Child "management" on Disney

[Shmoo here]

My experience has been the same as many others' here. I've sailed on 7 cruises on 3 different lines, and Disney has by far always done the best job of keeping the adult-only areas actually adult only. At night, in the adult hot tub, you'd never know there was a child aboard. Granted, this has always been on the Magic -- I've heard that it is a bigger issue on Dream and Fantasy, for some reason.

 

But all that being said, I do think there are times (Spring Break, Christmas, any time kids are out of school) that are going to be overrun with kids no matter what. My son & I have been sailing since he was 5, but we have always gone in early February when there are far fewer kids.

 

 

-gina-

 

The problem on the Dream & Fantasy is the layout of the adult pool area.

 

On the Magic & Wonder (as on the Dream & Fantasy) the forward elevators are forward of the adult area, so anyone using them to get to the pool deck has to walk through the adult pool area to get to the family/kids pools.

 

The difference is: on the Magic & Wonder, if you think of the pool as a circle, there are 2 rows of lounge chairs around the pool, then a railing with a walking area behind it and table and chairs around that. So you are walking through the area not in the immediate pool area. It's my understanding the walking area through the adult pool area on the Dream and Fantasy is right beside the pool (between the pool and loungers). So it's a bit more obvious when kids are walking through.

 

:)

[ducklite]

The problem on the Dream & Fantasy is the layout of the adult pool area.

 

On the Magic & Wonder (as on the Dream & Fantasy) the forward elevators are forward of the adult area, so anyone using them to get to the pool deck has to walk through the adult pool area to get to the family/kids pools.

 

The difference is: on the Magic & Wonder, if you think of the pool as a circle, there are 2 rows of lounge chairs around the pool, then a railing with a walking area behind it and table and chairs around that. So you are walking through the area not in the immediate pool area. It's my understanding the walking area through the adult pool area on the Dream and Fantasy is right beside the pool (between the pool and loungers). So it's a bit more obvious when kids are walking through.

 

:)

 

The easy fix that would eliminate the majority of "through traffic" in the Cove area would be to limit access to decks 11 and 12 from the forward elevators to those with a concierge room key to put in the access slot on the elevator. Perhaps those with spa appointments could be given a key that offered temporary access for an hour prior to their appointment time.

[TifffanyD]

We haven't cruised before but my DW is of the opinion that Disney can be a good line for people without kids because of the designated adult only areas and their excellent child "management". I'm more skeptical and inclined to think that another line like HAL or Princess might suit us better. We are a childless couple in our late 40's with limited tolerance for noisy kids. We aren't nasty, just like our peace and quiet and won't be interested in any kid focused entertainment.

 

Specifically I am thinking of the Disney repo 6 day cruise from Vancouver to LA on September 10th. Would the kid volume for that timing and itinerary be so low that it's not really a factor?

 

If you've cruised multiple lines without kids let me know whether you think Disney is good for childless, and occasionally irritable :), couples. Do their efforts to provide facilities for kids actually make them better than say NCL even when there are more kids on board?

 

Hi there! My husband and I are childless and have cruised DCL 8 times, NCL once, and Carnival once. Disney definitely has more kids but they policy the adult areas much better. Also, the adult pool areas on Disney were WAY nicer than the one on the Carnival ship. On the Carnival ship the pool was pathetic, completely smoking area, and kids were in it. On NCL I don't remember kids and the pool was ok but nothing special.

 

As for entertainment, DCL is definitely Disney so if you don't enjoy that you might not like the shows and such. But we keep coming back to Disney because of their excellent adult areas (even better on the new ships) and the service!

[Host Mick]

This seems like a good place to ask, does DCL do a good job at matching dining companions? Will they place adult couples with no children at the same tables with families or will they make up adult only tables?

 

If you think about it, there's actually six dining rotations. Three for each sitting. DCL tries to sort the rotations by the demographcs of the passengers. Families with no kids and older kids will be on one rotation i.e. in the same dining room together. The other rotation will be families with young teens and tweens and the third will the the infant and toddler families. So even without specific sorting of families at tables, there's a good chance that you'll end up with a similar family.

The people on here that are trying to optimize their Palo/Remy/Pirate Night/Formal nights by changing their rotation are risking being in an incompatible rotation.

[kstetser]

I will be taking my 10th DCL cruise in November. My husband and I cruise as a couple and also with our daughter (who is now 8) on DCL and we enjoy both experiences.

 

I have NEVER seen children in the adult pool or hot tub. Any time a family has sat in the adult area or Cove Cafe (which is rare) it has been quickly handled by a cast member.

 

The traffic pattern on the Dream/Fantasy are unfortunate and families have little choice but to walk through the adult pool deck; however, they do not linger.

 

DCL ships have many adult only areas and activities, but you should consider a few things:

1) there is no casino

2) the main shows in the theater are high quality, but geared toward children

3) there is not much "nightlife" in the clubs. It's pretty quiet at night on DCL.

4) DCL is less formal than other cruise lines. So if you like to dress up for dinner every night, this may dissapoint.

 

If you decide to cruise DCL, you should select second seating for dinner and take advantage of the adult dining (Palo/Remy) which are wonderful, only a small up charge and kid free!

 

That time in September should have relatively low kid volume since schools will just have gone back into session in the northeast.

[Shmoo here]

I will be taking my 10th DCL cruise in November. My husband and I cruise as a couple and also with our daughter (who is now 8) on DCL and we enjoy both experiences.

 

I have NEVER seen children in the adult pool or hot tub. Any time a family has sat in the adult area or Cove Cafe (which is rare) it has been quickly handled by a cast member.

 

The traffic pattern on the Dream/Fantasy are unfortunate and families have little choice but to walk through the adult pool deck; however, they do not linger.

 

DCL ships have many adult only areas and activities, but you should consider a few things:

1) there is no casino

2) the main shows in the theater are high quality, but geared toward children

3) there is not much "nightlife" in the clubs. It's pretty quiet at night on DCL.

4) DCL is less formal than other cruise lines. So if you like to dress up for dinner every night, this may dissapoint.

 

If you decide to cruise DCL, you should select second seating for dinner and take advantage of the adult dining (Palo/Remy) which are wonderful, only a small up charge and kid free!

 

That time in September should have relatively low kid volume since schools will just have gone back into session in the northeast.

 

 

I don't know about that. We've dressed up (including long gowns, with and without tiaras) for all of our DCL cruises. Now that would be on formal night. Yes, the other evenings are cruise casual. But the opportunity for dressing up is certainly there.

 

:)

[kstetser]

Oh, I agree, you can dress up as much as you want (any night) and it would be absolutely acceptable (and encouraged)! But I have not found that most folks go all out.

[gometros]

I'm not all that worried about it either way, but I don't appreciate you calling me out about it though. I know what I saw, I was there and you weren't. If you didn't see them on your cruise that's fine. I did, on more than one occasion. I don't see the Disboard as true objective resources either.

 

Sorry, but if I find a report that is so questionable, I'm going to offer those reading a counterpoint to give some balance to their perceptions. I have enough experience on DCL and with friends who have sailed DCL to call that account into question. WhIle I don't doubt what yo thought you saw, I'm just questioning the size of the fish.

[oskarNZ]

If you think about it, there's actually six dining rotations. Three for each sitting. DCL tries to sort the rotations by the demographcs of the passengers. Families with no kids and older kids will be on one rotation i.e. in the same dining room together. The other rotation will be families with young teens and tweens and the third will the the infant and toddler families. So even without specific sorting of families at tables, there's a good chance that you'll end up with a similar family.

The people on here that are trying to optimize their Palo/Remy/Pirate Night/Formal nights by changing their rotation are risking being in an incompatible rotation.

 

Very interesting. Thank you for posting this. I was reading a thread last night where people were changing their rotation like you have mentioned above, and was wondering myself if it's a good idea. I now think I will happily take whatever they give me. :)

[Donna_In_India]

We haven't cruised before but my DW is of the opinion that Disney can be a good line for people without kids because of the designated adult only areas and their excellent child "management". I'm more skeptical and inclined to think that another line like HAL or Princess might suit us better. We are a childless couple in our late 40's with limited tolerance for noisy kids. We aren't nasty, just like our peace and quiet and won't be interested in any kid focused entertainment.

 

Specifically I am thinking of the Disney repo 6 day cruise from Vancouver to LA on September 10th. Would the kid volume for that timing and itinerary be so low that it's not really a factor?

 

If you've cruised multiple lines without kids let me know whether you think Disney is good for childless, and occasionally irritable :), couples. Do their efforts to provide facilities for kids actually make them better than say NCL even when there are more kids on board?

 

On a Disney cruise you will see kids all over - by the pools, getting ice cream or pizza up on deck, on the very long lines waiting for a character photo. That's not a complaint - I think it's to be expected. Some are jumping around and some are noisy. But if as you mentioned you have little tolerance for noisy kids you might be happier on another line. One place that I thought there was an issue was in the dining rooms - in general there was a lot of noise - and worse there were kids whose parents allowed them to room around the tables (potentially dangerous!).

 

There is a lot of kid focused entertainment - you'll find more adult entertainment on another line. Sailing during the lower season(s) - as we did - may not make enough of a difference. There will still be plenty of children - both young and older school-aged children taken out of school for the cruise (to benefit lower prices offered). The only real issue I had on our cruise with noise was being woken up several times a night to a crying baby, obviously something else you have to expect as a possibility on a Disney cruise.

 

Have a great cruise whatever you decide!

[TifffanyD]

On a Disney cruise you will see kids all over - by the pools, getting ice cream or pizza up on deck, on the very long lines waiting for a character photo. That's not a complaint - I think it's to be expected. Some are jumping around and some are noisy. But if as you mentioned you have little tolerance for noisy kids you might be happier on another line. One place that I thought there was an issue was in the dining rooms - in general there was a lot of noise - and worse there were kids whose parents allowed them to room around the tables (potentially dangerous!).

 

There is a lot of kid focused entertainment - you'll find more adult entertainment on another line. Sailing during the lower season(s) - as we did - may not make enough of a difference. There will still be plenty of children - both young and older school-aged children taken out of school for the cruise (to benefit lower prices offered). The only real issue I had on our cruise with noise was being woken up several times a night to a crying baby, obviously something else you have to expect as a possibility on a Disney cruise.

 

Have a great cruise whatever you decide!

 

Hey Donna... looks like we will see you on the Fantasy in 2013!!! Coincidentally, we were also both on DCL the same week in June (although different ships).

 

I hope you enjoy the epic... we will be on the Fantasy that SAME week and were thinking about switching to the Epic either a few weeks earlier or that same week - would've been funny if we did :)

[Donna_In_India]

Hey Donna... looks like we will see you on the Fantasy in 2013!!! Coincidentally, we were also both on DCL the same week in June (although different ships).

 

I hope you enjoy the epic... we will be on the Fantasy that SAME week and were thinking about switching to the Epic either a few weeks earlier or that same week - would've been funny if we did :)

 

Yes Tiffany, but it's such a long way off!! I am really looking forward to the Fantasy (we got such a great deal when we booked while on the Magic!). We'll be spending 6 days prior at WDW and I just booked the hotel this week. Have to wait such a long time to book the dining though!!

 

I'm also looking forward to the Epic - have not been on NCL and the dining options work well for us - and I'm really curious to just how big a ship it is!

[TifffanyD]

Yes Tiffany, but it's such a long way off!! I am really looking forward to the Fantasy (we got such a great deal when we booked while on the Magic!). We'll be spending 6 days prior at WDW and I just booked the hotel this week. Have to wait such a long time to book the dining though!!

 

I'm also looking forward to the Epic - have not been on NCL and the dining options work well for us - and I'm really curious to just how big a ship it is!

 

It is definitely bigger than the Magic!!! It's close in size to the fantasy and dream... so if you have any idea on how big they are. However, it seems bigger since there is more adult spaces (ie casino)! Blue Man Group is AWESOME as is second city and howl at the moon! The cirque dinner show was ok - but we had bad seats and bad tablemates so it could be better! Besides cirque, the only extra dining we tried was the noodle bar. It was good but I remember they were out of something I really wanted. Since it was freestyle dining I think we did a lot of the pub and the buffet. I know we did the manhattam room once (didn't like it) and taste a couple times... but I'm not sure we even ate all meals at regular times :). Oh, I miss that ship!

 

The one bad thing about the Epic is that it only had fore and aft stairs... none in the middle! Our room was in the middle so we had a long down the hall to the stairs each time. Really weird they did this - since even on smaller ships the 3 staircases are very useful!

 

Where are yous taying prior to the Fantasy cruise?? We will be on the cruise right before that one - doing our first Back to Back!

[Donna_In_India]

It is definitely bigger than the Magic!!! It's close in size to the fantasy and dream... so if you have any idea on how big they are. However, it seems bigger since there is more adult spaces (ie casino)! Blue Man Group is AWESOME as is second city and howl at the moon! The cirque dinner show was ok - but we had bad seats and bad tablemates so it could be better! Besides cirque, the only extra dining we tried was the noodle bar. It was good but I remember they were out of something I really wanted. Since it was freestyle dining I think we did a lot of the pub and the buffet. I know we did the manhattam room once (didn't like it) and taste a couple times... but I'm not sure we even ate all meals at regular times :). Oh, I miss that ship!

 

The one bad thing about the Epic is that it only had fore and aft stairs... none in the middle! Our room was in the middle so we had a long down the hall to the stairs each time. Really weird they did this - since even on smaller ships the 3 staircases are very useful!

 

Where are yous taying prior to the Fantasy cruise?? We will be on the cruise right before that one - doing our first Back to Back!

 

I've been wanting to see BMG forever so excited about that. May or may not do Cirque - not a huge fan. Did hear about the stairs (ugh!) but at least we'll get some exercise!

 

We're staying at the Art of Animation - wasn't even something I considered but it's getting such great reviews that I have to check it out. We've stayed at most of the Disney properties over the years but in recent years have rented a house for our group - lots of bedrooms, private pool, game room, and our own movie theater - can't beat that!

 

Have fun on your B2B. We did one a couple of years ago and had a great time. Just prior to our Epic cruise, we'll be checking out the Breeze so sort of a B2B just on different cruise lines!

[TifffanyD]

I've been wanting to see BMG forever so excited about that. May or may not do Cirque - not a huge fan. Did hear about the stairs (ugh!) but at least we'll get some exercise!

 

We're staying at the Art of Animation - wasn't even something I considered but it's getting such great reviews that I have to check it out. We've stayed at most of the Disney properties over the years but in recent years have rented a house for our group - lots of bedrooms, private pool, game room, and our own movie theater - can't beat that!

 

Have fun on your B2B. We did one a couple of years ago and had a great time. Just prior to our Epic cruise, we'll be checking out the Breeze so sort of a B2B just on different cruise lines!

 

We saw BMG on the very first night and the show was half empty. I heard (and figured out) after that that you can do standby for any show - and the first night for BMG will usually get in. So if you wanted to see them twice you could book for later in the trip and try standby for night 1.

 

I'll be interested to know if they "updated" the show to inclide iphone stuff (saw they did that with the Universal Orlando one).

 

AoA looks SO cool!!! If I wasn't already on a cruise I would be asking if we could come over and peek around! :)

 

The B2B on different cruise lines sounds fun - that might be something I'd try in the future! :) However, I love the idea of having the same room both weeks and not having to pack/unpack. :)