Another is it worth it question lol

[FamilyCruzin2000]

Hey Everyone! Looking for some input from what I imagine is a very biased group of cruisers :p. I say that because I am very biased about Disney World lol. Little background.

 

We are a family of 5, kids will be 15, 13, and 11 at the time of sailing with the possibility of adding a family friend aged 16. We LOVE Disney and it is our vacation of choice every time. My husband and I have cruised once before and love it as well, but it was a 3 day Carnival cruise.

 

We decided that next year we wanted to give cruising a try with the kids. It would be a July trip due to vacation time available to husband and I. The current plan is 4 days Disney with a 3 day Carnival cruise. Even booked the cruise. Now I am second guessing my choice of cruise line. I have no issues with Carnival but I know the 3 day cruises are more like party ships and I don't know if I want the kids being possible witnesses to that. However the cost difference is about $2500 for a balcony room (A must for my husband). Carnival total is $2200ish Disney total is $4700ish

 

So I am thinking about these options:

Sticking with the current plan

Dropping a day or two from Disney and doing the Disney cruise (still pricy but doable)

or

Couple beach days in FL with the Disney cruise

 

What would your suggestions be?

 

Thanks!

[moki'smommy]

On DCL, with a family of 5 you will need either a "family" sized room or a concierge suite. If you go to 6, you are looking at 2 cabins. That requires you to book one adult in each cabin, although you can divide who sleeps where any way you wish. If you go to 2 cabins, you could do a balcony + an inside cabin which would save some money...or spend bigger bucks on connecting balcony cabins. But I just looked at July 2016 pricing--the difference between an oceanview and a balcony cabin is only $200...go for the balcony at that difference.

 

My personal opinion--a 3 night cruise is not worth doing. You don't change the expense of getting to the port (whether you do WDW or not, travel to the port is an additional expense to consider). That cost doesn't change whether the cruise is 3 nights or 14 nights. A 3 night cruise doesn't have a sea day--a time to really enjoy the ship.

 

Since you are familiar with WDW, you know that single day tickets are not a good value....

 

Honestly, I think the DCL prices for July 2016 are ridiculous. But I would hesitate to do a short cruise on Carnival. Have you looked at Royal Caribbean?

[Scrapnana]

Have you considered just doing a Disney cruise - not going to WDW? You could get a cabin for five to keep the cost down.

 

If you love all things Disney then you should really enjoy a Disney cruise.

[Tonka's Skipper]

Hey Everyone! Looking for some input from what I imagine is a very biased group of cruisers :p. I say that because I am very biased about Disney World lol. Little background.

 

We are a family of 5, kids will be 15, 13, and 11 at the time of sailing with the possibility of adding a family friend aged 16. We LOVE Disney and it is our vacation of choice every time. My husband and I have cruised once before and love it as well, but it was a 3 day Carnival cruise.

 

We decided that next year we wanted to give cruising a try with the kids. It would be a July trip due to vacation time available to husband and I. The current plan is 4 days Disney with a 3 day Carnival cruise. Even booked the cruise. Now I am second guessing my choice of cruise line. I have no issues with Carnival but I know the 3 day cruises are more like party ships and I don't know if I want the kids being possible witnesses to that. However the cost difference is about $2500 for a balcony room (A must for my husband). Carnival total is $2200ish Disney total is $4700ish

 

So I am thinking about these options:

Sticking with the current plan

Dropping a day or two from Disney and doing the Disney cruise (still pricy but doable)

or

Couple beach days in FL with the Disney cruise

 

What would your suggestions be?

 

Thanks!

 

If you feel its not worth it.........go with RCCL, not Carnival.

 

AKK

[FamilyCruzin2000]

Thanks for the replies. I will look into RCCL as another option. I know a longer Disney cruise is out of the question the cost was around 10K and a weeks vacation is not worth that much in my opinion. But I am not sure flying to FL for a 3 day cruise alone is worth it either. Oh decisions decisions lol.

 

I am really leaning towards going DCL because we know and love Disney and the ships look beautiful and classy, not cheap Vegas. You only live once right?😁

[moki'smommy]

Please don't get me wrong--we love DCL. A few years ago we did a very "port intensive" cruise on another line. While it was one of the most memorable cruises we've ever done (location, ports, scenery), we missed all the special Disney touches. Yes, there were things the other line did better than Disney...but overall, Disney came out ahead. At this point we will be doing fewer cruises due to the ridiculous price increases Disney has posted. But that has been a choice that I support--we would rather do less vacationing of higher quality than to sacrifice the Disney touches. But we will cruise very selectively. No more "been there, done that, but wouldn't it be fun to get away?" Now it is "I really like THIS cruise for these reasons. Let's do it."

[FamilyCruzin2000]

In the past 45 minutes since I last posted I was sweeping and mopping my floors 😕 lol and I was thinking back to something I said a couple months ago and it made the decision clear.

 

Since 2012 my MIL, stepfather, sister, and Dad passed away. My sister after a battle with uterine cancer. A couple months ago I began having uterine issues which led to a biopsy and surgery. I was severely anemic and felt horrible. While waiting for the results I told my husband if it came back positive I would book a Disney cruise because I wanted that experience. Thank God the test came back clear. But we are never promised tomorrow so why not do the things we want now.

 

DCL it is 😊

[monty913]

In the past 45 minutes since I last posted I was sweeping and mopping my floors lol and I was thinking back to something I said a couple months ago and it made the decision clear.

 

Since 2012 my MIL, stepfather, sister, and Dad passed away. My sister after a battle with uterine cancer. A couple months ago I began having uterine issues which led to a biopsy and surgery. I was severely anemic and felt horrible. While waiting for the results I told my husband if it came back positive I would book a Disney cruise because I wanted that experience. Thank God the test came back clear. But we are never promised tomorrow so why not do the things we want now.

 

DCL it is

 

This is great to hear!! So sorry about your losses. Its never easy. I hope your cruise is a total blast, dedicate it to your loved ones!!

 

 

 

As for why I choose Disney. I just love it. I have researched other lines over and over and always come back to Disney. We have had nothing but exceptional service on both cruises and look forward to our third. I honestly have nothing but praise for DCL. And I feel like....why change now? We are happy with DCL.

I'm sure my feelings might change (or we might cruise less) when we have kids as the price will go up. But right now, 2 of us can cruise with a balcony for under $3k.

[DaKa2002]

From our family's experiences with WDW and DCL, I would recommend nothing shorter than a 4 night DCL cruise. You need at least one sea day to enjoy the ship's unique characteristics; a stop at Castaway Cay is a must.

[UNDCruisers]

I also would recommend a cruise longer than 3-4 days. I have cruised Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Disney. If a Disney 5-7 day cruise is not within your budget, then I would highly recommend Royal. In fact, at your kids ages, I would say they would like Royal possibly even more than Disney. Since the kids haven't been on a cruise ever, they will love it no matter what. I would recommend a 7-day cruise on Royal's Oasis class.

 

If you are really wanting to incorporate Disney World and a shorter cruise is the only option, then I without a doubt would not pay Disney prices for a short cruise. If your kids were 3, 5, & 7 then I would say splurge on Disney, but given their ages I don't think it is worth it, especially since you will get to experience the Disney magic at the parks.

 

Good luck with your decision!

[isles1]

I would have to agree with what some others are saying: Go to WDW or look into a longer cruise on another cruise line. Based upon the ages of your children, they likely enjoy theme park rides more than character meet and greets. A Disney Cruise mainly provides the latter. For us, a Disney Cruise is fantastic because all my 3 y/o daughter cares about is meeting the princesses and dressing up like one for dinner :D

[elaine5]

we find that a 4 day Disney cruise is fine--there is a big difference between a 3 and 4 day, as you get another full day, which makes a big difference. My kids would rather do a 4 day on DCL than a 7 day on a cruiseline. If $ is a concern, RCCL 4 or 5 day cruises are very good, esp. if you go on a Voyager or Freedom class ship. Also, if you skip WDW tickets, you will save a lot of $. You can go to WDW and do cheaper things--putt-putt, bike riding, camp fires, etc. Sometimes we do this and just enjoy the resort. You could also go to Busch Gardens in Tampa instead as well. The beach in July will be pretty cheap lodging and the beach is essentially free.

[e2011]

Disney cruises are more expensive than RCCL or NCL. For my money you can't get a better vacation experience than a Grand Suite on the Oasis Class ship or a Haven suite on NCL Getaway. However Disney Dream and Fantasy offer the Duck, and the whole Disney character experience, free soda and Pirates night with fireworks! That is definitely fun! Our daughter has had fun on Disney but prefers NCL or RCCL. The new NCL Getaway is our new favorite ship.

[lucigo]

I think it is kind of funny that Disney cruisers typically dislike Carnival. You asked on this board because you want everyone to tell you it is worth it :)

 

My suggestion would be a 5 day Carnival cruise along with your Disney parks. You have to decide what about the cruise is important. The balcony is the same, the view is the same, sunrises and sunsets are the same.

 

My son likes the camps at Carnival and Disney, although Disney wins, I wouldn't say it is worth several thousand dollars more.

 

I'm just putting my 2 cents in that on a budget, and it being your first cruise, you can have a great vacation on any cruise line.

[orville99]

In the past 45 minutes since I last posted I was sweeping and mopping my floors lol and I was thinking back to something I said a couple months ago and it made the decision clear.

 

Since 2012 my MIL, stepfather, sister, and Dad passed away. My sister after a battle with uterine cancer. A couple months ago I began having uterine issues which led to a biopsy and surgery. I was severely anemic and felt horrible. While waiting for the results I told my husband if it came back positive I would book a Disney cruise because I wanted that experience. Thank God the test came back clear. But we are never promised tomorrow so why not do the things we want now.

 

DCL it is

 

Since you've made the decision to do a Disney cruise, the only thing I'd suggest is to skip WDW and put that cost into a 7-night cruise on the Fantasy. When you price it out, the cost of a 7-night cruise will probably be lower than the cost of 4 days at WDW (hotel; meals; park hopper tickets, etc.) on top of the cost of a 3-4 night cruise on Dream. (I'd put the 3 kids in an interior cabin, BTW)

Edited June 9, 2015 by orville99