What would YOU say, having sailed on DCL.....

[MunFam]

Well, I'm not going to help your case with them. Being that we are not Disney fans...I would advise anyone that is not a die-hard Disney person or a person *edit: NOT* taking their kids on a cruise to sail with another line that caters more to adults. We have a 6 year old and will likely never sail Disney again. As I said, we are not Disney people. We did love the cleanliness of the ship (which was equivalent on Holland, although just out of a drydock when we sailed and Princess). We did not find the food to be any more spectacular than Holland and felt Princess did a better job with the menu. The service on DCL was top notch, but not 3-5 times the price. We love cruising because you unpack once, but get to visit a new place every day...its like going to an all inclusive resort, except you are in a different city every morning...its kind of like travel teleporting. So yes to cruising, but no to DCL.

 

[bumbershoot]

My MIL just told me that neither ️her, nor my FIL are really into joining us on the Dream.

Not into joining you on the cruise, or joining you on the Dream specifically?

we ran into so many grandparent ages (ok I'm old fashioned and think 65 on up is grandparent age

FWIW it's new-fashioned to have grandparents be much older; not old-fashioned. Earlier we got married WAY younger.

My grandmother was still having babies when my oldest uncle was starting his family. His first kid is about the same age as two of my uncles. My great grandmother did about the same. People had babies starting early and kept on going!

One of my friends in school still had a YOUNG great-grandmother when we were in HS. 18 + 18 + 18 + 18 = not very old at all, especially to be a great-gran.

Are there any young children or a baby and would they be expected to babysit?

Terrific question. My aunt was asked to go along, and it turned out she got to be in charge for a whole lot of the time! Which wasn't stress-free for her.

OR are they expected to babysit a lot normally, and they would like a break? My brother's mother in law was being asked to watch her grandbaby so often that it was physically destroying her, and emotionally seriously irritating the father in law. They now cite the cold of where they (and their other daughter) live to explain why they go live with my brother and their daughter for half of the year. And she's in constant pain and PT and having surgeries (carpal tunnel from holding baby, back problems from lifting toddler etc) so she really can't do much anymore when they are home.

Well, I'm not going to help your case with them.

Same! If they want to cruise, find a cruise line they like. If they don't want to cruise, have a fun cruise while they have fun on land!

So yes to cruising, but no to DCL.

Exactly.

 

[Dug720]

That said, my parents are in their 70s and LOVE cruising on Disney - so I agree that there is no age limit.

Just as an additional clarifier... My parents will cruise just the two of them (meeting up with my CM sister, but they are on their own much of the time), or with me (solo adult), or us as an all-adult family. They have no grandkids - just two "grandcats", one of whom they have "custody" of as sis cannot have him with her aboard. They still have wonderful times!!!

But we all like cruising.

 

[mevelandry]

I'm hoping to get a good compilation of comments to read to them, from experienced cruisers, letting them see that they SHOULD sail with us on DCL.

DH and I are planning a trip with his parents (both slightly over 65 years old). The arguments we used to convince them were:

-The Quiet Cove (18+) with nice and quiet pools and jacuzzis.
-The Quiet Cove Café (18+) with excellent selections.
-The Spa (this one is great with jacuzzis, etc.) & a gym
-The specialty dining (Only Palo on the Wonder but we told them about our wonderful experiences at Remy too)
-Serenity Bay (18+) at Castaway Cay
-The wine tasting classes
-Great bars/pubs if they are into that
-The movie theater (included)
-Nice shows (most people talk about the Disney shows but on the Disney Dream, there is a wonderful violonist who does shows during the day + one comedy show)
-A lot of different choices of excursions (and the possibility of staying on the cruiseship if they prefer that).

Don't hesitate to show them pictures and videos.

 

[mevelandry]

Honestly cruising is NOT for everyone. Add in if they go into it with the attitude that they aren't going to like it, they probably won't. And if they are miserable and demonstrative about being miserable, YOU are going to end up miserable.

So true. I have a relative who decided to try WDW, but from the beginning she kept saying how she was scared that she would hate it, kept saying she was thinking about cancelling. Kept saying how she felt like she was going to throw 5000$ down the toilet. Well, she went and she hated pretty much everything she tried. The good restaurants I recommended, she cancelled at the last minute so she did not try them. And now she's back home she's telling everybody that WDW sucks and the food is terrible.

OP, it's okay to give it a try, but if they don't respond positively, just go without them.

 

[ahain]

Maybe it seems too expensive and they don't want to say that?

This was immediately my thought/question since OP didn't really say who would be paying for the cruise.....

 

[PlanoNana]

FWIW, our first cruise we took my mid 80s mom and aunt, ourselves and our grown DD. They enjoyed the cruise and we enjoyed the cruise. Our second was our adult kids and spouses and DH's mom (82) and sis. We all ate dinner as a family and did our own thing during the day. Since MIL used a walker we took a wheelchair so she wouldn't have to walk as much on the ship. We all had a great time. This cruise it's just DD, SIL, us and the grand girls. My reasons are Disney quality, family friendly shows and humor (nothing crude or embarrassing) and relaxing time.

 

[Bdunn]

I guess it depends on why they are objecting. We took my parents with us on the Fantasy 2 years ago. My mom does/did not really like open water and can have trouble with motion sickness, and she was a little hesitant, but willing to give it a go. They tried the, "It's too expensive," thing, but we got around that. They were 81 and 76 at the time. We put them in a Concierge veranda down the hallway from us. We took care of the flight and the cruise (Palo, Remy) and told them that any excursions they wanted to do were up to them.

They had the time of their lives. They even did the wave runner excursion on Castaway Cay. They still talk about the cruise, pull out pictures and re-live it, and always find a way to bring it up. You're the best judge of their objections, of course. For us, it couldn't have been better.

 

[dektolia]

I think a cruise is a great vacation for 3 generations to be able to do a mix of independent and group activities. I felt like there were a lot of adult options available.

That being said, I went on a 3-generation DCL cruise in 2014 and it was totally the wrong vacation for my dad. His idea of a vacation is going into the north woods of Wisconsin and not seeing another person for a whole week. He's an over-the-road truck driver and is used to being alone constantly. He felt like the ship was crowded. He wanted a plate full of meat and potatoes and didn't like wasting plate space on vegetables. He said he left the dining room hungry (I'm always stuffed personally). Could he have gone to the buffet instead or ordered room service? Sure, but when the rest of the group is having dinner in the MDR he felt obligated to go and didn't enjoy being there. He only went on the cruise because my mom wanted to go. He got pretty cranky and his bad attitude affected all of us.

I live and work in Minneapolis and I didn't feel like the crowds were bad on the ship (then again, I'm currently sitting on a crowded bus for my daily commute, so i probably have a higher threshold). I tolerate vegetables, and occasionally even enjoy them.

I guess the point is that the reason why they don't want to go really matters. I think activities are planned for all ages, so you have room for persuasion there, but if it's a fundamental issue like my dad, thats different. Cruising is great for me, and even my mom, who will be joining us on another 3 generation cruise next February. My dad is sitting this one out, and I think we'll all have a better vacation because of it.

 

[JanBlessed]

Thanks to everyone for your responses! This is the best thing I've done: post this thread. There's definitely a good mix of options, eye openers & opinions. To start: I will find out WHY they don't want to go.

 

[JanBlessed]

I honestly assumed that they wanted to go, because they suggest to go to WDW. We have been there a couple of times (3) all together. My FIL sits out on a few park visits & stays at the resort, but he does go to one park per visit! Not to mention that HE wanted to go on this last one!

 

[JanBlessed]

As far as financial concerns: My MIL did say that some friends mentioned that it was quite pricey. I told her that in order for me to even respond to that, I need to know what line THEY sailed on and what budget they have to work with. That "pricey" tag is just an opinion, not a fact. What's exoensive for some is cheap for another & visa versa.

 

[JanBlessed]

Financial comments: yes, they would pay their fare, but they ALWAYS DO. That's just how we've always done it. It is usually I who think that they have overspent on THEIR vacations!

 

[JanBlessed]

My mum, a little reluctantly, came on a DCL cruise to Alaska with us, as she wanted to do Alaska and this was the only way she thought she could do it with us. She has since been on 2 more DCL cruises and is booked on a 4th with us. She loves how you can have as much or as little Disney as you want - she was surprised at how she could avoid Disney overload. She was also very pleasantly surprised that she wasn't overwhelmed with children - she loved Cove Cafe, enjoyed the adult animation classes, the Anyone Can Cook demonstrations, the adult pool area, etc. She was happy spending time with her grandkids and us, but enjoyed relaxing time by herself as well.

Great story and suggestions!

 

[JanBlessed]

I think you should follow their instructions.... Are they not wise? ..... Perhaps they will be more comfortable at home. JMO.

Honestly cruising is NOT for everyone. Add in if they go into it with the attitude that they aren't going to like it, they probably won't.

Maybe you two are right . This could be true . Sadly....

 

[JanBlessed]

Being a regular cruiser, I'm often surprised by my friends' and coworkers' fears about cruising : fear of enclosed spaces, fear of being "stuck in the middle of the ocean", fear of motion sickness, etc. They often pass them off as a lack of interest in that type of vacation. Those fears are not rational, as fear of flying is (safest mode of transportation btw), but they are nearly impossible to overcome, especially in older people.

Hmmm...are they opposed to cruising all together or just cruising on DCL? If opposed to cruising, as others have mentioned, try to find out why and see if there is anyway you can alleviate any of their fears or apprehensions. If opposed to DCL, highlight many of the adult only areas and the SPA!

This was interesting, because I didn't consuder irrational fears as being a potential problem. That may just be it. I do have to find out, but not be overbearing. Maybe I will ask in a month or so...

Also, I don't know if it's cruising in general! They're pretty young (Imo) - in their 60's - and enjoy the theme parks, fly for vacation and to visit family. I really didn't think that maybe they just don't want to cruise ....... But, why am I finding out NOW and not when I booked?

 

[JanBlessed]

My wife and I are both around 60. We cruised in April with our daughter and our grandchildren. I was worried that there would be too many kids on the ship and I would not have a relaxing vacation. I was very wrong.

1. My wife and I did have plenty of activities with our extended family. We also had a lot of alone time.
2. Disney provided so many activities for the children, that I can honestly say that we did not come in contact with kids all that much unless we chose to do so.
3. Some of the best experiences we had were watching the faces of the children during character and princess meets.

Besides this, this was one of the best vacations I ever had. We could do as much as we wanted and as LITTLE as we wanted. We spent a lot of time in the stateroom, just relaxing and watching the sea go by. We walked the decks and explored the ship (the Fantasy is very beautiful). Every cast member we came into contact with did whatever they could to make our vacation magical.

***** this was my first thought , they will totally change their minds once they're into day two or three , explore the ship, eat, relax, etc....******




I had thought that we would be in Disney overload. This was also a pleasant surprise. Even though there is no doubt that you are on a Disney ship, it is nothing like being in one of the theme parks. Much of the Disney elements in the decoration of the ship is subtle and very tasteful. You will see characters, but they are definitely not everywhere and in MHO there could have been more. You will feel like you are on a very classy ship.

I'm going to point this out. Maybe they think it's Disney Overload and not relaxing!

 

[JanBlessed]

to get my parents to go. They love cruising but definitely not on Disney as they put it. so I left it at that as I agree with a PP that if they go into the cruise with a negative attitude they will get out of it negativity IMO.

I understand. It's just hard for me to imaginé anyone being negative for more than just a few hours in a Disney Cruise! Unless something really bad happened.

 

[JanBlessed]

We have 3 generation sailed twice in the past. We have a 4 generation planned for next year. Though to be fair, my inlaws were totally into going on the Disney boat anyway. I think there are some good responses already mentioned about what they might expect while on board, and also trying to figure out the why. itinerary? cost? length of the trip? or maybe concerns about health, mobility, and planning.

Good luck!

Wow! That's awesome & exactly what I was trying to do. Enjoy YOUR trip !

 

[JanBlessed]

Would your in-laws be in their own cabin, so have their own space and privacy? Are there any young children or a baby and would they be expected to babysit?

As has been mentioned, since they have never sailed, they may very well be worried about seasickness.

While a short cruise can be an enjoyable getaway, it usually does not have the more relaxed atmosphere of a 7-night cruise. The environment can be high-energy as everyone rushes around trying to do everything there is to do

Yes, their own cabin. At WDW, we also have our own rooms.

No babysitting. The kids have the clubs that they can go to for "babysitting" but it's really more for fun and U.S. adults can enjoy our own time.

Maybe sea sickness. It's just strange to have never heard that in over 15 yrs of conversation... So I didn't even consider it!

The cruise is a 5 day, right in the middle. Not too short, not too long. And only 1 sea day