Poll please help!

[MM123]

Ah, see your message now, was typing while you were posting. Yes, cruising is def easier.

 

[Little Mermaid 35]

I'm

If it doesn't matter to you then I think I would choose Yosemite because your son has done already two cruises. Traveling is giving new experiences and I would wonder if the cruises are that different (of course the ports are!). Seven is a nice age, kids will remember things from their holidays. But Yosemite is more 'work' for you and if you have been busy the whole year maybe a cruise is easier?

Haha yes you must have been responding when I was Yes it definitely seems like more work and is more complicated...I also like how with a cruise all of your food is paid for too and with Yosemite I'd have to budget for that as well. Where we want to stay apparently has pricey food...pricey but good lol I am worn out in general haha so I guess an easier vacation sounds better to me right now. Still torn though!!

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

If you have recently been on 2 dcl cruises I would switch it up. You will start getting more critical and enjoy it less. Take a break. Or go on another cruise line

 

[Little Mermaid 35]

If you have recently been on 2 dcl cruises I would switch it up. You will start getting more critical and enjoy it less. Take a break. Or go on another cruise line

I've been on other cruise lines and loved them but with my son this age I don't want to cruise anything but DCL until he's older...we're heading to NYC for a week in April so that's a different vacation than these cruises...just trying to decide if I should take another DCL cruise or go out to the west coast. The ease of a cruise is selling me at this point.

 

[cruiser21]

If you've cruised before I voted Yosemite. It was one of my favorite places as a kid. I want to take my kids there soon. I know my son would pick any vacation over a Caribbean cruise. If it was Europe, Asia or Alaska cruise that's a different story. We just cruised out of NYC and the highlight for my kids was New York not the cruise.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I love National Parks, but I think to fully appreciate Yosemite he should be older.

I went with the Magic cruise, because that’s the one I would want to be on.

 

[Vicki106]

I just voted for Yosemite. I realize that it will definitely mean a lot more work for you, but we took a CA trip a few years ago when my DS was 7 and he absolutely loved Yosemite. We flew into LA and drove up to Yosemite with an overnight stop and drive through Sequoia National Park. We spent a couple nights in Yosemite and then drove back down to LA/Anaheim. We toured Warner Bros. Studios and then sent a few nights in Anaheim and 2 days at Disneyland and California Adventure. My kids (then 7, 12 and 15) had a great time. My son loves the Junior Ranger programs that they have in the national parks. We were able to do something new (Yosemite and Sequoia) and still get some Disney in as well. The kids hadn't ever been to DL so they enjoyed the differences from the WDW trips we had done before.

 

[Little Mermaid 35]

Thanks to everyone who's responded...still debating...I guess this is a good problem to have lol

 

[Little Mermaid 35]

I also want to say I love that our son loves the kids clubs so much and we actually get some adult time...we have literally no help at home and rarely ever get a break so it's nice to have the option of dropping him off at the clubs where he wants to be anyways to give us some time to grab a drink or eat at Palo...I think we're going to do one of the cruises and likely the Fantasy since we'll save on flights. Plus we can celebrate our anniversary and have a great dinner at Palo and childcare will be taken care of which I'm not sure if that would even be possible at home.

 

[cruiser21]

I also want to say I love that our son loves the kids clubs so much and we actually get some adult time...we have literally no help at home and rarely ever get a break so it's nice to have the option of dropping him off at the clubs where he wants to be anyways to give us some time to grab a drink or eat at Palo...I think we're going to do one of the cruises and likely the Fantasy since we'll save on flights. Plus we can celebrate our anniversary and have a great dinner at Palo and childcare will be taken care of which I'm not sure if that would even be possible at home.

I just wanted to add that your son imay not get tired of Disney cruises. Dcl does a fantastic job with teens and there's lots of amazing ports to visit. Don't feel like you have to do another cruise now while he's young. He may like it even more when he's 15. IMHO there is no better vacation then a cruise with teens because you never see them. Mine are 13 and 15 and still love cruising on DCL. On our last cruise they showed up once for dinner the whole cruise and that's about all I saw of them. My 15 year old did return to room twice a day to shower which was odd because at home I have to threaten him to get him in the shower. I have my suspicions why he wanted to smell good.

 

[Little Mermaid 35]

I just wanted to add that your son imay not get tired of Disney cruises. Dcl does a fantastic job with teens and there's lots of amazing ports to visit. Don't feel like you have to do another cruise now while he's young. He may like it even more when he's 15. IMHO there is no better vacation then a cruise with teens because you never see them. Mine are 13 and 15 and still love cruising on DCL. On our last cruise they showed up once for dinner the whole cruise and that's about all I saw of them. My 15 year old did return to room twice a day to shower which was odd because at home I have to threaten him to get him in the shower. I have my suspicions why he wanted to smell good.

Hahaha love itYeah I who knows if he'll get tired of them or not...all I know is that us parents are worn out and I want to relax more than work the more I think about it. Our son is high energy and I have a feeling he may still be a little too young to enjoy the national parks and not drive us both crazy. I think when he's even a few years older...like 10 or so he'll appreciate it more and not need to be entertained the way he does right now at this age. The appeal of getting a break each day during the cruise when he goes to the kids clubs is really selling me on it too. With Yosemite there would be no breaks or adult time. That's great your kids still love DCL! We will likely have to switch to another line after this...they are getting so freaking expensive. That's another reason I want to go ahead and do this one more time before the prices go up even more!

 

[tink1970]

I always vote for a cruise but that's just me. It can be your vacation, his vacation, parent time...all in one. National parks are fine--we did Yellowstone when DD was 10 and she enjoyed but it was not a vacation for me in the sense of a true "down time" rest and recharge batteries. if you just want to relax and zone out...cruise...at least while he's still young and into the magic

 

[cruiser21]

Hahaha love itYeah I who knows if he'll get tired of them or not...all I know is that us parents are worn out and I want to relax more than work the more I think about it. Our son is high energy and I have a feeling he may still be a little too young to enjoy the national parks and not drive us both crazy. I think when he's even a few years older...like 10 or so he'll appreciate it more and not need to be entertained the way he does right now at this age. The appeal of getting a break each day during the cruise when he goes to the kids clubs is really selling me on it too. With Yosemite there would be no breaks or adult time. That's great your kids still love DCL! We will likely have to switch to another line after this...they are getting so freaking expensive. That's another reason I want to go ahead and do this one more time before the prices go up even more!

Now that you mentioned price I change my vote. I think you should do the cruise. I forgot how much the prices have gone up since we started cruising. I'm about paying double. If you think you might be priced out in the future I would do it now. I know that feeling I'll be looking elsewhere for a Baltic cruise in 2019.

 

[mmmears]

You asked on a cruise board, so you're likely to get a pretty skewed response, but I'll go against the grain here and say that you've already cruised a couple of times and it's nice to mix things up a bit. Our DD was 7 when we took her to Yosemite and she loved it. Loved the waterfalls, the day hikes, the views from the top, the giant trees, the deer, etc. We had a magical time. I don't think your son will age out of DCL any time soon and the cruises will still be there (hopefully with some more interesting itineraries, too).

 

[Little Mermaid 35]

Now that you mentioned price I change my vote. I think you should do the cruise. I forgot how much the prices have gone up since we started cruising. I'm about paying double. If you think you might be priced out in the future I would do it now. I know that feeling I'll be looking elsewhere for a Baltic cruise in 2019.

I don't blame you for wanting to look elsewhere for the Baltic...I LOVE DCL but man the prices kill me...and they will only continue to climb. I definitely think we'll be priced out in the future so yes I'd better do it now or never. I want to do the Norwegian fjords for my 40th birthday in a few years but we'll be going with another line...probably RCCL.

 

[Little Mermaid 35]

I always vote for a cruise but that's just me. It can be your vacation, his vacation, parent time...all in one. National parks are fine--we did Yellowstone when DD was 10 and she enjoyed but it was not a vacation for me in the sense of a true "down time" rest and recharge batteries. if you just want to relax and zone out...cruise...at least while he's still young and into the magic

Yes this is exactly what I'm thinking! We get to see some new places while also having some adult/down time and he'll be happy to have kid time in the clubs. I'm going to try hard to surprise him with this cruise. I've never been able to keep my mouth shut to surprise him with any of our Disney trips so hopefully I can this time lol

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

I voted for Very Merrytime. The ships are decorated beautifully for the holidays. My wife and I have stayed at Yosemite by the Falls and it is a spectacular park. But we went late October early November and crowds were very small. No problem parking, no huge crowds at the major attractions, no problem finding a place to eat or hit the shops.

I thought I heard you could sit for hours just waiting in line to get into the park during the summer months. Once inside there is a park shuttle you can take but because we didn’t have to deal with traffic jams we drove everywhere.

Anyone have experience with Yosemite in the summer?

 

[mab2012]

I voted Eastern.

OP, you know your kid best. A couple of people have posted about how their 7 year olds had a great time hiking at Yosemite, which is awesome. Mine wouldn't have at 7, and probably still wouldn't now (at 9 and 12). At 7 there are probably parts of the experience they would have enjoyed, but those would likely have been overwhelmed by the whining and moaning of "I'm bored" and "do we have to?" in between. (I'm making my kids sound awful. They're not, really, but they've never much taken to hiking for its own sake. I think we tried too hard when they were little.)

If your kid is one of those who would have a great time at Yosemite, you probably already know. Likewise, if he's one that's likely to be bored and whining, you probably already know that too! And if he's in the latter category, not only is he not going to have a great time, but you're not either. It sounds like you really want to go and see Yosemite for your own sake, as well as your son's. Why wreck the experience with a kid who is not ready to appreciate it? It'll still be there when he's older.

As for the choice between the two cruises... I'd take the Eastern for the convenience of not having to fly, plus the extra two nights. IMO 5 nights is not worth the flight. It might be different if you wanted to spend time in San Juan before or after, but given the current state of things there, that's probably not going to be a good idea either. It'll be better in a year, but maybe not enough better. Hard to know right now.

 

[Little Mermaid 35]

I voted Eastern.

OP, you know your kid best. A couple of people have posted about how their 7 year olds had a great time hiking at Yosemite, which is awesome. Mine wouldn't have at 7, and probably still wouldn't now (at 9 and 12). At 7 there are probably parts of the experience they would have enjoyed, but those would likely have been overwhelmed by the whining and moaning of "I'm bored" and "do we have to?" in between. (I'm making my kids sound awful. They're not, really, but they've never much taken to hiking for its own sake. I think we tried too hard when they were little.)

If your kid is one of those who would have a great time at Yosemite, you probably already know. Likewise, if he's one that's likely to be bored and whining, you probably already know that too! And if he's in the latter category, not only is he not going to have a great time, but you're not either. It sounds like you really want to go and see Yosemite for your own sake, as well as your son's. Why wreck the experience with a kid who is not ready to appreciate it? It'll still be there when he's older.

As for the choice between the two cruises... I'd take the Eastern for the convenience of not having to fly, plus the extra two nights. IMO 5 nights is not worth the flight. It might be different if you wanted to spend time in San Juan before or after, but given the current state of things there, that's probably not going to be a good idea either. It'll be better in a year, but maybe not enough better. Hard to know right now.

You just summed up my thoughts perfectly...better than I could! Haha I really think he will be bored to tears in Yosemite. I think you're right we should save it for when he's older. I think right now he'd drive us both crazy whining bc he's bored. We go to the North Carolina mountains several times a year and have done small hikes there...he's enjoyed a few of them but the more challenging/longer ones he's complained a lot. So this is some insight into how he'd probably do in Yosemite.

The whole thing with San Juan is a great point as well...5 nights really isn't worth the hassle of flying with a kid to me either. Plus the flights are expensive! And I was wanting to do San Juan beforehand but I am very concerned with the state of PR...my brother in law is a lineman working there now and he said it's just a nightmare and will take years to get back to normal. Thank you for your insight. I really do think a cruise is the best option for us right now with our son at this age and temperament.

 

[Sytrace]

I chose the Magic Very Merrytime cruise as you have already sailed the Fantasy. Merrytime cruises are my absolute favorite of all the DCL theme cruises.