Disney Cruise Adult only party-Worth the premium over other lines?

[monarchsfan16]

I've only done 2 cruises and both were Disney. Both we were adults only. We don't have kids, and for the second cruise, my in-laws joined us (just my husband's parents). They loved it as much as we did, and my MIL and I are currently scheming for our next cruise that they can join us on.

For me, what appears to set Disney apart is the entertainment. When I look at other cruise line websites, about the entertainment on those ships (shows), they don't fit my style as much as the Disney entertainment does. I also really like the fact that I don't have to plan dining and make show reservations on Disney. Our upcoming cruise (just my husband and me) was specifically chosen as our vacation because we knew it'd be a year where, because of work chaos, I would not be able to dedicate a substantial amount of time to planning. Obviously, there's some planning, but not nearly as much as other vacations we were considering before I realized what a wild school year it'd be (I'm a school SLP). There are MANY adult friendly and adult only activities on the Disney ships. My husband and I had a blast at mixology in the spring, and loved the piano bar on the Magic. And Serenity Bay makes even us non-beach people have an enjoyable beach day. I think my suggestion would be to find Navigators from past sailings of itineraries you are considering, and look at the entertainment options for the ships you are considering. See if the offerings look interesting to you. Our 2 Disney cruises have been THE best vacations my husband and I have taken.

 

[JPTexan82]

My wife and I have been on two, just returned on 10/28 from 7 night eastern. We have been on NCL, Carnival, and Royal too. I can say from the whole stand point of class, DCL is by far the best, followed by rccl. It seems just less riff-raft. The dinners are nice, and it allows us to be a kid again even though we are 37. I love doing what I want as I want. If I want to get hammered I will, if I want to take a nap I will. If I want to go to the rainforest to relax in I can. We booked our third onboard as well.

 

[darnheather]

Consider an inside or porthole room off season on a shorter cruise to see if you like it. Then you'll at least know.

 

[DVC Jen]

We just cruised in June with our 29 and 25 yr old daughters. We had a wonderful time. Never once did either of them complain about being bored.

 

[Karin1984]

Thanks for all of your replies. I'm overwhelmed by your enthusiasm for the Disney Cruise experience, and you've given me a lot to think about / look into.

You are on a Disney-fan-board ;-) I don't think this is the most objective place to ask about Disney cruises ;-)
I would suggest asking your question on non-Disney related boards to get a completer picture. Also cruisecritic.co.uk is a good source for reviews.

 

[mmmears]

We just did the Great Barrier Reef on Celebrity and I was completely disappointed. Out of 12 nights there were two scheduled activities that I was interested in. I flat out walked out of one of the evening shows and felt like I completely wasted an hour of my life in another. We're going with them again only because we signed up while we were on the boat (free cancelation up to PIF date) and now looking at Royal Caribbean and others, we have an oceanview and the drinks package for the same price that an inside room by itself would be. For what it's worth, we're doing 12 night New Zealand. I can't wait to get back to the US and get in the Disney cycle again.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. The one you are taking is one that we were looking at. I have family in Sydney who are taking the holiday NZ one and asked if we would join them, but I just can’t seem to find stuff on the ship that we would like to do. And 12-14 days is a long time if we don’t like it. There are also enough sea days that it would matter.

 

[Fyrefly]

We like different lines for different things. I've been on Princess, Celebrity, and Disney. Princess I did not enjoy, I found there to be upsells at every turn and generally things felt very old/run down with nothing scheduled to do.

I love Celebrity and I love Disney. Celebrity to me excels if I am doing a port-heavy cruise. I find their main dining room food superior to Disney, and I loved having the ultimate drink package. Room + tips + large OBC + unlimited drinks for cheaper than Disney is not something to discount by any means. For our honeymoon, where we were really on board from 6pm into the night and for breakfast, it was ideal to have an excellent dinner and drinks, and listen to some music or sometimes catch a show if they appealed to me, and they had great nightlife dancing parties like the silent disco. We had 2 sea days and one or two early port departures on a 14 night European cruise and we were exhausted so it was good to have those days to relax. But on a sea day-heavy cruise I would have been bored because they really didn't provide much to do during the day other than spa, pool time, or gambling.

I think Disney has the superior buffet (which matters to me if you are having a lot of meals on board) and much more in terms of activities during sea days - crafts, drawing, more trivia, movies, etc. So for our 14 night Panama Canal cruise with 8 sea days, Disney was ideal. Nobody was bored, there was often too many activities to pick from, and it was loads of fun.

So in my opinion if you are on an itinerary where you need a floating hotel, consider a less expensive line - we will definitely be on Celebrity again in the future. But if you want a trip where you will be relying on the ship for more of your entertainment, you can't go wrong with Disney.

 

[southerngirl528]

DCL shows are well done but are more for kids:

Ahhhh, though I surely respect your opinion mevelandry, my DH, myself and all our young adult children would beg to differ. We LOVE theatrical productions (oldest DD has her masters in musical theatre) and we all LOVE the shows on DCL! Some more than others, but we love 'em all for various reasons. Nice thing is that you have found a cruise line that you really love, and that is what it's all about, yes? There's a ship out there for just about everyone!

 

[kathy884]

We sailed NCL Escape with 6 adults and loved anytime dining and the comedy/piano bar clubs. I'm not so sure we would love as much if it had just been DH and me. We did MSC Yacht Club experience and it was fabulous. We intend to repeat. The DCL ships are our favorites for atmosphere/decor/happiness. We've only sailed DCL with children who didn't love the kids clubs. So we are looking forward to our next cruise when we plan to hit the different adults areas. I expect when our grands are a bit older we will try out RCCL.

DCL is worth experiencing - at least once. If cost is a factor, take a 4-day cruise.

Interesting that you mentioned NCL. Our last cruise was two years ago on the NCL Escape, and we are doing the NCL Getaway with a group of 11 including DS in January 2019. We really enjoyed the "Howl at the Moon Piano Bar" too. On that ship we have a mini suite (really just a slightly large room) with a large balcony (great since we have so many people popping in and out and we are family that loves to do some hanging on the balcony). Several of us got these big balcony rooms right next to each, and a few parties got smaller balconies and insides nearby. We can't have dividers out, so it's nice to have the larger individual balconies for this group.

My parents' favorite line is MSC. We've never done that one, but they really enjoy classical music and found the music and overall atmosphere of that line to be right up their alley.

We're not big party people, but the cruise dining, shows, and things like that are kind of fun. And it's a great vacation choice to go with my wonderful 82 year old dad who has some mobility and energy issues. He loves hanging on the balcony, so is all set to do the activities when he is up for that and just hanging out at the room/balcony if he's tired.

Cost would be a factor for us on Disney too, so your advice to do a four day for that is spot on. Probably if we went Disney too it would just be me, DH, and DS.

 

[DCL Repeaters]

Having an interest in characters or meeting characters I think would be a strong argument for a Disney cruise. Not that it’s a requirement but that is one of the reasons that one does pay more for Disney. It could be , for example, RCI oasis class ships might be more interesting as there’s more activity for adults such as surfing or wall climbingOr zip line etc.

Disagree with you. We travel with adults only and have zero interest in characters. We enjoy superior service and no casinos. And that is 35 Disney only cruises.

 

[mousefan73]

Disagree with you. We travel with adults only and have zero interest in characters. We enjoy superior service and no casinos. And that is 35 Disney only cruises.

Didn’t say it was a requirement. But being a Disney fan and expecting that Disney “magic” is part of it. But I can say most 23 yr males have zero interest in Disney. At least those I know. Of course on a Disney fansite such as this most parents will agrue otherwise. Selling all the activities found on example Allure or Symphony of the Seas to a Turtle themed dinner, beauty and the Beast or other princess focused shows, no. I see already with my son 13 DCL will lose out. In fact he is more excited about our Oasis cruise coming up. Zipline and surfing excite him more than Pirate night and a Disney themed show, especially as Most are princess themed.

Sure DCL seems to go that extra mile with customer service,cleaniness. And is casino free. Reasons many pay more for that.

 

[southerngirl528]

But I can say most 23 yr males have zero interest in Disney. At least those I know. Of course on a Disney fansite such as this most parents will agrue otherwise. Selling all the activities found on example Allure or Symphony of the Seas to a Turtle themed dinner, beauty and the Beast or other princess focused shows, no. I see already with my son 13 DCL will lose out. In fact he is more excited about our Oasis cruise coming up. Zipline and surfing excite him more than Pirate night and a Disney themed show, especially as Most are princess themed.

And isn't it great that there are other cruise lines out there that cater to various interests? I hope ya'll have a wonderful time!

My DS sailed DCL the first time when he was 14. He has always been a pretty critical person (he's now an engineer, go figure... ), and he loved DCL then, and he loves it as a young adult. He and his wife did RCCL for their honeymoon. He's sailed DCL a couple more times over the years, and can't wait to take his DW on "his" Disney cruise line since she has never been!

 

[Girl of the South]

I just did an 11 night trans Atlantic cruise and might be done with Disney. I did it alone. Didn't go to any of the shows, but did go to the Cooking classes. I grew up with Disney and loved the ships when we cruised as a family. And I will say they are VERY well maintained and very clean. I did a Carnival cruise and the ship (the Valor) was simply depressing. I think I might try another line, though, as a solo adult. I don't need to pay extra for the Disney branding and wasn't all that impressed with the food. BUT the ship (Magic) was kept very clean which is very important and every thing worked. "Ship Shape" as they say. I was excited to go on this last Disney Cruise and there was nothing 'wrong' with it at all. But having to pay extra as a single, I don't think I can justify the cost anymore. I will say I never smelled any cigarette smoke which was nice . . . but wish there was another inside hang out place for adults. The weather wasn't bad but Deck 4 was windy and a bit chilly. The Cove Cafe was the only indoor warm place to read or write or whatever and it was pretty packed. The area outside of it was too chilly and windy. I saw many adults in the 'sit in windows' on Deck 3 (?). And I wondered if you can sit at one of the window tables at Cabanas when it's not open for food, seemed like a nice place (indoors) to 'hang'. I still believe Disney is tops for hospitality. They have always done it well - down to the smallest detail. But it has gotten to the point where I, personally, can't afford the premium.

 

[kathy884]

I just did an 11 night trans Atlantic cruise and might be done with Disney. I did it alone. Didn't go to any of the shows, but did go to the Cooking classes. I grew up with Disney and loved the ships when we cruised as a family. And I will say they are VERY well maintained and very clean. I did a Carnival cruise and the ship (the Valor) was simply depressing. I think I might try another line, though, as a solo adult. I don't need to pay extra for the Disney branding and wasn't all that impressed with the food. BUT the ship (Magic) was kept very clean which is very important and every thing worked. "Ship Shape" as they say. I was excited to go on this last Disney Cruise and there was nothing 'wrong' with it at all. But having to pay extra as a single, I don't think I can justify the cost anymore. I will say I never smelled any cigarette smoke which was nice . . . but wish there was another inside hang out place for adults. The weather wasn't bad but Deck 4 was windy and a bit chilly. The Cove Cafe was the only indoor warm place to read or write or whatever and it was pretty packed. The area outside of it was too chilly and windy. I saw many adults in the 'sit in windows' on Deck 3 (?). And I wondered if you can sit at one of the window tables at Cabanas when it's not open for food, seemed like a nice place (indoors) to 'hang'. I still believe Disney is tops for hospitality. They have always done it well - down to the smallest detail. But it has gotten to the point where I, personally, can't afford the premium.

The last cruise we did was the NCL Escape (one of the relatively new NCL ships). They are doing a lot to appeal to solo cruisers. A women we met showed us her solo cabin and the special area that they have (really cute). It's a two floor special solo cabin area with a large sitting area / lounge area. She loved the setup and really like NCL as a solo cruiser. They also post some group activities, times, etc. and all interested meet up in the lounge. These weren't balcony rooms, though, or anything and some might feel claustrophobic. I understand too that these are really popular and book up pretty quickly. I have no idea as to whether or not this would have any appeal to you, but thought I'd mention it just because I thought it was a really neat setup. If I was doing a cruise as a solo traveler, this setup would be appealing to me.

 

[bakerworld]

DCL has been our only cruise experience so my comparisons are the reports from family members. All my family members who've cruised used other lines and were 1 and done. Boredom was a big issue, one had a severe reaction to the constant motion of the sea (not sickness - constantly dizzy) and another was completely bored topped with a post-cruise reaction. I've showed them the navigators and they couldn't believe all the activities that happened every day that were included in the cost of cruise. All did the 'sneaking on' activity where with DCL you can walk openly with wine, beer and mixers. For us the only extras were bar beverages, spa and shore excursions.

 

[Mich123]

We cruised Alaska in June with DD22 and DD19 on the Wonder and it was great! Our kids traveled DCL before that, but this was the first cruise where they were both adults. They enjoyed the adult only pool area (although I have to admit that I missed the funnel vision!), the spa, and the first class service. DD22 made friends with the adult pool area attendant, he was really nice to her and looked out for her, which was nice. My DD19 is not as "into" Disney as DD22, but she said she was really looking forward to the Disney quality experience before the cruise. She definitely enjoyed the cruise. We liked going to Palo for dinner and brunch, and the excursion choices were excellent. My kids are not as into shows, so DH and I went to the shows alone while they relaxed before dinner. DD22 specifically requested the character breakfast and enjoyed it.

DH and I will be doing an adults only trip with two other couples next October. I'm a Disney fan, DH goes along happily, our friends all love Disney. We will be on the Dream and it's the other couples' first DCL cruises. I'm excited to plan with them and to show them all the things we love.

 

[mevelandry]

Ahhhh, though I surely respect your opinion mevelandry, my DH, myself and all our young adult children would beg to differ. We LOVE theatrical productions (oldest DD has her masters in musical theatre) and we all LOVE the shows on DCL! Some more than others, but we love 'em all for various reasons. Nice thing is that you have found a cruise line that you really love, and that is what it's all about, yes? There's a ship out there for just about everyone!

I'm not arguing that. But since some people (including my husband and I --and I love theatrical production and see pretty much every Broadway show I can) actually see some of them as "childish", I think one cannot 100% rule out "not liking DCL shows" as a possibility either.

P.s.: Also I really love both cruise lines so far. They both have pros and cons in my eyes.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

My 23 year old son has always wanted to do a Disney cruise, but I'm not convinced. We like balconies, and Disney is really expensive compared to other mainstream lines. What are your thoughts about a Disney cruise for an adult only party? Worth it or not? Why or why not? I'd love to hear your opinion.

Worth it or not? That's really up to you.

All of our cruises have been "adult only". Obviously, we think it's worth it.

There are adult-only areas, and activities (including excursions in some ports). I love the shows (for the most part) onboard. And it just feels bright and happy onboard.

 

[mmouse37]

About to take my 42nd DCL cruise next month and the majority of them have been without kids. Many of course were with our kids when they were younger (started with DCL in 1998) and now that they are grown with their own kids we have a new generation falling in love with DCL. My husband and I usually celebrate our anniversaries with DCL cruises and next month I am sailing with some of my friends (again, no kids!!!)

MJ

 

[MomOTwins]

I am sure I will be cruising with DCL long after my kids reach 18, but that is because I love Disney, and I genuinely like children (including other people's children). But I do think, contrary to what a lot of others might say, that the latter is important to enjoying yourself on a Disney cruise. There is another post right now that includes a discussion of people in adult areas being annoyed when kids encroach on their space, and DCL not really enforcing the adult only rules. Also, unless you can get a Palo or Remy rez for every night of your cruise (and are willing to pay the upcharge), there will be LOTS of kids in the main dining room and buffet. I don't mind when kids are running around the tables or being loud, but I know that drives some people nuts. The theater is also kid friendly--there will be kids crying at the loud/scary bits, kids leaving early from meltdowns, kids singing along to songs, etc.

As others have said, this all can be minimized somewhat by picking itineraries during times that are inconvenient for school (e.g., September) or routes that don't really appeal to families (e.g. Canada). But I have heard people say you can go on a Disney cruise and never notice children are on board, and I think that's a bit of an overstatement. My sister for instance is one of those people that just really can't be happy when she is in the vicinity of what she calls children being annoying little brats, and what I call kids being kids. She would hate a Disney cruise.