Help....what do we do?

[Disneymommie]

Ok we are trying to figure out what to do for next Aug. For about the same amout of money we can do 1 of 2 things. We are a family of 5(myself, DH,2DD's 8 and 7 and a son 5 as of next yr)

option 1: land and sea package: 3 day land/4 day cruise staying in the Poly with a Cat 4 stateroom.

option 2: 7 day western with 2 inside staterooms.

I would love to do the western but will the kids miss out on Disney? I can alway through together a Disney vacation for a really inexpensive price, but may not have the money to do a 7 day again for a long long time. What to do? I am so confused. Can you give me pros and cons to both? Thanks

 

[westjones]

I would vote for the 7 night cruise, but look into a Cat. 10 with connecting rooms. I think that sounds better than one of those family rooms that sleep 5 anyway because you get two 'split' bathrooms (that means 4 people can brush their teeth at the same time!).

I have twin DDs who just turned 10 on the cruise last week. We have been to Disney 4 times and on the cruise 4 times. If you asked them which they would rather do, they would QUICKLY say the cruise! They love WDW too, but the cruise is tops with them!

DJ

 

[hydster]

We did the land sea package last November and it was our first time on the Disney ship although we have been on several other lines with and without children and it was also our first trip to WDW in Florida although we go to DL at least twice a year and sometimes more if we can get away. We are a family of 5..me and hubby and when we went we had a 9, 7 and 3 year old plus my husbands parents. The inlaws upgraded their room through Dreams so that they could stay with us at the Poly and our DU agent was SO wonderful that she got us connecting rooms at the Poly. I loved the trip but I must say that the cruise was NOT long enough to really be worth the money if you want our opinion. We did the 3 days before and then 3 days afterwards and after the 5 of us stayed in 1 room at Port Orleans Riverside and we bought it through either expedia or travelocity. If you are deciding to either do the land/sea package through Disney or cruise another line for 7 days then I would definitely go Disney just for the experience. If you are thinking of doing Disney inside cabins for 7 days or the Cat 4 (which was somewhat miserable for the 5 of us even for 4 days) I would say go with the longer cruise and the 2 cabins. We have a surprise cruise booked for May and have 2 adjoining cabins in Cat 8 rooms # 6024/6026. We went for a window because the cost wasnt much more for those rooms than for rooms lower in category and height on the ship. When the 5 of us were in the Cat 4 cabin...it was ok but it definitely would have been nicer to have 2 rooms...with the extra bathroom especially with 2 boys and a husband who inevitably go in there at the WRONG time for us chicks! LOL

Just my opinion...if you cant do disney for the 7 day then do disney for the land/sea. If you can do disney inside cabins for the 7 day do that....it just didnt seem long enough to go for the 4 day cruise and our kids were disappointed when it was time to get off.

Heidi

 

[AnnMorin]

IF so I would skip the park and do the seven day.
On our first DCL cruise we did four days at the poly and a three day cruise. Three days is way too short!!! Plus the atmosphere is so much different in the "real caribbean" verses the bahamas!
It is so amazing especially on the eastern spending two days at sea to get to your first port. (the western is also really neat but I did miss the extra day at sea) the ports seem so exotic and the water is just amazing!! It is the color of a swimming pool- living in new england our water is dark and muddy and cold in the caribbean the water is just beautiful!

 

[jwann]

In one week, we leave for a cruise with NO disney park days. I have an 8 year old and a 5 year old. We are also staying in the adjoining cat. 10 rooms (we are going with another family). I will post a message after we get back to let you know how the kids did with SEEing disney but not going to the parks and whether the joining rooms are good.
In my opinion, I'd go with the cruise as long as the kids have been to disney before. We did a land and sea deal with a few days before the cruise (4 day) and some days after the cruise. The days after were definitely anti-climactic. Imagine being able to go right up and hug goofy one day and then waiting in a long line to see him the next. You see WAY MORE characters up close on the boat. If you decide to do the parks and the cruise, I recommend doing the cruise last.

 

[hilltopfamily]

we had to make a similar decision when we booked last Jan. for our July 26 cruise. We are family of 5 (me, DH, DD 12, DS 9, DD 6) and have never been to DW. At 1st we were going to do land/sea but eventually decided on 7 day cruise instead as many I chatted with indicated 3 or 4 days on board was not long enough! Posters are right about the Caribbean---IMHO it is even more beautiful than the Bahamas (though Castaway Cay is great) You can't even believe how blue that water is!!!!

Do I regret the decision? NO!!!! The cruise was an amazing experience for all of the family and looking back, if it had been over after day 3 or 4 we would not have had nearly the great time we did. (We did stay in Florida for 1 day at Universal afterwards and enjoyed it a great deal.)

Now on to rooms: We opted for 2 connecting Category 10's & that was one of the best decisions I ever made. We had early dining and I'm sure we would have NEVER made it to dinner if we were all waiting our turn for one shower. Plus, the extra space was great----it was like having a big suite where the kids could kick back and parents had a little late night privacy, plus 2 closets, double the dressers & drawers, etc. HTH

 

[denise5374]

Last Oct. we did the land/sea, 3 dyas in Port Orleans FQ and then 3 day on Wonder. Aug 2004 we are doin the 7-day Eastern. The 3-days on the ship were not enough time to envjoy it all. Especally if you have been to DW before. IMHO, the cruise is the best of both, the atmosphere of DW without the hustle and bustle exhaustion of being in the parks.

But I will let you know what my kids (DD11 and DS7) think after we get back.

 

[LAMPSKIES]

Our first land/sea was Feb. of 2000 DD's were 7 and 9 then. After we finished the cruise I asked them if they wanted to do another land/sea trip and they asked "what if we just stay on the boat the whole time?" Thus my booking of our Nov. 30, 2002 Eastern. Yes, we were cancelled and swithed to the Dec 1 Wonder and a few extra days at WDW. Once again I gave the option land/sea or 7 night (we had to use our 50% off coupons by Dec 2003) without hesitation they said "7 night cruise!" I was going to book a "beaches" all inclusive for spring break 2004 (DD's now 13 and 11) and they asked "can't we just do a DCL cruise?" Do the cruise!!!!!

P.S. Hey AnnMorin...... I'm happy to see you decided stay with the boards!!!