This October we’re taking a cruise from Port Canaveral after spending a week in Orlando; hopefully we’ll get to go to two Disney Halloween Party’s and one Universal Horror Night.  Instead of driving our rental car to Port Canaveral we’re paying for the cruise’s ground transportation from the airport after returning the rental.

Most importantly though, getting off a cruise ship (particularly a Disney cruise ship, which is the line you are using as an example throughout your article) is a huge letdown. It’s painful to go, and smaller children have been known to throw tantrums and cry. Even as an adult, I *hate* disembarkation. But getting off a cruise ship because you’re on your way to Universal Orlando or Disneyworld is an entirely different proposition. Suddenly disembarkation is going on a new adventure! You’re all rested up from your cruise and ready to spend that energy on the parks! By the time your theme park vacation is over, you’re exhausted, and getting on the plane for home starts to seem like a good idea, rather than a depressing one. 

So yes, some people, such as yourself, seem to like visiting theme parks first, but for us, it works out much better the other way around. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.