Contemplating First Disney Cruise

[Capt_BJ]

Do you have any small ship lines you recommend? I was looking at Viking and was interested in them.

We like Viking Ocean a lot .. did a 'Midnight Sun' with them last year and plan to go back soon.

Also don't forget Viking River .... WAY smaller experience and plenty of ports. We did a week on the Danube Budapest to Nuremberg

And big fans of WINDSTAR's original sailing vessels .. they recently expanded to 'traditional ships'as well.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Do you have any small ship lines you recommend? I was looking at Viking and was interested in them. The thing that draws me to a cruise is the ability to travel to many different ports and not have to worry about transportation or moving hotels. When we vacation, we really like to be out doing things and get a chance to experience the culture of the place we're visiting. My favorite things to do are visit art/history museums and outdoor adventures like hiking and kayaking. We also really like local food tours. I do like that the DCL itineraries seem to have pretty long port days (at least the Mediterranean itinerary I was looking at)

Viking sure likes to advertise. Any time we mention going on a river cruise, our friends ask if it's with Viking, which has a loyal following. We preferred AMA Waterways. Much better food, superior service. River cruises give you the opportunity to visit ports that are more inland, and you don't spend hours on a bus getting to your shore excursion.

As others have said, DCL has fewer kids onboard when school is in session. The same applies to longer cruises because of the expense, and parents are less apt to pull their kids out of school for two weeks than for a few days.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Im a solo female and I have booked my first Disney cruise. From your post I really suggest you take a look at the cruise I am going on. It's a 5 night Western Europe cruise on the Magic ship, from Dover England 13 September 2020. I'm expecting low crowds and low percentage of children. It is term time in both USA and Europe. It has an overnight in Le Harve. Other ports are Amsterdam and Bruges/ Zebrugge.

 

[Geomom]

We do Disney World 2x a year (with our DVC timeshare) and are doing a DCL cruise every 2 yrs. So far we've been on the Wonder (Alaska) and Magic (Baltic Sea). Both the Magic/Wonder are the 'smaller' DCL ships with a max of 2700 people. We didn't find the ships crowded at all, especially compared to Disney World. For our Baltic Sea cruise, only 1 day felt crowded--the last day at sea--it just felt like everyone was out and about at the same time trying to make the most of the last day--but you could still find quiet spots on the ship. Things like deck parties/atrium dance parties will be 'crowded'...but it's only an hour at a time...and again, you can get away from it vs. encountering crowds everywhere you walk. They do a good job of keeping the adult areas adult only (some lounges are adult only after 9PM.) Since you aren't held to a school schedule, you can book the lower priced May/late August/September cruises and they'll have fewer kids as well. While all the rooms may be sold out by the time you cruise, they won't all have the max number of people per room...probably a lot more 2/room vs. 3-5/room. If you like everything Disney, I'd give it a try!

 

[kiford]

I know we could try a short cruise to Mexico or something (we live on the west coast), but at the same time I also think the feel on a cruise in Europe and demographics are going to be different than the feel on a cruise to Mexico - I could be wrong.

Mostly I think we're worried about everything being too crowded and also not having it feel adult enough.

There's definitely fewer children on the ship on European itineraries although depending on the time of year you go to Mexico or Caribbean, you might also find a smaller number both of number of passengers as well as children. We usually go the first week or so of December and it tends to be not only less crowded but fewer children as they've just been off for Thanksgiving and will be off shortly for Christmas. We have no children and are just heading out for our 11th DCL cruise in January. We've done two Med and one northern Europe and are scoping out some other European ones for next year and/or 2021.

We have second dining (fewer young children, more leisurely pace) and we spend lots of time in the Cove Cafe and adults pool area and in lounges (which allow under 18 during the day but aren't that attractive to children). On our very first 4-day DCL cruise to the Bahamas in May, we expressed surprise to one of the officers about how few children there were on board and he told us there were actually 1800 or something like that (in contrast, on our September Med cruise there were less than 900). Sticking to the mainly adult only areas or the more adult attractive areas tends to make you feel like there aren't very many kids on board even if there are.

The busiest, most crowded times/places are the pirate night show/fireworks and buffet, the sail away party and disembarkation although if you disembark later in the morning (9-ish) it's not so bad. Also very crowded if you try to board early. We usually wait until open boarding (1-ish) and there's no lines or crowds. The rest of the time, people spread out over the ship so it doesn't feel crowded. Family pool does get busy but we spend our time at the adult pool which doesn't tend to be as busy.

 

[DCLDVC1]

In your case, I'd do an "inexpensive" cruise out of San Diego to see how you and your husband like it before dropping serious cash to do a European cruise.

 

[JARNJ3]

Oh nice! Can you elaborate a little bit on what you loved? Did you do excursions through Disney or more exploring on your own?

Sure! Ours was a Rome (Civitavecchia) to Rome trip

I did everything through Disney - as I was a chicken little being in a different country! This included:

Hotel in Rome - Waldorf Astoria (would not recommend - was beautiful ala Grand Floridian) - but it was the only hotel left I could book through Disney. I wanted assurance that a car would take me from the airport to the hotel. But to get to the center of Rome? It was a 30-40 minute cab ride. Often with traffic. This was a deluxe option - so probably why it was available. We spent 3 days in Rome - I booked tours from The Roman Guy - to see the Vatican, Colleseum & Palantine Hill - as well as a food tour (a highlight of the trip). We did this so, we would get there early, so as not to miss the cruise.

We got transport to the ship from the hotel - reminded us of Magical Express. I needed assurance that I wouldn't have to find my own way there.

Ship - we had an inside room - booked GTY for the second deck - ended up, upgraded to the 7th Deck AFT. We absolutely loved this room, and I am contemplating booking the exact room on our next cruise. It was kept so clean! We were taken such care of. And always with a smile on his face. Also - I sent laundry to be done - thought the price was reasonable & we got our clothes back the next day.

Dinners - they sat us with other women who were traveling two to a cabin - we all got along swimmingly & looked forward to each other's company. Two were veterans & made food & dessert recommendations to the rest of us. There was never an awkward moment. I'd happily cruise with them again. The wait staff were awesome. Always looked like they were happy to see us!

Captain's reception - free drinks & mingling. Spoke to some of the officers - everyone was very friendly.

Shows - Phenomenal. Absolutely Phenomenal.

Bars & Such - I don't drink that much & was so tired after dinner - but they looked like a lot of fun. I went to the DVC party, that was fun & on the last night, we ended up in the piano bar with our table mates.

Palo - was good. But I'm not a foodie. I wouldn't do it again - except, I do want to try the brunch. I scheduled this on Pirate night, as I had no interest in participating in that. Not my thing.

Excursions - I did them all through Disney. Again, I wanted the peace of mind I would make it back to the ship. I enjoyed most of them - some gave us too much "alone time." (I wanted to be guided everywhere lol) I am not much of a shopper, so in future, I'd probably pick more active tours (this was the Monte Carlo\Monaco tour). And the Barcelona (Montserat & Winery) tour was not worth the money - I gave them feedback on that immediately.

Sea days - I went to the adult pool - was very pleasant. If you want separation from other people's children - its very easy to do. I ended up teaming with some table mates for Disney Trivia activities - so much fun! We had a character breakfast (I didn't want to wait on lines with kids for photos) & I ate in Lumiere's for breakfast one day - delicious! And excellent table service as well. Oh and my waiter from Palo saw us one day at Cabanas & came over to say hello!




Hope this is helpful!

 

[SusieQ93]

First, congratulations & best wishes on your wedding and marriage.

Sounds like a parallel here between Disney land/world and Magic class / Dream class ships. The smaller and original feeling more intimate, less crowded.

I have sailed Disney and Princess to Alaska. The Disney experience is nicer overall - service, main dining room food, staterooms and general appearance. Princess wins on itineraries for me. And price.

I also did DCL in the Med. The itinerary is so port intensive that the extra money for Disney is rather wasted (although it was cheap in 2011 - an inside was $1k per person for 11 nights). I’d pick the carrier for this area based on the itinerary you prefer.

My suggestion is find a 5+ day cruise to a unique location (not just the typical 3-, 4- or 7-day Bahamas or Caribbean) on the Magic or Wonder when school is in session. More adults sailing without children so fewer passengers overall.

The main dining rooms will always feel full & loud. Can’t help that with 400 people or so eating together.

As for small ships, I have not sailed but looked at Oceania, Azamara, or Viking. And there’s also river cruising through Europe - I can’t imagine them as crowded.

You mentioned your stay at Aulani as being chill. I laughed at how relaxing the Leeward side is, but Waikiki is so much like Disneyworld with all the pushing shoppers.



Perhaps there’s a Disney Cruise (other than the Med) that has these type of Port Excursions.

Whatever you pick, I hope you have fun. And that the honeymoon continues.

Thank you!! Yes, I don't think we would've liked Waikiki. We had a great time at Aulani though - the one difficult thing is that the area is pretty far from some activities we wanted to do, but we made it work. We honestly coveted the Four Seasons though. Aulani was beautiful and the service was great, just for us, we probably won't stay at that resort again - we ate three dinners at the Four Seasons and it was so peaceful over there. And the service there was beyond incredible. After spending a lot of time researching and looking at the train system in Italy and everything, I think we might just go over to Italy on our own and make our own way around. I have traveled internationally a lot with my family, they are all seasoned travelers and I kind of just end up deferring to them to get me from point A to point B. This makes me a bit intimidated to go just me and my husband because when he and I travel, I am very much the one doing all the planning and figuring out logistics. But I think I can do it - I think I want more time in each of the cities and time to enjoy the night life - not so much bars or anything but just being able to go out to dinner, walk around,etc. I do want to try DCL, but I think I want to try a shorter itinerary leaving from the U.S. before investing in something international.

 

[SusieQ93]

In your case, I'd do an "inexpensive" cruise out of San Diego to see how you and your husband like it before dropping serious cash to do a European cruise.

I think you are right. I really want to try DCL to see what it's all about - but I think we're better off going with something lower stakes for the first time. In doing some more research, I think I just want to be brave and go to Italy on our own rather than any cruise or tour group. I toyed with the idea of ABD a bit, but those are just so expensive - I don't think I can stomach it. I'm sure they're amazing - but we could go for a fraction of the cost on our own and I think I can figure it out.

 

[JARNJ3]

I think you are right. I really want to try DCL to see what it's all about - but I think we're better off going with something lower stakes for the first time. In doing some more research, I think I just want to be brave and go to Italy on our own rather than any cruise or tour group. I toyed with the idea of ABD a bit, but those are just so expensive - I don't think I can stomach it. I'm sure they're amazing - but we could go for a fraction of the cost on our own and I think I can figure it out.

I met ABD people on the ship, they told me they had a phenomenal experience (one of which was getting to use the Pope's official elevator in the Vatican AND they got to take photos in the Sistine Chapel (the general public is not allowed.))

I looked into it - it was just as expensive as the cruise itself - and did not include food. Those folks also did ABD excursions from the ship for the whole week as well.

I was envious - but I chose not to go into major debt from this vacation & passed on it

 

[SusieQ93]

I met ABD people on the ship, they told me they had a phenomenal experience (one of which was getting to use the Pope's official elevator in the Vatican AND they got to take photos in the Sistine Chapel (the general public is not allowed.))

I looked into it - it was just as expensive as the cruise itself - and did not include food. Those folks also did ABD excursions from the ship for the whole week as well.

I was envious - but I chose not to go into major debt from this vacation & passed on it

Yes, the itineraries look amazing and it's definitely tempting. Maybe later on in life. Not where I'm at financially right now unfortunately

 

[liffey]

My sister and I went on our first Disney Cruise in May on the Magic to Bahamas and loved it so much my husband and I are going next week on the Wonder on a Very Merrytime Cruise to Bahamas! And my sister and I booked another sisters cruise for next fall.
If you love Disney you are going to love this relaxed version on a cruise. Plenty of quiet adults only places to get away from kids...and lots of fun joining in and being a kid again. Truly on the trip there was only one rude (drunk) woman and I actually spoke with her later on cruise and she was nice.
Do it! I would suggest a 7 day or longer and not a short cruise if you really want time to relax. Book Palo! Hang out at the quiet cove Cafe and the adult pool and serenity bay on Castaway Cay. May is lovely in Bahamas! Since you are on west coast ...maybe an Alaska Cruise!

 

[mevelandry]

As someone who has been cruising with three different cruise lines (including DCL), I can't say that I find them to have "hands down the best cruise service" (found great service on all cruise lines I've sailed on), however, DCL is definitely a good option if you want to get introduced to cruises. You already know you like Disney, so... Worst case scenario, there will be a lot of things to enjoy.

You will sail on a classic (smaller) Disney ship. They have the best adult section out of all DCL ships. While my husband and I did not find enough variety in adult entertainment after 3 cruises, I am confident that you will find enough activities to entertain you during your first one, and I would recommend to add Palo and/or Remy (they cost extra but they provide a nice experience) to your schedule as well, to make sure you experience a more quiet atmosphere in between the three dining rooms.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I recommend that you give DCL a try. Stuff can get very crowded on the ships, but there are adult only areas that are much less crowded and if you go on a cruise that has port stops every day, you'll be out and about all day anyway.

My husband and I go on the very short weekend cruises out of San Diego. We have a fantastic time. We spend 80% of the time in the adult only areas and it's very relaxed. We always meet other adults cruising without children.

Our first cruise was more insane. We cruised the Dream the first month it was out and when we boarded there were long lines everywhere and kids shoving everywhere. We got our food from the totally chaotic pool deck and took it to the adults only part of the deck and were the only people sitting there.

The serve yourself ice cream station is usually off limits to me because I can't deal with the shoving and line cutting kids, but I have had been able to get the ice cream a couple times. When I have, I just take it back to the adults only area. If you don't mind "escaping" to the adults only areas, you'll be fine.

 

[JaimeInParker]

Hi - I am a big Disney theme parks fan and have been to Disneyland and Disney World many times. My husband and I even got married at Disney World last year. And we took a trip to Aulani about a month ago. One thing we haven't done yet is a Disney Cruise. I have heard from many different people that DCL is amazing and hands down the best cruise service. And I have taken a few cruises on other lines - one specifically in Europe and enjoyed the ability to see so many different ports without the inconvenience of moving hotels or figuring out transportation.

Here's my dilemma. My husband and I (no kids) were talking about going on a Mediterranean cruise on DCL in 2021, but we just got back from Disney World and now we're not so sure. I love, love, love Disneyland and we had an amazing trip there a couple months ago staying at the Grand Californian and then going back to Disney World this time, we were for lack of a better word, disenchanted. Everything was so so crowded this time. I'm not really talking about wait times so much (although they were long) but everything was just crowded. You couldn't walk around comfortably and enjoy the ambiance of the parks at all. Additionally, when we went to Aulani, especially because the construction was going on we had an amazing time, but we felt like if we were going to go back to that area, we'd rather stay at the Four Seasons next door. Now we're not sure about a Disney Cruise, especially my husband. Mostly I think we're worried about everything being too crowded and also not having it feel adult enough. I still really want to try it but am nervous to invest the money in an international trip in case we don't like it. I know we could try a short cruise to Mexico or something (we live on the west coast), but at the same time I also think the feel on a cruise in Europe and demographics are going to be different than the feel on a cruise to Mexico - I could be wrong.

My wife and I took the Meditterean cruise last year ( Barcelona to Italian cities) and we loved it - I think that the number of kids is greatly reduced on this sort of cruise - we can't wait to do the cruise that goes to the Greek Isles next after our Panama Canal in November 2020

 

[aggiedog]

We've done a DCL Baltic cruise, a Merry Time 4 day to Cozumel, a Med cruise on MSC, French Polynesia on Oceania, and a river cruise.

I like DCL. It's no where near the same category of crowding as WDW. I WANT to like WDW, but the last few trips have been a challenge due to crowds, and we've been going for decades. We honeymooned there 27 years ago even.

I like to sit by the pool, and DCL's singular pool is a con, in my mind. It's crowded. Kid soup. The adult area seems to be irregularly policed as far as kids having access, from what I've read here. I'll admit I didn't use it much.

That said, the Med is port intensive. If you want to see the Med, for me, paying for DCL prices is not the way to go. We had an amazing time on MSC, as we went concierge (for less than half of what the comparable non-concierge DCL cost would have been, saving enough money to do a week in France prior to the cruise, arranged by an agency so no extra work for me.) Was it DCL? Not even close. Was it an amazing vacation? Absolutely. The concierge area was fabulous, the service very good, and our "bonus" France trip was fantastic.

Our river cruise was fun, but they can trend VERY sedate. I would think carefully about what you like to do in the evening and how long the ship will be in port vs sailing. U by Uniworld caters to a younger crowd. The average Viking age skews much, much older, and I'm pretty sure they don't even allow kids to sail. So no kids, but maybe not a lot to do at night either.

As for excursions, after dipping our toes in the DIY excursion water (we did 2 DCL and 2 I organized on my own for our Baltic cruise) I've never done a ship tour again, on any ocean line. TripAdvisor and CruiseCritic can help you find pretty much anything to do in any port. It will be more personalized, a better use of your port time, and frequently significantly cheaper. River cruises are a different beast due to docking location and time changes that happen continually.

 

[MrFish]

We come to Florida a couple of times a year from the UK however we haven't done the Disney parks for about 4 years due to crowds making it not such an enjoyable experience as it once was, especially as we are pretty much stuck to Easter holidays.

Tried our first cruise on the Fantasy this year, 7 nights Caribbean and I think we are now hooked and have booked another. As others have mentioned there are times when various parts of the ship will be busy but there are so many places you can escape the madness if you want to. Character meet queues were not very long, even moreso later in the week. A lot more chilled out than being in the parks but still with that Disney touch. I didn't try the speciality restaurants due to my kids refusing to stay in the kids clubs for more than 10 minutes without buzzing the onboard phone, but I'm sure these are a nice escape along with the bars in the evening.

I chilled in the adult area pool for an hour one of the days which was relaxing and there are plenty of places to escape.

The only downside is that you will be a lot poorer when you realise that you will have to do it all again.

 

[braysmommy]

Thanks! I am curious to hear why you were underwhelmed with the port excursions. They are more expensive than other lines it seems. Do you just prefer to explore on your own more?

We have only done 1 port excursion through DCL on all of our cruises. I typically use trip advisor to research each port and reviews of companies offering them.

 

[Joe Brig]

I don't find the smaller ships, Magic and Wonder, crowded at all. The family pool being the only exception. The adult areas are sometimes too empty. The private island, Castaway Cay, also has much less people with the small ships.

 

[hogie1]

We have done 2 DCL trips before kids and 1 with them. All were terrific experiences, and if you go w/o kiddos there are places you won't see them. I have become a Disney snob (for lack of a better term) because of their terrific service. It's my speed, very relaxing, and yet I had a blast with my kids this last time. I so enjoyed bringing my daughter to see all the characters and princesses. Although I love WDW, I can honestly say I'd rather do a DCL trip hands down anytime.