We have spent the past 4 years staying on a Disney property and doing all the parks,sea world and this past month we went to legoland with our 5 year old son. We will stay on Disney again next year for a week but was looking at adding a cruise on to the end of it instead of doing 2 weeks on Disney. What r some pros and cons of doing the cruise? Look forward to reading some opinions.
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Disney cruises
- Thread starter pop lover
- Start date
flynnibus
Premium Member
Cons?
- No amusement rides - you will get your entertainment from other means
- cost
Pros
- much much much better food
- much much better service
- much much better facilities and upkeep
- real world excursions instead of fake theme park ones
Really the only negative is for people wanting to goto a theme park for their entertainment... the boat isn't going to be it. But if you want entertainment in other forms... the boats stomp over WDW in terms of service, quality, and attention.
- No amusement rides - you will get your entertainment from other means
- cost
Pros
- much much much better food
- much much better service
- much much better facilities and upkeep
- real world excursions instead of fake theme park ones
Really the only negative is for people wanting to goto a theme park for their entertainment... the boat isn't going to be it. But if you want entertainment in other forms... the boats stomp over WDW in terms of service, quality, and attention.
disnerd
Active Member
Also for pros they have the only firework show at sea
Disneyfalcon
Well-Known Member
I loved Flynnibus' list!
It sums it up so well. If you hang around this forum at all, you'll see that most people who have tried a Disney Cruise thought it was amazing and can't wait to get back.
The pros list for me would be huge. The food, the ports, the service, the entertainment, the attention to detail, etc. etc.
They are completely awesome.
The absoulte only con I know of is the cost, and even that can be lessened if you are flexible.
It sums it up so well. If you hang around this forum at all, you'll see that most people who have tried a Disney Cruise thought it was amazing and can't wait to get back.
The pros list for me would be huge. The food, the ports, the service, the entertainment, the attention to detail, etc. etc.
They are completely awesome.
The absoulte only con I know of is the cost, and even that can be lessened if you are flexible.
StageFrenzy
Well-Known Member
Even though you won't be walking down main street i feel like the boats have the Disney magic. The art work and decor, subtle and not so subtle Disney references combine to give you every bit of the Disney Magic. The on property rooms are a lot better too.
bunnyman
Well-Known Member
Doing first Disney Cruise next month, but have done many cruises on other lines, and have done about 20+ trips to WDW over the years. So comparing a cruise in general versus a WDW park stay, what I'm looking forward to most of all is getting a Disney experience that I've come to expect from their resorts, etc., but on a cruise ship without the constant running around from here to there within the parks. I love a cruise for the more relaxing aspect of a vacation where you get to travel from place to place basically with your hotel coming along for the ride, but in this case with the added bonus of the Disney charm!
StageFrenzy
Well-Known Member
We look forward to your trip report!
Steve Haynes
New Member
This thread pretty much answered a question I was going to ask myself. Only thing I need to ask ( don't see the point in creating a new thread just for this), is what is the internet access on disney Cruises like? I've found information on a lot of other cruise lines, but Disney's policy is eluding me.
Thanks in Advance!
Thanks in Advance!
flynnibus
Premium Member
There is wifi in certain areas of the ship - but it is all pay for access and quite significant in cost (like $45 for 30mins or something like that). I forget the exact cost.
Steve Haynes
New Member
$45 dollars for 30 minutes? That's pretty expensive. Hmm, I might have to re-think some work schedules to avoid me needing to contact anyone when I'm away. Thank you very much for the information!
sweetpee_1993
Well-Known Member
You could maybe try to find a wifi hot spot while in port. I've heard of folks finding cafes to enjoy while they took care of business. It really blows to have to work on vacation. Some people don't get the luxury of fully leaving. My hubby & father-in-law generally will tack an hour of OT onto their time sheets whenever they get home to cover time and/or cost. The only problem I'd see with that is if someone is self employed. 
Steve Haynes
New Member
the working on vacation does suck to be honest, but what can you do? I'm too important in the company to be totally out of contact. Wifi hot spots sound like a good idea though. I'll see if I can find some in advance. so I'm not wandering around the port like a total idiot. Mind you, don't think my wife will be too happy with me dragging her and the kids to look for wifi so i can contact work
ChuckElias
Well-Known Member
Hi Steve,
Yes, the internet service is expensive, but if you only need 5 minutes a day to check email, it's not too bad. Here's the price structure:
And here's the link that includes prices, as well as locations for using WiFi around the ships:
http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ships-activities/ships/services/internet-cellular-services/
Yes, the internet service is expensive, but if you only need 5 minutes a day to check email, it's not too bad. Here's the price structure:
And here's the link that includes prices, as well as locations for using WiFi around the ships:
http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ships-activities/ships/services/internet-cellular-services/
Disneyfalcon
Well-Known Member
You can get it in your stateroom, but as others have said, it's expensive. As Kelly pointed out though, there are lots of options in ports. Several places will entice you in for a cup of coffee for some free WiFi!
fireworkz
Active Member
the working on vacation does suck to be honest, but what can you do? I'm too important in the company to be totally out of contact. Wifi hot spots sound like a good idea though. I'll see if I can find some in advance. so I'm not wandering around the port like a total idiot. Mind you, don't think my wife will be too happy with me dragging her and the kids to look for wifi so i can contact work
As a small business owner I can tell you that's actually one of the best parts of a cruise... no way anyone can get you on cell phones or internet!
BTW, not only is the internet expensive it can be really slow. I do check in with work while in port, its cheaper and faster. A tip: if your wife likes jewelery shopping, many of the jewel shops offer customer lounges with free internet and free refreshments - take full advantage of them if you run into one!
Another pro to add to the list... if you like the stage shows in the parks, they are even better on board ship. Plus if you love movies the Disney ships can't be beat, current and old titles, all for free.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Did you think so? I was really put off by the theater entertainment myself. The movies were a good diversion for the tweens/teens.
ChuckElias
Well-Known Member
We should probably do a thread (or two) just to discuss the live shows. In fact, we did do one just for the shows on the Dream. Here it is, if you'd like to say what you were "put off" by: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/live-shows-on-the-disney-dream.734992/
We could do a separate thread for each ship, although I wouldn't be able to comment on the Fantasy's shows yet
I recently mentioned a conversation with a woman who had worked onboard Holland America ships and in talking about entertainment, she stated her opinion that DCL's shows are the highest quality in the industry. She made it sound like it wasn't even close. I even asked her if she was including shows like "Chicago" and a couple others that are being run on Royal Caribben (I think). She said it was no contest. I was actually surprised.
sweetpee_1993
Well-Known Member
the working on vacation does suck to be honest, but what can you do? I'm too important in the company to be totally out of contact. Wifi hot spots sound like a good idea though. I'll see if I can find some in advance. so I'm not wandering around the port like a total idiot. Mind you, don't think my wife will be too happy with me dragging her and the kids to look for wifi so i can contact work
If you go to cruisecritic.com and dig thru the boards a little, maybe find the forum boards specific to the ports you are visiting, you could do a search or ask if anyone knows of some good hot spots. You should get some good recommends for places to go and how to go about getting there. You might even check with the cruise director (I think, maybe). If I'm not mistaken, this is the person who does the shopping presentations before arriving in the different ports so maybe he/she would be able to direct you. I think the CM's may know good hot spots to hit, also. I have read that the paid internet while out to sea can be pretty darned slow. I've read many a frustrated post from people paying thru the nose for what they described as sub-dial-up speeds. LOL! I can't vouch personally. We turn everything to airport mode when we pull away from the dock in the US. On our recent 5-day cruise the hubby checked his work email and messages just before we set sail, when we first arrived in Key West, just before we pulled off from Key West, then there was a 3 day gap. First thing he did when he woke up and we were back in PC was to check his email & messages. Made for a fun drive between the port & Orlando, listening to him yammer on the phone about work.
I understand, tho. He's the bread-winner for the family and he's a lead on his project. You can't be the guy orchestrating the show and be gone too long.
flynnibus
Premium Member
I can confirm the onboard internet was dog slow. I had a hard time even loading my webemail to read mail.. that slow. I only paid it because I had to stay in touch to get my car fixed which broke down on our way to the cruise.. so had to have it fixed by the time we returned.
ChuckElias
Well-Known Member
Since we mentioned the shows onboard, I'll add this: for Father's Day tonight, my daughter and I watched "Golden Mickeys" on YouTube together. (so happy!)
(so happy!)