Would you do park days before OR after cruise?

[IBLarsen]

We are Disney Lovers and alternate each year usually between DLR and WDW. Thinking of booking our first Disney cruise next summer, just doing a 4 day on the Dream. Of course, that means we need to fit in a few days at WDW as well! In your opinions if you've done both in the same trip, is it really better to do one before the other? I had a friend tell me once that they did WDW after the cruise and their kids seemed not as into it, they just kept saying how they wish they were still on the cruise. Not sure if this is a typical concern or not, but it stuck with me, so reaching out for your experiences. It's for myself, DH, son will be 14 and daughter will be 12 and we all LOVE Disney. Should I plan our park days first, which they will be super excited about, or end with it?

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Let me start out by saying that I have never done a cruise.
But if I were to do a land and sea vacation I would definitely opt to do the parks first especially since we are a commando style group that goes to the parks from RD to closing.
I feel like there are times when we need a vacation from vacation lol.
So being able to have a few days to relax after going to the parks and before we have to come home to the real world would be a great idea.

 

[IBLarsen]

Let me start out by saying that I have never done a cruise.
But if I were to do a land and sea vacation I would definitely opt to do the parks first especially since we are a commando style group that goes to the parks from RD to closing.
I feel like there are times when we need a vacation from vacation lol.
So being able to have a few days to relax after going to the parks and before we have to come home to the real world would be a great idea.

Good point! We go commando as well...especially if we only have a few days vs a week. It may be a good idea to do the more 'relaxing' part after the park days.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Here's a recent thread:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/wh...why-wdw-parks-before-or-after-cruise.3559253/

 

[mickeymom22]

Definitely parks then cruise! Wear yourself out touring and then total relaxation on the cruise!

 

[Madzac]

Most definitely parks first! Then you can relax and be pampered on the ship!
My four kids would all tell you they love cruising most! And my 11and 14 yr olds were out late every night on the ship. There is no way they could have done parks after!

 

[bmalonef45]

We have done a land/sea combo twice and are doing it a third time this June. We've done both ways and we can easily say do parks first then cruise. Commando or not, WDW isn't a restful vacation and going on a DCL cruise after is a nice way to slowly ween yourselves of Disney before you go home. It does make for a sad morning debarking from the ship with so many days of Disney behind you but we were well rested when we returned home.

 

[Laundress]

We prefer land then cruise. very relaxing way to end your trip

 

[DLM1980]

They don't call them Land and Sea packages for nothing. Land first then sea Its in the name otherwise they would call them Sea and Land packages

Disney world is busy busy busy
Disney Cruise line is relax relax relax

I haven't done a land sea vacation however I have done both separate and would join th consensus of land first Sea second

 

[mernin]

Have done it yet, but we are doing both! We have 2 days before and 1.5 days after our 4 day cruise in Feb planned.

 

[jacksonsmom]

We have done it both ways. Honestly i enjoy the parks first and then the cruise. On the cruise you get a bit spoiled and its a bit more relaxed. This week we are leaving for Disney, we have 3 days in the park, then a 4 night cruise on the Dream, then 1 day back at Disney. But we are only doing Epcot that day and mostly just for the Candlelight Processional, although we do plan on getting there at rope drop and staying through IllumiNations, we are just going to enjoy the sights and sounds of the World Showcase.

 

[nkereina]

We don't have kids and have not done a DCL cruise, but wanted to throw in my two cents anyway. We did WDW after a 4 day Carnival cruise a few years ago. For us, it was something to look forward to when we were bummed that the cruise was ending. Logistically it also worked out well for us, because we were able to take the cruise line transportation back to the Orlando airport, and then hop on DME to our Disney hotel. We took DME back to the airport at the end. We also didn't have to wait around the airport for a flight, like we would have had to do if we flew home the day our cruise arrived back in port.

That being said, I do agree with PPs who have said that cruise after WDW is a way to relax from the craziness of the parks.

 

[revdon64]

I guess I'll be the dissenting voice. We haven't done this yet, but just booked a three day cruise for January 2018 with park stay to follow. It will be a father/son trip with my oldest boy for his 8th birthday. We did it that way because he wanted to be on the cruise for his birthday and I didn't particularly want to be in the parks on the weekend.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We've done both and they were both great. On our last cruise/park vacation, we ended up doing the parks last because the flights available on our disembark day were either too early or too late and we saved money on airfare by going to the parks last. If you could go either way, I would check your airfare scenarios before you make your decision. In our situation, we saved quite a lot on airfare by doing the parks second.

Honestly, I preferred doing the parks last. DH and I go on vacation to de-stress and the cruise gave us a chance to relax and unwind before we hit the parks for a few days.

 

[HollyMD]

We did cruise and WDW back in June. We did the cruise first and WDW 2nd. Honestly, I don't think it would have mattered either way for us. For us, the cruise wasn't relaxed, as we spent all our time on the cruise rushing around, trying to fit in what everyone wanted to do and see. My husband actually said WDW was way more relaxing to him! lol. Even though we "rushed" to do FP and did several rope drops, we took midday breaks, doing nothing but restful things, making it seem way more relaxing. Maybe we should have just taken a longer cruise? ;-)

 

[sibesx2]

My DD, 15yo GS and I stayed at WDW for 3 days before our first cruise in May. All of us were so excited for the cruise that it was all we could think about and we didn't enjoy WDW as much as we usually do. We just wanted to get on the boat! We all agreed that we should have done the cruise first then the WDW stay.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

The answer I have is yes to this.. I like a cruise sandwich!

 

[LSUfan4444]

I would do whatever fit your schedule and budget better (got for the best value and easiest in terms of logistics). Neither is decidedly better or worse than the other.

 

[Disney9.9.10]

We do parks first too. Get all of the busyness out of the way first and then take the time on the cruise to relax. It's a great overall vacation!

 

[helenb]

I'll be the naysayer here and say that we strongly prefer cruise first and then parks. This is because we have significant 'cruise depression' when leaving cruise ships, and knowing we are going to the parks alleviates that almost completely. But when we've spent a week at WDW, we're tired enough to be happy to be heading home. Emotionally, cruise and then parks works well for us.

Another big issue for us is that we are from the West Coast (and I'm guessing you're closer to Pacific time than Eastern time if you regularly visit DL). If you're dealing with a 3 hour time change, it's much easier to adjust on the cruise, then get off the ship with your body adjusted to Eastern time, so you can do rope drop.

Lastly, there's an energy level issue. Our everyday lives are frenetic, and we need a chance to recharge and relax to replenish our energy *before* we go to the parks. Cruising first offers this opportunity to us. Nothing sucks more than getting to the parks and burning out after 2 days.

So there's the opposite viewpoint for you. Our idea trip (which we've done 3 times now) is 7 day cruise + 2.5 days Universal + 5.5-6.5 days WDW, in that order.