ksr5377 Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 I realize they're very different. I can't my DH on board to go to Disney World until all the kids are over the age of 10 - that makes the oldest 19. I think it's the thought of lugging around a bunch of hot and tired kids. In general he's not very good with the idea of "Family Vacations" at this point because he feels they're just 3 times the amount of work for us and a lot of money just to give the kids a vacation. HOWEVER, he does like cruising and mentioned that he would be willing to do a Disney Cruise. I think since I have never been, there's this part of me that really wants to do the official Disney World vacation, but when I think about all the things DH is focused on I'm not that excited about it either. Also, his parents like to cruise and I know they would be willing to do that with us. There are no grandparents or other close friends that would be willing to go to Disney World with us. Not a deal breaker but the idea of DH and I going out to dinner alone once sounds really nice. So while I realize they're not the same experience, do you think a cruise would be a nice way to meet characters for the little ones and then go to the park when they're all older? Oh, ages are currently 9 and under and only the 7yo likes to go on rides. The 9yo dislikes even the most gentle ones at the amusement park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 I realize they're very different. I can't my DH on board to go to Disney World until all the kids are over the age of 10 - that makes the oldest 19. I think it's the thought of lugging around a bunch of hot and tired kids. In general he's not very good with the idea of "Family Vacations" at this point because he feels they're just 3 times the amount of work for us and a lot of money just to give the kids a vacation. HOWEVER, he does like cruising and mentioned that he would be willing to do a Disney Cruise. I think since I have never been, there's this part of me that really wants to do the official Disney World vacation, but when I think about all the things DH is focused on I'm not that excited about it either. Also, his parents like to cruise and I know they would be willing to do that with us. There are no grandparents or other close friends that would be willing to go to Disney World with us. Not a deal breaker but the idea of DH and I going out to dinner alone once sounds really nice. So while I realize they're not the same experience, do you think a cruise would be a nice way to meet characters for the little ones and then go to the park when they're all older? Oh, ages are currently 9 and under and only the 7yo likes to go on rides. The 9yo dislikes even the most gentle ones at the amusement park. I don't think you should think of the cruise as a way of introducing the characters to your dc. I think you should just think of it as a fun vacation. ;-) And if y'all can take the cruise, take the cruise. The Mouse will still be there when you get home. Disneyland and Disney World are not all about the rides. Children who are 5 are old enough for either park, and there's no "lugging." :-) Has Mr. ksr5377 actually been to either park? Because if not, he really doesn't know what he's talking about, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Some people just don't enjoy theme parks. I've been to Disney like 8-10 times in my life. It's fun and my kids enjoy it, but it's not my dream vacation by any stretch (we have relatives in the Disney World area). If you're going to go ONCE, I wouldn't want to go with very young kids either. It can be hot and crowded and unpleasant. My kids aren't super huge on rides either, although they do many of the Disney rides. And I know there's people who say Disney is unlike other theme parks and more magical. Well, not to me! Haha. I've been on a Disney cruise. I wouldn't consider it much different than any other family cruise (I have done other cruises too). It's a nice vacation if you like that all inclusive, stuck on a boat format. I don't love cruises actually, I'd rather be exploring new areas, but I know lots of people who do. I just wouldn't consider the Disney cruise vastly superior than other cruise lines unless you're possibly getting a very good deal on a package to Disney and the cruise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 I've done both and our family actually prefers the cruise vacations. They are just so much more relaxing! And, they love seeing other parts of the world and being adventurous at the ports, but being able to get back on the ship for nice meals. We've been on three cruise lines - Disney, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian. Disney is ALL of our favorite (my kids are 18, 17, 14, and 9). The quality of service you receive is second to none. You have the same waiters every night, so you really get to know them and their families. The kids' clubs are fantastic. Character meets have WAY less time in line than at the parks - especially on the smaller ships (Magic and Wonder). Entertainment is wonderful. Everything from the shows to entertainment at dinner. They know how to keep the kids happy during the long dinners. The other cruise lines were fine. We had a great time on them. They just didn't have the same customer service as Disney. And, I felt a little nickel and dimed. Pool towels had to be checked out and you were fined $25 if you misplaced yours. (Disney doesn't do that) The other lines had WAY more options for paid food. I felt cheap asking if there was an upcharge for the first couple of days until I figured out what was included and what wasn't. (Disney has one or two upcharge restaurants, depending on which ship you are on.) And, in general, they anticipated our needs better. That said, you pay a lot more for Disney. But each time we did the other lines, we wish we were back on a Disney ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aiden Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 We did our first Disney cruise last September, on the Magic, the westbound transatlantic cruise. We loved it! It was the perfect venue for our timid 4yo to meet the characters, in a setting that physically was more comfortable than the hot, crowded theme parks, and because we did the transatlantic, there was time for multiple meetings of each character, so she could be shy and timid the first time, a bit less timid the second, and run up and hug 'em the third. (One of the hallmarks of their customer service, for me, was that the first time she just dropped my hand and ran up to a character, the cast member who was accompanying that character said, "Yes! Way to go, Alexa!" By that action, he indicated that he knew both her name and her history on board--there was personal attention, and the quality of service was high in a way that I'm not sure would have been possible without that personalization.) We loved it so much that we're already booked on another one. We're hoping for the next few years to do a Disney cruise each year ... it will be difficult financially to do that, but we'd like to do it now, as she seems to be right in the perfect age range for it. When she's older, we'll try one of the theme parks, but for now the cruises are perfect. Also, in addition to "the Disney experience," we get all the other benefits of cruises--one comfortable hotel/resort location, but the opportunity to experience multiple "vacation destinations" in the form of the ports of call. And I loved that almost everything was included--some things were more, like spa treatments, alcohol and other specialty drinks, and one clearly-extra restaurant, but because so much was included, we knew going in what we needed to budget, and were not surprised by lots of unincluded extras. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magic Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 My brother in law and his wife take their family on a Disney vacation every year. Right after Christmas they took their 10.5 year old son, 8.5 year old son, and 7 year old daughter and they said that it was their best Disney vacation yet. They really like the variety of activities on the ship and felt that it was very relaxing and enjoyable. I know that they are planning to book another one for last year since they liked it so much. In the past, they have gone to Disneyland, Disneyworld (several times), they have also gone on an Alaskan Cruise, and had several island vacations. It sounds like the Disney cruise was the kid's favorite vacation so far and at the top of the parents list as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bensmom Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 I've done both, and you are correct that they are very different experiences, but your family can have a wonderful time either way. If your dh likes to cruise and isn't thrilled with the idea of wdw right now, book the cruise. The cruises are relaxing and you will feel pampered. As Jennifer said, the service is superb. I think dh enjoys cruises more than I do because he loves being free to spend hours on the deck relaxing, and he loves the fantastic service. The kid's clubs are awesome. My ds didn't want to leave the club even to eat as a family (which we made him do). I know it seems silly, but I almost wished the kid/tween clubs hadn't been so wonderful. My son really wanted to stay in the clubs from morning til night. While I am thrilled he was having a wonderful time, I like spending more time together on family vacations. We are doing a another 7- night disney cruise this coming November and will have only three excursion days. I totally anticipate that we will only spend the day together on excursion days as ds will want to be in the tween club. We will insist that we eat together as a family every night, and I plan to make him try a few of the evening shows with us because they really are great. So, if you want a relaxing vacation where you feel pampered and can have plenty of grown-up alone time (wink, wink) book the cruise. Wdw is awesome, but it is more work with little ones. I was thrilled when ds was big enough to walk and we didn't require a stroller! If dh is reluctant to do wdw, wait until everyone is old enough to walk and go in the slower season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 My one caution on the cruise is to check the ages of the kid rooms. When we went on a Disney cruise, ds loved the kid room for his age. I was perfect for him. It was the 8-12 room. Middle dd however hated it. She was 12. The activities in the 8-12 room were too young for her. But she wasn't old enough for the teen room. Oldest was old enough for the teen room at 14. But we didn't want her to be the only one she knew in the room of kids up to 18. We toured the teen room before it was open - it was available for just that purpose. We felt at the time that there were too many walls, too many places kids could be unseen. (Remember this was our oldest, we were still extremely protective. We have calmed down a lot since.) If the two girls could have gone together, we would have allowed it. Now that all being said, we enjoyed our Disney cruise. I can agree with what Jennifer said about service and all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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