Your thoughts of a 36 and 35 going on a DCL??

[cocacola86]

Just wondering if people our age would still have fun of people our age and still have enough to do. We looked at RC but it's getting expensive, if you sailed DC without kids or you have no kids what was your experience and any tips?

[moki'smommy]

In all fairness, it depends on what you like to do. If you like Disney World, you're likely to love the cruise. Disney offers total attention to detail, Broadway style shows, decent variety acts, and adult only activities (mostly in the evenings). There is the fitness center, spa, and adult only dining. SOME excursions have adult only departures. Honestly, I spend a lot of time during the day with a book on the open deck in the adult only area.

 

If you never want to see a kid--don't do DCL.

If your goal is super food...Celebrity was better.

But DCL wins for service and attention to detail.

[cocacola86]

We're looking at next April and going to WDW next week to all four parks.

[cocacola86]

Do you find it's expensive for what they offer?

[mylolo1117]

DH-39 and I-32, are going in April. Disney is more expensive, but is well worth it. Very classy, staff is classy, and fellow cruisers are for the most part classier than on other cruise lines we have sailed. We sailed disney with our kids in 2013, and now we are going just adults so we can appreciate and experience what we didn't get to with the kids. We are by no means big disney lovers (we like Disney [emoji2]), and we still enjoy the experience based solely on the level of service and atmosphere.

[moki'smommy]

Do you find it's expensive for what they offer?

 

If you avoid school break times, the cost can be reasonable. Summer--too hot for me, too many kids, and prices too high. Same for any major holiday. Our favorite time--early December. All the holiday decorations and activities are in full swing, but the prices and crowds are low.

[chictravel227]

Typically, when we travel, it is mom and 3 "kids", two of us are 35 and one is 36, we love the cruises. If you like Disney, then you will enjoy the cruises. It is still fun to have your picture taken with the characters and the service is generally great. There are enough adult activities that you do not feel inundated with kids 24/7. There will be children, some better behaved than others, but I think you find that on any cruise.

 

As far as activities, there will be numerous tastings offered, chocolate and liquors, champagne, whiskey, cognac, scotch, wine, mixology, martini, tequilla, and beer are some samples. Please note that not all of these are offered every cruise. Palo and Remy are also adult only and provide alternate (upcharged) dining options. Depending on where you are from and the diversity of food around you will depend on whether you think these two are worth it. We don't have very sophisticated food around us, so we enjoy them, if you live in a bigger city, you may not be impressed.

 

I find that there is plenty to keep you occupied and the overall theme of the cruise is family fun, so some of it may be a bit cheesy, but then again, who needs another hairy chest contest?

 

I find that most of the shows are better on Disney than on other lines, that being said, there are some that I would not see again, but that is my opinion.

 

Also, on one of our cruises, they had an adult only scavenger hunt the first night. It was sooooo much fun. It was a great way to meet other adults and just have a great time. I have only seen it on one cruise, so I would be interested to hear how we get them to do it again? There were just 2 of us on that cruise and you had to pair up in groups of at least 4, so it "forced" you into meeting others for the game. You may like that, or not, but it was fun for us.

 

The nightlife on the ship completely depends on who you end up sailing with. We have been where it has been dead after about 10 or 11, and we have been where at least one of the clubs was pretty busy until close. When we did the med cruise, we were way too tired after spending a day on shore to stay up much past 11.

 

Overall, we always have a fun time and have met great people. So, if you don't take yourselves too seriously, and just want to have a good time, then I think you will enjoy the cruise.

 

Not sure what tips I can offer. Oh, if you get sat next to any families that (please don't hate me on this one) fail to control their children, speak to your head server, he/she will be running the dining room. We had a bad experience where a table next to us let their children run around the tables and kept knocking into our chairs. Don't ask me why the parents thought this was appropriate behavior. Anyhow, we later learned, we should have spoken up and either us or them would have been moved to a different location. But, we held our tongues and still had a great time, we just developed a warning system for when the children were out of their seats. No red wine in your hands!

[moki'smommy]

 

 

Not sure what tips I can offer. Oh, if you get sat next to any families that (please don't hate me on this one) fail to control their children, speak to your head server, he/she will be running the dining room. We had a bad experience where a table next to us let their children run around the tables and kept knocking into our chairs. Don't ask me why the parents thought this was appropriate behavior. Anyhow, we later learned, we should have spoken up and either us or them would have been moved to a different location. But, we held our tongues and still had a great time, we just developed a warning system for when the children were out of their seats. No red wine in your hands!

 

Thank you! I feel like the grinch when I post this. We also had one of those dinners where a table near us was allowing their toddlers to run all over the dining room. It was a real hazard to the servers--avoiding running into the 2 children and not dropping their trays was a challenge. And I don't want a toddler's grubby hands on me, my table, or my food.

 

As above, MOST of the kids on DCL are fine. But there are always those parents who either never parent their children or think that "vacation" means a break from parenting....and the kids go wild.

[cocacola86]

Is it better to book a 5 night cruise to test Disney out, we've only sailed Carnival so not sure the difference

[moki'smommy]

Is it better to book a 5 night cruise to test Disney out, we've only sailed Carnival so not sure the difference

 

I don't see why...but then, I'm of the "longer is better" variety. The longer the cruise, the MORE adult activities and the more and better the entertainment. I would base things on where the ship was going, port of departure, and meeting my price.

 

We LOVE the Magic. Please do not fall into that "it's the oldest ship" trap. She is a grand lady and has been fully refurbished. Frankly, she is my favorite of the ships.

 

Do not do a cruise of fewer than 4 nights, no matter what. It is too short for anything, and they are rushing to cram as much as possible into 2 1/2 days. If a week fits into your schedule, that's great. We find 2 weeks to be about perfect. Unfortunately, the WBTA is only 11 nights this year.

 

We also find that the longer the cruise (7 nights or more) tend to have the better behaved kids. Not sure why--just personal observation. Well, I have a theory on why, but that's not important.

[cocacola86]

We're looking at April, is it better to sail out of PC or Miami?

[moki'smommy]

We're looking at April, is it better to sail out of PC or Miami?

 

Guess you have to define "better." PC is farther from the airport, costs more to get to the ship. But the terminal is a dedicated DCL terminal--the cruise "starts" when you pull into the terminal area.

 

Miami--some flights are cheaper. Definitely closer to the airport, so less costly to get from airport to cruise terminal. Lots of hotels near terminal. More limited selection of cruises out of Miami though, and port is basically a "warehouse" generic port area. Still....you don't choose a cruise for a pretty port experience. The Miami-Dade government has a set fare for a taxi from port to airport (or the other way). It is $24 per vehicle, which includes all tolls and surcharges. Obviously, a tip is expected.

 

Port Canaveral is $35 per person each way on DCL transportation. There are other forms of transportation, but for 2, DCL transfers are about the same as renting a car and cheaper than a towncar or limo service.

Edited March 14, 2015 by moki'smommy

[cocacola86]

Is the Wonder not reimagined, or know when it will, how do you book a guarantee on the site, is it cheaper than booking a specific room, what happens if the price goes down in price?

[1025cruise]

My wife and I were 35 and 31 when we went on our first DCL cruise about 18 months ago. It just so happened that the 7 day Western Caribbean on the Wonder out of Galveston worked perfect for us schedule wise as we were attending a family event in Houston afterwards. Didn't hurt that we got a good price on it. Surprisingly, there were more kids on the cruise than I was expecting, given the time of year we went. However, we had a great time and would cruise with DCL again in the future if everything matches up.

[1025cruise]

Is the Wonder not reimagined, or know when it will, how do you book a guarantee on the site, is it cheaper than booking a specific room, what happens if the price goes down in price?

 

The Wonder has not gone through the reimagining process that the Magic has been through. It is not going to happen until the new Panama Canal opens as DCL relocates it through the canal each year for Alaska.

[moki'smommy]

Currently the Wonder is the only ship that fits thru the Panama Canal. The "duck tail" added to the Magic makes it too long. We were told on board that this was needed as a counter balance to the water slide that was added (dont know if true, just what we were told).

 

Thus, as above, the Wonder will have required dry docks and some maintenance but will not have the reimagine number at least till the canal opens in its new form.

[BullDawg91]

We were on the Wonder last April and it had been through a refurbishment in January. All carpets were replaced. Everything looked fresh to me.

[moki'smommy]

We were on the Wonder last April and it had been through a refurbishment in January. All carpets were replaced. Everything looked fresh to me.

 

Absolutely correct--carpets in public areas had been replaced, deep cleaning done at the recent 2 week dry dock. This was the required engine maintenance dry dock when they also do a lot of stuff in the guest areas. Cabins are now being refurbished at a rate of about 200 per month. She is looking pretty good, again because they are constantly repainting, etc.

 

BUT that is still substantially different than the 6 week dry dock that the Magic had. Actually, Magic is due for the standard 2 week dry dock this summer--that big refurb was almost 2 years ago!

[cocacola86]

You said you liked the Magic, what standouts the most? Like is it the restaurants, adults area. Sometimes the older ships have more to like than the newer ships.

[moki'smommy]

You said you liked the Magic, what standouts the most? Like is it the restaurants, adults area. Sometimes the older ships have more to like than the newer ships.

 

OK, in fairness, we were on the maiden voyage of the Magic in 1998 and have done MANY cruises since then. Boarding the Magic feels like coming home. Yes, there are often changes, but there are also CMs from that first voyage still working! Personally, I've always liked the decor of the Magic better than the Wonder. That's just my style. There are some things I don't like since the big "re-imagine" dry dock. For example, the atrium is not nearly as nice now as it was. Removing the custom designed chandelier and replacing it with something that looks like it could be found at any lighting store is sad. Elimination of the double staircase--also not good. It did create a nice place for the gingerbread house, but 10 months of the year that leaves a chunk of wasted space. On the positive, I like what they did in "Fathoms," (formerly Rocking Bar D). I LOVED the new Animator's (better than Fantasy!) I like the stage shows, even though I've seen them a zillion times. I did hear a rumor that they are retiring Villains--great, cuz that's my least favorite. Marvel Academy in the Oceaneer's Club is cool (and they did "adult time in the club" so big kids could play too!). This was not a regular open house, it was limited to adults.

 

Good points for the Wonder currently--she is the ship most in the original configuration, although changes were made before Alaska to enclose some of the previously open areas. She is the only ship running the original Animator's program.

 

I like the smaller size of the classic ships. Fantasy was just TOO big.

 

Positives for the Fantasy--totally high tech, amazing, wonder. Gorgeous. They outdid themselves on the decor. The Palo bathroom is worth a visit even if you don't dine in Palo! The Dream is not worth mentioning because she is just like the Fantasy except that the Fantasy has a few improvements to make things better (nightclub area, Satellite Falls). The dining rooms on the Fantasy are HUGE and feel crowded. VERY noisy. They are lovely to see if you can get some "up close and personal" time when they are not serving meals or not crowded--think lunch on a port day for Enchanted Garden or embarkation day for Royal. I didn't really care for the Crush show in Animator's, although I can see why they did it. Animation Magic was fun on the Fantasy, better on the Magic. Each time they do something, they improve it! That explains why Fantasy is better than Dream, Animation Magic is better on the Magic. Fantasy has added attractions like mini golf--again, fun. If you're a real foodie, Remy is a nice addition. Absolutely love Captain Marco. He has the best personality/guest interaction of any of the captains I've talked with at any length. OK, fairness--a captain isn't hired because he has a gift of gab or stellar personality. I assume that they all are totally competent. But this guy is special.

 

Negatives for Fantasy--way too many cabin permutations to keep track of. Guess it doesn't matter once you've booked, but cabin selection is far easier on the classic ships. Just too big. Generally more expensive. Shows aren't as good. Did I say too big, too crowded. Palo even felt huge. Sadly, too many of our "friends" from the Magic have moved to the Fantasy. But to me, the Fantasy felt like a floating hotel. The Magic feels like "home."

 

Please don't get me wrong--we had good times on the Fantasy. Reality is that I'm likely to choose a ship based on dates and where it's going. But all things being equal, I'd choose the Magic.

[cocacola86]

and the Fantasy is a lot more money

[cocacola86]

How did you like the entertainment on the magic?

[cocacola86]

Does Disney have a cruise vacation planner, you can use to book with. The only thing I don't like is that you can't book in CDN dollars.

[moki'smommy]

I use a travel agent who has a phone presence but also a strong on line presence. Sorry but we aren't allowed to give out names, good or bad on this site. DCL has people you can talk to if that's what you mean. They do have a system where they can assign you to a specific person. Sorry you can't book in Can dollars, but the money comes out the same way whether they convert it or you convert it....

 

I like the shows on the Magic and I usually like the variety acts. You never know in advance who is going to be on as the variety performers. The cruise staff are generally good people--some I like better than others, but that's to be expected. Pub host Tifa (if you happen to get her) is incredible. Love her!

 

DOn't know how travel agents in Canada work, but I get an onboard credit as a thanks for booking with us gift from my agent. A nice perk.

[hackif]

Thank you! I feel like the grinch when I post this. We also had one of those dinners where a table near us was allowing their toddlers to run all over the dining room.

 

We've always found that the second seating at dinner has far fewer children so this is less likely to happen (and is more like our normal dining time). On our first cruise, I was 36 and DH was 39; no kids. We're heading on our 9th DCL cruise this summer when I'll turn 51 and DH will be 54 the day before we sail. We spend most of our time in the adults-only areas if we're not in the ports or at adult activities. Adults pool, Cove Cafe, Palo's/Remy's, late seating at dinner, early show when most families are at dinner, various wine/alcohol tastings, cooking demos, adults-only lounges, some adult-only excursions, pirate buffet (usually too late for too many kids), etc. Lots to do without a lot of children and then you can be the child yourself occasionally and pose with the characters. It has occasionally happened that we either come upon them inadvertently, or they walk through the adults areas and the handler will take pictures with your own camera, or we happen upon a photo session in the lobby that's just finishing or not busy and jump in. Did the latter on our last Med cruise with the entire table. Had our photo taken with Mickey dressed in a traditional Greek outfit. And had our photo taken with our own camera outside the Cove Cafe with Mickey and Minnie dressed in traditional Italian outfits.