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DCL without kids?
- Thread starter smooch
- Start date
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
That is an other factor. Many other cruises have events running well into the night. Bacon and bourbon pairing at 12:30 AM was a bit rough though.
Interesting input, I'm usually a night owl, but without this pandemic I would usually be in bed by 11:30 PM - 12:00 AM since I would have to be at work at 8 AM. When I didn't have a job and if I had night classes that semester (I prefer them to morning classes, I'm definitely not a morning person if I can choose) then I would stay up til around 2 AM and sleep in til about noon. Since quarantine started though I have become a total night owl since my work can get done any time and we only have Zoom meetings 3 days every other week so now I stay up til about 6 AM and sleep until about 2:00-3:00 PM. My girlfriend usually is a night owl as well except she's had morning classes most semesters so she has to have a more "normal" sleep schedule. So for me personally a bacon and bourbon pairing at 12:30 AM doesn't sound bad at all for me, it actually sounds kinda fun especially cause my girlfriend loves bacon. I guess I've just never actually looked into what activities cruise lines offer on cruises geared towards adults, I have to look into that more. I have just always heard praise about the DCL and have seen a few people here and there on the forums mention doing cruises without kids and wanted to ask for a consensus to get different points of view like this. Thank you very much for these viewpoints, I appreciate the input!
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
It's not that 12:30 is late, it's that 12:30 AM is late to be eating a bunch of bacon and drinking a couple fo bourbons after haven eaten dinner and went to the show and had cocktails. We had not planned on bacon and bourbon. We were just walking through one of the lounges and we saw them setting it up, and they had open seats.
DCLcruiser
Well-Known Member
<~~~ We don't have kids. We're in our 30s now, and have gone 2 times together (26 and then at 32). My first DCL was during HS. Unless you are going single or *need* a casino, I'd always recommend DCL. It's not exactly a place to mingle with other singles (unless you are a Teen, then it's a lot of fun), so going with a GF is a great idea.
You eat dinner every night with the same people, your table mates and servers rotate with you. (This is a good thing, don't flake out and skip dinner). Disney does a great job of seating you with other couples of the same age so you make friends at dinner the first night and can then hang out at the pool and bars together. The nightlife isn't as crowded as the videos make it appear, but if you don't mind mostly dancing/drinking with your 4-6 new friends, its a fun time. Plus, the excursions can be as kid-free as you'd like.
The adult's only pool/beach areas and bars/clubs make it so that you almost never see kids. Also, book the later dinner time (8pm), that way you see the show first, then eat second. The families with little kids eat dinner first and then put the kids to bed.
The bars close at Midnight...Let me tell you, after sipping the Drink of the Day (all day), being in the sun, having a cocktail before the nightly show, having wine or liquor at dinner and then drinking at the bars/clubs until Midnight...IT'S TIME FOR BED. Trust me, and if you want to keep the partying going, get the beer or whatever package in your stateroom (eh, be kind to your sleepy neighbors just hang out on Top Deck). The boat doesn't ever close.
Cost...the price of drinks is not high at all (not compared to NY prices). The "Drink of the Day" is $5.46. You can also get a beer mug with refills, and there are wine or beer packages for your room/dinner. This isn't Carnival where you are expecting drunk college kids at the pool. That being said, you can easily be drunk, but in a Disney friendly way haha.
Skyline Bar on the Fantasy: ~$12 (cheaper than in NY, and you keep the glow cube lol)
You eat dinner every night with the same people, your table mates and servers rotate with you. (This is a good thing, don't flake out and skip dinner). Disney does a great job of seating you with other couples of the same age so you make friends at dinner the first night and can then hang out at the pool and bars together. The nightlife isn't as crowded as the videos make it appear, but if you don't mind mostly dancing/drinking with your 4-6 new friends, its a fun time. Plus, the excursions can be as kid-free as you'd like.
The adult's only pool/beach areas and bars/clubs make it so that you almost never see kids. Also, book the later dinner time (8pm), that way you see the show first, then eat second. The families with little kids eat dinner first and then put the kids to bed.
The bars close at Midnight...Let me tell you, after sipping the Drink of the Day (all day), being in the sun, having a cocktail before the nightly show, having wine or liquor at dinner and then drinking at the bars/clubs until Midnight...IT'S TIME FOR BED. Trust me, and if you want to keep the partying going, get the beer or whatever package in your stateroom (eh, be kind to your sleepy neighbors just hang out on Top Deck). The boat doesn't ever close.
Cost...the price of drinks is not high at all (not compared to NY prices). The "Drink of the Day" is $5.46. You can also get a beer mug with refills, and there are wine or beer packages for your room/dinner. This isn't Carnival where you are expecting drunk college kids at the pool. That being said, you can easily be drunk, but in a Disney friendly way haha.
Skyline Bar on the Fantasy: ~$12 (cheaper than in NY, and you keep the glow cube lol)
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NelleBelle
Well-Known Member
DH and I did a 11-nt transatlantic cruise and the majority of the guests on board did NOT have kids! The adults-only area was SO crowded that in order to find lounge chairs, we sometimes had to go over to the family area of the ship 
But we had a great time on the cruise without our kids. I'd totally do more except our kids got annoyed we left them (and we do enjoy cruising with them...they're just so big at this point, they need their own stateroom...the 16 yo is 6'3 and the 14yo is 6'0; we don't fit comfortably in one room anymore)! 
I concur about eating at Palo/Remy on Pirate Night! As a vegetarian, that night is just awful for me! I usually have to have something special made as nothing looks good on the menu. And the pirate buffet is like a plague of locusts decent on it--like these people just didn't eat a bit ago! LOL
But we had a great time on the cruise without our kids. I'd totally do more except our kids got annoyed we left them (and we do enjoy cruising with them...they're just so big at this point, they need their own stateroom...the 16 yo is 6'3 and the 14yo is 6'0; we don't fit comfortably in one room anymore)! I concur about eating at Palo/Remy on Pirate Night! As a vegetarian, that night is just awful for me! I usually have to have something special made as nothing looks good on the menu. And the pirate buffet is like a plague of locusts decent on it--like these people just didn't eat a bit ago! LOL
jme
Well-Known Member
This is actually a good call out! Don't be shy in asking your server for something off menu. If it's something crazy give them a heads up on your first night or so... for example on our last cruise we told them we don't like the pirate night menu on our first night. He asked us what sorts of food we like and we mentioned Indian (amongst other things). He said he would have something special for us on Pirate Night. They served us Samosas, Vegetable Biryani, and Fish Curry! It was amazing
NelleBelle
Well-Known Member
THIS! They know we're vegetarian (we list it on our cruise info) and every cruise my husband will end up opting for having Indian and he ends up with a delicious feast! It's usually on pirate night that it starts and continues. He ended up having Indian for a looong time on that transatlantic! 
He said he felt guilty telling them to stop bringing (he's crazy that way...he also told me once he feels guilty and doesn't like cruising because of the service we get on DCL--I needed to slap him at that point)! Now he's asking to go on a Greek isles/Med. cruise for his 50th in a few years--he's hooked!
He said he felt guilty telling them to stop bringing (he's crazy that way...he also told me once he feels guilty and doesn't like cruising because of the service we get on DCL--I needed to slap him at that point)! Now he's asking to go on a Greek isles/Med. cruise for his 50th in a few years--he's hooked!
lostpro9het
Well-Known Member
10 cruises in and only 2 with the kiddo. We've gt one other scheduled in '21 sans the kid. Plenty of fun for adults.
This! Perfect night for Palo, IMO. Snag a 6-7:00 reservation and get out in time for the pirate party and fireworks.