trip prior?

[KyMattDisney]

We will be first time cruisers in July 2006 for the 7 night west. carib. cruise....we are thinking of adding a mini wdw trip prior to cruising...

fly from NJ down to FL on Tues
Park Wed-Friday
Leave for cruise Saturday

Has anyone done this? Any tips?
Will the cruise bus (if we pick this transport) pick you up at wdw resort (probably stay at a moderate wdw resort)
For pricing...should we book with Disney or the travel agent that booked the cruise (all seasons travel)?

Thanks!

 

[lindakmonty]

great plan, I drive from Ohio just because I prefer having MY car but...it is a great time! you can do either way you like it is nice to have the cruise after the parks since it's more relaxing but then again if you go to the parks after the cruise its very cool because you see the long lines of kids waiting to see characters and you can cruise right by since you just saw all the characters you wanted on the ship !! on the cruise you've already done the character breakfast and you don't have to spend big $ for the chef mickey or any other dinners for the characters!

you can choose disney transfers, but it's more expensive than renting a car, depends how many in your group.. you may like the convenience of the transfer. the transfers are $59 per person but you can rent a car for like $30 a day.

I would shop several ta's and find the best price you can. everything depends on when you want to go and if you can be flexible... I would contact allseastravel.com, magic for less, mouse ears vacations, dreams unlimited, costco, micdan travel... just to give you an idea. even being able to go a week earlier or later can sometimes mean a big difference in the cost so check everything you can it can save you some major $$$. good luck and enjoy your cruise!

 

[kcashner]

Yes, we have done WDW trips prior to the cruise many times. The only downside is that you cannot book it as a "package" which means that if you do the DCL travel insurance, it won't cover the land portion of the trip. Of course, there are many other travel insurance companies that will cover everything.

Whether the DCL bus will pick you up at your resort depends on which resort you choose. However, if your resort isn't serviced by DCL bus, the bellman will take you to the nearest resort that has DCL bus transportation. An alternative is to arrange a private limo. Generally, if there are 3 or more of you, the limo is cheaper and it runs on your schedule. Another alternative is a rental car which you can turn in at the port. Disney's Magical Express is currently a free transportation service from MCO to WDW--of course, you could use this to get to your resort.

All Seasons has a really good reputation for tracking prices, so I wouldn't hesitate to use them. Discount rates haven't been announced for 2006 yet. Since you are travelling in July, it is unlikely that there will be major discounts at the resorts, but you never know what might come up. A good TA will track prices, and if specials come up they will get the lower rate for you. Of course, if you see something on line, you can always call the TA. Sometimes it will mean rebooking and cancelling the previous hotel ressie, but this is easy to do.