susislicker wrote:
What about Disney Cruises? Is there enough space to have quiet time without children underfoot ALLthe time. I like to watch the little one's faces light up when they see a new thing or character, but not all the time. I know there is an adult pool, because I read a thread on another board where the poster was ANGRY that her little darling got kicked out of the adult pool and was told to go to the children's pool. What is the age limit? Do tweens and teens hang out at the adult pool on board? And I know there are adult eating places only, like Palo. So that is good. I want to take a cruise and am not sure a Disney Cruise would be right for us. We love Disney though and want the magic of that, but want the peace of a quiet cruise, sitting on a deck chair reading and napping, eating wonferful fruits and vegetables at meals and quiet moonlit walks! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh....romance! But I would also like to see Mickey and Minnie and the gang and have fun with on board pin trading, sooooooo what do you suggest?
SuziDoozy, if you are interested in cruising, you MUST take a Disney cruise!! My DH and I are not big gamblers, and we're not big drinkers, and we love Disney, so I checked into the Disney Cruise Line (DCL). We are past middle aged with no kids and we now LOVE Disney cruising!
Our first cruise was January 2007, a 4-day Bahama cruise on the Wonder. We were able to get one of the secret porthole rooms (outside stateroom with partially blocked porthole view, for the price of an inside stateroom). There are only 6 on the whole ship. Anyway, those rooms are on Deck 5, where many of the kids' activities take place, and it was actually very quiet and not at all crowded, in fact we rarely saw children in our area. They have their own facilities where they can spend hours being entertained by CMs so the parents can have plenty of free time. Some parents have a hard time getting their kids to come OUT of the kids' areas, they are having such great fun. They also have areas just for teens, too.
In the evenings they have character meet and greets in the ship's lobby and there are always lots of children present for that, but we like to hang over the balcony and take pictures of the characters so we always stop by to see who's there.
For our evening restaurant meals, we were assigned to a table with 2 couples with a single child each, and another couple. If you should wind up with too many kids at your table for your tolerance level (or if they are brats), you can request a different table assignment. You can also request an adults only table when you make your reservation.
Our second cruise was 6-9 December 2007 and it was just as wonderful. We've eaten at Palo, the adults only restaurant, enjoyed the adults only pool (age 18 and above, and if a youngster is there being a pest, a word to a CM will rectify that problem), taken a behind-the-scenes tour of the ship, visited the spa (I think it's adults only, too), played bingo, sung karaoke, played Disney trivia, visited the adults only lounges and clubs, watched stage shows and Disney movies in the theater and on the giant outdoor movie screen, and generally had a wonderful time. You would love Deck 4, where the comfy lounge chairs are lined up for napping, reading, or just enjoying the sunset or ocean breezes. We rarely saw kids there.
You can send for a free DCL video from Disney, and they will also mention the adults only entertainment, even though the video seems more geared toward kids. Disney's private island, Castaway Cay, even has an adult beach (Serenity Bay) that is peaceful and kid-free. Talk about Shangri-La, aaaahhhhhh.
As you can tell, we are sold on Disney cruising. Because cruising is not as physically stressful as visiting the parks, you don't have the kiddy melt-downs or screaming/crying kids like you might encounter at WDW, but you still have all the Disney magic.
I could go on and on, like you do about trains, but if you want more info PM me. Speaking of trains, I love trains, too. When we have a north wind we can hear the whistle as the train passes through town. Such a lonely but romantic sound, isn't it?
My brother and I hopped an Amtrak from Vancouver, Washington, out to The Dalles in the Columbia River Gorge and back for a day trip, which was fun. Some day, when we're not surrounded by critters to take care of, we'd like to do some train traveling and see some more of our big beautiful country.
Since then I always check my bananas for spiders. :D:
