Opinions?? Las Vegas Vs Fantasy 7 Nt Western Carib?

disgreat

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jan 27, 2013
So my family is debating a Jan 2019 trip due to my DD19 prolonged winter break from college.

We have done three previous Disney Cruises and had wonderful times.

We are trying to decide between a week in Las Vegas with a day trip to the Grand Canyon and a cruise on the Fantasy (Mexico, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Castaway Key).

Are these ports warm enough in Jan to enjoy water activities?

What do you think?
Thanks!
 
So my family is debating a Jan 2019 trip due to my DD19 prolonged winter break from college.

We have done three previous Disney Cruises and had wonderful times.

We are trying to decide between a week in Las Vegas with a day trip to the Grand Canyon and a cruise on the Fantasy (Mexico, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Castaway Key).

Are these ports warm enough in Jan to enjoy water activities?

What do you think?
Thanks!
I'd do the cruise. But I'm not that fond of Las Vegas. It's OK, just not what I call a vacation.
 
Granted there are many things to do in Vegas but I don’t know if I can personally handle one week there. Are you guys big gamblers? Of course the Grand Canyon, Hoover dam etc. are also great things to see. For me Vegas is a weekend thing. Are you planning only a few nights there and then more nights near the Grand Canyon?
 
I'd do the cruise. But I'm not that fond of Las Vegas. It's OK, just not what I call a vacation.
Actually you nailed it on the head. Vegas is a great city to visit and party. But I don’t call those trips vacation. The little PP also plans on doing Grand Canyon now that for me is a vacation. Same with New York City for me that’s not a vacation that’s a place I visit
 


One other thing I would hate to go to Vegas and not be 21

True that. When i was little (back in the dark ages) my parents had trouble finding a restaurant that allowed kids. The one they eventually found had paintings of nekked ladies on the walls, but the cigarette smoke was so thick it was hard to see anything.

It's still not my favorite place to visit, tho they have more family entertainment available. And better food.
 
Thanks for the inputs so far.

No, we are not gamblers - we will really only be in Vegas for the shows - The Beatles Cirque Show, maybe Lady Gaga, Penn and Teller, Blue Man Group etc - really more of a show tours than a typical Vegas experience. We have never been there before.

We also liked the idea of being able to see some of the Grand Canyon and now that folks have mentioned it, the Hoover Dam sounds like it would be a good day trip also.

I wonder if we should wait to do Vegas until the DD turns 21 in a few years?

Can a 19 year old go to the Adult areas and clubs on the Fantasy?
 


The trip to Grand Canyon (and another to Hoover Dam) would be worth it, but we only went for four nights and that was plenty. There's some great shows and restaurants, but not sure I could do a whole week there. It's not a "relaxing" place once you are out on the strip -- and then you have the vendors shoving all types of leaflets and cards at you all night. If you want quality family time and relaxation, I'd do the cruise!
 
I think a week in Vegas is a long time. I went there in February for three days and three days going to Disneyland In California. That was a really fun trip. The weather in the Caribbean might be cold, it depends on if there is a cold front. I've gone in late December over Christmas and the weather was hot on year and freezing another so it's hard to predict.
 
First thing, you do realize that you are asking this on a Disney Cruise message board, right.

We love cruises but these options are very different. For the cost of the cruise you could probably set up a nice experience in Vegas. Plenty still to do even at 19. A day for the Grand Canyon, Red Rocks can be another day, catch a show or two and possibly a little shopping are all options. I would expect that January in Vegas pool time will be very limited or non-existent depending on the resort you pick.
 
I love Las Vegas, but about 4-5 days is enough for me. I find a cruise to be more relaxing, but they are very different vacations. We have been to a couple of Cirque de Soleil shows there and found them excellent. We also went ziplining in Boulder Canyon and had a blast. Grand Canyon is a fair distance away. It is too cold in January to enjoy the pools though.
 
I've done both and prefer cruising. The Grand Canyon is amazing to see and I enjoyed going to the various hotel casinos, but I'd still rather do a cruise. We did a WC in Jan in 2017 all the ports were in the mid 80s and the water was fine. CC was in the mid/high 70s, I thought the water was too chilly, but my dh and dd were fine. Are you all Star War fans? If you go on the Fantasy in Jan you will get a Star Wars for the day cruise. Our 2017 cruise was a Star Wars cruise. We are going on a EC cruise this coming Jan and another WC cruise Jan 2020. So we will have done 3 Star Wars cruises. My dd and I don't care for Star Wars, my dh likes the movies, but isn't crazy about them. We just like to cruise during that time of year. If you like Star Wars, then you would definitely like the cruise.
 
I like Vegas for a night or two. Vegas can be chilly to very cold in January and so is the Grand Canyon. Phoenix can get in the 20s and 30s at night in January. If I was looking for guaranteed warm weather I’d go to the Caribbean.
 
Thanks for the inputs so far.

No, we are not gamblers - we will really only be in Vegas for the shows - The Beatles Cirque Show, maybe Lady Gaga, Penn and Teller, Blue Man Group etc - really more of a show tours than a typical Vegas experience. We have never been there before.

We also liked the idea of being able to see some of the Grand Canyon and now that folks have mentioned it, the Hoover Dam sounds like it would be a good day trip also.

I wonder if we should wait to do Vegas until the DD turns 21 in a few years?

Can a 19 year old go to the Adult areas and clubs on the Fantasy?
18+ can go to all the adult areas/clubs/Palo/Remy. An 18-20 yr old just can't do beverage tastings and buy alcohol. There is an 18-20 Society on the ships, so they can meet others their age. There are some set activities in the personal navigator--meeting for lunch, crafts, sports, games, etc--usually 1 thing/day. It's facilitated by a cast member.

As far as Grand Canyon in January--North Rim is closed in the winter (maybe late October-early May?). South Rim will likely have snow. A long long time ago, lol, I went to the South Rim in early January as part of a college geology trip during winter break--maybe 6 inches of snow at the top? South Rim is at 7000 ft+, which is why it gets snow...snow is pretty common in Northern Arizona/Northern New Mexico in the winter due to the higher elevation there.

We spent 1 night in Las Vegas with our kids when they were 14 and 10, as the first night of our summer national park trip--it was a good starting off point to drive to Zion/Bryce/North Rim Grand Canyon, etc. We stayed at Circus Circus, figuring it would be the most family friendly hotel on the strip--and it has the inside amusement park there. It worked well for 1 night and to say we've been there, lol.

Check with your DD and see if she'd prefer to do Vegas in 2 years when she'll have access to everything or if she'd rather go now.
 
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Vegas is frankly not that fun. Some good shows, but unless you hard core love gambling, it’s not fun for more than a night, two nights max. Almost any theme park, national park, water park or cruise will be more fun.
 
Vegas gets old after 2 nights. I love going for a fun weekend but I wouldn't want to bring my kid there (until he/she is 21, but even then probably not lol)

If you're looking for shows, take her to NYC! Or go to Europe!
 
Personally, I wouldn't be able to fill an entire week in Vegas. There's just not that much there. I'd go for the cruise.
 

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