Anyone ever hit Disney after your cruise?

[Christina1003]

We were thinking about pit-stopping in Disney for the Sunday to Tuesday after the cruise.

 

Has anyone ever done this? Was it worth it? Were you too worn out from the cruise to bother, or did you enjoy it? If so, what hotels did you stay at?

 

I'm not sure I'll ever make it to Disney in my life, so I thought this would be a good chance to see it.:)

[sbgrace]

We have done it both ways, with visiting Walt Disney World (WDW) before and after a cruise. WAAAAY better, IMO, to go before. Cruising can be so relaxing, it's hard to "gear up" to see all the parks. Especially if you've never been to WDW before, you'll probably want to tour at a pretty fast pace to get in everything you want to see.

 

Can you change your dates so that you visit WDW before your cruise? But if after is your only chance, go for it!

 

Hotels--we always try to stay at one of the Disney hotels, for the convenience and for the little extra "pixie dust" they sprinkle around. :D They're a bit more expensive than other area hotels, but sometimes you can get a special deal. Check http://www.mousesavers.com for specials running during your dates.

 

Have fun!

Chris

[shelbylook]

Not yet, but are plans include Disney after our Mariner cruise in March. The DH and I love Disney, even at 59 and 45 years old!! We try to get in a day or two each time we're in FL.

 

We've already thought of the "being exhausted" problem, but hey, it's Disney! We'll get over being exhausted in a hurry. We have reservations at the Fairfield Inn at the Marriott Village starting the Sunday we disembark through Friday when we have to head back to MI. That'll give us a day to relax and unwind from the cruise before we start park-hopping.

 

We stayed at the same Fairfield in late 2002 when it was brand new and it was perfect for us. Nothing real fancy, the rooms were very large and clean, and it was close to everything. I think the rate we got for next March is like $65/night for a king. We're not in our room much anyway so why pay top $$ just to sleep. As long as it's quiet, clean and comfortable, we're happy:) .

 

We stayed at one of the moderately priced Disney hotels a few years back (I can't remember the name) and to be perfectly honest, with the exception of it being on Disney property, it wasn't any nicer than the Fairfield.

 

If you have the chance, do it. DisneyWorld is an awesome experience for anyone at any age. I still remember how beautiful the Christmas parade was at the Magic Kingdom and how it brought tears to my eyes when I thought how lucky we were to be there and how I wished others could share in the excitement (and how darn angry I was that we didn't have our video camera w/us).

 

Keep us posted!

 

Cathy

[42trvl]

Personally, we would prefer before and are thinking along those lines before our Mariner cruise next April. If it's just you and an adult, it may not be too bad. But even with our two slightly older kids, we've all found that after our last couple of cruises everyone just wished we were flying home that day. It's doable, but may be tough...

[Mac'sMom]

If it is your only chance to see WDW then go for it! However, would agree with previous posters that prior to the cruise I think would be better. Disney can be pretty tiring - then you can "relax" on your cruise. On the negative side, my daughter did a RC cruise and then Disney for her honeymoon and said it was too much. However, she had cruised previously and had also spent many vacations at Disney - so she just thought that the two of them together was "over kill" and just "too much." She said that she would have either done Disney for a week and then just a beach for a week; or a cruise for a week and beach for a week. She felt that they wasted time traveling and waiting to sail, etc. It took a couple of days out of their trip. There is an aweful lot to see and do at Disney - it would be hard for me to do in just a couple of days. Take a good look at your time schedule -e.g. how much time will you spend traveling from the port to Orlando, etc.

[travellady]

We're hitting WDW between our Disney Wonder 3 day cruise and our Sovereign of the Seas 4 day cruise this December. I was just at WDW in April and there's always something to see and you can choose to do it all or choose to see just the highlights. Regarding being too tired, just keep in mind you can't do it all - also a reason to go back again someday.

[imsulin]

I did WDW for three days after a 7-night cruise on the HAL Zaandam in 2002. It was over Christmas, and the Orlando area was experiencing "below normal" temps. No kidding! Man...it was freezing!! I had only brought one pair of jeans, two long-sleeved tops, and a bulky Irish-knit sweater (that I knitted myself...patting self on back) I really did enjoy my time there, though, even though I had been there a couple of years before. The different parks were very crowded, due to the Holidays, and the lines were somewhat long. The only thing I would NEVER do again is the Kali River Rapids ride in Decemberr with no poncho. I had to go into the ladies' room and stand under that hand-dryer for a couple of hours before I could even go back outside. Still fun, though! Oh...I took one day off between the cruise and the Parks. Just kind of slept in and lazed around.

[jstducky]

ok this might be a stupid question, but is the OP talking about Walt Disney World or Disneyland, because both are possible depending on your cruise? the OP didn't mention what cruise they were going on or where it was going out of. it is conceivable that they were talking about Disneyland.

 

and if this is your one chance to go to either Disneyland or WDW, then go for it! i am a total disney person (having worked at Disneyland for 2 years!) and would never pass up the opporuntity to go. its something everyone has to do at least once in their life!

[Tanker]

We just did this the first of August - 4 night Sovereign cruise and two nights at Disney. I hadn't been to Disney in 20 years and wanted to "see it all" in 2 days - I had way too much planned! So long as you only pick one or two parks and do the highlights you should be fine, just don't try to plan to do too much at Disney so you don't wear yourself out. We did enjoy extending our vacation, but won't go again in the summer - too hot!

[Candleonwater]

We did Disney for the 3 days before our cruise this past spring... and we do Disney at a relaxed pace. I can't imagine reversing the itinerary! I needed the relaxation of the cruise!

[Sea Island Lady]

Universal two days prior and Disney on the day of return from the Mariner. We stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort and went to Magic Kingdom only. Were were actually more exhausted at Universal than we were at Disney the day of embarkation. :rolleyes:

[Christina1003]

Thanks everyone for your advice!

 

 

To clarify, I mean WDW in Florida. To be honest (please don't kill me!) I really can't stand Mickey Mouse...we just want to hit the studio/adventure parks...not any of the other type of things.

 

I'm starting to think as one poster mentioned that it would be a little overkill.

 

I think it would be hard to find a 7 Day cruise leaving on a Tuesday though, wouldn't it?

 

I guess we shall see! Thanks everyone!

[mbisson]

We have a timeshare in Orlando and go there so often I'm afraid the mouse is starting to look more like a rodent every time I see him.

 

Actually, I think M-I-C K-E-Y is great and we're going to Orlando again after our cruise in December, but we're thinking we might concentrate on SeaWorld and Busch Gardens (with probably only one day in a Disney Park). But then, we love the thrill rides (ie: rollercoasters). We would be doing a day or two at Islands of Adventure, but there just won't be enough time.

 

No matter which parks you do, I'm sure you'll have a great time.

 

-Monte

[hilltopfamily]

Last summer we stayed a day in Orlando & went to Universal Studios after our Disney Magic cruise. We stayed on site (Royal Pacific Resort) so we could take advantage of their "express pass" system, since we only had the one day there & we wanted to see as much as possible. Great way to do it---highly recommend it---we got to go on a ton of "rides" since the express pass means very little waiting in lines. And since you mention not being that enthralled with "the mouse", maybe this would be an option for you? Anyway, good luck whatever you decide. Hey, it's all fun! :)

[imosoreal]

I really can't stand Mickey Mouse...we just want to hit the studio/adventure parks

Me either. But I had the best time at Blizzard Beach this summer. I did Universal and Island of Adventure after one cruise and fortunately we had a two day pass that never expired. After the first day at the park we were so worn out we didn't want to go back the next day so we did a FL vacation the next year and used our passes. I would say if you have the energy go for it. I just don't like needing a vacation after my vacation.

[winkelmann]

We went to Disney after our cruise last October. We were too tired to go the day we got off the ship, and just hung around the hotel. The next day we went to the parks. It was great - a nice end to a wonderful vacation.

[BabySam99]

We were thinking about pit-stopping in Disney for the Sunday to Tuesday after the cruise.

 

Has anyone ever done this? Was it worth it? Were you too worn out from the cruise to bother, or did you enjoy it? If so, what hotels did you stay at?

 

I'm not sure I'll ever make it to Disney in my life, so I thought this would be a good chance to see it.:)

Yes I have done it...did a Disney cruise then WDW for a few days...let me tell you I was exhasted...like sbgrace stated you tend to relax on a cruise...WDW was too much after all that relaxing.... My son was cranky and tired from all the running. :)

 

We stayed on-site at All-Star Movies...the value resort...it was a cute palce...Buzz and Woody and all the Toy Story characters all around...the value resorts are not as plush as the deluxe or moderate but it did just fine for the couple days we were there...shuttles all day to the parks...very convienent. I love Disney...if I had a chance to go even after a cruise I would probably do it no matter how tired I was...so go for it...just remeber that It can be a bit tireing.

[Nliedel]

I would just be too relaxed to deal with the crowds etc.. My poor blood pressure. Disney is the kind of vacation you need a vacation from : )

[billylen]

I agree with some of the prior posters. Go before if at all possible. My son and I have cruised a couple of times. One time we spent a few days prior to the cruise and another time we went the day before and stayed at EPCOT only.

 

While I enjoy Disney World at any time, I love cruising and it is just they way to end a beautiful trip. I am ready to go home afteward.

 

On our last trip we went to the space center after getting off the ship and we were too rested/relaxed/exhausted/tired to go inside.

 

We were ready to get on the plane and go back home.

[girlzillla]

We did WDW after our cruise in February. We got early departure from the ship and went directly from the port to the park gate. We got to the park before 10 am. After was okay for us since we had already been to WDW before. We could pick and choose the attractions we saw and we could leave early and skip the parades.

 

I must admit though, after being on a beautiful ship, with all the great free food and seeing all the wonderful ports WDW was kind of a let down for all of us. Our running joke was "where is the free ice cream and cookies we had on the ship?!?!?"

 

Which ever way you choose have a great time.

[tapdancemom]

My sisters and I just did Disneyland after a four day cruise. We had a great time at the parks. We stayed at the Candy Cane Inn, it's got it's own shuttle and the rooms were very nice. We paid $82 a night with my AAA.

 

The parks were not jammed like it usually is in the summer. We walked on to rides in California Adventure and had short wait in Disneyland. We had a great time.

[gnfcon]

I did a trip to DW for 2 days then the 3-day Majesty of the Seas then back to DW for a day. Oh, and it was as a chaperone with a group of over 100 high school students...

 

We had a great time. The day after the cruise we went to MGM, spent the day at the park and then back to the hotel. You might want to consider a day in a park then a day at a water park as the water park is SOOO relaxing, it would almost be like being back at CoCo Cay or something.

 

We stayed at a budget hotel outside the park, which I wouldn't repeat. If you're only going once I'd definitely stay "on property" as they call it.

 

HAVE FUN!!!

[MrsPete]

I live close enough that Disney's a driving vacation for us -- not a day trip or even a weekend trip, but close enough to make it do-able.

 

As much as I like Disney, I personally don't care to combine it with a cruise. Why? Because in my mind a cruise is one type of vacation and Disney is a completely different vacation. I'd rather choose one or the other and enjoy that vacation; I'd feel . . . stretched, I suppose would be the word . . . stretched between two vacations.

 

If you decide to do Disney, here's my advice:

 

Do Disney first, the cruise last. You'll return home rested from the cruise instead of exhausted from Disney.

As another poster said, stay on Disney's property; when you look into the benefits of staying onsite, you'll see that it's worthwhile.

I assume you're going to have just 1-2 days at Disney. Believe me, you can't do it all in a week, so don't try to do it all in a few days! Do some reading ahead of time and decide which parks or other attractions interest you most and plan to do them.

[MMoore1851]

I am a WDW commando tourer! DH and I go every year, and last year we did all 4 parks in one day! It can be done! Of course, we always go at the end of September, and utilize Fastpass and I have learned tons of tricks to let us hit the high points as quickly as possible before the crowds get there.

 

This year we are doing Fri-Mon, staying onsite at WDW, getting on the Sovereign on Monday afternoon, cruising until Friday, and driving back to Universal to stay onsite and ride roller coasters until Monday morning again! I can't wait!

[Sea Island Lady]

last year we did all 4 parks in one day! It can be done!

And I thought doing both parks at Universal were hard!:eek:

 

 

We did WDW after our cruise in February. We got early departure from the ship and went directly from the port to the park gate. We got to the park before 10 am. After was okay for us since we had already been to WDW before. We could pick and choose the attractions we saw and we could leave early and skip the parades.

 

I must admit though, after being on a beautiful ship, with all the great free food and seeing all the wonderful ports WDW was kind of a let down for all of us. Our running joke was "where is the free ice cream and cookies we had on the ship?!?!?"

We did the same as you from the mariner this summer. We were able to hit all the attractions that we wanted to. We had a great time, but were ready to head back to our room that evening. Funny that we were saying the same thing about the free food as well. What a shocker to have to buy lunch, dinner, drinks and snacks.:p