Help me convince DH a DCL cruise is good for adults only!

[SuzGM84]

DH and I are debating a 2019 cruise. We're DVC members, so we can book something tomorrow. DH is worried that there is not enough to do on the ships for adults (compared to a Royal Caribbean ship like Oasis of the Seas). We've never cruised together (and neither of has cruised in over a decade). DH is not a sit still and lounge kinda guy (he indulges me on beach vacations a few times, but its just not his thing).

So what is anyone's experience as adults only on DCL? Will we have enough to do to keep my DH from jumping ship (so to speak)?

As always, TIA for your input!

 

[cadien]

Our cruise felt like it was adults only because our son would never leave the kids club. But I have to admit all we did was lounge. And eat Palo.

 

[Pkltm]

We did our first Disney cruise just my Dh and I. It was so amazing, we were so relaxed and honestly it sounds weird but we barely saw kids. We did the second seating and met 3 great couples, spent time in the adult only areas and the beach.

 

[FigmentSpark]

What does he like to do on the Oasis? Start there and see if there are comparable things on a DCL ship.

 

[SuzGM84]

I'm all for just lounging. I can get through 3-4 books in a week sitting poolside. However, that isn't (always) DH's cup of tea

 

[Quellman]

Look at some past navigators on the DCL blog website and see what stuff they have going on for adults. If he is looking for rock walls, wave riders, and the like, he isn't going to find it on Disney. But if he likes trivia, animation, cooking, alcohol tastings, things like that then Disney can accommodate.

If he is looking for a party/dance all night atmosphere, he isn't going to find that on Disney either.

 

[Budzooka]

We were on the Dream in January without any kids and it was great. We enjoyed our first DCL with the kids, but we didn't do any character meets and stayed in the adult only areas. I guess it depends on what you're looking for, as I think the best part of a cruise is the relaxation.

 

[YawningDodo]

I've only done Disney so I can't really compare to your other cruise experiences, but when I went as a solo the only times I even noticed there were bunches of kids on board were at the deck parties and in the lines to meet characters during Marvel Day at Sea. On the regular day at sea I kept busy the entire day with activities that had few or no children at them (for instance, children are allowed at Bingo but I saw very few families with children at Bingo except during the last, biggest jackpot round; even on MDAS when I attended Marvel Trivia the majority of attendees were adults and teens). Then there were activities and areas where children weren't allowed at all, including things like the Tangled thugs' takeover of O'Gills.

Even in areas where children were allowed, I didn't see as many (or at least wasn't as aware of as many) as I do when I'm in WDW. I get the impression that the kids' clubs are very popular and that a lot of kids spend tons of their time in there. Regardless, I found that the programming on the ship was set up really well in terms of giving adults space to be adults and kids space to be kids.

 

[vakamalua]

Now the kids are gone, we've done quite a few DCL cruises as empty nest adults only BUT only because we still have our DVC membership and are not interested in going to WDW anymore nor in renting our points. So every other year or so we use our points on a Disney cruise. We are familiar enough with the classic ships to just relax and know how to have a nice time out of the fray.

Without using our DVC points, I would definitely choose ANOTHER cruise line over Disney for adults-only unless you are fanatic Disney folks AND like to be around an average of about 900 other people's children (this is true on almost all sailings). The prices are much higher. The adult-only areas tend to be smallish. Most of the pool deck is crowded and very loud. The ship seems deserted by 11:00 pm. Most of the shows are Disney oriented. All the movies are made by Disney such as Marvel. The food is average; the buffet is mayhem. The DCL shore excursions are aimed mostly at families. Sea day activities are limited and aimed at families or are alcohol tastings. Even character greetings have become very crowded or require tickets. The best thing about Disney is the service but even there we have noticed a decline in the past few years as the crew gets busier.

IMHO Spend your vacation dollars on a non-DCL cruise, tour, road trip or independent adventure to make your magical memories.

 

[momto2girls]

Now the kids are gone, we've done quite a few DCL cruises as empty nest adults only BUT only because we still have our DVC membership and are not interested in going to WDW anymore nor in renting our points. So every other year or so we use our points on a Disney cruise. We are familiar enough with the classic ships to just relax and know how to have a nice time out of the fray.

Without using our DVC points, I would definitely choose ANOTHER cruise line over Disney for adults-only unless you are fanatic Disney folks AND like to be around an average of about 900 other people's children (this is true on almost all sailings). The prices are much higher. The adult-only areas tend to be smallish. Most of the pool deck is crowded and very loud. The ship seems deserted by 11:00 pm. Most of the shows are Disney oriented. All the movies are made by Disney such as Marvel. The food is average; the buffet is mayhem. The DCL shore excursions are aimed mostly at families. Sea day activities are limited and aimed at families or are alcohol tastings. Even character greetings have become very crowded or require tickets. The best thing about Disney is the service but even there we have noticed a decline in the past few years as the crew gets busier.

IMHO Spend your vacation dollars on a non-DCL cruise, tour, road trip or independent adventure to make your magical memories.

I agree. Unless you are just trying to burn DVC points, I would choose another cruise line (or a different vacation) for an adults-only trip.

 

[Ginamarie]

DCL is great for adults only! My husband and I actually had our honeymoon on the Disney Magic. The adult areas are kept adult only much better than on other cruise lines. We have never been bored. The only thing that is missing is a casino (no issue for me since I don't use it, but my husband does usually play a little poker when we are on other cruise lines). I would totally do another DCL trip with just my husband, but my kids would never stand for it at this point!

 

[RunningGirl]

We just got off a Disney cruise as empty nesters and it was great. We spent most of our time in the adult-only areas and it was peaceful and relaxing; the family areas definitely were not, but we just walked right through them. The bars were relaxing and there was always something going on somewhere. We really loved our mixology class. Adult-only beach on Castaway Cay was pretty empty until 11 am or so as well.

 

[gotomu212]

My husband isn’t a Disney fanatic- he enjoys it for our kids, but given the price premium and lack of nighttime activities and more adventure activities (rock wall, wave simulator, etc) we wouldn’t do an adult only trip on DCL. I could easily live on board though.

Is your husband a big Disney fan and would he be interested in trivia/animation/mixology type activities or does he want more physical or nighttime activities?

 

[ninergrl6]

I've cruised 3 times with Disney and no kids, and I love it. I found more that I like to do on Disney ships than on Royal Caribbean, Holand America, or Carnival. I've always had great experiences with my tablemates and befriended other adults-only pairs. Besides lounging and reading, my favorite activities are trivia and the evening adults-only variety shows. I've also enjoyed the on-board tours of the ship, the tastings, and the talks from various special guests (Pixar animators, Broadway stars, the Frozen songwriters). I also love that Disney ships have full size movie theaters; I'd much rather spend my time there than at a casino like they have on other cruise lines. I'm into the character m&gs too, especially when they're in their regional outfits. I guess it just depends how you like to spend your time on board.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Based on what you say about DH not being a sit around and lounge guy, I would say that he may actually dislike Disney cruising quite a lot. Cruising is a lot about relaxing and even more so for adults on DCL. We had a lot of free time on our cruise as our kids LOVED kids clubs. And often we were looking for something to do that was a little more active or fun. Maybe a more port intensive itinerary might be worthwhile.

 

[Keels]

My girlfriends and I celebrated my birthday on cruise on the Dream back in April - two of us have cruised before, and two hadn't. The only time we encountered children that could've derailed our enjoyment was on Embarkation Day - it was at Cabanas, because the only table we could find was right next to the Splash Pad and then at Muster Drill.

Other than that? It was AMAZING. We stuck largely to the adults-only areas - Satellite Falls, Serenity Bay, The District. On our Nassau Day, we had a three-hour brunch at Palo, followed up by a Mixology Class and then hung out on deck by Satellite Falls.

We loved going to the shows and meeting characters, and the Castaway Cay 5K. That said, we were four women who LOVE Disney and we can find fun ANYWHERE.

My husband who has cruised extensively with me NOT on Disney would not enjoy it. There's no casino and while there are enough bars to be satisfactory, they didn't really serve enough to be to his liking. And he would've been disappointed to not be able to book things like the Tequila or Bourbon Tasting on-board as they do those so far in advance on DCL, whereas on other cruises (Celebrity and RCCL) you can basically show up to them and participate. My husband also prefers to eat at specialty dining and even though DCL offers a rotational dining schedule, it's still "main dining" to him and he'd rather have a less chaotic and more personal dining experience, even if it means it costs more out-of-pocket.

 

[Frozen2014]

Based on what you say about DH not being a sit around and lounge guy, I would say that he may actually dislike Disney cruising quite a lot. Cruising is a lot about relaxing and even more so for adults on DCL. We had a lot of free time on our cruise as our kids LOVED kids clubs. And often we were looking for something to do that was a little more active or fun. Maybe a more port intensive itinerary might be worthwhile.

I have to agree. We went on Magic a few years ago and when our kids were in the kids club, DH and I were bored. We took a walk around and went to the adult pool, but then had enough. But we're not 'lay in the sun' kind of people...at least for long periods of time. On Royal, there is so much to do (and Oasis class is a large ship that it takes longer to walk around and explore). Also, the shows are really impressive on Disney, but they are kid shows. On Royal, you get full variety act including Broadway show (on larger ships such as Oasis and Quantum class...and even some of the others too)...and aqua show on Oasis class, ice show on some, etc. Disney puts out a great line, and there are a lot of adults that love it and will go without kids, but for me, I lean to Royal or another. But that's just me.

 

[Pooh2]

We are doing our 3rd DCL cruise this year, just the two of us.
The customer service on DCL is not something we have experience any where else.
There are plenty of adult only areas if you don't want to be swarmed with kids.
I personally don't mind being around kids and prefer it to the party experience of some cruise lines or nursing home vibe of other cruise lines.

 

[keaster]

My husband and I have done 2 of our 8 cruises DCL cruises just the two of us.

We are very much relax and go with the flow people, so DCL works for us as a couple. We will spend the day by the adult pool reading, take in the shows and/or movies, have a before and after dinner drink in the bars. We will book a short shore excursion so we can enjoy a half day on shore/half on the ship. Last DCL cruise we also got the Rainforest pass and spent a good amount of time in there! It all depends on the vibe you are going for!

 

[Dug720]

Solo adult who loves DCL.

But if he likes all the bells and whistles and not just chilling and relaxing, TBH he would probably not like it.