Land/Sea Cruise Question

[ksumom]

We are planning a trip to Disney in September of 2005, I know for some this is way far away but to save for this big of a trip it isn't far enough! I have questions re: room types and which resorts to stay in. I'm thinking of a category 6 room so we can stay in the Deluxe hotels, is it worth the extra money? What rooms are best on the ship and which resorts are recommended here?

Thanks for your help.

We'll be traveling with my sister's family of 5, my mom and my family of 6.

Another question... do we have to make plans to get from the resort to the Port?

 

[hydster]

ksumom...if it were me (this is just my humble opinion) but I would look into 2 connecting cat 8 rooms instead of a Cat 6 unless a balcony is a huge deal for you! We have 2 connecting Cat 8's with an ocean view and it was quite a bit less than a Cat 6, 5 or 4. We are a family of 5. Also most of us understand your need to go early..I booked this cruise 215 days out! Also you might consider pricing it out seperately meaning see if you can get the 2 on your own for cheaper. Some people have better luck booking the 2 seperately than together that way you can stay in whatever resort you want and stay in whatever type room you want.

As for getting to the port...unless you buy transfers from DCL you will need to get your own ride. It's about an hour from Disneyworld. The DCL transfers run I think 49.00 per person and if you have more than 3 people USUALLY it's more cost effective to book a car service.

Heidi

 

[felixdacat]

Is your party a total of 11 with 5 adults and 6 children? If yes, that sounds like 3 cabins.
September should be off-peak. You will probably save money by booking the Land/Sea separately. You can do a search on my user name, and you will find a thread I posted about some of the hassles concerning doing the Land/Sea together. It gives you alot less flexability. (You can look into the Passporter series, www.passporter.com. These books are full of tips about Disney vacations and the cruise book recommends booking the package separately) For instance;
* You will have to do Disney World first, cruise second.
* You are limited to the resorts that their program uses (No Animal Kingdom Lodge even if you want it)
* You will be unable to reserve rooms on the Land portion. You just get what Disney gives you. (I'm doing a Land/Sea at the Poly, and I can only get Lagoon view if they just happen to be available, despite my booking 14 months in advance)

To be fair, the Land/Sea together gives you two solid advantages. First, if you are flying in, you will have the option of booking transfers. They are actually $39 per adult, and give you transportation from the airport to the hotel, from the hotel to the ship, and from the ship to the airport. An excellent value for the price. There may be a charge for the children depending on how old they are. I booked transfers for my neices who are under two and there was no charge.
Second advantage is the one stop check in. When you check in at the resort they also put your cruise paper work in order. This basically leaves you with the ability to just about walk onto the ship when you arrive at the terminal.

As far as the deluxe resorts, the Contemporary and the Polynesian are both on the Mono-Rail. This would be important if you want to avoid a car rental and thus plan to stay on property for your entire stay.
I hear great things about the Wilderness Lodge, and understand they have a fantastic restaurant for the children (Whispering Canyon Cafe).
If I was doing this all over again, I would book the previous mentioned Animal Kingdom Lodge. You can get rooms that face the veldt. I think the kids would go crazy to wake up to Zebras and Giraffes in their back yard.
I'm doing category 6. Rooms 6550, 6552, and 6554 (two of these connect). I will post a review of my trip when I get back (my cruise is 5/2). Maybe that review will help with your decision. You can't book for 9/05 yet anyway. I believe that 14-15 months out is the earliest they will make reservations. Hope this helps.

 

[CheapMom]

I am the opposite of you- I wanted nicer accomodations on the ship but wanted to stay at the AllStar Movie Resort- I booked separtely All Star Movies and a Cat 4 for the 5 of us.
I think that booking separately will save you money and allow you greater flexibility.
allseastravel.com has the best website for browsing prices
For 12 people you will need 3 cabins
remember to get connecting rooms a cat 10 is the lowest category that offers that
Also get a quote from DU

 

[kristen821]

I also booked seperately. I am staying at the All-star sport. I wanted to get the Dream Maker silver plan. Then all my meals were paid for and I don't have to worry about spending anything else on the trip. It also seams to be cheaper to book seperately.

 

[ksumom]

What is really the difference between 8 & 9 does anyone know? Also is it best to be towards the front of the ship or the back? I'm from Kansas so I have no sea legs!

We're planning on booking 3 rooms, 1 for my sister, her husband and two youngest, one for my mom, my sister's oldest (15), and my two oldest girls, and one for my husband & myself with our two youngest boys.

Where are the best deals for cruise and for resorts? I'm re-thinking the land & cruise combination. Has anyone done it both ways and seen a difference?

These boards are very helpful! Thanks for all the input so far!

Susan

 

[kristen821]

I haven't been on a cruise yet, but from what I hear. The middle of the ship is best. Also, you don't want to be close to the elevetor or disco area. It can get very noisy. The front of the boat is where you feel the most motion. The back you can hear the engines running. Also, the lower you are the less motion you feel. I don't know from experience, but this is what I heard. You can always get a quote both land/sea and seperate. If you do it seperately you can have your food included in the price. We like to spoil ourself on vacation and like to eat in sitdown resturants. You might prefer to do hotdogs and hamburgers to keep the price down and then you wouldn't need the package. We are paying for three people for four nights. With everything included(silver package) it came out to about $1800.00. We also prefer to save money by going to the All-star resort. We choose that over pop century, because the bus stops there first. We really only sleep in the room so we have been really happy with it. The room is average size, but small compared to other disney hotels.

 

[ksumom]

kristen821,

Is the 4 nights for land only? Do you plan to do a cruise too? How many nights cruise are you going to do? Also what type of transportaion do you plan to & from the airport & to the port if you're cruising?

I'm trying to pool all the information together as soon as possible for the 2005 trip. How soon will they have the "silver" packages available for then and what all food is included?

I know I'm so full of questions!!

Thanks for all the help.

Susan

 

[kristen821]

This is what we are doing

Dec. 4th, 2004 - flying into Orlando, taking a free shuttle to the Quality in (2 miles from airport)
Dec. 5th - Happy Limosine is picking us up and taking us to the cruise we have 6 people so we are getting the 10 pass. van (cheapest)
Dec. 9th - Happy Limosine is picking us up from the cruise ship and we are going to the all-star sport with the silver package, which include 2 magical points per day, which can be used for meals (we use them for mostly meals), spa treatments, suveniors, recreational activities, ect. I think there is a list on the disneyworld website.
Dec.13th - Sadly we have to go home

 

[ksumom]

I think we've decided to just do the 7 day cruise and try for a trip to DW at another time. We have 4 kids - 12,10,6 & 2 so if we wait until the 2 year old is big enough to enjoy the rides with the rest of us we should have saved enough money for another trip to FL by then! This way we can just relax on the cruise and not worry about all the other stuff for now.

Have fun on your trip! Sounds like you've got it planned out good!

 

[kristen821]

Well have a great time, that sounds wonderful! I thought about doing that, but was afraid I wouldn't like the cruise and I know I love Disney World. If you do change your mind let me know and I'll tell you how it goes for me in December.