What is there for my Husband to do?

[ExtinctJenn]

First let me thank everyone for the responses on my previous thread here regarding concerns I had with taking my autistic son on a cruise. They have sort of sealed the deal for me but... I have a new issue.

My family is somewhat unusual. I am the full-time job person and my husband is the stay-at-home dad. He's not a fan of clubs (dancing etc.) nor is he a huge fan of theatrical shows (though he does absolutely love Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo the Musical in the parks). He can't swim and thus isn't a huge fan of the pools or beaches (the idea of just laying out catching sun isn't something that appeals to him either).

As you can already guess... though I am convinced a cruise would be a fantastic option for us to have a Disney vacation that doesn't include theme parks (which caused us issues last time as shared in the aforementioned post), I'm having a hard time convincing him. To be fair, I can see why. In looking at what the cruise option has to offer him he doesn't see much that appeals to his tastes/preferences. His concern is if we do this, he'll be sitting in the room all day with the only real activities being eating and watching my son and I do other things. I've tried explaining that the big benefit is that our son can go off and do things on his own and we can get some much needed, VERY rare time together; even if that is just sitting in a lounge chair enjoying a drink or whatever.

I'd love it if I could get some insight into things he'd be able to do that may appeal to him. Help?

 

[Master Yoda]

If he loves FolK and Nemo he will also love the shows that are done on board the ships. They are cut from the same cloth.

The ships also have a movie theater, spa, sports bar and the newer ships have a mini golf course.

Only a few of the clubs have dancing. The others range from places to just grab a drink to Karaoke, to listening to bands, etc.

It is also worth noting that being able to swim is not needed for an adult. The pools on board max out about 3'-4' of depth. If he can stand, he won't drown.

At Castaway Cay they have fishing, parasailing, glass bottom boats, a game pavilion, a sports beach, bike rentals, etc.

Your ports of call will typically have numerous excursions avaliable as well.

 

[ExtinctJenn]

If he loves FolK and Nemo he will also love the shows that are done on board the ships. They are cut from the same cloth.

The ships also have a movie theater, spa, sports bar and the newer ships have a mini golf course.

Only a few of the clubs have dancing. The others range from places to just grab a drink to Karaoke, to listening to bands, etc.

It is also worth noting that being able to swim is not needed for an adult. The pools on board max out about 3'-4' of depth. If he can stand, he won't drown.

At Castaway Cay they have fishing, parasailing, glass bottom boats, a game pavilion, a sports beach, bike rentals, etc.

Your ports of call will typically have numerous excursions avaliable as well.

Thanks as always Yoda! I think his biggest concern is regarding what there is to do on the ship. But knowing what we can do off the ship is great too. The only thing being I'd want to focus on what you can do for free.

 

[Tiggerish]

In addition to the activities that @Master Yoda mentioned, there are tours of the ship and trivia contests, too. Disney movie trivia, 80s music trivia, 50s/60s music trivia, general knowledge trivia, pirate trivia...lots of opportunities to show off your knowledge and win a prize! Last month on the Dream, I went on a tour called the Art of the Theme Show, which took us through the adults-only upcharge restaurants and explained how they were themed, I found it interesting, and if you don't plan on doing the upcharge dining, it was a great way to see the restaurants.

Assuming it's just the dancing part that he doesn't like about clubs, there are also mixology classes ($20 for five cocktails and some bartending education), wine tastings, cognac tastings, tequila tastings (all these alcohol-related events have an additional cost, but I found them very reasonable). On longer cruises, there are cooking seminars, too.

I'll scan one of the Navigators from my recent cruise so that you can show him how much there is to do on a Disney cruise. Believe me, I sympathize with you, my husband is not a clubber and he had plenty of fun. Not as much fun as I have on my girls cruises, but he was satisfied with the level of fun that he had. We did win 3 trivia contests...

Edit to add that Master Yoda is absolutely correct in that your hubby will enjoy the shows on the cruise if he likes the shows in the parks. DO NOT MISS the Golden Mickeys.

 

[Andrew C]

We did win 3 trivia contests...

Nerd alert!

Spoiler

We only won once, so we are less nerdy.

 

[Andrew C]

what type of cruise are you thinking of?

 

[ExtinctJenn]

I'll scan one of the Navigators from my recent cruise so that you can show him how much there is to do on a Disney cruise. Believe me, I sympathize with you, my husband is not a clubber and he had plenty of fun. Not as much fun as I have on my girls cruises, but he was satisfied with the level of fun that he had. We did win 3 trivia contests...

Thank you so much! That'd be awesome! His thing is... and I get this completely... he's just not the "cruising" type of person. He's probably right but I truly feel like the Disney cruises are so much more than your typical "lay out and get a tan while getting drunk off your a" cruising that our acquaintances who cruise tend to do. LOL

 

[ExtinctJenn]

what type of cruise are you thinking of?

The cruise I built was the 4-day Bahamas cruise on the Disney Dream, staying in one of the Deluxe Family Oceanview Staterooms (the ones with 2 portholes).

 

[Andrew C]

The cruise I built was the 4-day Bahamas cruise on the Disney Dream, staying in one of the Deluxe Family Oceanview Staterooms (the ones with 2 portholes).

That is a nice one as you get a full day at sea on the way back. As others have suggested, I would try to get a hold of the navigator so ya'll can get a feel about what goes on during the day. That should be a helpful piece of information.

 

[Bolna]

Have a look at previous navigators on this side:

http://disneycruiselineblog.com/personal-navigators/

You just need to select the tab "Disney Dream" and then there are plenty for the 4-night Bahama cruises.

The previous posters have already mentioned many things, but I think no one has mentioned the Midship Detective Agency game yet. It is similar to the game in Epcot which used to be about Kim Possible, but then got other characters associated with it... There are different games and they are great fun!

 

[Tiggerish]

The cruise I built was the 4-day Bahamas cruise on the Disney Dream, staying in one of the Deluxe Family Oceanview Staterooms (the ones with 2 portholes).

That's exactly the cruise I went on last month!

Have a look at previous navigators on this side:

http://disneycruiselineblog.com/personal-navigators/

You just need to select the tab "Disney Dream" and then there are plenty for the 4-night Bahama cruises.

The previous posters have already mentioned many things, but I think no one has mentioned the Midship Detective Agency game yet. It is similar to the game in Epcot which used to be about Kim Possible, but then got other characters associated with it... There are different games and they are great fun!

Oh, you're right!! I just did the new Muppets adventure, it was great, and so much fun!

 

[StageFrenzy]

@ExtinctJenn I always enjoy exploring the ship, walking around looking at the art work. I like finding little the little nooks and crannies of the ship and seeing how it all works. Doing some of the spirits tastings can be a lot of fun and put you in good spirits. Maybe getting a spa treatment or rainforest pass, that will give you some of that quality time together and follow it up with a dinner at Remy or Palo. I have not eaten at Palo on the Dream but Remy is absolutely worth it for my wife and I.

 

[French Quarter]

Maybe it would be easier if you told us what kind of stuff he is into.

 

[ExtinctJenn]

Maybe it would be easier if you told us what kind of stuff he is into.

I uhm... I don't know how to answer that! He's unique (which also makes him very hard to shop for lol). He loves all things Disney. He loves all things Halloween. Before we met he used to love snowmobiling. He likes beer (lol). He likes movies. He likes relaxing but not to the point of boredom. He likes going behind the scenes on those type of tours. He likes rides but not extreme thrills. He likes projection mapping (we do a big show on our house for Halloween and Christmas each year similar to the shows Disney does on the castles). He likes racing hobby grade RC cars/trucks. He is a football fan but hasn't followed a team regularly in ages. He loves being "Mr. Fix-It" and doing projects where he can. Gosh this is just hard... it's easier to say what he doesn't like. LOL

 

[EOD K9]

@ExtinctJenn I always enjoy exploring the ship, walking around looking at the art work. I like finding little the little nooks and crannies of the ship and seeing how it all works. Doing some of the spirits tastings can be a lot of fun and put you in good spirits. Maybe getting a spa treatment or rainforest pass, that will give you some of that quality time together and follow it up with a dinner at Remy or Palo. I have not eaten at Palo on the Dream but Remy is absolutely worth it for my wife and I.

You look a lot like Peter Sagan. Are you he? (Sarcasm font is on)

 

[flynnibus]

First let me thank everyone for the responses on my previous thread here regarding concerns I had with taking my autistic son on a cruise. They have sort of sealed the deal for me but... I have a new issue.

My family is somewhat unusual. I am the full-time job person and my husband is the stay-at-home dad. He's not a fan of clubs (dancing etc.) nor is he a huge fan of theatrical shows (though he does absolutely love Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo the Musical in the parks). He can't swim and thus isn't a huge fan of the pools or beaches (the idea of just laying out catching sun isn't something that appeals to him either).

As you can already guess... though I am convinced a cruise would be a fantastic option for us to have a Disney vacation that doesn't include theme parks (which caused us issues last time as shared in the aforementioned post), I'm having a hard time convincing him. To be fair, I can see why. In looking at what the cruise option has to offer him he doesn't see much that appeals to his tastes/preferences. His concern is if we do this, he'll be sitting in the room all day with the only real activities being eating and watching my son and I do other things. I've tried explaining that the big benefit is that our son can go off and do things on his own and we can get some much needed, VERY rare time together; even if that is just sitting in a lounge chair enjoying a drink or whatever.

I'd love it if I could get some insight into things he'd be able to do that may appeal to him. Help?

1- enjoy reading a book in a lounge chair
2- enjoy one of the lectures from the guest speakers on the boat
3- enjoy one of the food & beverage sessions, including wine, brandy, champagne, cocktails, and more choices to pick from
4- enjoy watching a movie in the theater
5- listening to live music on the sundeck
6- drinking at the bar
7- Take Tours of the ship
8- Be a kid again and play the animated artwork games
9- Try to win at bingo
10- Workout in the gym
11- Discover the spa services
12- Buy into the rainforest spa package and enjoy pampering and seclusion (my recommendation)
13- Enjoy the evening stage shows or adult variety acts
14- Of course, food, food, food and more food if you want it
15- Port Adventures
16- meeting sting rays at Castaway Cay
17- Go boating at Castaway Cay
18- Enjoy the aquaduck without having to swim

The best part of a cruise IMO is the **ESCAPE** - not that you need to be running from thing to thing. The more relaxing you do, the better. And you can't top the benefit of endless service...

 

[StageFrenzy]

You look a lot like Peter Sagan. Are you he? (Sarcasm font is on)

Wife wishes I did, happy about worlds!

 

[MaryJaneP]

Gotta agree with Lounge Chair on Deck 4 outside lobby. Also Shuffleboard on Deck 4. Watching docking and/or horizon from different parts of ship were entertaining. Seats in lobby for people watching while reading something (Navigator, etc). Sitting in Adult area (Satellite falls, etc) also very relaxing.

 

[French Quarter]

The other thing to consider is that maybe a cruise actually isn't something your husband would enjoy. No reason to take him kicking and screaming.

 

[Mukta]

He sounds a lot like me! I did enjoy the live shows in the theater each evening. I also ate quite a bit as I enjoy the fine dining at Palo/Remy. I went to lots of trivia contests, different classes in the bars, met characters and generally enjoyed the ship when I was on it. Most days you aren't on the ship the whole day.