No Kids...Is a Disney cruise for us?

[musketeer]

Hello

I am doing some preliminary research for next summer. We just noticed that the Disney ships will start sailing out of LA. We are considering going. We do not have kids, we are 25 years old, will have been married for 2 years. Is this for us? Or is it completely overrun with kids? I have nothing against kids, I just don't want to be completely immersed with them on a boat for 7 days. Is there anything for adults on these ships?

Thanks

 

[Brad]

We did a three night cruise out of Florida a couple of months ago.
Many areas of the boat have the kids separated from the adults fairly well.
There is one deck that has adult only clubs/bars/lounges and there is an adults only swimming pool.
The thing I would worry about if you're trying to avoid little ones to the extreme is dinner time. There is an adults only restaurant, one, but I've heard it can be hard to make reservations to (we had our daughter with us and didn't even try). And even if you could eat there every night you would be missing out on some good dining opportunities.
You would be on a Disney vacation and kids are inevitable. I think it's probably comparable overall to visiting the parks, you can avoid kids somewhat, but not completely. And with a cruise you have other choices-cruise lines. The Disney boat was very nice and had much of that "Disney touch", but it's not like the parks where there really isn't another substitute.
Hope that helps...

 

[marni1971]

I`ve never been on a Disney cruise, but we would both love to. We have no kids either, but we don`t consider this to be a problem. I know there is one entire deck almost exclusivley for kids, and conversely a lot of the ships areas are more adult too. I`m sure more experienced board members will help you more (can you tell I`m jeleous!!)

 

[musketeer]

I guess I also would like to know if a Disney cruise is extermely different from a normal cruise on say Princess or Royal Caribbean. Do they have any gambling, bingo? Are there bars? Are there adult oriented comedians? Or is it all "fairy tales and pixie dust"?

 

[phlydude]

I went on a NCL cruise over Thanksgiving week last year. There were kids all over the place, even gambling in the casino at the slots(and I don't mean 18 yr olds either!).

I have heard people say that Disney is the best cruise that they have ever taken, with or without kids.

There are bars and adult only shows along with near broadway productions that will please adults and kids alike. There is however, no casino on board. But do you really need a casino to take your vacation $$$??

If you are lloking to cruise from LA, better book now, they are almost completely sold out!

 

[KevinPage]

My wife and I took 2 Disney cruises last year, 7 night and a 3 night and we had no children at the time. We loved it, wouldn't want to cruise on anyone else's ship.

Kids were not a problem at all. There are so many activites for everyone that unless you go to the childrens' play area or the "Sail Away" parties, which cater to families, I'd be surprised if you ever saw them :lol:

It's not like Magic Kingdom where there are strollers everywhere and you want to pull your hair out

 

[DizWiz]

My answer: Yes, you should consider a Disney cruise.

The reason for my answer is because my wife and I are both 33, have been married for almost nine years, have no kids and we had a wonderful time on the two Disney cruises that we took. In fact, we both agree that they were the best vacations we have ever taken. We went on a 4-night cruise last September and a 3-night cruise in February. You can see our trip report and photos here. My buddy Monorail has pictures of his 7-night Eastern cruise that he took in June posted here

I understand your fear, because we had the same concerns before our first cruise. We thought the ship would be full of kids bouncing off the walls and we would be overwhelmed with children all around. But, Disney does a wonderful job of keeping the kids entertained and out of the way, and there's plenty of adults only areas on the ship: one whole pool, the spa, the Cove coffee bar (on the Magic) and Palo, the best restaurant on the ship. The pool, spa and the Cove are all located on deck 9 forward, so that whole area of the ship is pretty peaceful. There's also the "entertainment district" on deck 3 forward that is made up of a dance club, a sports bar and a piano lounge.

Unfortunately, one of the best features that won't be available if you're considering the west coast trips is Castaway Cay, with Serenity Bay Beach which is an adults only beach that is paradise on earth. It is so quiet and beautiful, it makes the cruise completely worth every penny in my opinion.

I haven't been on any other cruise line, so I can't compare. No, there's no casino or gambling, but there is a bingo game nightly.

Some disclaimers: My wife and I are huge Disney fans, so we enjoyed the Disney brand of entertainment on the cruise. Yes, there are many families with children, and there's no way to completely avoid them. But, we had a great time on both cruises and weren't bothered by children either time.

Hope this helps! Good luck with your planning!

 

[Coree]

I guess I also would like to know if a Disney cruise is extermely different from a normal cruise on say Princess or Royal Caribbean. Do they have any gambling, bingo? Are there bars? Are there adult oriented comedians? Or is it all "fairy tales and pixie dust"?

My husband and I did the 7-night cruise for our honeymoon two years ago and loved it. There are som many activities for the kids that we hardly even noticed the kids running around. It wasn't anything like being in the parks where there are kids all over. As Brad said, there are adults-only bars and clubs and an adults-only pool. Palo is the adults-only restaurant, but yes, it can be tough to get reservations. At Castaway Cay there is an adults-only beach. There is bingo on board, but no other gambling/casinos.

There is definitiely fairy tales and pixie dust, but there's more than that too. We had a great time and can't wait until our next trip.

 

[Disneygrl36]

The Disney Cruise Line is wonderful......kids or no kids.
There are plenty of things to do for adults...a whole entertainment area just for adults, the shows, lounges, a seperate pool & hot tub, the spa, Palo for adult only dining & on Castaway Cay there is a private beach for adults only.
When we went, we were sat with other couples without kids for dinner & I really don't remember being disturbed by kids at dinner. Also, I think if you had the later seating time which we did that would help as well.
It is a great experience especially if you love Disney. :wave:

 

[Monorail]

Thanks for the plug DizWiz!

I can echo everything DW said. As you can see from the pictures to which he posted a link, we're 30-somethings without kids and VERY much enjoy the Disney Cruise. A lot comes down to how much of a Disney fan you are. I have plenty of friends who aren't big "Disney People" that don't understand why I just don't go on a cheaper (or at least different) cruise line. Most of us on this site "get it" though.

Here's another site with TONS of great cruise info:
Disboards.com

 

[General Grizz]

I could easily go without kids. You just have to like Disney!

Classic 20s feel, detailed Disney magic in all areas, classic cartoon short storyboards down the stairs ... I mean, seriously, how better can this get?

After this cruise, I can't go on Carnival or Holland America or Royal Caribbean. Not possible. I've been truly spoiled.

 

[Brad]

We did a three night cruise out of Florida a couple of months ago.
Many areas of the boat have the kids separated from the adults fairly well.
There is one deck that has adult only clubs/bars/lounges and there is an adults only swimming pool.
The thing I would worry about if you're trying to avoid little ones to the extreme is dinner time. There is an adults only restaurant, one, but I've heard it can be hard to make reservations to (we had our daughter with us and didn't even try). And even if you could eat there every night you would be missing out on some good dining opportunities.
You would be on a Disney vacation and kids are inevitable. I think it's probably comparable overall to visiting the parks, you can avoid kids somewhat, but not completely. And with a cruise you have other choices-cruise lines. The Disney boat was very nice and had much of that "Disney touch", but it's not like the parks where there really isn't another substitute.
Hope that helps...

 

[WDWScottieBoy]

My wife and I took 2 Disney cruises last year, 7 night and a 3 night and we had no children at the time.

Are you implying that there was some sort of Disney magic or fairie dust sprinkled on you during your cruise that you now have children? That reminds me of the Disney Cruise line commercial where a mother, daughter and newborn son are in an elevator with other people and the little girl says that the newborn was a "souvenier" from the trip. Just wondering if you maybe you got one of those special "souveniers" on your trip. :lol:

 

[Pixie Duster]

Ha! That's right. We are going on our honeymoon there, so we are expecting to enjoy ourselves. Hopefully we won't have a little souviner once we return.

 

[SafariGuy]

I've never been on one of the Disney cruises, however I can tell you that Carnival cruises are definately aimed at the adult-market. When I went on one of their ships, the emphasis was totally on gambling, adult-oriented Las-Vegas style entertainment, and poolside games & drinking. No characters or pixie dust there. It was great for what it was & they (quite successfully) kept the kids occupied in private areas.

 

[Pixie Duster]

See that's not my thing, and I have never understood gambling, at all.