Disney cruise for adults?

[UCFGrad01]

Hi there, and happy anniversary!

I have done 2 DCL cruises (3rd this fall) and 1 RCCL cruise, no kids in tow on any of them. IMO, Disney actually (ironically) does a way better job paying attention to adult activities than RCCL. RCCL basically says "here's a pool, everyone hop in", where DCL has a separate pool and hot tub for adults. In addition, spa, Serenity Bay on CC, Palo/Remy, etc. There are going to be kids, and lots of them, on most any cruise. But I think DCL really thought long and hard about the needs/wants of adults in the planning of their ships too.

Have a great time!

 

[GrassMaster]

My hubs and I are celebrating our one year anniversary since the big Disney Fairytale wedding! Cannot believe that! We would like to do the Disney cruise, of course but are worried it will be mostly youngsters! Input please!

My wife and I went on a 3 night cruise last Feb without the kids. It was fantastic and we were amazed how many couples we met that were doing the same as us. We are going again in 2 weeks. Can't wait!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

DH & I did 3 Disney cruises before taking the kids. The kids went on the next two (DD24 & DS23 on the first, DS19 on the second). So, even with the kids, we were all adults (well, chronologically anyway).

 

[caribear]

I have only been on 1 DCL cruise with my kids.......the other 3 were "mom's getaway" cruises with my girlfriends! I love DCL with an adults only group! I have always been seated with other adults at dinner.....and take full advantage of the adult only areas on the ships. My favorite place is Serenity Bay at Castaway Cay.....so serene and beautiful.....no kids running around......ahhhhh...wish I was there now! I love all things Disney so I do enjoy the shows and an occasional photo with Mickey too!

Go and enjoy yourselves! I think you will have a great time! ......and Palo is a must! I love brunch, but dinner is great too!

 

[GetGlowing]

Cruise when kids are in school (September is good -- people don't want to take their kids out of class at the very beginning of the year).

Get late dining - fewer kids.

Find adult activities on the ship like spa, exercise classes or gym, spend time in Cove Cafe or the adult pool (on 3 cruises kids in the adult areas haven't been an issue for me), do ship tours or cooking seminars or wine tastings or find a "boring" deck spot to hang out. See the grown up movies in Buena Vista Theater. Not too many kids in 'Lincoln' showings.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using DISBoards

 

[Castillo Mom]

My sister and I cruised on the Disney Dream without kids this past June and had a wonderful time. We enjoyed the adult area of the ship, had wonderful meals at both Remy and Palo. We also had an awesome day at Serenity Bay, the adult beach on Castaway Cay. So yes, I highly recommend it, you'll have a great time!

 

[Bunless]

Hi there, and happy anniversary!

I have done 2 DCL cruises (3rd this fall) and 1 RCCL cruise, no kids in tow on any of them. IMO, Disney actually (ironically) does a way better job paying attention to adult activities than RCCL. RCCL basically says "here's a pool, everyone hop in", where DCL has a separate pool and hot tub for adults. In addition, spa, Serenity Bay on CC, Palo/Remy, etc. There are going to be kids, and lots of them, on most any cruise. But I think DCL really thought long and hard about the needs/wants of adults in the planning of their ships too.

Have a great time!

This has been our experience, comparing Disney with, of all lines, Holland America. We've done two Holland America Alaska cruises and one Disney Alaska. It was so bizarre, it felt like there were more kids on HAL than Disney. The only adult only areas were the casino and technically the gym and spa, although there always seemed to be kids in the gym (not teens working out, but kids).

We'll be going on our fourth Disney cruise this summer. I am looking forward to the Cove Cafe, Quiet Cove, evening activities, Spa, Gym, and Palo! No Serenity Bay in the Mediterranean

 

[jdb in AZ]

Not a whole lot to add to the already great responses, but did want to add that it seems like there are more kids on the shorter sailings than on the 7 night sailings. So, in addition to the longer sailings being immensely more relaxing, I think they're also less kid-magnets, especially during the school year when families don't usually pull their kids out of school for so long.

DH and I have done two 15-day Disney cruises and there weren't very many kids at all. Then last fall we cruised for a week on the Fantasy and the kids seemed to crawl out of the woodwork. We thought they'd be in school, but oh well. So I would definitely not book a KSF cruise if I wanted to avoid the lil darlings.

 

[Bookwood]

I don't have much to add really but wanted to say "go for it". We've sailed on 2 14 day cruises (PC in Jan and Hawaii in Oct) and there were just enough kids to enjoy and not be hassled by. (of course if you want that I'd recommend at least a 7 day and during school times, and of course no kids sale free cruises)

 

[DVCNuts]

I concur with all of the positive replies. We have done 3 cruises as a couple and one with our adult children, and really enjoyed all of them. Depends on the cruise staff, but we really enjoyed adult trivia on the Wonder MR in April. Other cruises, the trivia was less fun. Fantasy Deck 13 forward is exclusively adults, and we never saw kids there. We also really enjoyed the lounges, particularly Meridian and Skyline for a fancy cocktail before dinner. And the Cove Cafe is a great getaway on all the ships. Looking forward to the Wonder in April for another cruise as a kid-less couple!

 

[disbridebailey]

Thanks for all the replies! We are hoping to do a May cruise We have such a love for Disney! I am very excited. Any more tips on what is a must "do" on the new ship?

 

[Rogillio]

I think it depends on whether you enjoy being around kids or are annoyed by the constant noise.

We sailed on HAL and there were very few children and we noticed immediately how much quieter everything was. The decks were quiet despite there being lots of people on deck and the dinning rooms were quieter than what we experienced on DCL.

On one of our HAL cruises I was talking with a guy who said he would never sail on DCL because there were so many kids running amok. He said he was a school teacher and wanted time away from kids on his vacation. Now for me, I love the 'family' atmosphere! Our kids are grown now but seeing a little girl all aflutter at seeing Belle brings back memories for me of when we sailed when our kids were at that age.

Lastly, I love DCL becasue of the quality, attention to detail and atmosphere. Maybe other lines have good quality and attention to detail or maybe they don't.....but no one provides the Disney atmosphere except Disney.

 

[tajz90]

I'm not a huge fan of kids even though I have two of my own. I don't surround ourselves with kids and I shy away from kid activities.

Having said that, we are huge fans of Disney. In fact, we think Disney does a great job of keeping kiddies occupied and out of our way

We don't have the same feeling on a couple of the other lines.

I am currently looking to cruise as adults only and I'm only shopping Disney.

 

[Donna M]

We're heading out on a cruise in April with another couple without kids and we don't even need babysitters since our "kids" are now in their 20's.

Disney cruises are great without kids too!

 

[disbridebailey]

Wow, you guys are so informative! I love Disney loving people. What rooms are a must? We are looking at May 11 ocean view vs balcony.. Currently the vacation is totaling $4000 (with a short WDW stay) and we are both eeek! Is this typical and worth it? Is a couple hundred worth the balcony?

 

[jdb in AZ]

Wow, you guys are so informative! I love Disney loving people. What rooms are a must? We are looking at May 11 ocean view vs balcony.. Currently the vacation is totaling $4000 (with a short WDW stay) and we are both eeek! Is this typical and worth it? Is a couple hundred worth the balcony?

How much time do you think you'll spend on the balcony? some people like to read out there or enjoy an early cup of coffee or a late glass of wine. If you're going to be up early for an exercise class (shudder) or out late dancing, the balcony will probably be a waste of money that you could spend on something more useful.

 

[vcjtx]

Leaving in 2 days on the Magic. I'm single and have adult children who will not be cruising. Traveling with a friend for a "girls cruise". Our first Disney cruise but I think we'll enjoy it - even with lots of kids. We love Disney and are always impressed by the attention to detail that is a hallmark of Disney. If you are a Disney lover, have been to the parks, then you know there will be kids. As others have said, there will be plenty of "adults only" areas and activities, but also the fun watching kids' reactions to the "Magic" that is Disney.
Enjoy your trip! Bon Voyage!

 

[Sir William]

We've done two cruises on the Magic without kids and quite enjoyed it. Both times we we're seated with other childless cruisers at dinner. About the only time I came into contact with kids was in the evenings and I found the vast majority of them to be well behaved.

 

[cyclenut]

My hubs and I are celebrating our one year anniversary since the big Disney Fairytale wedding! Cannot believe that! We would like to do the Disney cruise, of course but are worried it will be mostly youngsters! Input please!

Assuming you are a fan of Disney. In that case, you shouldn't have any trouble enjoying yourself on a Disney cruise. There are a quite a few youngsters on Disney ships and not as many teens as you might find on a Royal Carribbean voyage, but that doesn't make it a problem. Some things to consider that we found different between the two lines when traveling as two adults.

1) Disney does their show/dinner differently. We were able to have late seating adn then see the show on Royal but on Disney, late seating means you see the show first. We like to do dinner first and we like to have late seating to give us more time to clean up and get ready after a day in port. Not a problem mind you, but just different.
2) There are several areas of the ship for adults only but there are also several areas that are kids only. For us, it made the ship seem a little smaller.
3) The smaller ships (Wonder and Magic) don't have as many clubs or nightlife as the larger ships (Fantasy and Dream). If you are a night owl, you may find your options limited. We found it difficult to find much to do after 10 if we didn't care for the house band on the Wonder.
4) May not be a big deal for you, but Disney has more restrictions on when food service is offered. On Royal there is something open all the time (at least until 2am) where you can actually get a meal. The hours on the buffet on Disney ships is shorter (in our experience) and there were times in the mid morning and late afternoon where it seemed everything was closed. You can always order room service of course.
5) There is no casino, which for many is not an issue at all. Not a big deal for me either, but it is something you should be aware of.

For a Disney fan, the above are probably not deal breakers and they won't be a problem at all if you go in knowing what to expect. Wife and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary aboard the Freedom of the Seas in June and followed that up with the Wonder in September. Both cruises were great, although I think we put the Freedom just a little higher on the list, and not just because of the destinations. That said, we plan to sail DCL again, just the two of us. We are Disney fans!

 

[cyclenut]

Wow, you guys are so informative! I love Disney loving people. What rooms are a must? We are looking at May 11 ocean view vs balcony.. Currently the vacation is totaling $4000 (with a short WDW stay) and we are both eeek! Is this typical and worth it? Is a couple hundred worth the balcony?

Personally, I don't think the Balcony is not worth it unless you are doing Alaska or something like that. We book inside deluxe on DCL and standard inside on others and find it to be perfectly acceptable. Find the cheapest cabin, you won't likely spend much time in it anyway. You will get the same cruise experience as everyone else and spend a lot less.

There are some here who really love the balcony and I guess that is their choice. We have had one once and did really like it, but just can't justify the expense ordinarily.