1st time Disney cruisers. What can we expect?

[Bowlman67]

We will be going on our first Disney cruise on the dream this January 26. As a family we have done carnival 5 times so we are not new to cruising. I know my 10yr old daughter will have fun but will my wife and i be bored?

 

Any advice or tips would be helpful

[Friend100]

Don't compare this to previous cruises and simply enjoy it with your family and make it a MAGICAL experience.

[mommy2tati]

Everyone is different but I can tell you from my experience that I have never been bored on DCL. My DD9 & I will be taking our 3rd cruise on DCL this February for her birthday. There are tons on adult only activities that are listed in the daily navigator. They have several tastings like wine, champagne, tequila, whiskey, etc. Mixology classes. There are movies running all day in the theater.

 

For examples of navigators from prior cruises look here:

 

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/cruise-new/cr-stateroom-navigator.htm

[truck1]

Pick up any of the books on DCL cruising. The most popular ones are Frommer, Passporter, or Birnbaum in no particular order. They have a ton of info on what to do, etc.

[ducklite]

The only way you could be bored is if you try as hard as possible to be that way. And even then it will be difficult.

[williamson_ja]

My dh and I actually did a DCL cruise WITHOUT the kiddos. It was fantastic! We really enjoyed all the adult only areas on the ship. Disney is really great at keeping these areas truly kid free. We also really loved: Castaway cay, the adult only entertainment at night, the regular entertainment in the evenings, the food, secret decks in the aft area, etc. We did go back with the kids later on. Everyone loved it. I have heard of adults that didn't enjoy DCL. I'm not sure what boat they were on, but we enjoyed it immensely!:D

[Capt_BJ]

OK - the down side .. or an alternate opinion anyway

 

If the casino was a big part of your evening entertainment you are going to have some adjustment needed.

 

If loud disco type clubing was a big part of your evening entertainment you are going to have some adjustment needed.

 

If 'adult' comedy ...... ibid

 

On the plus side, the nightly shows on DCL knock the socks off any other cruise show I've seen, and I've seen plenty - but this DOES mean IF you enjoy a Disney style stage show. If seeing Lion King on stage is a bore to you ... you probably won't like the shows either. There is adults only entertainment in the evening but it is Disney Adult . . . not bad; not in your face.

 

Spousal unit and I did 10 Disney cruises with the kids, and had 20 cruises in our memory book b4 that. Son just did Magic Med' for his honeymoon; his bride is a Disney fanatic, they don't drink or gamble and he has GREAT memories of DCL - they LOVED it.

 

But thruthfully, since the kids have gotten older DW and I pass on the DCL thing. I just booked our third RCL of the year for Jan 2 .... 20yoa dd will be going with and she no longer misses Mickey - her third RCL in 18 months. I'm NOT pushing RCL, the details just work out nice for us since we live minutes from Port Canaveral. (btw we don't gamble so the casino is a not missed for us, and I'm usually in bed by 10 so late nite party party don't matter to me!)

 

I'm willing to pay for a premium cruise - and I consider DCL to be one. When we cruised with pre-teen and early teen kids DCL was the ONLY line I'd consider; altho today other lines are making a serious effort to be a viable alternative. But for just DW and I, if willing to pay premium prices I'll take WINDSTAR. In our current postion of no travel costs to get to the port, one big vacation a year vs 3 at lower costs is a no brainer for us.

 

I hope you will notice a difference in the service level of DCL vs Carn'. If you don't I'm sure you'll never return. Will the food be better on DCL? Food is SO subjective that this one is a complete toss up. Let's face it, any large cruise ship is serving banquet style, and that's a hard thing to do well.

 

Enjoy - I think you will - try not to compare, altho that's much easier to say then to do.

[FM]

Everyone is different but I can tell you from my experience that I have never been bored on DCL. My DD9 & I will be taking our 3rd cruise on DCL this February for her birthday. There are tons on adult only activities that are listed in the daily navigator. They have several tastings like wine, champagne, tequila, whiskey, etc. Mixology classes. There are movies running all day in the theater.

 

For examples of navigators from prior cruises look here:

 

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/cruise-new/cr-stateroom-navigator.htm

 

 

Looking at our first Disney cruise so the link was a great help !

[GatorMomInNC]

My BF is going on this cruise with her husband and 2 kids - including a daughter about the same age as yours!

 

I'm not sure how helpful my comments will be, since I have only cruised DCL on the Magic, which apparently is a lot different than the Dream, and I was on a very long for cruise. I have cruised Carnival several times and really think they are a great value for the money. IMHO the food is not as good on DCL as Carnival. But - I loved our Disney cruise!

 

I loved that there was no casino and that it was family oriented, because I was cruising with my kids. I just felt like they were happy, so I was happy and relaxed. Don't try and cram too much in in 3 days or you will be stressed! When planning out your day, try and do the things that are unique to a Disney cruise so you can get the most out of your experience. I would not do bingo or anything like that - you are paying premium prices for the "Disney" experience. If there is an FE going on with your group do that - my kids LOVED coming back to the room and looking for a present, as well as handing out presents.

 

I know everyone says this and I can't really explain it, but overall my DCL cruise was more magical than my Carnival cruises - I just felt a sense of joy, where as on Carnival I had a great time, but it was more like a schedule of isolated events and not an experience like on DCL.

 

My older son didn't want to stay in the Carnival clubs, even though I thought they seemed nice, but the last night of our cruise on DCL (and this was a 14 night cruise!) he literally refused to leave. I know they recently changed their policy and now parents are only allowed in the kids club at "open houses" - I would definitely go because the kids clubs are awesome -there are character appearances, cooking demos, flubber making - I loved going and seeing my kids have so much fun!

 

Have a great time!

 

We will be going on our first Disney cruise on the dream this January 26. As a family we have done carnival 5 times so we are not new to cruising. I know my 10yr old daughter will have fun but will my wife and i be bored?

 

Any advice or tips would be helpful

[clean1owner]

We will be going on our first Disney cruise on the dream this January 26. As a family we have done carnival 5 times so we are not new to cruising. I know my 10yr old daughter will have fun but will my wife and i be bored?

 

Any advice or tips would be helpful

 

It will be what you make it out to be. You post " I know my 10yr old daughter will have fun but will my wife and i be bored? " To which I ask: Do you like to have fun with your 10 year old daughter? If you do, you should have the time of your life.

 

Our daughter was 11 when we cruised the Wonder, and Disney paired us with a couple who had a daughter the same age for dinner. The six of us had so much fun together that we couldn't find enough hours in the day to enjoy more. Our daughter is now 17, and in July we were standing together aboard the Majesty Of The Seas in Nassau when the Dream pulled in next door. One look at that ship with the Aquaduck and she said to me "Dad, we have GOT to go on that ship!" I'm guessing your daughter will harbor the same feelings for DCL after experiencing the magic of a Disney Cruise.

 

As far as advice goes, I would say enjoy it for what it is. With your history being Carnival, I think you will find the service aboard DCL to be much better. Don't expect too much. It seems that most people who complain about dining on DCL are comparing it to Regent Seven Seas or a Ruth's Chris, which Disney isn't. It is, however, very comparable to any other mass market line out there. We happened to really enjoy the rotating dining deal, while others don't.

 

By the way, you need to make a sign and hold it up on the starboard (right) side of the ship for sail-away so the rest of us can watch you on the Port Canaveral web cam. And when you get back, let us know how it went.