Anyone do land and sea?

[meljean]

We are looking at taking our first Disney cruise! We really want to do a little park time before. Has anyone done this? Any tips? Also which boat do you prefer? I have two boys and one girl. Thanks for your help!

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Shaw! As Crush would say. Unless I ever get to fulfill my dream of the Fantasy 7 day, its shorter DCLs and park days! But until then, I'm happy to split my time between a few of Orlando's awesome parks and my 4 days cruise.

We are flying in the Friday night prior, going to parks Sat & Sun, getting on the ship Mon, getting off Friday early and going to a park that day, and than one more on Sat and flying out Sunday. 4 Night Cruise, 4 Park days (not all WDW).

Should be the vacay to compare a lot of other vacays for a long time!

 

[lbgraves]

We always spend at least one day at WDW even with a 7-night cruise because it makes the 12 hour drive worth it a bit more. I'm trying to figure out what your spellcheck did with the last of your question though.

 

[tweis]

We always spend at least one day at WDW even with a 7-night cruise because it makes the 12 hour drive worth it a bit more. I'm trying to figure out what your spellcheck did with the last of your question though.

Which body do you prefer is really throwing me off.

 

[meljean]

Which body do you prefer is really throwing me off.

Lol I didn't notice the spell check errors wow! Lol Boat lol, looking at the 4 day cruise. Can you book a package for land and sea?

 

[meljean]

We always spend at least one day at WDW even with a 7-night cruise because it makes the 12 hour drive worth it a bit more. I'm trying to figure out what your spellcheck did with the last of your question though.

I edited it now, sorry for the confusion! I was trying to figure out what it said lol

 

[lbgraves]

OK, so which boat. The ship you choose will depend on which itinerary you want to do. The best way to start your planning is to read through the FAQ thread for this forum. Next read the first 4-5 pages of posts. This will give you the basics and the most discussed topics. You will have questions of your own from these, so then post on those threads or start one of your own if you have a specific question about something not on those first few pages. This will help you decide on which ship is best for your family.

 

[lbgraves]

I edited it now, sorry for the confusion! I was trying to figure out what it said lol

I'm glad it wasn't just me. I was thinking that whichever one has the longest shelf life would work for me.

 

[tweis]

Lol I didn't notice the spell check errors wow! Lol Boat lol, looking at the 4 day cruise. Can you book a package for land and sea?

If your looking for a 4 day cruise out of Port Canaveral then your choices would be the Dream or Magic. We love the Dream and we are trying the Magic in 89 days! We are planning to add a couple of days at Coronado Springs Resort and MK before our cruise. DCL is actually offering official land and sea packages but I think they are only for the next couple of months.

 

[lbgraves]

You can usually book your own separate land package cheaper than what DCL has offered.

 

[darkwing818]

We always spend at least one day at WDW even with a 7-night cruise because it makes the 12 hour drive worth it a bit more.

Same for us, since we drive as we'll, we always try to do at least 2 or 3 days before & after the cruise. Hitting the road right after disembarking the ship is a real drag .

 

[rays2001]

Back in 2001, Disney offered the land & sea package. We did a 7-day vacation package; 4 days on land going to all the Disneyworld parks, then 3 days on sea. After the "hectic" and enjoyable 4 days in the park, the 3 days on the ship were "restful" and also very enjoyable. Our children were 12 and 9 at the time and after the cruise they wanted to go again for a longer timeframe.
Since then, our children have been on 3 7-day Caribbean cruises with us. My wife and I have also done 3 cruises without them, including the Eastbound 14 day Panama Canal cruise last September 2013, 14 days on the ship was great!
We have a cruise planned for this spring on the Fantasy with our "adult" children. My wife and I plan to continue cruising in the future.
As you can see, the land/sea package was a great start to our cruising vacations.
My suggestion is whatever you pick for the ship and/or land/sea package, you and your children will probably enjoy it.
Good luck with your plans.

 

[meljean]

You can usually book your own separate land package cheaper than what DCL has offered.

Good to know. Would love to do a little of both if we can.

 

[mom2thebest]

We did our first ever cruise last Sept on the Dream (4 day out of Port Canaveral), followed by four park days. Couldn't be so close to the World without visiting! We booked it all separately...no $ advantage to a package. Found a great car rental rate that made it worthwhile to leave the car at the port while we cruised. Had a quick departure when we debarked and made it to the Polynesian to find our room ready, stroller rental waiting, and we were off to the Magic Kingdom before 10am. Loved it so much we booked the 7 day Fantasy for this year!!