advice/opinions on adult-only cruise

[californiamomofboys]

I have booked a 3 night cruise on the Dream this January. My husband wanted to take a couples only trip this winter to somewhere tropical. I priced out all-inclusive resorts and convinced him that he would enjoy this cruise just as much and it was cheaper since no air-fare is required. He has not been on the Dream, only the Wonder, and thinks we will miss the kids a lot since we will be seeing so many of them on board. I told him that the Dream has wonderful adults only areas/dining rooms (I sailed on the Dream this spring with my parents and kids and ate at Palo one night). So now I have to make the plans to prove it to him! Here is what I've got so far:
1st night, Palo at 8PM
2nd day, walking tour of Nassau, maybe a stop at public beach for cocktail and then back to ship to enjoy adult pool/hot tub. Will book a mixology or some type of tasting if one is offered that afternoon. Perhaps a rainforest pass to try those heated loungers.
2nd night- dinner in whatever MDR we're assigned, we have late seating
3rd day- rent bikes, spend day at Serenity Bay, snorkel.
3rd night- Remy at 8PM

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what else I should do or if I should change anything? Since we are just on a 3 night, am I correct in assuming we will not have the pirate menu in the MDR on night 2? That is my least favorite menu so I would elect to skip it in favor of Palo/Remy if it is offered......
My goal in all of this is to hook him on DCL and get a 7 night on the Fantasy with the whole family booked on board for next fall before we disembark! Wish me luck!

 

[MND]

I have booked a 3 night cruise on the Dream this January. My husband wanted to take a couples only trip this winter to somewhere tropical. I priced out all-inclusive resorts and convinced him that he would enjoy this cruise just as much and it was cheaper since no air-fare is required. He has not been on the Dream, only the Wonder, and thinks we will miss the kids a lot since we will be seeing so many of them on board. I told him that the Dream has wonderful adults only areas/dining rooms (I sailed on the Dream this spring with my parents and kids and ate at Palo one night). So now I have to make the plans to prove it to him! Here is what I've got so far:
1st night, Palo at 8PM
2nd day, walking tour of Nassau, maybe a stop at public beach for cocktail and then back to ship to enjoy adult pool/hot tub. Will book a mixology or some type of tasting if one is offered that afternoon. Perhaps a rainforest pass to try those heated loungers.
2nd night- dinner in whatever MDR we're assigned, we have late seating
3rd day- rent bikes, spend day at Serenity Bay, snorkel.
3rd night- Remy at 8PM

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what else I should do or if I should change anything? Since we are just on a 3 night, am I correct in assuming we will not have the pirate menu in the MDR on night 2? That is my least favorite menu so I would elect to skip it in favor of Palo/Remy if it is offered......
My goal in all of this is to hook him on DCL and get a 7 night on the Fantasy with the whole family booked on board for next fall before we disembark! Wish me luck!

Are you limited to just 3 nights for this trip?

 

[californiamomofboys]

yes, unfortunately, it's just a long weekend kind of a trip. and we are booked VGT so no changing that part.....

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

Just wanted to offer my opinions on the sailing without the "kids". I have taken 2 DCL cruises without my DH or DS and I'm about to go on my third. The first cruise I sailed without them was when I took my Mom and the 7 night Fantasy last December due to the awesome military rate they offered and it was my treat to her (she is retired military spouse). She loved it and it was so worth it for her to enjoy that time.

I took a girls cruise with two other friends this past September on the 4 night Dream and again, had a blast. It was my third time on the Dream so I knew what to expect but it was fun to do different things. I'm about to cruise again on the 3 night Dream sailing with a BFF since we couldn't pass up the *GT rates that are being offered and it might be our last time vacationing together for awhile since she is getting married next year.

I had a blast and would not hesitate to cruise as adults only, however full disclosure, yes of course it's hard at times when you see the kids and you immediately think of yours. I have a singleton but he LOVES cruising and he's cruised DCL three times already (including Alaska this summer) and we have three more booked now. Just know there will very likely be times things will pull at your heart strings and you'll think about your kids (I'm a sap I admit it) but if it helps your DH be swayed for the Fantasy with your family, I say go for it!

Heather

 

[tweis]

yes, unfortunately, it's just a long weekend kind of a trip. and we are booked VGT so no changing that part.....

Sounds good! Very similar to what my DH and I did this past May. We did Palo, mixology, bikes, lots of lounging, lots of cocktails, lots of snacking. We had a wonderful time.

There are times, obviously, that you are going to miss your kids but you can still have a great time.

The trip report is in my signature if you or your DH want to take a look.

 

[MND]

So does VGT mean that you can't cancel your booking and get your money refunded?

Mike

 

[californiamomofboys]

yes, once you book a *GT rate, you can't modify it. so we are taking a 3 night on the Dream in January. Looking for opinions on what not to miss, adult's only wise, and any advice on the order of restaurants I've booked.

 

[Meghatron]

Haven't been on the Dream, but we honeymooned without kids on the Wonder and it was fantastic. You will have a fantastic time! Your planned stuff sounds good, but also remember not to overplan.

Sent from my Tricorder using DISBoards

 

[Lynne G]

Sounds great to me! All parents need some time to themselves. My DH and I are doing an adult only Dream 3 day right before Christmas. It was the only time I could get him to vacation. I am so looking forward to doing adult things, enjoying the adult beach at CC, visiting and enjoying the bars at night, just having time with DH. Will we miss our kids? Yes. But, they are old enough and my DM agreed to watch them for me. My DH and I have not been on vacation together for several years.

Have a great cruise! Check the schedule, but I think you do get a pirate menu the 2nd night.

 

[Lisa Lisa]

DH and I took a 4-night cruise on the Dream in September to celebrate our anniversary, and we left DD at home with her grandparents. Like you and your DH, we had sailed DCL before so we had an idea of what they offered for adults. We opted to skip the MDRs all together. Before we upgraded to concierge at port, we had planned to have 2 dinners at Palo, 1 at Remy, and 1 at Cabanas. The only change we made after upgrading was to replace the dinner at Cabanas with room service from Royal Palace. We also skipped the shows since we'd seen them before, but I can understand that not everyone would want to do that. Our thinking was that we wanted to be on our own timetable as much as possible. We planned all our dinners for around 7:30 because that's when we like to eat.

We spent lots of time in and around the adult pool. We found it was much, much quieter and that there were very few kids (except for those passing through) forward of the first funnel. We did Mixology and loved it. We got 1-day passes for the Rainforest Room before the cruise and used them on our sea day. That wasn't the greatest idea because it was packed, but we still enjoyed our time there. We spent time in our two favorite bars, Meridian and Skyline. We also used our refillable beer mugs to get beers from Currents a number of times. We spent all day on Serenity Bay at CC, and had lunch at the Castaway Air BBQ there -- amazing day. All in all, it was an incredible trip and we've been talking about when we can do it again ever since! There's a link to my trip report below, if you're interested in more info. You and your DH will have an amazing time, and I bet by day 2 he'll be onboard for the 7-night!

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

It sounds perfect. We had our 10th anniversary (2 weeks early) with our parent's 45th on the Dream this year. It was an outstanding trip. Mind you, we didn't have kids to miss, and I think if you were doing a big long trip, you might miss them, but honestly, you deserve 3 days to yourself without guilt. Sounds like a great trip. Even better if you can add one WDW park day like we did the day before and run around like kids ourselves.

 

[irishtwins1112]

We just did a 3 night on the Dream in October. No kids. It was fantastic. We have a 1 and 2 year old. I love my kids but I did not miss them(i.e. wish they were there). I thought I might see other kids their age and be sad that they weren't there. Nope. I even saw a family in the elevator. Mid 30's and two boys that were 1.5 and 2.5. Just like mine. I inquired how old they were and the lady asked if I had any. I told her about ours and that they were at home. They had planned adults only but added their kids a week before the cruise. The whole time the dad is looking at me like......"yeah that was all her decision". Lol! Some people disagree but I think you definitely need to take that time alone for a few days. I am sure your husband will love it. What really helped with us is that we turned off our phones for the whole cruise. We left our kids in capable hands and asked that they call the ship only if someone went to the ER, or if a family member died. It worked out very well for us. And the adults only areas were awesome. Especially Palo.

 

[JohnPA]

Couple's Massage. Couple's Cabana Massage on Castaway Cay. Couple's Retreat if you can afford it. My wife and I spend more time in the spa than anywhere else. Truly relaxing and reaffirming that what's important is the two of you. After the kid's are grown (ours are 30 and 28), it will be just you two.

 

[dmccarty]

DW and I just could not have a Disney vacation and leave the kids home. Some people can do this but we just cannot. Last summer we went to VBR, which was excellent, and I am NOT a beach person. The kids went to the grandparents a day before we left to go home so that was our Kid Less Vacation. We just booked VBR again for 9 nights and plan to get the kids to the grandparents on day six.

We are thinking of going to Charlotte to visit Ikea, yes we lead an exciting life, after XMAS when the grandparents can watch the kids for a couple of nights. We found a Hampton Inn with a hot tub in the room!

We have been to Ikea a few times, it is tiring and not really relaxing but the hot tub should replenish us. It is sad, but we think we will need two days to visit Ikea.

I can certainly see going on a DCL cruise without the kids when they are off in school, but while they are young, we just want to be with them. Though the oldesst was in full Teenage Mode at VBR last summer. An adult only Disney Cruise would be awesome. We just cannot do it yet. It is our Mental Thang.

Later,
Dan

 

[californiamomofboys]

Sounds good! Very similar to what my DH and I did this past May. We did Palo, mixology, bikes, lots of lounging, lots of cocktails, lots of snacking. We had a wonderful time.

There are times, obviously, that you are going to miss your kids but you can still have a great time.

The trip report is in my signature if you or your DH want to take a look.

tweis,
just read thru your trip report. i think you all are very similar to us as far as tastes and how you like to enjoy yourselves! i am very excited for our couple-only trip! thanks for sharing.

 

[tweis]

tweis,
just read thru your trip report. i think you all are very similar to us as far as tastes and how you like to enjoy yourselves! i am very excited for our couple-only trip! thanks for sharing.

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it. You all will have a wonderful time.

 

[JeanfromBNA]

If you two are foodies, I recommend the food tour of Nassau. Gets you out into the community, great opportunity to learn about how locals live. A fair amount of walking, but we'll worth it. We booked independently.

Also second the couple's spa package. Fantastic!

 

[ilovetexas]

We did a seven day Fantasy last year without the kids...it was great!

I highly recommend the Rainforest Room. Based on our experience there, I now book Aqua Class on Celebrity so I get a full week included in their Persian Garden. Those heated loungers overlooking the ocean are to die for!

Remy is the best meal ever....enjoy.