What's with all of the "adults only" stuff on the DISNEY cruises?

[mpetersen]

We did both our honeymoon and "babymoon" on disney, all because of the service. With all the cruise horror stories out there , there is something comforting and safe about disney that let's me relax a bit. It's familiar- you know what you'll get. I'm also a huge huge kid at heart. Yes we pay more and there are kiddos all over the place but it's just magic being made, the same that we'll make with my son on his first cruise in feb

 

[cruisingtwins]

At first I did not get it either as me as an adult have very little interest in Disney things. For our family Disney is about the kids. When I first came to the boards I was really surprised at all the adult only trips. People like what they like and adults are not hurting anybody with their disney love.

When I cruised the adult areas did not take from our experience one bit. I do wish they had an are like the kids clubs but for families. We are not a drop off kind of family either and that seemed to limit what our kids could do.

I have to say that in the parks it did bother me a bit more. We were on the carrousel one day and I was at the head of the horse asking to my dd if she wanted that one and a 50 yo lady came from the back and jumped on it. On the parades adults block the view for little kid etc.

I wish some of the rides were adults only permitted if accompanied by a kid like some parks have. I think that would allow little kids to ride more times their favorite rides.

 

[reimero]

I think adults like to go alone because of the service Disney provides. I have never had service on RCL or Carnival like I have ha on Disney. My husband and I loved it for our HM. The ship is like 80% for kids and families. It's only nightclub, one tiny pool, and 2 higher end restaurants the kids are not allowed. I don't think that's a lot.

I think this statement pretty well sums it up for us, as well. We genuinely enjoy the service and the little extra touches Disney provides. My DW's brother used to work at WDW, so we know how things are supposed to be and what Disney expects. As a result, we expect a lot from DCL, and they deliver consistently.

 

[AlexandNessa]

Wow, talk about resurrecting a 16-month old thread ....

 

[Dug720]

I think adults like to go alone because of the service Disney provides. I have never had service on RCL or Carnival like I have ha on Disney. My husband and I loved it for our HM. The ship is like 80% for kids and families. It's only nightclub, one tiny pool, and 2 higher end restaurants the kids are not allowed. I don't think that's a lot.

BINGO! Disney is NOT just for kids, and families come in all shapes, sizes, and make-ups!!

And yes, when people hear Disney, they expect a certain level of service. And I'm not talking about the big things - little things too. Like being announced when you board. Being able to serve yourself at the buffets from the moment you step on board. Having world-class shows that (whether you care for the show itself - I just flat out didn't like Villains Tonight...they could have done so much more with a Villains show IMHO) are spectacularly produced. First-run movies in an actual theatre!! So many little things that all add up to make it the experience it is!

And the overall feel of the ships!! How classic and beautiful they are!! I am going to Alaska at the end of July on Holland America's Westerdam because I'm going with a group my running coach and her husband are leading, and for whatever reason they go with HAL to Alaska (I think they use Royal for their Caribbean Islands one...). And honestly while I'm pumped about Alaska and the people I'll be with, I want to cry every time I see pictures - some very recent. For a line that claims to be all about "elegance" and all that jazz, the decor is just gross! I had to make myself stop rewatching the DCL special focusing on the Dream just so I'll have a little more space between what is truly classic and what is only playing at it. (Granted, my opinion. Some people think HAL's ships look lovely - from the outside they do, but the inside...I just find gaudy.)

 

[ShellB8585]

I would be interested to know if the OP ever did decide to take a cruise and what their verdict was/is?

FWIW my family currently consists of 2 - Myself and DH and we love Disney cruises and whilst we haven't used the "adult only" spaces a lot we do appreciate they are there. I am fairly certain we will appreciate them more if/when we have our own children

 

[Momof2inCT]

We've cruised with DCL three times over the last three years and have noticed a decrease in the all-ages family friendly activities available on the ship.

For instance: DCL schedules "playdates" for babies/toddlers...but holds it in the Outlook, which few newbies with babies can find and it's hard to get to with strollers. They have the Mickey 500, but it uses knives...so not so much little kid involvement. Other than the dance parties, there isn't very much families can do together besides swim. Detective agency is good for kids 5 and up. I suppose you could try to play minigolf, but not with a toddler. The first cruise, we were just to be there and look at everything. The shows on some days are good, but on seven night cruises, that's really only 3 nights out of 7, because the variety shows and some movies are inappropriate for younger kids. Characters are only fun for so long and who wants to spend their vacation waiting in line? We do like DCL, but I think it's going to be a long time before we cruise with them again - or maybe we'll do a cruise with next to no sea days.

 

[Maddysdaddy]

As far as night time activities, how can we do that with a 5/7 year old? We can't just leave them in the room alone while they sleep.

Haven't read all the way thru the thread yet, so someone else may have already made this point, but if your children are 5 & 7, by the time you do dinner and a show every evening (or dinner and pirate night), it's probably going to be around (or past) their bedtime anyway.

Yes, you will see some parents dragging their children around the ship until quite late, but from an outsider's perspective, for the most part, neither the parents nor the children look particularly happy about it.

=========================

And....... I just realized that I replied to a post from a year and half ago. Sorry.

 

[sweetlovin']

So, I was forced to be alone because my kids were neglecting ME.

I have been cruising for 8 years with my son and every cruise I have been neglected like you

Ditto.

Exactly 2 of my children won't even head to the dining rooms for dinner. "I'll grab dinner from quick service with a friend at the club" they would say, every night. The one time they showed up to a meal was breakfast the last morning. I felt compelled to offer a handshake while saying, "Hello, my name is mommy, it's nice to meet you."

 

[gumbypee]

I'm not even reading this thread bc the original post is completely asinine.

 

[sweetlovin']

I would be interested to know if the OP ever did decide to take a cruise and what their verdict was/is?

I would like to know as well

 

[Mousesmom]

DH and I didn't fall in love with Disney until DD was 11. She's now 25.

We've been on several cruises, including one DCL, and plan for another in September.

That being said, DD has never cruised with us on any line and never wanted to. Her last trip to DL was 8 years ago and we've been almost every year since. The total Disney addict in the family is ME!

What I am trying to say is, live and let live. It`s your vacation, do it your way and forget about what other people think!

Happy cruising!

 

[ptcbass]

I love that a Disney vacation is "your" vacation. It can be adult only and quiet or fun and loud with the kids. We love Disney and took our honeymoon to WDW and now years later the family takes Disney vacations and then later when it is just me and DH again we will continue to take Disney vacations. I LOVE that it can be different based on what you want.

 

[SeattleSuz]

Exactly 2 of my children won't even head to the dining rooms for dinner. "I'll grab dinner from quick service with a friend at the club" they would say, every night. The one time they showed up to a meal was breakfast the last morning. I felt compelled to offer a handshake while saying, "Hello, my name is mommy, it's nice to meet you."

I feel like that's how my DD is going to be.

We do plan on doing family shore ex and if she doesn't want to go to the club, then we will find something else to do. But I kind of understand the OP, as we are not exactly excited to leave our DD for so much time during our family vacation...

 

[DWGal210]

I am a single adult woman with no kids and I love to sail DCL. I choose DCL, even without kids, because I love the service, atmosphere and elegance of their ships.

 

[jlemieu1]

Another Adult only cruiser with no kids. 100% the service draws us to DCL. The other premier lines are filled with too many older people and formal for us.

 

[AliceIn]

My kids love doing things with other kids, and especially love special activities that are for kids only. Last September we went to WDW, and my kids went on the pirate cruise at the Beach Club. They spent about 3 hours doing a fun adventure with other kids, and my husband and I had time to spend with another couple just chatting and enjoying the resort. I'm looking forward to doing the same thing on the ship. Brunch at Palo, Golf Simulator, etc. Of course we'll be doing lots of things with the kids, but I know both they and we will enjoy time doing our own things, too.

 

[goofynut41]

Me and my husband don't have kids but we love all things Disney, its the best... we go to Disneyworld as often as we can, just two big kids at heart... so having adult areas is great...

 

[PegIra]

We just finished our 9th Disnery Cruise in January and #'s 10 & 11 are booked. We have never had any of our children or grandchildren with us. We tried another cruise line once and were totally bored. We LOVE Disney and enjoy the service and the ships way too much to ever sail any other cruiseline. We would love to have our family join us, but they aren't as interested in cruising as we are. They go to WDW and we join them, but as much as we would love to have them with us, we CAN had a great time on a Disney ship all by ourselves. We just celebrated our 55th anniversary and plan on celebrating many more with Disney. We have become snowbirds and spend our winters in Kissimmee so we get the best of both worlds, we do WDW and Disney cruises. Can't get much luckier than that unless our family is able to join us. They do join us in Kissimmee and we do WDW, but still working on getting them to cruise. To be honest, we don't spend a lot of time in the adult only section, but we still have a great time on a Disney Cruise. Who wouldn't ?

 

[arielchickenofthesea]

Disney provides entertainment for EVERYONE, people of all ages on their ships. Adults cannot go to the kids clubs or the teen's clubs. I think it is unrealistic for anyone to think that kids should be allowed to go EVERYWHERE on a ship.

There have to be some places where adults can have peace and quiet and adult entertainment without kids around, like Cove café, Palo, Remy, some of the bars and clubs after a certain hour and the spa.

We always cruise on Disney ships and love that Disney is fair about including every person in a family from babies to adults. it would be a sad day if Disney said that kids could be allowed everywhere onboard ship. A guest is not entitled to get to go everywhere. I think that Disney has set up the ships wonderfully and if they allowed kids in every venue, they would have a problem attracting couples and older people who love Disney and grew up going to the parks back in the early days. I know I went to Disneyland in the 1960's and fell in love with all things Disney and LOVE that the ships have adult only venues. it makes it a nice trip for us to have a quiet adult dinner or a cup of coffee without kids everywhere. Kids ha=ve so many places on the ship and there are not really that many places that are adult only,. so I do not get why the OP is so upset that Disney offers adults a chance to do adult things, like wine and alcohol tastings, and dinner at a fancy restaurant or a massage or facial in a spa.

What is the big deal if it does not affect you in the long run? There are just a few places that your kids cannot go and I don't think that those places would matter to your kids anyway and it gives the adults who have kids some time away from them as well.....I know lots of parents who LOVE the adult places and the chance to unwind and take a break from the kids once in a while. Don't let it bug you. If you want to spend the whole time with your kids there are plenty of places on the ship you can be, most of the space on the ship is for families.
Just enjoy all the things that kids and families CAN do and don't worry about the adult things.

Why anyone would be angry or surprised that Disney offers adult only restaurants, bars and spas is beyond me. Disney is NOT only for kids. Sorry to anyone who think that way. It is the adult that pays for the trips by the way....