I have done a cruise sandwich before but probably not again. We did the Hyatt Airport hotel in Orlando the night before and the Holiday Inn Club Vacations Cape Canaveral Beach Resort afterwards to enjoy both the resort and visit NASA. The packing required for all of this was difficult as certain suitcases you needed to keep separate with clean clothes and others with dirty clothes, swimsuits had to be dried before leaving the ship, and then unpacking onshore after packing the day before on the ship got to be too much.
We have done hotels before cruises but I am a firm believer now in getting home right after the ship for some serious laundry time.
I have five kids, so that probably makes a big difference for me.