Will I enjoy a DLC?

[Dreams&wishes]

Three days on a cruise really isn't worth it, IMO. If I were you I would leave your youngest with Grandma and only take the three oldest -- then you could fit in one stateroom and maybe stretch the budget to five or seven days. But FWIW, my daughter spent a lot of time in the DCL kids' club and it was never video game playing. Not sure where you're getting that impression.

I wish that was possible I don't think any of the two grandma's would be willing to take on the task!

So how many days are needed for a cruise to be worthwhile?

 

[bakerworld]

Personally, our optimal cruise is the 4 day but we do not travel with kids.

 

[Missus_Aitch]

I wish that was possible I don't think any of the two grandma's would be willing to take on the task!

So how many days are needed for a cruise to be worthwhile?

For me, five I think. Time to settle into the routine and do everything you want to. The thing is, the day before the end there is a lot of logistics related to disembarking, so it already starts to feel like it’s over. On a three-day cruise, that would only be your second day.

 

[belle032]

I wish that was possible I don't think any of the two grandma's would be willing to take on the task!

So how many days are needed for a cruise to be worthwhile?

For DH & I (we don't have kids), we really don't do anything less than 7 days. But total disclosure, we prefer sailing cruise lines other than DCL at this point in our lives. We spend our Disney dollars at WDW! But no matter what, it's just not worth it to book flights, transportation, take vacation time, etc for a 3-4 day sailing. However, if we lived closer to a port we'd be cruising every other weekend!

 

[iloveeeyore]

DH and I just returned from our first DCL experience. We are in our 50s and our kids are adults now. We had never tried a Disney Cruise as a family because the cost was so prohibitive. When we compared the cost of a WDW vacation to DCL, WDW always won out in our estimated value. We were worried when we experienced DVL we might feel regrets that we had never done it earlier. Our verdict, no regrets!! We dont think either of our kids would have fallen in love with it, even though we have done other cruises and we know they like to cruise. There were some big wows like pirate fireworks and star wars day at sea but those dont compare to WDW.

DH and I LOVED our cruise but not sure if it would have been worth double or even triple what we paid for our other cruises when our family was young and we were more people. That's why DH and I decided to try it with only the two of us. For two the cost difference is not as pronounced.

 

[ozliz]

I think you should wait until you youngest is about 5. I know that will cost more but your youngest will be able to enjoy all the extras (kids clubs) by then and also remember the experience. Noting that you (like me) live in Australia, I think that a 7 night cruise is a good length (if you can save up for one). As an Australian who is used to longer breaks, long travel times etc. I’ve done the shorter length options but only after achieving gold status. I would do a 4 night again as a short add on to WDW but not 3 nights. Many of the extras weren’t even available on the shortest cruise as there wasn’t time. For a newer cruiser I always recommend 7 days although if you’re really not sure cruising is for you then a 5 night might be good enough to get into the comfortable cruise routine. Finally, I’ve also done longer cruises from Australia (7 nights is short here as it takes a while to get anywhere). They’re really not comparable to Disney, there’s so much more on a Disney cruise so I think they’re worth the cost if you can manage it in a few years.

 

[Dreams&wishes]

My kids are the same age as yours. Obviously all kids are different but mine really did not like the kids clubs and they normally would be quite happy to sit on a tablet all day if I let them. All 3 were in tears and I had to pick them up as soon as I got back to the room!

They loved the aquaduck and rode it a million times. The pools are pretty useless and this is a big downside as they love to swim. They were quite happy to eat ice cream and get "free" food whilst relaxing around the pool deck.

We are a pretty lazy family though when on vacation i have to admit. I don't want to be doing a single thing when on board, no port adventures, no sessions of anything, nothing at all! So for me Disney was great for relaxing. You might want to look elsewhere for more adventure.

Why didn't your kids like the clubs?

 

[Dreams&wishes]

I think you should wait until you youngest is about 5. I know that will cost more but your youngest will be able to enjoy all the extras (kids clubs) by then and also remember the experience. Noting that you (like me) live in Australia, I think that a 7 night cruise is a good length (if you can save up for one). As an Australian who is used to longer breaks, long travel times etc. I’ve done the shorter length options but only after achieving gold status. I would do a 4 night again as a short add on to WDW but not 3 nights. Many of the extras weren’t even available on the shortest cruise as there wasn’t time. For a newer cruiser I always recommend 7 days although if you’re really not sure cruising is for you then a 5 night might be good enough to get into the comfortable cruise routine. Finally, I’ve also done longer cruises from Australia (7 nights is short here as it takes a while to get anywhere). They’re really not comparable to Disney, there’s so much more on a Disney cruise so I think they’re worth the cost if you can manage it in a few years.

Thanks Liz, we usually live in Perth, so a long way from Florida! And have always gone to Dl for proximity! But last Oct we went to DW and were hooked! We are currently living in the UK, but moving back to WA this summer. So we thought we would do another trip to Dw while we can. We have booked a 14 night stay and then thought we might book the cruise, as so many people raved about it, but when I read about it I wasn't sure, and the cost obviously made me think twice.
Once I will be back in oz I will certainly like to look at the different cruise options I had never done cuz my kids were too young.

 

[Geomom]

In your case, I'd stick with the 14 nt WDW stay--something you know you'll love and is worth the cost to you. I think a 3 nt cruise is too short, where you've just finished unpacking and it's time to pack it up again. Our first 2 DCL cruises were 7 nts: Alaska, and Baltic Sea. We booked for the ports and for the Disney aspect. We loved that we could unpack once, but visit multiple locations. We could justify the cost that way as the cruise is covering our transportation, hotel, meals, and entertainment. DH really didn't think he'd enjoy our first cruise, but knew he'd love the Alaska aspect--we ended up loving all aspects of the cruise.

I do understand that it's hard to justify the cost for a DCL cruise, especially if you have to book 2 rooms. We have a 4 nt Dream cruise booked for this summer, as timing/cost didn't work out to do any of the cruises I'd really like to do and we have an expiring placeholder booking that gives us 10% off. I was able to justify the cost for us because we can extend it with a 'cheap' trip to Disney. We're DVC (Disney timeshare) members, currently have Annual Passes--so doing time at Disney before isn't costing us extra (other than food and souvenirs)--we're doing 5 nts in a studio, 4 nts in a 1 bedroom (for laundry), 4 nts on the cruise, and then 1 nt in a studio (due to flight schedules.) While the ports aren't really a draw for us this time (other than seeing Castaway Cay.), we get to experience new things--the bigger ship with the mini golf and midship detective agency, new theater shows, a pirate night, and a verandah room for the first time (Magic/Wonder verandah rooms cost thousands of dollars more than the oceanview rooms we got! The Dream verandah room was a cheap enough upgrade for us to do it!)

 

[cruisehopeful]

But the thing that troubles me the most, beyond the amount of money spent, is the fact that when I look at past navigators I don't seem to find activities that we would actually enjoy doing.

If nothing sounds fun, don't waste your money. I agree that the activities are not what I would consider fun, but being together and chilling out - something that just doesn't happen at home - that make the cruise for us. It's way too much money if you think you won't be enjoying anything. For us, we can skip all the activities and just hang out and enjoy kicking back and walking the deck with adding in some of the activities not because they are fun, but because it's something to do.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

For me, five I think. Time to settle into the routine and do everything you want to. The thing is, the day before the end there is a lot of logistics related to disembarking, so it already starts to feel like it’s over. On a three-day cruise, that would only be your second day.

Actually, the day before disembarkation is the 3rd day of the cruise, not the 2nd day. The first day is embarkation (which begins late morning), then you have the first night, then a full day, then the second night, then other full day, then the third night, then disembarkation day (you leave early morning).

The only logistic required for the day before disembarkation is packing. You have to put your suitcases in the hall around 10:30pm the last night if you want the line to carry your bags off the ship. Otherwise you'll have to tote them. No other issues to worry about, as most people keep a credit card on file, so your cruise charge account is taken care of automatically.

OP, keep in mind that many posters on this cruise board absolutely adore cruising and generally prefer longer cruises. However, that doesn't mean shorter cruises aren't worthwile. We've done three 7-night cruises, one 5-night cruise, and two 3-night cruises and enjoyed them all. Especially if this cruise is an add-on to a long park visit, I think 3 nights is fine, especially since you claim to be easily bored and are on the fence about cruising at all.

 

[Dreams&wishes]

Thanks everyone I have decided that if we manage to get a GT discounted rate we will give it a try as an add on to our DW trip. If not, we will probably wait when the kids are older and try other cruises in the mean time. Thanks again for your advise!

 

[MomOTwins]

Thanks everyone I have decided that if we manage to get a GT discounted rate we will give it a try as an add on to our DW trip. If not, we will probably wait when the kids are older and try other cruises in the mean time. Thanks again for your advise!

Sounds good! Also, not sure how flexible your days are, but just bear in mind that even without a GT fare, the dates on which you cruise can make a huge difference to the price. I didn't realize that first and assumed we'd be priced out, but by checking some different dates, I found prices that were thousands of dollars cheaper than other times for the exact same cruise. Our next cruise is the first time we are going in a "peak" time and it still grates on me that it would be $2,000 less to go two weeks earlier, but that's just what I am stuck with given my work schedule *sigh*

I would also just have a plug for the kids clubs that the activities are a lot more fun than the descriptions make them sound. E.g., my kids loved one called "Get the Hook" which was a name that made no sense to me at furst, and it turned out to be a mystery adventure to find Captain Hook's missing gold hook. There are lots of disney characters in the club and it is definitely not just tablets.

 

[pezgirlroy]

I would agree with others in that I do not feel that a 3 day cruise is worth it. My kids have spent a lot of time in the kids club and never on screens.