Looking for opinions DVC before or after cruise

[iankh]

We are going to be going on our very first DCL cruise (in fact our first cruise of any kind).

It is way off in the future, Dec 2006, but next month we'll be at our 12 month out point for booking our home resort VWL and am trying to decide if we should plan to stay at WDW before or after the cruise.

Right now opinions are weighing in favor of after, in case we hate the cruise and need some time to get over it!

What do you think? It will be a 4 night stay. Should it be before we sail? Or, after?

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I voted after. Not really certain why, but that's the way we did it for our first cruise next May.
I think it's just in case we don't like the cruise, we have a known great time ahead of us. Does that make sense?

Good luck!

MG

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Well, after reading your post more carefully, I see you and I are thinking alike!

MG

 

[BillPA]

I voted to DVC before the cruise. Why? As an ex-navy guy, and having missed as they called it ' the ships movement' you do NOT want to risk missing the 'boat' due to travel delays. Or at least stay one night before and 3 after.

If you miss the boat.... what whould you do?

What ever you decide, have a GREAT TRIP.

 

[TheBeast]

I don't think it is possible to not like the cruise! Well, we loved it anyway. Went last year and had a great time. But I voted after, because I think on the cruise, you immediately get into vacation mode and within hours you feel like it's been weeks since work/home/stress/etc. Then after the cruise, you don't have the let down of going home - you go enjoy WDW!

If you go before the cruise, I think it takes a little while to wind down and get into vacation mode. You start having great fun at WDW, then even more fun on an awesome cruise, and then suddenly it's all over and back to reality.

That's my 2 cents

 

[iankh]

Interesting. There's a 50/50 split.

 

[RAD]

I voted for WDW after the cruise, especially since it's your first cruise.

 

[pklein09]

I didn't vote because I haven't done the cruise yet, but we're scheduled for next November. We're taking 1 day in the parks before our 7 day cruise to get us in the Disney mood. It also works better for the kids school-wise as well.

 

[agotta]

We went before. My thinking was, after running through the parks we need a couple of days to recoup on the cruise. It was nice and relaxing way to end our vacation.

 

[justcruisin]

I vote for after. The morning you leave the ship is an early one, you can easily be at Disney World (we went to Vero) by 11 a.m.

Scheduling flights home on the day a cruise ends can be tricky, unless you want to spend a lot of time at the airport.

Going from the ship to home is a shock to the system --- no one leaving chocolates on your pillow, no one cooking you wonderful meals. A few days "roughing it" at a disney hotel is a nice way to get back to reality.

Leaving that wonderful ship to go home is tough, knowing there are still a few day of vacation left is great.

 

[Deemarch]

Our first Disney cruise is next May and we are going to stay in Cocoa Beach the night before and two nights at VB after the cruise. So I voted for "after the cruise". My thinking is that with the cruise only be 4 nights and we normally take 7 night vacations, I needed to stretch the vacation and fit it in the week. I think that we are going to love the cruise and need more Disney when we're done, so I opted for Vero Beach. It will be our first time there!

 

[JimC]

Voted for before the cruise for two reasons:

1. you can relax from the more hectic pace of WDW
2. no worrying about arriving late for the cruise because of air delays

We have done both.

 

[CarolA]

Well, I booked one night before and two nights after.

 

[dis-happy]

What are your exact cruise dates in December? We are cruising over Christmas and I booked WDW beforehand, when the crowds there will be less. When we get off the boat, we'll still stay a couple of extra nights, but it is the busiest week of the year, between Christmas and New Year's. I know our park days will be a lot more fun earlier on. Something to think about....

 

[Mississippian]

We're taking a last-minute cruise in early January, four days out of Tampa on RCCL. We're spending two nights at BWV before the cruise and three nights after the cruise at OKW, or if waitlist comes through one of the hotel resorts.

The first stay is just to let us get over the drive and will allow 1.5 days at the parks. After the cruise we'll have 2.5 days to see the parks. Hopefully we'll avoid burnout that way!

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

There is nothing worse after your cruise than getting kicked to the curb with no place to go but the airport (or long car ride home). We just cruised in November and would have been very sad leaving the port, waving goodbye to Mickey's boat (and about $7500) w/o some more vacationing ahead of us. Sooo, we went to Vero for six relaxing nights. With three kids and so much to do on the cruise, DCL is not as relaxing as you might think. We always spent one day before the cruise at a hotel near the port.

 

[jmatias]

For our July '06 cruise we decided to do a before-and-after.

Since we have to travel so far to get to WDW and the Disney cruise we thought that would be best for us.

 

[Cinderelli]

We're just debating this same issue. We're cruising in May and definitely think we'll feel a major letdown if we get off the boat early in the AM with no place to go but home. I want to do 4 days at WDW after, but DH wants to do 4 days at Vero. Maybe we'll have to do 2 days at Vero and 2 at WDW. The best of both worlds.

Whatever we decide, we'll be doing it AFTER the cruise, so that's my vote.

Lissa

 

[iankh]

Just for the record, our sail date is December 10th, 2006. Talk about advanced planning! But, in just a few weeks I'll be able to book our home resort, VWL.

 

[Laurabearz]

I voted for after the cruise... Why... well we found the cruise very exhausting... so much to do, and everything on the cruise is by the clock. This starts a 115, but then the other thing is at 245 and dinner is 615 and the shows are 830.. It seems we were always heading somewhere for something... and we never wanted to be late for any of it... go go go!!!

At WDW, with the exception of a couple of ADR's and some shows, not much is by the clock, and therefore, for us, more relaxing....

Does that make sense??