Proving a Disney Cruise is not just for families?

[Phonedave]

Three points:

1) Other cruise lines do have adults only areas. Unlike what I have seen on DCL (others may have different experiences) Celebrity actually actively enforces them. My wife and I spend a lot of time around the Thalassotherapy pool area when on Celebrity. I would say, that any underage people are bounced by the dedicated towel stewards within 10 minutes - and done so nicely, but firmly.

2) DCL's lack of an inclusive alcoholic beverage package is a downer. Yes, I get the reasoning behind not turning the cruise into a "drinking party" but it also turns any sort of consumption of alcohol into a very expensive proposition. My wife and I are not heavy drinkers, and we don't get drunk. But on a cruise we may have a drink during the day by the pool, a cocktail before dinner, split a bottle of wine with dinner. and then maybe an nightcap in a lounge after seeing a show. Trust me, on a DCL cruise that racks up a huge bar tab.

3) DCL is expensive, very expensive. I still stand by my assertion that if you are going on a cruise with kids, DCL is well worth the money for the kids services it provides. If you are going just as adults, there are more cost effective options out there. You are still going to have a good time, but the service and amenities that are geared to adults are not better enough to warrant the price they charge. Of course if you are a huge Disney fanatic, then you need to weigh that into the equation as well.


-dave

 

[DisneyJoe]

the question, is it 2 per person? Like we could each take 2 of our favorite? That would cut down on the cost of drinks on board. For us, i could see us having something with lunch, but i could also see us going out on the verandah for a glass before bed.

Yes, per person.

 

[Mainahman]

Three points:

1) Other cruise lines do have adults only areas. Unlike what I have seen on DCL (others may have different experiences) Celebrity actually actively enforces them. My wife and I spend a lot of time around the Thalassotherapy pool area when on Celebrity. I would say, that any underage people are bounced by the dedicated towel stewards within 10 minutes - and done so nicely, but firmly.

2) DCL's lack of an inclusive alcoholic beverage package is a downer. Yes, I get the reasoning behind not turning the cruise into a "drinking party" but it also turns any sort of consumption of alcohol into a very expensive proposition. My wife and I are not heavy drinkers, and we don't get drunk. But on a cruise we may have a drink during the day by the pool, a cocktail before dinner, split a bottle of wine with dinner. and then maybe an nightcap in a lounge after seeing a show. Trust me, on a DCL cruise that racks up a huge bar tab.

3) DCL is expensive, very expensive. I still stand by my assertion that if you are going on a cruise with kids, DCL is well worth the money for the kids services it provides. If you are going just as adults, there are more cost effective options out there. You are still going to have a good time, but the service and amenities that are geared to adults are not better enough to warrant the price they charge. Of course if you are a huge Disney fanatic, then you need to weigh that into the equation as well.


-dave

Thanks!

We are actually looking at both, For me i always read the horror stories in the news... Broken plumbing,,, this scare that scare, and its never DCL. Plus we both love Disney, so having a bit of that Magic is always nice.

Were throwing all optrions on the table for sure just to see what else is out there.

Yes, per person.

Thats pretty handy!

 

[Mainahman]

Just talked to my wife, and showed her the videos online. If all works out with my Company bonus, and with tax returns, we have settled on a 4 day cruise to the Bahamas. shes concerned with the first time being 7 days in case she doesn't like it etc. we can always go back and do the 7 next time if we wanted. IF all goes well we will be booking in a few months for September of 2019!

 

[EOD K9]

Just talked to my wife, and showed her the videos online. If all works out with my Company bonus, and with tax returns, we have settled on a 4 day cruise to the Bahamas. shes concerned with the first time being 7 days in case she doesn't like it etc. we can always go back and do the 7 next time if we wanted. IF all goes well we will be booking in a few months for September of 2019!

Congratulations! My wife and I went on two DCL trips prior to having our children and we had a blast. Yes we came across children as we went about the ship, but you can avoid the M&Gs and hang in the adults area. We’ve taken the girls on four so far with another one in a few days. We can drop them off in the kids’ club and still have adult time. We’ve sat and watched the Match Your Mate game and did numerous musical trivia games in the pub. You’ll have a great time.

 

[Mainahman]

Congratulations! My wife and I went on two DCL trips prior to having our children and we had a blast. Yes we came across children as we went about the ship, but you can avoid the M&Gs and hang in the adults area. We’ve taken the girls on four so far with another one in a few days. We can drop them off in the kids’ club and still have adult time. We’ve sat and watched the Match Your Mate game and did numerous musical trivia games in the pub. You’ll have a great time.

Thanks! Weve never been on a cruise so e felt as much as 7 days is more time, a 4 day gets our feet wet, and we still can have a relaxing romantic time! We dont mind being around kids haha, and we know at somepoint on any cruise we will be around a ton of people, but it is really amazing how many adult only places disney gives you!

 

[ScoutN]

Thanks! Weve never been on a cruise so e felt as much as 7 days is more time, a 4 day gets our feet wet, and we still can have a relaxing romantic time! We dont mind being around kids haha, and we know at somepoint on any cruise we will be around a ton of people, but it is really amazing how many adult only places disney gives you!

My wife and I have done eight DCL cruises and we have zero kids. We currently have cruises 9-12 with DCL booked. Some have seen the rules for adult areas not be enforced but we have always seen the bar servers bounce them, especially on DREAM-class. The biggest awareness of how many kids are on-board will be during the main stage shows when they get them jazzed up, or during M&Gs.

 

[Monty]

I'm going on my 5th DCL Cruise this October. Two as a solo, three with my son [once with his mother when he was a kid and once with his Fiance]. I can confirm that being an adult on a DCL cruise there's plenty to do and you'll have a fantastic time.

They have amazing wines available on board, I wouldn't worry too much about bringing your own. Last trip I bought the Premium Wine Package and thoroughly enjoyed all the wines I selected.

 

[Mainahman]

I'm going on my 5th DCL Cruise this October. Two as a solo, three with my son [once with his mother when he was a kid and once with his Fiance]. I can confirm that being an adult on a DCL cruise there's plenty to do and you'll have a fantastic time.

They have amazing wines available on board, I wouldn't worry too much about bringing your own. Last trip I bought the Premium Wine Package and thoroughly enjoyed all the wines I selected.

Were just really particular in our wines, plus it would save us a few dollars to do it that way, and we could then use that for a exclursion to snorkel in Nassau!

 

[Phonedave]

Were just really particular in our wines, plus it would save us a few dollars to do it that way, and we could then use that for a exclursion to snorkel in Nassau!

A word to the wise for snorkeling (or any excursion) in Nassau. Pay attention to the times. I did a swim with stingrays in Nassau (through DCL). As far as the swimming itself was concerned, I have no complaints. Lots of rays, in a confined area, all with their tails clipped (If you have images of Steve Irwin in your head). However, the excursion was on a island. We took a launch out there in the morning, spent about 90 minutes swimming with the rays, ate their "complimentary burger" and then said "OK, when is the next launch back to the ship". Oh, that, the "early launch" leaves in about 3 hours. So we spent 3 hours trying to avoid spending money at a bar, trinket shop, overpriced beach chair rental store, and cafe for 3 hours. I would say look into any excursion, see where it is, and not only when you have to go there, but also when you get back to the ship.

-dave

 

[Phonedave]

Thanks! Weve never been on a cruise so e felt as much as 7 days is more time, a 4 day gets our feet wet, and we still can have a relaxing romantic time! We dont mind being around kids haha, and we know at somepoint on any cruise we will be around a ton of people, but it is really amazing how many adult only places disney gives you!

You will have a great time. DCL really does a nice job. I have no complaints about the service, just about the price.

If you are doing 4 days, I say do SOME planning, but not a whole bunch. Ask some questions, find out what the "big items" on the ship are, and if you want to do them (things like upgraded dining, a spa treatment, visiting certain lounges, etc) but do not plan every minute - it is not like the parks. Take the time to look over your navigator each night and see what interests you for the next day. Take some time to relax and just walk around the ship. There is always something interesting going on.

As far as wines are concerned. Disney does have a wine package. You buy a certain number of bottles, and they are at a discount (as compared to normal on ship prices). They serve them at dinner, but if you do not finish a bottle, you can either take it with you, or they will cork and hold it (just corked, no nitrogen or anything fancy like that) for the next evening. The wines they offer are nothing to write home about, but they are not two buck chuck either.

-dave

 

[Mainahman]

You will have a great time. DCL really does a nice job. I have no complaints about the service, just about the price.

If you are doing 4 days, I say do SOME planning, but not a whole bunch. Ask some questions, find out what the "big items" on the ship are, and if you want to do them (things like upgraded dining, a spa treatment, visiting certain lounges, etc) but do not plan every minute - it is not like the parks. Take the time to look over your navigator each night and see what interests you for the next day. Take some time to relax and just walk around the ship. There is always something interesting going on.

As far as wines are concerned. Disney does have a wine package. You buy a certain number of bottles, and they are at a discount (as compared to normal on ship prices). They serve them at dinner, but if you do not finish a bottle, you can either take it with you, or they will cork and hold it (just corked, no nitrogen or anything fancy like that) for the next evening. The wines they offer are nothing to write home about, but they are not two buck chuck either.

-dave

You will have a great time. DCL really does a nice job. I have no complaints about the service, just about the price.

If you are doing 4 days, I say do SOME planning, but not a whole bunch. Ask some questions, find out what the "big items" on the ship are, and if you want to do them (things like upgraded dining, a spa treatment, visiting certain lounges, etc) but do not plan every minute - it is not like the parks. Take the time to look over your navigator each night and see what interests you for the next day. Take some time to relax and just walk around the ship. There is always something interesting going on.

As far as wines are concerned. Disney does have a wine package. You buy a certain number of bottles, and they are at a discount (as compared to normal on ship prices). They serve them at dinner, but if you do not finish a bottle, you can either take it with you, or they will cork and hold it (just corked, no nitrogen or anything fancy like that) for the next evening. The wines they offer are nothing to write home about, but they are not two buck chuck either.

-dave

Good point on the excursion. The one i was looking at says a 3 hour tour, and its snorkeling at 3 differnt places.

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/port-adventures/nassau-bahamas-island-snorkel/

That looked pretty good for the money.

Ill have to give the wine package a look. Im sure one bottle on our actual anniversary would be all we wanted, hence why we thought of just getting it at the small place near us, and bringing it with.

Im sure were more likely to get a mixed drink with dinner on occasion or by the pool for the most part.

 

[Master Yoda]

Good point on the excursion. The one i was looking at says a 3 hour tour, and its snorkeling at 3 differnt places.

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/port-adventures/nassau-bahamas-island-snorkel/

That looked pretty good for the money.

Ill have to give the wine package a look. Im sure one bottle on our actual anniversary would be all we wanted, hence why we thought of just getting it at the small place near us, and bringing it with.

Im sure were more likely to get a mixed drink with dinner on occasion or by the pool for the most part.

A word on excursions...For your first few cruises it is a good idea to book your excursions through Disney.

While you can find excursions booked through third parties for less, there are a few advantages when booking directly through Disney. The biggest one is if your transportation back to the boat is delayed for any reason, the ship will wait for you. If you are on a non-Disney excursion and you are late getting back, the ship will leave without you.

 

[Mainahman]

A word on excursions...For your first few cruises it is a good idea to book your excursions through Disney.

While you can find excursions booked through third parties for less, there are a few advantages when booking directly through Disney. The biggest one is if your transportation back to the boat is delayed for any reason, the ship will wait for you. If you are on a non-Disney excursion and you are late getting back, the ship will leave without you.

Personally i wouldnt trust it if it was not through Disney. This is for the exact reasons you mention! i have no want to be left behind!

 

[DisneyDoug85]

It is cool if you intend on using it. If you are really into balconies, try getting room category 05E. They are on the very back of the ship but come with over sized verandas. Below was my morning view at Castaway Cay from this room category on one trip.

But if you don't plan on spending much time out there, may not be worth it.

View attachment 271600

We're staying in this category on deck 8 for our first cruise in November!! what a great view, can't wait!!!

 

[jaklgreen]

I am going on my 8th Disney cruise this fall(2nd time solo). I love DCL. The service is amazing, the food is great, and the ship is spotless. You will have a great time!

 

[NelleBelle]

DH and I did an 11-nt transatlantic cruise sans kids for our 15th anniversary last Sept. We always book a verandah because of DH's potential to get seasick and his need for fresh air (plus, we love to sit out on the verandah with our coffee and fresh croissants). I honestly think there were more adult couples than families on that cruise as the adults-only areas were packed! We actually had plenty of near-kid-free seating in the family seating (which would've been fine except they don't have the full length loungers except on the upper levels). We had a great time! Most relaxing cruise ever!! The quiz-shows were great and the adult entertainment at night was hysterical!

 

[Mainahman]

DH and I did an 11-nt transatlantic cruise sans kids for our 15th anniversary last Sept. We always book a verandah because of DH's potential to get seasick and his need for fresh air (plus, we love to sit out on the verandah with our coffee and fresh croissants). I honestly think there were more adult couples than families on that cruise as the adults-only areas were packed! We actually had plenty of near-kid-free seating in the family seating (which would've been fine except they don't have the full length loungers except on the upper levels). We had a great time! Most relaxing cruise ever!! The quiz-shows were great and the adult entertainment at night was hysterical!

IS a verandah good for sea sickness? I feel like that is the only thing that might plague us, where weve never cruised, and i wanted a verandah for the romance of watching sunsets, but if it also helps with fresh air in the room, thats just a bonus.

 

[Master Yoda]

IS a verandah good for sea sickness? I feel like that is the only thing that might plague us, where weve never cruised, and i wanted a verandah for the romance of watching sunsets, but if it also helps with fresh air in the room, thats just a bonus.

Generally yes.

What tends to aggravate my motion sickness more than anything is moment without any point of reference that you can get when you cant see the horizon.

Having a lower level stateroom can help as well.

 

[Mainahman]

Generally yes.

What tends to aggravate my motion sickness more than anything is moment without any point of reference that you can get when you cant see the horizon.

Having a lower level stateroom can help as well.

I was looking for a lower level stateroom, but also not one on the same floor as the teen clubs.