We're Also Back from 5 night NY - Canada

[FirstTimeDC]

We are back from the 5 night out of NY to Canada. I am hoping to write a detailed review with pictures. However, for now I'll hit the highlights and answer any questions I can.

This was our 6th Disney Cruise and 16th overall cruise. We prefer the 7 night to the 5 night. However, we did have a lot of fun on this cruise. The last DCL we took was last year on the Dream. It was a b2b 4 and 5 day. So, we did find ourselves comparing it to the Dream a lot. First, let me say, we really did have a lot of fun. However, I think we decided we really do enjoy the Dream over the Magic. Makes me a little sad, because we used to LOVE the Magic.

Ok, let me start with the embarkation. It was painless and pretty fast. However, NY does not have it down as well as Port Canaveral. In their defense, this was the first DCL out of NY to Canada. PC has been doing DCL much longer. The great part of NY was Minnie and Mickey came out for pictures just like in PC. The difference was Minnie was in a Statue of Liberty Costume. Very cool!! We arrived at the port by taxi around 10:30am. Our "official" check in time given by Disney was 12:00pm. No one ever asked to see that. Once we gave them our suitcases, we proceeded to check in. That was pretty quick. We arrived, checked in and had pictures with Minnie and Mickey by 11:30am. I then took my two children to register for children's clubs. We finished that around 12:00pm and they called our boarding group (number 16) right away. We were onboard and eating lunch in Parrot Cay by 12:30ish, I think. Rooms were ready by 1:30pm. Everything went great!!

Next I will tell you about the dining experience. Our rotation was PLAPL. We had late seating. We were fine with that. We were slightly disappointed in the dining. Again, we've been on 6 DCL. So, we have several to compare to. Had this been our first cruise we would have thought it was great! However, it wasn't. Our service and food on the other DCL's were soooooo wonderful that this cruise seemed to come up a little short. The drink/assistant server was great! He kept drinks refilled wonderfully, etc. The head server for our table was just ok. He seemed a little annoyed if we'd order more than one thing, or want something special. I will tell you we are kind of needy bunch. Still yet, we've always been treated so wonderfully and if a waiter knew we liked something he/she would go out of their way to bring us more of it, etc. It was by no means "bad" service. Just not DCL usual service. Our main head server (not sure what he is called) was really good. Not the one that takes the orders, etc. the guy that is his "boss". He came by and talked with the girls, etc. The food was typical. However, we didn't have Lobster on this cruise. Which I thought was odd since it was a Canada Cruise. They are somewhat famous for Lobster. They did have Lobster mac n cheese one night and another pasta with some Lobster. But that is all. We missed this! They did however, have baked alaska one night. Which we love! The buffet (Topsiders) was not too great. However, the outside places were very good....Goofy's, Pluto's, Pinocchio's Pizza, etc. The down side was it was very cold outside. So, no-one was extremely interested in eating on deck. Therefore, topsiders was packed - trying to get a table, etc. was a bit difficult sometimes. Also, Topsiders is only open from 12:00pm - 2:00pm. So, if you chose to eat an early or late lunch you had to sit outside to eat it. The food outside was very good, but it was so cold out there.

Pools were great. It was soooo cold outside. I will say they had the pools nice and warm! My kids swam twice and said they were fine - until they got out of the pool! It was wonderful that they had the pools so warm. A definite plus!!!

Our room host did a great job! Our rooms were 6511 (sideways), 6311 (inside), and 6305 (inside). All were foward (front of the ship). Great location and quite. Only negative is they are far from Parrot Cay, Animators, and Top Siders. But the ship isn't that big - so not a big deal. Very close to Walt Disney Theater. So, I guess it just depends on where you want to be. We liked this location.

Children's Clubs - I was very disappointed in the new "open house" thing. I did know ahead of time. So, at least I was prepared. However, I love to go in and take pictures and watch my children enjoying the various activities. This wasn't an option during most of the activities we wanted to watch. We did get to watch/particiapte in the Ratatouie (sp?) cooking school. It was fun and the girls loved it! The counselors were good, I guess. No way of knowing because we didn't get to witness their interaction or talk with them the way we usually do. I totally understand the reasoning behind why they are having "secured" programs. But we didn't like it at all. That was one of the things we loved about Disney was being able to watch our children enjoy all of that. With us not being able to go in....our youngest daughter didn't want to go very much. Our older daughter still went some - but not as much as usual. The upside of the clubs is that they can go in either one. There were some activities my older daughter (5 1/2) chose the club and sometimes the Lab. So, that option was nice. Friendship Rocks show was cute, as always!

Other activities.....They DID have Tea with Alice. We got our tickets early. We were assigned the first sea day at 3:30pm. They did this on both sea days, I think. Also, they had princess gatherings on both sea days. This was also not as good as the Dream. They did not come down the staircases with the music, etc. They only had three princesses in the Lobby. Then they had two upstairs. So you had to wait in three different lines. They also didn't have Ariel. Cinderella, Tiana, and Snow White were in the Lobby. Aurora and Belle were upstairs. The girls still loved seeing the princesses, but it wasn't as organized as the Dream.

Not sure if it was because this was the first Canada cruise or what, but things just didn't run as smoothly. I can't imagine why. It's not the Magic's first cruise. There wasn't anything terrible that happened - just nothing "Magical" either. Some of the staff didn't seem to know what was going on, etc. Maybe they were new?!?

The photography dept. -- They didn't seem as good as other cruises either. We spend A LOT of time getting photos. They didn't seem as good as some other DCL cruises we've been on. Nothing terrible or worth complaining about. Just not as good as usual. The packages are a little different this year. You don't buy credits. You buy get 15 pictures (any size) for $150 - I think. We did the CD which was $249 and then you can pay an extra $50 and get all the prints they take. So, we got every print they took of us and the CD for $300. I felt we got our money worth! Just depends on how many pictures you take. Like I said...we take A LOT. More than the average, I think.

Shows - Shows were are great, as usual. We love the DCL shows. They always do a great job. We had seen them all, but still just love them. Our shows were...1. Welcome Aboard, 2. Villians Tonight, 3. Twice Charmed, 4. A magician (can't remember his name), 5. Dreams.

Tours - We had been to Canada on a Carnival Cruise. So, I didn't get off the ship in Halifax. However, some of our group did. They did Peggy's Cove Tour. They enjoyed it. However, we all took the St. John's Scenic Railway Tour. It was not good at all. One of the worst tours we've taken. Not super informative. The train guide was just awful. He told make believe stories and sang cheesy songs. It was awful. The people next to us and our group were just amused at the end of it. I would definitely skip this tour.

Debarkation - went smoothly. We didn't have anything pressing. We were staying in NY for a couple of days. We ate breakfast in the dining room at 8:30am. We got off the ship around 9:30am. Everything was smooth and easy.

We spent a day and half before the cruise and a day and half after the cruise in New York. We did See it all tour with Onboard Tours. We did a carriage ride in Central Park, spent quite a bit of time in Times Square, went to M&M World, Hersery's Store, Disney Store, Toys R Us. We took the subway and cabs. We also went to Coney Island for part of day. Ate New York Pizza, Nathan's Hot Dogs, Carmines for Italian, Shake Shack for Hamburgers, etc. We also did a broadway show...Mama Mia. It was great!!! We had lots of fun!

We flew in and out of Newark airport. That was fine. We also used Luxury Limo as our car service. I would recommend them.

I know I touched on serveral "down sides" of the cruise. However, we did really have a very good time! I can't imagine going on a DCL and having a bad time. It just wasn't the level of service we've come to expect from Disney. They've spoiled us, I guess.

If anyone has any questions about the cruise or New York, ask away! I'll see if I can help!

By the way....Our group consisted of two children (3 1/2 and 5 1/2 yrs old), One semi-adult (18yrs old - just graduated high school), Hubby and I (35 & 36 yrs old) and then four seniors (60 - 65 yrs old).

 

[FirstTimeDC]

One more thing...we were given a lot of gifts in our stateroom. We received the castaway gift....backpack, cheese crackers, pretzels, key chain. Also, twice we received stationery, etc. Once we received a picture/mat of the first cruise out of NY to Canada. I was thinking we received something else, but can't think of what it was. That was a nice little treat. We really like the Castaway Club gift better than the old ones.

 

[FirstTimeDC]

I'm bumping this in case anyone is intersted......or has any questions.

 

[darsura]

Thank you for all the information! I am so looking forward to our first Disney cruise!

Can you tell me if there if there is a Captain's Gala and what the suggested dress code is for this night?

 

[FirstTimeDC]

No problem! You will have a great time. DCL is the best (at least for our family).

Honestly, I don't remember if there was a Captains Gala. If there was - I would guess it was formal/semi formal night.

 

[SylviaL]

Thanks for taking the time to write a trip report! We are going in August.

What time did you tell the car service to pick you up at the port? Did you notice if there was a long taxi line? I am still trying to decide whether to use a car service, DCL transfer or taxi to the airport. I have read that the pick up line can be long. Also, did you meet any families that did the Critter Catch & Release excursion in Saint John? Thanks!

 

[NJOGRE]

What is this and why was it a disappointment?

 

[FirstTimeDC]

We only used the car service to and from the airport and hotels. We used the taxi's after debarkation. We didn't know what time we'd disembark. Therefore, I didn't want to schedule a pick up. It was also more expensive than the taxi's. There is a taxi stand across the street. We had a long line. It still only took 20-30 minutes. There are guys that will meet you as you exit the terminal asking if you need a taxi. These are private cars. They will cost more than the taxi ( I would assume). The guys also tell you the taxi line will take an hour or two hours. Don't believe them. Our line was wrapped around the taxi stand (very long). It still only took around 20-30 minutes. You can't miss the taxi stand. There are lots of taxi's. What takes the time is waiting for families to load all their luggage in the taxi.

We did not hear of anyone doing the Critter Catch. Sorry.

The Open House is a new system DCL has implemented within the last year. In the past, adults were welcome to come in the club/lab with their children and observe, take pictures, color, play, etc. You could also bring younger children (under 3) if you were going to stay.

Now they have "secured" and "open house" hours. Secured programing is just that...secured. No adults are allowed in the club/lab unless they are just dropping off for a couple of minutes. They aren't allowed to stay or take pictures. During open house times - adults can come in with their children and participate. However, if it's an open house time you can't drop off and leave. For example, if the club is offering open house from 3:00pm - 5:00pm you can't drop your child off. You'd have to take them to the secured programing in the lab. The open house times didn't work very well in our schedule. Also, their were activities going on during secured times that we would have loved to had pictures of our daughters doing.

I do totally understand the reasons behind the secured programing. However, I still don't like it. I know that was a wordy explanation. Hope it was clear.

 

[Ladyshopper]

I was in 6511 a couple of weeks ago - fab room, and the state host was great. I took him a different bar of English chocolate every day, which I think he appreciated!

 

[herb102211]

We are back from the 5 night out of NY to Canada. I am hoping to write a detailed review with pictures. However, for now I'll hit the highlights and answer any questions I can.

This was our 6th Disney Cruise and 16th overall cruise. We prefer the 7 night to the 5 night. However, we did have a lot of fun on this cruise. The last DCL we took was last year on the Dream. It was a b2b 4 and 5 day. So, we did find ourselves comparing it to the Dream a lot. First, let me say, we really did have a lot of fun. However, I think we decided we really do enjoy the Dream over the Magic. Makes me a little sad, because we used to LOVE the Magic.

Ok, let me start with the embarkation. It was painless and pretty fast. However, NY does not have it down as well as Port Canaveral. In their defense, this was the first DCL out of NY to Canada. PC has been doing DCL much longer. The great part of NY was Minnie and Mickey came out for pictures just like in PC. The difference was Minnie was in a Statue of Liberty Costume. Very cool!! We arrived at the port by taxi around 10:30am. Our "official" check in time given by Disney was 12:00pm. No one ever asked to see that. Once we gave them our suitcases, we proceeded to check in. That was pretty quick. We arrived, checked in and had pictures with Minnie and Mickey by 11:30am. I then took my two children to register for children's clubs. We finished that around 12:00pm and they called our boarding group (number 16) right away. We were onboard and eating lunch in Parrot Cay by 12:30ish, I think. Rooms were ready by 1:30pm. Everything went great!!

Next I will tell you about the dining experience. Our rotation was PLAPL. We had late seating. We were fine with that. We were slightly disappointed in the dining. Again, we've been on 6 DCL. So, we have several to compare to. Had this been our first cruise we would have thought it was great! However, it wasn't. Our service and food on the other DCL's were soooooo wonderful that this cruise seemed to come up a little short. The drink/assistant server was great! He kept drinks refilled wonderfully, etc. The head server for our table was just ok. He seemed a little annoyed if we'd order more than one thing, or want something special. I will tell you we are kind of needy bunch. Still yet, we've always been treated so wonderfully and if a waiter knew we liked something he/she would go out of their way to bring us more of it, etc. It was by no means "bad" service. Just not DCL usual service. Our main head server (not sure what he is called) was really good. Not the one that takes the orders, etc. the guy that is his "boss". He came by and talked with the girls, etc. The food was typical. However, we didn't have Lobster on this cruise. Which I thought was odd since it was a Canada Cruise. They are somewhat famous for Lobster. They did have Lobster mac n cheese one night and another pasta with some Lobster. But that is all. We missed this! They did however, have baked alaska one night. Which we love! The buffet (Topsiders) was not too great. However, the outside places were very good....Goofy's, Pluto's, Pinocchio's Pizza, etc. The down side was it was very cold outside. So, no-one was extremely interested in eating on deck. Therefore, topsiders was packed - trying to get a table, etc. was a bit difficult sometimes. Also, Topsiders is only open from 12:00pm - 2:00pm. So, if you chose to eat an early or late lunch you had to sit outside to eat it. The food outside was very good, but it was so cold out there.

Pools were great. It was soooo cold outside. I will say they had the pools nice and warm! My kids swam twice and said they were fine - until they got out of the pool! It was wonderful that they had the pools so warm. A definite plus!!!

Our room host did a great job! Our rooms were 6511 (sideways), 6311 (inside), and 6305 (inside). All were foward (front of the ship). Great location and quite. Only negative is they are far from Parrot Cay, Animators, and Top Siders. But the ship isn't that big - so not a big deal. Very close to Walt Disney Theater. So, I guess it just depends on where you want to be. We liked this location.

Children's Clubs - I was very disappointed in the new "open house" thing. I did know ahead of time. So, at least I was prepared. However, I love to go in and take pictures and watch my children enjoying the various activities. This wasn't an option during most of the activities we wanted to watch. We did get to watch/particiapte in the Ratatouie (sp?) cooking school. It was fun and the girls loved it! The counselors were good, I guess. No way of knowing because we didn't get to witness their interaction or talk with them the way we usually do. I totally understand the reasoning behind why they are having "secured" programs. But we didn't like it at all. That was one of the things we loved about Disney was being able to watch our children enjoy all of that. With us not being able to go in....our youngest daughter didn't want to go very much. Our older daughter still went some - but not as much as usual. The upside of the clubs is that they can go in either one. There were some activities my older daughter (5 1/2) chose the club and sometimes the Lab. So, that option was nice. Friendship Rocks show was cute, as always!

Other activities.....They DID have Tea with Alice. We got our tickets early. We were assigned the first sea day at 3:30pm. They did this on both sea days, I think. Also, they had princess gatherings on both sea days. This was also not as good as the Dream. They did not come down the staircases with the music, etc. They only had three princesses in the Lobby. Then they had two upstairs. So you had to wait in three different lines. They also didn't have Ariel. Cinderella, Tiana, and Snow White were in the Lobby. Aurora and Belle were upstairs. The girls still loved seeing the princesses, but it wasn't as organized as the Dream.

Not sure if it was because this was the first Canada cruise or what, but things just didn't run as smoothly. I can't imagine why. It's not the Magic's first cruise. There wasn't anything terrible that happened - just nothing "Magical" either. Some of the staff didn't seem to know what was going on, etc. Maybe they were new?!?

The photography dept. -- They didn't seem as good as other cruises either. We spend A LOT of time getting photos. They didn't seem as good as some other DCL cruises we've been on. Nothing terrible or worth complaining about. Just not as good as usual. The packages are a little different this year. You don't buy credits. You buy get 15 pictures (any size) for $150 - I think. We did the CD which was $249 and then you can pay an extra $50 and get all the prints they take. So, we got every print they took of us and the CD for $300. I felt we got our money worth! Just depends on how many pictures you take. Like I said...we take A LOT. More than the average, I think.

Shows - Shows were are great, as usual. We love the DCL shows. They always do a great job. We had seen them all, but still just love them. Our shows were...1. Welcome Aboard, 2. Villians Tonight, 3. Twice Charmed, 4. A magician (can't remember his name), 5. Dreams.

Tours - We had been to Canada on a Carnival Cruise. So, I didn't get off the ship in Halifax. However, some of our group did. They did Peggy's Cove Tour. They enjoyed it. However, we all took the St. John's Scenic Railway Tour. It was not good at all. One of the worst tours we've taken. Not super informative. The train guide was just awful. He told make believe stories and sang cheesy songs. It was awful. The people next to us and our group were just amused at the end of it. I would definitely skip this tour.

Debarkation - went smoothly. We didn't have anything pressing. We were staying in NY for a couple of days. We ate breakfast in the dining room at 8:30am. We got off the ship around 9:30am. Everything was smooth and easy.

We spent a day and half before the cruise and a day and half after the cruise in New York. We did See it all tour with Onboard Tours. We did a carriage ride in Central Park, spent quite a bit of time in Times Square, went to M&M World, Hersery's Store, Disney Store, Toys R Us. We took the subway and cabs. We also went to Coney Island for part of day. Ate New York Pizza, Nathan's Hot Dogs, Carmines for Italian, Shake Shack for Hamburgers, etc. We also did a broadway show...Mama Mia. It was great!!! We had lots of fun!

We flew in and out of Newark airport. That was fine. We also used Luxury Limo as our car service. I would recommend them.

I know I touched on serveral "down sides" of the cruise. However, we did really have a very good time! I can't imagine going on a DCL and having a bad time. It just wasn't the level of service we've come to expect from Disney. They've spoiled us, I guess.

If anyone has any questions about the cruise or New York, ask away! I'll see if I can help!

By the way....Our group consisted of two children (3 1/2 and 5 1/2 yrs old), One semi-adult (18yrs old - just graduated high school), Hubby and I (35 & 36 yrs old) and then four seniors (60 - 65 yrs old).

Thanks for the TR. Glad you enjoyed the cruise. DH and I are thinking about booking this one for early September. Just out of curiosity, were the seas rougher out of NYC than those on cruises out of PC? Thanks!

 

[Candace]

FirstTimeDC - Thanks for the info on the Canadian cruise. My cousin and I are going in September, and it's interesting to hear that it was that cold in June. We will pack accordingly! Also, where did you stay in New York after the cruise? We are looking everywhere and the prices are rather steep. Guess that's just NYC, huh? Thanks for posting!

 

[epcotrulz]

Any pics of the Canada merch from the ship?

thanks for the great report!!

 

[mom_rules]

No problem! You will have a great time. DCL is the best (at least for our family).

Honestly, I don't remember if there was a Captains Gala. If there was - I would guess it was formal/semi formal night.

We were there with you and have to agree-something was a bit off the whole cruise. Staff disorganized, ship needs fixing-just cosmetic, servers off,stateroom host and even the food was a bit blah.

They didn't have the traditional Captain's Gala-I think they called it Dress Up night on the navigator. Can't recall any lobster on the menu at all?

 

[hkriw]

Where and how early did you get the Tea with Alice tickets?

Thanks for all your insight

 

[taximom00]

We were there with you and have to agree-something was a bit off the whole cruise. Staff disorganized, ship needs fixing-just cosmetic, servers off,stateroom host and even the food was a bit blah.

They didn't have the traditional Captain's Gala-I think they called it Dress Up night on the navigator. Can't recall any lobster on the menu at all?

Gee, I hope they get it together for the next few cruises! We sail July 8 NYC to Canada.

 

[Donald & Daisy Duck]

Thanks for the TR....we are sailing to Canada on September 12th ... hope it will be warm still.

Is Tea with Alice just for children?? Also, did they offer Palo tea at all during the cruise?

Thanks.

 

[FirstTimeDC]

Thanks for reading, everyone. Let me start by saying...you will have a good time! Don't worry. We had a good time. We just felt the service, food and organization we've come to expect from DCL was lacking this time.

We've heard the weather was unusually cold for this time of year in Canada. We were on a Canadian Cruise (Carnival) a couple of years ago in June and the weather was much warmer. It's usually in the 70's in June and this week it was 50-60's. On the open water - that's cold! They did do a GREAT job of keeping the pools warm for the children though.

Ok, I'll see what questions I can answer.

1. Tea With Alice - We got our tickets at Guest Services early on embarkation day. It is for adults and children. However, if I wasn't cruising with children I don't think hubby and I would go. Just our opinion. It's very cute though. And you get to take a picture of your group after the tea party with Alice and the Mad Hatter.

2. No photos of Merch in Canada and can't tell you about Palo's. We didn't do this.

3. Hotels - We stayed two nights pre-cruise and two nights post-cruise. We booked both on name your price/priceline. Pre-cruise we got a Days in upper west Manhattan. The hallways were a maze and a little creepy at night. However, the room was clean and the staff were nice & helpful. So, we were happy enough. The rooms were small, but clean. We paid $135/night. If this were any other city I'd say it was over-priced. But given it was in Manhattan - I'd say it was ok. It was a $10 cab ride to Times Square. Post-Cruise we got a Holiday Inn in Long Island City (Queens). A little further from Manhattan, but a nicer hotel. The area seemed a little creepy. But the hotel was nice and staff was nice and helpful, as well. Hotel had indoor swimming pool and restaurant on site. The subway was a block away. It was also creepy, but convenient. We took the subway for $2.25/person. We took a cab back and it was $15. The hotel was only $125/night on name your own price. Definintely worth it for a decent hotel in NY.

Let me know if there are any other questions I can answer.