Asking for help planning a 6 day with families

[ddcruiser]

Hello,

 

We need to do a short cruise with two daughters' families due to sea-sickness problem with one family member. Thus we are thinking of the 3 day DCL from Port Canaveral either over winter break or early summer.

 

My questions--

 

1)if we want to include another couple of days along with the 3 day cruise--beach, Kennedy Space Center--should we do that before or after cruise? Which way would transportation be easier? Which beach, hotels are best? Both families have 3 children.

 

2) We do not like huge ships, but may have to do Dream if we go in summer. Does the Dream feel much bigger and more crowded than Magic or Wonder? Would Dream work better for two families with 3 kids each or does the ship size matter in so far as 5 person rooms?

 

Thanks for any help planning this.

ddcruiser

[MizDaisy]

I can't help with the transportation questions, although I know that a lot of people will rent a car, as there is car rental return nearby the port.

 

Before or after the cruise is a personal choice, and I'd lean toward which works best with your flights home. After a cruise, you really need to book a flight that doesn't leave until at least noon time, since you're never certain whether the disembarkation will be delayed.

 

Yes, the Dream feels MUCH larger than the Wonder and Magic.

 

As far as rooms that hold 2 adults and 3 kids, I think you'll find them to be just about the same. It's a tight squeeze....seems like everything Disney does, even at the park resorts, is more suited to a family of four. Two kids will need to sleep on the sofa in a standard room, and one on the pull down bed, whether it be from the ceiling or from the wall.

 

One thing to know, as far as the person who gets seasick......when sailing out of Florida, the worst part (for rough seas/ship motion) is always the first night out, right about dinner time, when the ship crosses the gulf stream between Florida and the Bahamas. Usually the only other time you might have rough seas is if there is a storm, and that can happen any time.

In other words, no matter how long your cruise is, you will always have a rough night when you first leave Florida, and most likely when you come back. So don't limit yourselves to a shorter cruise just for that reason.

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Hello,

 

 

 

We need to do a short cruise with two daughters' families due to sea-sickness problem with one family member. Thus we are thinking of the 3 day DCL from Port Canaveral either over winter break or early summer.

 

 

 

My questions--

 

 

 

1)if we want to include another couple of days along with the 3 day cruise--beach, Kennedy Space Center--should we do that before or after cruise? Which way would transportation be easier? Which beach, hotels are best? Both families have 3 children.

 

 

 

2) We do not like huge ships, but may have to do Dream if we go in summer. Does the Dream feel much bigger and more crowded than Magic or Wonder? Would Dream work better for two families with 3 kids each or does the ship size matter in so far as 5 person rooms?

 

 

 

Thanks for any help planning this.

 

ddcruiser

 

 

1) wether your stay is pre or post cruise doesn't matter book cruise you want first then adjust around it.

 

2) I have been on Fantasy (sister ship to Dream) and Magic and Wonder, yes you notice the crowds more, more getting on/off ship, they are nice ships, I would go back but prefer smaller ones mainly due to where they go, on the Fantasy we used concierge sun deck and our verandah more to get away from the people leaving towels on the ships deck chairs.

 

 

Sent from my iPad.

[Perez1992]

Hi my name is miranda and have cruised on the disney wonder six times and also have a large family and suffer from motion sickness I've got many tips!!

 

 

All I know is I was Born To Cruise..

Love,

Miranda

[ddcruiser]

Thank you for responses. So far very helpful. Hoping to hear more opinions. Thanks, Ddcruiser

[Perez1992]

Thank you for responses. So far very helpful. Hoping to hear more opinions. Thanks, Ddcruiser

 

 

I recommend getting a motion sickness patch you get a prescription from your doctor it a transdermal patch you place it behind your ear and it last for three days.

 

 

All I know is I was Born To Cruise..

Love,

Miranda

[moki'smommy]

I'd recommend doing your "on shore" fun first for LOTS of reasons. First, if your flight is delayed, you'd much rather miss one day of fun on shore than miss the ship! Secondly, if your luggage is delayed, it has time to catch up with you. Thirdly, the on shore stuff is work (at least for the moms). The ship is totally relaxing.

 

Yes, the new ships are (and feel) much bigger than the "classic" ships. However, they have many more options for cabins that will hold 5 people.

 

Transportation--are there 10 of you total? Or 12? Or something else? There are many limo companies who will happily take you from MCO to wherever you choose, but unless your hotel has transportation to your "fun" places, you'll need a van or a couple of cars. For instance, if you are doing WDW, ride Magical Express at no charge to the resort and go from there on Disney bus transportation. To get to the cruise, there are many good companies that will be far less costly than DCL transfers. But if you are going to Cocoa Beach, Kennedy Space Center, etc. you will need a way to get around and rentals will be best.

 

A good TA may be able to be creative with booking and save you some serious money depending on dates and categories. For instance, cabins that sleep 4 are generally a lot less costly than those that sleep 5, so if you book one child in the grandparent room (if applicable), it can be significantly less than booking all in the cabin with mom/dad. THe TA needs to be willing to look at the options for your dates and ship! No one cares who SLEEPS where...the key is who is booked where! This really depends on ages, etc. to make it work.

[kurukthemal]

We were on the Dream last year and did not feel crowded at all. The DCL ships are amazing, the shows are incredible and the staff is superb. So, IMHO, anything you do after that will be a let down. I would save the cruise for last!

[nzOdy]

Hi, we just did a 7 night on the Fantasy (Dream's sister ship). You will definitely feel the size of this ship. Those 4000 passengers are noticeable, particularly around the pools - but you can still have a great time. There are a ton of options and activities on the boat for family time.

 

We actually traveled out to Florida from California and did it 3 days early, we spent a night in Orlando to take in Harry Potter world at Universal, the next day we rented a car and drove out to Port Canaveral to the Country Inn & Suites Hotel. If you do this, rent a Hertz car - they have an office right next to the Country Inn, very convenient to drop the car there and take a very short walk back to the hotel. We took a day to visit Kennedy Space Center - I HIGHLY recommend this location if you have not visited it before. Also write to your local congress person and see if you can get tickets (since it's a government facility). We did that and had free tickets for our group of four, that included the bus tour. Make sure you do the bus tour - you will learn a lot and see the various launch pads they have used. We spent 5.5 hours there and could have used more.

 

After we drove back from KSC - we dropped the car at the neighbouring Hertz office (saves a day of car rental fee) and the next morning used the hotel shuttle to get us and our luggage to the terminal.

 

I would recommend doing the day trips before the cruise for the reasons mentioned above by other posters and also the end of the cruise is like the end of a dream - and it would be hard to get upbeat about doing something else IMHO.