For years, Disney meant family vacations filled with laughter, planning spreadsheets, and the joyful chaos of traveling with our girls. But this time, Don and I stepped aboard the Disney Destiny in a completely different season of life, our Wander Years. No matching park outfits, no racing to character meet-and-greets… just the two of us, rediscovering what travel feels like when the pace slows and the purpose shifts. This voyage wasn’t about recreating the past, it was about continuing the magic in a new way, proving that Disney cruising isn’t just for families with little kids. Sometimes, it’s exactly what two retired educators need to reconnect, recharge, and dream about what’s next.
We have been going to Disney World since 2006, and cruising with Disney since 2008. Below are some Disney cruise memories from many years past! The girls are now 23 and 25!
Yes, I might consider myself a Disney adult for a few different reasons. I appreciate the atmosphere, the joy and the ability to surround yourself with magic. We honestly thought our first trip in July, 2006 to Disney World was going to be our one and only...the trip of a lifetime. I never thought it would be twenty years later and I'm still going to Disney and Don and I are going on a Disney Cruise on our own, without our girls!
Our four night adventure was amazing! We still found the magic, enjoyed the atmosphere and were filled with joy for the whole adventure.
Why Disney… Without the Kids?
Many people believe Disney is for kids. Disney is stressful. Disney is too overwhelming. Then...there is that population of people that LOVE Disney and want to experience it as much as possible. I think I fall in the middle somewhere and Don might also be in the middle and not feel the need to return as much as I do.
The best part of Disney Cruises is the high quality and the service. Many people have shared that they couldn't do a Disney cruise, because it's too much Disney. Nope! You could truly take a Disney cruise and never see a character! You could go on a Disney cruise and not be surrounded by children. The joy of a Disney cruise is that there are dedicated spaces for adults only and they truly keep them adults only!
We have taken 5 Disney cruises with the girls, starting when they were 6 and 8, and the last family cruise was when they were 14 and 16. So, it's been ten years and when I presented this idea to Don as a cruise without the girls...just us, he didn't hesitate and I began planning for our adventure on the Disney Destiny, the newest cruise ship that started sailing in November, 2025. I was excited for it to be just us, able to freely explore the adults only areas and have no pressure to hurry for a character meet and greet (well, there were 2 that we did get in line for!).
I am so excited about this next chapter and dreaming about vacations that we can enjoy as a couple, while also continuing to dream about and design those vacations that include the girls. This was a vacation that was just us!!
So, why this specific cruise? I was excited when I learned about the Destiny and thought it would fit perfectly for our first "adult cruise." The theming was Heroes and Villains, and the adults only areas included the Haunted Mansion Parlor, The Sanctum, Cask and Cannon, De Vil's...wondering what those are? Stay tuned!
Let's board the plane and travel to Florida, stay overnight in Fort Lauderdale and then board the Destiny for a four night adventure!
Our Overnight in Fort Lauderdale
We stayed at The Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa. It was included as a Disney partner resort for this cruise, which means that we would have transportation from the resort to the cruise part as part of our package if we wanted it included.
When you include Disney transport with your package, that means that you will be one of the first boarding groups on the ship. We love that because you can get on around 11:30ish and your cruise starts, even if sail away wasn't until about 4:00 pm.
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| Leaving the "snowcrete" behind and heading to 70 degree weather. |
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| it's not snowing anymore!! |
This resort is beautiful and right on the beach. I had been here before for an LCPS conference, and was so excited to share it with Don. Our night was wonderful and we woke up ready to board the ship!
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| ready to board the bus to the port |
It was our turn to board. We were boarding group 3 and boarded at 11:45, the first sight you see is the Grand Hall of the ship. The Grand Hall on the Destiny is beautiful!
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| Marvel Minnie was waving to guests as we entered. |
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| first stop was heading to Merceline Market for the lunch buffet |
Let the all inclusive food and beverages begin!! The beauty of Disney Cruises is that ALL food is included, including unlimited room service. They have 24 hour soda/coffee/hot chocolate/water stations, and unlimited ice cream available. In the restaurants, you can order 2 or 3 appetizers, multiple main courses and of course if you can't decide on a dessert, of course you can try many of them.
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| free gifts in our stateroom for being frequent Disney cruisers |
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| our stateroom, with a balcony/verandah |
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| ready for our first night at sea |
Let's explore the Adult's Only lounges...some of these lounges/bars are open during the day and kids can enter, and then they switch to adults only in the evenings.
The Haunted Mansion Parlor
I was so excited to see this area, and it didn't disappoint. The theming was spot on, and the drinks and whole experience was amazing.
De Vil's
This lounge is themed after Cruella De Vil and 101 Dalmatians...she is considered the villain and everything is polka dot and very fun.
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| we returned another night for a piano show that was fantastic |
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| black/white for a snack |
Cask and Cannon
This is a Pirates of the Caribbean themed bar that is also like a sports bar. It has multiple TVs that are playing different live sporting events. The Super Bowl was going to be shown in here on Sunday.
This is where we went when our second beach day was cancelled due to big waves and high winds. They were offering "arts and crafts" for adults only. It was fun! No kids running around, just adults enjoying each others company and coloring! :)
Rotational Dining
One of the things that I like best about Disney cruises is the dining. Each ship has 3 restaurants and you are assigned to a table on the first night with a server and a head server. The next night you will be at the second restaurant with the same serving team, the third night...a different restaurant with the same serving team.
Because the servers follow you, you are able to get to know them, they know your drink choices and any preferences that you have. On cruises longer than 3 nights you will repeat some of the restaurants with different menus and different themed nights. Your servers will be with you for the entire cruise!
Our first restaurant was Worlds of Marvel.
We returned to Pride Lands for night 3, which was Pirate Night!
Entertainment
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| the Sail Away party is always fun. This time we watched from the deck above...less kids! |
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| This was a fun event. Anyone could dress as Cruella and "walk the runway," Cruella De Vil made an appearance and judged the outfits. |
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| There is a Walt Disney Theatre on every ship and this is where they perform their Broadway style shows and also show first run movies |
I mentioned that we didn't really do the character meet and greets, except for these 3. Interactions with Chip and Dale are always fun. Don didn't want to miss the opportunity to meet Chewbacca and Rey. It also gave us the opportunity to see the KIDS ONLY area on the ship. This meet and greet with Chewy was in the Star Wars Docking Bay in the kids club. We also accidentally ran into Donald Duck on the pool deck. He was just wandering around with his handler and we stopped to talk with him. :)
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| Don told Donald that they both were named Donald, they both had red shirts and the difference was that Donald didn't have any pants on...Donald thought that was hilarious!! |
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| Don took one for the team and was "voluntold" to be a participant in this quick game show. We won't talk about the robot dance! |
Our day at Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point
Lookout Cay is Disney's newest private island space. It is part of the Bahamas island, Eleuthra. After what looks like a long walk, really not that bad, we enjoyed this beautiful island for the day. The water was too cold for swimming and we enjoyed the food, the beautiful views and the warm weather! We spent the day at the adults only area of the beach and it was serene, and wonderful!
The Artwork and Theming Around the Destiny
I took some time to wander the ship and appreciate all of the artwork and theming. Yes, it's all Disney and it's not "in your face" Disney! :) It is beautiful and easy to walk by if you are not interested. I love the emphasis on the Villains and Heroes! This is definitely different from the other ships that we've been on that are very princess and Disney Fab 5 oriented.
Super Bowl at Sea
It was really fun to experience the Super Bowl this year with lots of other fans at sea. It was played on the big Funnel Vision screen on the pool deck and also in Cask and Cannon. You could also watch it on your stateroom TV if you wanted to. It looks fairly empty here, and by halftime every chair was full and they were bringing out extra chairs.
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| If you look at this picture, under the big screen is an elevated space and that is where there were MANY kids running around. It was actually fun to watch the kids having a good time, while the parents are watching the game. |
Around the Ship
Even the elevators were themed and beautiful! You can see that we took advantage of the opportunity for elevator selfies many times during our cruise! :)
Disney Cruise Line can be incredible for couples or multigenerational travelers — it’s not just about characters; it’s about storytelling, service, and ease. And that is why we returned for a couples only cruise with Disney Cruise line!
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| no filter needed! |
Dream → Design → Depart
I've realized that the way I vacation now hasn't changed much from how we vacationed as a family with little children. I still dream about the vacation and why I want to go, what it might look like and how I want to feel on vacation.
I then spend time designing the vacation. Designing a Wander Years vacation might look different than designing a family vacation with young kids, and the concepts are all still the same...
- an itinerary that everyone will enjoy
- activities that have something for everyone (Chewy meet and greet, De Vil Runway show)
- lots of compromise and flexibility
- a budget that is carefully constructed
We then depart with intention, knowing what we want and how we want to feel.
This vacation continues to remind us just how important it is to step away from the normal rhythms of life and choose time together, time to reconnect, reflect, and simply be present. This cruise showed us that travel doesn’t stop evolving just because our kids are grown, it deepens. The Disney Destiny wasn’t about reliving old memories; it was about creating new ones that reflect who we are today.
