Disney Dream Nightmare

[Wadekind]

Whew! Glad to read some positives.OP had me worrying. Why such opposite experiences on the same cruise?

 

[cmwade77]

Ok, I am curious, why is everyone always in a rush to get off the ship when they get back?

I figure, I paid good money for the cruise, I am going to stay and enjoy until they kick me off...

 

[hrarcham]

We had some of the same negative experiences on the ship that I do not recall having on our 4 previous DCL cruises but we have never cruised on a sold out ship and disreguarded it as "high season".

I felt alot more crowded at port. I boarded in the first group and felt alot of pushing while I tried to get through the crowd to board. We attended a showing of Gnomeo & Juliet and sat on the stairs since all the seats were full. It was a 12:30 showing I believe on sea day. We also waited in a line to disembark in a VERY crowded lobby. At our dinner in Palo, we heard a constant banging that the waiter told us was people playing basketball on the sports deck. The kids' pool was more crowded than we were used to but it didn't really matter since our kids seemed to like the Mickey Slide and Aquaduck more than swimming - and those lines were not too bad (5 min for slide and 25 min for aquaduck on sea day - I had expected longer).

We will choose DCL again - we will probably just decide to cruise at "low season" next time. The Dream is a beautiful ship.

 

[Terri2007]

0K, we were on the sold out Feb. 20 cruise, arrived at the terminal at 11 am, found a 10 minute wait to get inside the fence and another 10 minutes for security. No wait to check in and had boarding pass #11, another 30 minute wait after the numbers started to be called. Never saw any shortage of food, never saw a full theater and never experienced any line except a ten minute wait on the aqua duck. Walked off the ship, shuttled to CI&S, got my car and was at Disney's Saratoga Springs at 8:55am. No complaints here. Next time OP, try another cruise line......

Don't get me wrong, we had a great time, but there were lines. We were on the Feb 20th cruise, arrived around just before 11 am. Waited 30 min to get in. 20-30 to get through security. Had check in wait. Got boarding group 17. Got called 50 min after starting to board, then had the line and pics to get into the atrium. Total time 2 1/2-3 hrs.

We also went to Buena Vista theater on sea day and could not get a seat. Pools were much more crowded, but again, still had a good time.

Wish I knew your secret to such a quick boarding.

 

[pyramid2000]

Feb. 20th also. I was trying to be nice to DH and decided against getting to the port early for fear of long lines and waits. Instead, we got there around noon and was very surprised to see the long lines just to get to the terminal. I was expecting to be able to board fairly quickly, but we got on after about a 2 hour wait time which I guess was longer than if we had gotten there at 10. I was pleasantly surprised when we did board that the crowd was gone and really didn't really find much in the way of unusually long lines for the rest of the cruise for what we did. I am sure there were crowds at given things at given times, we just didn't see them. I was surprised when we went to the adult show for the performer there were very few people there. Even the

Looking at the navigator, Luigi's closes at 6pm and reopens at 9:30 til midnight, but the grill stays open during dinner. We were thankful to have the best servers we have ever experienced and never had a dinner last longer than an hour and a half.

I was surprised at around 11:30 the last evening to be sailing so close to the coast so early and was really surprised when I stepped on the veranda at 130 to find we were docked. I did speak with an officer while waiting to disembark to find out it was either get in before the fog or possibly arrive late the next morning which would not have been pleasant for many getting off or those getting on.

Having a 3pm flight, we hung around the ship till we HAD to get off. I love seeing our luggage sitting all by itself. There was actually a CM standing by our luggage writing down the information because she thought someone had left it! I did see a very long line getting off, but nothing more than I usually see. It did seem to move quickly.

 

[KingRichard]

Just got off the 2/24 cruise and I can tell you we had no lines for anything!!!

So much food everywhere and they were bringing more before the trays were empty!

There was a lot of people in line early(sold out), but a cm told me that if you had a later boarding time then you were giving a higher number, so many people brought the wait on themselves by showing up early.

Of course then they stood at the entrance and blocked the path for everyone else!!!!

WE got off around 8:40am and really there was no line at all! Yes a small line for customs, but with 5-6 working it went very fast(minutes).

We are flying home in hours and will be happy to answer any question later.

 

[Anal Annie]

YIKES..... This sounds crazy. Okay...question.. If you had the second dinner seating...weren't you supposed to go to the 7:00 show???? If so, why could you not get there early enough? How many nights were you on the cruise? Thanks

Denise - it looks like the OP is a troll...don't worry over it!!

 

[templed]

... I think the web address you meant to type in was cruisecrit.... (well, you get the idea).

 

[KSDisneyDad]

Whew! Glad to read some positives.OP had me worrying. Why such opposite experiences on the same cruise?

No matter what cruise or cruiseline one is on, there will be those who love their experience and those who are less enamored with it. To me, my last DCL cruise was nearly perfect with the exception that it was too short! However, on the last day I was at the breakfast buffet and there was a lady being quite loud and obnoxious about how horrible the cruise was and how she would never cruise again. Two people - two vastly different experiences.

Also, see this thread from the same cruise: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2667267

Denise - it looks like the OP is a troll...don't worry over it!!

I tend to agree as many of the "complaints" are common knowledge. Getting to the port when the previous cruise is still unboarding (assume 9:00 am) will result in a long wait as Disney never lets anyone board until at least 11:30 and often as late as noon. It's always been that way and nothing new with the Dream. I'm sure the OP had an early boarding number though getting there that early.

With respect to the pizza place closing. On all of the ships, the pizza place closes at 6:00 pm - even on the Magic and Wonder - for a few hours on certain nights. All hours are listed in the Navigator daily. In this event, there is plenty of food to be had at the other fast food locations (burgers, panini's, wraps, etc.), at the lounges (nachos, hot dogs and wings), the coffee shop (small sandwiches, fruit, etc.), room service, etc. It appears that no one else on the ship had an issue with places running out of food.

I've seen standing room only for certain shows on the Magic in the past. It is rare, but it has happened. My DW and I had to stand for one show. It wasn't a movie, but a magician on one of the longer cruises. There are usually plenty of other showings for movies throughout the cruise though. I actually find it good that the adult night clubs are full as being empty has been the general complaint in the past on these boards.

And we've had very long waits on two of cruise to disembark (once on the Magic and once on the Wonder). It has more to do with customs not clearing the ship and the time you choose to leave. Generally, it goes smoothly, but not always and that can happen on any of the Disney ships.

Also, when did February become "busy" season for cruising? I always thought that February was deeply discounted to attract guests. I think it has more to do with it being the first couple of months of the DCL.

I don't believe that Disney is perfect and that there have been hiccups on all of our cruises, but overall we've enjoyed them. However, to call it a "nightmare" seems quite extreme as if the OP is trying to

 

[5lilfish]

Also, when did February become "busy" season for cruising? I always thought that February was deeply discounted to attract guests. I think it has more to do with it being the first couple of months of the DCL.
:

President's Week is a school break for many districts. With so many kids having that entire week off it is a peak vacation week....and prices/crowds reflect that. I'm sure the rest of Feb is slow and discounted.

While we have cruised DCL in Feb, it is not my favorite time to go. I do not like very cold water. I prefer to go when the water is walk-in warm and it is hot enough outside that I want to spend the whole day in the water.

Jess

 

[Eeyores#1Fan]

We were on the 2/24-2/27 cruise and I would say our experience was 'so-so'. There were things I wish Disney hadn't changed but that's just me. However 3 things happened to me with 2 being major that I NEVER expected!

1- We had a new assistant server whom messed up a few times which wasn't a problem however he didn't try to fix it but would rather say 'well I pushed the button and that's what came up' That was very frustrating.

2- All of my excursions were canceled (but not my friends which I booked for her as her agent) and then I received partial information so wasn't prepared for the new booking and had to yet again reschedule. Very frustrating. Guest Services Manager was not very helpful either...actually seemed a little rude.

3- Morning we were to disembark they ran out of food. First they took our order than 15 mins later came back and said oh we don't have everything. So we modified our orders all for him to come back 10 mins later and say oh I'm sorry but customs is in the kitchen and they have shut everything down so all we have is the Route 66 plates. We were scheduled for breakfast at 7:45 with everyone being seated by 8am. Really customs shut stuff off by 8:15??? That just doesn't seem right.

All in all will we cruise Disney again? YES!!! I'm not crazy. This was our 6th cruise and our first to have so many issues so I'll be OK. But it still was very frustrating.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

President's Week is a school break for many districts. With so many kids having that entire week off it is a peak vacation week....and prices/crowds reflect that. I'm sure the rest of Feb is slow and discounted.

While we have cruised DCL in Feb, it is not my favorite time to go. I do not like very cold water. I prefer to go when the water is walk-in warm and it is hot enough outside that I want to spend the whole day in the water.

Jess

Wow. I never knew that so many had the entire week off for President's week that it was considered a busy season. I've lived in the Midwest or Denver for my entire life and no school district around us has ever had that week off. We do get a week for spring break, but that's not until late March.

I just remember how cheap the February cruises were last year and how I wished the kids had time off then instead of late March. However, after our one and ONLY trip in later winter/early spring, I too have no desire to go during this time of year due to the cold water (and even cool weather). We went in late March last year for Spring Break. We had to wear jackets most of the trip and the water at CC was too cool to enjoy being in it. On the plus side, the weather was perfect for taking a bike ride and enjoying the other non-water activities at CC. I like our summer cruises when the water is warm enough to really enjoy!

 

[mmouse37]

Let's not shoot the messenger...everyone experiences things differently. Obviuosly the OP experienced long lines, etc. They have a right to report what they experienced.

This is moving to the Trip Reports board since this is a trip report.

MJ

 

[5forDis]

KSDisney-We live in New England and most of the Northeast has a February Vacation (some the week of President's Day and some the next week). Generally, it is a fairly good time to visit the parks because it is not very busy. I don't know about cruises...haven't cruised DCL yet. I read threads like this and wonder if I should wait until the Dream and Fantasy have been sailing a while before booking our trip I expect crowds..especially if the ship is sold out, but running out of food seems very odd on any cruise. Total food fest.

We were planning to go April 2012.

Lots to think about....

 

[KSDisneyDad]

KSDisney-We live in New England and most of the Northeast has a February Vacation (some the week of President's Day and some the next week). Generally, it is a fairly good time to visit the parks because it is not very busy. I don't know about cruises...haven't cruised DCL yet. I read threads like this and wonder if I should wait until the Dream and Fantasy have been sailing a while before booking our trip I expect crowds..especially if the ship is sold out, but running out of food seems very odd on any cruise. Total food fest.

We were planning to go April 2012.

Lots to think about....

Thanks. That's funny how different parts of the country have different breaks. Do you also get a spring break (late March or April) or is that considered your spring break?

Before this thread, I would have never considered President's Day a major holiday week. I've always considered it similar to MLK Day, Columbus Day or Veteran's Day. Some may get it off, but not everyone and schools don't take a lot of time off around it. I guess I was mistaken.

And...I didn't mean to shoot the messenger, but am always a little suspicious when someone comes on here and their first post is a negative rant. Especially when they say they are a repeat guest and many of the 'issues' are not new to DCL's new ships, but have been around for years (i.e. not being able to board until 11:30, pizza place closing at 6, ship having to arrive early/late due to weather, full shows, etc.) The long line at debarkation is frustrating, but does happen occassionally on all of the ships. I wanted to let otheres know that I don't see how these instances constituted a nightmare and to point out that there was no balance with anything positive as seen in other threads about the exact same cruise. I think that a lot of cruisers end have issues arise, but also recognize that there are a lot of positives too. I've had issues arise on several of our cruises, but nothing that would cause it to be a classified a nightmare. I just found that word too extreme for what appeared to me were mostly petty issues. The only significant issue alluded to IMO was service related, but there was no detail as to why the OP felt that service was not as good as in the past.

 

[SarahLou382]

Thanks. That's funny how different parts of the country have different breaks. Do you also get a spring break (late March or April) or is that considered your spring break?

Yup, in New York (where I grew up) and here in RI we get President's week off. Its called "winter Break" and around Easter we get the week off for "Spring Break"

 

[delo4]

We were on the 2/24-2/27 cruise and I would say our experience was 'so-so'. There were things I wish Disney hadn't changed but that's just me. However 3 things happened to me with 2 being major that I NEVER expected!

1- We had a new assistant server whom messed up a few times which wasn't a problem however he didn't try to fix it but would rather say 'well I pushed the button and that's what came up' That was very frustrating.

2- All of my excursions were canceled (but not my friends which I booked for her as her agent) and then I received partial information so wasn't prepared for the new booking and had to yet again reschedule. Very frustrating. Guest Services Manager was not very helpful either...actually seemed a little rude.

3- Morning we were to disembark they ran out of food. First they took our order than 15 mins later came back and said oh we don't have everything. So we modified our orders all for him to come back 10 mins later and say oh I'm sorry but customs is in the kitchen and they have shut everything down so all we have is the Route 66 plates. We were scheduled for breakfast at 7:45 with everyone being seated by 8am. Really customs shut stuff off by 8:15??? That just doesn't seem right.

All in all will we cruise Disney again? YES!!! I'm not crazy. This was our 6th cruise and our first to have so many issues so I'll be OK. But it still was very frustrating.

In response to your #3 - This happened to us once on the Wonder. Our server (who we have had many times and are certain he was telling us the truth) told us that the inspectors were on board. When that happens, everyone (dining staff) tend to freak out. They do close down some of the food selections and you are then limited to what they can serve you. We couldn't have anything hot (from the grill) at all. Our server had been on the Wonder for 10 years so he was pretty calm, but as you looked around the dining room, the head servers were running around making sure all dish stations were clean, dirty dishes were no where to be found. It wasn't a big deal for us since we have been on several DCL cruises and know that this was not a normal breakfast.

We saw a female inspector checking out someones station (where the servers put dirty dishes, take the covers off your plates, etc., and she was going over that thing with a fine-toothed comb. Right before we left, we found out that the inspection had gone well, but it was too late to get anything for breakfast other than oatmeal, pastries, etc. They even shut down the toasters, so no toast, english muffins or bagels could be served.

Our server ran to one of the other restaurants and got us some english muffins, and a couple other items because he knew we had a long drive and didn't want us to leave hungry.

 

[cmwade77]

In response to your #3 - This happened to us once on the Wonder. Our server (who we have had many times and are certain he was telling us the truth) told us that the inspectors were on board. When that happens, everyone (dining staff) tend to freak out. They do close down some of the food selections and you are then limited to what they can serve you. We couldn't have anything hot (from the grill) at all. Our server had been on the Wonder for 10 years so he was pretty calm, but as you looked around the dining room, the head servers were running around making sure all dish stations were clean, dirty dishes were no where to be found. It wasn't a big deal for us since we have been on several DCL cruises and know that this was not a normal breakfast.

We saw a female inspector checking out someones station (where the servers put dirty dishes, take the covers off your plates, etc., and she was going over that thing with a fine-toothed comb. Right before we left, we found out that the inspection had gone well, but it was too late to get anything for breakfast other than oatmeal, pastries, etc. They even shut down the toasters, so no toast, english muffins or bagels could be served.

Our server ran to one of the other restaurants and got us some english muffins, and a couple other items because he knew we had a long drive and didn't want us to leave hungry.

First off, this makes me wonder what the customs inspectors are checking for, I always thought it would just be people that are not supposed to be there, but I guess there is more to it than that.

And that server would have gotten an extra tip from me....that was nice of him and he certainly didn't have to do that.

 

[5forDis]

Thanks. That's funny how different parts of the country have different breaks. Do you also get a spring break (late March or April) or is that considered your spring break?

We get a week in December around Christmas-New Year, a week at the end of February, and a week at the end of April. They are in school from 3rd week of August until the end of June in our district (should be middle of June, but snow days lead to make-up days)

I wanted to let otheres know that I don't see how these instances constituted a nightmare and to point out that there was no balance with anything positive as seen in other threads about the exact same cruise. I think that a lot of cruisers end have issues arise, but also recognize that there are a lot of positives too. I've had issues arise on several of our cruises, but nothing that would cause it to be a classified a nightmare. I just found that word too extreme for what appeared to me were mostly petty issues. The only significant issue alluded to IMO was service related, but there was no detail as to why the OP felt that service was not as good as in the past.

Thanks for posting another side. I am apprehensive about booking a cruise on the Dream after reading the negative trip reports. If we decide to do it, at least we'll know to expect some of the rough patches

 

[sshaw10060]

First off, this makes me wonder what the customs inspectors are checking for, I always thought it would just be people that are not supposed to be there, but I guess there is more to it than that.

And that server would have gotten an extra tip from me....that was nice of him and he certainly didn't have to do that.

They're likely not customs inspectors, but the Coast Guard who are responsible for making sure the ship is safe and seaworthy.