Will senior citizens enjoy the Disney Cruise?

[ErinInCT]

My parents are trying to plan a family reunion for our family in 2007 (their 45th wedding anniversary) & they mentioned going on a Disney Cruise (I think we are considering just a 3 nighter). There are 3 kids in our family, 2 of us are married with kids. We'll have 2 3 yr olds, 1 6 yr old (all girls) and a 2 yr old boy at that time in 2007. I know MY immediate family would love it since we are big Disney fans. My sis has never been with her kids & my other sis, unmarried, doesn't really care, she is just along for the ride. I just can't picture my parents enjoying a cruise that is so kid focused. Will they be able to have fun? I know just being with the grandkids would be fun for them, but they can see the grandkids for a lot less money some other place. They have not been on all that many cruises in their life which makes me suspect cruising is not that important to them. I would like to get some input from other seniors to see if they enjoyed this or not. When I think of the cost I just wonder if it will be worth it (especially when I consider I could take that money & rent points for an awesome DVC 2 bedroom for 5 nights with park hoppers!).

 

[disnut8]

Just got back from a seven night Eastern Magic trip with my in-laws. Mother-in-law 69, father-in-law 75. Veteran cruisers. The only negative comment my mother-in-law had (and she's picky) was there were a lot of kids. But it didn't detract in any way from her experience. For ourselves, we are in our early 40s and haven't had a kid factor in a long time. Yes, there are kids but there are so many adult only places. The adult only pool is a godsend. Deck 10 is great. Adult only activities throughout the day. My in-laws loved those. A special beach at Castaway Cay just for adults. The only time my mother-in-law had a problem with the kids was at dinner. For some reason, our all adult party of four table was surrounded by tables with kids. Annoyed my mother-in-law that those tables seemed to get more attention. I welcomed it since the kids could clear out and we could enjoy the rest of the meal (early seating). My mother-in-law, though, just can't seem to sit and relax at any dinner so don't take that into consideration.

In my opinion, yes, seniors can enjoy a Disney cruise. So can those of us without kids (and we did, a heck of a lot).

 

[MrsMork]

DH is 60 and I am 55. We just completed our 7th Disney cruise, our 8th is booked for next Dec. We have sailed 3 times with kids/grandkids/niece and 4 times by ourselves. We are teetering on the edge of being Seniors, I believe, and YES we enjoy it ALOT. We will celebrate our 40th anniversary in 2007 and DCL is where I want to spend it. Trans-Atlantic maybe??

 

[CM_Mom]

On our cruise in 2004 we had my mom and aunt, both 80 somethings who had cruised before when they were 70 somethings. They really enjoyed the cruise and found plenty of things to do that they liked. DCL is really good about scheduling things for adults only. Also, they ENFORCE the adults only areas such as the adult pool and cove cafe and Serenity Bay at Castaway Cay so the grandparents can enjoy time with and without the kids.

I think part of the fun is watching the expressions on the kids faces during the shows and character interactions. The parks are wonderful but TIRING. On the ship you can be as busy or as relaxed as you want.

DCL is especially great if you enjoy CLEAN family entertainment. The shows were fantastic and the entertainers funny without being crude or embarassing.

 

[minniemoms]

Went on the First Inaugural Cruise to Mexico, Took my 80 year old parents, who had never cruised before, and they loved it. Can't wait to go again. HOpefully it will come back to California, so they can go. Too far to fly them across the US. Hopefully Alaska will open up. But my parents love to go to DL, so they love Disney, but 80 year old didn't stop them....

 

[CM_Mom]

Another thought is that the Excursions on DCL are rated by "activity level" so you can easily choose excursions that fit the level of fitness of the participants.

 

[Ginamarie]

We took my grandparents along last November, while they were both in their 80s. They loved the Disney cruise. After cruising with them on NCL this year, they said they much preferred the DCL experience.