DCL or WDW?!

[orangejeepgirl]

Need help deciding which we should do for our next vacation! Here are our two options.

1. Sail on the Disney Dream - 6 Night Halloween on the High Seas Bermuda Sailing from NY in October. We live in NY so we would not have to pay for flights. I would do a Verandah stateroom. My kids would be 5 (boy) and 2 (girl) at time of sailing. We did a 5 night Bermuda sailing on the Magic last Fall and had a great time. DCL isn't sailing out of NY in 2025. The risk here is if there's a hurricane we could go to Canada instead of Bermuda.

2. Disney World in May - 6 Nights at a Deluxe resort (undecided which one) with 5 day base tickets. My kids would be 5 & 3 at time of trip. We would definitely take it easy on this trip with breaks in the afternoons and lots of pool time. The last time we went to WDW was last July. Had a great time but pushed it a little too much with the kids.

What would you do?!

 

[Cfabar1]

DCL would get my vote.... but without knowing you and your kids, it is hard to say. It just seems easier and more manageable if you can manage the close quarters with each other.

 

[Kevin O'Brien]

If it's difficult to decide between Walt Disney World and Disney cruise line did you know that Disney cruise line do land and sea vacation packages and the earliest you can book a land and sea package is 310 day's prior sailings. It's also bookable on Dreams Unlimited Travel and that's the company official sponsor of the DIS

 

[Peaseblossom36]

I would base my decision on potty training. If your daughter is/will be potty trained by then I would go with the cruise so she can enjoy the kids club too. Otherwise, I would do WDW.

We've told our kiddo (2) that we will sail on Mickeys boat as soon as she uses the potty lol

 

[sponica]

I would do the Dream, even if the younger one isn't potty trained. If you were sneaking in the WDW trip before she turned 3, then I'd feel differently, but those tickets are steep for a kiddo too short to ride most rides.

No travel complications like with flying to Orlando, you're docked in Bermuda for 3 days (I think) which is lovely. And the verandah gives you some space.

And I love the Dream. Super disappointed it's not doing the NY cruises next fall.

 

[orangejeepgirl]

I would base my decision on potty training. If your daughter is/will be potty trained by then I would go with the cruise so she can enjoy the kids club too. Otherwise, I would do WDW.

We've told our kiddo (2) that we will sail on Mickeys boat as soon as she uses the potty lol

lol good potty training incentive!

 

[orangejeepgirl]

I would do the Dream, even if the younger one isn't potty trained. If you were sneaking in the WDW trip before she turned 3, then I'd feel differently, but those tickets are steep for a kiddo too short to ride most rides.

No travel complications like with flying to Orlando, you're docked in Bermuda for 3 days (I think) which is lovely. And the verandah gives you some space.

And I love the Dream. Super disappointed it's not doing the NY cruises next fall.

Thank you! I am super disappointed there's NO sailings out of NY next Fall. I was planning to do one then but it threw a wrench in my plans lol

 

[Anna131517]

I vote for the cruise since it’s not an option next year. We like alternating every other year between WDW and DCL.

 

[sponica]

Thank you! I am super disappointed there's NO sailings out of NY next Fall. I was planning to do one then but it threw a wrench in my plans lol

As am I. While we wouldn't drive to the port, we can drive to New Haven and take the train into the city and that's so much less of a hassle than flying to Florida.

EDIT: We were planning on doing the Dream out of NY next fall as well, as we honeymooned on the dream and next year is our 10th anniversary. We're still going to Bermuda just on Norwegian...

 

[Peaseblossom36]

lol good potty training incentive!

One can hope

We've been wanting to go on another for years but just can't justify going now. Too big for the nursery and not quite ready for the club.

 

[MamaMermaid]

I would base my decision on potty training. If your daughter is/will be potty trained by then I would go with the cruise so she can enjoy the kids club too. Otherwise, I would do WDW.

We've told our kiddo (2) that we will sail on Mickeys boat as soon as she uses the potty lol

This is my advice as well! DCL is amazing with kids but the potty thing is a bigger deal, especially if YOU want to get in the pool

 

[danceintherain]

We won't do another cruise until our youngest is potty trained. We did one last year when he was 2, and it was manageable, because we sailed to Alaska. The main pool/splash area was only an option on the first day. But, we did send him to the nursery a few times while we took the older kids to the indoor pool.
DCL does have better splash areas for diapered kids than Royal Caribbean. The one on the Quantum was almost comically small. I got the stink eye from another mom, because I made a comment to her about her kids playing somewhere else, because they were spraying my kid in the face with the moveable water spray things. He couldn't be in the water anywhere else. They were like 8 year olds trying to play in the baby area.

In any case, we were supposed to go when he was a year old, and I think that would have been better. At 2, he was so active that it was difficult to keep him entertained. At least if we get him potty trained by our next cruise, that will be one obstacle we don't have to deal with. He's also dropped his nap entirely. He was still napping daily during out cruise, but wouldn't nap in the nursery. DH was fine taking him back to nap, but then that meant I was 100% responsible for the other kids. I wish I had taken a step counter with me, because I spent so much time walking back from one side of the ship where the teen club was to the area where the kids clubs were.

Alternatively, I prefer WDW with diapers. It's just easier IMO to stop and change diapers on a regular time table than it is to make sure a small child gets appropriate potty breaks, especially a newly potty trained child. I already know that DS6 will be difficult on our next trip, because he always seems to have to go to the bathroom urgently and the most inopportune times.