Thinking About Disney-No Kids Good Idea?

[msteechur]

As a childless couple (not by choice) I find some of the comments about it being "creepy" to be into Disney if you don't have kids offensive. We love Disney and had always planned to have kids, but apparently God and nature decided that wasn't in the cards. (However, we are both high school teachers, so we get to impact other people's kids on a daily basis. This also means we don't have to pay for college which leaves us money for things like cruises.)

 

When we go to Disneyland/World we want pictures with the characters just as much as the kids do and while we'd never step in FRONT of kids, we've certainly had kids shoved in front of us (as if we aren't nearly as important as those children).

 

We chose a Disney cruise because we do not drink, we do not gamble so those two things being at the forefront of other cruises absolutely do not interest us at all. Most of our friends who have cruised come home with stories about three things: Drinking, gambling, eating. I'm a teacher but also a personal trainer so eating also not high on my list of things to do on a trip. We love Disney shows, so that was a big draw. The shore excursions were identical to the other ships. The ship leaves out of Seattle, big draw (we live near Seattle). The Disney theme and reputation was a HUGE draw. Price was also big as the price difference for the cruise we booked at the time we booked was the same as others that left out of different ports that would have required us to drive/fly and didn't have the Disney Magic involved.

 

So while those of you with families enjoy (rightfully so) the memories of the interaction of your children with what Disney has to offer, do not judge adults without kids and how they choose to enjoy the Disney experience. You do not know our situation. You were blessed with children and some of us weren't. Let us enjoy Disney in our way, you enjoy it in yours. Heck part of my way of enjoying it IS seeing the little ones faces light up when Minnie or Mickey walks into the room!

 

This will be our first cruise and I guarantee we are both just as excited as 10 year olds (yes both, my husband is the one who booked it...he is 46 going on 10) and really hope that anyone who feels our enjoyment is inappropriate will keep their judgement to themselves.

[stefndoug]

As a childless couple (not by choice) I find some of the comments about it being "creepy" to be into Disney if you don't have kids offensive. We love Disney and had always planned to have kids, but apparently God and nature decided that wasn't in the cards. (However, we are both high school teachers, so we get to impact other people's kids on a daily basis. This also means we don't have to pay for college which leaves us money for things like cruises.)

 

When we go to Disneyland/World we want pictures with the characters just as much as the kids do and while we'd never step in FRONT of kids, we've certainly had kids shoved in front of us (as if we aren't nearly as important as those children).

 

We chose a Disney cruise because we do not drink, we do not gamble so those two things being at the forefront of other cruises absolutely do not interest us at all. Most of our friends who have cruised come home with stories about three things: Drinking, gambling, eating. I'm a teacher but also a personal trainer so eating also not high on my list of things to do on a trip. We love Disney shows, so that was a big draw. The shore excursions were identical to the other ships. The ship leaves out of Seattle, big draw (we live near Seattle). The Disney theme and reputation was a HUGE draw. Price was also big as the price difference for the cruise we booked at the time we booked was the same as others that left out of different ports that would have required us to drive/fly and didn't have the Disney Magic involved.

 

So while those of you with families enjoy (rightfully so) the memories of the interaction of your children with what Disney has to offer, do not judge adults without kids and how they choose to enjoy the Disney experience. You do not know our situation. You were blessed with children and some of us weren't. Let us enjoy Disney in our way, you enjoy it in yours. Heck part of my way of enjoying it IS seeing the little ones faces light up when Minnie or Mickey walks into the room!

 

This will be our first cruise and I guarantee we are both just as excited as 10 year olds (yes both, my husband is the one who booked it...he is 46 going on 10) and really hope that anyone who feels our enjoyment is inappropriate will keep their judgement to themselves.

 

You are so correct...isn't Disney great? I love hearing the kids scream in the theatre when they see Mickey Mouse... you would think some famous rock star was coming on stage... the atmosphere is amazing.

[FM]

Wow ...

 

I understand your concern about whether DCL is suitable for adults only ... however I concur with stefndoug's following quote ...

 

I disagree... i love everything Mickey Mouse and we have no kids. I even got a Mickey Mouse tatoo and nobody has ever told me I am wierd... they say I know how to stay young at heart. Granted we are all entitled to our own opinion though... but i have been on Princess, NCL, Holland America, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean ( stefndoug - you have us beat here as we have yet to do RCL ;) ) and Carnival... my fav cruises have been the two Disney ones I did and if you know how to budget, we did our repositioning Disney cruise for cheaper than most other cruises... just pays to know when to book and what deals to look for. But, saying that... each cruiseline has their own plus's... I love Carnival for their price, but if you want to cruise with a bunch of drinkers, then that is the cruise for you. I love Celebrity for their "quietness" of their cruises, but if you want something with a little more excitement, then that usually isn't the cruiseline you go on. It's all in what you are in the mood for... no other cruiseline does a show like Disney. As an adult in a Mickey Mouse world... I love being there and love all aspects of Mickey Mouse and do not consider myself weird (I do other things that might get me that title though LOL)

 

... yes ... everyone is entitled to their own opinion ... however you should not rule out DCL because it is may be more family-oriented. One time we were on a Med cruise aboard NCL and I swear, DW and I were the youngest couple aboard that cruise as almost every other passenger were "seniors" ... so you can imagine how quiet it was later in the evening, the lack of 'young' couple activities and so forth ... but we LOVED cruising with a different demographic. If you want all-night excitement WITHOUT kids, then DCL probably is not the right choice.

 

But I will repeat myself here as I just posted this on a thread from another poster who had the same question ...

 

 

 

 

However, IMHO, I think we should just take a look at the following quotes ...

• 
   
  
• "Why do we have to grow up? I know more adults who have the children's approach to life. They're people who don't give a hang what the Joneses do. You see them at Disneyland every time you go there. They are not afraid to be delighted with simple pleasures, and they have a degree of contentment with what life has brought - sometimes it isn't much, either."
   
   
  
• "You're dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway."
   
   
  
• "To all that come to this happy place: welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America... with hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world."

Walt Disney

 

I guess for some of us, the "child" within us is still alive ... and DW and I are proud to be one of the "unique!"

 

'Nuff said.

 

What would life be if we don't give some things a try just once ... I truly hope this helps.

 

Good luck!

[KrystalWaters]

thanks for all the opinions and comments. I will discuss with hubby and see what he thinks..probably won't be until 2014. But a girl can always dream right?:p:D

[cyclenut]

I thought I would provide a short update.

 

DW and I just completed our 25th anniversary cruise aboard the RCCL Freedom of the Seas. I wrote a CC review you can read if you like.

 

We had the best vacation experience ever on this ship. It was really amazing.

 

We area also huge Disney fans. We live 15 min from DLR and carry annual passports. We go often. We really love what the Disney brand represents and for the most part, they really deliver.

 

There are clearly some areas where Disney shines.

We found the food in the MDR of the Freedom to lack variety and inspiration. I wouldn't say it was bland, but it wasn't as exciting as what we experienced on the Wonder. The portion sizes were smaller on the Freedom as well. However, the Windjammer buffet on the Freedom was outstanding and outshined the variety and quality of what was offered on the Wonder. Also, the buffet hours were longer and there were other options on the ship that stayed open late as well. There was never a time on the Freedom where you couldn't find something to eat. So, it is sort of a mixed bag.

 

The service on both ships was generally top notch, although the Guest Services desk on the Disney ship is a cut above everyone. RCCL has a tendancy to send you to another department for answers a lot. They even have someone standing at the front of the line taking general questions (really a triage) and directing people to other areas for answers. It can start to feel like you are getting the run-around pretty quicky. I have never experienced that with Disney. Whatever question or problem you have, they try to get an answer for you. Of course, if your question is about specific shore excursion or a photo package, you'll need to go to the appropriate place, but they will always try to help.

 

Example: We purchased a special package that included a better than typical room service breakfast in our room one morning. The form stated we were supposed to give this to the head waiter in the MDR the night before. Well, we were not planning on dining there that evening and I was in shorts and flip-flops. I tried to hand this card to Guest Services to avoid having to disrupt the MDR service. No help. They didn't even want to touch it. We didn't even know who our head waiter was, even though we had eaten in the MDR four times already. That never would have happened on DCL. Never. DCL would have been more than happy to take that card and get it to the appropriate place for me.

 

Disney is clearly the top family cruise line and there are very good reasons for that. Some of those reasons make cruising as a couple less attractive than other lines. Some of those reasons are why DCL charges a premium for its cruises. SOME of these reasons are because of their service.

[going to see the world]

Glad I read this...sounds like we might be all set to try Disney :)

[PianoGary]

Whew!

We just booked the Wonder without kids and it's so great to hear all of your experiences. It's going to be GREAT!

[GrandmaHofmann]

We don't sail Disney on our own because we would not be able to face our grandsons if we did.

[Youalleverybody]

Dh and I have 5 kids (yes, they all ours) and we went on a 7 night Eastern on the Disney Magic in February. It was fabulous!!!

 

DH and I loved it so much, and realized how much we didn't get to do...that we booked a cruise for just the two of us for our 15th wedding anniversary. We'll be on the Disney Dream in October. Just the two of us, and I suspect it will be fabulous.

 

I love Disneyworld, and Disney cruising, and I'm 43. Yeah, maybe I'm weird. Don't care anymore. It truly is an environment where I feel free and child-like, and can, for a moment, forget everything else. Plus, on the cruise, I felt totally pampered! (granted, that would happen on any cruise, I expect)

 

So, enjoy yourself! We are looking forward to Remy, and some of the evening adult activities we missed last time, since we were getting little ones to sleep, or unable to leave stateroom because they were there sleeping.