Thinking of booking

[Stefani P.]

Thinking seriously about booking my first ever cruise today for Feb 2019.
And I want it to be a Disney cruise.
Here are my hesitations.
1) Flu season. I always hesitate at add to travel during flu season but not as much now that my children are grown. Though I've never been on a cruise so is being stuck on a ship with thousands of people make it more difficult to stay healthy?
2) Are rough waters tough to handle? Does anyone need medication for nausea or is it fine since the boats are so big?
3) Will it still be relaxing and fun for adults only? I assume a Disney cruise has more children than others. I read there are adult areas, so that is nice.

Thank you for helping relieve my anxieties! I am at the point in life where I want to try new things, if I can stop worrying about silly things

 

[TrishaK]

1 - We cruised in January once, and we were all just fine. And my daughter was only 3 at the time. Be sure to get your flu shots and travel insurance.
2 - We only had one issue with nausea. We were booking it back to Port Canaveral, and we were trying to watch a movie in the theater (My Big Fat Greek Wedding). The screen and the curtains were swaying back and forth, and it made for a bad combination. Just bring some non-drowsy Dramamine or pick some up at the health center on board.
3 - YES! This was our honeymoon, and there's plenty of adult-only spaces and activities to enjoy.

Book your cruise, and have a great time!

 

[ahain]

1 - Personally I would not hesitate to travel in February - flu season or not.
2 - For rough waters, both DH and I use trans-derm scop (Scopolomine) prescription patches, which work very well for us. DD doesn't experience much motioin-sickness, but when she does, we use Bonine (dramamine tends to make her really sleepy). If you use the patch, you need to be mindful to wash your hand thoroughly immediately after application - do not touch your eyes (you can have visions issues). Side affects (for us) include dry mouth at night, so we also take along biotene mouth spray for that.
3 - Our family is now "all adults" (DD will turn 21 in June) and we have only cruised Disney. We were excited when DD turned 18 so we could all enjoy the adult areas together (she never liked the kids clubs). We love it. DH and I leave Saturday for a 14n Panama Canal cruise - our first cruise with just the 2 of us - and are really looking forward to it.

 

[Stefani P.]

1 - We cruised in January once, and we were all just fine. And my daughter was only 3 at the time. Be sure to get your flu shots and travel insurance.
2 - We only had one issue with nausea. We were booking it back to Port Canaveral, and we were trying to watch a movie in the theater (My Big Fat Greek Wedding). The screen and the curtains were swaying back and forth, and it made for a bad combination. Just bring some non-drowsy Dramamine or pick some up at the health center on board.
3 - YES! This was our honeymoon, and there's plenty of adult-only spaces and activities to enjoy.

Book your cruise, and have a great time!

Thank you! This all makes me feel better!

 

[starvenger]

Thinking seriously about booking my first ever cruise today for Feb 2019.
And I want it to be a Disney cruise.
Here are my hesitations.
1) Flu season. I always hesitate at add to travel during flu season but not as much now that my children are grown. Though I've never been on a cruise so is being stuck on a ship with thousands of people make it more difficult to stay healthy?
2) Are rough waters tough to handle? Does anyone need medication for nausea or is it fine since the boats are so big?
3) Will it still be relaxing and fun for adults only? I assume a Disney cruise has more children than others. I read there are adult areas, so that is nice.

Thank you for helping relieve my anxieties! I am at the point in life where I want to try new things, if I can stop worrying about silly things

1) I would say that you're always at risk of getting sick whenever you travel. I haven't gotten sick on a cruise but at the same time I've only traveled once during flu season. On board a cruise ship there's the usual wipes/sanitizer/hand washing stations. Remember to use those liberally, and take the same precautions you'd do at home. That doesn't guarantee protection from the flu, but it should reduce your risk of doing so.

Oh and if you don't normally do so, get flu shots. Lately they haven't had a good success rate, but it's still a way to mitigate risk.

2) Everyone always thinks that this will happen, and it usually never does. Buy some off the shelf stuff just in case.

3) From what I've seen DCL has a little less stuff for adults to do than other cruise lines (which makes sense given that it's Disney) but they still have a lot to offer you. And it opens up a lot more options for you on port days.

A wise old green... whatever once said "Do or do not. There is no try". And I think it's applicable to your situation. You have a good idea of what you want, so go for it.

 

[Stefani P.]

1 - Personally I would not hesitate to travel in February - flu season or not.
2 - For rough waters, both DH and I use trans-derm scop (Scopolomine) prescription patches, which work very well for us. DD doesn't experience much motioin-sickness, but when she does, we use Bonine (dramamine tends to make her really sleepy). If you use the patch, you need to be mindful to wash your hand thoroughly immediately after application - do not touch your eyes (you can have visions issues). Side affects (for us) include dry mouth at night, so we also take along biotene mouth spray for that.
3 - Our family is now "all adults" (DD will turn 21 in June) and we have only cruised Disney. We were excited when DD turned 18 so we could all enjoy the adult areas together (she never liked the kids clubs). We love it. DH and I leave Saturday for a 14n Panama Canal cruise - our first cruise with just the 2 of us - and are really looking forward to it.

Awesome! Sounds like my 23 yr old and I will enjoy!

 

[Firstof3]

1. Flu is always around, and as others have said don't let that scare you away from a cruise. Anytime you go outside your normal you risk finding some sort of bug or germ you have not had yet, but typically can be fought off without being sick. Besides they have hand wash stations and wipes and gels all over the ship, and if that is not enough you can bring a small bottle yourself.

2. My first cruise I started to feel a little off on the first sea day, fixed it by going and sitting in the open air on the top deck. Had no further problems, DW brought some sea sick pills but never got into them. Never hurts to carry a small solution just in case it is needed.

3. My first cruise was also DW's first. So we chose a short 15 night through the Panama Canal. We left the younglings with the grandparents. Relaxing and enjoyable, would highly recommend a simple cruise with no kids, but having them along doesn't change the atmosphere to much as when we did bring the kids on the second cruise we hardly ever saw them. I always found something to do, watch a movie, go to a lecture, sit and watch the ocean, DW took origami classes, tours of various parts of the ship....

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Thinking seriously about booking my first ever cruise today for Feb 2019.
And I want it to be a Disney cruise.
Here are my hesitations.
1) Flu season. I always hesitate at add to travel during flu season but not as much now that my children are grown. Though I've never been on a cruise so is being stuck on a ship with thousands of people make it more difficult to stay healthy?
2) Are rough waters tough to handle? Does anyone need medication for nausea or is it fine since the boats are so big?
3) Will it still be relaxing and fun for adults only? I assume a Disney cruise has more children than others. I read there are adult areas, so that is nice.

Thank you for helping relieve my anxieties! I am at the point in life where I want to try new things, if I can stop worrying about silly things

I'd say if you want to stop worrying, a cruise is a great choice!

A new port appears in front of you every day. No worries about how to get there.
Food is plentiful and lots of choices. No worries about where to eat, how much it will cost, or even how to get everyone in your group to agree to the same place and time.
Same for entertainment. It is plentiful and lots of choices and you don't have to worry about all going to the same place in the same car. You can mix and match your group off and on, doing different things with different people at different times.
There is structure and yet flexibility. And the CMs (Cast/Crew) are there to make things easier and answer any questions.

So if you decide to go, (on DCL or any line) relax and enjoy. What did worrying about small things ever get us anyway?

 

[Stefani P.]

I'd say if you want to stop worrying, a cruise is a great choice!

A new port appears in front of you every day. No worries about how to get there.
Food is plentiful and lots of choices. No worries about where to eat, how much it will cost, or even how to get everyone in your group to agree to the same place and time.
Same for entertainment. It is plentiful and lots of choices and you don't have to worry about all going to the same place in the same car. You can mix and match your group off and on, doing different things with different people at different times.
There is structure and yet flexibility. And the CMs (Cast/Crew) are there to make things easier and answer any questions.

So if you decide to go, (on DCL or any line) relax and enjoy. What did worrying about small things ever get us anyway?

I do love the way that all sounds!

 

[Stefani P.]

Does it ever feel overly crowded on a cruise???

 

[Firstof3]

If you go to a popular spot (The pools, special party such as pirates) it can feel a bit crowded, but they are easy to avoid if you wish. I could always find a quiet spot when I wanted one, but if you don't mind the bigger crowds, the big events can be a blast.

 

[starvenger]

So we chose a short 15 night through the Panama Canal.

I got a good chuckle out of this. Well played

Does it ever feel overly crowded on a cruise???

It depends. If you're sticking to the adult areas you'll be fine. Main pools will probably be packed (I believe the term is "kid soup"). Or completely empty due to an "incident".

If it's raining and everyone is inside, the halls may feel quite packed. And Cabanas on the first day will probably be overwhelmingly crowded (this is pretty common across all cruise lines though).

 

[Stefani P.]

I got a good chuckle out of this. Well played


It depends. If you're sticking to the adult areas you'll be fine. Main pools will probably be packed (I believe the term is "kid soup"). Or completely empty due to an "incident".

If it's raining and everyone is inside, the halls may feel quite packed. And Cabanas on the first day will probably be overwhelmingly crowded (this is pretty common across all cruise lines though).

Does it ever put a damper on things though? I've had friends on other cruise lines say they never could get pool time due to all of the kids.
I will be traveling with just my 23 yo daughter so we can do adult only areas all we want!

 

[Dug720]

Does it ever put a damper on things though? I've had friends on other cruise lines say they never could get pool time due to all of the kids.
I will be traveling with just my 23 yo daughter so we can do adult only areas all we want!

I have never seen the adult only pool overcrowded.

 

[starvenger]

Does it ever put a damper on things though? I've had friends on other cruise lines say they never could get pool time due to all of the kids.

It honestly was a bit frustrating. My kids love to stretch out in the pool a bit but there really was no room to maneuver. I honestly didn't even get to do much more than dip my feet in.

However. You are planning for a February trip. And there could be less kids on board and as a result a less crowded main area. So definitely check it out, keeping in mind that you do have the adults only area as a fallback option.

 

[k3chantal]

Thinking seriously about booking my first ever cruise today for Feb 2019.
And I want it to be a Disney cruise.
Here are my hesitations.
1) Flu season. I always hesitate at add to travel during flu season but not as much now that my children are grown. Though I've never been on a cruise so is being stuck on a ship with thousands of people make it more difficult to stay healthy?
2) Are rough waters tough to handle? Does anyone need medication for nausea or is it fine since the boats are so big?
3) Will it still be relaxing and fun for adults only? I assume a Disney cruise has more children than others. I read there are adult areas, so that is nice.

Thank you for helping relieve my anxieties! I am at the point in life where I want to try new things, if I can stop worrying about silly things

We have been on the ships twice in February and didn't catch the flu. It's definitely possible; it just means wash your hands and enter the ship healthy. (the cruise lines make you sign a form saying you have not thrown up or had a fever in the last 24 hours before boarding; definitely people can lie but I let you know this because the cast members and the cruise line industry takes illness very seriously)

I have been on all four ships at this point. I found that the Fantasy and the Dream were so large that I didn't have the sensation of moving until I was off the ship at the end of the cruise.

Yes, it will be fun and relaxing. There is a full third of the ship dedicated just to adults. When we were on the Wonder, we actually had the adult pool to ourselves (and one cast member sweeping) one early evening for an hour. It felt like we were on our own yacht. You can plan your excursion to have or to not have children attend. It's not that you won't see children; its that you do have a choice of how much interaction you want to have by your decision on how to spend your time. Children won't be at tastings and there are many activities designed just for adults.

Enjoy! It really is a wonderful way to vacation.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I have never seen the adult only pool overcrowded.

 

[Dug720]

View attachment 314541

I never said it couldn't happen. Just I have never seen it. Granted I am not a "pool person" (I find them gross) so I don't hang out there, but walking by I personally have never seen it crowded.

 

[MelSpees]

I loved it one evening on the Wonder at the adult pool. I was able to swim some laps. Short ones, but it was some actual exercise. I think I got some strange looks, though.

 

[cruiser21]

Does it ever put a damper on things though? I've had friends on other cruise lines say they never could get pool time due to all of the kids.
I will be traveling with just my 23 yo daughter so we can do adult only areas all we want!

It depends on the cruise. I've been on cruises where the adult cruise is packed and the kiddie pool is empty. Our Hawaii cruise was like that, and I expect that on a transatlantic. Normally both pools are crowded and it can be difficult to impossible to find a lounger in the adult area. If your on the larger ships Satellite Falls usually has plenty of loungers available.