Convince me please!

[ladydi]

Our next trip to WDW will be in October 2014. This will probably be our last trip for a while as my boys will be in high school the following year and my husband will not go to Florida in the summer. My kids LOVE the parks.
I have only cruised once when I was a teen and while I didn't hate it, I also didn't love it. But after reading all the cruise trip reports, I am wondering if I should try the four day dream and then have three days at the parks.
It seems like most of you have booked cruises way in advance. I have to wait until the end of January to see if we can financially pull this off. Is that too late for planning?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

If you were trying to sail in the summer, a holiday, or spring break I'd say absolutely don't wait to book. October is a less busy travel time so waiting a little shouldn't kill you. But, as soon as you can put a deposit down to lock in a price the better. You can always cancel if it doesn't look like you'll make it as long as you cancel before the penalty period starts 75 days prior to sailing and get your money refunded 100%.

 

[englanddg]

I will be doing a WDW / Dream cruise in October, 2014.

I'm not sure exactly what you need convincing about? Waiting?

As @sweetpee_1993 mentioned, you won't be asked to put the full amount up front. Rather, you just pay the down payment.

As far as a cruise...I'm a long term WDW fan...and I've been to DisneyLand California this year as well (stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, and it was loads of fun).

The Cruise (I went on the Fantasy), hands down, is the best Disney experience I've had recently.

(yes, I get it now @sweetpee_1993, your analysis on my trip report was 100% correct...about what you want from a vacation)

Hands down.

Other, more experienced, cruisers may disagree, but I think, if you want to do both (which I think is a great idea)...then, here's what I'd suggest.

Book a night at a Disney resort. Fly in early that morning so you all can do a park for at least part of that day. DCL transit will pick you up (just like Magical Express) the morning of your cruise and take you to Port Canaveral. Do this.

Sure, there are tricks where if you get early you get better upgrade rates, etc...but for a first cruise, ignore those. Just lay back and have fun. Let Disney do all the work.

Do your cruise, and then when you get back, take DCL transit back to a Disney Resort for another 2 day stay. If you debark the ship early enough (good idea anyhow, to beat the crowds) you'll be at your WDW resort around 9 or 10a, plenty of time to make another day at the parks!

It's like an oreo cookie of a trip.

Delicious chocolate of WDW on the outside, with a sweet center that you can't get enough of!

 

[Gabe1]

And on another note, depending on when the boys will have spring break, some of those weeks have worked well, we had to flop to that during high school where I pulled them out of Elementary/Middle school without issue. And I was also known to take a long weekend like a 4 day'er and tack on a couple days (I'd call them in sick) to get our magical fix in. If you opt to be a bad mommy like me and take a few extra days, do it towards the beginning of a grading term, plenty of time to right the ship.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

You can book later sometimes! Don't give up. Try a cruise again. You may just find it's the best vacation you've ever had!

 

[ChuckElias]

WDW is great. I'm an annual passholder, living in Massachusetts. So you know I'm committed. (Some people tell me that I should be committed. . .) We love WDW. We're there every year for the Food and Wine Festival, and every year for the Flower and Garden Festival. And then I'm usually there two or three more times over the course of the year. My family LOVES Disney World.

So from somebody who LOVES Disney World -- GO ON THE CRUISE!! It is a phenomenal experience for everyone in the family. The kid spaces, the adult spaces, the live shows, the Disney film premEARs, the rotational dining are ALL things that you won't find on any other cruise line, or at WDW for that matter. (Well, there are adult-only venues at WDW, but the cruise adult spaces are better, and certainly more convenient!)

Definitely book a 4-night cruise (the 3-night is simply too short). WDW will still be awesome, and will be waiting for you when you get back. But you will NOT regret taking the family on DCL.

 

[ladydi]

Thanks for all the advice. I'll sit down with my husband tonight and try to work out the logistics!

 

[SSH]

I will be doing a WDW / Dream cruise in October, 2014.

I'm not sure exactly what you need convincing about? Waiting?

As @sweetpee_1993 mentioned, you won't be asked to put the full amount up front. Rather, you just pay the down payment.

As far as a cruise...I'm a long term WDW fan...and I've been to DisneyLand California this year as well (stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, and it was loads of fun).

The Cruise (I went on the Fantasy), hands down, is the best Disney experience I've had recently.

(yes, I get it now @sweetpee_1993, your analysis on my trip report was 100% correct...about what you want from a vacation)

Hands down.

Other, more experienced, cruisers may disagree, but I think, if you want to do both (which I think is a great idea)...then, here's what I'd suggest.

Book a night at a Disney resort. Fly in early that morning so you all can do a park for at least part of that day. DCL transit will pick you up (just like Magical Express) the morning of your cruise and take you to Port Canaveral. Do this.

Sure, there are tricks where if you get early you get better upgrade rates, etc...but for a first cruise, ignore those. Just lay back and have fun. Let Disney do all the work.

Do your cruise, and then when you get back, take DCL transit back to a Disney Resort for another 2 day stay. If you debark the ship early enough (good idea anyhow, to beat the crowds) you'll be at your WDW resort around 9 or 10a, plenty of time to make another day at the parks!

It's like an oreo cookie of a trip.

Delicious chocolate of WDW on the outside, with a sweet center that you can't get enough of!

Been to WDW 50+ times in past 20 years, but never been on a cruise before and found myself intrigued by your recommendation. Never even considered a Disney cruise, as we're two adults w/no kids - was going to research some other lines. But I hear such good things about Disney. Question: Do you know if the same seamless experience you describe above works if you drive in? In other words, could we drive in, stay a day at resorts, leave our car there during cruise, then come back via DCL transit and stay another day - or would there be extra parking charges/problems?

 

[englanddg]

Been to WDW 50+ times in past 20 years, but never been on a cruise before and found myself intrigued by your recommendation. Never even considered a Disney cruise, as we're two adults w/no kids - was going to research some other lines. But I hear such good things about Disney. Question: Do you know if the same seamless experience you describe above works if you drive in? In other words, could we drive in, stay a day at resorts, leave our car there during cruise, then come back via DCL transit and stay another day - or would there be extra parking charges/problems?

The Disney Cruise is certainly excellent. I can't speak for other cruise lines because it's the only one I've done...but, I was thoroughly impressed with the Fantasy.

As far as leaving your car, that's a very good question. So, I called for you. WDW Reservations says no, you can't. You'd need to park your car elsewhere.

DCL says the same.

So, basically, you have a few options if you drive in. You can drive from your Disney Resort to MCO, and pay to park your car there in the extended lot. From there you can pick up the DCL Magical Express bus to Port Canaveral.

Or, you can drive to Port Canaveral. There are paid lots there where you can park your car for a few dollars a day.

With two adults, the drive isn't that big a deal. I was imagining more a family of four sort of thing. In that case, not having to worry about driving, loading and unloading the car, carting the luggage through a parking lot to a shuttle bus, etc...is certainly a major perk!

 

[SSH]

The Disney Cruise is certainly excellent. I can't speak for other cruise lines because it's the only one I've done...but, I was thoroughly impressed with the Fantasy.

As far as leaving your car, that's a very good question. So, I called for you. WDW Reservations says no, you can't. You'd need to park your car elsewhere.

DCL says the same.

So, basically, you have a few options if you drive in. You can drive from your Disney Resort to MCO, and pay to park your car there in the extended lot. From there you can pick up the DCL Magical Express bus to Port Canaveral.

Or, you can drive to Port Canaveral. There are paid lots there where you can park your car for a few dollars a day.

With two adults, the drive isn't that big a deal. I was imagining more a family of four sort of thing. In that case, not having to worry about driving, loading and unloading the car, carting the luggage through a parking lot to a shuttle bus, etc...is certainly a major perk!

Wow...Englanddg: thank you so much for your fast reply, as well as the extra effort to call! Much appreciated.
I may just see what dates are offered from Miami port, as I'm actually much closer, being from South Fla and just do a park trip separately, as we always do. (But you'd think they'd put something together for Fla residents that want to drive in...especially since they market to FL residents so heavily, plus Floridians tend to be big cruise fans, since they have several ports close by. Wouldn't be that much of a stretch to upsell a package that included the ability to park at resort.) Thank you again for the quick reply!

 

[englanddg]

Wow...Englanddg: thank you so much for your fast reply, as well as the extra effort to call! Much appreciated.
I may just see what dates are offered from Miami port, as I'm actually much closer, being from South Fla and just do a park trip separately, as we always do. (But you'd think they'd put something together for Fla residents that want to drive in...especially since they market to FL residents so heavily, plus Floridians tend to be big cruise fans, since they have several ports close by. Wouldn't be that much of a stretch to upsell a package that included the ability to park at resort.) Thank you again for the quick reply!

Yeah, it would be a good perk. There's plenty of room at some of these resort parking (yep, I'm looking at you Pop Century / AoA / Carribean Beach / PORS!) to allow for packages such as this!

Anyhow, good luck planning your trip. I believe the Dream ports out of Miami a few times next year...I am positive the Magic does.

Have fun!

 

[SSH]

(yep, I'm looking at you Pop Century / AoA / Carribean Beach / PORS!) to allow for packages such as this!

POP was exactly what I was thinking...we were there during Thanksgiving weekend and there was still plenty of open spots at any given time. Seems like a no-brainer for their marketing dept.

 

[DisneyJoe]

So park at a resort and then pay for the Port transfers? I don't think you'll save anything.

 

[englanddg]

So park at a resort and then pay for the Port transfers? I don't think you'll save anything.

Moot anyhow. You can't leave your car at the resort while you are on the cruise.

And, sometimes, it's not about savings, it's about convenience. The primary reason I can think of for a Port Transfer vs driving yourself is if something happens. Once you step onto the DCL bus, you are under their / Mears control. So, if you hit traffic, there is an accident, anything really, it's their responsibility, not yours. If you drive or take third party transit, then you are out of luck if you miss the boat.

Secondary, as I indicated, for a large group or family, being dropped off right at the port entrance is quite nice.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Having driven from WDW to Port Canaveral several times, used resort transfers, and used airport transfers...also parked both at the port and at off-site parking...our personal preference is to drive ourselves and park onsite at the port. Call me a control freak but I much prefer being the master of my own fate. We definitely like arriving at the port early and scoring the earlier boarding groups. The airport transfers can be good for that if you arrive at the desk early to get on the first bus but it's not guaranteed to work that way. The time we took the airport transfers we did not beat the masses by far. Resort transfers? That's the latest we ever arrived at the port and, with 7 or 8 resort buses all arriving at the same time, it was also the most chaotic I'd ever seen the terminal. For me anyway, moving at my own pace is far more relaxing overall than having to time getting to different "meet" locations and wait. In a big group of people. Shuffling along. By the time the resort buses pull out we're already boarding. And we don't rush to do it. Just go at our own speed.

Getting to the port from WDW is super easy and the tolls don't break the bank. If you already have a SunPass you can breeze on thru. If you have GPS it's even easier. Trust me.

Definitely recommend parking at the port in the structure. We like to park on the same level as the pedestrian bridge. Talk about easy-peasy.

As for the quality of DCL as compared to others, I've sailed Disney 7x's and now Royal Caribbean (Allure of the Seas out of Ft.Lauderdale) once. Both have been solid quality experiences. Both have been worthwhile for us. I'd do either one again. They have as many similarities as differences and both were a great time overall. We plan to sail again with both (although with both cruise lines we find we much prefer smaller ships).

 

[ginadee]

I love a cruise! Im not picky. All mine have been great for different reasons. However the Disney cruise was by far the nicest ship and they completely cater to every age.

 

[SSH]

thanks sweetpee1993: great info re: the port and some of the disadvantages of resort transfers. Never been to any port, so figured it was like parking at the airport...which around Miami and Ft. Laud is a major hassle and to be avoided. Good to know the drive to and parking at port is an easier experience. It seems the Port Canaveral area offers more choices than Miami from a sailing and destination perspective, so maybe driving over won't be so bad after all.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

@SSH , you ain't even lyin' about parking at FLL/Port Everglades! We went with a lot that was highly recommended on Cruise Critic. Neeeeever again. It's not that there was something so terribly wrong with the service we got, it just wasn't the type of parking we were looking for. NEVER okay with leaving my keys. Still need to go back to the website to double check if I was totally off in being shocked by this. I coulda swore they weren't that type of lot. But still. Leaving the keys so they could overfill their lot and shuffle cars as cruises cycled thru the area did not make for happy campers out of us.

Parking in DCLs structure at Port Canaveral is definitely on the expensive side but its safe, secure, you park, and nobody has keys to your car. The peace of mind and convenience are well worth the $$ spent to us.

 

[ChuckElias]

My experience with off-site parking in Port Canaveral was not as bad as Sweetpee's, and I'm cheap enough that I would likely do it again. But it definitely is not as convenient/easy as parking in DCL's on-site parking. The only problem we experienced with out off-site parking was a looooong delay getting from the port back to the parking after we disembarked. Again, not a huge problem, but inconvenient.

If you're going to be arriving in the Orlando area by car anyway, I would definitely recommend driving to the port and parking there.

 

[SSH]

My experience with off-site parking in Port Canaveral was not as bad as Sweetpee's, and I'm cheap enough that I would likely do it again. But it definitely is not as convenient/easy as parking in DCL's on-site parking. The only problem we experienced with out off-site parking was a looooong delay getting from the port back to the parking after we disembarked. Again, not a huge problem, but inconvenient.

If you're going to be arriving in the Orlando area by car anyway, I would definitely recommend driving to the port and parking there.

Thanks, Chuck: I actually think SweetPee's parking problems referred to Port Everglades/South Fla...which is actually a real pain...that's the area I'm from. Think she liked Port Canaveral quite a bit. Appreciate your input though re: off-site parking at Canaveral which no one else mentioned yet.