Which cruise?

[Chica1581]

We are having a hard time deciding which cruise to take. We have two cruises booked in 2022, but can only do one. We are choosing between a March 2022 Marvel Day at Sea 5-night from Miami (about $6,000) in March or a Merry Time Cruise 5-night from Galveston (about $7,000) during Thanksgiving. We live in Texas so the good thing about the Galveston is not having to pay for flights, so that kind of evens out the pricing between the two cruises.

 

[meliscan]

I like the ship at Christmas so I am partial. I keep trying to talk my husband into a Thanksgiving cruise but so far no luck Either way we know you will have fun!

 

[pascalspal]

Personally, I would choose the Marvel day at sea from Miami. While I have never been on a cruise out of Galveston, we have had many crew members warn against it. They said the seas can be and usually are exceptionally rough in that area (especially during the winter months). They said it is consistently worse conditions than a transatlantic or transpacific cruise.

If you dont get motion sick, then I guess it is just up to preference! The Christmas time cruises are wonderful and so much fun! If you love Marvel, then the Marvel day at sea is an incredible addition to the cruise!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I would not want to wait until November. I voted the earlier one.

 

[randumb0]

November due to the greater possibility of a more normal cruise experience

 

[CamColt]

I would go for Nov, mainly for the location and not needing to fly, but also on a personal note, I dislike Marvel (and Star Wars), so I would avoid those cruises if at all possible.

 

[Geomom]

Is there any difference in ports of call? Is anyone a big Marvel fan? I'd probably prefer driving over flying if I had the option...but we do have a big Marvel fan in the house who would love the Marvel day at sea experience.

 

[jenmiller114]

This may be one of the hardest choices I have seen. We LOVED the Marvel Day at Sea cruise. It was so fun. Especially if you like Marvel. I think the show at the end rivals any show disney has ever done. Plus you get two nights of fireworks. The character interactions are awesome and the whole day is high energy. It is just the one day. The rest of the cruise is very much business as usual.

However, we live in Houston and I love sailing out of Galveston. It is so nice to get in my car and drive home vs. worrying about the ship getting back in time, the flights being on time or any other crazy thing that could happen. We have ben on a sailing out of Galveston and Dover with debarkation delays. The one out of Dover was super stressful since we were flying. We barely made our flight and several missed theirs. But the Galveston cruise was great because we didn't have to worry about that. We got an extra lunch and enjoyed a little more time on the ship before getting in our car and driving home.

As far as sailing out of Galveston, only once have we had rough waters. And that was just the first day. We left following a storm which contributed to the rough waters. But it was good the rest of the way. We don't get sea sick so it didn't bother us but we had some friends who had a hard time the first day. But we have had the same happen in Florida when we sailed out behind a storm. It is very dependent on weather. Also, the first day out may be a bit cooler than Florida but it warms up quickly. And we have sailed out in December when it was so warm you would have thought it was summer. so I wouldn't let temperature deter you.

Personally, I would do the Merrytime just because no-one does Christmas better than Disney. The ship decorations are beautiful, the added shows are great and it's just a wonderful atmosphere. I would love to do one for Thanksgiving!

Also, the Magic is coming out to Galveston next winter. I have no idea what they will do with the MDAS cruises or the Magic after October but I am super hopeful maybe they will leave the Magic here for the winter and bring MDAS to Galveston for 2023. That's just wishful thinking but I wouldn't say it's out of the realm of possibility. It will be quite awhile before we get any new on that though.

 

[Chica1581]

Is there any difference in ports of call? Is anyone a big Marvel fan? I'd probably prefer driving over flying if I had the option...but we do have a big Marvel fan in the house who would love the Marvel day at sea experience.

No big Marvel fans. We just chose it because of the dates.
There is a difference in ports of call:
Miami sails to Castaway Cay and Cozumel
Galveston sails to Progreso and Cozumel

They are both on the Magic, so same ship.

 

[Geomom]

No big Marvel fans. We just chose it because of the dates.
There is a difference in ports of call:
Miami sails to Castaway Cay and Cozumel
Galveston sails to Progreso and Cozumel

They are both on the Magic, so same ship.

So now the question is do you want to visit Castaway Cay or Progreso? Disney doesn't go to Progreso very often. I believe it's easier to visit Mayan ruins from that port as it's on the mainland. In this case I would pick Galveston since you can drive and you're not big Marvel fans.

 

[mevelandry]

Galveston to save of flights (and hotel?)
... And because Christmas themed cruises are very nice.

 

[rere101399]

Have you been to Castaway Cay yet and is it a must do? If so, definitely MDAS. The stop at CC would be our decision maker/breaker.
We’ve been a few times, and have two double dips booked (Nov 21, Mar 22) plus a B2B booked for Oct 22 that will be 6 CC stops in a year’s time. We’re thrilled about, but it won’t be til we’ve been all those times that I would consider a cruise that doesn’t go to CC. I know not everyone feels the same though.

 

[rere101399]

Have you been to Castaway Cay yet and is it a must do? If so, definitely MDAS. The stop at CC would be our decision maker/breaker.
We’ve been a few times, and have two double dips booked (Nov 21, Mar 22) plus a B2B booked for Oct 22 that will be 6 CC stops in a year’s time. We’re thrilled about, but it won’t be til we’ve been all those times that I would consider a cruise that doesn’t go to CC. I know not everyone feels the same though.

 

[Chica1581]

Have you been to Castaway Cay yet and is it a must do? If so, definitely MDAS. The stop at CC would be our decision maker/breaker.
We’ve been a few times, and have two double dips booked (Nov 21, Mar 22) plus a B2B booked for Oct 22 that will be 6 CC stops in a year’s time. We’re thrilled about, but it won’t be til we’ve been all those times that I would consider a cruise that doesn’t go to CC. I know not everyone feels the same though.

We have been to CC, but not going isn't a deal breaker for us. We usually don't get off the ship at port so we can use the pools when they aren't as crowded.

 

[Chica1581]

November due to the greater possibility of a more normal cruise experience

This is a good point. My fear is that things are still closed or limited in March. We really want the kids to have full access to the kids clubs because they really enjoy them. The UK cruises seem to limit kids clubs to 2 hours/day with reserved periods.

 

[DCSWO]

Regardless of itinerary, I would pick the one further out.

 

[Cheburashka]

Miami, because:

1. The Galveston cruise doesn't stop at Castaway Cay.
2. Miami will almost definitely be pleasantly warm at that time of year. Galveston & the Gulf of Mexico might be warm, or equally likely might be cool, or in a rare case might be cold. Those first and last days of cruise deck swimming & lounging are nicer in warm weather than cool weather.
3. The Galveston port sometimes gets fogged up & that can interfere with embarkation & disembarkation times. Not a big risk but it's there.
4. I personally don't think March 2022 cruises are going to operate under strict Covid limitations. I think that stuff will end this fall. Unless there is a major Covid resurgence, but in that case your March cruise would probably be cancelled outright & November would be imperiled, too (as well as all cruises, as the lines can't survive forever without profit from customers.)

 

[tvguy]

Merry Time. We were on the Magic on New Year's cruise and the Christmas decorations were still up and amazing.
I fully admit I am a Disney snob. Marvel is not a Disney creation, just something they bought. When I go on a Disney cruise, or a Disney theme park I expect classic Disney created themes.

 

[squirk]

Merry Time. We were on the Magic on New Year's cruise and the Christmas decorations were still up and amazing.
I fully admit I am a Disney snob. Marvel is not a Disney creation, just something they bought. When I go on a Disney cruise, or a Disney theme park I expect classic Disney created themes.

But a lot of Disney “classics” are derivations of somebody else’s creation, right? Stuff Disney licensed and adapted, just like they bought and adapted the Marvel IP.

Jungle Book. Winnie the Pooh. Mary Poppins. Peter Pan. Etc.

 

[auntlynne]

So now the question is do you want to visit Castaway Cay or Progreso? Disney doesn't go to Progreso very often. I believe it's easier to visit Mayan ruins from that port as it's on the mainland. In this case I would pick Galveston since you can drive and you're not big Marvel fans.

Progreso is on the Yucatán peninsula. On the northern side.