Cruising as a single mom.

[LeggoMyMeggo87]

Hello All. Once things are opened back up and there is a "new normal" in place, I'm looking to book a Disney Dream cruise for my 2 boys and I. As a single parent, I'm wondering how it's like when the kids are away at the kids club etc. I know there are a lot of adult activities on board but how does that look for a "solo" person. Are there any sort of groups that form where I can find other individuals in my situation? Thanks in advance.

 

[T & R]

Hello All. Once things are opened back up and there is a "new normal" in place, I'm looking to book a Disney Dream cruise for my 2 boys and I. As a single parent, I'm wondering how it's like when the kids are away at the kids club etc. I know there are a lot of adult activities on board but how does that look for a "solo" person. Are there any sort of groups that form where I can find other individuals in my situation? Thanks in advance

Not sure about groups but at the sky bar I have run into single parents all the time (both dads and moms), so it's more common than you think. Especially on the first night. You should be able to meet other single parent's with no prob. Just a heads up, your kids will love the kids clubs, so don't feel bad for leaving them in there. I used to feel like a bad parent for always having our kids in the clubs but they complain when we take them out, so we just let them stay as long as they like. We can barely get them to sit through dinner. Congrats on your first post, and FYI, this forum is addictive.

 

[Calantha]

You didn’t say how old your kids are - but be prepared for them not to love the clubs and want to hang out at the pool/go to the movies, etc.

I cruised last year with my son who was 4, and 4 of his cousins (6-10 years old). He hated it and the older girls weren’t much into it. The two middle kids liked it the most (6, 8).

 

[LeggoMyMeggo87]

Not sure about groups but at the sky bar I have run into single parents all the time (both dads and moms), so it's more common than you think. Especially on the first night. You should be able to meet other single parent's with no prob. Just a heads up, your kids will love the kids clubs, so don't feel bad for leaving them in there. I used to feel like a bad parent for always having our kids in the clubs but they complain when we take them out, so we just let them stay as long as they like. We can barely get them to sit through dinner. Congrats on your first post, and FYI, this forum is addictive.

Thank you so much on the congrats!! And yes, when I've had a question in the past this site always gives me an answer. I love it. ! I'll put a (*) by the Sky Bar!

 

[LeggoMyMeggo87]

You didn’t say how old your kids are - but be prepared for them not to love the clubs and want to hang out at the pool/go to the movies, etc.

I cruised last year with my son who was 4, and 4 of his cousins (6-10 years old). He hated it and the older girls weren’t much into it. The two middle kids liked it the most (6, 8).

My boys are currently 6 and 8. My fingers are crossed for a 2021 Halloween on the High Seas, so they'll be 7 and 9. As of now, I think they will love the Kids Club (scene), but we are pretty flexible so we will see how it goes.

 

[Quellman]

Finding a cruising group on this board, visage livre, or critics who cruise is a good way to met some folks before you sail. That can help. Being outgoing is worth while as well. Asking to join a trivia team for example is easy. Satellite falls on the Dream class ships is honestly my favorite place.

 

[Snowwhyt]

Have you reached out to your meet and greet group for the sailing that you will be taking? I am a married Disney Cruiser that never sales with her husband. I did find people in that group that would join me for brunch as that was an adult only event. Although now I wouldn’t have any problems going to anything alone. So many people don’t have a spouse or other adult they travel with. In addition sometimes find a single person sitting somewhere and you need to ask if they’re saving for a group order if they’re there by themselves. I have joined both groups and singles at different events that have been pleasant and chatty.

 

[DietCokeMommy]

We "incentivize" our kids to go to the club with ice cream or other treats. We also present it as "you're going to go at this time." And they mostly accept it. Kids love to stay up late (which we generally don't do at home) so we'll drop them off after dinner and they'll play for a while while we have some kid-free time. And a great sea day morning for us is to drop the kids off at the club, go to Cove cafe for a while, then go in the adult pool for a while. Then pick up kids, go to family pool and watch the funnel vision and have pool food for lunch.

 

[anjuan]

I'm a single mom and have gone on 6 DCL cruises with my daughter (now 15) with more planned. We both love it! When she was younger she wasn't as into the clubs and spent more time with me whereas once she became a tween in Edge I rarely saw her and had a lot of time on my own. You can join social media groups for your cruise and reach out to other single parents. I've gone to Palo brunch as a solo multiple times and really enjoyed it. For things like trivia I usually end up joining other groups and people are usually very friendly. The biggest reason that I enjoy cruising as a solo parent is that I'm actually able to relax rather than worrying about driving from place to place, deciding where to stay, where to eat, etc.

 

[Joe Brig]

They do have solo meet ups on the schedule and you maybe seated at a table with other single parents. I was seated at the single dad's table last cruise. We all immediate laughed when we sat down and realized it.

 

[SamFaniam]

Hello All. Once things are opened back up and there is a "new normal" in place, I'm looking to book a Disney Dream cruise for my 2 boys and I. As a single parent, I'm wondering how it's like when the kids are away at the kids club etc. I know there are a lot of adult activities on board but how does that look for a "solo" person. Are there any sort of groups that form where I can find other individuals in my situation? Thanks in advance.

as others have said you can look to see if there’s a cruise meet group and make some plans ahead of time. But, you can just play it by ear also. as a solo adult you can do anything you like including participating in any of the adult activities. It’s not necessary to go with others. However, you might find when you get there that you can join the group. What are the nice things about a Disney cruise is that everyone has Disney in common so it’s often easy to strike up conversations with people.

 

[JM23457]

I'm a single mother and have never felt like a Disney cruise was a good place to make new friends or meet people, in general. People are mostly there with their families, and focused on that, not trying to reach out. I never got a very open or friendly vibe from people. That said, I don't go solo to adult events, so it's possible those are different.

On our first cruise, DCL tried to seat my son and I at a table for eight, as the two extras sitting next to a family of six who didn't happen to speak English. I asked to be changed to a private table after that. During a character breakfast on a later cruise we were seated at a table with a small family. I said hello, and the parents pointedly ignored me (not even "hello") and just talked among themselves. It felt uncomfortable, so I asked for us to be reseated alone.

I like Disney cruises, but I personally haven't found them great places to branch out socially. YMMV.

 

[Snowwhyt]

When you find your group, post a comment that if anyone would like to join you at brunch you’ll be in the waiting area 10 minutes prior to your reservation and Disney will find you a bigger table if needed.

 

[jtntx34]

I am not a single mom, but I a single traveler. I went on my first Disney Cruise last December. I was fortunate to have some friends onboard, but we mostly went our own way during the day.

I never felt weird when I was on my own, I just chatted to people or didn’t depending on my mood.

I was seated with my friend and her husband and their daughter and son-in-law. at dinner and often get like a fifth wheel which was caused primarily by our serving team which seemed to focus on the couples and give me a different level of service. The dinners were really the only time I ever felt weird about being solo, but it did poke some buttons for me and cause me to be quite upset for some time. Once I made up my mind to just do my thing and have my own fun, I did.

So, that’s my advice to you— do your own thing and have your own fun.

I met several neat people just by sitting down and starting a conversation.

By the way, I’m a social introvert, so I am ok being by myself. If you are an extreme extrovert, there are single meet ups for lunches, and I’m sure you could find some people to hang out with if that’s your preference.

 

[JM23457]

You didn’t say how old your kids are - but be prepared for them not to love the clubs and want to hang out at the pool/go to the movies, etc.

I cruised last year with my son who was 4, and 4 of his cousins (6-10 years old). He hated it and the older girls weren’t much into it. The two middle kids liked it the most (6, 8).

Agreed. There is no guarantee that kids will like the clubs. My son has never been a fan. If you're determined for your child to go, then specifically framing that in advance as a requirement for the child getting to go on the cruise ("you'll need to stay at the Oceaneer's Club for 3 hours per day") is advisable. That is, if your kids are old & mature enough to accept that. If you have a younger child who continually cries or tantrums about the separation, the club will call you & request that you take the child out.

 

[LeggoMyMeggo87]

I'm a single mother and have never felt like a Disney cruise was a good place to make new friends or meet people, in general. People are mostly there with their families, and focused on that, not trying to reach out. I never got a very open or friendly vibe from people. That said, I don't go solo to adult events, so it's possible those are different.

On our first cruise, DCL tried to seat my son and I at a table for eight, as the two extras sitting next to a family of six who didn't happen to speak English. I asked to be changed to a private table after that. During a character breakfast on a later cruise we were seated at a table with a small family. I said hello, and the parents pointedly ignored me (not even "hello") and just talked among themselves. It felt uncomfortable, so I asked for us to be reseated alone.

I like Disney cruises, but I personally haven't found them great places to branch out socially. YMMV.

Oh man! I'm sorry to hear that! I've heard/read about so many great experiences. I'll keep my fingers crossed for our future trip!