Planning first cruise with a question

[Lovewinnie]

planning our first cruise for fall 2017. Kids will be 9 and 5. Was thinking of doing the 4 night on Dream as our family has never cruised before. Planning to book concierge level. Started looking at dates for fall 2016 to get an idea of itinerary and checked out the 7 night cruise. Nervous to book that long in case kids don't do well on ship. Would not be able to afford concierge for 7 night cruise. Thoughts on which would be better for first trip?

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

4 nights is a good way to get your feet wet. You could also do a 5 nighter on one of the older ships if they are available when you are cruising. Then you can move on to 7 if you like it.

 

[Shanti]

4-night concierge would beat a 7-night for me, but I'm the type who gets homesick (or landsick) after a few days on a ship. You'll get to do a few ports and one full day at sea, so you'll have a variety of experiences and it won't feel rushed. Die hard cruisers say 7-nights is a minimum, but for a beginning family, 4-nights will be plenty. Just beware that sailing first time concierge might spoil you all for sailing non-concierge in the future.

 

[danajay]

We recently struggled with this decision and ended up booking a 7 night on the Fantasy for April. We are also first time cruisers, with kids 4 and 8. For us, since the overwhelming majority love a Disney cruise, we felt that the odds of us taking a 7 night cruise and saying " I wish that was shorter" was less than taking a 4 night cruise and saying "I wish we went on a longer cruise". That was our rationale.

 

[taishartrueblood]

Personally, I havnt felt that concierge was nessesary. It is nice, but there is so much to do that it just didn't add that much to me.

 

[diznymom]

IMHO, I would rather have a 7 night non-concierge than a 4 night concierge. I love being on the ships and the Fantasy is my favorite.

 

[professorandmom]

Every family is different but here is my experience...we did a 4 day first to see how it would go...we all enjoyed it but I didn't get to relax and unwind completely. I knew we needed a longer trip - for the kids but mainly for me...
It took a while to save up to go again (we needed to cruise in peak season) but the 7 day was amazing- everyone knew what to expect and were incredibly excited!
Good luck in your decision, Lovewinnie

A shout out to the post above this one by diznymom - we are on the same Fantasy cruise in December...love your countdown clock!!

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

IMHO, I would rather have a 7 night non-concierge than a 4 night concierge. I love being on the ships and the Fantasy is my favorite.

Agree 100% with diznymom, the Fantasy is a beautiful ship. And you do not get to know the ship on a four night cruise (but better than not cruising DCL). In the event that your kids do not like the clubs; it is not the end of the world to spend the time with your kids while on the ship. And for some families spending more time with the kids is more important. Even on a Disney Cruise Line ship; with plenty of activities specifically planned out for children, of all ages.

There are plenty of things to do on the ship together as a family. Disney themed plays, movies, family entertainment acts, pool, splash area for the very young, Pirate Night with fireworks, Castaway Cay and more. I have never done DCL concierge but have done it in WDW and if it is anywhere similar; I do not believe it is worth three less nights cruising to have concierge vs. more nights cruising.

My opinion, some love concierge

 

[Scillycruisers]

For our first cruise we chose 7 nights - DH, me and DS, then 4. It wasn't long enough! We wouldn't consider less than 7 nights. That first cruise DS spent hardly any time in the club but it was no problem, there was so much else for us to do - we do tend to do things as a family when possible - and he was never bored, nor were we. We went ashore for a while at each port, but only did 1 excursion.

We wouldn't book concierge- if we had the extra money we would rather use it for a longer or another holiday! We were very comfortable in our balcony cabin.

 

[disnygirl55]

Our first cruise was a 4-night in concierge. It was amazing, and spoiled us for life. Was 4 nights long enough? Of course not! But I also felt it was great for the first cruise. DS had just turned 5, and we had never cruised before. DH was actually really reluctant, as he thought he would be bored without computer access, etc. for 4 days, so it was a good starter cruise for the entire family. Of course, it was wonderful, everyone was thoroughly entertained and had plenty to do, and we sailed again on a 5 night a couple of years later, which had two visits to Castaway Cay - hooray! It takes a while to save for concierge, but we love it so much, it's worth the wait. Now we try to find a 7-day that won't break the bank, and sail every 2 or 3 years. A 4-day will definitely leave you wanting more, but it allows you to answer some questions about whether you really like the vacation style of cruising.