1st cruise, will we miss WDW?

[mikewdw]

We have been 15 times total, 5 or 6 before kids. We LOVE WDW! My wife has wanted to take Disney Cruise for a few years and finally talked me into it now that our kids are 8, 6, 6. I am worried we might miss WDW. Any park lovers have experience doing both? Did you miss WDW or was the cruise a great enough experience? also never done any cruise before so a little anxious about it all.
mikewdw

 

[flynnibus]

We have been 15 times total, 5 or 6 before kids. We LOVE WDW! My wife has wanted to take Disney Cruise for a few years and finally talked me into it now that our kids are 8, 6, 6. I am worried we might miss WDW. Any park lovers have experience doing both? Did you miss WDW or was the cruise a great enough experience? also never done any cruise before so a little anxious about it all.
mikewdw

You'll be blown away by the level of service and convenience on the boat. Your kids will love the clubs. Do not hesitate at all to drop them off and they can find new friends. We encountered some kids on one of the excursions that hadn't really done the clubs.. but once they hung out with my kids.. the next day they were virtually fully independent of their parents running in the clubs and activities all the time. Make sure you have your excursions booked out ahead so you will get that entertainment.

My kids never mentioned the parks once while on the boat or even after (tho we did do UNI after the cruise).

Do the tour when you first get on the boat to see all the areas you won't see later (like the teen club, etc) and relax! The navigator each day will tell you what times are what.. and just pick what makes you happy. The food offerings are great, order anything and everything!

Cruises are definitely a different type of vacation - but DCL is true to what made Disney... unlike WDW of late. You'll notice the difference.

 

[the1nonlysinger]

We did a land and sea cruise for our honeymoon back in 2009. We did 4 days in the parks (where we crammed in every minute from park opening til closing) and then 3 days on the ship. If you decide to tack a visit to the parks onto the cruise- I would recommend doing the parks first, THEN the cruise. The Cruise is much more relaxing when it is the last leg of the journey (and also, it's kind of the rest that you wish you had after a vacation anyway! lol).

To directly answer your question though, I will say that it was my DH's first encounter with both WDW and DCL - and afterwards, he decided for our next trip that he'd rather spend time in the parks, instead of going on another cruise with DCL. I wouldn't say that we MISSED WDW on the boat- but if given the choice between the two, we'd opt for WDW every time.

I guess it really depends on what expectations you go in with- if you're expecting exactly WDW on a boat- it won't measure up. The ship is not crawling with characters in costume for autographs (although they are there sometimes), you can't ride on Soarin or the Haunted Mansion, and you are not constantly bombarded with Disney tunes. If you look forward to a quality cruise, with great entertainment (make sure to see the shows!!), food, service and a spectacular relaxing getaway at Castaway Cay- then you're in for a treat!

 

[DfromATX]

We are a Disney family and last June we took our first cruise. It wasn't a Disney line though. We also wondered how we would like it and whether or not we would miss DW. We all enjoyed the cruise a lot and were glad to do something different - and much more relaxing. Did I say relaxing?? Anyway, this summer we plan to go back to Disney again. We miss it and and can't wait!! Plus, we are looking forward to seeing some of the changes they've made. I think if we took a vote, out of our family of 6, 5 of us vote Disney as a favorite and one person enjoyed the cruise more.

 

[JillC LI]

We are a Disney family and last June we took our first cruise. It wasn't a Disney line though. We also wondered how we would like it and whether or not we would miss DW. We all enjoyed the cruise a lot and were glad to do something different - and much more relaxing. Did I say relaxing?? Anyway, this summer we plan to go back to Disney again. We miss it and and can't wait!! Plus, we are looking forward to seeing some of the changes they've made. I think if we took a vote, out of our family of 6, 5 of us vote Disney as a favorite and one person enjoyed the cruise more.

We took our first family cruise last winter as well - also non Disney. We all adored it, adults and kids (ages 10 and 12) alike. It was in lieu of a Disney trip that year so, yes, we missed WDW, but it was worth it to experience the cruise. And you'll get some Disney fix as well since it's a Disney cruise. We'll be getting our Disney fix at the World in 2 weeks!!!!!

 

[Pooh Lover]

We have taken over a dozen cruises and over two dozen trips to WDW and, while I won't say I actually "missed" WDW, I did find myself comparing the two here and there while on the cruises. For me there is such an intense feeling of nostalgia on my WDW vacations that can't be felt on the best cruise. The familiarity, smells, certain foods and the things you know will be waiting for you at WDW and can't wait to get back to. I've enjoyed every cruise I've taken and will probably take another in May, but as I sit on my pool chair with my Pina Colada on the ship, I'll be thinking about my WDW trip coming up in September. I'm sure you will have a fabulous time on your cruise and you won't regret it for a minute but just know that it isn't WDW and will be a totally different vacation experience.

 

[GoochDSA]

I find it really hard to compare going to WDW and taking a cruise. They are really opposing experiences. On one hand you have the hustle and bustle of constantly being on the move while at WDW and all the planning that goes into a trip, on the other hand you have the choice to be as active as you want or spend days sitting around doing nothing but relaxing on a cruise. I haven't been on a Disney cruise since I was 6 and it was the Big Red Boat, so I don't know how different of an experience DCL is to other cruise lines. Do we miss not being at WDW when we are on a cruise? Sure, but not any more than we miss it every other day that we aren't there. We are looking forward to our cruise on Royal Caribbean in 2 weeks just as much as we are looking forward to our honeymoon to WDW and Princess Cruise next year.

 

[Britt]

*sigh* I can't wait to go on a cruise someday!

 

[GoochDSA]

*sigh* I can't wait to go on a cruise someday!

You can book a cruise on one of the bigger lines like RCI, NCL or CCL for A LOT less than the cost of a trip to WDW (even after bar tab, casino losses and cost of excursions). However, a 7 day DCL cruise is more expensive than 8 days at WDW.

 

[DfromATX]

You can book a cruise on one of the bigger lines like RCI, NCL or CCL for A LOT less than the cost of a trip to WDW (even after bar tab, casino losses and cost of excursions). However, a 7 day DCL cruise is more expensive than 8 days at WDW.

I don't know... We took a 7-day Western Caribbean cruise on Carnival, on their new ship, Magic. We had a fantastic time and the ship was great, but by the time you add in excursions, portraits, a few drinks, for us it was about the same cost, maybe even more! Of course you can control all that - don't drink alcohol, buy portraits, gamble, or take the excursions, but then what fun would that be? I do think there's one big difference. No matter what time you go to DW, the price is about the same, yes rates go down some, but it's about the same. With a cruise, when you go off peak season, it is MUCH lower and of course depending on what ship and how long you go.

What's funny is I'm new here on the disney board, but I came from the Carnival board. My name on there was "ILuvDW." And for some strange reason, I thought the Disney board would be more, well, more Disney-like, but it's not! LOL

 

[DfromATX]

And by the way, you can make payment installments with a cruise just like you can with Disney (if that helps any).

 

[tink65]

Back in 2010 we skipped Disney and did a cruise instead. (also a non-Disney cruise ) This was our families 3rd cruise. We also worried that we would miss Disney. We had a great cruise and when we returned to Disney in 2011 we enjoyed it even more after having skipped a year!!!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

We took our first cruise (3-night Disney Dream) smack dab in the middle of our Sept. 2011 adventure (trip report is in the signature). We did 5 nights at the Wilderness Lodge, 3 nights on the Dream, then 6 nights at the Yacht Club concierge level. The first leg while at WDW we were eagerly anticipating the cruise portion since it was all new to us. The cruise was incredible! When we returned to WDW for 6 nights we found ourselves bummed, wishing we were back on the ship. Even staying concierge level at the Yacht Club, we all commented numerous times how much nicer the ship was. I suppose it's safe to say we've been bitten by the cruise bug. We love sailing with Mickey. We get all our Disney magic and nostalgia with old-school, superior Disney quality/service (totally blows WDW parks & resorts out of the water). We've since been on a 5-night cruise on the Disney Magic, and DH & I ditched the kids for another 3-night getaway on the Dream. We're booked on the Magic out of Galveston for 8 nights in January, 7 nights on the Fantasy in May, and then I'm leaving the whole family behind to escape with the WDWMagic girls for 4 nights on the Dream in September. We also have 2 "placeholder" onboard bookings with DCL floating out there for us to move if/when we decide to when the 2014 itineraries release. Plans to go on another WDW trip? Don't have any. I wouldn't say a DCL trip is any more expensive than a WDW trip. It can be. We watch for discounts and cruise during off times. Also, booking while onboard gives you 10% off, 10% deposit, and a nice onboard credit.

 

[erstwo]

I agree with Gooch - 2 totally different experiences. The Disney Dream was my first ever cruise and I could care less if I ever cruise again. I would rather go to the parks any day of the week - but that's just who I am! Everyone is different - my husband would much rather relax on the cruise at this point than run around the parks for the 100th time. You just won't know which you prefer until you at least try a cruise, so you have to cruise at least once!
The great news is - Cruise or Parks, you're going to get that great Disney service and tons of extra 'magic' around every corner. I hope you have a great time!!!

 

[tracyandalex]

what @flynnibus said. We really really like WDW, but we LOVE DCL. I actually cried when we had to disembark after the first cruise. We have gone on a cruise every year since - we used to take 2 WDW trips per year and now we do one DCL and one WDW. We are hoping to squeeze in 2 cruises next year (come on Florida resident rates!!).

 

[DfromATX]

Texas recently got DCL as well. Before it was mostly Carnival. I know Carnival has the "Walmart of cruising" reputation, but we really loved our cruise. We had so much fun and excellent service - all the things I'd expect from Disney. I was wondering if some of you could tell me some differences (other than price) between DCL and other cruise lines. Also, my youngest is 10 and we have 3 teens. Do y'all think DCL would be babyish for them? Thanks!

 

[flynnibus]

Do y'all think DCL would be babyish for them? Thanks!

Disney has separate programs for Teens from the other age groups on the boat and on castaway cay. They go around and have their own activities.. and have their own exclusive part of the ship. Their club is actually the nicest part of the boat arguably I would expect teens up to about 16-17 would do well. I think if you were 18-22 or so.. might be an odd age for the boat as you're not really old enough, but too old at the same time.

But off the boat, it's totally up to you based on what you book for activities.

I think they'd enjoy it.

 

[Frank Rizzo]

you can't ride on Soarin or the Haunted Mansion, and you are not constantly bombarded with Disney tunes.

Well my decision for future trips will be based on this statement right here.

 

[foreverbelle]

I have always wondered the same thing, if we do just the cruise, would we miss it. We seem to go back and forth to if we would or not. Reading through this post, I am glad to know so many have had such great times and have put my mind at ease a little bit about whether to add or not....I can't wait for the day when we finally break down and take to the seas!!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Also, my youngest is 10 and we have 3 teens. Do y'all think DCL would be babyish for them? Thanks!

My boys are 15 & 16. They've pretty much grown up knowing/loving Disney. The cruise was the next step for them & they love it. The youngest is my little night owl and its the only place he gets to stay out til the wee hours. There's so much that we all love about Disney cruising. It's the right fit for us in so many ways.