What to do after cruise?

[Shanti]

I just booked a VGT rate for a 2017 Christmas week Dream cruise that I'd had my eye on for over a year. The cruise returns on December 29th, and our flight home doesn't depart until 8pm.

How should we spend our day? I was considering a day at Hollywood Studios, to get in our 3 favorite rides there via FastPass, and a meal at Sci Fi (was able to get a ressie). But we'll be traveling with my mother, who is in her early 70's. Do you think the Christmas week crowds would be too much for her?

I've never been over Christmas week, but have heard the horror stories. On the other hand, this is not MK we're talking about, or even AKL featuring Pandora. It's just HS, which is semi-gutted right now. I thought that might moderate the crowds a bit. What do you think?

 

[mevelandry]

Not as exciting but you could stay at the Hyatt with a day rate (you can stay have a room from 10 AM to 6 PM). They have a nice pool, good restaurants... I booked it when we traveled with my MIL and FIL.

My FIL and MIL are 65 and 66 years old. We have done MK during Spring Break and they thought it was fun but quite exhausting. I can imagine Christmas crowds in any park would be worst.

 

[darnheather]

According to Touring Plans https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/crowd-calendar all four parks will be at a 10/10 that day. I wouldn't want to battle that kind of crowd after a cruise.

 

[phinz]

I like books for killing time before a flight.

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

If you are prepared to work within the crowds - and it sounds like between your understanding that there will be crowds; your use of FP+; and your planned ADR, you are in fact prepared to work with the crowds - then you should go.

 

[ahain]

I don't think I would mess with the parks for what would essentially be only a couple of hours. By the time you drive from the port, pay for parking, get into the part...there would only be a couple of hours before you needed to head back to the airport, (and then you'll be at the mercy of traffic) have to return your rental car and wait in what could be VERY ling lines at MCO security. I would be inclined to go directly to the airport and get a day room at the Hyatt or MAYBE go to Disney Springs and do a bit of shopping/have lunch etc before heading to the airport.

 

[SDJEL]

The other thing to think about is fatigue. We often stay up later the last night of the cruise and then get up super early to get breakfast and get off the boat. We are usually really tired the day we get off. I would recommend something more low key like the Hyatt and hang out at the pool or walk around downtown Disney.

 

[ForMyBoys]

We like to do Disney Springs after a cruise when we are flying out same night. Get some Disney shopping and good food. We typically rent a car from the cruise port for drop off at the airport then can go where we want in between. I've also been wanting to try the Orlando Eye and see some of the stuff by the eye.

I personally don't think going to HS is worth it for price, time and crowd. We had a few days left on non-expiring tickets so we did MK one day post cruise a few years ago. I didn't realize it was presidents day weekend. The park was so crowded we couldn't walk from place to place and I really wish we had just done something else as it was not enjoyable for the amount of time we had.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Unless you are annual passholders, your few hours at HS will cost you a lot... $100 per person. And then, you can only do FPPs 30 days out. Will you get what you want? Well, it's past the 60 day mark for that date anyway.

We did a day at MK last year, but we got off our cruise on the Sat, went down to Disney Springs for lunch and shopping, then over to our WDW hotel for some swimming, a nice ADR and the night. We RDed did MK the next morning, then on to the Hyatt, so we'd be able to make our early flight the next morning. Doing it that way made sense and was worth the $450 USD for the tickets because I knew I was getting in a full day of touring. But if I just had a few hours, I'd have a hard time justifying the price.

 

[mevelandry]

The other thing to think about is fatigue. We often stay up later the last night of the cruise and then get up super early to get breakfast and get off the boat. We are usually really tired the day we get off. I would recommend something more low key like the Hyatt and hang out at the pool or walk around downtown Disney.

So true!

With MIL and FIL, as soon as we got the room at the Hyatt, we had a two hours nap!