You're right that the Wish is actually only 4 nights! I kind of glossed over that because they do both do two stops, but the Dream itinerary has one more day at sea. To be honest, I'm a little hesitant about doing even the 4 nights and was initially thinking about just a 2 or 3 night cruise as we've never done any sort of cruise and aren't sure we will like it for a few reasons. This is really an entirely different topic, but these concerns are being re-affirmed as I'm looking more into reviews of both ships. In particular, the concerns I have about cruises generally are being stuck in a crowded place and seasickness. I know the seasickness issue is likely dependent on weather and hopefully not an issue on such a large shop, but I'm seeing reviews of people saying they had to wait 30 minutes at least for just about everything on the Wish and that Castaway Cay is jam-packed and like a city beach on a holiday. All of that sounds deeply unappealing and has me re-thinking this entirely. I don't like crowds and take great pains to go to WDW in the off-season and strategize to avoid crowds, but it seems like some of this is unavoidable on the Wish (unless perhaps I guess I book concierge and can snag a cabana at Castaway Cay?). And my husband HATES crowds and is going to be miserable if we're standing in lines all day (not to mention, the 3 year old will be bouncing off the walls)
This is helpful - thank you! This is my first year being more tied to a school calendar (obviously my 3 year old can miss "school" but since there are now weeks when we won't have childcare and therefore can't work anyway, it makes sense to me to use it for vacation), so I landed on this cruise idea because I figured the cruise would have more of a contained/constant crowd level than somewhere on land and had just been assuming, given the cost and my general admiration for the way Disney runs things, that Disney would have managed capacity so amenities weren't overrun, but I'm now seeing varying opinions on whether that is true. The thing with the land-based crowds is it's always more possible to escape the crowds and also generally have a larger room to retreat to, at a minimum. Being trapped on a very crowded ship feels like a literal nightmare to me.
Oh dear. I actually feel bad that you are second guessing anything. The 2 ships are entirely different but special in their own ways. I’ve never had a problem getting a chair at CC nor getting food. I’m not understanding the “crowd” issue to be honest. Certain areas of the beach may be more crowded than others but trust there are plenty of chairs on the beaches. Also, it depends on when you get off the ship as well and where you decide to settle in on CC.
My fear is you’ll talk yourself out of it. Use the board for planning purposes such as helpful tips. Please disregard a lot of it as there can be a lot of negativity. It’s a magical experience, especially from the eyes of a child and no one can take that from you unless you let them! 
Oh to clarify - I wouldn't do the parks! I would solely go for a resort trip. We did the parks last March and, while it was great, you're right that it certainly was not relaxing hahaha. I intended to wait another year for an0other parks trip. But just looking online for nice, family friendly resorts within a few hours flight of the Northeast US, I keep coming back to the idea of a Disney resort. I was thinking a stay at Caribbean Beach would hit a lot of what we're looking for on this trip - beautiful pools, good food, access to Disney characters through character dining, fun activities for kids, something of a ride in the Skyliner and access to the Cars stuff at Art of Animation, and even some sand for my son to play in and we could take some ferry boat rides!I personally don’t think the parks will be relaxing for you.
but remember it’s just one ship. It’s not like multiple ships are stopping here or it’s shared with others not on the cruise. At the end of the day, only you can decide what you are comfortable with but there are plenty of pics of CC on the net and likely videos to give you an idea of the “crowds”. Even if it is spring break that usually means higher cruise fares for DCL, it’s not like the crowd can get any larger than that which the boat you are on allows. So it doesn’t matter the time of year, there’s always a chance of getting on a full boat. I hope you decide on something you feel good about, cruise or not. I get it as it’s a lot of $$ but I stand by “I don’t think you’d regret it”. But you won’t know if you don’t go. Best of luck on your decision!
Oooh, it could be helpful if water temps scared some people away! I'll get in the ocean in the low 70s
I think I have actually talked myself into the resort only thing! Caribbean beach is under $300/night which I actually think is a great deal?? I’ve stayed there before so know it’s huge but that seems like less of an issue when I’m not rushing off to a park, and the amenities in terms of things to do with kids are huge pluses that I can’t really find anywhere else.
I would be interested to hear more about if you think concierge is worth it generally (or more so on some ships?) I think I’ve talked myself into a resort only stay at WDW for this particular trip given what we’re looking for but I do still fully want to do a Disney Cruise and very interested in concierge. think I may just save it for when my son is older and more understanding of the need to stand in line and also will be more into some of the Marvel and Star Wars stuff and more reliably able to stay up for the late night stuff.
