Same cruise 2 years in a row?

[CruisinPetey]

Has anyone done the same exact cruise 2 years in a row? My family of 4 did the 4 night Dream last year and I'm considering booking the same cruise again exactly one year later. There is one new show (Beauty and the Beast) that is different from last year and obviously there would be different movies. We would probably opt to stay on the ship again in Nassau and just get off at Castaway. Has anyone who has done 2 similar cruises in a row wished they had changed it up a bit, either with a different itinerary or ship? Thanks for any help!

 

[Bonnie1222]

Earlier this year we took our 5th Western in 4 years time. Of those 5, 4 were HOHS cruises. Later this year we have our 10th cruise with DCL booked and that will be another western, but this time a Very Merry. Of our 10 cruises with DCL - 9 were western, one eastern. We like the ports and number of stops. We don't do excursions but wander the ports and shop. We have actually made friends at each location. And.... if all goes as planned #s 11 and 12 are booked for next year and both of those are western as well.

If you enjoyed the cruise, and the ports why not?

 

[o&smom]

Has anyone done the same exact cruise 2 years in a row? My family of 4 did the 4 night Dream last year and I'm considering booking the same cruise again exactly one year later. There is one new show (Beauty and the Beast) that is different from last year and obviously there would be different movies. We would probably opt to stay on the ship again in Nassau and just get off at Castaway. Has anyone who has done 2 similar cruises in a row wished they had changed it up a bit, either with a different itinerary or ship? Thanks for any help!

Have not done it yet as one of the reasons we cruise is to explore new places. But being on a disney ship wins out over not being on one! If you enjoyed your cruise the first time, why not!?! We cannot wait to do the panama canal cruise again in a few years and also want to repeat the Med in some way. I say, go for it!

 

[Sytrace]

We have done the same itinerary many times on the Dream and Fantasy. Last year we went Western Caribbean 4 times in one year (3 of them were planned Western, but one was due to Irma)
And we have done the 4 night cruises on the Dream quite a few times as well. After the first couple of times, we just stay on the ship and enjoy it. But the first time or two to any port we like to get off the ship and explore and try a different excursion.

 

[CM Dad]

We have done the same itinerary many times on the Dream and Fantasy. Last year we went Western Caribbean 4 times in one year (3 of them were planned Western, but one was due to Irma)
And we have done the 4 night cruises on the Dream quite a few times as well. After the first couple of times, we just stay on the ship and enjoy it. But the first time or two to any port we like to get off the ship and explore and try a different excursion.

We booked 3 Eastern Caribbean cruises on the Fantasy last year. Two were to celebrate our 40th anniversary. The first of those was just my wife and I on our actual anniversary and the 2nd was a date in the summer when all our kids and grandkids could join us. The 3rd was for a Merrytime cruise and was the week before Christmas when our local schools were out and my wife didn't have to work. That last one turned into a Western cruise due to hurricane damage to the eastern ports. All three dates were chosen based on the calendar. We do enjoy going to different ports, so our next cruises are B2B. Quebec City to New York followed by DCL's first cruise to Bermuda.

 

[lklgoodman]

We haven't done the exact same cruise 2 yrs in a row, but I realized after reading your post that for the past 4 yrs we have alternated between the Wonder and Fantasy each year. I guess when the 2020 dates are released, I'll have to do something crazy and book a cruise on the Magic, we haven't sailed on her in years. We haven't been on the Dream yet, because we always do 7 night cruises, but I would love to see the BATB show on it. I see no reason to not book the same cruise if you enjoyed it the first time. Have you been on any of the other ships? If not, than that would be the only reason I wouldn't book the same cruise.

 

[Sytrace]

We booked 3 Eastern Caribbean cruises on the Fantasy last year. Two were to celebrate our 40th anniversary. The first of those was just my wife and I on our actual anniversary and the 2nd was a date in the summer when all our kids and grandkids could join us. The 3rd was for a Merrytime cruise and was the week before Christmas when our local schools were out and my wife didn't have to work. That last one turned into a Western cruise due to hurricane damage to the eastern ports. All three dates were chosen based on the calendar. We do enjoy going to different ports, so our next cruises are B2B. Quebec City to New York followed by DCL's first cruise to Bermuda.

We went Eastern in April this year but to St. Maarten and St. Thomas as Tortola was still not ready. We are going to Tortola and St. Thomas again in 6 weeks (unless this changes again) and have been to both islands before so we are not planning to do anything this time around.
Last time we were in Tortola was September 2016 but St. Thomas got cancelled then because of Matthew who did not want us to port that year.
Then of course last year we were supposed to go to Tortola and St. Thomas but Irma happened so we will wait and see what happens this September.

 

[Sytrace]

We haven't done the exact same cruise 2 yrs in a row, but I realized after reading your post that for the past 4 yrs we have alternated between the Wonder and Fantasy each year. I guess when the 2020 dates are released, I'll have to do something crazy and book a cruise on the Magic, we haven't sailed on her in years. We haven't been on the Dream yet, because we always do 7 night cruises, but I would love to see the BATB show on it. I see no reason to not book the same cruise if you enjoyed it the first time. Have you been on any of the other ships? If not, than that would be the only reason I wouldn't book the same cruise.

We sailed on the Magic out of Miami in January this year...but typically stick close to cruises out of PC because we live 45 minutes from port. Miami was stretching it a bit and we don't like the Port of Miami very much. It was the Western 5 night MDAS cruise. All we have left is the Wonder...maybe when she sails from Port Canaveral in 2019 again. We prefer the larger ships personally though.

 

[CamColt]

We did the Western Caribbean in August 2016 and again in August 2017. The only difference was due to weather we missed Cozumel in 2017, but we were scheduled to go. We had no problem doing the same itinerary, however we cruise mainly for the cruise/ship experience and not so much for the ports. While the cruises were the same some of the entertainment and activities were different and we were happy to redo the stuff that was the same, that we have enjoyed in the past.

 

[MissDaisyofTexas]

On our first cruise in 2012, we met a couple that sailed on the same ship/itinerary the year prior and had plans for the same the next year. At the beginning of the cruise I thought they were crazy for continually repeating the same thing. But by the end of the cruise, I totally understood. We didn't get to do and see all we wanted to on that first cruise and we could have repeated it easily!

 

[i18mulan]

We did the same itineraries couple of times and really enjoyed it everytime. We cruise primarily to spend time together as a family so we don't mind seeing the same ports again. And besides, DCL only offers a handful of itineraries so I'm pretty sure a lot of us have done the same itinerary at least twice.

 

[southerngirl528]

Has anyone done the same exact cruise 2 years in a row? My family of 4 did the 4 night Dream last year and I'm considering booking the same cruise again exactly one year later. There is one new show (Beauty and the Beast) that is different from last year and obviously there would be different movies. We would probably opt to stay on the ship again in Nassau and just get off at Castaway. Has anyone who has done 2 similar cruises in a row wished they had changed it up a bit, either with a different itinerary or ship? Thanks for any help!

Absolutely! Lots and LOTS of us here on the DCL boards have done the same exact cruise multiple times, not always 2 years in a row, but as PP's have said, sometimes folks repeat the same cruise in the same year! I sure would!

I have done the eastern itinerary many times over the years and will be repeating it again, but this time on the Fantasy in less than a month! As some have said, if I've been to a port a few times, I either go back to my favorite spots, perhaps just get off the ship and stroll around and maybe shop a big, and often I simply stay on the ship. I know some people disagree, and they are entitled to do so, but for us, the ship by itself is a destination. And we love it!

While the cruises were the same some of the entertainment and activities were different and we were happy to redo the stuff that was the same, that we have enjoyed in the past.

Well said! And I ENTIRELY agree!!

 

[Pens Fan]

We've never done the same cruise twice, and I doubt we ever will.

However - we rent the same exact house in the Outer Banks of NC the same week, every year. Without fail. We do the same things, eat at the same restaurants and love every minute of it. It's a week for the three of us to just completely unwind, relax and enjoy being together as a family. Now, that being said, we always take at least one more vacation each year to do something different. Sometimes that's a cruise, which is why I said that we wouldn't take the same cruise twice as that's our time for adventure and discovering new things. But there is certainly something to be said for just falling back into something you know and love again and again. There is so much less emphasis on trying to "do" everything. You can just relax and have a good time together. For us, the Outer Banks is trip I don't even have to plan. We make the reservation for the next year while we are there, give them the credit card to make the auto payments, pack the night before, and just show up Memorial Day weekend. Life is good!

If your family will enjoy doing the same cruise all over again - by all means go for it! (and maybe do it again the following year if you want to )

 

[fredandkell]

Yep. Did the Dream 3-day Bahamian in both 2013 and 2014. Loved it both times. And I like to "spread my vacation love around," so to speak. I would totally do it again, but I like to stay on the ships longer than just 3 days. Back them we combined the 3-day cruise with days at Disney World. Now we don't care about Disney World any more and would rather just do the longer cruises. Or, in my case next year, we're combining a 5-day Bermuda cruise with 3 nights pre- in New York - will be kids' first time in the Big Apple!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We did the Western on the Fantasy twice about 19 months apart. The biggest difference was the most recent one was a SWDAS, which was fun. We also got a pretty good deal on the 2nd cruise, so, when comparing costs with other vacation options, it was hard to pass up. We didn't get off in Cozumel or Jamaica the second time and just enjoyed the ship. We had fun, but I probably would not do the Western again UNLESS it was a Marvel day at sea!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Has anyone done the same exact cruise 2 years in a row? My family of 4 did the 4 night Dream last year and I'm considering booking the same cruise again exactly one year later. There is one new show (Beauty and the Beast) that is different from last year and obviously there would be different movies. We would probably opt to stay on the ship again in Nassau and just get off at Castaway. Has anyone who has done 2 similar cruises in a row wished they had changed it up a bit, either with a different itinerary or ship? Thanks for any help!

We did the exact, same (Mexican Rivera) cruise 2 months apart (Oct & Dec). Also, did a Hawaii DCL as well as Princess cruise.

We've not done the exact, same cruise on any other itinerary, but, we've visited some of the same ports on different itineraries.

 

[ScooterScott44]

I’ll vote my general motto for just about any topic. “Everything in moderation.”

Nothing wrong with repeating, even in a short period of time. The bonus is relaxing and doing what you like (since you already are familiar). We have repeated the eastern and western as well as the 3 and 4 night, also mixed in a few other itineraries. So go right ahead but personally I would weight if that trip will be at the expense of a future cruise that would be more interesting.

 

[mmouse37]

Has anyone done the same exact cruise 2 years in a row? My family of 4 did the 4 night Dream last year and I'm considering booking the same cruise again exactly one year later. There is one new show (Beauty and the Beast) that is different from last year and obviously there would be different movies. We would probably opt to stay on the ship again in Nassau and just get off at Castaway. Has anyone who has done 2 similar cruises in a row wished they had changed it up a bit, either with a different itinerary or ship? Thanks for any help!

Yep!!!

I love the ships and would repeat itineraries.

MJ

 

[IrishEye]

we have done back to back on the same itinerary, not to mention we have done same cruise months or years apart on DCL and other lines. when cruising the Bahama's or east and west Caribbean it is about cruising for us, the special itineraries are about traveling.

 

[SDJEL]

We have done the same Fantasy eastern Caribbean three years in a row. The last two years we ended up with the same room steward (she remembered us) and Joey was in Vibe for both cruises. My boys loved him and spent their whole cruise there.

As other posters have said, basically a Disney Cruise is my happy place and I’m perfectly content to relax annually with the same trip. My husband balked though and we are doing a 4 night on the Dream next year instead.