Are the DIS boards a spoiler?

[pfp258]

On our July cruise to the Mexican Riviera I overheard a senior officer talking with a guest. I heard him say that it is harder to make the cruises special becasue people use the DIS boards and they know ahead of time about so much of the "magic" that goes into a Disney cruise. He seemed to imply that all the pictures posted, posting of navigators and I guess general information that people share takes away from the first time cruising experiencing. (Think knowing about towel animals on your bed, pirate night festivities, stage shows, movies playing, menu choices and overall excellent attentive service) We crusied on the Disney Magic in 1999 and so we knew nothing going in. Everything was magical and extra special.
I'm just wondering if people think as this senior officer did that it takes more to please people when they come aboard knowing all that they do. Do the DIS boards spoil some of the enchantment of a Disney cruise?

 

[jiminyC_fan]

You know what? I can see that the magical experience has changed for the first timers that have used the DISboard. I can remember the feeling of not knowing a thing for the first time in Feb of 2000. None of the other cruises with the exception of the Panama Canal one in 2005 even came close to the first one. I am sure some would argue that they learn some good tips and all but the magical feeling might be robbed.

 

[HitbyaDumpTruck]

As I'm the one planning the trip, I might be spoiled in learning what to expect for the DIS boards; however that doesn't mean that those who are coming with me will know. If the knowledge and tips I learn make the trip as smooth as possible, then I'm willing to be spoiled so that the others in my group can be surprised with as little problems as possible.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

IMO, I don't think so. For past cruises, I've used the DIS only for planning. It enabled us to better plan to ensure we booked Palo reservations and not miss something else, book tours that others enjoyed, provided money and time saving tips and lots of little "secrets" that made the trip more enjoyable. There was still plenty of Magic to be discovered and many things we have yet to experience even after two 7 night cruises.

And on our upcoming cruise, we have met literally hundreds of people on-line who will be joining us on the EB Repo cruise. It has made planning for the trip more fun and has increased the excitement level. Our family plans to participate in meets, fish extender exchanges, Secret Mickeys, group excursions, pirate night costumes, post card exchanges, scrap book exchanges, cabin tours, etc., etc. I believe that the DIS will actually make the trip even more magical.

For comparison, we've been to WDW 14 times and each time find it very magical and we know a lot of the tips and secrets.

 

[lbgraves]

I don't think so at all. Our first cruise was in 2003 and we were with a small group of DISers...maybe 12 families. It was great to know other people on board and know who our tablemates were going to be. If we had been on the ship on our own I don't know if it would have been the same. I was concerned about the cruise not living up to our expectations because of everything I had read on the DIS but I found that it was even better than we had hoped for. The second cruise we were worried that it could never live up to our experience on the first...but it did. Each cruise is different and even knowing what we do know we enjoy the Magic of each day onboard. Of course, I can sing along with Anne Marie in Dreams but even after seeing the show probably 7 times on 4 cruises thanks to matinees I still cry when she finds the magic inside and flies and Tink PDs the ship.

I can't spend that much on something and not be prepared to make the most of it. I would never want to be like some of our neighbors on past cruises whose kids started asking about why we were dressed as pirates on the way to dinner and have them be disappointed because they didn't have anything to wear like that.

 

[stlkeeler]

You know, I did sorta feel let down. I was planning for over a year! But it didn't stop me from booking another! And a 7 day next time, instead of another 4 day. I feel that the year or more of planning is just as much a part of the experience as the cruise itself. I still had a great time and only got off the boat once on CC. I never did get to do everything I wanted to do. Now I have another year of planning, reading and talking to others about their experiences. FUN!

 

[mousemom11]

I think a lot of it depends on your personality. I have OCPD (Obsessive Compulsive Planning Disorder), and a big part of the magic for me is all the planning that I do beforehand. I feel much more comfortable knowing the big picture and much of the details in advance. In fact, I believe that I make our trip more magical for my family by being prepared for pirate night, having fish extenders, door magnets, DIS friends, and fun/exciting shore excursions.

Knowing what I do ahead of time in no way spoils the magic of actually experiencing it.

 

[aan1701]

I think it has made things in my head seem better than they are. I will give two examples. First is Annamators "show". I had known about the color changing walls. Then I started reading how great it was and how if is a must and so forth. Then I saw it for the first time and I was less than impressed to say the least. The other real let down is Palo dinner. Almost the same story as above.

 

[CruisinEars]

The Dis actually helped us have a MORE magical vacation.

Because of the DIS I knew how great Palo was and knew to run right to Rockin Bar D to secure brunch ressies for me, my dh and my parents. Because of the DIS I learned about Stingray City and knew to book Capt Marvins. I never would have known how great these things were and not to miss it. Because of the DIS I knew to pack pirate costumes and formal wear to enhance our experience. Because of the DIS I knew about door signs and how they help you find your cabin. Because of the DIS I knew about the shows and not to miss them. Because of the DIS I knew about all the tricks for organizing the small cabin. Because of the DIS I knew the benefits of rebooking onboard. All of these things and more made our trip much smoother, more enjoyable and definitely more MAGICAL.

I am the type who likes the inside info so I know what to do and not miss the neat stuff. Yet, I still have lots of exploring to do and more magic to find on my next cruise.

 

[yazee1]

I agree about the Animator's Palate experience, but otherwise no, joining this board before going on our first cruise did not spoil the experience at all. Applying what I learned here on the board to our cruise plans made the experience even better.

 

[NZMUM]

I don't think so either. I used the DIS for our first cruise. It was good to have an idea of what was going on and not feel lost. However I didn't tell my family about any of the special stuff, like towel animals or the colour change at animators.

I still felt the 'magic' even though I knew more than the others.

For our next cruise we have my parents with us & I haven't told them anything about it either.

2nd time around & we can't wait to be back on the Magic .

 

[atinkerbellmom]

I did peep through the DIS for our first cruise, but I will be honest, since the DIS was new to me and I was only lurking, I did not know about the cruise section. I only went to the resort and parks info. So our first cruise 5 years ago we entered knowing nothing. As a result, we missed the first half of the sail away party, we missed the first nights show, but at the same time, it was very MAGICAL..... I do think it can take away something for first timers. I see and hear of people getting navigators and planning each day and when this changes, they get a little set back. We have been on numerous DCL cruises and I have yet to study a navigator, because I know it changes with each cruise. Our first cruise we did not do Palo and I do not feel at all cheated. We enjoyed the dining rooms. We did not know of the interactions in the dining rooms and it was all wonderful for us.... So, I can see where this can happen. Not being on the cruise boards until a couple of years ago, after they started the fireworks on the ship, when they went off, it was so MAGICAL for us. I do think the DIS can cause a little more stress as well. People shuffle around to bring things for the sail away party, which is not necessary, they stress about door signs, which is not many people ont he ship (depends on how many DISers are there), they spaze to get Fish Extenders or make FE and this is truly a DIS thing. They spaze and stress at getting Palo and I think you should save that for the second cruise. So, there are pluses and negatives. I still do not understand the whole Palo thing. We have ALWAYS gotton our Palo ressies. We have never made them at 90 days and have not even at 75 a couple of cruises, neither have we rushed on the ship and got them when boarding and we have always gotton them on the days I wanted. Maybe we were just luck each time. Actually we do not even get to port right away. We get there after the geeked people get there and have boarded and before the resort. So, some of the things here, I do not stress about.

Our last cruise, our servers actually came to me and asked, for us not to tell our first time friends and family about the parade through Animators, so that it could be more Magical for them, so we did and it was.... So I can see some of this being true. Prior to our 4th of July cruise, I called and asked if there were going to be anything special and the Rep told us no, because the ship is not a US ship. I accepted that. When we got on the ship, the stuff they did for the 4th was over the top and it was sooooo SPECIAL because we did not know anything prior and it 4SURE was more Magical..... So I see both sides.

Now, the friends that I have met on the DIS; can not be replaced and I would not trade that for ANYTHING...... Truly made our trip more complete and what it did for my children, help make SUPER life long memories... So, it does have advantages and disadvantages.

 

[gr8leg8]

[QUOTE: On our cruise I overheard a senior officer talking with a guest. I heard him say that it is harder to make the cruises special becasue people use the DIS boards and they know ahead of time about so much of the "magic" that goes into a Disney cruise. He seemed to imply that all the pictures posted, posting of navigators and I guess general information that people share takes away from the first time cruising experiencing.

I (like many of us here on the Disboards) have worked in customer service.
I appreciate the amount of energy it takes to create the magic.
You are never gonna get the 100% reaction of joy from every guest.
Some people just aren't hard wired to do that.
Use every bit of your energy for the ones that do.
They make it worth it.

It sounds like this officer may have been in a low spot.
They do long shifts away from loved ones.
Perhaps he had or observed a moment of guest interaction that prompted this comment.

Wow - that he said it to a guest & around other guests.

Are disers that big a percentage of the total first time cruising guests?

Side note: I knew about towel animals prior to my first cruise.
I had seen vacation pictures from a friend.
Was I less excited with the ones in my room?
Not one bit. I took pictures too.

I hope the officer you heard is back to a happy place.
The board is filled with glowing reports about how a crew member really made their trip special.

Thanks for sharing your story - it got me thinking about how hard the crew works.

 

[Kissimmee]

The question may be a valid one for each novice cruiser to contemplate when they choose how much data to collect.

I know in our case we sailed blind on our first cruise (7 day eastern). It overwhelmed us with options and events. We left the cruise happy but with a nagging sense that we missed a lot because of our inexperience.

Fortunately, you can find a balance between arming yourself with useful tips that will help you make the most of your time on board and overdosing on every tiny scrap of information.

Maybe the best argument that DIS does not spoil the Magic (pun intended) is the is high number of repeat cruisers. They and I apparently think the Magic is just as special the second and third time around.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

IMO, I don't think so. For past cruises, I've used the DIS only for planning. It enabled us to better plan to ensure we booked Palo reservations and not miss something else, book tours that others enjoyed, provided money and time saving tips and lots of little "secrets" that made the trip more enjoyable. There was still plenty of Magic to be discovered and many things we have yet to experience even after two 7 night cruises.

And on our upcoming cruise, we have met literally hundreds of people on-line who will be joining us on the EB Repo cruise. It has made planning for the trip more fun and has increased the excitement level. Our family plans to participate in meets, fish extender exchanges, Secret Mickeys, group excursions, pirate night costumes, post card exchanges, scrap book exchanges, cabin tours, etc., etc. I believe that the DIS will actually make the trip even more magical.

For comparison, we've been to WDW 14 times and each time find it very magical and we know a lot of the tips and secrets.

I think a lot of it depends on your personality. I have OCPD (Obsessive Compulsive Planning Disorder), and a big part of the magic for me is all the planning that I do beforehand. I feel much more comfortable knowing the big picture and much of the details in advance. In fact, I believe that I make our trip more magical for my family by being prepared for pirate night, having fish extenders, door magnets, DIS friends, and fun/exciting shore excursions.

Knowing what I do ahead of time in no way spoils the magic of actually experiencing it.

The question may be a valid one for each novice cruiser to contemplate when they choose how much data to collect.

I know in our case we sailed blind on our first cruise (7 day eastern). It overwhelmed us with options and events. We left the cruise happy but with a nagging sense that we missed a lot because of our inexperience.

Fortunately, you can find a balance between arming yourself with useful tips that will help you make the most of your time on board and overdosing on every tiny scrap of information.

Maybe the best argument that DIS does not spoil the Magic (pun intended) is the is high number of repeat cruisers. They and I apparently think the Magic is just as special the second and third time around.

I agree with all the above.
And let me also note that we do have personal experience, not with cruises but with WDW and although that's not exactly the same- the principal of the matter is (ie: knowing tons more/knowing the magical things before you go) with going without having found disboards first, and then again after finding disboards.
And all I can say is basically the same as Kissimee described- going to WDW "blind" not knowing a thing (spur of the moment trip and hadn't found disboards yet) was nowhere NEAR as magical as our subsequent trips after having found disboard.

If anything knowing more, being able to plan for things and not miss them, etc. makes it MORE magical for us.. instead of leaving the vacation wondering what all we missed (and finding out exactly how much- tons- we'd missed on our first trip before finding disboards website)

I don't think going, without knowing a thing to plan ahead, adds to the magic.... we wouldn't have known people to meet up with when there, we wouldn't have known about the best/most fun excursions and to book them ahead of time, we wouldn't have known a thing about Palo, we wouldn't even have known what rooms would be the best for us. And we wouldn't have saved a bunch of money either- and I always have more fun when my vacation costs less.

 

[woody73]

The first time I ordered "nothing" for dessert, I ended up having a good laugh. What I received would not have had the same impact if I saw photos of it on the boards.

Woody

 

[WDWLVR]

I can see where the officer is coming from (though I don't agree with him saying it in front of guests). Often someone will get a bit of Disney Magic and after sharing it here on the boards are bombarded with questions like "I want that for my family, who do I ask?" or "I read about such and such - how do I arrange that for my family?". While I have never seen it in person I can't help but wonder if people aren't dropping the DIS name when they want something. You know along the lines of "well I think you should do this for me because I read about it on the Disboards". I do know I've seen a few people from the DIS be not so nice to cast members on board. It isn't a far stretch to think that some of the cast members on board see that and paint everyone from the board with the same brush.

Now do I think that is the case with the majority of posters? Of course not, but it only takes a few bad apples.

I will say that the friends I've made on these boards have truly made our cruises magical. I have also seen some very nice gestures done by fellow DISers for each other, for cast members and from cast members to the DISers.

So my advice is read all you can, be prepared but don't expect the magic. That is often when it happens most. Most of all don't be disappointed if a certain magic doesn't happen to you because you just might miss some special magic of your own.

 

[DMMarla07860]

I've used the disboards the last three cruises I've been on and they have been the best cruises I've been on because I've got to meet people from the boards. Other then using the boards to meet other people I don't use the boards for much, I will find out information, but once onthe cruise I forget it all

 

[kaseyC]

I can see where the officer is coming from (though I don't agree with him saying it in front of guests). Often someone will get a bit of Disney Magic and after sharing it here on the boards are bombarded with questions like "I want that for my family, who do I ask?" or "I read about such and such - how do I arrange that for my family?". While I have never seen it in person I can't help but wonder if people aren't dropping the DIS name when they want something. You know along the lines of "well I think you should do this for me because I read about it on the Disboards". I do know I've seen a few people from the DIS be not so nice to cast members on board. It isn't a far stretch to think that some of the cast members on board see that and paint everyone from the board with the same brush.

Now do I think that is the case with the majority of posters? Of course not, but it only takes a few bad apples.

I will say that the friends I've made on these boards have truly made our cruises magical. I have also seen some very nice gestures done by fellow DISers for each other, for cast members and from cast members to the DISers.

So my advice is read all you can, be prepared but don't expect the magic. That is often when it happens most. Most of all don't be disappointed if a certain magic doesn't happen to you because you just might miss some special magic of your own.

My thoughts exactly. I feel that sometimes as a result of posts and trip reports some folks have unrealistically high expectations and that just leads to disappointment.

 

[go2cindys]

This is our first cruise. Without disboards, I would have been very apprehensive during the long period between booking and sailing - we are on the Wonder Aug 24 for a 4 day DD. I've learned about practical things like seasick remedies as well as magical things like the porthole to take wonderful pics of my DGC Until the disboards, I wondered/worried about the water, sodas (diet coke is my coffee) I've learned that I can prepay tips, etc. Will the magic be spoiled? Not for me. Every time I hear the ship's horn on YouTube, I get goosebumps and I'm sure I'll get even more when I'm actually there.

Also, since I will be using a scooter, I've learned a lot of tips from my disboard. Even though I don't post often, I enjoy hearing from the people on my dismeet board. Yeah, Bahama Mamas

I am the type of person who always researches wherever we go. I wouldn't go do WDW without a plan and I don't want to cruise without a little knowledge learned from my fellow disers. Thank you all!

Janet