Disney Cruise Line’s enviable kid clout

By Tom Stieghorst

Almost without exception, you can tell which cruise lines are serious about attracting families by whether there are animated characters prowling the pool deck.

Whether it is Smurfs, Cinderella, Kung-Fu Panda or SpongeBob SquarePants, they generally signify which lines have a year-round business attracting kids and which don’t.

Some lines make no claim to providing characters or attracting children, including Oceania Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises and, soon, Viking Ocean Cruises.  Others don’t do a lot of family business during the school year, often because of longer itineraries.

Of the lines that do provide characters, one stands above the rest. Disney Cruise Line’s advantage is almost unfair, its roster of characters so deep and historic, that if characters are a primary consideration, it has to be tops on the list.

And the line isn’t content to rest on its laurels. Its animation factory just keeps turning out the hits.

On Sunday night, Disney took home an Oscar for its movie “Big Hero 6,” featuring Marvel Comics superheroes, who are also present on Disney Cruise Line ships. That comes on top of last year’s Oscar for “Frozen,” the top-grossing animated movie of all time.

“Big Hero 6” topped DreamWorks Studios’ entrant in the Oscars derby, “How To Train Your Dragon 2.” DreamWorks characters such as Shrek are exclusive to Royal Caribbean International ships.

Of course, popular films emerge from other studios besides Disney. The DreamWorks stable includes notable franchises such as Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar. 

But Disney’s four ships have so many characters to pick from. This summer it will feature characters from “Frozen” on cruises to Norway and Iceland. Next year it will have “Star Wars Day at Sea” on eight selected sailings, featuring characters from the Star Wars movies.

The ownership of Disney Cruise Line by entertainment powerhouse Walt Disney Co., of course, gives it access to these properties. And it kind of puts the success of the cruise industry in perspective. When you ask which cruise company has the biggest investor value, it isn’t Carnival Corp, valued at $34 billion. It is Walt Disney, valued at $178 billion. 

22 Tips for Finding Peace & Quiet at Sea

22 Tips for Finding Peace & Quiet at Sea

Ah, the cruise life. Imagine a blissful week away from the daily stresses and drudgery, complete with a soak in the hot tub, leisurely dinners full of genteel conversation and some quiet reading -- or snoozing -- in the sun. That is, until a gang of rug rats swamps the hot tub, whines through dinner and comes careening around the sun deck, all high-pitched shrieks and spraying water.

Like it or not, the mainstream cruise lines have gone family-friendly. This is a boon for parents and multi-generational groups looking for trips with something for everyone. It's less appealing for couples and groups of adult friends who aren't won over by wee travellers ... or parents hoping desperately for some time to themselves while the grandparents stay home with the kids. Although cruise lines do their best to occupy the under-18's with kitted-out kids' clubs and dawn-till-dusk activities (not to mention late-night parties and baby-sitting), kids have been known to run free on ships, hanging out in stairwells, incessantly riding the elevators and generally annoying their elder shipmates.

If you don't want to put up with wayward whipper snappers on your cruise, you don't have to. Many cruises sail entirely kid-free or with a minimal number of well-behaved tykes. The key is picking ships and itineraries with reduced family appeal. The following cruise types are tops for sailing without the brat pack on-board -- plus we have a few tips for avoiding children when you don't want to give up your mainstream, peak-season sailing.

Cruising with kids? See our Family Cruises section for the best cruises for babies, kids and teens.

Luxury Ships
The intimate ships of high-end lines like Silversea Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, SeaDream Yacht Club and Regent Seven Seas Cruises (or luxury-lite lines, such as Oceania Cruises,Windstar Cruises and Azamara) are refined, dignified and geared to adults. They're also among the industry's most expensive lines. Those factors combined mean you'll find few kids on-board. While some luxury ships offer the occasional children's program during holiday periods, the vessels won't be overrun with under-18's, and those who do go tend to be well-behaved, well-travelled tykes and teens (possibly accompanied by nannies to keep them in check).

Small Cruise Ships
Some premium lines (Holland America, Princess Cruises) keep a few older vessels around that are smaller and attract a more senior passenger base. That's primarily because kids' facilities are limited on those vessels, and the ships sail longer, more exotic itineraries. Think Holland America's Rotterdam and Prinsendam (pictured), and Princess Cruises'Pacific Princess and Ocean Princess. If you're a devotee of these lines, you'll get to pick up your loyalty points and still sneak in a kid-free cruise every now and then. (Even Holland America's larger ships are mid-sized in an industry of behemoths and tend to appeal to a more mature clientèle, especially on non-holiday dates.)

Riverboats
A schedule of culturally focused walking tours in historic cities and a lack of mega-ship amenities (production shows, youth lounges, etc.) tend to keep river cruises kid-free. (In fact, some middle-aged travellers claim they're not old enough for river cruises either -- but that's another story.) The exceptions are family-focused theme sailings, which usually take place during the summer. But on average, you can take your pick from the rivers of Europe, America, Egypt and Asia, and enjoy local wines and scenic cruising in an appropriately sedate atmosphere.

True Adults-Only Ships
Your safest bet is to cruise on a ship that doesn't allow any children onboard at all. Yes, they do exist, but there aren't too many. P&O Cruises, a British line, keeps three ships -- Arcadia, Adonia andOriana -- as adults-only. You must be 50+ to sail with Grand Circle Small Ship Cruises or the U.K.-based Saga Holidays (though travel companions can be as young as 40). Voyages to Antiquitycruises are deemed "unsuitable for children under the age of 12," and children younger than 16 are dissuaded from cruising. You may also find lifestyle-based, full-ship charters that are kid-free (such as cruises for nudists or gay couples).

Exotic Itineraries
Kids can certainly be world travelers, but generally speaking, the more exotic the itinerary, the fewer families it will attract. Try cruises to the Far East,South Pacific (Bora Bora pictured), South America(excepting roundtrip Brazil immersion cruises),Africa, the Arctic and Antarctica, and you'll typically find more adult-oriented environments. Even lines that ordinarily attract families will have fewer on these sailings.

Longer 

Cruises

Families tend to take week long or shorter cruises. Choose a longer itinerary, and you're pretty much guaranteed to be sailing with fewer kids. If you're set on the Caribbean, choose a 10-night or longer itinerary, particularly those that include a full or partial Panama Canal transit. For Hawaii, skip the round trip Honolulu itineraries, and opt for the two-week round trips out of Southern California. Lengthy repositioning cruises, grand voyages and world cruise segments have a good shot at being kid-free, as well.


School-Term Sailings
Many parents are loath to take their kids out of school for a vacation. Book your cruise during the school term, and you'll definitely see a dip in the number of youngsters on-board. While a Carnival or Royal Caribbean cruise to the Caribbean will always feature children on-board, non-holiday sailings probably will have fewer and feel less overrun with kids. Or combine a term-time trip with some of the above categories (say, a long sailing to an exotic destination on a more adult-friendly line), and you'll greatly reduce your chances of fighting for control of the elevators and hot tubs with the under-18 set. And if you just have to sail that mega-ship during the summer ...

Upgrade to a Kid-Free Haven
You can employ certain tricks to avoid junior cruisers on a mainstream, peak-season sailing ... but it probably will cost you. Book a suite with a large balcony and maybe even a whirlpool tub to reduce your time spent on public sun decks and in public lounges. Some ship-within-a-ship complexes on lines like Norwegian (pictured) and MSC Cruises even come with exclusive pools, gyms, restaurants and lounges. (Though, beware, some families do frequent these top digs.) Choose the late dinner seating or, better yet, dine in speciality venues (the later the better) to dodge dining with the knee-biters. At the very least, try to book a verandah cabin for some outdoor privacy, and take advantage of room service. And whatever you do, avoid the buffet at rush hour.

Yacht Club, infinity pool among MSC Divina's stand out features

By Tom Stieghorst

ON BOARD THE MSC DIVINA — With the introduction of the Divina, MSC Cruises continues its steady progress toward creating a cruise brand that Americans can embrace.

The MSC Divina, a 3,502-passenger ship, has checked all the boxes that apply to the large-ship category, from adults-only areas to kids’ facilities, specialty dining areas and varied entertainment.

Plus, there are a few features on MSC Divina that should help it stand out from the crowd.

Its infinity pool on Deck 15 aft is one of the first applications of that resort standby to show up at sea.

The ship’s Formula One auto-racing simulator generated buzz among passengers on a three-night preview cruise from Miami.

And the MSC Yacht Club gives the ship a toehold in the upper-premium segment.

The Yacht Club is MSC’s version of a special-access premium section, first rendered by Norwegian Cruise Line with its Haven area.

On the Divina, it includes 69 cabins and suites, each measuring 295 to 562 square feet; a 30-seat private restaurant, Le Muse; a 141-seat lounge; and a separate pool, pool bar and concierge desk.

The color scheme for the Yacht Club was brown, beige and rust, one of two palates that describe most areas on the ship. The other scheme is black, white, gray, silver and red, with a bias toward smooth, reflective surfaces. Both seem a little dark for a ship that will be doing year-round, seven-night Caribbean itineraries.
But Rick Sasso, president of MSC Cruises USA, said color schemes are “always a matter of taste. We tend to focus on the tones that blend everywhere, so you don’t have dramatic differences.”

More than colors, Sasso said he obsesses about service, which in the past has been panned by some American guests as underwhelming. The Italian staff on Divina is joined by the typical international crew complement hailing from Indonesia to South Africa.

There was general agreement among those onboard that MSC has made strides with the Divina. Kris Kerns, a CruiseOne agent from Palm Harbor, Fla., said she liked the food, and that the buffet restaurants Calumet and Manitou are notably spacious.

The Eataly on the Divina is a fraction of the size of the extravaganzas in New York and Chicago, but it nevertheless offers a selection of genuine Italian goods in a market nook and scrumptious dishes in the restaurant.

The “Pirates” evening show in the main theater was a fast-paced mix of acrobatics, juggling, contortion, tumbling, magic tricks, and gymnastics.

A collection of 84 giant black-and-white prints of the Italian celebrity scene of the 1950s, including such cinema notables as Brigitte Bardot and Marcello Mastroianni, decorates the ship and gives its Italian theme a nice boost.