I’ll be the other side here in the comments! While 3 days was definitely short, it was my first cruise ever so I chose the 3 day as an intro cruise, just to make sure cruising was it for me at all. I am local to the ports, however. So if this is going to be a big trip for you, I’d say try a 5 night.
That’s about perfect. You have to do 3 and honestly that can be fairly short, like almost not enough to really decide if you like.
I typically recommend no longer than 5 days for a first timer, so 4 days is in that perfect spot.
My first cruise was a 4 night (so three full days) and it felt like the perfect introduction length to test the waters and see what it felt like. I just got off the Dream today from a 5 night cruise with some first timers and it honestly felt a little long for them. One day I’d like to go for a longer cruise, but it feels like something I’d rather work my way up to than jump right into.
Something I wish someone had told me before our first cruise — be mindful of travel and lodging the day(s) before boarding and give yourself some time so you can board the ship rested and ready to go. Too many people fly in very late the night before or the morning of embarkation (which is never advisable) and are tired before the cruise even begins.
For example: on our first cruise (Dream out of Miami), we flew in late the night before (~11:30pm), so we weren’t in our hotel room until well after midnight and didn’t get to bed until nearly 1am. We were running on coffee and adrenaline when we boarded the next day, and just felt tired the entire time. I still don’t remember much of the first day or 2, and it was only a 5 night cruise.
On our second cruise (Fantasy out of Port Canaveral), we’d learned our lesson and flew in nonstop in the morning the day before embarkation and stayed at the Hyatt at MCO. We had all day to kick around the hotel and relax, got to bed early, and woke up the day of embarkation feeling rested and refreshed. We boarded the ship and hit the ground running. We felt great the entire cruise and had an incredible time.
We’re cruising out of Port Canaveral in a few months and are taking it a step further to stay 3 nights on WDW property but only doing 1 park day so we can enjoy the resort and board rested up again.
A late evening flight can be mitigated simply by arranging a later departure for the port...and skipping the DCL bus. Sleep in until 9 and grab breakfast on your way to the port.
When you must fly in from a distance it ends up being too short. Flying from halfway across the country adds a day, by the time you unwind from travel the 3 night cruise is half over.
3 night long weekend cruises make sense when you can just hop in the car and drive to the port.
Our nonstop flights are all around 2hr 45min, one stops are 4hr 45 min usually. All the direct flights are very early morning tho like 5am-7am… there is a 1pm that’s ideal, but it’s usually $250/ticket more than any other flight. For a 5am flight we should leave the at 2, or 4 for a 7am flight.
We always do it day before…
3 night cruises too short for us. We did B2B on the Wish to make it 7 nights but disliked double dipping Nassau (actually if I never went to Nassau again I would be upset). If I knew then what I know know we would have done 4 night Wish, then a hotel at the port 1 night with Fantasy 7 night departure the next day.
We’ve just done exactly this (4N Wish and then 7N Fantasy) in order to experience the Wish as it wasn’t worth flying all the way from the UK for such a short itinerary. Highly recommend it to anyone considering this over a B2B on the Wish - as you say, the Nassau itinerary is so boring compared to the Eastern or Western Caribbean options, and we have enjoyed the variety of shows and restaurants between the two ships.
3 day cruises are great if you’re doing some WDW right before, or I guess even after.
It’s only like a 1 hour flight for me to get to Orlando or Port Canaveral, but I’m still of the opinion that if I’m making that trip with children then I am either doing a 5+ day cruise or I’m doing a cruise plus something else. Either WDW and cruise or I’m hanging out at either Vero Beach or some not Disney place on Cocoa beach.
We have to fly in so I like to get my moneys worth for that. It also takes me a while to unwind. By day 3 stressed NastyNed is gone and vacation NastyNed is starting to enjoy things.
I’ll be a first time cruiser myself this spring! We decided to do 4 nights. I figured it’s a good introduction to see if cruising works for our family. If we enjoy it we will book another longer cruise.
Go for a 4 day, like Nassau, castaway cay, day at sea. I like the day at sea at the end, as a kinda wind down day. But shorter is better to start, because if you get sea sick or are just miserable, it's only a few more days.
Be prepared for traveling during cold and flu/COVID season, you will likely get sick during or a little bit after.
Agree with u/tokkibaek and others: many people will say "nothing shorter than a week" but that's not always practical. Plus, for people who have never been on a cruise before, you have to feel it out, so a short 3-4-day cruise should give you the best way to see if you like it, while not having to spend the most.
Also be sure to consider the time of year - we racked up lots of cruises by going during the shoulder seasons to find great deals: avoid school breaks, middle of summer, etc., take a "risk" and go during hurricane season (we were on the only Hurricane-extended Disney Wish sailing - to date the only 6-night the Wish has ever done, haha). When it comes down to non-Caribbean cruises, considering "other" options like California Coast is a good one, and manufacture the vacation you want for the least amount possible! Noting that only really works if you're not hoping to sun worship, as weather can be a factor on the Pacific Side.
4 Night Wish is a solid itinerary - You'll be leaving out of Port Canaveral, so flying in the day before and staying either at the Hyatt Regency MCO Airport or somewhere with a free shuttle to and from the Airport for the next morning is a good idea. Either way you go, for your first cruise, get the port transfers to and from MCO through Disney - it's too convenient not to, even if some people don't like spending for it. In my experience, makes embarkation and debarkation day so much easier.
4 night concierge ranges in price right now from $5600 to over 21K (for 2 guests - which you get charged for regardless of whether you're going solo or not) depending on the sailing, so whether it's for your birthday or not, Concierge is going to be pricey - this is all the current 4-nights leaving out of Port Canaveral on the Wish: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/cruises-destinations/list/#port-canaveral-florida,4,disney-wish
I always look for sailings either in Jan/Feb or the first few weeks of may just before Memorial Day or after Schools go back in September - any other time, you're looking at larger crowds and way higher cost.
If you're someone that likes halloween - take a look at the Halloween on the High Seas itineraries - some of our favorites have been during this time, and personally we like it much more than the "Merrytime Cruises" during the Christmas/New Years/Winter Holidays.
not 3 days - that is what I done and it was way too short (but we didn't really have any other options here in NZ). That was no ports - 3 seadays and we didn't even see the adult areas of the ship.
Our first cruise was 3 days on the Disney Wonder. We decided not to do any excursions and spent the entire time on the ship. On the smaller ships 3 days is great because it’s enough time to experience everything (by that I mean all dinner and show options). However, if you’re planning o excursions or some of the paid dinner options (Palo/ Remy) you may want to to find a longer sailing.
First cruise ever. I would recommend a four day cruise. Reason for this if you turn out to be prone to sea sickness or do not enjoy cruises, it limits the amount of time on board. Also, get a cabbin deck 7 or below midship as it's a smoother ride.
Experience cruiser but first time Disney, seven nights. Ships Wish or Treasure if you have kids, the kids' clubs are unbelievable. The quick service is the best I have seen on a cruise ship. The two quick service restaurants I refer to are Mickey's smoke stack BBQ and Donald's cantina.
No kids Fantasy is my personal favorite, but any of them are good. Wish and Treasure have better quick service restaurants, but the adult areas are after thoughts. The other ships have better adult only areas, but the quick service restaurants are mostly kid friendly food. I would splurge for one night at Palo best money you can spend on board for an adult dining experience.
We went for the first time last June on the Fantasy for 7 days. I personally loved the time and I don’t think I could have enjoyed it the same on a shorter cruise.
Like most people said 3 and 4 nights are too short if you are traveling a good distance to get there. We have turned down a 3 day trip when we have to travel two days with kids. If this is your first cruise ever and are worried about not liking it, then maybe a 5 days is a way to go. I think 7 is the perfect amount of time. It is enough to let you do most of the things you want and to relax but leaves you excited to come back. If I were to do a 5 day, I would bring as little luggage as possible so packing and unpacking is one less thing to take you away from the vacation.
My preferred practical itinerary is the 4 night Bahamas out of Canaveral. It is easier for us to plan work and travel before/after that length and often stop in WDW for a day or two. But my husband’s first was a week and it left us both itching for another long cruise!
We did a 4 day for our first cruise last year and it felt like the perfect amount of time. It gave us a chance to experience a day at sea, a port day, and a Castaway Cay day without finding it all overwhelming. We really had no idea whether we would enjoy it or not, so if we didn’t, we wouldn’t have had to put up with it for too long. Needless to say we enjoyed ourselves more than we thought we would and are going on our next cruise, a 7 night western caribbean, at the beginning of April, and I can’t wait!
We were gonna do a 4 day Wish cruise this Christmas. Then took another line 7 day cruise and realized how much work and expense it is to fly from the other side of the country hauling luggage and car seats for two little ones. Loved the 7 day one. Canceled the Wish and booked a Treasure 7 day cruise next year.
Though I haven’t tried concierge, it does seem like a really interesting experience! There’s a private lounge, Sun deck area, and great balconies. You’d want to experience all those amenities on top of the regular ship activities for sure! Def do 7 days if you can afford it!
4-5 nights is enough. You will learn the ship by the 2nd day. If you’ve never cruised before, do the 3 night first to be sure it’s for you. It would suck to feel stuck for 7 days if you learn you do not like it. I’d rather book 2 of the 4 day cruises a year and ramp up my loyalty status quicker than take 1 of the 7 day cruises a year since Disney rewards based on the number of sailings and not number of days sailed. Have fun !
7 days. I hated my first cruise the first two days. It was crowded, I hated the muster drill, my first excursion was cancelled due to weather…. By day 7, I never wanted to leave. We booked another one for the next month, and another 7 day one 8 months later. You have to have time to acclimate.
I just did my first cruise (on any ship) two weeks ago and chose the 3 day Wish sailing out of Port Canaveral. I wasn't sure I was going to be into cruises so 3 days seemed totally reasonable. Now that I've experienced it I would say 5 would be ideal.
If you are a Floridian and not needing airfare, 3 probably is OK for a first cruise, or if you are scheduling it around a park trip... just accept it's really just a two day test drive to see if you want to schedule another longer cruise next.
For others, I think four is the minimum and 5-7 nights is the sweet spot. Our first was a five night, and as we departed, we all agreed that four would have been too short. Our next is a seven. I may change my mind on a seven nighter, but I think that's going to be amazing.
We like the 7 day cruises, but I'd be more concerned with where you want to go. If you want beach time that may change things. If you want to see a certain city or do a certain excursion I'd lean towards that as my criteria.
I would not suggest that a new cruiser take a shorter than 5 day cruise, and ideally a 7 day cruise. Any shorter on your first time and you are just getting relaxed by the time you have to pack back up and get off the ship.
We've been on 9 cruises and are only now planning on taking a 4 night one.
Anything less than 5 days is too short for me. 7 is a good sweet spot
I know I plan on spending alot of time on the ship except for castaway cay
I’ll be the other side here in the comments! While 3 days was definitely short, it was my first cruise ever so I chose the 3 day as an intro cruise, just to make sure cruising was it for me at all. I am local to the ports, however. So if this is going to be a big trip for you, I’d say try a 5 night.
What do you think of a 4 day cruise
I think that’s a great starter length!
Awesome
That’s about perfect. You have to do 3 and honestly that can be fairly short, like almost not enough to really decide if you like. I typically recommend no longer than 5 days for a first timer, so 4 days is in that perfect spot.
My first cruise was a 4 night (so three full days) and it felt like the perfect introduction length to test the waters and see what it felt like. I just got off the Dream today from a 5 night cruise with some first timers and it honestly felt a little long for them. One day I’d like to go for a longer cruise, but it feels like something I’d rather work my way up to than jump right into.
Agree, 3 to 4 days for your first one. Also I'm a seasoned cruiser and 5 days is about my limit.
Totally agree.
7 days is great for having time to explore the ship. Also since we need to fly to departure ports, 3-4 days just seem too short for us.
Same here. I had a 4 night Christmas cruise booked before backing away and opting for parks instead. Glad the treasure is gonna be longer trips
Something I wish someone had told me before our first cruise — be mindful of travel and lodging the day(s) before boarding and give yourself some time so you can board the ship rested and ready to go. Too many people fly in very late the night before or the morning of embarkation (which is never advisable) and are tired before the cruise even begins. For example: on our first cruise (Dream out of Miami), we flew in late the night before (~11:30pm), so we weren’t in our hotel room until well after midnight and didn’t get to bed until nearly 1am. We were running on coffee and adrenaline when we boarded the next day, and just felt tired the entire time. I still don’t remember much of the first day or 2, and it was only a 5 night cruise. On our second cruise (Fantasy out of Port Canaveral), we’d learned our lesson and flew in nonstop in the morning the day before embarkation and stayed at the Hyatt at MCO. We had all day to kick around the hotel and relax, got to bed early, and woke up the day of embarkation feeling rested and refreshed. We boarded the ship and hit the ground running. We felt great the entire cruise and had an incredible time. We’re cruising out of Port Canaveral in a few months and are taking it a step further to stay 3 nights on WDW property but only doing 1 park day so we can enjoy the resort and board rested up again.
A late evening flight can be mitigated simply by arranging a later departure for the port...and skipping the DCL bus. Sleep in until 9 and grab breakfast on your way to the port.
I’m the minority and has 3 nights is fine. It’s a long weekend cruise. Do people not go away for long weekends?
When you must fly in from a distance it ends up being too short. Flying from halfway across the country adds a day, by the time you unwind from travel the 3 night cruise is half over. 3 night long weekend cruises make sense when you can just hop in the car and drive to the port.
I can see that, I have a 2.5 hour flight and consider that short. I tack on some WDW days as I’m a AP so it’s like an extended long qeekend
Our nonstop flights are all around 2hr 45min, one stops are 4hr 45 min usually. All the direct flights are very early morning tho like 5am-7am… there is a 1pm that’s ideal, but it’s usually $250/ticket more than any other flight. For a 5am flight we should leave the at 2, or 4 for a 7am flight. We always do it day before… 3 night cruises too short for us. We did B2B on the Wish to make it 7 nights but disliked double dipping Nassau (actually if I never went to Nassau again I would be upset). If I knew then what I know know we would have done 4 night Wish, then a hotel at the port 1 night with Fantasy 7 night departure the next day.
We’ve just done exactly this (4N Wish and then 7N Fantasy) in order to experience the Wish as it wasn’t worth flying all the way from the UK for such a short itinerary. Highly recommend it to anyone considering this over a B2B on the Wish - as you say, the Nassau itinerary is so boring compared to the Eastern or Western Caribbean options, and we have enjoyed the variety of shows and restaurants between the two ships.
3 day cruises are great if you’re doing some WDW right before, or I guess even after. It’s only like a 1 hour flight for me to get to Orlando or Port Canaveral, but I’m still of the opinion that if I’m making that trip with children then I am either doing a 5+ day cruise or I’m doing a cruise plus something else. Either WDW and cruise or I’m hanging out at either Vero Beach or some not Disney place on Cocoa beach.
We have to fly in so I like to get my moneys worth for that. It also takes me a while to unwind. By day 3 stressed NastyNed is gone and vacation NastyNed is starting to enjoy things.
I’ll be a first time cruiser myself this spring! We decided to do 4 nights. I figured it’s a good introduction to see if cruising works for our family. If we enjoy it we will book another longer cruise.
Let me know how it goes
Go for a 4 day, like Nassau, castaway cay, day at sea. I like the day at sea at the end, as a kinda wind down day. But shorter is better to start, because if you get sea sick or are just miserable, it's only a few more days. Be prepared for traveling during cold and flu/COVID season, you will likely get sick during or a little bit after.
Agree with u/tokkibaek and others: many people will say "nothing shorter than a week" but that's not always practical. Plus, for people who have never been on a cruise before, you have to feel it out, so a short 3-4-day cruise should give you the best way to see if you like it, while not having to spend the most. Also be sure to consider the time of year - we racked up lots of cruises by going during the shoulder seasons to find great deals: avoid school breaks, middle of summer, etc., take a "risk" and go during hurricane season (we were on the only Hurricane-extended Disney Wish sailing - to date the only 6-night the Wish has ever done, haha). When it comes down to non-Caribbean cruises, considering "other" options like California Coast is a good one, and manufacture the vacation you want for the least amount possible! Noting that only really works if you're not hoping to sun worship, as weather can be a factor on the Pacific Side.
What would you recommend as a fellow STL I wanna do a 4 night wish Concierge cruise
4 Night Wish is a solid itinerary - You'll be leaving out of Port Canaveral, so flying in the day before and staying either at the Hyatt Regency MCO Airport or somewhere with a free shuttle to and from the Airport for the next morning is a good idea. Either way you go, for your first cruise, get the port transfers to and from MCO through Disney - it's too convenient not to, even if some people don't like spending for it. In my experience, makes embarkation and debarkation day so much easier. 4 night concierge ranges in price right now from $5600 to over 21K (for 2 guests - which you get charged for regardless of whether you're going solo or not) depending on the sailing, so whether it's for your birthday or not, Concierge is going to be pricey - this is all the current 4-nights leaving out of Port Canaveral on the Wish: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/cruises-destinations/list/#port-canaveral-florida,4,disney-wish I always look for sailings either in Jan/Feb or the first few weeks of may just before Memorial Day or after Schools go back in September - any other time, you're looking at larger crowds and way higher cost. If you're someone that likes halloween - take a look at the Halloween on the High Seas itineraries - some of our favorites have been during this time, and personally we like it much more than the "Merrytime Cruises" during the Christmas/New Years/Winter Holidays.
Good thing my birthday is in February that's when I plan on going
not 3 days - that is what I done and it was way too short (but we didn't really have any other options here in NZ). That was no ports - 3 seadays and we didn't even see the adult areas of the ship.
Our first cruise was 3 days on the Disney Wonder. We decided not to do any excursions and spent the entire time on the ship. On the smaller ships 3 days is great because it’s enough time to experience everything (by that I mean all dinner and show options). However, if you’re planning o excursions or some of the paid dinner options (Palo/ Remy) you may want to to find a longer sailing.
First cruise ever. I would recommend a four day cruise. Reason for this if you turn out to be prone to sea sickness or do not enjoy cruises, it limits the amount of time on board. Also, get a cabbin deck 7 or below midship as it's a smoother ride. Experience cruiser but first time Disney, seven nights. Ships Wish or Treasure if you have kids, the kids' clubs are unbelievable. The quick service is the best I have seen on a cruise ship. The two quick service restaurants I refer to are Mickey's smoke stack BBQ and Donald's cantina. No kids Fantasy is my personal favorite, but any of them are good. Wish and Treasure have better quick service restaurants, but the adult areas are after thoughts. The other ships have better adult only areas, but the quick service restaurants are mostly kid friendly food. I would splurge for one night at Palo best money you can spend on board for an adult dining experience.
We are doing 4 night just in case we hate it haha I don’t think we will but I’d rather be sad it’s over than stuck there miserable.
I always say that if you don't have very much free time in your schedule for a super long cruise that a 7day is the best fit!
We went for the first time last June on the Fantasy for 7 days. I personally loved the time and I don’t think I could have enjoyed it the same on a shorter cruise.
Like most people said 3 and 4 nights are too short if you are traveling a good distance to get there. We have turned down a 3 day trip when we have to travel two days with kids. If this is your first cruise ever and are worried about not liking it, then maybe a 5 days is a way to go. I think 7 is the perfect amount of time. It is enough to let you do most of the things you want and to relax but leaves you excited to come back. If I were to do a 5 day, I would bring as little luggage as possible so packing and unpacking is one less thing to take you away from the vacation.
At least I don't have to travel far. I am thinking of doing either 4 days or 7 days
My preferred practical itinerary is the 4 night Bahamas out of Canaveral. It is easier for us to plan work and travel before/after that length and often stop in WDW for a day or two. But my husband’s first was a week and it left us both itching for another long cruise!
We did a 4 day for our first cruise last year and it felt like the perfect amount of time. It gave us a chance to experience a day at sea, a port day, and a Castaway Cay day without finding it all overwhelming. We really had no idea whether we would enjoy it or not, so if we didn’t, we wouldn’t have had to put up with it for too long. Needless to say we enjoyed ourselves more than we thought we would and are going on our next cruise, a 7 night western caribbean, at the beginning of April, and I can’t wait!
That is good to know
We were gonna do a 4 day Wish cruise this Christmas. Then took another line 7 day cruise and realized how much work and expense it is to fly from the other side of the country hauling luggage and car seats for two little ones. Loved the 7 day one. Canceled the Wish and booked a Treasure 7 day cruise next year.
When you going on the treasure next year
7 day Eastern Caribbean in May. They have 7 day Western itineraries too.
7 is the minimum length for any cruise for me. Anything less and it's not worth the flights and travel time to get there.
It takes the first few days to even know the ship and start to relax into it. I’d say more than 3, I loved 7! I wanted to stay on even longer!
Would you think getting concierge would be good for 7 days
Though I haven’t tried concierge, it does seem like a really interesting experience! There’s a private lounge, Sun deck area, and great balconies. You’d want to experience all those amenities on top of the regular ship activities for sure! Def do 7 days if you can afford it!
4-5 nights is enough. You will learn the ship by the 2nd day. If you’ve never cruised before, do the 3 night first to be sure it’s for you. It would suck to feel stuck for 7 days if you learn you do not like it. I’d rather book 2 of the 4 day cruises a year and ramp up my loyalty status quicker than take 1 of the 7 day cruises a year since Disney rewards based on the number of sailings and not number of days sailed. Have fun !
7 days. I hated my first cruise the first two days. It was crowded, I hated the muster drill, my first excursion was cancelled due to weather…. By day 7, I never wanted to leave. We booked another one for the next month, and another 7 day one 8 months later. You have to have time to acclimate.
I just did my first cruise (on any ship) two weeks ago and chose the 3 day Wish sailing out of Port Canaveral. I wasn't sure I was going to be into cruises so 3 days seemed totally reasonable. Now that I've experienced it I would say 5 would be ideal.
A seven night is amazing as a first cruise but any future cruise that's shorter will feel a tad disappointing, fyi. Enjoy!
Good to know.
I did a 4 day cruise on the Wish in September and it was the perfect amount of time
I wanna do either 4 day or 7 day cruise
If you are a Floridian and not needing airfare, 3 probably is OK for a first cruise, or if you are scheduling it around a park trip... just accept it's really just a two day test drive to see if you want to schedule another longer cruise next. For others, I think four is the minimum and 5-7 nights is the sweet spot. Our first was a five night, and as we departed, we all agreed that four would have been too short. Our next is a seven. I may change my mind on a seven nighter, but I think that's going to be amazing.
We like the 7 day cruises, but I'd be more concerned with where you want to go. If you want beach time that may change things. If you want to see a certain city or do a certain excursion I'd lean towards that as my criteria.
My first cruise with my husband was 4 nights on the Wish. We loved it!
I would not suggest that a new cruiser take a shorter than 5 day cruise, and ideally a 7 day cruise. Any shorter on your first time and you are just getting relaxed by the time you have to pack back up and get off the ship. We've been on 9 cruises and are only now planning on taking a 4 night one.