Dcl first timer with ?s

[jsmith2531]

I am a huge Disney fan (we are DVC members) and have discovered that I LOVE to cruise (just back from our 2nd). We have yet to bring our kids with us on a cruise. I am currently researching a 2011 family cruise and have a few questions.

 

Cruisers (age at time of cruise): ME 34, DH 40, DD 13, & DS 5

 

Desired time to set sail: October 2011 - first or second week (Our ISD has a 2 day holiday during on one of these two weeks...will not know which one until late October 2010.

 

Desired length of cruise/itinerary: 7 day Riviera on the Wonder OR 7 day Eastern/Western on the Magic (it would be either eastern or westen depending on which week the holiday falls on)

 

I would love to cruise on the Dream next year, but it is not doing a 7 day and I much prefer the 7 day cruise over the short ones. Therefore I will just have to wait on that one.

 

We have been to Cozumel twice and Grand Cayman. I loved both of them and would not mind going again, but if the eastern has something like the Grand Cayman stingray sandbar, then I would be more inclined to the eastern.

 

I would like to be able to do shore excursions EVERYONE in our family can do. I do not want to leave my poor DS5 out to dry and him not have any fun.

 

Questions:

1. Which itinerary do you like better - Riviera or Western or Eastern Carribean?

 

2. Which itinerary is more geared for the youger crowd...someone around 5yo?

 

3. Is the DCL much like the WDW resort....crowded, unbearable, horrid lines, long waits, etc. Will we be needing to get EVERYWHERE really early to get a good seat, etc.?

 

4. Outside of Palo, do we have to make reservations for everything? And if so, is this done like WDW, six months ahead of time?

[mdvlprof]

you'll find kid-friendly excursions both routes. I'd figure out which is less expensive and go from there. But, nothing is cheap or cheaply-done at Disney.;)

 

More kids, no casino, no library, dinner rotation - entertainment Broadway instead of Vegas. Soda at drink stations. Characters. Kids program - great.

 

Similar to other cruises for wait time.

 

I am a huge Disney fan (we are DVC members) and have discovered that I LOVE to cruise (just back from our 2nd). We have yet to bring our kids with us on a cruise. I am currently researching a 2011 family cruise and have a few questions.

 

Cruisers (age at time of cruise): ME 34, DH 40, DD 13, & DS 5

 

Desired time to set sail: October 2011 - first or second week (Our ISD has a 2 day holiday during on one of these two weeks...will not know which one until late October 2010.

 

Desired length of cruise/itinerary: 7 day Riviera on the Wonder OR 7 day Eastern/Western on the Magic (it would be either eastern or westen depending on which week the holiday falls on)

 

I would love to cruise on the Dream next year, but it is not doing a 7 day and I much prefer the 7 day cruise over the short ones. Therefore I will just have to wait on that one.

 

We have been to Cozumel twice and Grand Cayman. I loved both of them and would not mind going again, but if the eastern has something like the Grand Cayman stingray sandbar, then I would be more inclined to the eastern.

 

I would like to be able to do shore excursions EVERYONE in our family can do. I do not want to leave my poor DS5 out to dry and him not have any fun.

 

Questions:

1. Which itinerary do you like better - Riviera or Western or Eastern Carribean?

 

2. Which itinerary is more geared for the youger crowd...someone around 5yo?

 

3. Is the DCL much like the WDW resort....crowded, unbearable, horrid lines, long waits, etc. Will we be needing to get EVERYWHERE really early to get a good seat, etc.?

 

4. Outside of Palo, do we have to make reservations for everything? And if so, is this done like WDW, six months ahead of time?

[jsmith2531]

Thank you.

 

We expect to see more kids...that is why we are choosing DCL for our family cruise.

 

Are both itineraries quite common? I was not sure if the Riviera was as common as the bahama cruise or if they do this one only some of the time.

[momofsamandeden]

Personally I would do the Riviera option in October just because the slight chance of hurricanes/tropical storms still in the Caribbean. We too wanted 7 day with Disney but just could not pass up sailing on the Dream so we will do the three day at parks and 5 days on a cruise.

[jsmith2531]

That is the main reason I sway to the west coast - hurricanes.

 

The Eastern seems for beachy than the Riviera. The Riviera seems more sigtseeing and shopping. I could be wrong though.

 

I have until October this year to decide. I have to wait until I find if our ISDs holidays are falling the 1st or 2nd week of October 2011 before I am able to book

[mom x4,grandma x4]

We love the Eastern when we had grandkids with us for excustions.

 

St. Thomas has Coral world and an underwater observatory and the semi sub was alot of fun. Coral word itself is not exciting for adults but its great for kids. Lots of aquariums with fish, iguanas, turtles etc...

Semi sub was great for all ages.

The excursion was short enough we had all afternoon to do other things. This is easy to do on your own too and save some time and money.

 

Plus both St. Maartin and St. Thomas have butterfly farms that are great for kids.

Both have awesome beaches too.

St. Thomas also has a tram up the side of the hill which is fun to ride and at the top is a tropical bird show and a trail to walk on for a beautiful view.

Many beaches are clothing optional so do your research if your going to do a beach day.

 

 

Lines are generally only for character meets in the atrium, but if you arrive 15 minutes early it wont be aproblem. There are greets everyday and more than once a day plus character roaming around too so you dont have to wait in lines if you dont want to.

On castaway cay there are characters along the way to the beach. Lines are short if any lines at all. Check your navigator paper for times and where they will be.

 

The only really crowded place is the Mickey pool because all the kids love tolay there. Other than that everyone is spread out all over the ship so it really doesnt feel crowded.

 

Be sure and read the tip thread at the top of this forum page, it will really help you with planning a Disney cruise.

[jsmith2531]

Thanks so much for your assistance.