I have a confession that only DISers can understand

[mrsbert]

I am embarassed to tell anyone else I know but I KNOW ya'll will understand.
I am leaving in 66 days with my DH, DS7 and DS5 to go on our very first cruise. We are joining 15 other family and friends. Everyone, but my family seems so wildly excited about this trip. The reason is (here comes the confession), all I can think about is the trip to Disney World next May. I could care less about the cruise. My DH and I talked endlessly about getting our deposit back and going to Disney World but I thought it would be in bad taste since this cruise was initially my idea. I keep telling myself that I could almost go twice to WDW for what we are paying for the cruise (which is during Thanksgiving break). I couldn't tell you the first thing about excursions or things to do during the day on the boat because....I DON'T REALLY CARE.

I guess reading UTAHMAMA's and TWINKIEMAMA's trip reports probably don't help the situation.

 

[Mommyof2Sweetpeas]

Are you going on a Disney cruise?? I have been to Disney World lots of times and LOVE it, but after going on our first Disney cruise this past June I had much rater go on the Disney cruise. It is so AWESOME!!!! I don't know anything about other cruises, but if you are going onthe Disney cruise my bet is that you are going to love it!!

 

[mrsbert]

Nope, not a Disney Cruise. This is a cruise on the Norwegian Sun leaving New Orleans. Don't get me wrong, the people that we are going with are really fun people and I'm sure we will have a good time once we board, but I can't get WDW out of my head. That's why I can vent to DIS, you guys "get" me....

 

[flyerud]

It is kind of funny to hear you say this because that was me earlier this year! I had talked my sister-in-law and her family, as well as my mother-in-law into a Disney cruise for the end of August 2006. As our final refund deadline approached I got more and more anxious. I finally told my husband and after much discussion, we called everyone to tell them we had decided to cancel. They all breathed a sigh of relief and cancelled, too! Shortly after that we learned of the free dining plan at Disney World and we booked a week long vacation at WDW for $1000 less than our 4 night cruise! Our sister-in-law and her family came with us and my mother-in-law was happy because she really didn't want to go on the cruise anyway. Whatever you decide, I am sure you will have a fabulous vacation.

 

[emma'smom]

Hm...I leave for a week-long (work) vacation in Hawaii in about 3 weeks...and I haven't given it much thought beyond making some hotel reservations...but I have all of my ADR's made for our WDW trip next March!!

 

[dis-happy]

Sometimes the best vacations are the ones where you go in with low expectations and are happily surprised. Hope it works out for you!

 

[Pirate&Princess]

I sure hope you have fun, but I TOTALLY understand. We do WDW every year and in 2005 went on the "family" trip that was WDW and the cruise, because that is what they wanted to do! My DD's are 8 & 5 and all they wanted to do was go back to WDW. Don't get me wrong, the cruise is fun and there is lot's to do, but let's face IT'S NOT WDW! You sound like us, in that we don't feel like there is a vacation that matches it, nor have we found one yet! WDW has it all, and for those of us who are experienced and know how to do the parks, all the other stuff (crowds, weather, crying kids etc.), usually isn't an issue.

It is sooo your decision, but this is our advise. We learned after the cruise, that life is too short and our time with our kids being young is too short to go somewhere or do something none of us want to do, especially if you have to pay to do it! I would apologize profusely and say that after much agonizing thought, you have decided this is not going to work for your family. DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU GUYS! Maybe you could have a BON YOYAGE gift waiting for your friends when they board, or have a special dessert and drinks sent to them one night of their cruise, to let them know you are thinking of them, value their friendships and still wish them all a wonderful time.

good luck

 

[Gillian]

I understand!

That said, I think part of the reason we all get so excited about Disney is that we spend time researching, we know all the ins & outs, etc. And it's familiar. It's easy to be excited when you're the expert and know exactly what you want to do.

If you spend a little time over at cruisecritic.com you might start to feel more up about it. Read about the ports and the ship, learn about a secret place that you can share with your group.

Cruises are fun! We loved having adult time to just hang out and watch the water go by or whatever. Things the kids don't really appreciate. They love the kids club though.

 

[Hoosier Mom]

We are the opposite I suppose. I've been on 8 cruises. They are so addictive. This will be our first family trip to WDW. I'm looking forward to it.

If you decide to go ahead with the cruise, try to decide you're going to enjoy it for what it is, and set the mood for the rest of the family.

In my experience, the shore excursions are the key. I've gotten off in port before with no plan, just a map. We ended up walking around the pier area and getting back on board disappointed. However, with an excursion, generally you get to be the first off the ship. We see things we would have never gotten to on our own.

One way to get a little excited might be to try the cruise message boards. On cruisecritic.com, you find your sailing, and you can chat with others that will be on board for the same sailing. Some cruiselines even throw a party for the people that met online. I went to a few on Royal Carib. There were horderves & prizes. It was fun.

We've cruised with friends before also. I thought it might have been a mistake, but it ended up okay. We didn't spend every moment together. It was fun to do our own excursions, and then meet back up at dinner and share.

Whatever you decide, relax and enjoy!

 

[flortlebap]

I have to say I would love to take a trip to the Bahamas to stay in the Atlantis hotel...

...but all I can think, is for the £2500 it would cost me, I could take a trip to WDW!!!!

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

Here are some happy thoughts to get you excited for your cruise:

- the room steward will clean your room, MULTIPLE TIMES per day
- the kids club activities are usually free
- you don't need to make reservations for dinner -- you'll always get into a great restaurant with fantastic food
- although the ship is big, you won't walk your legs off on board like you would at WDW
- you haven't stargazed until you're in the middle of the sea with no other lights around
- you'll probably come home more rested than you would from WDW
- there are ship excursions for any budget and any personality
- you can dress up, or not, and still stay remarkably clean
- maybe you'll appreciate WDW even more!!!

Cruises are lots of fun. Pick some nice excursions and just go with the flow.

 

[kaysmommie]

Norwegian cruiseline is fantastic. I too love disney more than any placin the world but would love to go on a cruise again. You are going to Disney in May. I would go on the cruise and have a great trip. I bet you will have a great time and not even think about Disney until you get home.

 

[mrsbert]

Thanks to everyone for their ideas and encouragement. I think Gillian is right in saying that maybe it's because the cruise is not familiar. My DH has rubbed off on me. He hates change. I also have to add that my husband is not a swimmer, and hates boats. He thinks he'll be okay though, because of the size of the cruise ship; (By way of the prescriped anxiety medicine he will get from the doctor).

Also, just a side note: Do not let anyone who is afraid of water and boats watch Poseidon! After the movie was over DH was telling me we could cut our losses and promising stays at the Contemporary with MK view if we cancelled the cruise. ***I should have jumped at the chance.***

 

[bopper]

How about thinking of it this way:
Given that you are going on a vacation with the group, it is probably better that you don't do it at WDW as this way when you go to WDW later you can do whatever you want on your own time table.

Also, you could use this to see if you would like cruising and so maybe you would want to go on a Disney Cruise later.

Give it a try, but it will probably just make you appreciate WDW all the more in May!

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

i know what you are talking about! Dh and i have been together a long time and i have yet to take him to MExico where all my extended family is, b/c we don't want to give up a WDW trip!!! so we finally put our foot down and we're doing it in 2008!! we're going to go to Mexico!! and a small (tiny) trip to WDW. we couldn't give it up completely, but we down sized it

I'm sure you will have fun once you get onboard!!! ohh and then you will love cruising, you will want to try the DCL and that is PURE HEAVEN!

 

[mareed]

I understand. We've never been on a cruise but booked one for Jan 2006... Well, I cancelled and we went to DL instead.

I just don't think we're a cruise kind of family. I think the only way I would do a cruise would be to go with a large group of friends or family, which sounds like what you're doing. I think I'd be OK then because it would be a nice environment for just visiting. So, I bet you'll be just fine with going!

I did research at CruiseCritic before booking my trip, and I do recommend that site. I don't like beaches or water stuff (like snorkeling). I don't want to gamble in a cruise casino, and I don't want to have to dress up for dinner. I just think I'd be bored on a cruise - I much prefer Disney - either DL or WDW!

 

[NemoMOm]

I totally get you. People think we are nuts cause we go every year and if we are not there we are planning or talking about it.

 

[thunderbird1]

Please don't sell the cruise short. We've been to WDW/DL more times than I can count (see sig), but also absolutely LOVED the 3 cruises we've been on. Your kids especially are the perfect ages for the kids' clubs (which, unlike WDW, are free). The counselors will make them feel so welcome, and there will be so many fun activities that you'll have trouble getting them out of the kids' club to spend time with you! And when they do come out, there aren't any rides or attractions, per se, but there are a lot of fun family activities, like scavenger hunts, water slides, and shore excursions to beaches. And I think it's the best kind of trip to do with a big group. WDW is just too big to manage with a lot of people of varying ages and interests. Cruise ships, with their compact size, huge variety of activities and assigned seating at dinner, are much easier.

Hoosier Mom is absolutely right that you need to get over to the cruisecritic message boards. Think of the cruise like a trip to WDW. Would you want to go to WDW not knowing or planning anything at all? You'd probably have a miserable trip, right? Your cruise is the same way--it will turn out to be a huge disappointment if you don't know what to expect or try to plan anything ahead of time. Your dinners will be taken care of, so you don't need ADR's, but many cruise lines now allow you to book your shore excursions ahead of time, and be aware that the popular ones do sell out quickly once on board. If you don't like what the cruise line has to offer (or don't like the price), there are a ton of excursions you can book on your own (usually at a greatly reduced price). You just gotta do your research.

Have fun, and enjoy your upcoming trip(s)!

 

[maxtomsmom]

Cruising is a lot of fun! DH and I can't wait to take our boys when they're a little older. See this as an opportunity to spend time with family and friends in a relaxing and fun environment. You might not get this chance with them all together again. When it is over, then plan your next Disney trip.

 

[scorpad99]

I know exactly what you mean..............we are going to punta cana next month for a week to an all-inclusive (me, dh and DD (10) and ds (9) and a cruise in Feb 7 day royal carribean navigator of the seas. And I just booked Disney for Dec 07 .......................and am so much more excited about a trip over a year from now, than the 2 we are gonig on first! LOL
Although we were in Disney last Nov, and I definetly like 2 years between each trip (these other trips were my idea) 2 relaxing vacations to one where we run from morning to evening! Yet I am online every second I can reading about where I wanna go in over a year from now. Make some sense outa that one!