AAA Carolinas Go Magazine....

DISNEY CRUISE LINE WITHOUT KIDS NOT A GOOFY IDEA

First and foremost, we love to cruise.

Secondly, we don’t have kids. So the reactions of most people when we told them we were taking a Disney cruise without kids were, as expected, less than enthusiastic. However, we already knew better.

A friend had told us about Barb and Tony Nefer, a kidless couple with more than 40 Disney cruises in the past seven years.

“We have always been Disney fans, which is what tempted us into trying our first cruise,” says Barb. “We had never sailed before and my husband didn’t really want to try it, but the Disney brand name won him over. Now we stick with Disney because we love the attention to detail, the delicious meals at Palo, the larger staterooms, and--most of all--the adults-only areas.”

 EASTERN CARIBBEAN

With that ringing endorsement, we booked a seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruise aboard the Disney Magic. The 2,600-passenger Magic is one of two ships in the Disney fleet, with only minor differences from her sister ship, Disney Wonder.

Both ships are based in Port Canaveral less than an hour from Orlando (except in 2005 in which one ship is based on the West coast in celebration of Disneyland's 50th birthday). Disney bus transportation whisks many passengers to the port, but parking ($10.00 per day) is also an option.

One of the beauties of a Disney ship for those without kids is that the cabins were built with cruising families in mind. Thus, a majority of the “standard” cabins are larger (an average of 25%) than those on most other ships. About 75% of all cabins are outside and 44% of those have a balcony. In addition, most of the cabins feature an industry first--a 1 1/2-bath configuration (toilet and shower/bath, plus a separate sink and toilet).

A majority of the cabins are “Deluxe Staterooms with Verandah,” featuring between 268 and 304 square feet of space (not including the balcony) and can sleep anywhere from one to five people--so two have lots of space.

ADULTS ONLY

An adults-only pool area called Quiet Cove, with two whirlpool jets and an open-air bar is just one of the enhancements.  Another adult-only spot is Cove Cafe, adjacent to Quiet Cove, which offers a place to relax over gourmet coffees, specialty drinks, and lighter fare, with books, Internet access (for a fee) and television.

Castaway Cay, Disney’s Bahamian island, has a secluded mile-long “quiet” beach for adults that features a separate bar, grilled lunch, and open-air massages in private beach cabanas overlooking the sea. The ship also offers many “Disney Entertaining” and “Behind the Scenes” educational programs that are generally limited to passengers 18 and over (we loved the cooking classes).

Dining was also a pleasant surprise, though our experience with “upscale” dining at Walt Disney World should have prepared us. We found the unique “rotation” dining scheme a refreshing change and an interesting combination of the traditional two-seating dining schedule and more recent flexible dining options. Passengers rotate between three themed restaurants, while their service staff follows them throughout the cruise. This makes for continuity in service, while offering some variation in evening dining experiences.

PALO

While the cuisine was quite creative and varied in these three restaurants, it was our experience at Palo that will serve as a tasty reminder of our Disney cruise. Palo, an intimate adults-only specialty restaurant serves northern Italian cuisine nightly, as well as a champagne brunch and traditional high tea on sea days. Situated high atop the ship, this restaurant features sweeping views, a romantic atmosphere, and one of the finest specialty dining room experiences we’ve ever enjoyed at sea.

We considered the $10 per person additional charge well worth it and met many others traveling with and without kids who agreed.

The champagne brunch offered on sea days at Palo also costs $10 per person and, again, we considered this charge well worth it. The traditional high tea ($5), which is also offered on sea days, featured a choise of teas, light sandwiches, scones with cream and jams, and other sweet treats.

EATING OPTIONS

Besides Palo and the three dining rooms in the rotation, other options include: Topsider Buffet (called Beach Blanket Buffet on the Wonder); Pluto’s Dog House (hot dogs and burgers); Pinocchio’s Pizzeria; and Scoops (ice cream, fresh fruit, and sandwich wraps). Of course, these more casual options do come with lots of kids.

For more information, call your local AAA service office, visit www.disneycruise.com, or call (888) DCL-2500.