Cost wise for me a
Disney cruise is more expensive, as I don't like to cruise unless I have a balcony (private outdoor space). And I do excursions at the ports, so even though I'm not paying for theme park tickets I'm paying for that, and those can sometimes be just as pricey as theme park tickets. I'm not one to hang at the beach all day, layout by the pool, etc. Cruising on another mainstream line with balcony (Carnival or NCL) or going to WDW is about a wash cost wise for me. I'd say for vacation which is just a frivolous / fun thing, go with what you are the most fired up to do. // My next Florida trip will be Orlando not a cruise as that's what I'm more in the mood to do. And it will be a pretty short trip just four nights/three days.
There are ways to cut the cost of a WDW or cruise trip too, so probably either could work well with your vacation budget.
A spit actually sounds kind of nice I think. But I personally love the WDW/Orlando mini trip. It's not a great value for park tickets, but it's easy to plan/loads of fun and the perfect amount of park time for me. // I definitely think I'm in the minority on these boards, but I prefer short doses of Orlando -- absolutely love to go there, but prefer a short stay over a longer trip and tend to do one of these annually. It helps that I have plenty of frequent flyer points and usually fly down using those, so it's sort of a bonus trip on top of a different main vacation. // And doing a theme park with a little touring plan is pretty darn stress free and relaxing and stress free vs. my interesting but often stressful job.
Not to knock cruising or anything like that -- I mean the Caribbean is beautiful with it's crystal clear waters. But ports look a lot alike all over to me -- same stores -- similar excursions -- an island excursion option, a snorkeling trip, a scuba diving option, a glass bottom boat or submarine, a helicopter ride over an island, a dolphin swim, zip line, a resort beach day, yada yada. Then there is your private island beach day which if you want something similar in Orlando you can go to Discovery Cove. And the short time in port really just lets you be a surface tourist. // I do like dinner dining on the cruise (it's always a fun event with no planning on your part) and sitting out on the balcony with my family (my second favorite thing about a cruise). // I think, though, I'm just more of land girl.
So which gives you the most joy -- fires you up the most? I'd say a cruise is less planning. I like WDW planning though and have done it so often that I find it fun. And like I said, I'm usually just planning three days -- pretty darn easy.
