I just didn't like the cruise.

[dbkelly]

Just back from the 4 day Wonder and I don't think I would ever do it again under the same circumstances. For everyone who said you can barely feel the ship move, I would like to know how many drinks you had on the ship. Actually, only the first night was terrible. We were rocking back and forth so much that you had to hold on to railings and walls to walk around the ship. Fortunately, known of us got sick because of the Bonine and Dramamine. Although, the Dramamine knocked my son out cold at 8:00 pm for the night. The next morning we were in Nassau and we went over to Atlantis. I booked a room at the resort so we could use the pools. The resort was wonderful, but I am not sure if it was worth $340. We got our taste of Nassau when we went for a taxi. All the taxi drivers try to hail you down as soon as you get off the ship. We went to the first gentlemen and he said $4 per person and please wait to the side while I get more people. He was working with another female who was also hailing down people. I asked her, how many people is she looking for and she said at least 10. I then asked her what type of vehicle could hold 10 people and she said a large van. The van was very small and they squeezed 15 of us. People were on top of people and none of the seat belts worked. I complained about the seat belts and she said don't worry there not mandatory. I told her I did not care if they were mandatory and she looked at me like I was crazy. I think that was the most dangerous situation I ever put my children in. The day at Castaway Cay was very nice, but hot with very little shade. Everyone was pretty cranky by 2:00 pm, because the sun was so hot. The island is very pretty were Disney made changes, but the rest of the island is ugly! The next day was the day at sea and that was the most disappointing day. The pools were so crowded that it was a major safety problem. Children were on top of each other and they could barely move. I could not find a chair to save my life and I could barely walk around deck 9 to just watch my children. The worst of it all was all the unsupervised children. One 3 year old boy slapped my 4 year old daughter for no reason at all. I interveened when he tried to do it again and I kept looking for a parent to approach me, but no one claimed the child. Parents let their children run around the ship until very late at night. I saw 7 and 8 year olds on the elevators by themselves at 10:30 at night! Family parties would not start until 10 pm at night! My children are in bed at that time. We let them go up one night until 10:30 and they had fun, but they were tired. I felt that a lot, but not all, of the parents went on the cruise just to unload their children. We take vacations just to purposely spend more time with the children. The food was good, but not excellent. The servers were wonderful, they were the best part of the trip. I just wish the cruise was a lot more relaxing and a lot less crowded. I will take a week at OKW or BWV any day over a cruise. Although, I did not like the cruise, I am glad I did it. I don't want to deter anyone from taking the cruise. Everyone should try it at least once.

[dbkelly]

I forgot to say that I thought the shows were wonderful. I went to Disney Dreams twice!.

[rtraub]

We were on the Magic in August with DS 3 1/2 and DS 17 months at the time. It seemed like a majority of parents checked their parental responsibility upon boarding. Kids running all over unsupervised. We had my baby DS in mickey's ears, a big 8 inches of water and there were 12 year olds jumping in and out of it!!! The CMs did NOTHING. I do not enjoy yelling at other peoples children but it was getting dangerous. Mickey's ears are designed for the little ones....the older kids had plenty of other options. Some kids behaved like animals. They were belly flopping into the mickey pool ( a big 2 feet of water). The CMs did NOTHING. I'm not even sure why CMs were at the Mickey pool as they do NOTHING. As a former lifeguard, I know how dangerous that could be in such shallow water. I suppose Disney might do something when someone cracks their skull on the bottom of the pool doing this.

We did enjoying cruising as a family vacation but are looking into another line. I would also cruise when school is in session to cut down on the number of older kids on board. By the way what does OKW or BWV stand for???

[disneyholic family]

oh oh...that was a disheartening post....

[mom2tiggers]

I loved the cruise, but agree with some of your points. There were a lot of loose children & the parties were too late. My kids have to go to bed on time or they are soooo crabby.

I also agree about the movement of the ship. I remember reading how you hardly feel the boat move because of the stabilizers & that was soooo wrong. I was amazed how much I felt it - but the ocean is an enormous thing compared to a cruise ship. I took all types of drugs - dramamine, bonine, etc & just felt miserable the first day & half. I found myself crabbing & not enjoying the cruise at first. I thought the wristbands had to be a joke because in my head it made no sense. However, I was desperate to try anything & the CM told me they'd refund my money if they didn't work. I kid you not, they started working within 15 minutes & seasickness was never an issue with me again. We had very high seas at the end of the cruise & I felt nothing in the way of sickness. It was very hard to walk though the halls because of people were bouncing off each other though.

[disneyholic family]

OKW is Old Key West
BWV is Boardwalk Villas
both are disney vacation club properties..
both are lovely, though we prefer OKW (very quiet and off the beaten path....and it's nice being able to drive up to the door of your room....also the CMs are extraordinarily friendly at OKW....)

as for the cruise....this post is upsetting me....
i wonder if it's as bad with teenagers...
we're doing this cruise at the insistance of the kids....15 and 17....
they won't be going near the swimming pool so those problems won't be an issue....but i wonder if we'll be bothered by all the unsupervised kids....
i REALLY hate other people's kids (especially on vacation...and especially when parents stop parenting....and disciplining...)..
i wonder if i wouldn't be better off putting all those thousands of dollars into a pile and setting them on fire...

[wsurrettema]

Hi All,

I just returned from the 7 day Magic Cruise (April 13-20) and while I enjoyed many aspects of the cruise, the pools on board were not one of them. They were absolutely atrocious. They were unbelievably crowded and there was no control whatsoever about what kids did. Running, jumping, roughhousing... and never did I see a crewmember intervene.

The water in the Mickey pool always looked disgusting. Cloudy with lots of "stuff" floating around in it (there *is* a picture of Mickey on the bottom, right??... you certainly couldn't see it clearly). The Pluto pool was somewhat cleaner, though equally crowded. I cannot for the life of me, though, figure out why the pool was designed the way it was. First, it's too small. Second, the sides of the pool are too high so that if you're sitting at one of the (way too few) poolside chairs, you cannot see your kids in the pool. The design of the adult pool was quite nice... larger and no high sides... and of course, the water was nicer since there was never any more than 4 or 5 adults in the pool the whole cruise.

Some of the problems can be attributed to the fact that this was a prime week for school vacations and I suspect the number of kids on board were inordinately high. Is there any way to find out how many kids were on board?

Anyhow, the pools were the most disappointing thing about the whole cruise. How a ship that is specifically designed for families and kids can fall so short in this area is beyond me.

Next time... it certainly won't be disney.

Cheers...

Walter

[KAR3600]

I think it is VERY SAD that parents either don't want to or don't know how to control their children!!!!. They either leave the repondsiblity of teaching manners to others (i.e. teachers, counslors, etc) They are just to busy to be bothered, or they feel they deserve a "break" and shouldn't have to deal with them........I quess it's a question of being repondsible for your actions, which theses days everyone tries to get out of, it always someone elses fault. I truly hope my cruise will be more "civil"......

[wsurrettema]

Well, I was only going to post about the pools in this thread, but I also agree about the lack of parental responsibilty on the cruise as well. We saw many, many kids and teenagers running rampant on the ship. Some as young as 7 or 8.

The most appalling display was at the kids club. One woman literally had to peel her screaming child off of her to put him into the kids club. She then high tailed it out of there while the child was hysterical for at least another 15 minutes (it could have been longer, as I had checked my kids in and left). I spoke to the CM about it and she told me that it happens quite often... the parents just dump the kids in the club and go do their own thing.

As it turns out, my kids (7 and 9) were totally bored with the clubs and only went there once or twice for very short periods of time... which was fine with us, as they spent the time with us instead.

Cheers....

Walter

[jennifersmith23]

One thing to remember though is that this is true of ANY vacation. I have been on numerous vacations where children were aloud to run around hotels without supervision. Disney World is almost as bad. Last time I went to Disney, I was run in to by more kids than I can count. I agree with these posters 110%...Parents, pay more attention to your kids while on vacation.

I am pretty laid back though. Something like this would not ruin my vacation. I am sorry you had a bad experiance. Wish us future cruisers better luck dbkelly...

Thanks,

[disneyholic family]

boy is this making me nervous....
the first negative posts i've seen about the disney cruises...
i wonder how the other cruise lines are...

the pools are irrelevant for us....we have year round access to swimming (outdoors and indoors) so we're not planning on swimming on the ships.....just at atlantis and castaway cay.....

maybe i should try that cruise line with the money back guarantee....i think carnival....

[prymsu]

In January on the seven day, I found a little boy (guessing about 5 years old) crying in the hall. He couldn't find his room or his parents. He was very upset. It took about a half an hour, but I finally was able to help him find his room. Now i have a nine year old son, and i keep a really close eye on him. I guess that is just the worry wart in me. It does bother me that little kids are running around, not so much because they bother me, but because of safety issues. Who is to say that someone wouldn't do something inappropriate when the opportunity is available. I know people don't like to think that something bad will happen, but you never know.

Just my two cents...

[Michelle]

Disneyholic family, please don't let one post upset you. For everyone unhappy with a vacation there are many more who enjoyed it immensely. That's not to say that dbkelly did not have valid concerns; but I think you'll find that the vast majority of people enjoy the cruise very much. And as dbkelly said:

Although, I did not like the cruise, I am glad I did it. I don't want to deter anyone from taking the cruise. Everyone should try it at least once.

Go and judge for yourself! :)

[shirley 38]

We were on the Magic 7 day cruise from April 6th to the 13th.
We had very bad weather. Seas of 20 feet and Gale force winds of 60 miles an hour.
So I cannot make any kind of comment about the pools as you really could not use them.
It was like a wave pool. The Adult pool was fine and that is where we stayed and we could stand the waves in fact it was kind of fun.
My biggest and only disappointment was Cast Away Key. It was very bland hardly any trees. I thought it was going to be like a tropical island. No shade unless you were lucky enough to get an unbrella. Which I might say there were not enough of.
For people who had young children I thing some kind of cover is very important.
Please Plant some Palm trees and make it look like an island. It is just one big long sandy beech.

[pal2pluto]

It seems as though most of what dbkelly brought up was not necessarily the fault of disney, and something that would have been experienced on any cruise....ie: rough seas, Nassau taxi cabs, heat on CC (although there are palm trees in some areas on the beach, this is a beach), lack of parental supervison over kids. The pools, however, is something that Disney could in the future modify on future ships, but for now, I believe they have standard sized pools for the time the ships were built. Perhaps the newer ships have larger pools, I don't know. The CM's not enforcing rules.....could be changed and done better.....and the food, well, that's a huge post in and of itself. I've heard "McDonalds is better" to "fabulous dinners".
Dbkelly, I am sorry you did not have a better time on your vacation. And I appreciate your comment that you weren't trying to deter anyone else from taking the cruise. But I don't know if another cruiseline would have handled these items any differently.

[goofysgal]

I was on this same cruise. From what I determined there were a lot of kids on school break from the northeast; there were lots of families from MA, CT, & NY on the ship. Their spring break was coordinated with Patriot's Day. The ship was full. My son (11) only went to the pool twice -- almost immediately after boarding and Tuesday evening. We had no problem locating chairs either time. He spent Sunday evening, part of Monday and all day Tuesday in the Lab while we visited Atlantis--we had to beg him to leave. He did not go back on Wednesday or Thursday though.
I agree that there were way to many unsupervised pre-teens roaming the boat. It seemed that once they figured out they could sign in & out of club on their own they preferred to roam the ship on their own unsupervised. DCL should reconsider the sign-in/sign out age.

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I was so worried that dbkelly was going to get "slammed" for being critical. The issues she raised are very much mine. I agreed to go on the cruise reluctantly, since we have to go during Feb. break next year, and I get SOOOO TIRED of the problems with other people's kids! This isn't Disney's fault, but you'd think the CM's would do soemthing, especially due to the safety issue. DH and I are EMT's, this is one of our sticking points. An added "bonus" for us is, we're travelling with family members...they're the ones who "had" to try the cruise, and also "had" to go during Feb. break. Naturally, they're also the ones who believe discipline is a 4-letter word (but you knew that, didn't you?). I'm trying to get into the swing of going on this cruise--reading these boards has helped, tons of info, but it's good to hear soemone who had a not-so-good time, to keep expectations on track. I think the lack of parental discipline is all over, but if you're a parent who makes half an effort, you don't see it as much because the choices you make minimize your exposure (i.e., who your kids friends are, etc.), but then you're thrown into a situation like this, and it hits you again. Every summer, we go to Sesame Place (outside Philadelphia)--intended as a water/ride place geared for young kids. The pools are ~1 foot deep max. Well, there are screaming hoardes of teenagers and preteens, running through the water, splashing, trampling, etc.--my kids love it, so we go back, but between the water and the crowds, as a parent, you can't blink! So, I'll consider that my "dry run" for the cruise. What a shame that it has to be like that! Thanks for listening. :)

[CarsonsMom]

It just breaks my heart hearing about children crying for being left at the clubs. Those poor kids. I would never do that to my son on what is supposed to be a family vacation.

Sorry that you didn't have a good time. I went in October with my husband and loved it and we are going back in 3 weeks with my son. I just know we will have a blast.

In October, there was only one day where the sea was a little rough. Not much Disney can do about that. We just pray for good weather!

I can't wait to take my son, but I won't leave him in the clubs if he doesn't want to be there and he will be closely supervised by me at the pools. I agree with you all about kids just running around unsupervised. Guess some parents just don't care.

[HelenC]

To all those getting nervous about all these negative posts...relax and notice that there are very few threads like this one (in fact, this is the first one I've seen that has been so bad).

On our last cruise, we went with a group of 12 people varying in ages from 1.5 years old to 40 years old.......we ALL enjoyed ourselves immensely......which is why we are going again on May 4th.

Boy, by reading all these comments you'd think that DCL attracted the most unruley families and had complete control of the weather and seas! You have to remember that most people have much less tolerance for 'other peoples kids' and and some people feel compelled to 'critique' anything they've paid so much money for.

Go and enjoy! Most people do.....

[MikeBW]

I was on the 4/14 Wonder and it was rough going on Sunday. I was sick and had to go to bed at 7:30 PM (I was lying there and the closet doors were opening and closing with the ship movements). My daughter was sick at dinner and slept in my wife's arms. She took benadryl and rebounded in time for the Hercules show - Dad was out. I don't usually get motion sickness (I did the Hulk roller coaster on Friday at IoA - and loved it!).
The pools were definitely crowded on the sea day. My kids had fun though and I didn't notice any problems.
Other parents told me of some troubles with rude kids in the Oceaneer's Club. My kids went for about 3 hrs over 3 days and they did not report any problems. It just might be the luck of the draw when doing certain activities.

[SC Minnie]

We sailed in Jan on the 7 day. Took DD7 out of school for 4 days. The ship was about 80% full. I did notice a lot of people but I didn't notice the large number of unruly kids that some of the other people mention- there are going to be some there are going to be some no matter what. I think since we sailed at an off peak time there were less kids than normal. No matter were you go with that many people in a confined space and on vacation some loose their manners.

We usually sat in the chairs on deck 10- never had a problem finding empty chairs up there. DD wasn't thrilled about the pools because of the large number of kids in the pools but she can swim in a pool at home. She did enjoy going down the Mickey slide and there was never more that a 5 minute wait.

As far as the motion of the ship- DH and DD had no problem at all. We went with the natural remedy and started taking ginger a week before the cruise. I am sure this helped. I felt the motion more when we were near the windows. If I looked out it was even worse. After Tuesday I was fine though. It was not so bad that I never want to cruise again. We are sailing again in October.

If you vacation anywhere- cruise, WDW, ect- at peak times when everyone else is off- like Easter, Christmas, summer break- you are going to experience larger crowds thus more of a chance that you will see bad behavior from kids and adults.

[infobahn]

There is a lot on ANY vacation you can't control. I'd also like to state that it is NOT the CMs job to supervise children in the pools, that is the parents. They even state that in a number of places.

As for the pool size, you will find that pool sizes have not, and will not change over time. The very nature of putting a body of water on a ship is and feat. Water has a weight to it, and sloshing around, has some effect on the ship and deck. The Magic/Wonder ARE new ships, and you aren't going to find much of a difference in pool sizes on other ships, either.

At least Disney has places for children to go, some of the other cruise lines either don't have kids clubs, or they can't handle the laod Disney's can.

The problem with children is a parent's responsibility, not Disney.

We had a great time, and while we saw our share of crying children, we knew they weren't ours, and did know the deeper issues that child may have. I'm a big guy, and when children would go racing around the ship and run into me, I would let them bounce off. All it takes is to run into me once, and they walk the rest of the time. I help them up, and DON'T lower a shoulder, but realize I can't get out of their way and just brace.

[Doctor P]

I am really very sorry that dbkelly did not have a good time on the cruise. No matter what the reason, it is not pleasant to not have a good time on a vacation. On the other hand, unfortunately many of the problems and issues were not within Disney's control. Others are no unique to the Disney Cruise Line from what I have heard. That doesn't make things better, but it does make for more realistic expectations and understanding when one just gets "dealt a bad hand" on some things.

[andicat]

I am concerned about sea sickness so I have to ask. Where was your cabin located? Were you way far forward?

My first cruise will be later this year but I decided I want to be mid-ship or aft on deck 7 with a verandah. People I've talked to seem to have better luck with the sea sickness issue in those locations.

[liza]

OK, I'm sure I'll get blasted for this, but I have to ask: What is so wrong with "unsupervised" children being on the Disney ship? Aside from safety concerns, and aside from a child actually misbehaving (and "misbehaving" is NOT the same as "unsupervised"), what is the problem with a child simply being on her or her own?

For example, there was a criticism about unsupervised children being on an elevator at 10:30 at night. Well, my recollection from our cruise is that due to some time changes, 10:30 p.m. is actually 8:30 p.m. for some cruisers, depending on where they live. If a child goes to see a movie and then returns to the room, he/she may be on an elevator at 10:30 at night. What is so wrong about that?

Now, my children were too young to go anywhere on their own during our cruise, so we were with them, and besides, we are pretty strict on behavior. Also, we didn't use the pools, as they were too small and crowded (and I didn't want to even THINK about what was in the water) and we preferred the beaches on St. John, etc. And maybe we were just lucky, but we didn't witness many problems with other peoples' children. I've been reading the posts and cannot figure out what is so bad about a child being somewhere on the ship on her/her own, assuming the child is old enough, there are no safety concerns and the child is NOT misbehaving. When my children are old enough, I would certainly allow them to go see a movie or go to an appropriate activity, check in with me before and after, etc. What is wrong with that?

[BigMac]

I was on the April 7 Wonder Cruise. It was my first cruise. In your defense, I was also surprised by the rocking of the ship. I have read several of the links that say you can not feel the ship move because of the stabilizers. Well, that first night, I was more scared than seasick by the rocking motion and my closet doors kept opening and closing. After talking with friends who have been on cruises in the past (Royal C., Carnival, etc.) they all talk about how you can't even tell the ship is moving.

I wonder if people just tell first time cruisers that so they won't be deterred? By all means, I know it was not Disney's fault regarding the seas and weather. But it is the ocean, isn't it always windy? Should I have been realistic?

I was a little shocked to find the pools so small. I thought they would be bigger. We didn't utilize the pools much because of the shore excursions. (But even after reading the posts that the pools were crowded, I wish I would have stayed on the ship and enjoyed all of the things it had to offer) My 3 year old missed a lot of the character greetings, etc. I don't understand how parents can leave their children unsupervised. It takes only seconds for something to happen. I wouldn't want to take that chance.

I do want to take another Disney Cruise. I did have fun. I think my second cruise will be even better, because as helpful as these boards are, (I read them religiously for months!) I would do things a lot differently. I would definitely stay on the ship more and not do so many shore excursions. My 3 year old missed pictures with Cinderella and Snow White and she was upset. The Navigator's don't list which characters are at what greetings so, unfortunately, we missed out.

Here's hoping to $saving$ up and catching a good deal so my family can go again soon.

Thanks for your post. Everyone's opinion counts. That's what these boards are for.

[My~Rumbly~Tumbly]

If my children were behaving teenagers, I *might* let them go to movies, etc. unsupervised. But I would NEVER let my young children freely roam the ship. I know it's best to not live your life waiting for something terrible to happen, but I have the mindset that there is always some horrible person lurking nearby. My biggest fear is that my child will become somebody's victim. You just never know. And given that the Disney ship probably carries more children than any other ship (I DON'T know that for sure), I see that as a target for any predator.

I hope I don't come across as some mother completely obsessed and over the edge. I'm not obsessed, but I am protective of the most important things in my life.

[infobahn]

OK, I'm sure I'll get blasted for this, but I have to ask: What is so wrong with "unsupervised" children being on the Disney ship? Aside from safety concerns, and aside from a child actually misbehaving (and "misbehaving" is NOT the same as "unsupervised"), what is the problem with a child simply being on her or her own?

Well if they behave themselves, nothing. But the fact is it’s not all about the kids. There are plenty of other people who could hurt the kids as well. There is still a young woman missing from a Carnival cruise ship about a year or two ago.

There have been a number of reports on this board of teens smoking pot on the deck 7 stern public balcony. I saw kids grabbing half empty drinks on by Signals.

The threat is there, and the risk is yours – not Disney’s.

[DreamsDoComeTrue]

a few points... oh I don't know, just to put in my two cents like everyone else.
Re: "dumping" your kids into the clubs. We get pagers!
First I learned that the child usually stops crying in 5 or 10 min. and proceeds to have a wonderful time. I learned this when trying to overcome postpartum blues by working out at a health club with an on-site nursery. I dropped the kids, endured heart break as they cried, hid behind the wall and watched them start having fun once I was out of sight. Then I got a job there, to earn a little cash while keeping my kids with me. I PROMISED Mom's I'd page them overhead if their child didn't perk right up within 5 min. I only paged once. Please don't criticize a Mom until you've walked a mile in her shoes.

Second- I don't hesitate to 'guide ' a kiddo to straighten out if their behavior is inappropriate. Maybe I'll bring along some little peel off stickers that say "I notice that your child goes unsupervised" and sneak them onto the backs of kids who were crossing the line! Then their 'guardian' will discover them that night and have time to reflect. Just kidding... I think. :D
I do hope that the lack of supervision problem is improved. If the kids and parents see where the limits are up front, for instance what the general public will put up with, maybe the majority will abide.

I plan on having a great time and not be judgmental because it is not my place to judge. I don't know the full situation behind what I see, (e.g., maybe the kids checked themselves out) nor will I let material activities control my happiness.

[prymsu]

I just would caution folks that you would keep safety in mind because after all you are on a little floating city with a couple thousand other folks who you would consider as strangers. It is terrible that we can't be trusting when on vacation, but I believe a little caution goes a long way.

[mmouse37]

regarding the character photos......everyday there is a listing on a board in the Atrium of what characters will be there for photos and autographs and at what times.

unsupervised kids......yes, it does happen. We witnessed some pre-teens dumping a box (vending machine size) tide detergent into the hot tub on deck 9. We went to report it immediately but it was too late. Tons of suds were overflowing the hot tub and cascading down the steps into the pool. People were just standing around laughing, not realizing how slippery the deck is when wet, let alone soapy and wet!!!!

Cm's came to the rescue and cordoned off the area until they could clean up. I really could not believe the adults who thought it was just good clean fun....no pun intended. I do not know what happened to the teens. On another DCL cruise a 14 year old jumped off deck 4 into the harbor in St. Thomas. He was reprimanded by the Captain and was not allowed at of his cabin unless accompanied by his parents.

My teens 18, 17, 14 do go around the ship without me and I do let them stay out late. They have proved to me on 5 DCL cruises that they know how to handle themselves respectfully. All they like to do is meet knew friends and hang out on deck at night. I have "peeked" in on them several times without them knowing just so I could have some peace of mind.

I am not one of those parents who say "not my kid"...just the opposite...I know what kids are cable of and that judgement can be clouded when in a group situation. If they ever cross the line and cause a problem onboard they know that privilege will be taken away. They enjoy the freedom but they know the consquences also.

As far as people saying the boat never rocks or that you can't feel movement....I believe that is in normal to a bit rougher seas.... Any cruise ship is going to rock in gale force winds and 20 ft seas....

MJ

[kidzmom3]

I just wanted to add that we had some renovations of our local elementary schools here where I live. So the kindergarten used a wing of the high school. They had minimal , but some contact with the teens. Parents were up in arms. What might happen etc. My point is this. These teens are the little kids of some parents. And some day our children will also be teens. Will they be bad/evil as soon as their 13th bday rolls around? Lets give good kids some credit. In any situation where there are a lot of kids, you will have good and bad. And the good shouldn't be punished for the bads behavior. I do think the cm's should take a more active roll in forcing parents to look after kids who misbehave. Its only safe.

[goofysgal]

andicat--

I was on the 4/14 cruise. We were in cabin #7614 located about 4 cabins down the aft hallway from the last set of elevators. We had a verandah. DH, DS and I all experienced some "queasiness" on Sunday nite. We took Dramamine and DH & DS used Seabands also. We took the meds right before going to dinner. We just adjusted our pace and "rolled with the ship" so the speak. We were moving at something like 17-19 knots which I think is pretty fast. Our dinner companions were miserable the first nite. However, I take the view that you adjust, roll with it when you can, make the best of it--if you can't roll with it at least don't dwell on it and make others miserable. To sit around and complain only makes it worse. The remainder of the trip there was no problem. We did not experience any problems with closet doors or creaking or such. We were so pleased with this location that we have booked the last two cabins on deck 7, on either side of the aft deck for 12/27/03.

[BethA]

I too noticed all the unsupervised kids on our cruise last year-running the deckes, dumped in the clubs, at the pool, riding in the elevators--but you see that on vacation everywhere--even at the mall. I have no problem telling someone else's kids to quit acting up and I wish the CMs were not so afraid to say anything. The pools might as well be bathtubs for the number of people on the cruise, but we don't go to swim.

Aside from that we tried to ignore the "bad" kids and had the best vacation ever. We thought the food was very good-however we are not gourmets, the staff was excellent and the entertainment was great also. There is so much to do or not do and you ahve to make the best of it. Not veryone enjoys the same things, but I highly recommend DCL.

[tecdavidt]

This thread is interesting. First on rough seas. After reading posts from the April cruises, it sounds like the seas have been rough. It can happen on a cruise. I have cruised 11 times and have yet to be in rough seas. It is hit and miss. As far as children out of control, it is the parents fault not DCL's.

The comments on small pools, it is a cruise ship and pools are small on cruise ships. Small pool comments come from first time cruisers. Crowded pools on Disney, well the ship is designed for families and that would include small children so I would expect the Mickey Pool and Goofy Pool to be crowded. At least DCL provides lifeguards.

Recently my husband had a conversation with a women who was wanting to do a Disney cruise. Her sister-in-law was on our 3/16 cruise and hated it. The sister-in-law had comments of, you had to eat at a certain time, you could not wear shorts in the dining rooms and the character meetings had lines! you just couldn't walk up and have them to yourself.

All I could think of after hearing her comments was to tell her to go back to kindergarten. You are on a cruise ship with and x-amount of people. It will not be as crowded as the parks and but yes, you will have to share.

It boils down to this, some people will love cruising and some will not. Do the research before you book your cruise. It is obvious the sister-in-law did not. Our family loves cruising. Our children voted to forget the parks and do the first 7 day back in 2000. Their are people out there who would say, forget the cruise, stay at the parks. It all boils down to expectations. You will enjoy any vacation if it meets your expectations. Kathy

[atigeg]

Having been on 20 Disney cruises (with #21 coming up this week), we have seen both sides of the coin. We are rather sheltered, as we do not have children ourselves and can retreat to the adults-only areas when we have had enough of the kids. But of course there are areas where there were always been youngsters, including the movies, shows, activities, etc. We have witnessed kids running totally amok, with parents nowhere in sight, strict parents keeping a tight rein on their young ones, and everything in between. The worst was at a long-ago Castaway Club party, where the kids from one family with playing with the piano and band equipment on the stage at the Cadillac Lounge. The parents turned a blind eye while a crew member tried to keep them under control, which was virtually impossible since one of the kids started screaming bloody murder every time she was steered away from the piano.
On the flipside, even unattended kids can be well-behaved. We saw "Snow Dogs" on our last trip, and two young, unsupervised boys sat near us. I moved a little farther away, concerned that they might cause a disturbance, but they were really good. We've had good experiences at Disney Dreams too...usually, we see the early performance as we are on late seating, but a couple of times we have gone to the performance where there are more kids, and they have been surprisingly good...it's neat to see how fascinated they are with the show.
I've heard the rumors about teens smoking pot on the aft verandah and doing other bad things, but overall the teenagers we've seen have been mainly very well-mannered. They sit around in groups or hang out in certain areas chatting. The only unfortunate thing we did see was a boy who shattered one of the basketball backboards while we watched him via the deck cam on our stateroom tv.
I've also heard the horror stories about kids at the dinner table, but the few times we've eaten with kids have been really great experiences. They're been well-behaved and delightful...we must have really good luck!
Disney Cruise, like Disney World, attracts its care of "me me me" people who are rude and let their children run amok at the expense of other people's enjoyment. But thankfully they don't seem to be in the majority (and we travel a lot on holidays, which are kid-intensive).
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.*****************

[dbkelly]

In response to Disneyholic Family, I would definetly go on the cruise with teenagers. I thought the cruise was wonderful for teenagers, because they are given their on space and you as parents can avoid the kid pool area. I told my husband that if we ever go back it will be when my kids are teenagers and hopefully not during school vacation.

If I read this post before I went on the cruise it would have also bothered me, but at least I would not have been as disappointed. I don't want anybody to cancel their cruise plans, I just want to give you the negative side so you are prepared and won't be as disappointed. There are a lot of wonderful or positive things about the cruise that you will love. These boards tend to be a little bit too positive (which I think is O.K. in this cynical world), however I think I painted a picture of an unrealistic vacation. If anything, I think it was my fault in not realizing that no vacation is perfect.

I think anybody who read this post and is aware of the problems, will have a great time because you will not be as disappointed.

Keep Cruising!

D.B. Kelly

[dbkelly]

In response to Disneyholic Family, I would definetly go on the cruise with teenagers. I thought the cruise was wonderful for teenagers, because they are given their on space and you as parents can avoid the kid pool area. I told my husband that if we ever go back it will be when my kids are teenagers and hopefully not during school vacation.

If I read this post before I went on the cruise it would have also bothered me, but at least I would not have been as disappointed. I don't want anybody to cancel their cruise plans, I just want to give you the negative side so you are prepared and won't be as disappointed. There are a lot of wonderful or positive things about the cruise that you will love. These boards tend to be a little bit too positive (which I think is O.K. in this cynical world), however I think I painted a picture of an unrealistic vacation. If anything, I think it was my fault in not realizing that no vacation is perfect. Also, I tend to be strict (as I have been told by my children). I am always concerned about the safety of my children and I feel that I jeopordized their safety with the pools and taxis, which was upsetting. I just got too worried about their safety, which made it difficult to enjoy the vacation as much as I should have.

I think anybody who reads this post and is aware of the problems, will have a great time because you will know what to expect.

Keep Cruising!

D.B. Kelly

[disneyholic family]

not to worry...
we're still going on the disney cruise...
my kids would never stand for our cancelling...

the only thing my daughter's worried about is motion sickness...
where do you get the wristbands?...
i'll come armed with dramamine II and ginger tablets, but i think i'll want the wrist bands too...

by the way, my daughter's also going because she's dying to meet other teens and get to know them a little....(my son on the other hand would much prefer spending 3 days in front of the computer, just like always)....

and who knows....maybe all the rude people will stay home that weekend....although i KNOW the ship is going to be packed....probably 100%......but maybe with only nice patriotic people....

my sister went on a cruise on Christmas last year and she said it was fantastic....either the rude people didn't come, or else they were on their best behavior for the holiday...

[dbkelly]

I never used the wristbands. My husband and I both used Bonine (Meclizine) which was great. We never felt sick. The couple we ate dinner with the first night had to go back to their room to get Dramamine. After 20 minutes they were feeling much better. As long as you take something you should be fine. The movement of the ship is just a scary feeling at first, but then you get use to it.

I think your teenagers will have a great time. You will also have a great time, because you can avoid all the negative aspects. I hope to sail again when my children are a lot older.

D. B. Kelly

[dbkelly]

I don't appreciate the comments that there is something wrong with me for not enjoying the cruise as much as others. I did enjoy the cruise, but not as much as I thought. I only posted my message so people can be better prepared. We have gone to WDW at least 10 times and we have thoroughly enjoyed every vacation, I thought I would have just as much fun on a cruise. I did say in my original post that it was meant to inform people and not deter them from a cruise.

As for misbehaving children, I forgot to mention that my husband witnessed an 8 or 9 year old boy push a boy in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs. Fortunately, the boy was not hurt. Both boys thought it was hilarious.

Also, to answer a previous question, we were in room 8588 (aft). To my surprise, the ship rocked from side to side and not back and forth. At least that is the way I felt it. Therefore, I am not sure if it matters whether you are in aft, midship or forward. I think it would matter more if you were higher on the ship. Since we were a family of five, the only deck we could be is on deck 8.

Finally, I had a medical emergency while I was on the ship in the middle of the ocean and I was very impressed with the medical staff. I live in the Boston area and we have superior health care and I was afraid that one of my kids would need some sort of care while on the ship and I was concerned about the staff. Needless to say, I am the one who ended up needing the care. The doctor was so pleasant and very impressive. He really knew his stuff! I am O.K. now, it appears that I have gall stones and I experienced my first gall bladder attact in the middle of the ocean. I rarely have fried food in my normal diet, but anything goes on your vacation and I could not pass up the fried coconut shrimp. I was ordered by the doctor to eat a fat free diet on a cruise ship! The servers were wonderful in getting me whatever I could possibly eat.

D. B. Kelly

[trishy]

I started a thread after our cruise in July, 2001 titled "Too Many Unsupervised Kids" so I can relate to that issue. I also complained about the chaos in the pools (except the Adult Pool, of course - pure heaven) I just want to add that I wrote a letter to DCL regarding my complaints and suggested they raise the age limit of check in/out privileges to 13. They sent me the standard "Thanks for taking the time to write." form letter. They obviously are not interested in this subject since it is still going on. Let me point out something listed in the DCL brochure (current issue) "Parents sign their children (ages 3-12) in and out of the programs. ..." Pg. 65 WHAT??? I asked for a pager for my 10 yr. old daughter and they told me 10-12 check themselves in/out and 8-9 can if the parents opts for it. Ridiculous in my opinion since *Every* child needs supervision. Even teens need to be checked on periodically during the day. Here's a twist on a problem I witnessed numerous times last year - hormones were flying on the July 7, 2001 cruise (parents read this) We came across MANY teens making out late at night in, what they thought, were secluded areas. Lets see, empty cabin, unsupervised hormonal teens, mom/dad out partying at Rockin' Bar D, hmm... Anyway, I am going on the July 6-Western and expect to see this stuff again. Like other posters have stated, now that we all know the real deal, we can plan for it so it will not be such a *shock* Bottom line is DCL is a great cruise, fun activities, and a relaxing vacation - no laundry, gardening, cooking, cleaning - can't beat it. Fortunately, my children enjoyed the clubs and it was like pulling teeth to get them to leave just to dine with us, see the occasional show, and go to the family parties in Studio Sea. I'm a West Coaster and can tell you the time difference didn't matter. My kids were tired by 9 p.m. from all the activities during the day, but they kept wanting to party.

[I Luv Disney Cruise]

I have been on three of the DCL cruise (2 of the 4 day and one of the 7 day). I am going on the Western 7 day in about 2 1/2 weeks.

I just wanted to get my 2 cents in. My husband, family and I have throughly enjoyed the cruises. Yes, there are times the pools and decks are crowded. We have also seen them empty, clean and refill the Mickey pool many of times on our cruises.

I am sorry to hear about the misbehaving children and teens. That is pretty sad that the parents have no control of their children.

Out of all three cruises I have only felt a little nauseated when we would clear the coast of FL, which only (the nausea) lasted a few hours. We have never had any big rocking motions, but we also go in May and maybe that is why.

For those out there that are nervous about these negative comments, please don't be. The cruise, food, activities, etc are wonderful and is something you should experience.

:D

[ErinC]

DBKelly, thanks so much for your comments. We are doing our first 4 day in May. I have wondered several times if we are going to enjoy the cruise, and I think my expectations are where they should be. No one has the right to make you feel bad about your experience, or should they judge you for sharing your thoughts on your cruise. We are following our cruise with 4 days at VWL, that I KNOW I will enjoy, so at least ,if all else fails, the vacation will end well. The things that bothered you , are things that can really get on my nerves, so I'll try to look out for them, and avoid those situations. Those boys that your husband saw push that boy in the wheelchair, should have been thrown overboard, or at least locked in their room for the duration of the cruise. I have no tolerance for people that allow their children to go around making everyone else's life miserable. I have a DD that is 2 , and can sometimes be a handful. I have considered requesting a table for 4 at dinner,just so she won't infringe on any else's quality time. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate your comments, and others may disagree, that's what this board is all about. Erin

[GenieNet]

This is a very interesting post, and I was on the 7-Day Magic and I have to say I really enjoyed everything *I* decided to do. My 8 year old nephew was there, and was not allowed to roam freely, and he didn't care because he was having fun in the clubs. I notice a lot of teens roaming around and being teenagers, but that's just it, it's not my responsibility to be their parent.

As far as the rough seas, it's an assumption of risk. You're in the middle of the ocean, it happens.

The pools and decks are overcrowded, but that's something you would know if you've taken more than one cruise...the "Love Boat" images of everyone having a lounge chair and a poolside seat are not reality...

I really enjoyed it, and since it was *my* vacation, I just took everything with the package, good and bad...the annoying hair braiders in St. Maarten, the overcrowded shopping in St. Thomas, and more were sore points, but it was something I was forewarned about by reading these boards and by taking a little extra time to plan on board, I avoided putting myself in difficult situations.

[LARRY DORMAN]

Ok on my last trip the 7 day eastern. I was on the rear of the ship at 4 am. I worked night and had hard time sleeping so got up to go on deck. A very nice young lady came up and we started talking she was 5 years old.......

I was not happy with this at all. I asked her where her mom or dad was she advised in the room.... I asked if she had been to the room and she signed herself out of the kids room and had gone to her state room and told her mom she was going to walk around.. And had left about 11 PM..

Some of the ship workers have been on this ship for some time and things can happen..
Im also a 20 year cop. I could have killed this child and other things and pitched her over board.

I was sick so I took her to her stateroom and advised her dad that I found her I told him I was a cop, he advised me that she can stay out all night if she likes and to mind my of biz..

I have a 10 year old and I don't let her sign out. She has a radio 2 way and will never get to just walk the deck..

I talked to the security person of the ship a ret police officer he advised kid have run of the ship night and day.

May god keep them safe...

[Parrotheader]

Definitely a very interesting post. I'm always curious to read the not-so-glowing commentaries as they tend to keep my expectations in line. We'll be going on our first cruise (a 3 day) in late May.

And I do want to second the comments pointing out the time zone differences. I don't mean this to sound rude, but after dealing with this all the time in other forums as well as in business dealings, sometimes people forget that not everybody lives in the Eastern time zone (something the rest of us are made well aware of each year when the networks let us watch reruns of the New Year's celebration in Times Square :rolleyes: ) If you were from the western portions of the country your kids might not even be hungry at the late dinner seating, much less sleepy at 10:00 Eastern time. Still, I wouldn't let my young child wander the ship unattended late at night. Of course, our children are still a couple years away so that's not a problem yet. ;)

And the more I read about how crowded the kids pools are (I personally think that should be somewhat expected though) the better I feel about the fact that we'll be in the adults-only areas for almost the entire cruise. I'm not assuming those areas will be completely empty or anything. But I'm guessing that they'll be at least a LOT more calm than the family areas.

[aalan]

my wife and i were on the 3/23 magic cruise; we do not have any children, and i did not feel like we were surrounded and overrun with unsupervised kids. the pools are the most crowded areas, thats just the way it is. you cant have large pools on a cruise ship: they would become dangerous in rough weather. complaining about hot weather on the beach in the bahamas just seems a little silly to me: be sure to wear a hat and use plenty of sunscreen. i actually thought the family beach had a lot of palm trees: my wife and i spent most of the day at the adult beach, and it was heaven! (but fewer palm trees) we had a great time, and if you are any kind of disney fan at all, you will enjoy the cruise. don't let one negative post influence you. the over-whelming opinion on these boards of the cruise line is a positive one. after taking our first cruise, i can see why. we are planning a western caribbean cruise for next year!
:D :D :D

[liza]

Larry, your post is incredibly alarming. If the parents didn't appreciate your returning their 5-year-old, they should have. I appreciate it!

But I just cannot believe a 5-year-old checked herself out of the Oceaneer's Club. I do know for a fact that the club will allow children younger than 8 to have sign-out privileges, because my son was 2 months away from being 8 when we cruised, and he was tempted to go in the Lab instead of the Club, so I asked if that was possible, and a counselor told me if he went in the Lab we could give him sign-out privileges if we wanted to, and showed me a form to sign saying that because he was under 8 we acknowledged they had no responsibility if he signed himself out. Of course I didn't sign, and in fact that helped me decide he had to go in the Club and not the Lab, but I find it difficult to believe the staff would grant sign-out privileges to a 5-year-old even WITH the parents' agreement. Of course, I cannot believe the parents would let the child out of the room at all without them. I guess it takes all kinds...

[My~Rumbly~Tumbly]

Hi Larry :)

That is EXACTLY what I was getting at in my post on page 2. Really scary. In addition to my two little ones, I have a 9 and 13 year old step-daughter. It would be an agonizing decision to let even those two roam unsupervised and they are very well behaved children. It's not the behaved thing and it's not the being up late at night thing (though VERY good point about the time zones!). For me it's all about them being safe!

[taswira]

Larry, obviously those "parents" don't take parental responsibilities seriously. Those who are like that on a cruise are probably the same on land - in theme parks, restaurants, supermarkets. Parenthood is like a job, an occupation that requires knowledge, skills and the right attitude to be "successful." I often think it's too bad (for the children) that it doesn't require a license! There is nothing wrong with adults putting their kids in the clubs/labs and having time to themselves while <I>knowing</I> where the kids are, but to let a 5 year old roam the decks from 11pm to 4am? If they were from <I>anywhere</I> in the U.S., there's no time zone that would make those hours appropriate for a child that age, even aside from the SAFETY issue. I'm glad that not all parents are so irresponsible.

[kidzmom3]

Wow Larry, this is unbelievable. As far as I am concerned a 5 year old should never be alone. I will only let my 6 year old alone in the yard, if all the gates are locked and closed and I am in the kitchen, with sliders to the back yard open. I personally don't think kids have much common sense until later in life. And then its very individual. Some are ready earlier than others, some are never ready. My ds 8 is bascially a good kid, but he is easily influenced by stronger personalities. Thats why I think he is not a good candidate for sign out privelages. I second Larry may God watch over some of these kids, whos parents don't seem to care. (and I mean kids everywhere who have neglectful parents, not just kids on a cruise, even the awesome, stupendous Disney cruise)