OurFamily Posted May 14, 2006 #1 Share Posted May 14, 2006 Hello All, I apologize if this question has been asked before, but I was curious of opinions on the land/sea package or just cruise package? I have two toddlers and very much want to cruise on Disney. Can anyone tell me the pros/cons and general experiences of both vacations? thanks so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sologrip Posted May 14, 2006 #2 Share Posted May 14, 2006 Hello All, I apologize if this question has been asked before, but I was curious of opinions on the land/sea package or just cruise package? I have two toddlers and very much want to cruise on Disney. Can anyone tell me the pros/cons and general experiences of both vacations? thanks so much! You don't say how your time off is arranged...How much, when, etc... What I have done is 1. Sign on for a 4-day cruise and then add days at the WDW resort of my choice on to one or both ends of the cruise. 2. Take a 4-day land/sea and then add days on to either the beginning or end at a WDW resort. They sound the same but they have subtle differences: If you do not take the official "land/sea" vacation you can select the resort of your choice...not one keyed to the category of cruise stateroom you reserve and pay for it separately from the sea portion, which can make it less expensive depending on your choice of resort.. If you reserve your land and sea portions separately you can also take advantage of the WDW eat "free" program if one is offered during the time you will be there at WDW. This is not available to land/sea vacations. There are other differences, too. Actually, I prefer a longer cruise than 4 days because it is so much more restful with lots of things to do...just not as much time wasted traveling from resort to park by bus or car or walking miles to get around the parks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom x4,grandma x4 Posted May 14, 2006 #3 Share Posted May 14, 2006 Howdy, i agree with the other poster completely. One other thing to consider is that at 2 years of age WDW can be very tiring, down right exhausting! The ship is more relaxed, they can still see characters , get pictures and autpgraphs without standing in the hot sun and 500 other kids in line. If they are not potty trained they can still swim in one of the mickey ears that is designated for toddlers. just bring lots of swim diapers and sun block!! They do sell them on board, but they are expensive and sell out quickly. Your kids would probably be happier doing that rather than waiting in long, hot lines at WDW to do the few kiddie rides they can do. I love WDW, we go all the time, but with that young of kids I would just do the cruise and save the park for maybe 2 years down the road. they would be able to enjoy it more and remember it better. A 4 year old is a lot more patient and better able to wait in lines than a 2 year old. Plus 4 is still young enought that is all still magical for them. Just my opinion after raising 4 kids and taking 4 grandkids to the parks. Good luck in your choice I'm sure it will be the right one for your family. mom x4,grandma x4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest juliae Posted May 14, 2006 #4 Share Posted May 14, 2006 If you want to cruise on Disney, go on a Disney cruise! It is like Disney World at sea with characters everywhere, character breakfasts, Disney movies, pin trading, picture and autograph sessions with the characters. It is so much fun! The 3 and 4 day cruises seem so short and end just as you are beginning to know the ship and activities and are starting to relax. Take a 7 day cruise because the cruises are so much fun and there is so much to do on the ship for everyone. You can always add a day at Disney World on either end of the cruise and there is good transportation by motorcoach between Disney World and Port Canaveral. Book early because Disney has a tiered pricing system and the best prices go earliest. Have a great day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharod Posted May 17, 2006 #5 Share Posted May 17, 2006 The 3 and 4 day cruises seem so short and end just as you are beginning to know the ship and activities and are starting to relax. Take a 7 day cruise because the cruises are so much fun and there is so much to do on the ship for everyone. You can always add a day at Disney World on either end of the cruise and there is good transportation by motorcoach between Disney World and Port Canaveral. Book early because Disney has a tiered pricing system and the best prices go earliest. Have a great day! We did the 4land/3sea and I have to agree with it seeming to end just when you start to feel comfortable. I booked this b/c no one in my family had ever cruised before. We weren't sure how we would like it. DH and DD get motion sick, this also was part of the reason. If I had it to do all over again I personally would have done the 7 day cruise. We all LOVED it!!!! There definately wasn't enough time to do a fraction of what there was to experience on the ship. There are no sea days on a 3 night cruise. We have been to WDW many times, and although we absolutely love it, cruising for a week would have been pure heaven. DH and I are booked for the Freedom of the Seas in 2007. Just us two, and boy I can hardly wait!!!! I will miss Disney though, just the sound of the horn at the Sail Away party brings tears to my eyes. I have great memories from our 3 day, it just didn't last long enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikyMous Posted May 18, 2006 #6 Share Posted May 18, 2006 We booked the 4 day cruise and then booked separately a 4 day land stay. This worked better for us because we needed the cruise first. Booking the package didn't work with our vacation days. It was also a little cheaper, but we chose not to stay on Disney property. We would love to book a 7 day Disney in the future when finances allow!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizzmo2 Posted May 19, 2006 #7 Share Posted May 19, 2006 I have taken three Disney cruises and loved everyone of them... With small children I suggest just the cruise... The first we went my kids were 11 and 9, and they loved every minute of it... Trust me you will never regret a seven day cruise on Disney.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeNKim Posted May 19, 2006 #8 Share Posted May 19, 2006 We did 3 days at Disney before a 7 night Magic cruise and to be honest ....now I am the biggest disney fan there is but the 3 days at disney where a waste because we all wanted to get on the ship.....it was our first cruise. I personally would do one or the other. Kim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metrowon Posted May 20, 2006 #9 Share Posted May 20, 2006 The child care Disney cruises offer, will allow mom and dad to have a wonderful time also... I would suggest the 4 day cruise at the bare minimum, you get a day at sea, to really relax. The inside rooms are nice, and they are there only for sleeping, showering, and geting ready for any of the multitudes of upcoming things to do. I've done 4 Disney cruises, and I personally have not seen an unhappy child yet. Never witnessed tantrums, or parents screaming @ their children. And I don't know how it happens, but I never witnessed a drunk person either. That doesn't mean it didn't happen, it just means I didn't see it happen. Look at Sept/Oct rates as they are usually the least exspensive time to go, you might be surprized at the rates. 23 weeks for me to go again. Fly in the day before, stay at the airport Hyatt, transfer with the Disney buses, and your set. Disney air program is exspensive, if you have to fly in. It's a wonderful experiance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom x4,grandma x4 Posted May 20, 2006 #10 Share Posted May 20, 2006 Hi Metrowon, I have missed reading your posts lately. I am glad you are back. I missed you. I was beginning to worry you might be ill. Looking forward to reading your advice again,:D mom x4,grandma x4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourel Posted May 26, 2006 #11 Share Posted May 26, 2006 Forget Disney World and go for the Disney cruise. At Disney World you will waste time in lines. On the cruise the fun starts immediately and doesn't stop. We did the 3 day Disney World/4 day Magic Cruise. Our second trip we went for the 7 day cruise and loved it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Host Mick Posted May 29, 2006 #12 Share Posted May 29, 2006 It sounds as if your toddlers are wise beyond their few years. I've done it all ways. We did the land/sea the first time because there were no 7 day cruises at the time and we wanted to spend the extra vacation time in WDW. Later we took a 7-day cruise alone. I wouldn't go on a 7-day land/sea if I could go on a 7-day Magic cruise. The Land/Sea kills most of a day checking out, transferring and getting on to the ship. It's also impossible to see as much of WDW as you really want to see and I felt like I mised so much. My ideal is to 7-day cruise one year then go to WDW for at last 7 days the next year. That is the much less frantic way to take the Land/Sea vacation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disneygal4 Posted July 12, 2006 #13 Share Posted July 12, 2006 :) in 2001 my family and sister went on the 4 day dcl and i felt it was to short by the time you learned the ship it was time to get off my kids did not want to leave the ship we also did a 7 night with about 14 people and that was so great the kids had a great time i would try and do a 7 day cruise hope this helps p.s. don't think that they have character breakfast on the 3 or 4 day cruise.. that was so great for the kids Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan759 Posted July 12, 2006 #14 Share Posted July 12, 2006 We’ve decided to book our land/sea trips separately so we have the freedom to choose our hotel/cabin preferences. Unless something has changed since we did it a few years ago, if you’d like a balcony cabin on the boat you had to stay in a Deluxe level resort at Disney. We always stay at a value resort as we just need a place to rest our head but like the freedom to get a nicer cabin on the boat if we choose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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