pros and cons of disney cruise

[thejens]

I am on the fence about booking my cruise! Like all of you, I love WDW and would like to do the Disney Cruise. However I can't help but hesitate about the extra cost compared to other cruise lines. At the time of the April Cruise I will have an almost 10 year old son and a just turned 4 year old son. I would be interested to know from Disney Cruisers if there are any special reasons to take the Disney Cruise or any negatives. Thanks!

[GreenBeetle]

I have to say that the only "con" I've ever heard/read was that the cruise was too short! I've read every tid-bit and review I can get my hands on. Being a true Disney fan, you know that Disney never does anything half-way. They know how to do everything right - especially for families.

Anyway, we're taking our first cruise ever on 9/2, the 4 night Disney Wonder. So I'll let you (and other Intercot folks) know exactly what I think in a few weeks.

[RobWreck]

Since you already are aware of the expense issue, here's a few other cons you might need to be aware of...

Cons for the Disney Cruise
1) Too short (the 4 days fly by in a blink of the eye)
2) Too addictive (can make a die-hard WDW fan skip going to WDW and just go straight to the cruise)
3) Too much good food (oh to be a cow with 4 stomaches ;) )
4) Increased desire to leave the civilized world and become a beach bum on Castaway Cay
5) Only 24 hours in a day - far too few to enjoy everything the ship has to offer (even moreso when you factor in time for shore excursions)

Any others? :D
Rob

[ElenitaB]

Special reasons to take a Disney cruise:

the "Disney Difference" — just like the CMs at the parks, the CMs on board are friendly, CHILD-friendly, and will even smile and say "hi" to you
No worries about shows with inappropriate content for your children
Excellent kid's clubs and activities... it is Disney, after all
Child-friendly dining room servers
Kid-friendly food choices available at every meal, between meals and from room service
Family-oriented excursions
Kid's pools and a separate adults-only area (which is enforced unlike on other cruise lines from what I've read)


Reasons not to go on a Disney cruise:

Yes, the cost is higher (but don't they always say you get what you paid for
No gambling on board (unless you call Bingo gambling ;) )
No smoking in public areas


Our first (and only cruise) was on the Wonder, and was a 3-night cruise. It was way too short and I think we'll be hard pressed to cruise any other line except for maybe RCCL or Cunard (QM2) to try a different itinerary (they also sail out of NYC which would make a big difference for us without the added expense of airfare).

[Kenny1113]

We took our first disney cruise in May and loved it !!! I could have done with out the extra day at sea though ( that could help you save on $$$). The kids club only did activities related to the grad and busy work type stuff. I was hoping they would offer some of the activites that my kids had missed on the other days. The show on that day ( disney Dreams ?? ) was ehh.
Concerning cost though, when my friend was researching a cruise through another cruise line cheaper yes, but to get a room comparable to the room we had on DCL was not that much cheaper.
I agree with others have said, food was amazing, service was awesome ( they truely understand that if the kids are happy the parents are happy), Castaway Cay was great you just want to stay there forever. My kids (6,3) had a wonderful time and to this day constantly ask me to go back. My little homebody cried when we were in port and told him we were going home.
Looking foward to booking a 7 day in the near future. :mickey:

[nanjonjen]

We went on our first Disney cruise this past January and the only con is that we did the three night instead of four. My daughter was six at the time and loved every minute of it! We have been on many cruises, most with Celebrity line, but really enjoyed this one as a family. My daughter is rather clingly but couldn't wait to dump mom and dad to attend the kids club activities and the security measures surrounding them left me feeling comfortable letting her out of my sight. Food and staff were wonderful and the shows true Disney. My daughter couldn't wait to see her towelgami each night. We loved it so much we are going on the four night in November and we can't wait. You can get better deals on the price by going through cruise and travel discounters as we did and save several hundred dollars. Have fun!!

[thejens]

Thanks for all your comments. I was afraid that it would sound wonderful. I really want to go on a 7 day cruise, so I guess I'd better just get that 2nd job. I'd love any other thoughts!

[duke13630]

I tought about going on the Disney Cruise but my last cruise I felt so sea sick that it was not fun on the second half of the trip. However, 4 days is ok im sure since 3-4 days into the sea was when i started feeling sick.

CONS: Seasickness!
can't think of other reasons, this is the only thing keeping me from not going past a 4 day cruise.