Adults sailing without their children...tell me about your trip.

[Shea&Van]

Hi friends,

The hubby and I are scheduled to take a 4-night trip for our anniversary in November. This will be our second cruise. We took our kids on the Wonder over Spring Break and had an amazing trip! We loved it so much that we booked two placeholders. One for our anniversary (sans our children) and then another one we moved to next November for the entire family.

We rarely get time just the two of us, so we really have been looking forward to this trip. We didn't do many adults-only type activities on our previous trip. Never got to go to the Quiet Cove, didn't see Serenity Bay, no bar visits, no spa, no Palo dinner, bed by 9:30 or so, etc. This time we are looking forward to doing what WE want to do!

In any case, I saw an acquaintance over the weekend who said some things that made me second-guess our plans. She said that she couldn't take a Disney trip without her kids because she's see all the things they love as a family and it would make her feel guilty about leaving them behind. I paused for a second, thinking -- would I feel guilty? We spent 14 days this spring doing Disney (between WDW and our cruise). Then she said we should have done an all-inclusive somewhere because the boat will be "crawling with other people's screaming brats" (her words) and we wouldn't be able to relax during our trip. I let her comments upset me and I wish I had just avoided her. She can be a Negative Nelly at times.

Have you cruised Disney without your little ones? If so, how was your experience? Any must dos? Would you do it again?

Any insight you have would be greatly appreciated. She sucked my joy and I'm mad at myself for letting it happen. Help me see that this trip really will be fun and relaxing for the hubster and me!

Hugs! Happy day y'all!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hi friends,

The hubby and I are scheduled to take a 4-night trip for our anniversary in November. This will be our second cruise. We took our kids on the Wonder over Spring Break and had an amazing trip! We loved it so much that we booked two placeholders. One for our anniversary (sans our children) and then another one we moved to next November for the entire family.

We rarely get time just the two of us, so we really have been looking forward to this trip. We didn't do many adults-only type activities on our previous trip. Never got to go to the Quiet Cove, didn't see Serenity Bay, no bar visits, no spa, no Palo dinner, bed by 9:30 or so, etc. This time we are looking forward to doing what WE want to do!

In any case, I saw an acquaintance over the weekend who said some things that made me second-guess our plans. She said that she couldn't take a Disney trip without her kids because she's see all the things they love as a family and it would make her feel guilty about leaving them behind. I paused for a second, thinking -- would I feel guilty? We spent 14 days this spring doing Disney (between WDW and our cruise). Then she said we should have done an all-inclusive somewhere because the boat will be "crawling with other people's screaming brats" (her words) and we wouldn't be able to relax during our trip. I let her comments upset me and I wish I had just avoided her. She can be a Negative Nelly at times.

Have you cruised Disney without your little ones? If so, how was your experience? Any must dos? Would you do it again?

Any insight you have would be greatly appreciated. She sucked my joy and I'm mad at myself for letting it happen. Help me see that this trip really will be fun and relaxing for the hubster and me!

Hugs! Happy day y'all!

While not in the same boat (so to speak) - our kids were at least high school age before we started cruising, I don't think you should let your friends comments suck the joy out of your trip.

I'll just ask, if you would take the all-inclusive trip sans kids, would you still feel guilty about not including the kids?

Disney does a great job of keeping (most) kids engaged. Yes, in the family pool areas there can be a lot of them, but the adult pool area is better. And Serenity Bay (adult) on Castaway Cay is great.

We've never felt there the ships were "crawling with other people's screaming brats". Yes there are kids, but, in our experience, not overwhelming. I guess it depends on your general outlook on other people's children.

 

[mmouse37]

Well, we have cruised with our kids tons of times on DCL but they are grown now and planning on taking their kids with us onboard next August (circle of life LOL). But, when they were younger my husband and I still did a few DCL cruises without them. We did a few anniversary cruises sans kids. Yes, at first it was tough but honestly, we enjoyed ourselves very much!! Our kids did understand mom really likes DCL and wanted to celebrate our anniversary onboard. They understood. I know some can't fathom the idea of doing a DCL cruise without their kids but we have and loved it. Of course it was a totally different experience without kids. Each cruise with or without them is different and wonderful.

MJ

 

[jskacoc]

We did for our 15th two years ago on the Dream. It was great! No "screaming brats" were noticed which is funny because we had two different ones next to us on our Fantasy family trip during a few dinners.
We did the rainforest day pass which was a relaxing adult time, saw adult style shows, did what we wanted/when we wanted. I highly recommend it! I really doubt you will regret it!

 

[Otimon]

Don't let her comments upset you. She sounds a little jealous to me!

Plenty of places for adults to enjoy themselves. There is a nightclub area, spa, pool and restaurants just for adults. On Castaway Cay you can relax all day if
you wish at the adult only beach at Serenity Bay.

Enjoy yourselves and don't give a minute's thought to feeling guilty. Bon Voyage.

 

[com_op_2000]

Tell her:
Whoever pays the piper calls the music.
If your friend wants you to go on a vacation and she is willing to pay for it, go and have a great time on her. If you are paying for the trip you go where and when you choose to go.

As for enjoying your self on the cruise. DW and I have taken 8 DCLs only two of them with additional family members.
Our first DCL was by ourselves, on the Magic back in '98, we were told that there were over 1,000 under 18 kids on that cruise and we never would of guessed it. With the adults pool, SB, spa, etc and going to MDR's dinner at the late seating it was a very relaxing experience.

 

[Shea&Van]

Thank you for responding so quickly PrincessShmoo. We have done one other trip without our littles. It was an all-inclusive in the Caribbean. I had zero guilt. My kids were having a fabulous time with their grandparents and they were enjoying getting spoiled rotten! I think it was the "Disney" thing that made me pause. We have so many great memories at WDW and then with our recent cruise, I guess I just let her comments bother me more than it usually would.

But, I am a huge Disney fan and I'd love to experience Quiet Cove and Serenity Bay! Heck, I have no shame in saying I want some pictures with the characters as well!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Tell her:
Whoever pays the piper calls the music.

Love it.

 

[Shea&Van]

Thank you for the encouragement fellow Dis'ers! You all are awesome-sauce!

 

[jetskigrl]

Dh and I took one of the 7-night California Coastal cruises without our kids (since they were in late Sept/Early Oct, we couldn't take the kids out of school). We had a blast. It was so nice spending a day hanging out at the adult pool. We never had the chance to do that before. We also enjoyed the adults-only shows in the evenings, which we rarely attend when the kids are with us. It was one of the most relaxing cruises that we have been on, just because I didn't have to take care of anyone except myself.

We are going again without the kids next month to celebrate our 20-year anniversary. We are doing the 5-night Baja cruise by ourselves (but 3 other couples that we are friends with are going also) and then my Mom is bringing the kids and they are all joining us for the 2-night cruise after that. So best of both worlds.

 

[Quellman]

Your acquaintance doesn't sound like she has the same thinking as you. Sadness and guilt by "remembering things she did with her kids the last time" will ruin her current vacation? Seriously? Sorry if that is offensive to some people. We understand the connection that people have to their children. However my wife and I are not above doing things that we want to enjoy without our son. We are actually on a B2B this coming year where the first cruise is with in-laws and the kid. We will disembark, say goodbye, and then get back on the boat while the kid goes with his grandparents.

If you are on the Dream class ships, adult spaces are even more well thought out. We have cruised without kids before on Disney and it was a great time, hardly knew there were kids on board except for MDR and the shows. You can do mixology, spa treatments, and the Satellite Falls area is amazing too. Don't forget Palo or Remy, the adult lounges in the evenings. If you are able to leave your kids for a few days then you can certainly have a good time on a Disney cruise.

 

[skylynx]

Guilt is overrated.

We have taken 19 Disney cruises, some with and some without our kids over the last 13 years...so the 6 year old is now 19, the 9 year old 22, etc. Cruises with kids and cruises without are a world apart, and we love both. In fact, on cruises without our kids these days we inevitably find ourselves watching other people's children interacting with characters at photo op times and wistfully remembering when our kids were that little and did the same thing. But the nostalgia passes quickly, because DH and I can go cuddle up in one of the big round loungers in the adult pool area and read/listen to music/snooze uninterrupted for hours on end. We drink wine on our verandah, watch the stars every night, go to the clubs, sashay around in the tux and gown for a Palo meal, swing in a hammock at Serenity Bay and bask in why we fell in love in the first place.

There is something really nice about having your kids "grow up" through Disney cruises from their early days in the Oceaneer's Club/Lab all the way through Vibe, and from being whisked away by kids' club counselors in the MDR to sitting next to you having their first dinner at Palo. And there's something equally nice about getting to enjoy adult pleasures with your partner without feeling as though you've cheated your kids by leaving them behind once in a while. After all, your relationship is worth investing in, too.

We never listen to acquaintances offering sour advice. Jellyfish are everywhere!

 

[Bdunn]

We have sailed with and without kids (they were late teens when we took them), and we both prefer without! Have a blast!! I agree 100% with skylynx above. There is so much fun to have and just as much nothing to do, and you don't have to think about organizing/herding/watching out for anyone else. I am amazed how much a world apart deck 13 on the Fantasy seems to be from the rest of the ship. When we walk back to Cabanas for lunch on a sea day, we see all the activity (is chaos to strong of a word?) going on around the pools, and can't believe that we aren't even aware of it when we are relaxing around Satellite Falls.

 

[m&m's mom]

We are doing our 1st adults only cruise next month for our anniversary.
I am going to say, I can definitely see where that person is coming from. My kids are in high school and college but we have been going to WDW and cruising Disney since they were small and I could never go without them because I knew how much they would want to be there. We are just now going alone because our kids are older and prefer to do their thing vs missing school to go on "yet another" DCL cruise (their words, not mine).

 

[Four Swampers]

Every time my wife and I go on vacation by ourselves, we often say, "oh, I wish the kids could see this," or "the kids would love that." And we still choose to do another vacation by ourselves! Before you feel bad for our daughters, understand that they are teens who have now been to several continents, a lot of countries, 2 med cruises with DCL, 2 Northern Europe cruises with DCL, and a lot of other stuff. Also, I have never been to the southern hemisphere, but both of my daughters have: one with a service trip to Kenya and the other with a service trip to Peru. So they are ok.

They have done and will do stuff without my wife and I. My wife and I would like to do some things on our own. Also, sometimes it isn't logistically reasonable for my daughters to join us. Three years ago, my wife and I did the DCL cruise from Vancouver to San Diego. It was "inexpensive" (relative to other DCL cruises), and the airfare was cheap in September. We weren't going to take the girls out of four days of high school and junior high for that trip. (I have no problem with missed school, others do, let's not start that argument, as that is way too off topic.) Anyhow, we went. We had fun. Would have enjoyed riding a cable car in San Francisco with the girls. Got to enjoy wine at Michael David Winery in Lodi without the girls being bored at winery.

I think my concept is that it is ok to do family trips and ok to do couples trips. I don't think a couples' trip should be limited to places the kids will hate. We have loved the DCL cruises we did as couples. Have a great time!

 

[ktate82]

We have been on two Disney cruises and several WDW trips without kids. We have had a ball with and without them. I might have a twidge of guilt here and there, but it is quickly gone as I realize we do a lot of trips with them. We do second seating (even when we have the kids we do second seating), so less smaller kids, but we have enjoyed many quiet dinners (as quiet as MDR can be normally). I say go, enjoy yourself, and experience the adult spots! We love the adult pool, Palo, SB, and the spa.

 

[jrabbit]

I can't relate to the possibility of feeling guilty of leaving the kids at home - our first solo cruise was when the youngest was in college. And we did feel a little guilty not bringing the kids with us!!

We have cruised several time without them now duh) and it is a different experience. It seems like we get "better" tablemates now - usually a bunch of other couples. When we warm weather cruise - we spend some time at the Adults pool area. We don't spend time in the spa, we will go to a Palo brunch (always) and dinner (sometimes).

We can get away from everyone else's "brats " when needed. We actually end up doing a lot of "family" activities so there are kids present. We do main dining - don't like second seating so again, more kids. They really don't bother us.

we've never had issues with having to go to bed early - our kids were always night owl (not us parents however). So we always go to the late night adults show while the kids enjoyed the clubs.

I really highly recommend sailing without the kids - it's a great way to recharge and reconnect with your SigO. As you know the cruise can be no stress / worries: no cooking, cleaning, shopping, preparing, etc. Someone else is taking care of both of you. for a few short days you don't have to be the Mom or the Dad.

 

[3fish]

Hi,

Our first two cruises with Disney were without our three kids. First, Disney is our favorite cruise line. We've sailed other lines and prefer Disney over the others. We've been married 20 years and our kids are 9, 10, 11.

Our fist ship was the Magic. We had a fabulous time. We went to Pal I s, saw every show, lounged by pool, and enjoyed the dining rooms.

The second ship we sailed was the Dream. Very big and beautiful. Love Pinks!

I say go for it, you only live once. Make sure to do your best at having fub!

 

[holula]

We don't have kids and have done 9 DCL. Try mixology. That's always a lot of fun and good value. Palo is a must do for us each trip, both brunch and dinner. I would recommend second seating and don't ask for a specific rotation, since they tend to have a rotation which is more adults only.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

don't ask for a specific rotation, since they tend to have a rotation which is more adults only.

They don't really to this any longer. Time was one of the late rotations was set up for primarily adults, one with older children, and one with younger children. Doesn't happen anymore.