Disney Cruise Line vacations are one of my favorite ways to travel. I’ve been on ten sailings with Disney and have been lucky enough to cruise on all six ships in the current fleet. Disney is known for its family-friendly cruises where kids are allowed to be almost anywhere. But there are some secluded spots on Disney’s cruise ships where children are strictly not allowed.
If you’re sailing with kids, the line’s kids clubs (the Oceaneer Club, Edge, and Vibe) are available on every ship. The clubs for kids ages 3 to 17 are a fun place for them to hang out under supervision while you enjoy some adults-only experiences. But with so many adult-centric spaces and activities onboard and on land, you may consider booking a Disney Cruise without kids. I’ve never sailed Disney Cruise Line with kids and I always have a blast. Here are my favorite things to do and places to be on a Disney Cruise for adults.
Indulge in a spa day at Senses Spa and Salon
The spa is a quiet oasis on every Disney cruise ship. It’s where you can truly sit back and relax without a care in the world. DCL’s Senses Spa and Salon offers everything from couples massages to facials and body wraps.
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One of my favorite hidden gems of the spa is the Rainforest Room. This area is available in every Senses Spa fleet-wide. You can book a pass for the day or for the length of your cruise. I always book a length-of-cruise pass because it allows me to come and go from the spa at my leisure. I’ve found that I go for at least an hour every day of the sailing, even on port days. Passes fill up quickly, so try to get to the spa the moment you get onto the ship to ensure you get the pass you want.
The Rainforest Room features a series of showers with different water pressure, temperature, and lighting effects, plus sound and smell to give you the sense of being in an actual rainforest. There are also saunas and heated tile loungers. On the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, the Rainforest Room is fully enclosed with no view of the ocean. On the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, the space has a wall of windows that look out to the ocean near the heated loungers, plus two dipping pools. If you’re sailing on the Disney Wish or Disney Treasure, the Rainforest Room also has a private outdoor space with hot tubs, swings, and loungers—and an ice room so you can feel like Elsa singing “Let It Go.”
Enjoy an adult-exclusive dining experience
If you’re 18 or older and looking to get away from the main dining rooms for a date night or other special occasion, you can make a reservation at one of the four adult-exclusive dining options on your Disney Cruise ship.
Palo
On the Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, and Disney Fantasy, Palo specializes in Northern Italian dishes. Dinner at Palo is a treat for pasta lovers, with dishes like potato gnocchi, penne arrabbiata, and butternut agnolotti.
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My favorite meal at Palo is brunch, which is an impressive a la carte menu where you can order as much as you want. Highlights of the meal for me include the wood-fired pizzas, house-made lasagna, and chicken parmesan. Just save room for dessert, where the chocolate and limoncello cakes are not to be missed. Brunch is typically served on sea days so plan accordingly. On shorter three-night sailings on the Disney Wish, you can also enjoy brunch for the Nassau port day. You can book brunch through the Disney Cruise Line app before your sailing. If you can’t book prior to sailing, head straight to the restaurant when you get onto the ship to see if there’s availability.
Remy
Remy is the second adults-only dining option on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. The French restaurant is inspired by the movie Ratatouille. It features a menu created by Arnaud Lallement, of the three Michelin-starred restaurant, L’Assiette Champenoise outside of Reims, France, and Chef Scott Hunnel from Walt Disney World’s Michelin-starred Victoria and Albert’s restaurant. After dining here on a recent cruise, I can say that Remy is worth the cost.
Dinner starts out with a complimentary champagne cocktail called “Collette” after the female chef in Ratatouille. The restaurant has a seasonally rotating menu with ingredients from around the world. Adventurous eaters will be delighted to sample things they may not have tried before. Remy also offers a five-course dessert experience and a champagne brunch on sailings that are four nights or longer.
On the Disney Wish and Disney Treasure
If you’re sailing on the Disney Wish or Disney Treasure, book Enchanté by Chef Arnaud Lallement, inspired by the Disney animated movie Beauty and the Beast. The French-inspired menu is a feast for the senses. If you can’t get in for dinner, you can also try booking the prix-fixe lunch.
Alternatively, on the Disney Wish and Disney Treasure, you can try Palo Steakhouse, a new take on Disney’s signature adults-only Italian Restaurant Palo. Inside the steakhouse, you can choose from incredible Italian dishes and prime cuts of steak, including Japanese Miyazaki beef. Palo Steakhouse also offers a decadent brunch menu similar to the one on the classic four ships.
Some of the family-friendly rotational dining restaurants on the Disney Wish and Disney Treasure are perfectly suited to adult sensibilities as well. The dining room in 1923 serves up sensational California-inspired dishes in an elegant atmosphere. On the Disney Treasure adults will love Plaza de Coco, where the story of Pixar’s animated hit Coco comes to life. I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s one of the best dining experiences on any Disney cruise ship.
Bar-hop during the day or at night
Craft cocktail fans, be sure to take time to try out all of the bars on Disney Cruise Line. Each bar has a fun theme and is family-friendly during the day. After dark each space is adults-only. Each ship also hosts a variety of daytime cocktail classes that you can book. The classes are a great way to try a few drinks and learn a bit about bartending.
Disney Magic Bars
One of the newest spaces on the Disney Magic is Soul Cat Lounge, themed after the New York City jazz club from the Disney movie Soul. Inside, live music plays and there’s a small dance floor for those who want to feel the rhythm. The bar is known for its city-inspired cocktails like Manhattans and martinis.
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Other bars on the Disney Magic include Fathoms, for adults-only games and activities at night; a piano bar called Keys; and O’Gills Pub, where sports play during the day and beer and Irish whisky are served late into the night.
Disney Wonder Bars
If you’re sailing on the Disney Wonder then you’re privy to four adult-exclusive bars once the sun goes down. The French Quarter Lounge is themed after The Princess and The Frog and has a fun Mardi Gras vibe. The Crown and Fin Pub is where you should go for live sports and live music. For drinks with a show, head to the Cadillac Lounge, where you can sip on cocktails while singing along to iconic songs played by a live pianist. Azure is where most of the fun takes place each night. Think game shows and dancing into the wee hours of the morning.
Disney Dream Bars
The Disney Dream is my favorite classic ship and is perfect for adults. The ship has an entire adults-only bar area called The District, where there are five lounges and nightclubs: Pub 687, Skyline District Lounge, Evolution, and Pink: Wine and Champagne Bar. Skyline is my top pick because every few minutes the large “window” shows off a new city like New York, Hong Kong, and London.
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If I really want to get away from everything, I head up to Meridian. This is the adults-only bar between Remy and Palo. Craft cocktails and a great view of the ocean wake are always on deck. There are also two outdoor patios on either side of the bar where you can enjoy your drink.
Disney Fantasy Bars
Similar to the Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy has an enclosed adults-only district with multiple bars and lounges. During the day, this space hosts family-friendly trivia and games, but at night the crew monitors for kids running around. The Disney Fantasy also features Meridian, so be sure to check it out between Palo and Remy.
Disney Wish Bars
The Disney Wish doesn’t have all of its adults-only bars clustered together like the other four Disney Cruise Line ships. But that doesn’t mean it’s any less fun to bar-hop. Keg and Compass is the sports bar and The Bayou is known for live music. Star Wars fans will love Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge, where intergalactic drinks and otherworldly oddities are enjoyed. My favorite bar on the Disney Wish is Nightingale’s, which is themed after Cinderella. It hosts nightly piano sing-a-longs and has drinks to please just about everyone in your family.
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Disney Treasure Bars
If you want to plan a fun bar crawl after the kids have exited, start at Haunted Mansion Parlor on the Disney Treasure. The space feels like it’s been plucked right out of the iconic attraction. Then head next door to Skipper Society for a libation paired with corny jokes and live music. Round out the evening with a stop at Scat Cat Lounge, which is my favorite of the new bars on the Disney Treasure. The piano bar has a live musician every evening and delicious drinks, including one topped with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Additionally, Periscope Pub welcomes guests into the world of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea as the onboard sports bar serving a wide range of beers and for-cost entrees and snacks.
Take a dip in one of the adult pools
Each of the Disney cruise ships has an adults-only pool area. On the Disney Wish and Disney Treasure, the adults-only area features an infinity pool and two smaller water sitting areas. On the Disney Dream and Fantasy, the Quiet Cove Pool is a large pool with a swim-up bar and a whirlpool spa; there’s also a separate wading pool where adults can enjoy the water, sunshine, and sounds of the ocean going by on deck 13. If you’re sailing on the Disney Magic or Disney Wonder, the Quiet Cove Pool has a large pool plus two whirlpool spas.
Join an adults-only port adventure
You’re in luck if you plan on getting off of the cruise ship at any of its ports of call because there are some adult-only port adventures (what Disney calls excursions) to try. For example, in Antigua, you can take a three-and-a-half-hour tour of the island where you’ll see local villages and the only working Georgian dockyard in the world, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Alaska, you can take a ride through Victoria, British Columbia, to see the Empress Hotel, Antique Row, and more, plus enjoy afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel.
Serenity Bay at Castaway Cay
If your cruise includes a stop at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, you can take the tram over to Serenity Bay. This adults-only beach has everything for a perfect beach day, from chairs and umbrellas to hammocks and a bar. Serenity Bay is also home to its own BBQ lunch spot, so you don’t have to walk to Cookies (on the kid-friendly side of the island) to have a meal.
Relax at Serenity Bay at Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point
Disney’s newest island destination is Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. The tropical oasis features plenty of family-friendly beaches and fun, but there’s also an adults-only beach perfect for those 18 and older. Serenity Bay at Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point overlooks the crystal clear waters of the ocean and is just steps away from an adults-only beach BBQ lunch spot and a few bars. This is the spot to be if you want a child-free beach day in a way only Disney can do.
