Disney fanatic but no desire to go on Disney Cruise?

[DISNEYSQUIRRELS]

As an adult with no small kids, I feel like I would be totally out of place on a Disney Cruise.
I have cruised several times- it’s not my favorite kind of vacation because on sea days I mostly feel like I’m walking around a hotel all day seeing the same things.
I will do a Disney cruise at some point tho to satisfy my curiosity.

 

[MelSpees]

As an adult with no small kids, I feel like I would be totally out of place on a Disney Cruise.
I have cruised several times- it’s not my favorite kind of vacation because on sea days I mostly feel like I’m walking around a hotel all day seeing the same things.
I will do a Disney cruise at some point tho to satisfy my curiosity.

We have no small kids, they're all grown up. We love Disney cruises. We are not Disney fanatics. We like Disney and go to the parks when we're in the area (which isn't that often). We love the atmosphere of the Disney ships. We take longer cruises and enjoy the variety of activities on the sea days. There are lot of things to do to fill your time.

 

[monica9]

I am with the first person. We are cruisers and have no desire to go on DCL. We do love going to Disney parks. I think for us its the cost of the DCL compared to other ships and when we want to cruise we want it to be a different experience than what DCL would offer.

Yes I think this is exactly how I feel. I feel I want the cruise to be a different experience and if I see Disney I will want to be in Disney world

 

[monica9]

lol I've never understood the appeal of Bingo. There is zero skill involved. Beyond not zoning out (which is what happens if I stare out a window at the ocean, but I digress)



You can't get all of that on other cruise lines. I mean, sure, there's entertainment and such but no Disney movies, Disney shows, Disney music, Disney characters, etc. Do other cruise lines have fireworks on every itinerary? (maybe they do, genuine question, not rhetorical) How about pirate parties? It's perfectly acceptable to not want those things, but if you are looking for those specific thing (ie the Disney flavor), you'll only find it on DCL.

They have pirate parties for the kids. They 80’s decks parties and other themed nights.
I just went on one that had life like hasbro games which was so fun. They had a family game night which was so much fun! They also had a cat in the hat themed splash pad with slides. I also like the adult themed games they do once in a while on other ships. Not sure if everything is kid friendly on dcl

 

[monica9]

FWIW, I've only been on one cruise (RC) and I thought I wouldn't like it. I said I would rather fly down to the same destinations than spend so much time trapped on a boat just doing nothing on water. BOY was I wrong! I even liked the dining and I don't normally like sit-down meals. I am one that thrives on action-packed 16 hour day and yet I got off wishing I could afford to cruise more often.

Royal Caribbean is probably our favorite cruise line. Love it

 

[monica9]

I’ve been on cruises, but not Disney cruises, and have no desire to do so. It’s just not Disney World, and I could take a nice long Disney vacay for the same price as a short Disney cruise. They do look awesome, but I’d rather spend the money on a trip to WDW.

YES!

 

[monica9]

I was the same way until I started reading about it. Then I wanted to go on one, then my sister convinced my grandfather to take us on our first cruise. Now, I love them and honestly, I think that they are better than the parks. There is just not a lot of stress and planning involved once you step foot onboard.

I love the stress and planning. I plan our park vacations a year out and it’s almost as fun as the vacation itself for me!

 

[monica9]

Which is why we do a WDW stay followed by a cruise, so we don't miss out on everything we love about the parks. Here's the stuff you that I think is a nice perk of the cruise that differs from the parks (and by doing it back-to-back, we get both, which I love):

• The SHOWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why they haven't brought more broadway style shows to WDW is beyond me. The shows on the ships had the special effects of fantasmic, mixed with really talented singing. I was really blown away by BaTB and Believe on the Dream.
• The rainforest room at the spa; sitting in a Jacuzzi staring out at the beach or ocean; tropical-themed showers; sauna again with ocean/beach view... wow.
• Kids clubs; I love my kids, but after chasing them around Disney World, it's kind of nice to let them have fun to have a bit of a break.
• The pirate night. Pirates of the Caribbean is our FAVORITE ride at Disney world, but their jack sparrow meet and greet in adventure land is lame (he's up on a stage and doesn't really interact with you, unlike the Jack Sparrow on the ship who taught my kids sword moves), and there is really not much else pirate-y you can do at WDW. SO MUCH FUN on the ship.
• The dining. When we go to WDW, we eat exclusively at table service because we just hate quick service, and we end up spending a fortune (even with the DxDP, we are still spending a lot even though the plan saves us over $1,000 dollars for four days). At DCL, three very nice table service meals a day are included in the cost of the cruise, and the entire cost of the cruise is roughly twice what we are spending just on the DXDP for our Disney world stay.
• Castaway Cay. It is so beautiful. I have been on many a beach vacation, but that is the nicest beach I have ever seen. White sand. Turquoise waters. Bliss.

Wow. You almost convinced me!

 

[monica9]

There's no way you can miss the "DISNEY" of a Disney cruise. It's everywhere. Even the ship horns blow Disney tunes!



Mickey ice cream bars are FREE, but sadly, Dole Whips are not.

How cool about the Disney horns!
Yay free mickey bars. They must go through a ton!!!

 

[monica9]

Ok...our family was always die-hard WDW fans...have been at least 40 times over the years (and we live in NY). I would obsess about when we could go back before we even left the parks. Back in 1996 or so we heard that Disney was starting a cruise line..we had never cruised but it intrigued me. We wound up being on the Maiden Voyage of the Magic in 1998 and were all hooked. 40 DCL cruises later and I would take a Disney cruise over the parks any day. I HATE all the pre planning that WDW now requires. I do not know where I want to eat six months out or what park I want to be in beforehand on a particular day. Drives me crazy and I hate waiting on lines. The whole family now enjoys the elegant whimsy of DCL cruises. So much fun, so much Disney all around (but not in your face), superb attention to detail and service, enchanted artwork, 24 hour room service, wonderful dining options, kids clubs, fireworks, kids dance parties, Broadway style stage shows, themed restaurants (the Magic now has a Tangled theme dining room) so many character meet and greets (scheduled and random). Our kids all have their own kids and our grandkids who are not yet 3 already love the cruise and talk about them all the time.

Of course I would go to WDW and was just in Disneyland last week but I enjoy the relaxing atmosphere so much on DCL.

We did love our DCL cruise out of NY that included a day at WDW...that was fun. They bussed us to the parks and gave us park hoppers with 3 anytime Fastpasses...just show up at whatever ride you want and get on the Fastpass line Awesome! We did not have to be back at the ship until about 1:00 am so had a full day at the parks.
I didn’t know they had that package anymore!
MJ

 

[sturner324]

As an adult with no small kids, I feel like I would be totally out of place on a Disney Cruise.
I have cruised several times- it’s not my favorite kind of vacation because on sea days I mostly feel like I’m walking around a hotel all day seeing the same things.
I will do a Disney cruise at some point tho to satisfy my curiosity.

I think it depends on the type of adult you are. My husband and I don’t have kids, yet continue to sail on DCL because we love Disney and we love going to new places. We’ve seen Vancouver, San Francisco, Hawaiian Islands, San Diego, Baja Mexico, Cozumel, Jamaica, the Bahamas, and soon Alaska thanks to DCL. Not bad for two folks from Alabama.

Then again, we had 5 straight days at sea for Hawaii, and I didn’t get tired of the ship/ocean views... so I guess I just love cruising, too. On sea days we sleep in, watch movies, eat ice cream, play trivia, walk around on deck and enjoy the breeze as we eat more ice cream, go to the spa (the one trip I won a facial), relax on deck listening to musicians. It’s low key, but more my style of relaxing than a beach or mountain vacation that many people use to unwind.

Sure, we could see these places by land or other cruise lines, but if you’re going to stay at a hotel and arrange transportation to visit new places, why not use a beautiful ship with Disney touches, entertainment and great service... especially if you already love Disney.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I love the stress and planning. I plan our park vacations a year out and it’s almost as fun as the vacation itself for me!

I used to feel the same way. Loved the planning. Thought people who hated the planning were missing something because it was all bliss. Then one day I just got tired of it and didn’t want to do it anymore. It was like....work. That was the beginning of the end of my parks infatuation.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

I love both the parks and DCL, DH hates the parks because of the crowds. So when we cruise out of PC we spend one day at the park before getting on the ship. Just enough for me. Love DCL for the cleanliness, excellent service, great entertainment, and ooooh the Mickey Bars !!!!

 

[cruiser21]

I guess it depends on why you cruise. I cruise to see new destinations. A cruise ship is a floating hotel that takes me from one city to the next without the stress of packing and unpacking. I guess if I was just going for the Disney aspect of it I'd go to WDW. I don't cruise to see Mickey Mouse though so it's not a factor in my decision.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

You mention your interest in the immersive atmospheres at WDW - the rides, music, etc. You get that on a Disney cruise as well. Animators Palate is a great example. The shows onboard are also unparalleled in terms of production quality across cruise lines. We return to DCL for their top notch service. For us, you could take the Disney elements away and it would still be a fantastic experience. I would urge you to give a short NYC itinerary a try - you just might like it!

 

[cruiser21]

I used to feel the same way. Loved the planning. Thought people who hated the planning were missing something because it was all bliss. Then one day I just got tired of it and didn’t want to do it anymore. It was like....work. That was the beginning of the end of my parks infatuation.

I liked it before fast pass + because all I had to plan was a few adr's. Now you have to plan out every minute of your trip. God forbid it rains on your water park day now you have to try to get fast passes last minute at a park. I hate it I'd much rather go to to Universal and get unlimited express passes
Unfortunately I still have one son that loves WDW...So off I go to WDW next month.

I do love the resorts though spending a couple nights at a resort pre cruise with no parks is wonderful.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I liked it before fast pass + because all I had to plan was a few adr's. Now you have to plan out every minute of your trip. God forbid it rains on your water park day now you have to try to get fast passes last minute at a park. I hate it I'd much rather go to to Universal and get unlimited express passes
Unfortunately I still have one son that loves WDW...So off I go to WDW next month.

I do love the resorts though spending a couple nights at a resort pre cruise with no parks is wonderful.

Agreed! I love staying at the resorts! They’ve really upped the game with Disney Springs and Trader Sam’s. Even sans kids! Adults can go and have a fab time without being bothered with the parks insanity. I’ll throw a couple ADRs out there ahead of time. No problem. Even adding a waterpark on the fly + resorts.....you can still be spontaneous! I’ll be honest. If someone popped up & wanted to gift me a parks vaca with a choice of East or West coast I’ll take West coast every day and twice on Sunday. More laid back and manageable out west. Old school fastpasses still used. I’m down with that.

I got to try Volcano Bay last September. Only stayed at Cabana Bay the one night & had dinner at Toothsome. I think I could easily do a 3-nighter there and not go into the main parks, too.

Really want to try Discovery Cove + Aquatica. I only wish they had the themed resorts connected to these properties.

 

[cruiser21]

Agreed! I love staying at the resorts! They’ve really upped the game with Disney Springs and Trader Sam’s. Even sans kids! Adults can go and have a fab time without being bothered with the parks insanity. I’ll throw a couple ADRs out there ahead of time. No problem. Even adding a waterpark on the fly + resorts.....you can still be spontaneous! I’ll be honest. If someone popped up & wanted to gift me a parks vaca with a choice of East or West coast I’ll take West coast every day and twice on Sunday. More laid back and manageable out west. Old school fastpasses still used. I’m down with that.

I got to try Volcano Bay last September. Only stayed at Cabana Bay the one night & had dinner at Toothsome. I think I could easily do a 3-nighter there and not go into the main parks, too.

Really want to try Discovery Cove + Aquatica. I only wish they had the themed resorts connected to these properties.

We've stayed at Cabana Bay pre cruise a couple of times. It's my favorite cheap resort. I won't stay at a Disney value and I'm look warm on the mods, but I loved Cabana Bay. Great hotel for the price.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

We've stayed at Cabana Bay pre cruise a couple of times. It's my favorite cheap resort. I won't stay at a Disney value and I'm look warm on the mods, but I loved Cabana Bay. Great hotel for the price.

It so IS! I was smitten. So fun!

 

[DietCokeMommy]

I can take or leave the parks but I looooved the Disney cruise we took and now I’m obsessed. I’m not a huge fan of rides, especially roller coasters, I HATE standing in lines and trying to do it with a 4 year old and 1 year old is painful. I also don’t feel the need to meet characters.

My idea of a vacation is lots of beach time and pool time, walking around exploring new places, and eating at local places with a water view. To me a fun vacation is not standing in line for an hour while my kids cry so I can go on a ride for 5 minutes.

As someone else said I view cruises as a floating hotel to take me to various places. And Disney is fabulous for that. The ships are beautiful, the restaurants are fun, and the rooms are an ideal set up for families.