just looking for opinions

[DisneyDoug85]

so we've got our first cruise(!!!) coming up in November, followed by 4 nights in WDW. I know I know, the cruise should be after WDW, but we have our reasons so we'll have to make the best of it...

I know this is beaten to death all the time but I'm just curious as to what peoples thoughts are for the dates we'll be in WDW, what do you think the crowds will be like? We'll get to WDW November 16th and leave the 20th. In my research I've seen that jersey week is the week of November 4th this year, so we'll miss that. Food and wine festival ended on Monday the 13th last year, assuming they follow a similar timeline, Monday the 12th seems like a decent guess for an end date this year. We'll be leaving 2 days prior to Thanksgiving, and i've read that typically the crowds are at their worst the day of or weekend following so we may get lucky there too. So, all those things considered, what are your thoughts on us avoiding any MAJOR crowds? I know its impossible to predict crowds in WDW these days....but im just looking for a general "hey you have a decent shot at avoiding craziness", or "nope doesn't matter get ready to wait 90 minutes for everything" haha. Thanks for any thoughts you have!

 

[LAKid53]

Wonder why it’s so different than touring plans as mentioned above? Strange, but thanks for the info! Yes planning on a full day at magic kingdom plus the Christmas Party one night. Partial days at Epcot and AK, and we might want to check out the new Toy Story land, but other than that we won’t spend much time at HS. We would like to have a day off to resort hop and check out Xmas decor etc so we’ll see how this all works out.

You don't want to miss the gingerbread house in the Grand Floridian lobby.

 

[DisneyDoug85]

They have an open house for the club when you first board. Make sure to visit - I've heard it's really nice. Jealous we adults can't play, lol.

A day pass for the spa is $16 per person. They have a steam room, saunas, showers, heated lounge chairs and a large hot tub. We always,like to take an hour or two thete to chill and relax.

Yeah we’ll have to catch that open house! Wait, a day pass is only 16 bucks?!?! We will definitely be taking advantage of that!!! haha

 

[DisneyDoug85]

You don't want to miss the gingerbread house in the Grand Floridian lobby.

Yup, we’ll be staying at Wilderness Lodge so our plan is to stop at all the surrounding resorts, that’ll definitely be one of them!

 

[LAKid53]

Yup, we’ll be staying at Wilderness Lodge so our plan is to stop at all the surrounding resorts, that’ll definitely be one of them!

The lobby at WL is stunning at Christmas.

 

[LAKid53]

Yeah we’ll have to catch that open house! Wait, a day pass is only 16 bucks?!?! We will definitely be taking advantage of that!!! haha

I wouldn't wait until you're onboard. You can call and purchase them now.

 

[DisneyDoug85]

The lobby at WL is stunning at Christmas.

I can't wait! Wilderness Lodge is my favorite anyway, but we've never been to WDW during Christmas time.

I wouldn't wait until you're onboard. You can call and purchase them now.

Oh really? Well i'll be doing that tomorrow!!! thank you so much!

 

[LAKid53]

To get you excited, here's the Christmas tree in the lobby...

 

[DisneyDoug85]

To get you excited, here's the Christmas tree in the lobby...View attachment 264251

Yeah that looks pretty incredible! Can’t wait!!

 

[DisneyDoug85]

@LAKid53 are there any other activities etc similar to the day pass for the spa, that can be booked at any time? I know being first time cruisers we have to wait until 75 days out to book excursions etc, but if there’s anything that’s “up for grabs” we’d love to jump at it now. Thanks!

 

[DisneyDaver]

touring plans has the crowds pretty low, lots of 3's and 4's. one day they have Hollywood studios at a 6. not sure why that would be.

I don't know why there is that lone 6, but I am also heading to WDW in November and I'm expecting DHS to be much more crowded than usual due to Toy Story Land opening this summer.

 

[DisneyDaver]

We were there the Friday before Thanksgiving through all of Thanksgiving week in 2016. We saw the crowds get progressively bigger through the week, but with a plan we didn't have any issues doing what we wanted to do. I'd say our crowd levels were 6-7 the early part of the trip, than higher each day until they were 9-10 the last couple days. I'd say the days you will be there will be fine, but I'd just expect it to be a little more crowded each day.

Which day did you head back home? Trying to figure out when the Thanksgiving crowds start to drop back down. I'm planning to head to WDW the Saturday after Thanksgiving though the next Thursday. I was hoping that by Sunday, the Thanksgiving crowds would have lightened up.

 

[jaklgreen]

Can't help you with the crowds but would like to say that we always take our cruise first. You need a week in the parks to work off all of the food you eat on the ship.

 

[DisneyDoug85]

Can't help you with the crowds but would like to say that we always take our cruise first. You need a week in the parks to work off all of the food you eat on the ship.

Oh that’s a great way to look at it! Makes me feel better after going against 90% of the recommendations I’ve gotten in other posts haha. Thanks!

 

[Herdman]

Which day did you head back home? Trying to figure out when the Thanksgiving crowds start to drop back down. I'm planning to head to WDW the Saturday after Thanksgiving though the next Thursday. I was hoping that by Sunday, the Thanksgiving crowds would have lightened up.

We came back the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We went to Universal on Thanksgiving day, and the crowds there were not too bad. The Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving at WDW were just crazy. Manageable with a plan, but wall to wall people.

 

[jaklgreen]

Oh that’s a great way to look at it! Makes me feel better after going against 90% of the recommendations I’ve gotten in other posts haha. Thanks!

Yeah, I don't understand that whole park first, cruise second. I can tell you that transportation wise, I like it better cruise first. We fly in so we stay at the Hyatt at the airport the night before and take the earlier bus to the port. The buses from the resort usually get you there much later and we like to get on the ship as early as possible.

 

[DisneyDoug85]

Yeah, I don't understand that whole park first, cruise second. I can tell you that transportation wise, I like it better cruise first. We fly in so we stay at the Hyatt at the airport the night before and take the earlier bus to the port. The buses from the resort usually get you there much later and we like to get on the ship as early as possible.

We're doing something similar...we found a package with a hotel minutes from port. It includes pickup from the airport (since we'll be flying in the day before) which brings you to the hotel, then a 1 night stay, then a shuttle from the hotel to the port first thing in the morning.

 

[Mrhappyplace]

I'm booked on the same cruise as you. I can't help with crowd predictions at the parks but can offer some advice for the cruise.

Bring a carry on that has your swimsuits in it when you board the ship, The first few hours is one of the best times to use the pools.

On the Merrytime cruises they have a gingerbread house building class, if you are interested sign up as soon as you get on board. You won't be able to bring your gingerbread house off the ship but it still a fun activity.

 

[NelleBelle]

Yes, can’t wait for Castaway! I assume all those activities (snorkeling, tubing, jet skis) are at an additional fee? That something you have to book ahead of time?

The snorkeling excursion at CC costs a a fair bit for that activity but the snorkeling beach is free (if you have your own snorkel gear). You can rent fins and mask for the day for I think $25 (?). Even if you bring your own gear, you are required to wear a snorkel vest, which Disney will provide you for free. For the best view of the fish, head towards the rocks at the back of the lagoon. It's quite a swim if you're not used to snorkeling--make sure you have enough energy for the swim back

Oh wow, see I had assumed that if you booked an excursion through Disney the transportation would be part of that. Yeah I think the dolphin experience would be great for the kids (7 and turning 4 on vacation) while also being fun for us. We’d also probably do something similar to what you mentioned, we’d do the half day excursion and just head right back to the ship afterwards.

Thanks, I am familiar with that part of the DCL page, but I’ll have to look a little more closely for specifics.

Every excursion we've ever booked with DCL has provided transportation. I would be absolutely shocked if they did not provide you with transportation if you booked the dolphin excursion through them. As mentioned, yes, DCL uses outside vendors for their excursion but they have always provided transportation. That is the primary reason you BOOK an excursion with DCL rather than booking with an outside vendor on your own (it is way cheaper to do this and we have done so in the past) is because if the excursion runs late or the transportation has an issue on the way back, DCL with hold the ship for you, otherwise, you are SOL and the ship may/can/will sail to the next port without you. If you have questions, I would definitely call DCL and ask them about this, especially if you are nervous about booking with an outside vendor. Again, many do book with outside vendors and are just fine. But unless the vendor has a guarantee about you making the ship's departure time and getting you to the next port, I would pass and book directly with DCL.

BTW, we did our cruise first before our time at WDW and loved it! But that's probably because we're traveling from the west-coast and use that cruise time to start adjusting to east-coast time and by the time the cruise is done, we don't feel like we're getting up at 3am for breakfast before rope drop!! Have a great trip! Would love to see the Dream someday, but refuse to do a cruise shorter than 7-nights!! Surprisingly, really loved the Magic, which after being on the Fantasy, thought the Magic would feel really small and outdated. Very lovely ship!!

 

[DisneyDoug85]

I'm booked on the same cruise as you. I can't help with crowd predictions at the parks but can offer some advice for the cruise.

Bring a carry on that has your swimsuits in it when you board the ship, The first few hours is one of the best times to use the pools.

On the Merrytime cruises they have a gingerbread house building class, if you are interested sign up as soon as you get on board. You won't be able to bring your gingerbread house off the ship but it still a fun activity.

Thanks for the advice, i had heard that its a good idea to have your suits in a carry on...so we'll definitely be doing that! Good to know that the earlier the better for good pool time! I'm hoping to board the ship as early as possible.

Oh cool, that sounds like something my kids would love! I'll have to add that to my list of things to remember haha

 

[DisneyDoug85]

The snorkeling excursion at CC costs a a fair bit for that activity but the snorkeling beach is free (if you have your own snorkel gear). You can rent fins and mask for the day for I think $25 (?). Even if you bring your own gear, you are required to wear a snorkel vest, which Disney will provide you for free. For the best view of the fish, head towards the rocks at the back of the lagoon. It's quite a swim if you're not used to snorkeling--make sure you have enough energy for the swim back



Every excursion we've ever booked with DCL has provided transportation. I would be absolutely shocked if they did not provide you with transportation if you booked the dolphin excursion through them. As mentioned, yes, DCL uses outside vendors for their excursion but they have always provided transportation. That is the primary reason you BOOK an excursion with DCL rather than booking with an outside vendor on your own (it is way cheaper to do this and we have done so in the past) is because if the excursion runs late or the transportation has an issue on the way back, DCL with hold the ship for you, otherwise, you are SOL and the ship may/can/will sail to the next port without you. If you have questions, I would definitely call DCL and ask them about this, especially if you are nervous about booking with an outside vendor. Again, many do book with outside vendors and are just fine. But unless the vendor has a guarantee about you making the ship's departure time and getting you to the next port, I would pass and book directly with DCL.

BTW, we did our cruise first before our time at WDW and loved it! But that's probably because we're traveling from the west-coast and use that cruise time to start adjusting to east-coast time and by the time the cruise is done, we don't feel like we're getting up at 3am for breakfast before rope drop!! Have a great trip! Would love to see the Dream someday, but refuse to do a cruise shorter than 7-nights!! Surprisingly, really loved the Magic, which after being on the Fantasy, thought the Magic would feel really small and outdated. Very lovely ship!!

Thanks for all the help! Being first time cruisers and already hoping to book the Dolphin experience at Nassau, I'm thinking we may just kind of "wing it" at Castaway Cay. Use that day to just enjoy the beach, the surroundings, and any activities that we can join in on, without actually booking an excursion or something. Although I've never snorkeled before, I think i would love it and definitely plan on doing it on future cruises when the kids are a bit older.

Good to hear about the transportation, that kind of had me worried as that would be just one more thing to worry about for us first timers. I fully plan on booking anything directly through DCL just to be safe, especially with young kids etc...not worth risking being stranded haha.

Glad to another positive experience with cruising first! It works out better for us this way anyway so either way we'll have to make the best of it this time and see what we want to do going forward. Trust me, we went back and forth on the 3-4 night vs a 7 night, but again, being our first time and with young kids we decided to play it safe. As we inch closer to the trip, i am starting to regret not just going for it. But, we're already talking about what we'd want to do for our next cruise and we're leaning toward an Alaskan or Mediterranean, so that'll be at least 7 nights. Either way, as long as we're "cruise people" we'll be booking the placeholder for sure and then we'll go from there.