Disney Cruise vs Disney World with a 4yr old

[Medicmom]

Hi, Hubby and I are planning a trip with our 4yr old in April (end of). We are going back and forth between doing a 4 day Bahamian Disney Cruise, or doing 5 days in Disney staying at the Animal Kingdom or the Beach resort. The price for a standard cabin is $2280. which I guess includes meals and pop and kids club. The price for the Animal Kingdom is $2550 and it includes 5 days of parkhopper tickets, and a $750 disney card (which should cover most of the meals). Kids club is an extra $10/hr. The Beach resort is $2137 with the tickets etc and a $500 gift card AND the dinner plan.

Hubby thinks we should cruise, as he thinks we will have more opportunity for our daughter to see characters. But looking online it says the Wonder only has 1 princess night (photo op night), and the rest of the time the characters are more the Mickey and Minnie type characters. Do you get to see a lot of characters, including princesses on the cruise?

I am also concerned about the activity stuff for her on shore days (2 of the 3). It seems that most of the excursions are geared to an older age, and the prices seem very high. Whereas at DW we could do a few hours in the park, go back to the room for a nap etc... and continue later. And the prices above include the ticket cost to get into the parks.

I am just not sure.... would a cruise be better with a 4 yr old? Anybody done both that can compare the differences between the 2?

I get that I pay more for a disney cruise due to the "experience" and I am not upset about that-- but being at DW also offers the "experience" and seems to be quite a bit cheaper.

Would love to get feedback from people who have done both-- Hubby and I have cruised before but never on Disney and neither of us has ever been to Disney World (gasp! I know :) so your input would be greatly appreciated.:)

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Boy thats a tough choice. Both places have advantages with a 4 year old.

I love taking our kids and grandkids on both.

All kids are different but in my experience with taking 2 different 5 year olds on both the cruise and WDW I would vote for the cruise.

 

heres why.

April is very HOT at WDW and kids really get tired and cranky fast. Some attractions are inside at WDW but your only in there a couple of minutes then back out to the heat again.

On the ship with the acception of the pool areas all the kids activities are in the cool clubs.

 

Lines are much shorter to see characters on the ship. You can dress her in pretty princess dress for an awesome photo with her favorite princess. Wearing those dresses out in the parks is akward and uncomfortable for photos.

On CC there are also characters on the way to the beach. Your Navigator will tell you what times. The most we have ever had to wait for was 2 people, so NO lines there to see characters and they also appear at the Gazebo during the day with no lines. Navigator will have the time.

 

WDW, even in a stroller is exhausting. Most kids that age are good for one morning and that all,s o you really are loosing a lot of your vacation time.

If you go in the mornign, then nap then go back to the parks and stay late your child wont be ready to go out the next morning, so you will still loose half a day. Unless your one of the parents I see telling the kids to chill they paid for this trip and they are staying all day to see it all.

 

Kids need to be kids and run and play some, not just stand in long lines over and over again. I think to really see WDW the kids need to be 7 or 8.

Now if you dont care about trying to see all of the parks and will just go a ther place you will have a good time, but parents tend to want to do more than the little ones are capable of doing without getting cranky.

 

Both places have lots of characters. Both are geared for kids.

 

But for my grandkids they said the cruise was more fun. I believe it was because it was more relaxed. No rushing around. They got to play in the pool, play in the clubs and make friends. They met characters and loved all the extra goodies they got to eat. They got to just be themselves.

 

At Nassau many just stay on the ship and enjoy the pools. If you want to take them somewhere, try Ardastra gardens. You can grab a taxi at the port pretty cheap if you dont want to do DCL's excursion. Besides plants they have a small zoo there. Or go to Atlanits aquarium. Take a taxi and just pay admission if you want. It is an awesome aquarium and its inside and outside its so large. Wndows are low so kids can easily see. If you do the actual tour it goes fast but you can go back through at your own pace, just by showing the wrist bands hey give you.

 

I guess you need to think about how well does you child do while waiting in lines, how well doe she take the heat, how easily does she adapt to new situations and strangers? If this tripi s for her to have fun, look at it from her perspective and then go for it and have a Magical time.

 

 

Both places are so much fun. Good luck,

 

Kathy

[StevefromOhio]

We took a 4 day WDW and 4 Day Wonder Cruise with a 6,4,3,1 year old grandchildren (and their parents:). Everyone had a great time but all agreed that we would opt for a 7 day cruise the next time. That next time is this Thanksgiving and all are excited.

[Mommy7999]

The 2 are both quite different -- and wonderful -- experiences. Having done both several times, I would suggest that there is nothing like seeing Cinderella's castle, except seeing your daughter's face when she sees Cinderella's castle. It's been my experience that WDW has more "magic" around every corner.

 

You can't lose either way -- have a wonderful vacation!

[grand isle joe]

How about the best of both worlds? 3 day cruise with a 4 day stay in the park. Or vice versa? Give you and the kid a taste of the best Disney offers. We did the park first and the cruise gives you a chance to relax and to this day it was one of our daughter's favorite vacations. Wishing you and yours a great vacation whatever you choose.:)

[PoopDeckPappy]

Whatever you decide, have a great time. We are doing a 4 night cruise and then 4 nights at WDW next Dec. Just so you are aware, the park hopper option really adds up and you can cut costs by buying tickets for the parks you want to go to. I know with my 3 and 2 year old we are not hopping from park to park, it's just too much for them.

[2bundles]

I think a 4yr old would enjoy WDW more, but DCL would be more relaxing for you.

 

I also agree about the Land/Sea package, but really you need a few extra days at WDW if you want to do all the parks.

 

A 4yr old will like MK the best, AK is good, but I think more like a zoo for younger kids, and the young kids ride area is dino themed.

[angelald]

We haven't done either yet, but are booked on a cruise for Jan 30 with our 4 year old girl. I looked at both options carefully but decided that she might still be a little young to handle the massive-ness of WDW. I just didn't think that she could handle 4 full days of walking around. On the cruise she will have access to all of the characters (which she loves) and can still enjoy the pools and beaches at the ports. I am going to do the whole WDW experience when she is maybe 5-6. With that being said, we do have a day to kill before we go home so we are going to hit Magic Kingdom. I think one day will be enough to give her a taste.

 

Oh and with the cruise there is more relaxation for the parents with kids clubs right on board. Great at this age when parents often need a break!

 

Good luck with your choice!

 

Angela

[alemap]

Wow. Let's see. In my opinion there are pros and cons to each. We have cruised 3 times with our 4 year old, albiet not on Disney yet (this Feb. tho!), and a 4 day cruise would be more relaxing, and not go, go,go-but too short! We like longer cruises. However, we are looking forward to our 3 day Wonder cruise, even though it sure will be hard to get off that boat! We have been to WDW 3 times with her, though not in April,so I can't accout for crowds and long lines at that time. But we have had a fantastic time-provided that we pretty much did not follow a strict schedule and went with the flow and geared the stay towards her and her brother. (Crankiness, nap and swim breaks, leaving when they needed to, not when WE wanted to!) I also agree, having a Park Hopper is of no value to us at this age. We always buy one park a day tickets. The kids are just too small to really hop back and forth, we don't have the time, or the fast legs to make it worth it! Besides, MK is wonderful, and I guess AK was ok, my kids enjoyed it, but liked MK so much more. They were too small to ride much at Hollywood Studios, and not as interested, so we don't visit there yet with them. We do love Epcot though, but again, would not park hop because of time spent elswhere, nap and swim breaks, etc. We would just go on a different day. At that age, they need more than one day to see each park (MK and Epcot), they are very big! My DD loves pricesses and characters, and I felt that we really got to see a lot at MK, especially if you time the princess right (first thing) when the lines are shorter. (Besides the pricesses are in AC if it is a longer wait! I just bring a backpack full of snacks and small games and distractions for a wait time).

 

We are a big cruising family, twice a year, and we all love it. And I am sure character meeting is a little easier on a cruise. But if you really want that "magical" Disney feeling I vote for WDW. (Remember, I am biased, because I already did WDW and am not doing the cruise till now!)

 

If you can swing the land/sea package, that would be the best!!!

Good luck with your decision!

[djpolly]

Either choice will be a winner so you can't loose which ever you do.

 

Personnally I would pick WDW for a 4yr old. The castle is still "real" to them at that age. Our daughter (4 at the time) was literally frozen when she stood at one end of Main Street USA and saw the castle in the distance. Within the first 5 minutes that trip was worth every penny. We stayed on property so when it got to overwhelming we would head back to ur hotel and rest by the pool and head back later. By the time she was 6, the shine was off WDW world. She knew that it was not real. Of course, her new obsession turned to the roller coasters and water parks.

 

Now she is asking when can we go back to the ship instead of WDW.

[szubieta]

We did the AKL when our son was 4 1/2 for 9 days at Christmas and he was 5 1/2 on our 15nt cruise (RCCL) he loved both. He talks about both still. I would say to do what you and your husband decide because she will not know what she's missing of either and she will have a great time if you are. :D Although a land & sea would give you a nice taste of both. ;)