Disappointed in my Disney Wonder trip

[crims0ntidefb]

My wife and I just returned from a three day Disney Wonder Bahamas trip and on our long drive home had time to reflect on the trip. Bottom line we were both disappointed. First, we got a very noisy room. Our ceiling made loud crackling sounds the entire first night. Might have alot to do with the fact the ship was hauling butt to the Bahamas. Disney did offer us a room exchange when I complained. I am going to jump around topics and they come to me so try to stay with me. Next the food. I don't expect cruise food to be great, but this food was far from being good. If you are a fast food eater or enjoying eating out for dinner every night then you will probably like the food more. The service was nothing to brag about. My only drink refill came from the Palo restruant. Palo was the best meal but in my opinion if you miss it, you miss nothing. (my opinion) We felt rushed through every dinner. We had the late seating and did not like the rushed feeling. So in short, the cruise was fun but I would suggest saving yourself a few hundred bucks per person and skip the Disney Cruse for a RC or Carnival/etc ship of a 4.5 star rating. I did the Carnival Miracle last year and found it to offer alot more then the Disney Wonder. Next month I am going on a Royal Caribbean cruise and will have another cruise to compare to. I can only see the Disney Wonder as a baby sitting ship. Children will be taken care of and have a wonderful time. In closing it was a fun cruise, I used my Vacation Club points to go and since it cost me very little to go I do not have much complaining room. Had I paid for this cruise, I would be very disappointed.

 

[HeelMD]

Because DCL has enjoyed pretty much full capacity for the past few years and high demand, I am beginning to worry that they are getting infected with the attitude that customers are a guarantee and they don't have to go the extra mile. Hope I'm wrong, but I'm worried..

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Sorry to hear you were disappointed. What was your stateroom number?

Also, did you get to any of the shows? If so, what did you think of them?

 

[crims0ntidefb]

I had an inside cabin number 6639. I know I am spelling this wrong but we attended a Hercules show. It was nice. Oh, we started off the cruise watching Narnia and after staring at the screen and the boat weaving so much I was sick for about two hours. I suggest people get their sea legs before watching movies. ha.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

I had an inside cabin number 6639. I know I am spelling this wrong but we attended a Hercules show. It was nice. Oh, we started off the cruise watching Narnia and after staring at the screen and the boat weaving so much I was sick for about two hours. I suggest people get their sea legs before watching movies. ha.

It sounds like you really did try a lot of what the cruise had to offer. Between movies, shows, Palo, etc. at least you gave it a shot. Hope your cruise month is better!

 

[WDWLVR]

Sorry to hear your cruise experience wasn't up to your expectations. Cruising isn't for everyone and even for those who like cruising a Disney cruise might not be for them. Sounds like this is the case for you. Our last cruise was on the Wonder last September and I can say that we didn't experience any of the same things you did. We had wonderful service and food.

It is also good to see different sides of things and hopefully this will help future cruisers.

 

[jodifla]

To me, DCL is a line for people with kids under 10 or 12. After that, there so much more some of the other lines offer...

But, since Disney only has two boats, it make sense they'd have this target market. It's their specialty, and they are masters at it. It's why we're going again with DS, 4.

 

[dtheboys]

I have been on two DCl cruises.....Going on my third in March 2006...

I had GREAT food!
GREAT service!
We enjoyed sailing w/ Disney....

I loved Palo...I had the best desert that I have ever had anywhere....

My room was on the loud side.....we had an ocean view deluxe room, but it is a boat and we expected some noise, etc....

Too be honest...next year we will be cruising w/ RCCl....Disney prices has gotten out of control...we can cruise for about 40% less next year on RCCL VS Disney for the same amount of nights, etc.

 

[beachblanket]

I did the Carnival Miracle last year and found it to offer alot more then the Disney Wonder.

I agree - we also did the Carnival Miracle last year (seven day Western Caribbean out of Tampa during President's Day week in Februray). Overall, the total cruise experience it offered was a much better value than our prior cruise on DCL (seven day Eastern Caribbean on the Magic during March of 2004).

The food and service at Nick and Nora's (the speciality restaurant on the Miracle) blew away Palo. There was more (and better) llive music on Carnival than on DCL, and my 11 year old daughter liked the children's program counselors on Carnival better than those on Disney. I also felt the Miracle was in better shape than the Magic (on the latter, there was rust on our balcony, on the Miracle, everything looked brand new).

 

[Sue316]

I was on the Wonder last September and did b2b this March.We had excellent service. One night the ceilings made noise due to the high seas. I just booked another , a 10 day one. We cruised with and without kids. We love it! We have tried Princess and RCCL before. The service doesn't even come close to Disney.

 

[artmanr]

I suppose that out of the 1750 plus cruisers on a Disney cruise, there might be some percentage that just didn't have a good time.

NOW, you wouldn't know that if all you read was glowing review after glowing review from people who really LOVE Disney and its parks, characters, etc.

But as the old saying goes, there is no accounting for taste; and perhaps this cruise just wasn't your taste. However, I do think it's good to hear both GOOD and BAD reviews/experiences. But each person has their own impression and it's subjective not objective.

I'd like to hear both sides. Not that it would make a difference...I'm going anyhow...and I seriously doubt DCL reads these boards (but they should).

AR

 

[JeannieH]

A great shame you didnt enjoy your cruise as much as most other guests. The creaking noises accompany any cruise ship - due to the amount of wood in the cabins. Personally, we like being rocked to sleep in an atmosphere equivalent to a modern day galleon:- the sounds were somehow authentic sailing noises.

The diversity of meals onboard meant there was always something for everyone. We are not fastfood addicts, nor do we eat out much. However, we have travelled extensively and found the choice of meals great. I suspect you have focused on the negative too much, rather than the positive points. Still, each to their own. Maybe your next vacation will be more to your liking.

 

[disney queen]

we have cruised on DCL only once w/our next DCL cruise in 60 days. we are 2 adults w/grown children. we love disneyworld and the cruise ship. one thing that really appeals to us is the fact there is no casino on the ship. we dine out every weekend at home and know fine food. we were not disappointed w/our food or palo on our last cruise. the only thing i can think of is i wish there had been a few more healthy choices. our servers were super~some of the finest we have had anywhere, including V&A at WDW. good and bad opinions are good.

 

[mousefamily]

We too have had 2 wonderful cruise experiences on DCL. In fact, our service is so wonderful it takes us a while to get back to "reality" once we are home. We have eaten at some of the best restaurants in our area of Texas and I always thought they were great in the service and food dept., but we realized after our last trip that they just aren't quite as good as DCL. I personally am afraid to try another cruise line. I think we enjoy it so much because we are such huge Disney fans.

 

[MinnyGranny62]

Sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy your cruise. MY Dh
and I are both in our 60"s and we wouldn't go on any other cruise
line. Have been on 3 cruises and probably won't go on another due to the cost. We did have a few problems but had so much
fun and liked the food and didn't feel rushed at all. As for all of the
kids...didn't see them all of the time and enjoyed watching them the
rest of the time. Hope you like your next cruise better.

 

[repeatcruiser]

DCL is not perfect. We've done three cruises and have seen the good and bad that DCL has to offer. For our money, the good far outweighs the bad. That coupled with the Disney experience (for both the kids and the adults), we'll pick DCL. However, if all one hears is that all is great, then the few bad things that need fixing will never improve. Even the most ardent DCL fan must admit that there are a few things that could improve:

Food - Other than Palo, this was just OK - I don't expect to get gormet (sp?) meals served simultaneously to 500 people per sitting, so I'm not dissappointed. However, I've had excellent banquet meals in other settings, so it is possible to do really good food in large quantities. Some meals were really good, but certainly not all of them. Also, I did feel rushed on this past cruise (though have never felt that way before).

Service - On balance, service was really good to excellent - but not 100% all the time. The Captain on our last cruise was not friendly at all - I realize his job is to keep us safe, not to make small talk. That being said, acting even a little interested while my 7 yo son told him (briefly) how much he loved doing the bridge simulator would have been nice.

Shutters - I always feel like I'm buying a used car there - always pressured to take some additional package, a 3-d crystal, a special frame, etc. The staff is clearly paid on commission - this may be a way to maximize revenue for DCL, but not necessarily the way to maximize customer satisfaction. This is the only spot on the ship where I get this feeling - DCL should re-examine the way they run this unit. Some reasonable combination packages (i.e., some 6x8 and 8x10's together), or stop switching sizes of prints - you buy one package, and then they print the next night's shots as a different size, which don't count toward the package. We spend tons at Shutters on each cruise - but I always feel jipped.

On balance, each cruise has been a wonderful experience. That doesn't mean that it was perfect, or that we should get defensive when someone voices a negative opinion.

 

[lbgraves]

I'd like to hear both sides. Not that it would make a difference...I'm going anyhow...and I seriously doubt DCL reads these boards (but they should).

AR

LOL! The crew & officers of the DCL ships do read these boards. If you identify yourself as a DISer they will smile & probably comment on a current topic. During the repo cruise the crew was happy to see the pictures that were posted from the webcams as the ship was going thru the terminal. They were amazed that some DISers had managed to post pictures from the terminal & sailaway party while onboard...thru the use of I cell phone I believe. They definitely know the Thanksgiving cruisers.

 

[TSirgey]

We compared RC to DCL when we researched our upcoming cruise. The prices were pretty much the same but the cabin sizes on the other cruise lines seemed so much smaller than on DCL. To me, it is worth it to spend more for a larger room. That is what made us decide to book DCL

 

[LisaSp]

Shutters - I always feel like I'm buying a used car there - always pressured to take some additional package, a 3-d crystal, a special frame, etc. The staff is clearly paid on commission - this may be a way to maximize revenue for DCL, but not necessarily the way to maximize customer satisfaction. This is the only spot on the ship where I get this feeling - DCL should re-examine the way they run this unit. Some reasonable combination packages (i.e., some 6x8 and 8x10's together), or stop switching sizes of prints - you buy one package, and then they print the next night's shots as a different size, which don't count toward the package. We spend tons at Shutters on each cruise - but I always feel jipped.

Just got off the Eastern Magic and I spent lots of time in Shutters having purchased both 8x10 and 6x8 packages (and constantly trading photos in)--I was NEVER solicited to upgrade packages, buy those crystals, etc. I actually did not feel ripped off here--though I did wish there was more flexibility in photo sizes for some of the photo opps.

 

[repeatcruiser]

Just got off the Eastern Magic and I spent lots of time in Shutters having purchased both 8x10 and 6x8 packages (and constantly trading photos in)--I was NEVER solicited to upgrade packages, buy those crystals, etc. I actually did not feel ripped off here--though I did wish there was more flexibility in photo sizes for some of the photo opps.

Ripped off may be a bit strong - maybe it is just that this one department on the ship feels very un-Disney-like to me, so by comparison it seems not so great. The single size packages and printing in different sizes are clearly rigged to get you to purchase more than you would otherwise want to (which we did). No one held a gun to my head, and I could have simply purchased the prints ala cart, but I still feel that this is unecessary gamesmenship on DCL's part.