How do we know if we're "cruise people?"

I completely agree. Also tell your husband to keep an open mind. My BIL was dead set against cruising but agreed to go because it was free. He loved it and can't wait to go back.

This was us. We went with family VERY reluctantly. And have now gone twice on our own.

Also, we really didn't like the idea of sitting around. We don't do resort vacations for the same reason. That feels both boring and like a waste of money. You can sit around at home. But the forced relaxation of sea days revealed that we really needed to rest after all. Most likely because of our high-energy kid, but he gets the kids club. So everyone is served.
 
Western Caribbean also doesn't seem super exciting since we've been to Mexico 3 times pre-kids (although my kids would love to go to Mexico!), really Eastern and Southern Caribbean appeal to me the most since those are all new destinations to me, but those cruises are generally 7 nights and quite a bit more money!

If your kids would love Mexico, and the price is more appealing, go to Mexico. It won't seem like the same old same old when you're seeing it through their eyes.

Many people hate cruises under 7 days, but not everyone. And of course not everyone can afford to go longer or take their kids out during cheaper times. We started out at 7 days but just got off a 4-day and it was fine!


A lot of people are recommending the bigger ships but I was more interested in the smaller ships for the main reason that there's less people! I also read a few times that the staterooms on the smaller ships are slightly bigger/better laid out? And my DD loves Tiana so I thought Tiana's Place on the Wonder would be amazing for her! But maybe it's just best to pick an itinerary we like rather than a ship?

And just how amazing is Castaway Cay? Should we absolutely make sure to go there? I was looking at a one-way 6 night cruise from Galveston to San Juan that looked interesting (then we could spend a few days in San Juan aftewards) but it doesn't stop at Castaway Cay - nor do any of the Southern Caribbean cruises! :(

We really like Castaway Cay but we're landlocked. It's about the only time DS7 gets to play on a beach. If you're around them all the time, it's much less exciting.

We just got off a cruise on the Wonder that started from San Juan. I have lots of photos in the trip report in my signature. And there's someone who posts lots of details about cruises they take out of Galveston in the trip reports section too. I find the trip reports super helpful. And fun! Ending in San Juan and getting to spend a few days on things like bioluminescent bays would be a great trip.
 
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No saying "no" to your kid when they want a snack or a Mickey bar.

For people used to the parks, free Mickey bars are huge.

I will add the caveat that DH and I both LOVE trivia. That and mixology are what we do on sea days besides just relaxing.


I was very, very hesitant about a cruise, but we just booked our first one for next May. (Western Caribbean- 7 night.) I never thought I would enjoy cruising...the whole thing didn’t appeal to me...until I started looking at the Disney ships. They don’t look like a floating Vegas (I love the classic nautical look), there are no casinos, they get high reviews for service and cleanliness, the kids clubs look great...plus Disney characters!

We aren't particularly Disney people, but it was the classic ocean liner look of the ships that has really hooked us too. I actually thought the service on NCL was just as good but we really disliked the Vegas look. And RCL reminds us too much of a shopping mall, even if it's Mall of America level.
 
DH and I never thought we'd go on a cruise...well maybe to Alaska when we're 'old'. Then I discovered that Disney goes to Alaska. We are Disney people--own DVC, get AP's, and go to Disney World twice a year. So, we decided to try out a Disney cruise to Alaska. DH, was especially skeptical of the cruising part--he knew he would love the Alaska part...which is why he agreed to cruise at all. We had a great time on the cruise and in the ports. DH enjoyed it enough to be willing to do it again...he let me do a placeholder booking for a future cruise within 24 mths. We decided that the ports were important to us as well as the Disney part. We loved having the ship transport us while we were having fun and sleeping. We loved unpacking once, and knowing that after our excursion we'd be back on the ship and having a good meal in the dining rooms and seeing a show in the theater at night. Our first cruise was on the Wonder to Alaska in 2016, second cruise was on the Magic Northern European (Baltic sea) in 2018. Our Baltic Sea one was wonderful. We again did a placeholder booking. Unfortunately the summer 2020 release didn't offer the cruise we hoped for 'when' we can do it...we really wanted a Norway or British Isles...past our placeholder date and around the start of school. We looked at other Europe cruises, but were priced too high for itineraries we weren't really interested in...especially when you add in the cost of flights to Europe, hotel stay before the cruise, and the excursions. So...we decided to do something we didn't think we would...we've booked a 4 nt Dream cruise for the 'ship' experience vs. for the itinerary. As I said, we have DVC, and we'll still have AP's about to expire...so the 'parks' part of the trip will already be paid (except for food) and airfare should be 'cheap' to Orlando in the summer. Everything about the Dream cruise will be new to us--Pirate night, Castaway Cay, bigger ship with more amenities, etc. So we're looking forward to it.

So...I'd pick the itinerary you'd like, doesn't matter which ship it is--they're all great in their own way!
 


We just got off a cruise on the Wonder that started from San Juan. I have lots of photos in the trip report in my signature. And there's someone who posts lots of details about cruises they take out of Galveston in the trip reports section too. I find the trip reports super helpful. And fun! Ending in San Juan and getting to spend a few days on things like bioluminescent bays would be a great trip.[/QUOTE

I actually read your trip report a few days ago and was wishing they offered that same itinerary next year!
 
If the itinerary calls for Castaway Cay, you definitely need to get off. If it's not for you, just get right back on the ship.
 
I had the same reservations about cruising before our first cruise two years ago. In fact I booked a 3 night because I was afraid we wouldn't like it. I love Disney World, but my husband can't stand all of the crowds there. I was really worried about how he would react to the crowds on the ship. He's also really picky with food so I thought that may be an issue as well. We all ended up having THE BEST time. I think we went into it hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. In reality, nothing (crowds, food, pools etc) was as bad as I had feared. The whole trip completely exceeded our expectations.
 


Ok, OP here. I'm looking at a 6 night cruise from Galveston to San Juan that would be about $4400 for a verandah room our family of 4. I'm also looking at a 7 night Southern Caribbean from San Juan that would be $5131 for an oceanview room or $7100 for a verandah room for our family of 4. Neither one stops at Castaway Cay. :( The Galveston-San Juan cruise is clearly a much better value here but the ports aren't quite as interesting to me. Is a verandah room really worth $2000 more on the 7 night Southern Caribbean? I think we'd enjoy a verandah room much more and if it's one-and-done for us I'd like to make sure we really enjoy it....but that's a lot of extra money!
 
Ok, OP here. I'm looking at a 6 night cruise from Galveston to San Juan that would be about $4400 for a verandah room our family of 4. I'm also looking at a 7 night Southern Caribbean from San Juan that would be $5131 for an oceanview room or $7100 for a verandah room for our family of 4. Neither one stops at Castaway Cay. :( The Galveston-San Juan cruise is clearly a much better value here but the ports aren't quite as interesting to me. Is a verandah room really worth $2000 more on the 7 night Southern Caribbean? I think we'd enjoy a verandah room much more and if it's one-and-done for us I'd like to make sure we really enjoy it....but that's a lot of extra money!
On the Wonder and Magic, verandahs come at a premium cost...we're talking thousands more than an oceanview room. On both the Wonder and Magic, we booked a category 9C room on deck 2 (at or just in front of the aft elevators). We're not in the room much and the money we saved went towards the excursions, airfare, etc. We are doing a verandah on the Dream next summer--the cost difference is only $300 between oceanview and verandah. (Supply/demand...Dream/Fantasy have a higher % of verandah rooms than the Magic/Wonder.)
 
Is a verandah room really worth $2000 more on the 7 night Southern Caribbean? I think we'd enjoy a verandah room much more and if it's one-and-done for us I'd like to make sure we really enjoy it....but that's a lot of extra money!

On Disney we always stay in the family oceanview room. On other cruises we have done a verandah. I really like the huge window on Disney and I enjoy sitting on Deck 4 if I want to be outside. Of course I would love a verandah on Disney but I wouldn't pay $2k.
 
Thank you everyone for some really great responses! This gives me a lot to think about! I think I'm leaning more towards doing a longer cruise with a more interesting (to me!) itinerary. Reading your responses and really thinking about it, it seems like a shorter cruise would almost be a "waste" for us - since I'm not sure that we'll ever do it again and I'd really like to go to some new and interesting places!

A lot of people are recommending the bigger ships but I was more interested in the smaller ships for the main reason that there's less people! I also read a few times that the staterooms on the smaller ships are slightly bigger/better laid out? And my DD loves Tiana so I thought Tiana's Place on the Wonder would be amazing for her! But maybe it's just best to pick an itinerary we like rather than a ship?

And just how amazing is Castaway Cay? Should we absolutely make sure to go there? I was looking at a one-way 6 night cruise from Galveston to San Juan that looked interesting (then we could spend a few days in San Juan aftewards) but it doesn't stop at Castaway Cay - nor do any of the Southern Caribbean cruises! :(
Castaway Cay is very nice. That said, if you're leaning towards the Wonder, I recommend taking one of her winter Southern Caribbean cruises, even if CC isn't on the itinerary.

In regards to stateroom choice, I'd prefer an oceanview stateroom on a cruise with a great itinerary over a verandah stateroom on a cruise with a mediocre itinerary.
 
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I booked a veranda on our first cruise and was sure we couldn't travel any other way. We ended up barely using it so it wasn't worth the extra money. That being said, I would go with the Southern itinerary in an Oceanview room.
 
Do not do a short cruise for your first time. A 4 night cruise is way too short expecially for your first time.

I disagree. We did a 4 day one for our first cruise. We weren't sure if we would be bored or seasick. We weren't thrilled with the Bahamian itinerary either but we wanted to see if there was any interest at all for another cruise. At 4 days, it would be enough to determine if we liked it, could tolerate the movement of the ship and wouldn't be stuck there for more days than we could stand it if we didn't like it and wouldn't feel like we wasted all that money if we hated it. I much prefer to do 10+ nights now but I am very glad that we started with just a taste. A colleague of mine went on a 5 day cruise to try it out. She and the family enjoyed it well enough but they probably won't do another - really just not their cup of tea. I don't think she would have been happy with a longer one. Better to dip your toe in and want more than jump in and hate it especially for the price.
 
Ok, OP here. I'm looking at a 6 night cruise from Galveston to San Juan that would be about $4400 for a verandah room our family of 4. I'm also looking at a 7 night Southern Caribbean from San Juan that would be $5131 for an oceanview room or $7100 for a verandah room for our family of 4. Neither one stops at Castaway Cay. :( The Galveston-San Juan cruise is clearly a much better value here but the ports aren't quite as interesting to me. Is a verandah room really worth $2000 more on the 7 night Southern Caribbean? I think we'd enjoy a verandah room much more and if it's one-and-done for us I'd like to make sure we really enjoy it....but that's a lot of extra money!

We did verandah the first time and are doing verandah again in 2 months. I can't imagine we would go without one - I think it would be a deal breaker for DH. Neither of us likes crowds (especially DH), and felt like the verandah was a nice place to sit and relax away from people. Coffee in the morning watching the sunrise, beer in the afternoon, etc. I can also get some slight claustrophobic feelings, and the verandah helps with that too. And it was nice to go out there while the kids wanted to stay in the room watching TV ... so we could get a bit away from the noise. Personally, I would go with the one and done idea, and go big with the Southern / verandah. I am so interested in the southern ports, but our schedule hasn't allowed it yet. Of course the ports are going to add up $$ as well, and the airfare, and only you know what you can handle budget-wise.
 
We didn't know either so we took a 4 night "test" cruise and were hooked. I thought a 4 night was perfect - one sea day, one port and Castaway Cay so we got a nice feel for everything. Cruising isn't for everyone. I know of quite a few people in past FB cruise groups who were one and done.
 
DH and I never thought we'd go on a cruise...well maybe to Alaska when we're 'old'. Then I discovered that Disney goes to Alaska. We are Disney people--own DVC, get AP's, and go to Disney World twice a year. So, we decided to try out a Disney cruise to Alaska. DH, was especially skeptical of the cruising part--he knew he would love the Alaska part...which is why he agreed to cruise at all. We had a great time on the cruise and in the ports. DH enjoyed it enough to be willing to do it again...he let me do a placeholder booking for a future cruise within 24 mths. We decided that the ports were important to us as well as the Disney part. We loved having the ship transport us while we were having fun and sleeping. We loved unpacking once, and knowing that after our excursion we'd be back on the ship and having a good meal in the dining rooms and seeing a show in the theater at night. Our first cruise was on the Wonder to Alaska in 2016, second cruise was on the Magic Northern European (Baltic sea) in 2018. Our Baltic Sea one was wonderful. We again did a placeholder booking. Unfortunately the summer 2020 release didn't offer the cruise we hoped for 'when' we can do it...we really wanted a Norway or British Isles...past our placeholder date and around the start of school. We looked at other Europe cruises, but were priced too high for itineraries we weren't really interested in...especially when you add in the cost of flights to Europe, hotel stay before the cruise, and the excursions. So...we decided to do something we didn't think we would...we've booked a 4 nt Dream cruise for the 'ship' experience vs. for the itinerary. As I said, we have DVC, and we'll still have AP's about to expire...so the 'parks' part of the trip will already be paid (except for food) and airfare should be 'cheap' to Orlando in the summer. Everything about the Dream cruise will be new to us--Pirate night, Castaway Cay, bigger ship with more amenities, etc. So we're looking forward to it.

So...I'd pick the itinerary you'd like, doesn't matter which ship it is--they're all great in their own way!

This is exactly my logic. DH agreed because he wants to go to Alaska, he's a Disney Scrooge otherwise and hates the idea of cruising. We'll see if he likes it. My feeling is, if he hates it and never wants to go again, at least we had one awesome trip.

Ok, OP here. I'm looking at a 6 night cruise from Galveston to San Juan that would be about $4400 for a verandah room our family of 4. I'm also looking at a 7 night Southern Caribbean from San Juan that would be $5131 for an oceanview room or $7100 for a verandah room for our family of 4. Neither one stops at Castaway Cay. :( The Galveston-San Juan cruise is clearly a much better value here but the ports aren't quite as interesting to me. Is a verandah room really worth $2000 more on the 7 night Southern Caribbean? I think we'd enjoy a verandah room much more and if it's one-and-done for us I'd like to make sure we really enjoy it....but that's a lot of extra money!

I would do the Galveston - San Juan cruise for sure. You can spend extra nights in San Juan at the end with the money you save on the cheaper cruise. Explore the sights, such as Old San Juan and maybe even going kayaking in the bioluminescent bay at night if they're offering those tours again post-Maria. And there are amazing beaches there too which will make up the loss of CC. But I've been to the Bahamas a lot so maybe I'm just not easily impressed by CC. ETA: I just saw that neither San Juan cruise includes CC.
 
This is exactly my logic. DH agreed because he wants to go to Alaska, he's a Disney Scrooge otherwise and hates the idea of cruising. We'll see if he likes it. My feeling is, if he hates it and never wants to go again, at least we had one awesome trip.



I would do the Galveston - San Juan cruise for sure. You can spend extra nights in San Juan at the end with the money you save on the cheaper cruise. Explore the sights, such as Old San Juan and maybe even going kayaking in the bioluminescent bay at night if they're offering those tours again post-Maria. And there are amazing beaches there too which will make up the loss of CC. But I've been to the Bahamas a lot so maybe I'm just not easily impressed by CC. ETA: I just saw that neither San Juan cruise includes CC.
That's what I was thinking with that cruise - spend some time in San Juan afterwards! Puerto Rico is a spot in the Caribbean that I'm actually pretty interested in because of all the history, so that would be pretty cool! And good thinking about the great beaches there! :)
 
We have cruised on DCL 8 times. We started out with inside cabins - family of five always booked two cabins and once three cabins......

Inside was once. We have had mostly ocean views and two or three times verandah. We will be cruising Alaska (not DCL) next year and of course chose verandah.

You won't know what you are missing if your first cruise is an oceanview cabin. The verandah is nice of course, but you must ask yourself if you will spend a lot of time in your cabin too. Are you the type that would rather be alone or likes to explore and observe, etc. Do you mind spending the extra $$ or would you rather use it for your ship account/excursions, etc.

Most of our cruises have been with family/friends (lot's) - only one cruise was just dh and I. Having said that, we liked to meet up or bump into our family/friends while wondering around, having breakfast, try to meet up for a drink a few minutes before dinner, etc. - we were always looking forward to spending time with them. We did not spend much time in the cabin.

Only you can determine which you prefer, what is more important to you. Have fun and happy planning!!!
 

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