Husband finally in agreement to take a trip to Disney (girls will be almost 8 and 3 1/2 when we go. Today he changed his mind and said he'd rather do a Disney cruise, claims lots of people say that's better for the girls' ages--ummm, no rides on a cruise. I told him exactly what I want (and I"m usually indecisive) and now he's trying to change my mind on somethign I've been saving for and planning for for about 3 years. Anyone done one or the other or both and have advice. Thanks. Hoping I get my way...I feel like my bubble was totally burst when he threw this at me...it's like thinking you're going to location A that you realy wanted to go to and ending up some place you never mentioned wanting to visit, ever!
I LOVE Disney World. I have not done the cruise. I don't think you get the full experience of Disney on the cruise ship.... Character experience and everything, but I don't know from personal experience. If you want information about Disney World, give me a shout. We have been twice with my daughter. Once when she was nearly 2 and this year after she turned 4. She had a great time both visits.
We have been to both Disney World and on the Disney Cruise. They are two totally different experiences and it sounds like you want the park and the rides which you will not get with the cruise.
We have been to Disney World a few times and yes it is crowded but we had a great time especially as the kids got older and could do more of the rides. The lines for the characters are long if you want to get pictures with them. We love getting the Fast passes for the rides. We love that you can head back to the hotel and swim in the afternoon and then hit the park again if you want.
I know we are the minority but we didn't care for the Disney Cruise. It was our first cruise and to be honest we never thought we would be cruise lovers but wanted to try it because we thought the kids would love it and everyone else always raves about it. Of course the rooms are small and we had one of the largest available on the ship. The kids could not swim on the ship because the pool was litterly covered with kids, I mean every square inch and we were not about to join in. The food was great for the kids, average for us. The entertainment, activities and kids clubs were wonderful! The stop at Cay Cove(I believe that is what it is called?) Disney's own private island was the best day we had, beautiful beach, lots of activities and great cook-out. The Disney characters are all on the ship but when they are out there are huge lines just like at the park. Overall, it is not something we would do again with Disney or another cruise line.
I hope you get a lot of responses and do some more research to help make your decision on your trip. If you have always wanted to go to the park that is what you should do or you may be disappointed in the end. Good luck with your decision!
i have never been on a disney cruise just disney. my friend has been to both and she said you cannot compare the two, and that the disney cruise is by far much more fun. again, i have not been on that cruise but that is our next plan. she swears by that trip saying it's fun for parents and kids. her kids are 5 and 8.
We have done both and both are totally different experiences. Disney World has the rides and attractions and is what people think of and have in mind when they think about experiencing Disney - pictures in front of Cinderella's Castle, meeting the characters, etc. However, the Disney cruises are totally awesome too, and really, I think your girls would have a ton of fun either way. They do have the Kids Club on board the ship that you can drop them off at (if your younger child is potty-trained) if you and hubby want some adult alone time, and lots of other fun things that all of you can do together. It's not as hectic as running around Disney trying to see and do everything, waiting in line for rides. The meals are included. You get to stop one day at Castaway Cay, their private island in the Bahamas and hang out on the beach. They do have some characters on board that you can still meet, take pics with, etc. We did both almost a year ago, with stepsons ages 16 and 17, and daughter age 3.5, and we all had an amazing time, at both Disney World and on the cruise ship.
What you both need to do is research both and figure out together what you want to do. Since you have your heart set on Disney World, I would probably do that first, and then the girls can experience what Disney World is all about. But we found the cruise to be a phenomenal experience as well, and can't wait to do it again. Maybe you could consider doing the cruise at a later date. Or if you really want to go all out, and can afford it, do both - spend 4 or 5 days at Disney World, and then top it off with a 3-night or 4-night Disney cruise!
I thought going to Disney world last year with a 6 yr old and 1 yr old was totally exhausting. Our 6 yr old was in a bad mood all day and refused to do most rides. He refused to watch the parade. Once it started to get dark he finally started to get into it and it was time to leave. Then the lines to leave were crazy! The 1 yr old had fun. The crowds were insane. The lines were insane. We just went one day though when my husband had a work trip near there. I bet if you have more days it would be more fun. It was way cheaper than a cruise though. One day just cost us the tickets and food for the day. We looked at doing the mediterranean cruise and with flying to Europe and then the 5 day cruise we were going to spend close to $8,000
Disney World is amazing. My kids were 6, 4, and 2 when we went for Christmas in 2009 - the best trip ever!! My kids were fabulous and I couldn't have asked for more. Even when we waited hours for things like the Toy Story Ride or to see 6 characters in Epcot, they were SO good!! Even the 2 year old!
I am looking at doing a land/cruise package for next January. We want to cruise, but I'd like to add a day or two of Disney also - so maybe we can just do the Disney cruise! But I know that is a lot more expensive than other cruises.
