Bars are 'dead' at night???

[Girl of the South]

The last cruise I was on, my friend and I wanted to have a drink and went to the adult area. Every single bar was 'dead' - it was after the fireworks so maybe 10 pm??? I was amazed that there was NO ONE in them. And none of them looked very inviting being so empty. A band playing to no one. Is this true of most DCL cruises or were we too early? We ended up going getting a glass of wine on Deck 13 (Dream) at the Currents Bar. Which was fine. Fresh air . . . . .

 

[Maggie'sMom]

The last cruise I was on, my friend and I wanted to have a drink and went to the adult area. Every single bar was 'dead' - it was after the fireworks so maybe 10 pm??? I was amazed that there was NO ONE in them. And none of them looked very inviting being so empty. A band playing to no one. Is this true of most DCL cruises or were we too early? We ended up going getting a glass of wine on Deck 13 (Dream) at the Currents Bar. Which was fine. Fresh air . . . . .

That hasn't been my experience, that no one is in them. Some nights have more robust crowds than others. I wonder if it was tied to it being Pirate Night (you noted it was after after fireworks). Did you try any other nights? It could be people just hadn't filtered down to the bars from Pirate Night that night.

I haven't ever seen any of the bars completely packed, but I usually find a decent number of people in Skyline on the Dream class, Keys on the Magic, and Cadillac Lounge on the Wonder. Those are just the ones I tend to go to. And one of the bars often has adult shows or game shows around 11pm.

 

[JWelch62]

I think a lot depends on the itinerary. During our EBPC The Cadillac Lounge was fairly occupied each night, but that cruise has fewer kids.

 

[MomOTwins]

Everyone was probably hanging out in Cabanas for the pirate buffet.

 

[Pens Fan]

The last cruise I was on, my friend and I wanted to have a drink and went to the adult area. Every single bar was 'dead' - it was after the fireworks so maybe 10 pm??? I was amazed that there was NO ONE in them. And none of them looked very inviting being so empty. A band playing to no one. Is this true of most DCL cruises or were we too early? We ended up going getting a glass of wine on Deck 13 (Dream) at the Currents Bar. Which was fine. Fresh air . . . . .

It does depend on the itinerary and the number of children on board. Most families with younger kids call it an early night for good reason. At the end of the day if you're looking for nightlife, DCL is not a great choice unless you are on one of the off season itineraries that cater to adults.

 

[HiStitch626]

I am surprised as there are usually adult shows in Evolution at that time.

 

[TXDCLfan]

After 14 cruises on DCL we have found that most of the time that the ship retires between 10-11 PM

 

[Calantha]

It does depend on the itinerary and the number of children on board. Most families with younger kids call it an early night for good reason.

In June 2019, my son was 4. Despite best efforts, I was in bed every night on the cruise (but one) around 9PM. The night they showed Toy Story 4, all the kids went with the grandparents to the show...and I think I stayed up until 9:30? Until he's a tween, I don't expect to be out late unless we're traveling with the grandparents again...

 

[randumb0]

Yes the ship dies by 10. I am always disappointed

 

[daedelus]

Agreed - we go to the adult shows in Azure (on Wonder) every night and as soon as the last show ends and they start "DJ time" the place empties out within minutes. There are usually a few tables occupied in Cadillac, maybe 1 or 2 in Crown & Finn. But yeah, "oh look, it's 10, time to turn in" seems to be the watchword on most cruises. A couple of nights we'll get out of a movie at 11 or so and the whole ship is quiet.

 

[belle032]

Agree with other posters. Ships are ghost towns by 11PM. Even O'Gills closed at midnight. We aren't late-night partiers by any means, but were a bit disappointed that you pretty much had zero options at night.

 

[Youneek1]

Totally unrelated, but I read the title of this post as "Bras are dead" vs "Bars are dead", and my confusion was both high and hilarious.

 

[mcd2745]

Agreed - we go to the adult shows in Azure (on Wonder) every night and as soon as the last show ends and they start "DJ time" the place empties out within minutes. There are usually a few tables occupied in Cadillac, maybe 1 or 2 in Crown & Finn. But yeah, "oh look, it's 10, time to turn in" seems to be the watchword on most cruises. A couple of nights we'll get out of a movie at 11 or so and the whole ship is quiet.

That's been our experience on every cruise as well. We always go to the show in Azure/The Tube/Evolution, and for the most part, they are always well attended. But as soon as it is over (usually 11-1:15pm), for 95% of the crowd, it's a "Running of the Bulls"-like stampede back to their staterooms. You're right, no one sticks around for "DJ time" (perhaps because they play the music so loud it can be heard back on the mainland). I feel the biggest reason everyone heads back to their rooms is because is there is absolutely nothing else scheduled to do other than simply sit in one of those bars. Speaking for just my wife and I, we are not likely to do that just the two of us, unless we are with a larger group. Unfortunately, you can't even catch a movie as the last one usually starts around 10:30-10:45. If you don't want to schedule things because you don't want CMs still working, there are plenty of activities that still can be done without a CM. They could do trivia electronically (either with your phone, or devices they can hand out) on the screens in the club or sports pub venue. How about late night movies on FunnelVision (granted, may not work for Alaska or other "northern" itineraries)? With so many movies in the MCU now, I've previously suggested a "Marvel at Midnight" series on FunnelVision. Additionally, late nights is where the lack of a casino really comes into play (and to be clear, I'm not advocating for them on DCL, although some do). I've always felt a good compromise/alternative to a casino would be a "Dave & Buster's" type space that would give adults a place to "play" and have a drink or two and maybe even some late night snacks.

 

[Sykes]

I really wish the entertainment programming ran a bit later on nights when there's no real reason to wake up early (like before at-sea days or when port arrival is late). On the bright side, it's still pretty nice to have a quiet drink at Keys/Cadillac Lounge/whatever.

 

[AquaDame]

I feel like that is the key... there is no entertainment after that last performance at 10/10:30. Usually by the time its over I've already had as much as I'm going to drink for the day, and I'm not much of a dancer so them just playing music while I sit and listen isn't worth staying out for. It's not a night out with a group of friends I haven't seen in awhile trying to eke out every minute at the expense of the next day. I'd rather go up deck for ice cream, and finish whatever movie is on Funnelvision or get into my Pjs and read/play games. I'm not always ready to just hit the hay, but I'm done with bars if nothing extra is happening in them.

I'm certain this is the way Disney wants it or they would try something... anything!.. else to keep adults awake and in there.

 

[scroogie]

After 14 cruises on DCL we have found that most of the time that the ship retires between 10-11 PM

Very much a DCL thing. I think a lot of it comes down to a higher proportion of guests being families that won't be up late, thus DCL designs venue opening times accordingly. I've only done 2 non-DCL cruises, one each with Princess and RCCL, where even though they weren't really "party boats" things went on much later into the night purely because of the older clientele. RCCL in particular spoilt me, I'm a night owl so their bars being open until early in the morning really suited me. On my DCL cruises following that one, come 11pm, all I could think of was how bored I was, but the only real option was to go to sleep!

I'd rather go up deck for ice cream, and finish whatever movie is on Funnelvision or get into my Pjs and read/play games. I'm not always ready to just hit the hay, but I'm done with bars if nothing extra is happening in them.

I tend to find that once the adult show clears out, the movie on FV is nearing the end, the ice cream station has been closed, and there's just a few stragglers around on deck.

 

[mcd2745]

I tend to find that once the adult show clears out, the movie on FV is nearing the end, the ice cream station has been closed, and there's just a few stragglers around on deck.

Same here. They should have one more movie, but don't. And don't get me started on the ice cream station....why isn't it open 24/7?

 

[Freeman867]

If you're wanting night life on a cruise, there are other cruise lines that I think are far more suited for that than Disney. Disney isn't going to put on something that's not catered to the large percentage of their guests.

 

[cdoc29]

Both of our cruises the bars seldom had more than 3 or for 4 groups of people. That's one of the things I love about the cruise, I can stick my kids in the club and my wife and I can enjoy a quiet night out. The time we get to spend together allows us to reconnect after all the hectic busy filled days at home with work, kids, etc...

 

[Calantha]

Totally unrelated, but I read the title of this post as "Bras are dead" vs "Bars are dead", and my confusion was both high and hilarious.

So now every time I look at the thread I think “bras are dead at night...yay!!!” ... so thanks for that. LOL