea portions seperatly. You'll save money by booking seperatly and only need to buy the items (tickets) you need. With the land/sea package you got length of stay tickets (last year at least) so your arrival and departure days at the parks usually were greatly shortened. There is a car rental place at WDW so renting a car for the day to get to the ship really shouldn't be much of a problem.

Since you don't want a 7 night cruise you are "stuck" with Nassau. You do get Castaway Cay and if you are on the 4 nighter you get a sea day which is nice.