Disney Dream was amazing, but lacking in just one area.

[mjw13]

Bump

 

[moosecrouse]

This is something cruisers should mention on the comment card. (Or, enclose a seperate letter to DCL, using the stationery in the stateroom, and drop in the comment box.)

While I'm one of the "I'm too tired, going back to the stateroom cruiser, my DH is a night owl (he works nights.) We'd love it if DCL would have just ONE bar open until 2am?

Agreed. Corral all us nightowls into one area. Lol.

 

[ashleysm23]

I think part of it is the crowd on the ship with you! I have fine 4 DCL ANC RC. On all of my DCL except one we party hard! 2 out if 3 nights there was barely room on the dance floor and I was surprised (and happy) to find things got very adult after hours the down side was it did all ANC at 2. No problems though. My friend and I and others we met on board continue to party (responsibly and respectably) on HHS upper decks. My friend always said Disney wasn't just for kids and she was right. That bring said one cruise was different and it seemed kind the sans 10 ppl were the only ones to show up at the clubs. I really think it depends on your cruise director and type if sail mates at time if cruising!

 

[tvguy]

I have been critical of Disney for it's lack of night life, but on my most recent cruises, on HAL and NCL, their night life has dropped off too. Now, there were a lot of families on those cruises too, so that may be a factor.
I think as cruising gets more and more mainstream, night life is going away on cruise ships. That may be we so many of them have done away with the nightly midnight buffet.

By way of comparison, my first cruise, in 1980, on a French cruise ship, the night club didn't even open until 1:30 am.

 

[tinkerone]

i'd be curious to hear more about the karaoke. what song was it? did they turn it off while you were singing?
I only ask because there are numerous songs that play on the radio fine but if you hear them played off of the cd the words are not the same. I can name a cello song and an adam Levine song off the top of my head. wait, I can actually name a few more.....
anyways, would it be a song they would have expected you to sing the 'nice' words to?
very very curious.

 

[kiddisney]

after reading thru all the previous posts - and being on more than a couple of disney cruises - i think you would have to think of what you want - we're not major partiers - but do like to socialize - so we did go to the lounges - we closed the piano bar - had a great time - we also found a place to watch a couple of sports games - will always remember stanley cup games - world cup games - but really crazy night life - you may have to go someplace different

 

[Heyriddle]

My girlfriend, 20, and myself, 21, just got off the Disney Dream from a 3 night Bahamian cruise and almost everything was amazing. The crew were incredible, best service I've had on a cruise ship, and the food was amazing, including the wait staff. The design of the ship itself was so beautiful, I loved everything about it.

While I do understand that it was Disney, I was disappointed in the lack of night life on the ship. My cruise could've just been a bad crowd in terms of going out and partying, but my girlfriend and I were looking forward to dancing and having a few drinks until the wee hours of the morning at the clubs.

Frankie, the adult entertainment director, did a really great job with the events that were pre-planned. He was very entertaining, but as soon as Karaoke or Meet Your Match was over, no one stayed and danced, just went right to the room. I even heard some people say how they couldn't believe how late it was! It was only midnight!

I also was a little surprised when I did a karaoke song that had a couple swears in it they turned it off. I understand that it was Disney, but it was 18+ so I figured it would've been ok. I did feel bad after though, hope I didn't offend anyone.

All in all I really can't complain about the ship, everything about the vacation was amazing except this one little thing. I was just a little shocked seeing it as a short three day weekend cruise I was expecting a couple party nights, but the ship was a ghost town after midnight. Not what I was used to from my other cruises.

One of the problems we found was that the kids club closes around 11-12, so you kind of agave to go pry the kiddos out of their club to go put them to bed. Yes, we left our kid there until closing but how else are we supposed to squeeze in some dancing and drinks?

 

[lbgraves]

DH and I are just happy to be able to get to the adult shows in the club now that the kids are older and stay in the Edge later. Last year on the Fantasy's MV one thing I noted among most of the DISers on board at least was that after the adult show everyone got up and left the "dance" club simply because the music was obnoxiously loud. A bunch of them went to Pink or the other club where it wasn't as loud and they could talk and have a few drinks.

 

[PammyK]

My girlfriend, 20, and myself, 21, just got off the Disney Dream from a 3 night Bahamian cruise and almost everything was amazing. The crew were incredible, best service I've had on a cruise ship, and the food was amazing, including the wait staff. The design of the ship itself was so beautiful, I loved everything about it.

While I do understand that it was Disney, I was disappointed in the lack of night life on the ship. My cruise could've just been a bad crowd in terms of going out and partying, but my girlfriend and I were looking forward to dancing and having a few drinks until the wee hours of the morning at the clubs.

Frankie, the adult entertainment director, did a really great job with the events that were pre-planned. He was very entertaining, but as soon as Karaoke or Meet Your Match was over, no one stayed and danced, just went right to the room. I even heard some people say how they couldn't believe how late it was! It was only midnight!

I also was a little surprised when I did a karaoke song that had a couple swears in it they turned it off. I understand that it was Disney, but it was 18+ so I figured it would've been ok. I did feel bad after though, hope I didn't offend anyone.

All in all I really can't complain about the ship, everything about the vacation was amazing except this one little thing. I was just a little shocked seeing it as a short three day weekend cruise I was expecting a couple party nights, but the ship was a ghost town after midnight. Not what I was used to from my other cruises.

I think one of the challenges might have resulted from the fact that if you just sailed, you were sailing right as spring break season is starting to peak which definitely can impact the level of activity in the night clubs. On my 2 Disney Dream sailings, the nightlife definitely lasted into the wee hours (until about 2am I'd guess) but the guest composition was skewed toward active adults versus young families. Therefore, fewer parents who had to get their kiddies to bed and more people to spice things up in the nightclubs.

 

[WallaceFamily]

Yes, there should be more nightlife. Unfortunately for us, on our first cruise, we were young parents so needed to have our kids in bed. And once they are in bed, we are kind of stuck in our cabin twiddling our thumbs. I would LOVE to dance the night away like old times, but can't unless we bring our babysitter with us...which we don't have the money to do.

Our next cruise, our girls will be 9 and 7 and I will still feel uncomfortable leaving them in the cabin asleep alone. I'm just afraid that once they are old enough to stay in cabin alone (teenage years), I will be too old and tired to dance the night away.

So...there may be people on the DCL cruise who want to party until the wee morning hours, but they just can't because kids can't be left alone. Believe me, I've tried talking my inlaws to join us on the cruise so I can try to get them to babysit late, but they refuse. Oh well.

 

[Siliobear]

Last year my DS were 17 and 23. They found others their age (literally less than a dozen) and made their own party at night, whether hanging at the club or playing cards in the stairwell. That was the 7-day Mexico cruise. Next month we're on the 3-night Bahamas. May be too short to make friends. Even for me, I found the lounges to be a snooze, and I'm the mom!

 

[sandrakit]

We got off the Fantasy March 9 th . We went to the adult night club The Tube every night for the adult shows and stayed until closing for some late night dancing . We did find about 80% of the people left after the shows . One night we basically had the bartenders to ourselves & we really had a great time with them & yes they even danced with us . I had to stay out until closing as my son wouldn't leave Vibe until it closed & I didn't want to go to my room with the chance of falling asleep & him for some reason not come back to the room !
We met some fantastic people on the cruise & have become friends with 2 couples & we are all booking again next March ...

 

[DisneyDudet]

It's not for their lack of trying, really. Disney has the clubs open, but people tend to not go, usually for child care reasons. The Carnival cruise I went on had more of a nightlife, with a real piano bar and club. You just done have a ton of that young, club crowd going on Disney because, let me say it, it's expensive (for one thing), and it is geared for more of a family experience. I think the main reason is price. My Carnival cruise was about half the cost of a Disney cruise, with a balcony room to boot. Not too many young people (I'm 29 and getting married in Oct), can afford a Disney cruise.

I know Disney tries to offer an experience for all ages and types of people, but those with children can't really make it. They don't offer a 'parents night out' in the kids club (one night, at least, kids clubs stay open as late as adult or teen clubs), but they should. That might help with the nightlife.

Sadly, I may have outgrown staying out late, but I'm hoping for a night or two on my DCL honeymoon where we can have fun like we used to.

 

[lilpooh108]

To the OP--- I am Disney obsessed (from age 16 on, APs at DLR, DLR after school), but at 20 & 21 my friends and I were definitely not partying on a Disney cruise. I think your opinion (and energy level) will change after you have kids. At 22, I thought Maui was so boring (no clubs)...and now it's perfect for a family vacation (yay, no clubs!).

As to the nightclubs--my husband and I tried staying "late" one night. We were dancing in our seats sort of, since no one was on the dance floor (I am way past my clubbing days). The back up dancers they have at the shows were there to lead people to the dance floor.

So I'll say that they try, but the demographic is just too tired to do it.

I agree with you about the physical lounge spaces, though. Beautiful..and a waste unless there's a good party in there. We were surprised that the DJ was actually pretty good when it got late. They stopped playing top 40s and actually played some good mixes (surprisingly).

 

[aan1701]

Op. after 11 cruise, Nd 12,13,&14 coming up. I could not agree more. I am 38 I am a night owl, and my wife is a early to bed woman and we do not have kids. Now I do not dance and the is not enough alcohol in this world to get out on a dance floor, but I will say this. I have met some really awesome people in the club who do stay out late. I can fairly say I have made some really good friends and we have since cruised together on a few occasions. Tome that's one of the upsides of a dead bar, the people who do stay till they close at 2 are mostly the same people every night. Boy I can tell you some stories of shot nights. Ha ha ha ha.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[dsnygrl2003]

I totally agree about the lack of night life too The sad part is the kids clubs on the Disney ships are open for free way later than they are on other ships like Carnival but there is very little to do if you are not a drinker and don't like to sit in a club listening to loud music. I would love to see Disney add some comedy club shows for adults at night.

 

[elaine amj]

ITA.

We just got off the same 3 day cruise as well. My kids are old enough that I feel comfortable leaving them in the kids club/cabin for the night. We travelled with friends who have a 4 yr old and a 7 yr old. Surprisingly, they were in a party mood (on our RCCL cruise last year, they crashed when their kids did) and decided to leave their kids sleeping with my DD in charge (connecting cabins).

On the first night, I hung out in Evolution from 11:30 - 12am waiting for them to put their kiddos to sleep. The Evolution dancers did their best and it was nice that they danced with the guests and got some energy going. By 11:45 or so, they left and the dance floor died down. I really wish the DCL dancers continued dancing in Evolution until at least 12:30am every night. That would help a LOT. It's very intimidating when the floor is empty.

I returned with my friends at 12:15am or so and there were 2 couples on the floor. My friends couldn't get in the mood so we left. Decided to go get some food. As most of you know, there is NO FOOD anywhere on the ship after midnight! Sadly, with all my planning and time on the Dis, I missed out on that fact. I thought surely there had to be SOMETHING.

We ended up ordering room service from an elevator phone, hung out for half an hour in Cove and then headed back to our verandah to get our food from room service at 1:30am. It was funny and a bit sad as we didn't want to be in our rooms so we could let our kids sleep in peace. It's a sore point for us now that there is such limited availability for food.

2nd night was Pirate Night and that was fun dancing on deck. We were on Deck 12 hanging over the balcony and made our own dance floor and had a blast. We didn't go to Evolution because we were all tired.

On the last night, my friends were pooped and hit the sack. DH and I went out at about 11:45ish to Evolution. There was still energy with about 6 or 7 people on the dance floor and some Evolution dancers. We danced for about 4-5 songs and it was fun. Then the DJ changed the style of music. Pretty much immediately about 5-6 people left the floor. My DH and I followed shortly afterwards because he doesn't like the style. That left one couple. After 1 song, they too left the floor. 3 full songs later (in the same style), the club was pretty much empty as all the folks who were dancing all left. My DH and I hung out waiting hoping the DJ would get a clue...but since he didn't, we too left. We ended up on top deck and watched the end of Enchanted before hitting the sack.

I was on the RCCL Liberty of the Seas last March and while the dance club wasn't packed solid, it was still lively at least until 1am. Plus there was food 24 hrs and the main strip stayed populated late into the night. (I wandered the ship until 2-3am every night)

 

[sabrecmc]

I do think this is not Disney's best area, but at the same time, can't fault them for it because it really isn't what their main demo is looking for, lol. My DD will be waking up by 7am wanting breakfast and to head to the kids club. Staying out until the wee hours isn't an option! A nice after-dinner drink and some piano, bed by 11 is pretty much as party-hardy as I can get these days!

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

We sailed on RCL Voyager of the Seas last Christmas and were out every night ("Adult Daycare" -not-so clean karaoke-, multiple dance clubs.). We are in our 40's and had a blast. Our kids are old enough to crash in the cabin and we enjoyed late-night food, dancing and entertainment. We traveled with another family. On the Dream it was just us and our kids were younger. We went to Skyline and a dance club one time and it was fun, but kids wanted to leave the clubs (didn't love them). I am hoping that this summer's Fantasy cruise does have some fun adult entertainment. We are again traveling with the other family and now I am worried they will be disappointed if it isn't as fun as RCL.

 

[nkochrn]

Yes, there should be more nightlife. Unfortunately for us, on our first cruise, we were young parents so needed to have our kids in bed. And once they are in bed, we are kind of stuck in our cabin twiddling our thumbs. I would LOVE to dance the night away like old times, but can't unless we bring our babysitter with us...which we don't have the money to do.

Our next cruise, our girls will be 9 and 7 and I will still feel uncomfortable leaving them in the cabin asleep alone. I'm just afraid that once they are old enough to stay in cabin alone (teenage years), I will be too old and tired to dance the night away.

So...there may be people on the DCL cruise who want to party until the wee morning hours, but they just can't because kids can't be left alone. Believe me, I've tried talking my inlaws to join us on the cruise so I can try to get them to babysit late, but they refuse. Oh well.

My MIL was practically begging to go and I refused! LOL. I'll let her come next time, but just wanted my own vacation for once this time! It seems they are ALWAYS with us when we go on vacation.

DH and I enjoyed the match your mate and disco dancing on our cruise, there were several people at evolution when we went for these, not many of them were younger couples. We were just too exhausted to stay out late at the clubs and had to pick our kids up.