Disney cruise line for a young couple in their 20's

Hello CC!

I have been thinking about taking a DCL vacation with my girlfriend. We are both in our early 20's and are first time cruisers. We are adventure seekers who also like to relax on the beach. I have heard great things about DCL and that's why I am interested. I am also a disney fan but my girlfriend is not. What do you think I should do?

You have that much money that you can pay twice the price for a cruise vs. the same cruise on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, or any other cruise line?

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Disney also. Just wouldn't be my 1st choice if I was in your age bracket with no kids.

Probably the most important question is how do you feel about children (and I mean a lot of children!)? Although the Disney ships are great about having "adults only" sections, you cannot get away from kids all the time.

Disney cruises are a cut above the mainstream lines that cruise the Caribbean (and you pay for it). They do a great job and, overall, the shows were better than any I have seen on a ship. But they were geared for adults and children (just like the Disney movies have some lines that are aimed at the parents).

If your girlfriend is not a Disney fanatic all of the characters, Disney stuff everywhere (the drawer pulls in the cabins even have Mickey on them), and children in costume might overwhelm her.

What do you think I should do?

Don't go. This is the worst possible cruise line for you. HAL would be second-worst.

Are you kidding me???? Why all the hate on Disney? I have sailed Disney 5 times with my once girlfriend and now fiancé. Disney is the cruise line on the top of our list. The shows are hands down awesome, I don't even bother with shows on other lines. Castaway cay is the best cruise line island their is and my favorite destination over all. Remy and Palo are unbelievable.

The adult area is great as well, personally we never notice the kids more than any other line.

You gotta try it!!!!!!

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Hello.

Disney has its advantages for sure. They have the adult sections that are great. Everything is very clean and spotless.

There are more crew per population than the other lines.

They are the most expensive for sure.

There are no casinos on Disney ships and for me that is a great plus.

My wife and I just went on the magic in may alone.

Had the time of my life.

Going again in may of 2017 just the two of us.

Your overwhelmed the how polite the staff is.

Disney dinner seating is different as well. They pair you up at dinner with couples as well.

Right around the same age group.

Getting back to the cost. It is the most expensive line to go on.

As far as if it's worth it, for me a big yes.

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I've been cruising Royal Caribbean for years and highly recommend it for you and your girlfriend. The price is almost 1/2 Disney's and there is so much to do whether relaxing on the beach or zip lining!! I'd pick Royal Caribbean over Carnival!

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For your age I would go on Carnival. Save Disney when you have kids. It's very expensive imho

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No one entertains like Disney! But, you will pay a premium for the Disney brand... if it's in your budget...go for it.

We are adults with no kids and only passingly passionate about the Mouse. We mostly enjoyed our Disney cruise but quite honestly for the same amount of money you can get a suite on one of the other mainstream lines. Sure the shows may not be as good but we hated the food on Disney outside of the specialty dining venues. Really did not like the rotational Dining concept at all. I would suggest one of the new builds on Royal for the fun on board activities coupled with decent dining choices

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Sorry...I know the Disney ships are fantastic. We have been to Disneyworld and Disneyland several times and love them, but Disney cruises are just TOO expensive. You can get so much more "bang for your buck" on Royal especially where you are not cruising with children. IMO a Disney cruise is just not worth all that extra $$$. YMMV...what ever you decide I hope you have a great time. :)

I don't think anyone here is "hating on" Disney. OP asked for advice, and mine is pretty much the same as most here.

DCL is expensive and if you have that disposable income and want to try it, then you should go for it. Having said that, I think you would also have a great time on Royal Caribbean or Princess. Holland America is a bit mature for you (no offense intended and yes I have cruised with them). Celebrity is also a bit more mature and does not have the bells and whistles that Royal has but their service is outstanding.

The Disney cruises are fab whatever your age.

Don't be swayed with just the cheaper prices on the likes of Carnival, it is a whole different experience.

Having done both lines, there is one I would sail with again and again and have, and one I won't step foot on ever again, but each to their own of course;).

Are you kidding me???? Why all the hate on Disney? I have sailed Disney 5 times with my once girlfriend and now fiancé. Disney is the cruise line on the top of our list. The shows are hands down awesome, I don't even bother with shows on other lines. Castaway cay is the best cruise line island their is and my favorite destination over all. Remy and Palo are unbelievable.

 

The adult area is great as well, personally we never notice the kids more than any other line.

 

You gotta try it!!!!!!

 

 

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Got to ask, how come you got Disney cc status platinum with just 5 cruises?

Hello CC!

 

I have been thinking about taking a DCL vacation with my girlfriend. We are both in our early 20's and are first time cruisers. We are adventure seekers who also like to relax on the beach. I have heard great things about DCL and that's why I am interested. I am also a disney fan but my girlfriend is not. What do you think I should do?

Hi there,

We are in a very similar situation. I adore Disney everything and my boyfriend likes them but isn't super into it. We are both big on adventure and very active (my bf was on a provincial team for XC skiing at a time, and I have been involved in sports for as long as I can remember). We looked into going on Disney cruises but honestly as two young 20 something year olds we could not justify spending so much on one week when we have other big life purchases coming up (cars, apartments/house, a new dog,... maybe a wedding one day haha just kidding!). We thought that Disney looked really nice and like there was a lot of traditional Disney Magic interspersed throughout. But you DO pay for it all.

Since we don't have kids and we wouldn't be using any of the activities themed for kids, or the kids club etc; we didn't think that we needed to spend all that money. (From what I checked it was actually more like 3x the price the cruise we did pick making it an additional 4k CAD total).

We ended up booking with a newer Royal Caribbean ship (Oasis) which while it does not have that lovely Disney attention to detail throughout still has lots of nice finishes and options. We thought the climbing walls, surfing simulation and exercise facilities looked super awesome; and we also took a look at some of the common daily activity lists sent out on the ship and there was a ton of stuff to do. We also liked a lot of the activity related excursions (which we could add in for a small fraction of what we saved not going on Disney). We decided that it wasn't a "downgrade" so much as a different sort of cruise.

We will still be stopping off in Orlando for a few days before and after. We are definitely planning on stopping off in at least Disney Springs, and maybe a park of two depending on how tired we are!

We will definitely go on a Disney Cruise at some point in our lives but this next few years isn't it.

Sorry for so much text, just wanted to show the thinking process as I spent about a year humming and ha-ing about this. :p

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TLDR:

We are very similar to your situation and found that Disney is not right for us at this time. We are going to save our money for other life expenses and go on a newer Royal Caribbean cruise this time (with a few days before/after in the parks) and hope to do a Disney cruise in the future! Reasoning above. :)

Holland America is way worse than having kids around imo.

Coming from another couple in thieir 20's and I who absolutely need to get the best service and encounter I have for everything. I booked Celebrity last year and never looked back.

I was very nervous about the price but the food, service, and quality of the people working there was 11 out of 10. Absolutly wonderful. The cabins were also quiet at night and there were parties on the deck every night if you were interested.

I would highly recommend checking out Celebrity for first cruise. Even if it means slightly shorter you get more for your money.

You dont want to have a bad expirience for your first cruise.