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Disney Cruise or Disney World?

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  • Dec 8th, 2017 6:06 am
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Member
Oct 11, 2007
343 posts
132 upvotes
Toronto

Disney Cruise or Disney World?

We are trying to decide what is a better vacation for a family 4 with 2 kids, ages 20 months and 5 years.
Which is a better bang for the buck at this moment? We will end up doing both eventually, just undecided as to which one we should do first.
Any deals out there?

thanks in advance
19 replies
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Feb 7, 2017
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WDW Vacations (on site, but especially off) are considerably cheaper than a Disney Cruise.

So if cost is a factor, that’s what i’d pick.

In my experience, most Parents who take their kids to Disney, do so more than once.

5 & 20 months is a good age for the first trip.

Do the cruise when they are are both in Elementary School... say 8 and 5 (or 9 and 6)

Then go back to WDW one or more times between pre-teen & late teens.

In this way they and you will get the most out of it, as each visit has distinct milestones in their development and who they are in their personality.

EDIT / ADD - Florida’s Tourism is hurting this year... so do take a look at their State Website. Also look at TripAdvisor... Florida & Orlando Forums (they may even have one solely for WDW). Truth is there are tons of WDW / Disney related Blogs, Tips & Tricks etc on the interwebs. Google. They have Disney Crazy People who know all the ins & outs on how to find the best deals.
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Jan 15, 2006
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Since no budget was mentioned. How about both? That's what we are doing next year for my daughters 6th birthday. Going the whole nine yards. Will be celebrating her bday on the cruise followed by 5 days staying at WDW.

It's a surprise for her and first time going.
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Sep 15, 2008
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kwanman wrote: We are trying to decide what is a better vacation for a family 4 with 2 kids, ages 20 months and 5 years.
Which is a better bang for the buck at this moment? We will end up doing both eventually, just undecided as to which one we should do first.
Any deals out there?

thanks in advance
Disney Cruise will be better right now given the age of your kids. We were on the Wonder when our kids were around that age and they loved it. Older kids ( around 10+) might not have that great of a time since the activities for older kids are more limited than on some of the other Cruise companies. The service on the Disney cruise is top notch though. You pay a premium compared to other cruises but the service is excellent. Castaway Cay is really nice.

WDW is just massive. We waited until our kids were old enough to walk the parks without need for a stroller before deciding to go.
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May 10, 2005
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Ottawa
I think with a 20 month old that a cruise vacation is the best. If the baby gets tired one of you can always go back to the cabin...only a deck or 2 away and the other can stay with the 5 year old and still have a good time. If on Disney site, it is a long way to the hotel if staying on Disney World and even longer if staying off site.
I would wait for a few more years to do Disney World. It is a tiresome place for adults, let alone with small children.
“Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.”
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Oct 25, 2009
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PointsHubby wrote: EDIT / ADD - Florida’s Tourism is hurting this year...
???
Source? A drop in the number of Canadians but from what I have read that is more than compensated for by the number of Americans.

That being said, there are deals marketed specifically to Canadians as part of incremental pricing and making sure we don’t permanently shift our tourist dollars to Cuba.

I loved my trip to Disney World when I was 8. But I was a huge Disney fan watching their show every Sunday. For me the theme park was quasi religious. My sister who was 5 years old has no recollection of the trip. Kids today are more likely to watch a Despicable Me cartoon than Goofy. I’d be tempted to let them swim with dolphins in Varadero and save 500 bucks.
Toronto is a very small part of Canada
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Feb 7, 2017
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MonctonMan wrote: ???
Source? A drop in the number of Canadians but from what I have read that is more than compensated for by the number of Americans.
My source
http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/florida- ... -1.3660590
Canada topped the list of nations whose residents travelled to Florida last year, accounting for more than 3.3 million visits, according to statistics compiled by Visit Florida. That’s nearly as many as the combined total from the next three countries on the list -- the U.K., Brazil and Argentina.

However, 2016 saw the number of Canadian tourists slide by 12 per cent.

“For the last 15 quarters, we noticed they (Canadians) have declined,” Visit Florida President Ken Lawson told CTV Toronto. “Back in 2013, we had about 4.1 million Canadians come down.”
And how about yours for this Statement ....
That being said, there are deals marketed specifically to Canadians as part of incremental pricing and making sure we don’t permanently shift our tourist dollars to Cuba.
Cuba is nice and all, but I hardly see it as any sort of REAL COMPETITION to Florida... especially for families.

Florida just has tons on offer... I mean in many ways the whole state is a theme park for Cdns / Tourists / Residents when you look at the incredible wide variety of things to choose from to do and see there.
Member
Oct 11, 2007
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Toronto
Thanks everyone for the feedback. we most likely will take them on the cruise. Any tips on deals? i was hoping to go in the beginning of the new year, January- March
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Jun 15, 2015
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kwanman wrote: Thanks everyone for the feedback. we most likely will take them on the cruise. Any tips on deals? i was hoping to go in the beginning of the new year, January- March
Disney isn't the cruise line to find "deals" on IMHO. They have a limited fleet with a very strong demand and a solid repeat cruiser base. Jan/Feb/March is peak season for the Caribbean so I would get on booking that asap. The better deals for Disney will be in possible June sailings and for Sept and October. Cruises can and are booked well in advance (1+ year out).
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BrunetteGirl wrote: Disney isn't the cruise line to find "deals" on IMHO. They have a limited fleet with a very strong demand and a solid repeat cruiser base. Jan/Feb/March is peak season for the Caribbean so I would get on booking that asap. The better deals for Disney will be in possible June sailings and for Sept and October. Cruises can and are booked well in advance (1+ year out).
This.

Best deals in cruising are almost always found the farther you Book in advance.

If you are NEW to cruising here are some worthwhile tips:
1- Sign up for emails with the Cruise Line

2- Sign up for their Loyalty Programs... many let you join BEFORE you cruise (some only after you have done one) ... best deals always go to Loyalty Members

3- Cruise Companies do their heaviest marketing in what is known as “Wave Season” traditionally January thru March... but in recent years it has extended as far back as US Thanksgiving (BF / CYM). What they are looking to do is sell off / fill up upcoming cruises as well as get a good buzz going on the following years cruises... again early booking (say now for Winter 2019 is where it’s at when it comes to cost savings & perks). And the advantage of small deposits... and no full payment until ~90 Days Before sailing.

4- Check out Cruise Critic... an Expedia Family Co and the Cruising Sister Website to TripAdvisor... TONS of great info and tips to be found on Cruise Critic.

PS... June thru November is definitely cheaper for cruising out of the Eastern USA Ports... but is also Atlantic Hurricane Season, with the biggest storms most likely to occur between August 15th and November 30th
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May 28, 2009
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kwanman wrote: We are trying to decide what is a better vacation for a family 4 with 2 kids, ages 20 months and 5 years.
Which is a better bang for the buck at this moment? We will end up doing both eventually, just undecided as to which one we should do first.
Any deals out there?

thanks in advance
Canadian Residents: Save 20% on the Advance Purchase of 4-Day or Longer Tickets
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_CA ... y-tickets/
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Apr 22, 2007
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Markham
I agree with cruise being better for kids that age. They will likely want to nap during the day and that is much more manageable on a cruise since everything is relatively close by. There's a lot more flexibility going in and out of your cabin on a cruise and still experiencing it.

For "deals", Disney really doesn't have much since they sell pretty well. Cheaper cabins are either the guaranteed cabins (where you don't pick the cabin, but they assign it, but I think there are some limitations). Otherwise, would suggest going with a planner since there are a few which have onboard credits.
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Dec 27, 2009
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I'll go against the crowd here and choose the parks. I just don't like being cooped up in one place (boat), and Disney cruises cost a fortune too. Have fun whatever you decide!
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Mar 24, 2015
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PointsHubby wrote: Best deals in cruising are almost always found the farther you Book in advance.
Not always. When I checked for Disney Cruise back in October, the price was cheaper for a November/early December departure, than when I looked about a year ago.
I already have vacation booked and leaving early next week, otherwise I would have booked the cruise. It was cheaper by at least $1,500. It was even possible to get a balcony room and it was still cheaper. This was for the cruise leaving New York. I did not check for the ones.
So next year, we'll wait till October to check the prices again. If we don't get any deal, we'll go somewhere else.
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Feb 7, 2017
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ckay1980 wrote: Not always. When I checked for Disney Cruise back in October, the price was cheaper for a November/early December departure, than when I looked about a year ago.
I already have vacation booked and leaving early next week, otherwise I would have booked the cruise. It was cheaper by at least $1,500. It was even possible to get a balcony room and it was still cheaper. This was for the cruise leaving New York. I did not check for the ones.
So next year, we'll wait till October to check the prices again. If we don't get any deal, we'll go somewhere else.
This is because the FINAL PAYMENT date as passed... so what you are buying is “the leftovers” of unsold cabins... not the pick of the litter.
On some cruises you could come up with literally nothing in many cabin categories.

So if you are the type who is looking for something midship (most stable & most central) and on a deck with other cabins above vs noise producing public areas... your chances of finding anything will be slim to none... these cabins tend to sell out first, and are the most popular ones with SEASONED CRUISERS & NEWBIES

Plus... this year is sort of anomaly in the Caribbean Cruise biz as a lot of folks are cancelling out on cruises who’s itineraries were to make visits to places like Puerto Rico - US VI - Sint Maarten / Saint Martin - or St Bart’s. Even if some these islands are OPEN TO TOURISTS... they are not their usual great Destinations, and some Cruise Cos are also making (unannounced changes on the fly)...All which disappoints a good percentage of cruisers, so when the FINAL PAYMENT DATE arrives people are cancelling out. The Cruise is going to go anyhow ... so they sell off the cab8ns as best they can (hence the crazy discounts happening)

Historically the best deals on cruises are always found by buying early... we have seen our early bird buy go up 50% or more by the time we sail

Plus... if the price goes down BEFORE FINAL PAYMENT... you can negotiate the lower price (especially so if you booked durect vs with a Travel Agent or 3rd Party Online Reseller)
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Nov 26, 2004
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If itinerary is not important, you should look into the Magic's sailings out of NYC during November next year. The cruise fare includes transportation as well as park admission to Disney World when the ship docks in Port Canaveral. Also, it makes a stop at Disney's private island Castaway Cay. So essentially, you get to experience both Disneyworld and a Disney cruise for the price of a regular Disney Cruise sailing out of Florida.
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Jan 15, 2006
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BrunetteGirl wrote: Disney isn't the cruise line to find "deals" on IMHO. They have a limited fleet with a very strong demand and a solid repeat cruiser base. Jan/Feb/March is peak season for the Caribbean so I would get on booking that asap. The better deals for Disney will be in possible June sailings and for Sept and October. Cruises can and are booked well in advance (1+ year out).
Yup we booked this past spring for a November 2019 Disney cruise. They are either selling out fast or they release a little at a time to create demand... Who knows either way we just needed a specific date so we had to book regardless. So keep on mind, we booked this far out and just managed to get a suite mid level, any later and I think we they were sold out.
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Oct 11, 2007
343 posts
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Toronto
Booked a Disney cruise for early January. Now we have to figure out flights to Orlando and transportation to Port Canaveral. Do you recommended arriving a day early and booking hotel? Any recommendations on hotel/transportation to and from airport or perhaps stay near Port Canaveral? The ship returns on a Saturday 730 am. How much time should I give myself to arrive at the airport?

Thanks
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kwanman wrote: Booked a Disney cruise for early January. Now we have to figure out flights to Orlando and transportation to Port Canaveral. Do you recommended arriving a day early and booking hotel? Any recommendations on hotel/transportation to and from airport or perhaps stay near Port Canaveral? The ship returns on a Saturday 730 am. How much time should I give myself to arrive at the airport?

Thanks
Anytime we Cruise, we add a day at both ends.

Front end is insurance against bad weather / delays and missing the ship... we would never book to fly in the same day as the cruise. Backend is to avoid the nutty day that is Deportation Day... sooooo many folks rushing like crazy to get off the ship & get to the airport... that is very stressful. We rather take our time (often we are one of the last off) just relaxing onboard with a coffee & Book. And then you breeze thru the terminal & Customs without ending up in another long snaky line up

Plus that last 12 Hours is exhausting... trying to cram in everything you want to do, plus packing... and a short sleep (got to be up & out of your cabin early). We use that day back on land to decompress. Last off means we can usually head right to our Hotel and check in. Then lounge by the pool in the subshine rest of the day... great way to SANELY end a cruise holiday*

If all goes to plan... then early flight home the following day, and arrive home with plenty of hours left in the day to unpack, start laundry, and plan for a return to the rat race. Very civilized

* Or visit the Kennedy Space Centre with the kids if they’ve not done that

RE - Orlando to Cape Canaveral is about an hours drive. Cheapest way for a family is to rent a car for a few hours and DIY

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