Western Caribbean 1/28/2006 - Comments?

[ddavis860]

My only real complaint about anything is the elevators. There are rows of 4 elevators in each area (forward, aft and mid-ship), yet all 4 are linked together. It's not too much of a problem for the forward and aft elevators, but those midship elevators being linked is a real problem. At one point we stood there for 10 minutes waiting for an elevator. People would just walk up to the far side elevators and jump in when they got there, (or run when they see the doors open from halfway across the atrium) completely disregarding the people who had been standing there. Just unlink the right and left sides and it relieves some of the problem. If you push the button on the left side, only those two elevators will come to your floor. Not the far right where you'd have to run, knocking people out of your way to get to it before it's either crowded with a million people or the doors close (if you've been standing there waiting patiently)! I know it may seem minor to some people, but it's just a pet peeve that could easily be fixed instead of standing out as a problem.

I have to say that I ABSOLUTELY agree with this. I was so frustrated with the elevator thing and how inconsiderate people were. We would wait and wait, and the far elevator would open and be full before we got there...full of people that had just walked up. I agree, it is minor, it might be a small thing, but when you are tired it seems like a biggie...and DH and I just started going to the Aft elevator all the time...forget Midship.

 

[GhostlyHitchhiker]

I have to say that I ABSOLUTELY agree with this. I was so frustrated with the elevator thing and how inconsiderate people were. We would wait and wait, and the far elevator would open and be full before we got there...full of people that had just walked up. I agree, it is minor, it might be a small thing, but when you are tired it seems like a biggie...and DH and I just started going to the Aft elevator all the time...forget Midship.

Exactly! There were times that we were in the Atrium for one reason or another and just wanted to go up to deck 9. It seemed like such an annoyance to go all the way to the forward or aft (we preferred forward because our room was RIGHT off the forward elevator on deck 2) when you just want to get to the drink station or the Mickey pool or a snack!

If they just have the left button call the left elevators and the right button call the right elevators, it would make it so much easier.

The other issue with the current set up is, if there are 20 people waiting for the elevator only one will stop. If that elevator is full already or fills up right away, then you have to wait for that elevator to physically leave to push the button again. Other elevators that COULD have stopped at your deck have now passed you by and you have to wait even longer again. Just decoupling the sides will fix both issues.

No idea if it's something that will ever be done, but I just needed to vent about it as it's the only frustrating thing we dealt with all week. Everything else was MAGICal and having such perfection elsewhere makes the minor things all the more aggravating to deal with especially when they could so easily be addressed. Here's hoping.

 

[snelsonbrown]

"It rained a bit in Key West as we were walking the 10 blocks or so to Fausto's to buy Diet Pepsi, but it was a warm kind of rain and my DH and DDs and I considered it an adventure." - Its so funny that you walked a place I had been around all my life - I grew up right behind Fausto's in fact where Fausto's stands now once was a chinese laundry and I would be there as a little girl learning the language and being taught their cultures. Accross the street was a funeral home called Lopez funeral home and EVERYONE from the 1800's where buried from there in a horse drawn carriage. On the corner of Duval and Fleming St, my dad ran his cab from there among about 10 other cab drivers. Just that one little block has many memories for me. Glad you were able to make it there and have a chance to do what the locals have done for over a century but of course with much more modern upgrades.
Glad I could help while in my hometown of Key West.
Blessings always
Shirley

 

[A Sunny Day]

We were on the 1/28 too and also had the 5:30 dinner and felt that it was rushed some days to get there on time. I would not have wanted the late seating though as I'm afraid the kids and myself might nod off during dinner. We attended the Castaway Club reception and had to leave immediately after the intro's of the staff to get to dinner, not to mention that we didn't get a chance to enjoy the food.

It seems like the main events such as the big theatre shows and movies etc are timed to accomodate both dinner times but the other smaller events are not.

I wanted a family picture and the lines were very long before and after dinner but when we went during dinner, there was no wait. In fact two photographers were just standing around waiting for people when we walked up. So I would recommend going to dinner and placing your order then excuse yourself for a few mins.

As far as the characters being around, I called the number to find out who and where but noone was interested in going. I did see Mickey who was getting on the elevator as I was leaving it one morning, and my kids said they saw one later the same kind of thing. So I think they do roam the ship at times but the ship is huge and you prob could go the whole week without seeing them or see them alot.

While watching the movie Narnia, several characters walked thru during the movie. One of the places where they enter was at the bottom of the theatre so we saw several of them walk up and down the stairs during the movie.

While I didn't attend it I heard that the late Gary Delena (sp?) show was over crowded and they sent people to Diversions to watch it on the screen. I wish they would have also showed it on the tv in the stateroom, so that while the kids slept, I could have seen this. Same with the other late night shows, one of us stayed in the room with the kids, therefore only one parent saw the show. I realize they don't want just anyone to see this show but maybe you could request that channel at GS or something or order it.

I also wished that there were more movie times. It just seemed that we missed the ones we wanted to see by 15-30 mins each time. But it's just a movie that we could see back home so we opted for the other activities.

I like the matinee theatre shows they offered as that freed up alot of time in the evening.

With the freezing weather back home, I'm ready for day on the ship anytime.

 

[disneylover5]

I wanted a family picture and the lines were very long before and after dinner but when we went during dinner, there was no wait. In fact two photographers were just standing around waiting for people when we walked up. So I would recommend going to dinner and placing your order then excuse yourself for a few mins.
QUOTE]

This is an awesome suggestion. I am going to remember this one!!

 

[Indea88]

We had the 8:00pm seating which worked great. I planned all our Photogs at the end of the first seatings which was about 6:30 and there were no lines most where in having dinner and the late seating people werent considering pictures until about 7:15 or so this worked well for us. We were able to get great pictures without the long lines and aggravation!!!

 

[thompson princesses]

We were also on the Jan 28th cruise. We have cruised with other lines but this was our first Disney Cruise. We started out at Radisson the night before. We had excellent service. Our rooms were clean and the sleep number beds were great. The pool area was beautiful and we ate dinner poolside. A nice start to our vacation. We were on the first shuttle and received boarding pass #2. So much easier than the other lines! We had lunch in Parrot Cay. Brought the swimsuits and the kids were in the pool soon after. (Great tip!) My parents and sister were on the Carnival Glory at the same time (wanted to hook up in Key West and Cozumel...but Cozumel was a bust) so I walked to the front of the ship and we waved to each other...kinda cool! Our stateroom attendant was wonderful and our servers too. Diane from roomservice was so sweet..always called to see if everything was just right. The food in the dining room was just ok. We are not picky eaters but most of the meat selections were bland and dry. We loved the service and presentation so we continued to go. Palo was something entirely different. I think some of the best food we have eaten. Thanks to more tips we were able to get all the princess photos with our dd3 (she changed outfits in line). This leads to really the only problem we encountered on the cruise....the pictures in shutters. There are so many photos taken of the family it is hard to keep track of them. As suggested I "stacked" some of the photos. Each day I would purchase the ones I was sure I had to have and continued to stack the photos I wasn't so sure about. The day we were in Nassau I went to purchase and discard the rest of the photos but they were gone....all of them! I was sick. My family and the staff couldn't find them either. I went to guest services and the mgr there had Zee (shutters mgr) look into it. She said not to worry she would try to find them or reprint them some how. She called me that evening and said she had located them and to pick them up the next day. When I went up there she gave me all my prints for free and said she was sorry for the mix up. I was shocked. I couldn't believe it. Now that is real pixie dust! ANYWAYS, our trip was awesome...my kids met some wonderful friends and we have a precious memory to last a lifetime. ~Barb~

 

[ThePhantomsGirl]

Barb,

This is REALLY but I'm another Joaquin Phoenix fan! I'd love to see him get the Oscar - though I'm pretty sure they'll give it to the Capote actor...

I'll be on this cruise NEXT year - woo-hoo!!

 

[thompson princesses]

Hi Holly! I have to agree with you...Hoffman will probably get it but Joaquin did a great job. I have loved him since I saw him in "inventing the abotts" and now have all his films. I haven't liked someone this much since David Cassidy!! Now I'm dating myself! ~Barb~

 

[melsmom12]

We were also on the Jan 28th cruise and just loved it. Having worked at a resort myself for years, I had certain expectations and certain allowances, and my standards were just blown away by how incredible the whole experience was.

We flew in on Friday the 27th and stayed in Cocoa Beach at the Quality Suites. It was perfect for our family, we each had a suite which consists of a bedroom and sitting room, just perfect! The next morning our shuttle picked us up right on time and off we went to the port.

We waited for maybe 45 minutes in line, not too bad, and before we knew it it was time to board. I think I cried from excitement!

Some of the highlights from our trip were our incredible dinner at Palo, I'm sorry but that chocolate souffle made my eyes roll back in my head! The service there was impeccable and the night was very special.

Another wonderful part of our trip was Flounders Nursery. We hadn't intended to put our 9 month old DD in there too often, but they made us feel so comfortable and at ease that we ended up having her there at least 12 hours during the week. There is a maximum of 10 but if they have space you can arrange to have your child there more often. Our DD had a great time playing and watching the other children, and the staff was just incredible with her.

We loved the shows, loved almost all of the meals, and the kids programs for my 9 year old niece and 5 year old nephew were terrific. Our servers were wonderful, Sameer and Tony, they always had my DD's highchair and some "distractions" ready to go!

Our favorite day by far was Castaway Cay. Even though the day started a little cool and breezy, by the mid-afternoon the sun came out and my whole family just loved it there. We stayed on the family beach all day and were very sad to come back to the ship. We all said we wished we could have spent two days there.

One thing I wasn't completely thrilled with was the 5:30 dinner seating. Like some of the other previous posters, it did make the days feel fairly rushed. We did want the early seating, but I think I would have preferred 6pm. Still, a small price to pay.

Another small disappointment was that I guess I thought there would be a little more of what I like to call "spontaneous entertainment." Just little things here and there to remind you that you are on a Disney Cruise and not just any old other cruise line. Like little pool shows every day or small funny appearances by the characters. I don't know, kind of like you see at the resorts and parks, that's what I mean.

While it was certainly a different experience traveling with an infant, we all really had an amazing time and can't wait to do it again.

 

[CPM]

. OUr dining staff, Deneval and Sumi, were awesome, .

We had Sumi the week before. He was switching teams after us. He wasn't happy with teh team he was working with. He had an extra long contract of 7 months so he could have some time off for a festival back home. He said he could never last 7 months with a team he disliked. So, I hope he was happy, he said he had a lot of friends on the new team.
He was an excellent server!