Preferring DCL to WDW for the Disney Fix - Anyone else?

[bedgraynexl]

For me it just depends on my mood. I love the parks and love planning trips there and everything that goes into it. I love the relaxed feeling following a Disney Cruise. We were able to combine the Disney Wonder and Disneyland our last trip. We got to experience the best of both. Disney is so creative with the ways it entertains people.

That being said I think our next trip will be another cruise on the Wonder out of Galveston in January 2021 if it works out. I am bummed that the Fall 2020 cruises did not line up like I needed.

 

[Lisa F]

I agree with those who say they are totally incomparable trips.

For the whole "Disney" immersion you can't beat the parks... but it is a LOT more overhead, a LOT more planning, a LOT more work, a LOT more potential for stress, a LOT more tiring... basically less of a vacation and more of a "trip."

DCL is Disney but not the total immersion of the parks IMO... yes you have the characters but the rest of it is kind of a nice, pleasant backdrop rather than in your face. The ships are beautifully and elegantly decorated with many hidden Mickeys... the Disney is there if you care to find it but you can pretty easily ignore it without it compromising your cruising experience one bit if you're not a fan. You can set the pace without worrying about whether you are getting your money's worth... just sitting on a lounger watching the ocean is still a good use of your time...whereas at the parks with the high price of admission, taking time away does not feel like a good use of vacation dollars. You can choose to not plan at all and just do whatever you feel like and for many people (especially parents) this feels like utter luxury. But I wouldn't say it gives me a Disney fix... more it gives me a vacation fix and Disney does it the way I prefer to cruise with decor that makes me feel good and entertainment I enjoy (yes it is Disney!) and theming that I love... but it's more the Disney "culture" that makes it wonderful rather than being immersive in Disney "stuff" everywhere you look. that's part of the benefit though as families with people of all different tastes and activity abilities can have an equally wonderful time whereas the parks are hell on earth for people who don't care that much for Disney to begin with and mobility issues are far more challenging.

 

[fhtpdw20]

I will be doing mostly cruises from now on. The parks have become over-priced and have gone literally to the dogs. I WILL NOT spend $$$$$$ to vacation in a kennel . I am not a Marvel or Star Wars fan so the new additions are not high on my must-see list either. I am not much for riding anymore, so I look more to doing tours and parades, fireworks, shows and festivals.

 

[Pluto1976]

Wow, thanks for all of the great feedback. Very much enjoyed reading over everyone's posts. @brentm77 I have to recognize your post because everything you described was spot-on!

WDW is a great destination and no doubt will return. The reasoning for others changing their preference to DCL from WDW seems similar to my own (i.e. in short easier and still Disney). The ratio is definitely shifting to DCL trips for me. Super excited for the new ships coming and looking forward to cruising on them too!

 

[NancyIL]

Wow, thanks for all of the great feedback. Very much enjoyed reading over everyone's posts. @brentm77 I have to recognize your post because everything you described was spot-on!

WDW is a great destination and no doubt will return. The reasoning for others changing their preference to DCL from WDW seems similar to my own (i.e. in short easier and still Disney). The ratio is definitely shifting to DCL trips for me. Super excited for the new ships coming and looking forward to cruising on them too!

I'd do a lot more Disney cruises - if the prices weren't so much higher than those of other cruise lines!

 

[RAD]

As DVC owners since 1999 got to say it's DCL over WDW for us at this time. For use WDW vacations are just too much work planning on what you want to do. You need to know exactly what days you're going to be in what parks so you can get your FP's. You need to plan out your dining reservations 180 days in advance to help make sure you can get what you want. Plus the constant nickel and diming making you pay for things that they used to proved to the need to have a college degree to figure out what ticket media you need to buy and what the costs will be. So what we've been doing is rent out our DVC points and take a DCL cruise.

 

[fredandkell]

I don’t care if I ever set foot in a Disney park ever again...but I have 2 future DCL cruises booked...’nuff said.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

DCL is our favorite. We'll spend the day or two days before the cruise at SSR (DVC). One day at MK then head to the port. WDW is like running a marathon all day long while DCL is pure relaxation.

 

[Infinite]

I agree with you completely, my wife prefers WDW. We've a happy middle with flying in early and do 2 days at WDW and 4-5 days cruising.