Need your help!!!, thinking of going to either a Disney cruise (magic) in March or Disney world (all star sport). Last time in Disney was last year summer for a week. Never been in a Disney cruise but we have done other cruises and I'm not necessarily a fan. My kids are 9 and 16. Price wise is about the same but the cruise is only 4 nights and Disney world would be 6 nights. Plus need to get my kids and wife passports which adds another expense, one of my problems is that I don't see a lot of value for my money in the cruise but my wife kind of wants to do the cruise. I really just love Disney. What do you guys suggest?
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Disney cruise or Disney world?
- Thread starter Jbiker
- Start date
JIMINYCR
Well-Known Member
Disney cruises are sooo much different than all the others. Theres no comparison and if you do go you will feel the difference as soon as you step onboard ship. Disney really has stepped up the entertainment and enjoyment that cruise ships offer to both kids and adults. We really enjoyed our cruise experience and was thrilled with it. I was glad we went and never felt it wasnt worth the cost. One day I want to do a Disney Alaskan cruise.
Buut that being said....I am a parks person and my enjoyment comes from being on land. Like you, cruising isnt my preference but I'd still book a cruise if my DW wanted to experience it again. You still get park time in the end and both of you will be happy.
Buut that being said....I am a parks person and my enjoyment comes from being on land. Like you, cruising isnt my preference but I'd still book a cruise if my DW wanted to experience it again. You still get park time in the end and both of you will be happy.
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wannabeBelle
Well-Known Member
The cruise and the parks are such different experiences. I do love the parks but the cruises have their own advantages (food included, higher level of service, visiting different locations etc.) If I had to pick and the parks stay is at the Values, I think I'd choose the cruise as it is a much richer experience. Be sure to get your passport ahead of time!! Marie
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Be sure when you compare WDW to the cruise, you add the cost of the food that you will buy at WDW. You may find WDW to be more expensive.
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MotherofaPrincessLover
Well-Known Member
This is a tough one to answer. Disney cruises are awesome. I absolutely love them. I have never been on another cruise line so I can't compare it, though. I guess if I had to choose, I'd go with the cruise this time since it's something you haven't experienced. You may end up falling in love with cruising with Disney.
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Depending on the itinerary, your family doesn't necessarily need passports. If it's a closed-loop cruise (departing from and returning to the same port), you can get away with an official birth certificate (with raised seal) and photo ID, such as driver's license. For children under 16, the official birth certificate is sufficient.
I know this is the case for Bahamian cruises, not 100% certain which other ones it would apply to.
I would also recommend the cruise over the All-Stars. There is plenty to do for all ages on the DCL ships, although the water slide is the only "ride", there are the kids & teens clubs with lots of activities for those ages, as well as plenty to do for just the adults, and whole-family activities. First-run movies, Broadway-caliber shows, your choice of fine dining in the main dining rooms or buffet dining in Cabanas...the nightclubs are outstanding, I could go on and on. We were just on a 5-night cruise and didn't have enough time to see all the movies we wanted to see!
I know this is the case for Bahamian cruises, not 100% certain which other ones it would apply to.
I would also recommend the cruise over the All-Stars. There is plenty to do for all ages on the DCL ships, although the water slide is the only "ride", there are the kids & teens clubs with lots of activities for those ages, as well as plenty to do for just the adults, and whole-family activities. First-run movies, Broadway-caliber shows, your choice of fine dining in the main dining rooms or buffet dining in Cabanas...the nightclubs are outstanding, I could go on and on. We were just on a 5-night cruise and didn't have enough time to see all the movies we wanted to see!
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DManRightHere
Well-Known Member
Why do they need passports? I thought the Disney cruise only went to their private island?
Nevermind, I see they have many destinations.
Nevermind, I see they have many destinations.
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Most Disney Cruises also stop elsewhere (Nassau being a frequent one). But the private island is in the Bahamas anyways. Just because it's privately owned doesn't make it not part of the country.
That being said, passports are not required by either the Bahamas or the US for closed-loop cruises that start and end in the US.
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Unless you need to return to the US via air.
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wannabeBelle
Well-Known Member
Also that is the current ruling regarding birth certificates which can change at any time. Disney Cruise line does recommend passports. There is a passport card but that is only good for cruises and land crossings such as into Canada or Mexico. Joe is exactly right, if you have to fly back to the US, that could present a problem without a passport. For me, it wasn't worth the risk. Marie
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Indeed. If something unplanned happens when you are overseas, having a passport makes it far easier to get back to the US.
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Princess Kaylee
Well-Known Member
We have done cruises (none being Disney) and Disney 20 times. Although I have never been on a Disney cruise I would suggest going to the parks. The cruises are so expensive, and for what? Either way I'm sure you will have a blast.
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wannabeBelle
Well-Known Member
I was recently on a Disney cruise with some die hard Disney people who love the parks. I can confidently tell you they all were blown away by the Cruise and are planning for another one in their future. Is the cruise expensive? Yes. They are far more inclusive than the parks however and I think the regular everyday service on the ships far exceed the experience of the resorts and parks in general. Once you start adding up all of the inclusions with a cruise, I think you will find it is not out of the ballpark. Of course you have to factor in table service meals, not quick service, etc. to make it as similar as possible. It really is a question of the experience you want to have honestly. That is the real difference. Marie
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Wendy Pleakley
Well-Known Member
I'll copy what I wrote about Disney cruises below.
If you're not a fan of cruises to begin with, why not? Disney cruises do many many things better than the competition, but without knowing what you like/dislike it's impossible to say whether or not a Disney cruise might be something you'd enjoy.
Having said that, I have no qualms recommending the Disney cruise line. I think they're a bit overpriced, even with the high quality, but the experience is excellent.
If you're not a fan of cruises to begin with, why not? Disney cruises do many many things better than the competition, but without knowing what you like/dislike it's impossible to say whether or not a Disney cruise might be something you'd enjoy.
Having said that, I have no qualms recommending the Disney cruise line. I think they're a bit overpriced, even with the high quality, but the experience is excellent.
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Wendy Pleakley
Well-Known Member
Several people have mentioned that the cruise includes food.
While this is a good point, also keep in mind that most people want to do excursions, which will add to the cruise cost.
While this is a good point, also keep in mind that most people want to do excursions, which will add to the cruise cost.
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Cruise. All Disney with luxury. Princess & other Disney character M&G, amazing food, movies, shows, Pirate Night, fireworks (yes fireworks, on a ship), largest staterooms of any cruise line (unless you decide to do one of the very expensive deluxe cruises), etc., etc. Disney has several clubs for kids ranging from infants to teens - I believe the teens have their own pool. Other than the nursery (6 months to 3 years old), the clubs are included in your cruise cost. There is an adult only section on the boat with its own pool. In addition, there are adults only restaurants on all 4 ships - an upcharge fee is required. We've eaten at both Remy and Palo and we still talk about Remy!
Plus Castaway Cay - snorkeling, biking, floats, lots of "excursions" and you never leave the island. Great family beach. And an adult only beach. Lunch is provided on the island at no charge. The only thing you need to bring on the island besides your sunblock is your Key to the World card and ID to get off and back on the ship - Disney provides beach towels which you can grab when you walk off the ship. Alcohol is a separate purchase but there are CMs constantly walking around the beach to bring you whatever your favorite beverage is.
Our first Disney cruise, we bought the excursion that included snorkeling (unlimited), floats (unlimited) and 1 hour bike ride. If I remember correctly, it was about $30 per person.
While we enjoy going to WDW, we love, love, love Disney cruises - we try to do 2-3 every year. We just did one of the Halloween on the High Seas cruises two weeks ago, just before the hurricane, fortunately. Trick or treating, costume parties (for adults and kids), the ship was decorated for Halloween. Below is a picture of the Halloween tree in the ship's atrium.
Next year, we are doing one of the Star Wars cruises. My daughter and son-in-law did one this year for their honeymoon and they said it was amazing. Stormtroopers were guarding the main pool.
Talk to one of the travel agents at Kingdom Konsultants (calling Belle) - they can give you all the info about a Disney cruise. I highly recommend a Disney cruise - I think you will enjoy it.
Plus Castaway Cay - snorkeling, biking, floats, lots of "excursions" and you never leave the island. Great family beach. And an adult only beach. Lunch is provided on the island at no charge. The only thing you need to bring on the island besides your sunblock is your Key to the World card and ID to get off and back on the ship - Disney provides beach towels which you can grab when you walk off the ship. Alcohol is a separate purchase but there are CMs constantly walking around the beach to bring you whatever your favorite beverage is.
Our first Disney cruise, we bought the excursion that included snorkeling (unlimited), floats (unlimited) and 1 hour bike ride. If I remember correctly, it was about $30 per person.
While we enjoy going to WDW, we love, love, love Disney cruises - we try to do 2-3 every year. We just did one of the Halloween on the High Seas cruises two weeks ago, just before the hurricane, fortunately. Trick or treating, costume parties (for adults and kids), the ship was decorated for Halloween. Below is a picture of the Halloween tree in the ship's atrium.
Next year, we are doing one of the Star Wars cruises. My daughter and son-in-law did one this year for their honeymoon and they said it was amazing. Stormtroopers were guarding the main pool.
Talk to one of the travel agents at Kingdom Konsultants (calling Belle) - they can give you all the info about a Disney cruise. I highly recommend a Disney cruise - I think you will enjoy it.
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Sans Souci
Well-Known Member
What didn't you like about sailing on other cruise lines? Maybe you're just not a cruise person.
This is what I like about DCL:
- Top notch service--it blows WDW service out of the water.
- Gorgeous ships
- An abundance of activities for children and adults alike
- Adult-only areas
- You can be as leisurely or as active as you wish.
Personally, I like coming back from vacation feeling relaxed and as much as I love going to WDW, I don't feel relaxed when I return home. Since you are looking at the four night Bahamian cruise, you wouldn't have to even get off of the ship to do any excursions at Nassau. There is so much to do on the ship alone. I am not a beach person at all, but I do enjoy Castaway Cay.
I am not really a "cruise person," but I always have a great time on my Disney cruises.
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Disney4family
Well-Known Member
We're in the minority. We love the parks.
We tried the Disney cruise.
We still prefer the parks.
The AquaDuck was fun at night (bring something to protect your feet during the day since the deck burns).
The shows were nice.
The fireworks were fun, but we didn't appreciate the crew always trying to sell us fancy drinks.
Castaway Cay was beautiful and fun for a few hours.
I wish I could have taken home the bed as our souvenir. It was 100x more comfortable than any resort bed.
Other than that, we found the pools small and crowded. The kids tried their area for a little while, too. I guess we're not "sit and do nothing" people. I didn't pay all that money to see a movie or do trivia games. We don't pig out at home so we couldn't force ourselves to do it there. I would have loved to have hopped onto the PeopleMover many times on the ship. We also noticed that everyone on board went for the buffet breakfast at the same time. I like how meals are spread out in the resort.
I'm sure I'll be criticized for this, but whatever. I'm glad people love it so much. I don't get it and I'm okay with that. To each his own.
I guess pixie dust comes in a variety of magical experiences.
We tried the Disney cruise.
We still prefer the parks.
The AquaDuck was fun at night (bring something to protect your feet during the day since the deck burns).
The shows were nice.
The fireworks were fun, but we didn't appreciate the crew always trying to sell us fancy drinks.
Castaway Cay was beautiful and fun for a few hours.
I wish I could have taken home the bed as our souvenir. It was 100x more comfortable than any resort bed.
Other than that, we found the pools small and crowded. The kids tried their area for a little while, too. I guess we're not "sit and do nothing" people. I didn't pay all that money to see a movie or do trivia games. We don't pig out at home so we couldn't force ourselves to do it there. I would have loved to have hopped onto the PeopleMover many times on the ship. We also noticed that everyone on board went for the buffet breakfast at the same time. I like how meals are spread out in the resort.
I'm sure I'll be criticized for this, but whatever. I'm glad people love it so much. I don't get it and I'm okay with that. To each his own.
I guess pixie dust comes in a variety of magical experiences.
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Disney Down Under
Active Member
We have only ever done 1 cruise last Christmas on the Fantasy and it was fantastic. We loved it from the moment we stepped into the port at Cape Canaveral. We certainly are a Disney family and I don't have any other cruises to compare it to. but I can tell you the Disney Cruise was a great experience.
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