Disney Cruising Q&A ~ Part 3

(You can find additional Q&A posts here:  Part 1, Part 2)

Let’s Go!

1.  (from Lindy) I've loved following along on your cruise. Would you recommend a Disney cruise for a couple without kids or even for a single person?

If you are a person or couple who enjoys children and the excitement and busyness that they bring then my answer is a resounding ‘Yes!!!’  If you’re planning a relaxed cruise where you can stroll at leisure without little ones around then a Disney cruise might not be for you.  Our ship was almost at capacity (we were 3800 guests + crew, max is 4,000 + crew) and I would hazard to guess that at least 40% of the guests were children, tweens and teens.

Hannah, Nana and I had a ton of fun together and there were times that we too enjoyed watching other families.  This was a cute event called ‘Jack Jack’s Diaper Crawl.’   You can see how many people stopped to cheer on these 2 little cuties!   

I saw tables in the dining room of only adults and they were thoroughly enjoying themselves! 

(One day I had one of those classic ‘foot in mouth’ experiences!   Hannah and I were waiting to meet one of the characters and I was chatting with the lady behind us.  She was on her own but this wasn’t unusual as one parent often waited in line while the other one took the kids elsewhere during the wait.  As we talked she said that she and her husband were on the cruise on their own as they weren’t sure their children would really enjoy a Disney cruise.  I asked how old her kids were, thinking she’d say ‘babies’ but instead she said they were 4 and 6 years old!  And….this was their 4th Disney cruise without their children!!!  I was shocked to say the least but kept it together and didn’t say anything other than that my 4yo was having the time of her life! 

Now…for my moment.  Shortly after that we were in an elevator and I shared with Sharon about the lady that I’d met who had left her young children home for the 4th time and was on the cruise alone with her hubby.  This time I didn’t hide my shock!  Well…the lady beside me (a different lady thankfully!) looked at me and said in a serious tone, ‘My husband and I are here alone and left our children at home.’  Oye!!  Thankfully she got off at the next floor! 

Will I never learn to wait until we’re in the cabin to share this stuff?  LOL – reminds me of our other infamous faux pas on my part when I was out with Sharon!)

On Disney cruises there are also many opportunities for adults to do things that do not involve children.  There are adult only decks and a pool.  I was only their once but there was lots of room and it was not crowded.  There are some other parts of the pool/deck area that I didn’t take the time to see but wish that I had.  Another time.

There are 2 fine dining adult exclusive restaurants on the Fantasy that are available for brunch and supper for an additional cost.  Palo offers Italian dining and Remy is French.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Palo!! 

There are many spa experiences available for an additional charge.  We did not participate in these but I’m sure they are wonderful!

There are also a number of nightclubs and lounges that are restricted to adults. 

The one thing to keep in mind for some is that Disney ships do not have casinos onboard.  This might make a difference to some so is something to note.

I hope this helps!  I believe couples and singles without children could have a great time on a Disney cruise as long as they enjoy being around other people’s children!

2.  (from my sweet friend Circe) I had friends who went on a Disney Caribbean cruise in February and didn't like it! They said it was loud and chaotic, and there were way too many kids, etc. My question is, can you imagine anyone not liking the cruise?

Hmmm, it seems my experience was much different than theirs.  I will agree that there are times that it is loud and you could possibly call it chaotic but they chose a Disney cruise! 

I will say though that very rarely did I find it crowded.  I was surprised over and over again at how uncrowded (is that even a word??) the ship was!  The two main exceptions to this would be the pool area anytime that the sun was shining and, in the main atrium lobby from about 5:00 – 8:00.  The pools are fairly small and there are A LOT of children on the ship so the children’s pools and in turn the decks around the pools were often very busy!   That being said, we could always find a place to sit quite easily. 

The lobby atrium area was busy each evening as it was the location that people gathered for professional photographs, to wait for their supper reservations, to listen to live entertainment and to meet some characters.  It was a busy time but oh so exciting!  How nice to see people dress up for dinner and photos!  We live in a day when people dress up so rarely that I was excited to see the dress code so many set for themselves and it was a beautiful sight!

Other than that, I was surprised at how spacious the ship felt considering there were almost 5,500 people on board!  The Disney Fantasy is approximately 4 football fields long and 14 decks high.  That’s a big ship and yet I was still surprised that you could easily walk around only seeing a few people in many locations. 

The kids clubs had many children in them but never appeared overcrowded and Hannah never complained about there being too many kids and not being able to do something.   The live shows were presented 3 times each day.  While the theater had a lot of people in it we never had any problems finding a seat and there were always empty seats available.

I find Walt Disney World in August to be crowded and at times like park closing it near impossible to move yet I never felt anything like that at all on the cruise!  I guess it’s all personal interpretation and expectations but for me I was nothing but impressed by how spacious and open the ship felt!

Could someone not like the cruise?  Yes, but they’d need to put a lot of effort into that or….forget that it was a Disney cruise they chose to take!