Wife not interested in Disney Cruise but we all want to go (with her! :) )

[BLTdad]

Hi! My kids and I really want to vacation on a Disney Cruise but my wife is anti. She has heard/seen way too many stories/news reports about cruises being over crowded, stomach viruses, people falling overboard etc. Help me to get her comfortable with the idea so that we can go on what I know will be an amazing trip!

 

[Spiffy MacSpiff]

Direct her to these boards. DH and I were reluctant; we're not cruise people or "Disney people" and had heard horror stories about cruising, but our older son was totally into ships and liked some Disney films. Never did the parks and probably never will, but checked out things here and took a chance, and we loved it. Who knew?

 

[Meglen]

Vlogs on YouTube!

 

[amuse-bouche]

Hi! My kids and I really want to vacation on a Disney Cruise but my wife is anti. She has heard/seen way too many stories/news reports about cruises being over crowded, stomach viruses, people falling overboard etc. Help me to get her comfortable with the idea so that we can go on what I know will be an amazing trip!

This isn't the answer that you want, but in my opinion you should NOT try to convince her. She's an adult and she's allowed to not want to do something. It's not fair to try to guilt her into doing what you want to do.

My husband told me long before we got married, that he would never go on a cruise. I figured that eventually I'd talk him into it. Over the years he's let me plan dozens of vacations to any place I want to go, never giving me any grief about the expense, or the distance, or the language barrier. He has, however, always remained firm about not wanting to take a cruise. Are his reasons silly? Probably. Would the kids and I have fun on a cruise? Definitely. But he doesn't want to go, and he doesn't want to be talked into it, and I decided a while ago that it isn't fair to pressure him to do something that I want, when he already gives me a million things that I also want. He's allowed a pass on cruising, and maybe your wife is too?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hi! My kids and I really want to vacation on a Disney Cruise but my wife is anti. She has heard/seen way too many stories/news reports about cruises being over crowded, stomach viruses, people falling overboard etc. Help me to get her comfortable with the idea so that we can go on what I know will be an amazing trip!

I second that your wife should be able to make her own choices.

Have you asked how she'd feel if you and the kids took a cruise? There are many families that not everyone participates in the same things.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Hi! My kids and I really want to vacation on a Disney Cruise but my wife is anti. She has heard/seen way too many stories/news reports about cruises being over crowded, stomach viruses, people falling overboard etc. Help me to get her comfortable with the idea so that we can go on what I know will be an amazing trip!

I have to agree with the two posts above. We took my parents on a cruise who were somewhat reluctant to go. I was so worried about them having a great time that it sucked for me. If she doesn’t want to do it, she shouldn’t have to.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Hi! My kids and I really want to vacation on a Disney Cruise but my wife is anti. She has heard/seen way too many stories/news reports about cruises being over crowded, stomach viruses, people falling overboard etc. Help me to get her comfortable with the idea so that we can go on what I know will be an amazing trip!

While I agree with the above posters that you shouldn't try to pressure or guilt her into going on a cruise, I do think it's not unreasonable to at least address her concerns.

Are there times/places that the ship will feel over crowded? Possibly, especially if you can only sail during peak times. But you can chose your activities so that you avoid the most crowded places and times. Choose the MDR over the buffet for lunch on embarkation day. Allow her to skip the Sail Away and Pirate Night parties. You can take the kids while she relaxes on the verandah.

Stomach viruses - Outbreaks may happen, but the majority of cruises and cruisers won't deal with this. And you can mitigate your risk through proper hygiene, i.e. wash your hands frequently, especially before eating, and keep your hands away from your face.

People "falling" overboard - People don't fall overboard. Railings are chest high. If someone falls from a cruise ship, they were either doing something incredibly risky and stupid or deliberately jumped. There are cases of someone being pushed overboard, but those are rare relative to stupidity and suicide. I don't have solid statistics, but it seems the vast majority of news stories about someone "falling" overboard are actually stories of someone choosing to take their own life by jumping.

 

[Junebug1029]

I don’t have any advice, but I too was scared to go on a cruise, with the same reasons as your wife. We love Disney, so I took a plunge last Spring and had the most amazing time. We talk about the trip every day still! Show her some videos on YouTube and maybe that will help her.

 

[Karin1984]

If she really doesn't want to, and you and the kids really want to. It's not fair to her to convince her that she should go, but it's also not fair of her to hold everyone else back. Then the only compromise is to do things separately. I also think it's healthy if parents do things separately with their kids, you get to know your children in a different way (depending on age, of course).

If that's not an option, it's only possible to ask her to have an open mind and give it a try. If cruising was really so terrible as she thinks it is, then why do thousands, millions of people cruise each year? If she is open to listen to all the bad reviews, then she should be open to listen to good reviews as well. Youtube is a good place to show her the other side.
If she doesn't want to listen to the good side, maybe there is something you are not aware of, like a fear for open waters etc.

 

[Marc D]

Cruising is an extremely safe and relaxing way to travel. As PP said, people falling over is extremely rare - around 40 over the last 10 years, while there are tens of thousands guests sailing at all times - and they usually do so by choice, by doing something stupid (blame Instagram !) or in a domestic violence situation. DCL has one of the best, if not the best, record concerning cleanliness of their ships and the respect of disease prevention rules. Their ships are also right in the middle of the passengers to size ratio standard for the cruise industry. The ships have limited passenger capacity and crowding occurs only at specific events that can easily be avoided.

However, as the local cruise expert at work, when I talk about my trips, I notice that some colleagues have an inherent fear of being on the open seas, somewhat similar to a fear of flying. Whether it’s the fear of getting sick, the idea of not being close to land, the realization that there will be miles of water under the ship, the impossibility of leaving the ship at all times or the fear of being in an enclosed and cramped space, no amount of reassurance or stories of wonderful service, great food, actual size of the ship or interesting port visits scratches the surface of that fear, and that’s ok.

They usually find something mentioned by OP - rampant stomach bugs, drunken passengers everywhere, exploitation of employees - to mask the real reasons behind their reluctance to sail. They know full well that those fears are irrational - there wouldn’t be a cruise industry if those things were real - much like fear of flying is irrational when you know how much statistically safer it is to fly on a plane than to do anything else in your life.

Unless a close friend or family member is getting married on a cruise, I don’t see how going on one could be mandatory. It is a vacation an no one should be forced to go on a vacation that involves facing their fears. If the real reasons behind her refusal are the things mentioned in your post, you can show her vlogs on YouTube and posts here and she should easily drop her misconceptions. If there’s something else, you should not try to guilt her into going and put her in a miserable situation.

 

[mmouse37]

44 DCL cruises under by belt and I have never fell overboard, never got sick. Yes, at times it can crowded but maybe 1% of the experience....overall it is an amazing vacation.

Boarding #45 on the Fantasy this Saturday!!!

MJ

 

[cgolf]

Surprised by the reaction of some. There is a difference in my eyes of saying I am never going don't ask again, that is off limits of course. But if a person has some fears because of what is read online, then trying to ease those fears is ok. If you believe the interweb everyone that goes on a ship either gets sick or falls off, which we veteran cruisers know is not the case at all.

If my wife wouldn't have eased my mind before our first cruise, apparently I was a mean, rude, butthead about not wanting to go, we wouldn't have found something we both love. Now I just need to return the favor and help her get over her fears of flying over water so we can do a TA and visit some countries our families originated from. She gets nervous landing at Ft Lauderdale that brings you in over the ocean for maybe 5 minutes.

 

[jlwhitney]

44 DCL cruises under by belt and I have never fell overboard, never got sick. Yes, at times it can crowded but maybe 1% of the experience....overall it is an amazing vacation.

Boarding #45 on the Fantasy this Saturday!!!

MJ

We are boarding the Fantasy this Sat also

 

[Miffy]

As someone who has less than no desire to ever go on a cruise, I thought I'd chime in here.

I'm not concerned about stomach viruses or falling overboard. But the thought of being basically trapped on a ship for X days is not appealing to me at all. I realize this might not happen, but what if I got sick (having nothing to do with some cruise-related thing) and didn't want to be there anymore? I'd have to stick it out--I wouldn't be able to just leave. Or if I was having a terrible time for any reason. I'd be stuck there.

It's the trapped-on-the-ship part that is probably my biggest concern, and there's no way to counter that, since, except for a dire emergency where I guess they'd send a helicopter for you (if that were possible), you are stuck on the ship for the duration.

A few trips ago to WDW, I got so sick that I didn't want to be there anymore. For me, that's darn sick, since I've lasted through illnesses at WDW before and it's been fine. Anyway, we went home. It was easy. On a cruise ship, it'd be impossible.

OP, go on the cruise with your kids. Your wife is not required to go and I totally understand why someone wouldn't want to go.

 

[Quellman]

My half serious response is this: Cruise concierge on the dream or fantasy in a one bedroom during February.

She can get MDR dinner served in the room avoiding a crowd. She can hang out in the concierge lounge for breakfast or cocktail hour. They also have a concierge sun deck space that is for those guests only. It is located in the center of the deck space in the adult section surrounded by high walls and a sun cover so she doesn't need to worry about anyone falling overboard. She can book a cabana on castaway cay, secluding herself from crowds.

And with any common sense, washing hands and using hand sanitizer as often as possible is just good practice while on cruises or in public places.

 

[mevelandry]

Show her vlogs about the cruise ships filmed in the season you would love to go, show her the results of the CDC inspection... but if she still doesn't want to go, you should respect her decision.

One thing though she should know: people rarely "fall" overboard. History shows that in most cases, they jumped voluntarily or they were being pushed (usually by their spouses). Whenever seas are rough, the cruise line will block all doors leading to the outside.

 

[Dug720]

I'm with those who say take the kids without her. It's not fair to deny the kids (and yourself) something they and you want to experience. She can do a staycation or a girls' trip with friends.

Then maybe when she sees that you all survived and had a blast she will reconsider and want to go on your next one.

 

[Heather07438]

But the thought of being basically trapped on a ship for X days is not appealing to me at all. I realize this might not happen, but what if I got sick (having nothing to do with some cruise-related thing) and didn't want to be there anymore? I'd have to stick it out--I wouldn't be able to just leave. Or if I was having a terrible time for any reason. I'd be stuck there.

Same with DH. His concern is feeling trapped out in the middle of nowhere.

 

[MomOTwins]

My DH did in fact get norovirus on the Dream, and my coworker's daughter did on the Fantasy. And there ARE crowds--the WDW theater is always packed, the atrium is a sea of people whenever there is a show or characters, and the pools, don't get me started on the pools. Falling overboard is the only point of hers that is NOT realistic--the railings are high, and have solid plexiglass all the way down, and verandah rooms have a lock at the top of the door to prevent children opening the verandah door.

But her first two concerns are not crazy or unreasonable. We enjoy cruising despite them, but I wouldn't dismiss her concerns.

 

[Heather07438]

My DH did in fact get norovirus on the Dream, and my coworker's daughter did on the Fantasy. And there ARE crowds--the WDW theater is always packed, the atrium is a sea of people whenever there is a show or characters, and the pools, don't get me started on the pools. Falling overboard is the only point of hers that is NOT realistic--the railings are high, and have solid plexiglass all the way down, and verandah rooms have a lock at the top of the door to prevent children opening the verandah door.

But her first two concerns are not crazy or unreasonable. We enjoy cruising despite them, but I wouldn't dismiss her concerns.

DH's BF's family did DCL with 3 daughters around the holidays a couple years ago. They all had some type of stomach bug early in the trip and 1 daughter had problems again at the end. They were still able to enjoy the trip overall but obviously wasn't great. It was concerning to hear.