5 Reasons to Take a Disney Cruise Without Kids
Wondering if you should take a Disney Cruise without kids? When you think of Disney Cruise Line, kids and family generally come to mind. After all, Disney has built quite the reputation of catering to families with children. But the truth is that many take adult-only cruises with Disney, and my husband and I are among those who prefer Disney over other cruise lines when taking trips on our own without our two daughters. (Needless to say, they are quite jealous when we do!) Here are five reasons to take a Disney Cruise without kids.
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Planning to sail on Disney Cruise Line in the coming year? Be sure to check out our guide to all that Disney Cruise Line has to offer this year including exciting itineraries, new ports of call, themed events at sea, and more!
1) Disney knows how to entertain children and young families
It may seem odd to include this on our list of reasons, but it’s a good thing for those traveling without kids. I’ve traveled on other cruise lines, and I have found one thing to be true. No one entertains kids better than Disney! On my first non-Disney cruise with my husband, we saw more bored (and noisy) kids walking around the ship than we saw on Disney. Why? Because there was nowhere decent for them to go, and they weren’t having much fun. Now, I do know that some cruise lines are better than others when it comes to their kid activities, but there’s no arguing that Disney has a way of engaging children that simply can’t be matched.
Don’t get me wrong, there are TONS of kids on a Disney Cruise. I would be lying if I said that Disney’s main customer base was anything but families with children. But Disney does such a good job of keeping them happy, well-fed, and entertained with activities onboard in their designated kids’ clubs as well as family activities for everyone to enjoy together.
2) Enjoy adult-only restaurants onboard
While Disney prides itself on creating a family atmosphere, it hasn’t forgotten that adults need some “grown-up” time. These adult-only restaurants onboard each of the ships offer unique fine-dining experiences. So get dressed up! Enjoy a night out with your friends or your significant other. No kids allowed.
**Tip: Disney offers an earlier dining time for dinner as well as a later time for their nightly rotational dining. If you’re traveling without kids or even if you’re traveling with older children, we highly recommend scheduling dinner during the later time slot. Most families with younger children will choose the earlier time due to early bedtimes, etc.
3) Rules regarding adult-only areas of the ship are enforced
Many cruise lines offer adult-only areas and pools, but Disney truly enforces these areas. Now, I haven’t sailed on every single cruise line, and there may be others that enforce this as well. But on the non-Disney cruise lines that I have been on, we regularly found kids in our “exclusive” areas. (And I have heard many others make this claim as well!)
For example, my husband and I like to enjoy our morning coffee in peace and quiet onboard… something we could not find on a competing cruise line. But with Disney, our favorite coffee location was in the enforced adults-only area, and we were able to sit in a quiet location overlooking the open ocean. It was amazing!
4) Stay out late and enjoy the nightlife
Here’s the truth about Disney Cruise Line… While they do have bars and lounges with adult activities and drinks, it is not a “party” ship like some of the others. (Think classy, upscale nightlife with high-end lounges and clubs.)
I get it. For some, this may be a disappointment. If your idea of a fun cruise is spending the entire weekend drinking and gambling, Disney is probably not for you. In fact, they don’t even have casinos onboard.
But if you’re like me and my husband, this is a plus. We like being able to enjoy the nightlife onboard without feeling like everyone around us has had a bit too much to drink. And since we don’t personally enjoy gambling (no judgment if you do!), walking through a casino to get anywhere onboard isn’t exactly our cup of tea. (And this is especially true if we are, in fact, traveling with kids, as I’m not necessarily keen on taking my young kids through a casino to get to dinner!)
With Disney, we were able to dress up, go out together, enjoy shows, stay out late, and have a wonderful and memorable date night. Disney even went out of their way to match us with other couples traveling without kids at our dining table each night rather than seat us with a family who had kids.
5) Enjoy top-notch service and some much-needed rest and relaxation with your significant other
When it comes to cruising with Disney, there are definitely more families on board than there are adult-only vacationers. But this can be a HUGE plus when it comes to your cruising experience! Remember those adult-only areas of the ship? They are rarely busy. In fact, my husband and I had no problem finding lounge chairs in the middle of the day to relax. Finding quiet places to enjoy our time together was easy… ironically, it was much easier to find these “spots” than it was on competing cruise lines where adults without kids were the norm rather than the exception.
And it goes without saying that Disney has spectacular customer service! From the wait staff to housekeeping, every cast member we encountered had a smile on their face and was ready to be of service.
**Looking to plan a Disney Cruise without kids? Be sure to visit my step-by-step guide to get started!
