Please Tell Me Honestly

[jennibug]

DH and I are thinking of a December cruise. We have heard from several people we know personally that DCL is great for families, but not so good for couples because of all the kids running around. We don't care about there being lots of children around or we wouldn't be Disney Freaks.

So can anyone clear this up for me? Is DCL good for COUPLES also??
Thanks!!
Jenni

 

[Pea-n-Me]

 

[inkkognito]

DCL is great for couples!
There are adults-only areas that are actually enforced (unlike RCCL). We have no kids, and we're been on DCL 44 times, with many more already booked. Being around the kids is fun, but you'll have plenty of "big kid" time too.
Barb

 

[challada]

Though I cruised w/my own kids, which makes my opinion kinda worthless, I was shocked by how much "adult" space there was on the boat (in a good way)!
There is an adult pool, adult lounge, adult bars, adult coffee bar, adult evening shows, etc, etc, etc.... I would definitely say that any adult could go on the DCL boats and stay as far away from kids as they would like!

My own parents have done both the Big Red Boat (when that was all Disney cruised) and the DCL and had a wonderful "adult" time!

 

[tcmata]

We went on two DCL cruises prior to having our son and had a GREAT time!!! There are tons of things for adults to do as well as the "adult only" areas of the ship. It's Disney...so of course there are tons of kids on the ship, BUT we have never felt "over-run" by children. They have excellent programs for the kids as well. We love Disney (and kids) and never regretted sailing DCL as a childless couple. And now that we have our son it's a whole new exciting experience. We're glad we sailed DCL prior to having him and we're about to enjoy our second cruise with him (18 months)!!!

If you love Disney and aren't opposed to being around kids....GO FOR IT!!! You won't regret it at all!!!

 

[donmil723]

DH and I along with DD and her GF, both age 19, were impressed that DCL kept the adult areas for adults! We love kids and all things Disney but it was nice to have some quiet time at the adult pool or fun at the adult only clubs in the evenings.

Donna

 

[challada]

delete

 

[Hygiene99]

KIDS...


We have taken 8 Cruises just as a Couple..
We do not have any children ..
We love it.. Go for it....

Some of the folks onboard will give you a child if you want one !!!

Peter

 

[pppiglet]

We went in June and school wasn't out yet for a lot of children. We didn't notice them running around everywhere. In fact I was surprised that they weren't all over. The only time we heard a few was at night about 11:00 they were running down the hall to their room. Must have had an 11:00 curfew!

 

[lbgraves]

I am guessing that the person who told you that has never set foot on The Magic or The Wonder. We travel in November & December when school is in session but there are ALOT of kids on the ship. We are always surprised at how many they say were on board at the final kid show. It never seems that crowded & we spend alot of time at the Mickey Pool.

 

[CM_Mom]

I think the big difference on DCL is that the supervised kids activities, the Oceaneer's Club and the Oceaneer's Lab are open continuously from 9:00 am to 12 midnight so the kids have PLENTY of supervised activities to participate in instead of "running loose" on the ship.

I don't have the specific numbers but I would guess that about 1/3 of the staterooms on any given sailing are occupied by adults only.

We really enjoyed the shows and entertainment that was "family friendly" --- no foul language or bathroom (or worse) "humor". Extremely high quality but clean.

 

[musicgirl]

We've cruised 3 times (2 on the Wonder and 1 on the Magic). We have a now 14 ds. The first 2 times dh and I didn't really use the adult areas very much.

This last time on the Magic, it felt like we were childless because we never saw our ds. So this time, we used the all the adult areas. It was great.

I loved the entertainment series (only on the Magic), the rain forest, the pool, the adult shows and of course Palo (adult only dining).

We had toyed with the idea of cruising on another line because of the higher cost of DCL. The adult areas were what really convinced us not to book on another line.

DCL does an awesome job of keeping the adult area ADULT. I have heard many people say the other lines have adult areas too, but that it is not really enforced. At DCL, if a child walks into an adult area, a CM is there very quickly to take care of it.

There was only one time that this policy was not followed. This was at the Behind the Scenes in the theater. A lady brought in 2 kids between 8-10. No one said anything to her, they were not noisy. It really didn't take her long to figure out this would not be for kids.

At the pool, if anyone looks like they could be under 18, they will ask for id. Funny, they didn't ask me!!!

You can surround yourself with kids by going into those areas or you can go to the adult areas.

This is true with the whole Disney theme idea. Some people worry that there will be too much Disney. You can surround yourself with it or not. If you don't want to be over run with characters, don't go in the main lobby during the character greetings. But I must say, it is fun to watch all the kids with them!!!

 

[musicgirl]

I forgot to mention the adult beach. Take the tram over and enjoy the beach completely kid free!! Some times it is almost adult free too!!!! It's like having your own tropical beach!!!

 

[4formickey]

We went in feb with no kids and had a ball. There are so many things to do you will not notice the children. You will have fun with out kids on this boat

 

[kcashner]

My teen DD should be a sales person for DCL. She tells our adult friends that there are plenty of "adults only" areas where she can't go. She's not complaining--she's perfectly happy in The Stack.

On our last trip to Castaway, I made my first visit to Serenity Bay (the adults only beach). I was surprised that everyone was either a young 20 something or a grandparent. Then I realized that I was only there because DD was now on the teen excursion and I was free.....all the parents were over on the family beach.

DCL does enforce the "adults only" policy. There is a large space for each age group, including the over 18 set!

 

[MrsJobba1]

In August it will be our 3rd cruise. Just DH and myself.

We love the cruise.
One of the best parts is taking the tram to the adults only beach in castaway cay. You see the family beach being really busy then you turn the corner and you are in paradise. The other times we visited there were no more than 10 couples spread right out along the beach. It really felt like our own private beach.

Can't wait till we go in August. My hammock is waiting !

 

[laura12581]

My DH and I our celebrating our first anniversary on the Wonder in Sept... I am not really worried about kids as much as I am hurricanes. Like the previous posters have said, there are a lot of adult-only places and activities. Good luck with your decision!
Laura

 

[DiaLady]

When I give my pitch for DCL to my friends, the first thing I tell them about is how you can have many vacations rolled into one. You can be adults only with your hubby from the pool to dining to the nite life. You can enjoy family time from the pool to dining to the fabulous shows. It's all up to you. Our first cruise was in mid-June and we were thrilled to enjoy our "adult" time when the boys were in the clubs. Since I have kids, I feel hypersentative to enjoying myself kidfree

Dh and I talked about doing a "just us" cruise, but for the price, it was easier to include the two boys, but reserve some "just us time" when they were enjoying the clubs. Last time we couldn't get them out of the clubs . ..LOL.

Anyway, I'm planning to suprise my dh with the REAS add-on for a little extra romance.

So go and enjoy your DCL cruise in a family atmosphere where children are optional

 

[jlowejd5]

I'll throw my nose in, as well. We've done two cruises, and have another coming up in March. We're not 'kid people' at all, and trust me, we had the same trepidations that you do. But, as mentioned above, if you stay out of the Mickey Pool and out of the Lab/Club, you should be fine. Yes, the kids are there, but between the size of the ship, the activities and spaces just for them, and the ability to go to the grownup spaces, you should be fine.

Happy cruising!

 

[winotracy]

We have no kids, but are cruising on our 4th DCL cruise in August. Love the adult only areas! Funny story, I was in the laundry room on a previous cruise and some older ladies left. A mother in the group remaining said she couldn't understand why people without children would go on DCL. I piped up and said "You don't? We don't have children". She asked what I do all the time. I asked what she did when her kids were in the clubs. I said that's what I do all the time

Tracy