stoweflake

A friend recently recommended a Disney Magic cruise out of San Juan for the whole family. I see the benefits of childcare and everything taken care of although cruise wouldn’t be my first choice for my husband and me. The two cruise choices I see are 6 and 7 day cruises. I’m. Wondering if that is too much time on a trip/boat for my family. It consists of one daughter her husband with a rambunctious 5 yo and a 2 year old. And another Daughter and her husband along with my husband and myself. Is even 6 days too long? Thank you

schmerl

I won't take a cruise that short. I don't think it's worth the hassle of travel for a short cruise.
The first and last days are for travel, so you really will be spending four or five days on the ship which is not too much. There is plenty to do on the ship, plus you'll be visiting different ports and getting off the ship.
Of course, you know your family better than I do.

janisj

The time will fly by -- don't think of it like 6 or 7 days in a hotel. Especially on a Disney Cruise there will be so many onboard family (and adult) activities even without ports of call that the kids won't have a chance to get bored and because of the child care, the adults can have lots of 'adult time' too.

I'm not a huge cruiser -- only a couple of ocean (Alaska 7 day and a very short LA > Ensenada > Catalina) and a couple of river (Rhine and Mississippi) and it really isn't my favorite mode of travel. Though Alaska was magnificent and the Rhine was terrific. But for a multi-generational vacation I'd think a Disney cruise would tick just about every possible box.

stoweflake

Thank you for your Quick reply. My husband and I have taken two cruises. One my Mother In Law treated us to in Alaska. I remember enjoying all the amenities, once I got used to it. and the other was a 4 night cruise in New England with just Mom, my husband and my two daughters when they were young. I do remember thinking it went by too fast. That one was nice because we lived in New York at the time and just drove up to the terminal. Thanks for your advice.

annw

Nice to see this post and I hope ok to jump in. Just to share our story, we are thinking of taking our sons and their families (one branch has 2 and 4 year olds; other, one 2 year old) on a Disney cruise to celebrate our big upcoming anniversary. We've only done 1 cruise, to Alaska, for a week, and are not big on cruising, though that may change as we age. We will all be living in separate regions (Bay Area/LA/Denver) and would meet up for the cruise.

We are thinking of San Diego to Vancouver or vice versa. It's a 3-4 day cruise, and the idea would be for whoever want to to spend some time in SD or Vancouver before/after the cruise.

Anniversary is around US Labor Day. The 2 year olds will be 3 in November 2025; am thinking it will work out better if/when they are 3, that maybe more will be accessible to them at that age, or would it matter? The weather would be worse for that time frame. Really not wanting to do Caribbean or Florida-oriented travel.

Alternatives could be Disneyland, or a family-oriented resort in CO or Wyoming, like Estes Park, CO or Jackson Hole.

Anyway, open to any other thoughts and happy to read along on this thread.

janisj

annw: I personally would not (ever) plan a cruise up the west coast in November. You could luck out weather wise, but if its awful like it is this week it would be a terrible ordeal IMO. The entire west coast from Canada down to maybe Monterey is getting hit with wave after wave of rain, snow, high winds.

Whereas September is generally the very best month of the year along the CA/OR coasts (not that sure re WA) Sept/early Oct is when locals head to the coast because the weather is perfect then. Jun/July can be cool/cold/foggy but September is usually glorious.

I don't think the two months would make that much difference re the toddlers.

joto

We have booked on Icon of the Seas for a 7 day family cruise to the Caribbean, with the grands at the time of the cruise, 3, 6, 7, 14, 17. We chose the ship because it has a wide range of activities for all ages, and it has babysitting for the youngest ones, if needed. The Caribbean might work out for you, as it wouldn't be so hot in the fall/winter, and the beaches might not be so crowded.

annw

Thanks, Janis -- we live in the Bay Area so yes we are getting drenched this late November; the San Diego portion doesn't worry me; it's the Vancouver part. One branch moving to LA and one's in Denver. Also I think they only runs these certain times of year so that's a limitation too.

Re: ages, I was thinking I'd inquire if any activities have the 3 year old cut-off for kids. September is far more appealing for many reasons.

I hear good things about family cruises but have to continue to do research.

stoweflake

I’m exhausted trying to find the right trip for my family of 6 adults and two children ages 5 and 2. Cruise travel agent suggested Oasis of the seas out of San Juan. The ship is enormous and reminds me of Las Vegas. The small Disney ship quoted was much more expensive and still not sure it’s a good fit. We are traveling from Massachusetts and Minneapolis. You mentioned a “family-oriented resort in CO or Wyoming, like Estes Park, CO or Jackson Hole”. Can anyone recommend one for family with young children that has easy access from the airport?

janisj

That sort of question might be better asked over on the US Forum. Not a lot of cruises stop in CO or WY

RoamsAround

stoweflake already has a thread on the US Forum seeking recommendations for an All Inclusives Resort for a family trip in the Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater areas of Florida.

mlgb

For those wishing to do more research on Disney vs other cruise lines, or specific cruise ships, I recommend going on over to Cruise Critic and YouTube for more research. As you have discovered, Disney Cruises are charged at a premium price but then so are some of the newest offerings from Royal Caribbean. It's also good to know what is included and what is extra if price is a consideration.

annw there are no cruises going to Vancouver in November! Their cruise season ends in October.

Also, consider if you really want to do a repositioning cruise with no port stops. Those can be a little boring, even on a Disney ship.

I use Vacations To Go for research, you can search by port, destination, cruise ship, cruise line, dates, etc..

You may have to enroll to see the information.
If you log in, here is the information for Disney Wonder
https://www.vacationstogo.com/ticker...45&n=0&d=0&v=0
Wonder sails from San Diego in winter and they move it to Vancouver for short cruises during the summer season. And apparently it also moves over to Australia for a while!

I agree that 3 or 4 day cruises are a waste of effort.

BTW Ruby Princess sails from San Francisco, I think I would pop on over to either Princess or VTG and look for that ship.

stoweflake

I need to seriously do more research.