the ultimate disney cruise review and tips: for adults

Here’s an interesting fact about Disney cruises: many adults opt to go without kids.

Before our trip last week, I didn’t get it. I mean, doesn’t it cater to kids? Is it relaxing with all the kids around, even if they aren’t your kids?

Not surprisingly, Disney lives up to the hype. Along the same lines of things I shared in my Disney cruise post for families earlier this week, there are so many benefits to choosing a Disney cruise for your vacation – kids or no kids.

About Our Trip

We sailed on the Disney Fantasy, the newest of Disney’s cruise ships (for now). Ours was a 7-day cruise through the Caribbean, with stops at Tortola, St. Thomas, and Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas.

Planning and Packing

Like I mention in my families post, make sure you join the Facebook cruise for your specific cruise date. I have no idea who puts these together, but the groups are full of kind, helpful cruisers who give excellent tips and answer your questions.

Also, sign up for events as soon as they become available online. They fill up fast. For the adults, this includes excursions, spa packages, special meals, and mixology or tasting classes.

To bring:
- Your own water bottle and hot/cold reusable cup for re-filling at the (free) drink fountains.
- A lanyard with a business card holder, a clutch, or a crossbody bag, to make your “Key to the World” room card handy and accessible. My crossbody bag was a lifesaver.
- As recommended by my Facebook group (and I can verify their usefulness): Poopouri and dollar store tea lights (for a night light in the bathrooms instead of the usual bright lights – light switches are on the outside, so bothering your cruise buddy is inevitable).
- Extra cash for tips, especially if you want to take advantage of room service (free, but tipping is encouraged) and bars (alcohol, non-alcoholic juice mixes, and smoothies are a separate charge).
Don’t necessarily bring:
- Extra storage for the rooms. Some recommend extra hooks and storage units, but we didn’t find a need for those. The stateroom is spacious and comes with a lot of built-in storage space, cabinets, shelves, and hooks.
- Shampoo and conditioner. I really liked the H2O products provided by Disney, and didn’t end up using the products I brought with me. They had big bottles they refilled (rather than the sample sizes), so there was plenty to last all week.
- Towels – there are more than enough, in staterooms, on deck, and to take to the beaches.
- A hair dryer – one is provided.
Dinner theme nights include the following: a pirate night, a formal night, a couple semi-formal nights, and some just casual or whatever you’d like. Make sure to pack accordingly!

Staterooms

Ours was a deluxe family stateroom with a verandah. It was definitely spacious, as compared to my previous stateroom on another cruise line. We had four people in our room (two adults plus two kids), and had plenty of space.

This room has a queen bed, a couch sitting area that doubles as a bed, and also a pull-down bunk. It has a plenty of shelves, a long desk area with a mirror and drawers, more drawers, two large closets with some shelving, space under the bed for luggage, and a split bathroom (toilet and sink in one room, sink and tub in the other room).

Lastly, I loved being on the 10th floor. We were one floor below the pool deck, as well as the buffet, an a la carte area, and the fountain drinks. (Further from the atrium lobby and the restaurants, which isn’t a huge deal.)

There is a tidy up service in the morning, and a turndown service in the evening. Our stateroom hostess Carol was awesome!
As you enter, just next to the door is a slot to put your room key. This is used to control the light switches. But you don’t have to use your room key – use any card with a magnetic strip, and leave it in there the whole time, so you’re not forgetting your room key as you leave.
Above the light switch is the thermostat. The middle three were enough to keep our cabin comfortable.
The room has a TV, which includes almost Disney’s whole catalog of movies (It’s tempting to just sit in your room and watch movies the whole time. I wouldn’t blame you for it.)

The Ship

The Fantasy has an art deco theme, which I loved. So many details and gorgeous design, reminiscent of the ’20s.

There is SO MUCH TO DO. For all ages. All kinds of activities, plus things you can do at your own pace. Fill your schedule as little or as much as you want.

The ship is incredibly clean, and constantly attended-to. There are many bathrooms and places to sit.

Some of the top activity options for adults: cooking demonstrations, exercise classes, adults-only trivia and game shows, all-ages crafts, music performances, variety acts, and dance clubs.
The ship is incredibly accessible and disability friendly. Although we did not experience this personally in our party, many people in the Facebook group commented on the attention to those with disabilities, the accommodating staterooms, and the helpful staff. One gentleman even commented that he felt the staff was incredibly inclusive and did not treat his needs as problems.
Everything is so efficient. Food appears on your table before you even notice it, cabins change quickly twice a day, and messes and problems see resolve so quickly. A wine glass broke at dinner one night, and it was handled so quickly and gracefully, it was like magic.
There is not a constant up-sell. Sure, they advertise here and there. But unlike another cruise I was on, they aren’t barraging you with “buy now! Great deals!” all the time.
It’s definitely a Disney cruise. Expect characters in the halls, music over the loudspeakers, movies and shows reflecting the theme. For me, it was enjoyable because of childhood memories, without being overwhelming, but it might not be your cup of tea.

The Crew

The cast and crew of the ship is fantastic. Service is impeccable. Their attention to detail, kindness and affability, helpfulness, and efficiency are what makes Disney stand apart.

They have a magical (and slightly surprising) way of recognizing you and remembering your name. They also are always willing to stop and help with whatever you need.

Meal Times

I was oh so happy with the food. It’s delicious. There are higher-end dining restaurants at an extra cost, but we got such great food at the included restaurants that I couldn’t imagine doing anything different. To give you an idea, some of the menu items include lobster, steak, sushi, tiramisu, creme brûlée…

There are three main restaurants on the 2nd and 3rd levels, two specialty (extra fee) restaurants, and a large buffet plus three a la carte windows on the pool deck. Fountain drinks and coffee are available midship on the pool deck, and ice cream forward on the pool deck.

There are also a number of adult-only bars and a few cafes.

There are two dining times – 5:45 and 8:30. With kids, we opted for the earlier, but it might be more fun to do later without littles.
I definitely recommend your own cups and water bottles, again. You can refill them at the fountain drink stations (just don’t touch the cup to the dispenser nozzle).
Your dinner servers stay with you all week, and learn your preferences. Our servers, Ashley and Adi, were fantastic.
Every night’s menu is different and comes with enough options for you to pick something you’ll really enjoy. Order whatever you want, in whatever combination. Some days I ate a full four-course meal; others I went lighter and ordered a few of the smaller plates.
You can eat at the restaurants anytime for breakfast or lunch, all included. We often opted to visit the buffet for lunch, but eating at the restaurant felt like a special treat any day.

Entertainment

There was a range of entertainment available on the boat, for a lot of different tastes.

I loved the live music played in the atrium before dinner. The musicians were talented, and it made for a great atmosphere. The same musicians often performed in the bars later at night.
As an adult, I wasn’t so impressed with the live shows. They typically have more Broadway-style shows, like Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, which I would love, but they weren’t available on this trip. Instead it was cheesier storylines (reminiscent of Disney Channel Original Movies) with Disney songs intertwined. (My kids loved them, though.)
There’s a movie theatre on board that shows recent releases – so cool! We got to see Captain Marvel and Dumbo on board.
One night is Pirate night, complete with an on-deck dance party (that caters more to kids), and a late-night pirate show, with fireworks. The fireworks are stunning. Afterwards, hit Cabanas for a giant pirate buffet, with giant turkey legs, carved watermelon, and desserts.

Pools

There are two main pools midship on deck 11. I didn’t see a lot of adults in there, unless they were with kids. There were a lot of families in this area, and I’m not sure I would have spent a lot of time there if I didn’t have my kids with me.

There’s also two adult-only pools, including a semiprivate adult pool and hot tub area forward on deck 11 (an entrance to the forward part of the ship and elevators usually means traffic with kids going through here and there). The other is a more private adult pool aft on deck 12. Both have bars in the vicinity, and comfy seating.

There seems to always be seat availability on the adult decks. So while you can opt to go early to get your seats, I never had a problem coming later in the day. With the main pools, there were a lot more people saving seats (even though technically you’re not supposed to).
Again, there are plenty of towels on board, so you don’t need to bring any.
There’s a giant screen midship on deck 11 (where the main pools are) to watch Disney movies, if that’s your jam. We enjoyed grabbing a couple seats in the shade and watching the current feature.
Get up early when you can. The ship is so peaceful in the mornings, few kids running around, and you can watch the sun rise. I liked to get up, grab my cup of coffee, and read or walk around the ship, enjoying the quiet.
Ride the Aquaduck! It’s a waterslide that’s not just for kids. You can ride it by yourself or with someone else. It starts at 9 and ends at 11, and those are the best times to ride with a minimal wait.

Other Notes

Definitely download DCL’s Navigator app. You can use it to text the other members of your party, view the ship activity schedule, save interesting activities, view ship maps, and get reminders.
Laundry costs about $7 a load ($3 for each cycle, $1 for detergent or other laundry care items). The Navigator app alerts you to when it’s done, but you may want to set a timer. All the info is provided in the laundry area, and there’s one or two per deck.
Spa experiences have specials every day – check the Navigator app to see.
The medical area is on the first floor, and has specific hours (if not an emergency). First aid supplies are complimentary, but you may want to bring medicines like Tylenol or Dramamine. Other items have an individual cost.
It’s clear that Disney is serious about minimizing their impact on the environment. Very little plastic is available on the ship unless it’s reusable. This does include paper straws, though, so if you prefer, you might want to bring your own reusable version.

With the excellent service, friendly staff, clean ship, and delicious food, it would be worth it to go and enjoy it without kids, in my opinion. But I’m glad we got to experience it as a family, too.

Anyone else out there have an adult-only perspective of a Disney Cruise? What are your tips?