Never Cruised Before. Is A Disney Cruise Worth Skipping WDW?

[kiford]

We love the parks and don't think they're that exhausting because of the way we tour. We may only do 1-3 attractions and spend the rest of the time looking at details, watching parades or the performers, going to lounges and restaurants, meandering through the stores, and just generally enjoying ourselves and each others' company.

When we cruise DCL, if it's a Caribbean cruise, we generally stay on the ship and enjoy its amenities - movies, shows, different activities, tastings, eating, sitting on deck, pool/water slide, checking out the merchandise. We may occasionally get off the ship, do a port tour or just get out to walk a bit. Again, just generally enjoy ourselves and each other's company or the company of friends we sometimes cruise with.

I'd be hard-pressed to say which I prefer. We usually do both WDW and a cruise on the same trip mainly because the flights home have been getting limited since about 2018 and they often are way too close to docking to be practical (11 am) and I don't want to wait around an airport for 12 hours for the later flight (8 pm). So we'll usually stay at least two nights after the cruise. One night seems too sad and not enough time to do anything in the parks but longer than that might not be feasible schedule-wise.

We find cruises (other than European ones which are all about the ports and are exhausting) are more relaxing than WDW so it's a nice change of pace. But then sometimes we feel like we're missing out on some of our favourite activities in WDW. So we usually do a mix of both each year. We just did a 3 day cruise in September followed by two days at WDW. We're heading off to now do 7 days at WDW at the end of November. One isn't better than the other - just different.

 

[mkh531]

What we did one year was go on a 4 night cruise on the dream in November and then we returned spent one night at WDW and got Christmas party tickets. It was awesome! Next day we ate a hotel character breakfast buffet and then went to the airport. It was perfect!

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

I have never cruised in my life. I LOVE Disneyworld and go every year, and now I’m debating on trying DCL. I want to know if it’s worth skipping a WDW trip to try a Disney Cruise? I just can’t afford both, it actually costs more for a 4 night Disney Cruise on the Wish then my 9 day WDW trip (since I have DVC, which I will rent out to help pay for the cruise) and I would be skipping my FAVORITE time of the year (December) at WDW.

I’ve done a decent amount of watching videos on YouTube and reading this board but I want opinions from people who love WDW and DON’T find WDW exhausting, like me. Because I don’t go for the rides (they are just the icing on the cake) , we take our time, enjoy the resorts and the many beautiful restaurants and just LOVE the ambiance of WDW and just being there.

I know most will say they are very different but for someone who can only afford one, and you love WDW and don’t think it’s exhausting, I need an answer of which one is the better vacation.

There are very few videos and podcasts I’ve seen that directly compare these. The only (most recent) one I found that actually does is this one:

Please also share any you have seen or know that would help. Thanks!

I feel the same way about WDW as you and have also fallen in love with DCL. It's worth trying, especially a Very MerryTime sailing to enjoy the holiday ambiance on the ship.

I strongly recommend skipping the Wish and booking a 7-night sailing on the Disney Fantasy, or seeing if there are any 5-night sailings from Miami or Fort Lauderdale for your dates. Four nights is too short for a pleasant first DCL experience, and I believe that the original four ships have more charm and Disney ambiance to offer a Disney Parks fan.

 

[FastPasser.]

Unlike the OP I no longer have much of a desire to go to WDW. At this stage in our lives cruising is better. For us it’s less expensive and less stressful than going to WDW.

 

[MomOTwins]

I see a lot of people say 4 days is too short. Respectfully, that is a common sentiment on these boards because most on this forum love disney cruises, but it is not always the best advice for a first time cruise. We did a 3 night for our first cruise and loved it—in fact, of our 8 cruises to date, we have done only two 7-night DCL cruises—the rest have all been short ones because we prefer a land/sea vacation mix. But even preference aside, I am glad we did a short cruise first because (1) having no “status” didn’t matter on a short cruise because we didn’t need to book port excursions or onboard activities (2) if you decide cruises are not for you, it is a much less costly mistake to do a short first cruise than a long one, and (3) it you decide you love disney cruises, you can get a placeholder discount to book a longer one 10% off.

 

[PAGA2003]

I see a lot of people say 4 days is too short. Respectfully, that is a common sentiment on these boards because most on this forum love disney cruises, but it is not always the best advice for a first time cruise. We did a 3 night for our first cruise and loved it—in fact, of our 8 cruises to date, we have done only two 7-night DCL cruises—the rest have all been short ones because we prefer a land/sea vacation mix. But even preference aside, I am glad we did a short cruise first because (1) having no “status” didn’t matter on a short cruise because we didn’t need to book port excursions or onboard activities (2) if you decide cruises are not for you, it is a much less costly mistake to do a short first cruise than a long one, and (3) it you decide you love disney cruises, you can get a placeholder discount to book a longer one 10% off.

Yes, I totally agree with you! I hate how folks are constantly trying to talk people out of short sailings. They are a perfect option for many families for many reasons. We've done both a 3 and 4 night when those were the best options for our schedule and thoroughly enjoyed them.

 

[otten]

They are different experiences entirely. We just got off the Wish and while I had a great time, I wouldn’t do such a short cruise with only one sea day again. The one sea day we had felt like the most commando touring I’ve ever done in the parks and we weren’t trying to do it all or even close. My perhaps unpopular opinion is that the Wish is kind of wasted on those short itineraries. There is so much on board and so very little time for it. Take the incredicourse for example. They only have it open for 5.5 hours on Nassau day when a lot of people will be off the ship.

I would not actually recommend the Wish for a first timer. If this had been my first cruise I might have not wanted to do another but because I know that there are other options now I know that short sailings just aren’t for me. Pick a smaller ship like the Magic or Wonder or even the Dream of Fantasy but with a sailing that gives you enough time to actually experience the ship.

 

[kiford]

I see a lot of people say 4 days is too short.

We find even 7 day cruises to be too short - we love the longer 11-12 days European cruises. But our first cruise was a four-day on the Wonder. We felt that it was long enough to judge if we liked cruising but not so long that we were feeling trapped if we got bored or if we got sick. So I'm in the camp of try a four day first. Three days is a bit too short but still reasonably good to determine if you like cruising if that fits the schedule or finances better. The only issue currently is that the shortest cruises are on the Wish (at least for 2023 and 2024) and it is expensive and very different in configuration than the other ships. It does depend on time of year, but I'm not sure the Wish is the best-priced cruise for a first-timer. But I do believe that dipping your toes in tentatively by going with a shorter cruise is better than finding out that cruising isn't your thing.

We've also done additional three and four day cruises, most recently on the Wish. The four day to sail with friends and try out the Wish and the three day because i wanted more time on the Wish and it was the only thing that met my schedule (we followed with two days at WDW). So while we prefer the longer cruises, there is a place for shorter ones. I'd rather cruise three or four days than sit at home.

 

[Scubadaddy32]

I have never cruised in my life. I LOVE Disneyworld and go every year, and now I’m debating on trying DCL. I want to know if it’s worth skipping a WDW trip to try a Disney Cruise? I just can’t afford both, it actually costs more for a 4 night Disney Cruise on the Wish then my 9 day WDW trip (since I have DVC, which I will rent out to help pay for the cruise) and I would be skipping my FAVORITE time of the year (December) at WDW.

I’ve done a decent amount of watching videos on YouTube and reading this board but I want opinions from people who love WDW and DON’T find WDW exhausting, like me. Because I don’t go for the rides (they are just the icing on the cake) , we take our time, enjoy the resorts and the many beautiful restaurants and just LOVE the ambiance of WDW and just being there.

I know most will say they are very different but for someone who can only afford one, and you love WDW and don’t think it’s exhausting, I need an answer of which one is the better vacation.

There are very few videos and podcasts I’ve seen that directly compare these. The only (most recent) one I found that actually does is this one:

Please also share any you have seen or know that would help. Thanks!

If this was the DWD from 5+ years ago, I may have said, skip DCL. However, IMO, WDW is in a bit of decline when it comes to those magic touches while on vacation. My wife and I are WDW vets and spent 10+ days per year at WDW on vacations, every year for almost a decade. So I know where you are coming from. We love it and people thought we were nuts for spending that kind of money on vacations. However, since all the changes in the last few years, I'll admit WDW has lost some of it's magic.
Some of our friends talked us into going on the Wish in Feb. and we had a great experience. We found that DCL still has some of that Disney Magic we used to feel all the time on our previous WDW vacations. The food was very good and the ship is clean and spectacular. We highly recommend the Wish to folks going on a first cruise. IMO, 4 days seems to be a good break in point for dipping a toe into the cruise side of things. Not too short if you enjoy it, but not to long if you realize it's not your thing.