Should first DCL cruise be 3 days?

[TheSpooph]

Hi everyone! I would love some help thinking through the length of a cruise. We would be a multigenerational group - grandparents, adult siblings, my husband and my children.

We have done both WDW and DL over the years and my siblings love to watch my children interact with the Disney characters. So really, this is a chance for all of us to spend family time together and enjoy Disney magic through the eyes of my children.

So.... on to the question at hand. We are debating between a 3 day cruise with maybe a few days prior at WDW. Or, a 7 day cruise without WDW. My biggest worry is that 3 days isn’t enough for either WDW or DCL. But, if we break it up, it allows more people to afford the trip because they can just come to part of it.

Is a 3 day cruise enough? We have all cruised before but none of us with DCL. 3 days feels like it will be way too fast. Thoughts?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hi everyone! I would love some help thinking through the length of a cruise. We would be a multigenerational group - grandparents, adult siblings, my husband and my children.

We have done both WDW and DL over the years and my siblings love to watch my children interact with the Disney characters. So really, this is a chance for all of us to spend family time together and enjoy Disney magic through the eyes of my children.

So.... on to the question at hand. We are debating between a 3 day cruise with maybe a few days prior at WDW. Or, a 7 day cruise without WDW. My biggest worry is that 3 days isn’t enough for either WDW or DCL. But, if we break it up, it allows more people to afford the trip because they can just come to part of it.

Is a 3 day cruise enough? We have all cruised before but none of us with DCL. 3 days feels like it will be way too fast. Thoughts?

IMO, of course, a 3 night cruise is too short. Especially for those who have cruised before.

You board the ship 1/2 way through day 1, have 2 full days onboard, and are off the ship early on the 4th day, so you really only have 2 days onboard and the general "feel" of those cruises is "I gotta get as much done as possible", so there are a lot of people rushing around trying to fit it all in.

I much prefer nothing shorter than 7 nights (10 is more my preferred length) for a cruise.

 

[Karin1984]

I have never cruised before, so I'm starting with 4 nights to see if it's my cup of tea.
You have cruised before, how long are your cruises normally? If you enjoy cruising, and you enjoy Disney, I'd say, combine the two and do 7 days. For 3 days at both DCL and WDW you really have to be selective at both to decide what to do and what to skip.

 

[com_op_2000]

I agree with PrincessShmoo, the longer the better. You really need at least 4 nights. That 3rd full day being on the ship allows time for downtime.

 

[Rob1872]

Our first cruise was 2 1/2 days at Universal Studios and then a 3 night cruise on Magic (1 day at sea, 1 day at Castaway Cay). It was a good trip for our family, and let us know that we enjoyed cruising enough to take a 7 night cruise on Fantasy later. Agree that 3 days at each place won't be enough to completely do either experience; however, if you aren't sure about the cruising it could be a good way to give it a try.

 

[islandsnoopy]

Our first cruise was a 5-night (double dip Castaway Cay). It was just enough time to experience the ship without feeling rushed. Since then we've been on a few 3-night and 7-night cruises. We prefer the 7-night cruises. More time to relax.

We've also done the split WDW-DCL vacation. We spent 4-days in the parks then went on a 3-night cruise. We prefer relaxing on the ship after the parks.
Enjoy your trip!

 

[TheSpooph]

I have never cruised before, so I'm starting with 4 nights to see if it's my cup of tea.
You have cruised before, how long are your cruises normally? If you enjoy cruising, and you enjoy Disney, I'd say, combine the two and do 7 days. For 3 days at both DCL and WDW you really have to be selective at both to decide what to do and what to skip.

I have done one 4 day cruise on RCCL with my husband before kiddos. We liked it but I thought then that a longer cruise was more my pace. I’ve done a few 7 night cruises and really enjoyed them. The mix of sea days and port days was nice.

If it were just up to me, I would opt for the 7 day cruises. I’m trying to gather opinions to share with our larger group.

 

[TheSpooph]

Our first cruise was 2 1/2 days at Universal Studios and then a 3 night cruise on Magic (1 day at sea, 1 day at Castaway Cay). It was a good trip for our family, and let us know that we enjoyed cruising enough to take a 7 night cruise on Fantasy later. Agree that 3 days at each place won't be enough to completely do either experience; however, if you aren't sure about the cruising it could be a good way to give it a try.

I thought about US/IoA as an option. We stayed at Cabana Bay last summer and really enjoyed their pool.

And, maybe a small taste will convince us for a longer cruise later!!

Our first cruise was a 5-night (double dip Castaway Cay). It was just enough time to experience the ship without feeling rushed. Since then we've been on a few 3-night and 7-night cruises. We prefer the 7-night cruises. More time to relax.

We've also done the split WDW-DCL vacation. We spent 4-days in the parks then went on a 3-night cruise. We prefer relaxing on the ship after the parks.
Enjoy your trip!

I’m glad to hear that you liked the park-and-then-cruise order. That’s what I was considering. I’ve read that walking around the parks and then relaxing on a cruise is the way to go.

 

[Chrissy-Mickey]

We have never done a 3-night cruise; however, my first cruise was a 4-night and I have no regrets. After that we moved on to 7-night cruise, but those were due to the ports, not necessarily the length. I was actually just talking today with the family of going back to the Dream to do another 4-night, and all were in agreement that it was time to do another cruise to just cruise and a 4-night is perfect for that in our opinion.

I'm an AP of WDW, so I have no opinion of combining that with DCL.

 

[dclpluto]

3 night cruise is way way way too short of a cruise. Especially your first cruise.

My first cruise was a short 7 night cruise. We realized we made a mistake and should of went for longer cruise.
Our second was a 14 night
Our third was a 15 night
Our fourth was a 12 night not dcl.
Our fifth was a short 7 night cruise. Thought it will be ok since we had been on four cruises we were wrong.
Our 6th was a 10 night cruise.
Our 7th and 8 was two cruises close together they didn’t seem like short cruises since they were close together. Had a four night cruise than 2 nights at wdw than a 7 night cruise.
9th and 10 was a b2b total of 13 nights.
Wanted to try the dream out so went on a very short cruise. Not again until the new ships come out.

Wanted to try the fantasy so had some short cruises on there.

We have now been on over 20 cruises
A 7 night cruise doesn’t seem so short anymore.

 

[lklgoodman]

We've only done 7 night cruises and find even those aren't long enough to do all that we want. One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of the fun activities aren't offered on the 3 night cruises. Anyone can Cook for adults, Pluto PJ party(kids), and the character breakfast, are just a few things that my family loves to do and I think they are only offered on cruises that are 7 nights or longer. I would do the 7 night since you've cruised before and know that you like it. 7 night will give you the chance to do a lot more of the different kinds of the activities, since you have kids you will probably spend time at character meets, and this will give you a lot more opportunities for that plus all the other fun things.

 

[Geomom]

If you're thinking of a shorter cruise to accommodate everyone, I'd do a 4 nt over a 3 nt. That day at sea is crucial for both relaxation and having a chance to explore the ship...as well as not feeling like you have to pack up again right after you've finished unpacking! If you're mixing parks with a cruise, I'd also suggest the parks first, focusing on rides. For us on the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic, the lines were much shorter for characters and you're also more apt to see characters unexpectedly on the ships during non-meet and greet times. It feels more magical than the parks for that part!

For us, we've now done 2 cruises, both Disney, both 7 nt. For us, the destination was key to getting us to even want to cruise--the Disney part is what got us on a cruise at all. We've done Alaska and the Baltic Sea (Northern European.)

 

[jdb in AZ]

When it comes to cruising, there's no one-size-fits-all. Just choose what works best for your family. Chances are, you will cruise with DCL again, and if you choose a shorter cruise this time, you can opt for a longer one next time, or vice versa.

Personally, our first DCL cruise was a week long, and I went into major withdrawal on the last day. If family dynamics dictate a shorter cruise, then I'd definitely "supplement" it with WDW.

 

[TheSpooph]

3 night cruise is way way way too short of a cruise. Especially your first cruise.

My first cruise was a short 7 night cruise. We realized we made a mistake and should of went for longer cruise.
Our second was a 14 night
Our third was a 15 night
Our fourth was a 12 night not dcl.
Our fifth was a short 7 night cruise. Thought it will be ok since we had been on four cruises we were wrong.
Our 6th was a 10 night cruise.
Our 7th and 8 was too cruises they didn’t seem like short cruises since they were close together. Had a four night cruise than 2 nights at wdw than a 7 night cruise.
9th and 10 was a b2b total of 13 nights.
Wanted to try the dream out so went on a very short cruise. Not again until the new ships come out.

Wanted to try the fantasy so had some short cruises on there.

We have now been on over 20 cruises
A 7 night cruise doesn’t seem so short anymore.

That sounds amazing! I’m not sure how much arm twisting it will take to convince my husband to do that - but a girl can dream.

But, I totally see what you say about longer is better. I think a 4 night might be a good compromise.

 

[TheSpooph]

We've only done 7 night cruises and find even those aren't long enough to do all that we want. One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of the fun activities aren't offered on the 3 night cruises. Anyone can Cook for adults, Pluto PJ party(kids), and the character breakfast, are just a few things that my family loves to do and I think they are only offered on cruises that are 7 nights or longer. I would do the 7 night since you've cruised before and know that you like it. 7 night will give you the chance to do a lot more of the different kinds of the activities, since you have kids you will probably spend time at character meets, and this will give you a lot more opportunities for that plus all the other fun things.

Thanks for that extra info! I knew that we would miss some activities because we would need to choose between things - but I didn’t realize how many things they didn’t do. Definitely something to keep in mind!!

 

[TheSpooph]

If you're thinking of a shorter cruise to accommodate everyone, I'd do a 4 nt over a 3 nt. That day at sea is crucial for both relaxation and having a chance to explore the ship...as well as not feeling like you have to pack up again right after you've finished unpacking! If you're mixing parks with a cruise, I'd also suggest the parks first, focusing on rides. For us on the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic, the lines were much shorter for characters and you're also more apt to see characters unexpectedly on the ships during non-meet and greet times. It feels more magical than the parks for that part!

For us, we've now done 2 cruises, both Disney, both 7 nt. For us, the destination was key to getting us to even want to cruise--the Disney part is what got us on a cruise at all. We've done Alaska and the Baltic Sea (Northern European.)

Thanks for the strategy with the character meet and greets. I’m not sure what my youngest will think - probably part freak out - but a smaller setting sounds like a good starting point! And unpacking/packing with kids is definitely something that is on my mind. More time in between sounds good to me!

 

[TheSpooph]

When it comes to cruising, there's no one-size-fits-all. Just choose what works best for your family. Chances are, you will cruise with DCL again, and if you choose a shorter cruise this time, you can opt for a longer one next time, or vice versa.

Personally, our first DCL cruise was a week long, and I went into major withdrawal on the last day. If family dynamics dictate a shorter cruise, then I'd definitely "supplement" it with WDW.

Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[quickcat]

Any cruise length that works for you and your family is a good cruise
If you want a short cruise to see how it goes, definitely try it and see. We have done many different cruises and they are all great!

 

[mevelandry]

(...)

So.... on to the question at hand. We are debating between a 3 day cruise with maybe a few days prior at WDW. Or, a 7 day cruise without WDW. My biggest worry is that 3 days isn’t enough for either WDW or DCL. But, if we break it up, it allows more people to afford the trip because they can just come to part of it.

If more people can afford the 3 days cruise with a pre-cruise stay at WDW, then I'd pick the 3 days (although I would check because sometimes the price difference between 3 and 4 is not much). It seems to me that good company is so much more important than anything else.

I've done 3, 4, 5 and 6 nights. The shorter the cruise, the more you focus on your priorities. Just be in the moment.

 

[OKW Lover]

Is a 3 day cruise enough?

IMHO, no. You only really get 2 days on a 3-day cruise. The embarkation day is hectic with checking in, finding your cabin and getting your luggage. By the time that all happens its close to time for dinner or a show. The day you leave the ship, you'll be off by 9 am so there isn't time to do anything that day but have breakfast.