Adults cruising without kids

[Princess Tess]

I surprised my husband with a cruise for his 60th. I'm not a person who ever had a desire to cruise let alone a Disney Cruise but I was pleasantly surprised. Let me explain - we are Disney people, we are DVC members we have grand babies and love kids but the thought of getting (trapped) on a boat with LOTS of little people just didn't excite me.
I should've trusted that Disney had that all figured out. There were PLENTY of adult only areas and the bonus was that because most people were traveling with kids so the adult only areas were not crowded at all. For dinners we had the later dining time (I don't know if that meant there were less kids) during our dining time. We were seated with other couples who were not cruising with kids, I do not remember hearing any crying during any dinners.
There was one night after dinner (it was late 9:30 - 10:00) when we walked through midship when they were doing all the photo ops with the characters, ships captain etc - it was late, very crowded, crying kids and parents giving each other "that look" of frustration (we've all been there LOL) - that's when I looked at my husband and said "this is what I imagine the whole cruise to be like".
In hindsight that part of the cruise was probably comparable the bus ride at the end of a long day in the Magic Kingdom.
So I would have to say DCL is perfect for adults cruising alone. Because it's Disney you don't get that wild and crazy party hardy crowd and because it's Disney it's geared for families cruising with kids you get all the Disney Magic - perfect!
Silly little thing but it was the hilite of our trip - we were on Castaway Cay (on the over 18 side of course!) the landscape was pretty natural and uninhibited - a hut for a bar and bathrooms and a structure for food buffet that's it - opposite that was nothing just shoreline....as we sat on the beach my husband looked past me and said "what is that?" waaaaay down the beach out of nowhere came a man walking. As he came closer we realized he wasn't just walking he was staggering, it was Cap't Jack Sparrow! He walked up to us I couldn't help but lmao and I asked, "what the hell are you doing here"? Without skipping a beat he replied, "Looking for some rum, have you got any?" Disney Magic!

 

[mmouse37]

We have cruised DCL several times without our kids. Makes for a totally different experience!! Love it. But I also love travelling with the whole family. In August we are cruising with our adult children, their spouses and 2 new grandkids....can't wait!!!

MJ

 

[lorimay]

Glad you had a great time.
DCL is great for couples, we sail alone often on Disney, we always have an amazing time.
We also travel with the kids and grandkids, completely different experience, but wonderful as well.

Love the Captain Jack story.

 

[com_op_2000]

Having been on 8 DCLs, 6 of them just DW and I; we can relate to your feeling about kids and there getting over-loaded at the end of the day. We love the quite areas of the ship and CC-SB. Wish we could meet Cap Jack at CC one time but it has not happened yet.

 

[CamColt]

That sounds like a magical cruise! Thanks for sharing!

DH and I have done 3 Disney cruises without our kids and loved them, for the very reasons you mentioned! Disney caters to all age groups perfectly!

 

[tink1970]

Yes! I get tired of explaining why DH and I cruise DCL (as mentioned in another thread, it's cheaper than Regent, Crystal, etc...). We prefer to get up early and hit Serenity Bay when it's empty (well a CM or 5...), spend time in our room and the concierge lounge. It is a wonderful way to relax for us.
2 months and counting until our next one

Love the Cap'n Jack story as well-what a snappy comeback! Is that a photo of it I see by your name?

 

[dsdeleon]

We cruised alone RCL and cruised with the kids DCL (but only really walked on and off the ship with them) and DCL is perfect for the amount of adult stuff. My DH can party a little too hard honestly and the casinos and late night clubs all night every night aren't for me but making friends with others and having a little fun dancing without drinks spilled everywhere and wild scenes is perfect on DCL. Serenity Bay is so amazing. We didn't see CJS but the live band was so amazing. How freaking funny he stumbled up asking for rum! Cracked me up, thanks for sharing.

Oh and I noticed in all of my pictures, the adult areas are empty. It's like we had so much space and staff to ourselves!

 

[Sir William]

...as we sat on the beach my husband looked past me and said "what is that?" waaaaay down the beach out of nowhere came a man walking. As he came closer we realized he wasn't just walking he was staggering, it was Cap't Jack Sparrow! He walked up to us I couldn't help but lmao and I asked, "what the hell are you doing here"? Without skipping a beat he replied, "Looking for some rum, have you got any?" Disney Magic!

A few cruises ago I was enjoying an adult beverage when Captain Jack came up to me and asked if I was drinking rum. I replied, "No, it's a single malt whisky from Scotland." His face contracted in a disgusted look and he said "I am so sorry for you..." and staggered away.

We've only cruised DCL as adult only. We've taken our grown children twice. As a general rule, if I see a character meet taking place I try not to go through the area where it is taking place. I don't mind observing, but I don't want to be in the middle of it. I also don't spend any time in the family pool area except to pass through on my way to somewhere else. Usually most of the kids are well behaved, if excited, but every so often there is one that is having a rough time. More often than not, I find the parents to be more irritating than the kids, especially those who think that being on vacation also means being on vacation from parenting.

 

[Princess Tess]

Yes! I get tired of explaining why DH and I cruise DCL (as mentioned in another thread, it's cheaper than Regent, Crystal, etc...). We prefer to get up early and hit Serenity Bay when it's empty (well a CM or 5...), spend time in our room and the concierge lounge. It is a wonderful way to relax for us.
2 months and counting until our next one

Love the Cap'n Jack story as well-what a snappy comeback! Is that a photo of it I see by your name?

Yes that is a pic of us from the Beach!

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

We have had quite a few Adult only DCL cruises and have loved them all. It is always amazing the great number of couples, without family or kids. Enjoying the Disney Magic nd Pixie dust and being around and watching the kids fun as we want and wander off to the adult only areas went we want the peace.

AKK

 

[cheermom2four]

DH and I did our first cruise ever on the Magic alone without the kids and actually loved it. We are already planning on booking on board when we take the kids this september for another no kid cruise. I love it!

 

[Barbydoll8]

DH & I are D.I.N.K's so never any kids and can't imagine cruising anything other than Disney. Now we have drank the kool aid - DVC members, AP holders etc and I know there are other experiences out there to be had (and at the current pricing it may come sooner than later) but Disney is the quintessential cruise line for us. Are they perfect? No not by any means. Would we enjoy another line? More than probably but right now, there is just enough there to keep us going back.
Love the Jack Sparrow story. classic.

 

[Lilbunnyk]

My husband and I have been cruising on DCL for the past 12 years. We just had a baby this year and will be doing our first DCL with her next year. We have loved the adults only Disney cruises but now we will have a whole new adventure with our daughter.

 

[wilkeliza]

My fiance and I prefer to sail Disney. His family does Seaborn so Disney is usually cheaper than we end up spending on those vacations. One of the big reasons for us is because Disney actually provides what they advertise. We have tried other cruise lines that claim to have "adult only spaces" just to get to the hot tub or pool and have it over run with kids (not talking 1 or 2 but on NCL the adult only hot tub had 7 kids in it) and a spa that we don't hear kids running in and out of trying to find mom and/or dad. Don't get me wrong I like kids and appreciate they are having fun but sometimes you really just want to get away and not have to be stuck in your stateroom to get that peace.

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

My best friend and I are doing a 1st cruise this December and I'm so excited to check out the adult side. I hope to love DCL and go back with my kids someday, but it really does appeal to us as two Disney fans even without kids. My friend and I waited in line over an hour to meet Jack Sparrow at MNSSHP last year. Meeting him like OP on the beach would be amazing!

 

[elphie101]

I'm glad to hear you say that!! My mother has hinted multiple times that the fear of being stuck on the ocean with the equivalent of a post-Wishes bus from MK in terms of average child behavior (to use your metaphor!) is what's holding her back from booking. We honeymooned DCL so we of course can share our experience otherwise, but every opinion is one step closer to getting them on the ship with us!

 

[jlemieu1]

We are DCL adult only cruisers too. We are DINKS too. The funny part we are not Disney fans, we love Universal Studios and Portofino. Also another advantage of sailing with only the two of us is that we cruise concierge for less than a family of 4 can cruise in Cat 4 cabin
The real draw to us is the level of service we get on these cruises(done x5). We are not party animals to we are fine without the crazy bars and casinos. We love the theater and the movie theater.