My husband Dana, friends Miki and Mike, and myself just completed a 4 night cruise on the Disney Dream, after spending a fabulous day and evening at Walt Disney World Resort.
One of the reasons that I chose to spend Christmas on a Disney cruise, was to test the theory that adults traveling without children could enjoy a cruise on a Disney ship. Let me start by saying that yes, it is very possible to enjoy a Disney cruise as an adult. Now let me go into my personal observations.
The Disney Dream is a beautiful ship, the staterooms very comfortable and nicely appointed. My husband and I really appreciated the split bathroom layout. It made both our morning and evening rituals a breeze. Kudos to Disney for their innovative split baths. We were in a standard balcony stateroom and had more than adequate closet and drawer space. In fact, we only used about half of our storage for our 4 night cruise.
The entertainment venues for adults are well thought out, and the idea of grouping them together in "The District" is a great idea. 687, the sports bar was both comfortable and stylish. It had the feel of a private sports venue, while at the same time being very warm and welcoming. The private label 687 draft beer made by a brewery in Portland, Oregon exclusively for the Disney Dream, was a special treat. The Skyline Lounge, which serves up a different menu with each city skyline that is displayed on their wall size video screens was particularly unique. Additionally, there is Evolution, a multi-use venue that hosts both headline entertainment and serves as a dance club. There is also a champagne bar called Pink, which serves a champagne made exclusively for Disney by Tattenger. The final area of The District is an open walk-thru bar with an area for live entertainment such as a singer and 3 piece band. I think that Disney has done a great job of carving out an adults only area with interesting venues. Having said that, I also need to say the I felt the adult only areas were under utilized by the cruise passengers. In my opinion, the reason for this is probably the fact that most adults on the ship are traveling with children and are just worn out at the end of the day and are not looking for late night entertainment. Disney cannot be blamed for this. They have the offerings and it is up to the passengers to take advantage of them.
There are also two adults only specialty restaurants, with an adults only lounge that has both indoor and outdoor areas. We originally had reservations at the Italian restaurant, but cancelled because the food and service in the three rotating dining rooms was so wonderful that we didn't feel the need to try either of the specialty restaurants. Maybe next time!
The adults only pool area was comfortable and the furniture very plush, but the area was not quite as quiet as we had hoped.
So to sum up, I can comfortably recommend a Disney cruise to adults traveling both with and without children, but if you are someone that really enjoys the nightlife, I am not sure this is the cruise for you. Not because Disney lacks adult venues, but because not enough adults take advantage of what Disney has to offer in adult entertainment.
Oh and by the way, Disney World was great as usual. The only complaint? We should have added a couple more days there to our trip. One day just wasn't enough!!
Well, that's all for now. Our next cruise is on Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas next month. Talk to you then!!
