It was nearly dinnertime on the 4,000-guest Disney Dream ocean liner and my buddy and I, on the way to eat yet another four-course meal, noticed a commotion in the elegant atrium lobby.
Little girls of all ages and sizes, dressed in their Disney princess gowns and clutching their autograph books, squealed and dragged their moms toward a lineup of their favorite Disney princesses come to life. Yep, there was Cinderella with her trademark blue gown, hip little Belle in yellow and dreamy Ariel in the colors of the ocean. As sweet as they were pretty, the princesses signed books and gave out hugs.
We grinned.
If only there’d been an autograph session for Tarzan – he of the ripped abs, loincloth and slick aerial moves on stage during last night’s show – we’d have been there, we agreed. OK, so it’s not THAT kind of cruise.
But one-on-ones with Tarzan notwithstanding, Disney Cruise Line has created a line of ships that offer about as much fun and activity for adults as they do for youngsters.
For example, Robert Driskill was on his third Disney cruise in less than a year. The first time he brought his child, but he thought the service, food and amenities so fine that he brought his fiancée, Julie, back for a cruise in the fall. Here it was March, and the 30-something couple from Fredonia, Ky., were back for their honeymoon.
“We’re Disney nuts, anyway – just a couple of big kids,” he grinned, adding that the children’s shipboard programs were so good at keeping the kids busy that he “didn’t see them all that much.” His favorite treat? “A big, tasty steak sandwich brought to my room at 1 a.m.,” he said.
Also cruising sans kids were Myra Wright and husband Darrell Goins of Charlotte, who were celebrating their upcoming 17th anniversary with a romantic dinner at Palo, the upscale Northern Italian alternative restaurant for adults only (think the best chocolate soufflé you’ve ever had). “The kids [ages 13, 11 and 5] were not entirely happy about this but they were OK when we told them we’d treat them later in the year to a trip to Disney World. In other words, we bribed them,” Wright said.
Interested in seeing for ourselves what two single women could enjoy on the art-deco-themed Dream, launched in 2011, we started with one of our favorite pastimes – sunning on the deck. It was impossible to miss the four-deck high, 765 feet long AquaDuck Water Coaster, which Disney touts as the industry’s first shipboard water coaster. Big and little kids alike traversed the upper decks of the ship on the flume ride with its twists, turns, uphill acceleration, drops and river rapids, while other youngsters multi-tasked, swimming while watching Disney cartoons on the big poolside screen.
We pushed on to Quiet Cove, where we’d been promised an adults-only sunning area, complete with padded deck chairs and our own pool, coffee shop and bar. There we spent a couple of relaxing hours as the Dream sailed on a three-night cruise from Port Canaveral from Nassau toward its private island in the Bahamas, Castaway Cay.
In the afternoons on the ship, adults entertained themselves by working out in the fitness center, watching a first-run Disney film (“Need for Speed”) in the large movie theater, enjoying a couple’s massage in Senses Spa’s private outdoor verandahs, attending a cooking demonstration, playing jackpot bingo, shopping for Disney souvenirs or participating in a martini tasting.
In the evenings, many children, full of tales of their day’s activities in the Disney clubs, joined their families for dinner. And whether you’re old, young, middleaged, single, paired off or something else, the word was out: you didn’t want to miss the Disney production shows in the Walt Disney Theatre.
Viewing the Disney shows, which included “Villains,” featuring bad girls like Cruella De Vil and bad guys like Captain Hook, and “Believe,” a heart-tugging original piece, is like seeing a Broadway musical every evening. Unlike the high-school-musical feel of many ship production shows, Disney’s, touting both top talent and mind-blowing special effects, are the best at sea.
With the night still young, we escaped to The District, an adults-only entertainment area with five unique venues, including the Skyline bar, with a backdrop that rotates views of your favorite cities’ skylines; Pink cocktail bar, which features Disney’s own brand of pink champagne and is the locale of the Singles Mingles sessions; and the District Lounge with its live music and dance floor.
The next morning, excitement built as we flowed off the ship onto the special landing – eliminating the need to tender – to Disney’s Castaway Cay, a 1,000-acre island complete with post office and first aid center and manned year-round by 100 Disney staff members. Who wouldn’t want to live here? After all, the so-called Disney “Imagineers” have thought of everything: guests can fly high above the island on a parasail adventure, snorkel in a 12-acre lagoon dotted with sunken treasures including a statue of a certain famous mouse, bicycle around the island, swim with Southern Stingrays or rent paddleboats, sea kayaks, sailboats and stand-up paddle boards. Adults haven’t been forgotten on Castaway Cay. Located almost a mile from the main family beach, Serenity Bay is an adults-only stretch of white sandy beach where guests can sun, nap in the two-person hammocks dotting the beach or have a massage in a private cabana overlooking the turquoise waters. Nearby are a luncheon buffet and Castaway Air Bar. After you’ve eaten, sunned and napped, there’s a handy tram to take you back to the ship. Convinced that an adult sailing single on a Disney ship can be thoroughly entertained and pampered, I talked with shipboard staff about the multigenerational appeal of the cruises. “Since we started in 1998, we’re now seeing the next generation of families coming to sail. We have a high repeaters’ rate and lots of adults – even grandparents – sailing without children. It’s a true testament to the brand and the people – all 63 nationalities on board – who serve it,” said cruise director Christian Abbott.
Even though we stopped short of standing in the long lines to get our photos taken with Mickey, Minnie or Donald, we still had enough big kid in us to find the “wow factor” on Mickey’s Pirates of the Caribbean night when passengers of all ages, most garbed in their piratical best, gathered on the upper decks to gasp at the impressive Buccaneer Blast Fireworks ordered by none other than Captain Mouse himself.
If you’re going: Disney’s four ships – the Magic, the Wonder, the Dream and the Fantasy – sail itineraries ranging from 3-, 4-, 5-, and 7-night Caribbean cruises to 7- to 14-night cruises of Europe, the Mediterranean, Alaska and, starting in 2015, Norway and Northern Europe. For details, check out http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/.
Note: The Dream and her newer sister, the Disney Fantasy, launched in 2012, have a stateroom set-up that is different from most cruise ships. The beds cannot be separated into two twin beds. That means if you’re sailing with a buddy or someone you don’t sleep with, somebody will have to take the sofa bed. The split bath and a half almost makes up for that since it enables two adults to get ready for dinner at the same time.
