Pros and Cons of Land and Sea

[mkb3]

Our family has been going to WDW for at least one week at a time for the past three years and are looking at something different even though we are obsessed with the parks.

Looking at a few vacation options and Land and Sea is an option. What are your pros and cons?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Our family has been going to WDW for at least one week at a time for the past three years and are looking at something different even though we are obsessed with the parks.

Looking at a few vacation options and Land and Sea is an option. What are your pros and cons?

It would depend on what you're calling "Land and Sea". How many days on land, how long a cruise?

 

[mkb3]

4 nights at a Disney resort, 1 Universal Day, 2 day park hooper, 4-7 night cruise.

 

[MonaMN]

We did 3 park days, then a 4 night cruise. It was fun, and I wouldn’t do it differently since we were on our first cruise and wanted to start with a 4 night, but it was exhausting. We wanted to do everything at the parks in our short time there, then everything on the boat... and we just probably did too much.

So we probably won’t do that again. We did a weeklong park trip this year and will do a 7 night cruise next year - more time to spread out priorities and not have to be running crazy!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

4 nights at a Disney resort, 1 Universal Day, 2 day park hooper, 4-7 night cruise.

Are you thinking about booking all the elements yourself? Or getting some sort of package?

Just off the top of my head - 2 days at WDW (parks) isn't enough, but, since you've done it a lot, that's probably fine for you.

My personal preference for cruises is not less than 7 days (we've done less, but prefer longer).

 

[Twitterpaited]

The branches that book the resorts and the DCL are separate. You don’t really get a deal with a land and sea package. Book your cruise as soon as possible. Then book your hotel.

We had a land and sea package. We had to make a change when my sister decided to join us for the land portion. To add my sister, DCL had to cancel our entire land portion and then we had to rebook it through Disney resorts. Luckily, it came out cheaper, even with the increase in ticket prices.

 

[onesam319]

This is our next Disney vacation plan. We prefer longer cruises, but wanted to sail on the Dream to complete our grand slam (all four ships). So we will do 4 days at the parks, staying on property, and then a three night cruise after the parks to relax for the last half of our vacation time.

 

[insureman]

We usually do 3 days in the park followed by a 3/4 B2B , 5 or 7 day cruise.This February we are doing 3 days WDW and 7 day Fantasy cruise. If you haven't cruised before I would try a 4 day cruise just in case someone doesn't like it.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

Way back we did a 4 day WDW and then a 3 day cruise- our first. Back then, they booked everything for you, if I remember correctly. Now you have to book each segment yourself. Anyway, I found it exhausting. Parks were busy, then a new ship to explore and we wanted to do everything. Now we just cruise-maybe an overnight at WDW, just resort, no parks or we do WDW. It just didn't work for us back then, but if you have a more relaxed style, it may work out just fine for you.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Back then, they booked everything for you, if I remember correctly. Now you have to book each segment yourself.

At the time you would often get a better deal booking both segments separately. I think a lot of people figured that out and they weren't selling enough of the packages to make it worthwhile.

Biggest issues with the old land & sea packages were you were limited in what resorts/rooms you could get at the resorts, based on room category you book for the cruise. And you couldn't get any of the dining packages on the resort side of the trip.

 

[Lilsia]

We usually stay at the parks for at least a week, usually after our cruise. I don't really see a con in staying on vacation longer.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

At the time you would often get a better deal booking both segments separately. I think a lot of people figured that out and they weren't selling enough of the packages to make it worthwhile.

Biggest issues with the old land & sea packages were you were limited in what resorts/rooms you could get at the resorts, based on room category you book for the cruise. And you couldn't get any of the dining packages on the resort side of the trip.

Yes, very true. I know we were limited. We stayed at the Polynesian, which was what we wanted, but not all resorts were available with the package.

 

[mkb3]

Way back we did a 4 day WDW and then a 3 day cruise- our first. Back then, they booked everything for you, if I remember correctly. Now you have to book each segment yourself. Anyway, I found it exhausting. Parks were busy, then a new ship to explore and we wanted to do everything. Now we just cruise-maybe an overnight at WDW, just resort, no parks or we do WDW. It just didn't work for us back then, but if you have a more relaxed style, it may work out just fine for you.

That is my biggest fear is being exhausted when I want to relax. My wife just thinks she'll be disappointed to be in Orlando and not go to a Park. I'm trying to talk her into 1 park day at MK as she LOVES Happily Ever After and it's my 8 year old's favorite park, then the cruise after.

We go to WDW for one week a year so for me personally with our small family using our budget seems like it would be better spent on a longer WDW vacation where we can spread our time in the parks out and have off days or going an additional time later in the year.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

That is my biggest fear is being exhausted when I want to relax. My wife just thinks she'll be disappointed to be in Orlando and not go to a Park. I'm trying to talk her into 1 park day at MK as she LOVES Happily Ever After and it's my 8 year old's favorite park, then the cruise after.

We go to WDW for one week a year so for me personally with our small family using our budget seems like it would be better spent on a longer WDW vacation where we can spread our time in the parks out and have off days or going an additional time later in the year.

This is exactly how I feel. Honestly I thought I might miss the parks, but I didn't. When I visit WDW, I'm all in. When I cruise, I want to relax and enjoy the ship. We tend to alternate years-one year cruise, one WDW, but as my kids went from little, to teens, to young adults, they love to cruise. The day at MK sounds like a great compromise. Hope everything works out for you!

 

[JoeFromSeoul]

Our first cruise had us traveling from Korea to Florida, so we wanted to get the most out of our travel. We did Disney Surf and Turf with five park days followed by a 7-night cruise on the Fantasy. If I had the funds, I'd happily do that once each year. We were exhausted from the parks when we got aboard ship, but we were totally relaxed when we got back to Port Canaveral.

 

[Quellman]

Having done it both ways, I prefer land THEN sea. Just more relaxing usually. The longer you can be at sea the better. A 3 night cruise really is only 2 full days on the ship, both of which are port days. I would try at least a 4 night unless budget and time is an issue.

 

[mkb3]

Thanks or the input y'all

Land and sea idea may be dying a slow death. Wife doesn't want to go in the summer because of heat and other vacation plans and we can't make it work with a school schedule without missing more than 5 days.

As a consolation we are debating on going over Spring Break, Resort Hopping/Disney Springs on Saturday, 1 park day Sunday then leave Monday for 4 nights on the Dream. One bad thing about that is we will have to drive from Dallas over the course of two days coming and going. Flights are nearly 4 times the normal cost during that time to Orlando.

Other option is flying to Fort Lauderdale and taking the Magic on a 4 night cruise out of Miami (same ports as the Dream over Spring Break) the Thursday before Spring Break so my daughter only misses 2 days of school and we would have enough of our budget left over for a week at a value resort some other time.

 

[paule350]

I Just booked a 3 night cruise at the end of August and then off to the Boardwalk for 7 nights. This will be our first Disney cruise!

 

[Husker Mike]

We're doing a DIY Land/Sea vacation. Booked a 4 night cruise on the Dream when the schedule first opened, then booked Bay Lake Tower for two nights after the cruise. We're arriving on Friday before the cruise and just booked 3 nights at Universal's Hard Rock. Everything booked separately, because our dates are pretty much set by the schools and Disney with the cruise. We didn't want to miss much school time; we're leaving at noon on the last day before spring break. (I can't imagine much gets done that day at school anyway...)

 

[bakerworld]

We enjoy a cruise sandwich - 2DL/3 or 4D S/2 or 3D L - with the last part at a walk-able park location.