Three series of questions because I'm nosy but also because DVC and
DCL have been known to read these boards:
3) For everyone who has sailed before- what did you think? Where does this cruise rank based on others you have taken? What did you like most? What would you have liked to seen differently?
Here is my answer (as confusing as it may be!)
Main Stage Entertainment (Walt Disney Theater)
2007 #1
2006 #2
2005 #3
Gifts in stateroom
2005 #1
2006 #2
2007 #3 (as Kay stated before, there is nothing more disappointing than walking in the Disney Outlets and to see your "special gifts for this cruise" are on clearance in the same frame with the same pins for $3.99.
Also, with regards to gifts. 2005 was awesome in that when you went to dinner each night, there was something special. Remember the crowns and tiaras and special stuff? I told Tony and Adrienne that they were NOT to miss dinner and go to Palo's because they would miss out on something for their first cruise in 2007.....NOT!
Also, what does a print of Steamboat Mickey have to do with the member cruise. I WANT MY LITHO FROM DUCKY WILLIAMS. Not only was I disappointed that Ducky was not on the cruise, we didn't even get a gift from him from DVC. What was that all about?
Food
#1 2005
#2 2006
#3 2007
Although the food was great, what about using some of the specialty menus that they have used on the 10 day Wonder and 11 day Wonder cruises last September. If it is a "special" cruise, then give us lobster one night!
Other Entertainment i.e. legends, speaker series
Okay, there are variables here, but
#1 2007 (Only because I loved the Disney Legends, however it only gets a grade of an A and not an A+ because Ducky wasn't on the cruise)
#2 2005 Because Ducky was on the cruise, but would have been #1 if not for the Disney Legends. I also LOVED Art Linkletter!
#3 2006 Because Ducky had to back out of the cruise at the last minute but I LOVED Roy Disney!
For both 2005 and 2006 I enjoyed the other speakers they brought on (ambassador, olympic athletes, etc.) so that is a real hard one!
Legends Ball
Okay, so they didn't have one in 2006 and 2005, but 2007 was a total waste of time. It was unorganized, we waited in atrium for 30 minutes and no one knew what was going on (even DVC). Even Jim Lewis looked like "what the heck is going on here!"
Itinerary
#1 2007 and 2006 because I love 2 stops at
Castaway Cay
#3 2005 because we only came once to Castaway Cay
Communication from DVC BEFORE the cruise i.e. newsletters
#1 2005
#2 2006
#3 2007 They sent less newsletter updates this time and communicated less than before.
MY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR 2008
You didn't ask, but I'll share:
1. Ducky must be on the cruise! We want a special litho just for the cruise!
2. Give more thought to the gifts. Give us something we can't get unless we are on the cruise.
3. Start the member presentation in the Walt Disney Theater early in the morning if you have to. I want to be at Castaway Cay earlier in the morning.
4. Have members who are going on the cruise enter a contest to share their best DVC vacation experience. Those chosen will share in some way their experience during the member presentation and share family photos (i.e. my trip to Hong Kong
Disneyland that our family received by adding points from the 2005 cruise.) Frankly, I have heard the vacation advisors stories too many times. Besides, when they take their whole family on the cruise in the Med and they are working on the ship, do you really think they are using DVC points for their cruise. IMHO, their family is probably going for ridiculously low prices that we will never get to experience! Nothing touches my heart more than having a family share how their DVC membership has changed their families lives for the better with wonderful vacation memories! (The two adults in the families that are selected could have dinner in Palo's with either the captain or the special guests on the cruise!
5. If DVC wanted to really have it be the most awesome experience in the whole world, have a small group of members participate on a task group prior to the cruise so they can add the members point of view to things they are planning on (i.e. guests, gifts). It's always great for someone else to plan, but they are not the guests and sometimes it better to think "outside the box".
6. WE WANT AUTOGRAPH SESSIONS with the performers! Come on, we had the Belles of Broadway, but DVC didn't make time to have them autograph stuff for us? ALSO, DVC needs to let us know the entertainment beforehand. There is nothing more frustrating than getting on the ship and finding out that you had something great at home that could have been autographed had you known the person was on board.
7. BETTER COMMUNICATION. Come on now......with the internet, how long really would it take to give us once a month short newsletter updates with what's going on with the member cruise. The newsletters this year were less than the year before and had less information.
Okay, I'll quit now before I think of something else!
