Fun for adults on Disney Cruises?

[Faythstar]

My DH loves cruises, and I have never been on one. We've been volleying the idea of taking a cruise back and forth for a couple of years now, but still it's only been talk. We both love Disney, and I think a Disney cruise would be loads of fun, but he and I have both heard rumors that Disney cruises aren't that great for childless adults; that a lot of the activities are for kids only and that there's not much of interest for adults.

Is this true? What have been your experiences? Is there ample Disney magic for us big kids? I'd love to know what you all know!

(I told my husband, don't worry, I'll ask my Disney messageboard, they'll help us. )

[uscwest]

My DW and I and another couple did a DCL Cruise without children in 2007. We had a blast. There are lots of things for adults on the ship as well as lots of child oriented things that don't include adults. We never reached a point where children got in our way. There also the off ship excursions. There is an adults only pool, children are not allowed in the bar and there is even an adults only dining room, which you do have to pay a bit out of pocket for. If you decide to book I believe you can also request an adults only table in the dining rooms.

[catrancher]

John's right. There's a whole boat load to do (pardon the pun).

From the adults only pool onboard, to the adults only clubs in the entertainment district. From adults only areas on Castaway Cay (which is to die for by the way), adults only classes, and Spa treatments in the onboard spas. The adults only dining in Palo and now, in Remy on the Dream and the Fantasy are first class. And while there's a moderate extra charge for the dining, it's not excessive. And don't forget the shows in the Walt Disney theater onboard. While they're not adults only, it really doesn't matter. They're Broadway class entertainment that will absolutely charm the socks off any Disney fan!

My DW and I have taken 4 DCL cruises (to be 5 after this one coming up in 2013). We've never had a bad time. In fact, it was on a DCL cruise that we met Mr. and Mrs. Slowhand as dining partners and how I came to be a member of this august group.

If you're both Disney fanatics, I absolutely guarantee you'll have a marvelous time. To be perfectly honest about it, my DW and I used to go to Disney World annually. Once we discovered Disney cruises, they've become our vacation of choice. We still like Disney World but the cruise is just so much more relaxing.

If you're interested, do yourself a favor. Go here and order the cruise planning DVD.

Or, just watch this:

Seriously. Just ask Mr. Slowhand. I'm sure he'll be along in a while. Ask him what he thinks of Sessions? 131188564.PECMfeMM.piano_smiley_0.gif

Tom (... the only way to sail! )

[Tink]

I'll have a bit of a different perspective.

We've cruised a number of times with different cruise lines, one of which was with Disney. We found Disney to be expensive in comparison to the other cruise lines, and for the money not worth the cost.

We had a cabin that stunk. Yep. Quite frankly it smelled like a sewer and there was nothing to be done about it. We were told there were no other cabins and were given a useless ionizer to clear the air. It didn't help. That really put a stress on the enjoyment.

The staff were quite nice, but no nicer than any other cruise line. The food was ok, including Palo. Not bad by any means, but again nothing more elaborate or nicer than on any other cruise line. One in our party (we were a group of 20) complained because there was no lobster, only a pasta dish one night that featured lobster.

The activities are clearly geared toward families with children, from roving gangs of teens who were disruptive to little ones dashing all over the ship, you had very few places to escape. The adult pool was off limits to kids, but also apparently to anything like music or other entertainment. Quite frankly, it was boring.

Castaway Cay was nice. Once you hiked (you could take a tram, too but who wants to hang around waiting) over to the adult beach, it was peaceful. However, there were teens there too. They were better controlled than on board, though.

So, all in all we are some of the rare birds who did not care at all for the Disney cruise experience and probably won't do one again.

My position on this isn't popular, but it was formed on my experience so I stand by it.

[Slowhand]

In fact, it was on a DCL cruise that we met Mr. and Mrs. Slowhand as dining partners and how I came to be a member of this august group.

But you joined in October Mr catrancher....not August!

Seriously though, in answer to the question I reckon that catrancher has summed things up perfectly.
My DW and I have now done 9 DCL cruises and we don`t have any children so there must be something that keeps drawing us back!
As others have said, there are loads of adults only areas and things to do on board, in fact many of the younger chidren attend their own area of the ship where they are supervised by DCL crew members and are kept well away from the public areas. I have heard many parents say that their kids have such a blast there that they are sorry to leave in order to join their parents for dinner!

Oh yes, and there is also Sessions as catrancher mentioned. This is our regular hang out at the front of the ship and is a piano bar where we have made very good friends with Tim [the pianist] over the years, and is an excellent venue for a [fairly] quiet drink [or three!] after dinner before retiring for the evening.

Give it a try, I`m sure you will enjoy it.

[Faythstar]

I suppose I wasn't 100% clear on one thing. I don't mind family-friendly environments at all, I had just heard that there were so many "kids-only" things on-board that the activities that remained for adults were more or less the same as any cruiseline. (Sort of like what you said, Tink.)

I just wonder what activities/experiences/etc. are accessible to adults that make the experience "Disney" as opposed to any other cruiseline you could choose.

[catrancher]

I just wonder what activities/experiences/etc. are accessible to adults that make the experience "Disney" as opposed to any other cruiseline you could choose.

Hmmm... still not sure what you're asking here.

If you're wondering whether or not the adult activities are particularly "Disney", the answer is probably not. I mean, I'm sure other cruise lines have spa's where you can get a massage, cooking classes very similar to those on DCL and night time theater shows.

But on the other cruise lines, you can't get a massage in an open air cabana on Castaway Cay. You can't get cooking classes from Disney chef's. And you can't see Disney shows like "Disney Dreams" or "Villains Tonight" or "The Golden Mickeys".

I guess what I'm saying is that on DCL, you're surrounded by Disney almost 24 hours a day. From the shows to the decorations and theming to the characters and special effects. For instance, you're only going to find "Magical Portholes" on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. And you'll also find "Enchanted Art Work" on both of those ships also. And how about the "Aqua Duck"?

All in all, you're surrounded by Disney from the moment you enter the terminal to the moment you leave at the end of your cruise. Whether or not that's enough to choose Disney over another cruise line is a question only you can answer.

Tom (... it's enough for me.)

[Faythstar]

Catrancher, I was trying to "like" and "thank you" for your post, but for some reason, it's not letting me do that.

Anyway, ! That was more or less exactly the kind of answer I was looking for. Sorry I wasn't as articulate as maybe I should have been, I just for the life of me couldn't figure out how to be more clear. But you hit the nail on the head! I'll have to pass that info along to my DH. (He's been pestering me everyday, asking if anyone had given us more information about this.)