9/30/06-eastern- Disappointing

[DisneyDmbNut]

Ok..I agree about the CC thing..what a waste of time!

Our server was great..so was our head server..one morning I wanted grits that I saw in Topsiders..they first tried to find them without cheese, but when they couldn't..brought me the cheese ones with a "sorry, we couldn't find them without" One night, I wanted shrimp cocktail..Cipran brought it to me! DD sometimes didn't want to eat a whole meal..he brought her a baked potato instead..and brought us numerous desserts for our tasting..much better than our servers last year...
in addition, he made several napkin animals for DD and her friends

LOVED him!

 

[TahoeMom]

Our Server, Densak from Thailand, left alot to be desired and our head server was hardly ever around. He didn't even show up for the last night or the morning, so OH WELL, he didn't get a tip from us. Our assistant server Paz from Chile was WONDERFUL and bonded with DD. DD cried and was sad to leave.

We had Densak and Paz last week as well - we were at the late seating. We thought Densak was great - I am sorry you were not so happy with him. My children definitely loved Paz! She gave them both a lot of special attention and my DS Jeremy is in love with her! He keeps saying "I miss Paz!"

We had a great time at the different family entertainment events, especially the "game shows". The whole entertainment group (Kenyon, Natalie, Stephanie, Michael, Doug, etc.) were GREAT fun! They were definitely one of the best parts of the cruise for us!

I am sorry the OP did not have a magical vacation. We were lucky enough to be completely unaffected by the water situation - we did not even know about it until I read the posts when we returned.

Our biggest complaint was the kids' clubs. My children went maybe twice each and neither was very happy there. My DS did want to go in the first place but I had hoped he would really like it once he got there - no such luck. My DD was really looking forward to it and wanted to meet some new friends but ended up being quite disappointed. One event she wanted to attend was Towel Animals - they had run out of towels so she got to participate by watching another kid do the folding - not too much fun. It just seemed like the kids were left to their own and if you have a child that does not feel comfortable in a new situation very easily then the club does not work out very well - I wish the CMs had made more effort to get my kids involved in what was going on. I don't think either of my kids had any real interaction with the CMs other than checking in and out.

Anyway, we were just as happy to spend time together as a family so in the end it all worked out. We did ask the kids to go to the clubs for 30-40 minutes on Thursday so we could attend the Galley Tour (which was very interesting!) but other than that we did most things together!

Kathie

 

[Beachball]

Yes, The Magic was very special to me at one time - especially when it was 1/2 the cost and twice the service - when they cared about promptness and keeping the ship in excellent repair - Unfortunately, success sometimes breeds complacency....for what we paid, i expected far more than what was delivered this time....and believe me, I have a basis for comparison....5 years ago on this board youd almost never read a negative trip report, as opposed to now....

I'm not sure if they are complacent. I think the problem runs a little deeper. A long-time DCL waiter was telling us that it is very hard to get staff members to remain employees on DCL, because, with only two ships, there is little room for advancement. On other cruise lines, with many more ships and new ones being built all the time, there is always room for stellar performers to move up within the company. This encourages employees to go "above and beyond." DCL, unfortunately, cannot provide this upward mobility, so staff turnover, and consequently, customer service, will undoubtedly suffer.

 

[staceymerrill]

beachball:

that was a very interesting and insightful reply...If this is true about CM turnover, it is truly a shame....my problems with the cruise had little to do with attitude of the CMs, but the lack of abundance of CMs (answering the phone at guest services and room service, character handlers showing up late etc)....just as an aside, many of our past servers and CMs were still on the ship from as long as 5 years ago....Mclean, Plamen from Bulgaria, Ansell from Jamaica, just to name 3....

Much of my frustration with DCL is why they don't build at least 1 new ship....It really begs the question: "is DCL as profitable and successful as we all think?"......If so, wouldnt the natural progression of such success to build a new ship that rivals the best of the best (size and amenities)currently out there ????....

 

[kritter]

Enjoyed reading all of your posts....


I do not know how anyone could stand that smell you all are talking about????

I hope I do not encounter this on my upcoming cruise...I will complain untill it is taken care of..Believe me!!!!!!!

 

[PizzieDuster]

Well, after 3 DCL cruises, my teen boys wanted something different and last April we cruised the Explorer of the Seas and loved it!

We are sailing on Freedom of The Seas on April 8, 2007! I'm so excited! I have DS17, DS14 and DD8 when that cruise comes along.

Babysitting: On the Explorer, we paid for a private babysitter for my DD7 after dinner several nights. They come to your stateroom and follow directions.... they took her to the kids club, mini golf, arcade, ordered room service, etc. My daughter LOVED that one on one especially in the clubs. She's the shy type and always asked for "Kit" every night, and she even started talking with an Austrailian accent!

My teens just loved the Explorer and can't wait to sail on the Freedom this coming April! They just didn't want to see any characters.

We are looking forward to the Freedom and the H20 Zone!

FYI: This is a very INTERNATIONAL line.... I was talking to a table mate for 15 minutes and then realized her husband and DS10 spoke no English! I'd walk into an elevator and start chatting up and got blank stares.... wierd...after the 3rd day I just waited for the other person to speak first!

The food was fantastic! We loved our Junior Suite! The staff was fantastic! A waiter even carried our dessert and wine back to our stateroom as my DH was carrying DD7! The were no chair hogs because there are chairs available EVERYWHERE! We loved the casino, we had sooo much fun! The teens loved everything! DD7 loved the pools and the huge jacuzzis, mini golf. But there is No Disney Magic.....like characters and Mickey ears, Disney shows, etc.

My Explorer Pics:

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/553065095Hmmdml

Some Freedom Pics:
http://community.webshots.com/slideshow?ID=551140882&key=VbBlXn

 

[Babs417]

One of the keys to happines is a bad memory.

 

[pgfour]

I'm very disappointed to hear that the debarkation process has become very tedious.

When we went last year, that was the smoothest part of the cruise! Compared to the other four lines we have been on, DCL seemed to have that process nailed. Not the case anymore?????

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

I have read here on the DIS that the smell can be taken care of by pouring water down the floor drain...being in construction, this makes sense to me..toilets keep the sewer gas from coming up because the water remains in the bowl..acting as a plug..also the reason the trap is in the sink pipes ( not just to catch our rings and earrings!)...water remains there to prevent sewer gas from coming up...
I didn't have the smell, but I read about the water trick about 2 or 3 months ago here and thought of it when I was looking at the floor drains in my bathroom

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

I'm very disappointed to hear that the debarkation process has become very tedious.

When we went last year, that was the smoothest part of the cruise! Compared to the other four lines we have been on, DCL seemed to have that process nailed. Not the case anymore?????

Last year, we walked right off..no lines..I don't know if it was because there was a large group of us and we took longer to eat breakfast or what..but this year, we waited about 20 minutes in line to get off.

Now..I don't know if this is DCL's fault or not..Customs was REALLY backed up and I noticed they were taking longer to clear people...this backed up the ramp and escalators to let people out of the ship...

 

[staceymerrill]

yes, debarkation was very disappointing......first, we waited quite a long time to get off ship.....If i had known the wait would be so long, we would have went to breakfast at AP...we decided, as we usually do, to forget about breakfast, as we wanted to get on the road....past DCL experience was that by 8 am you could just walk off ship...Not this time !....once we finally got off ship, there was another major bottleneck in the upper floor of terminal....took elevator down to luggage area....no luggage porters anywhere...in prior cruises, there would be 2 or 3 vying for your business....I had to queue up at the door to wait for a porter, another 10-15 minutes....then the major long line the entire length of terminal to get past customs and present declaration form....

I've heard horror stories of 3-4 hour debarkation times with other lines, so in comparison....However, we were used to 10 minutes from ship to car....

 

[ragdoll]

Although I was a bit disappointed in our Sept. cruise I just wanted to mention that debarkation was as smooth as ever. I think that what you experienced was not the norm, just an occasional thing. Maybe a customs issue or something else.

 

[pyramid2000]

Just wanted to tell the OP to have a blast on EOS to Bermuda! Gather as much info as you can beforehand and decide what you want to do before you get there. We took a private taxi around the island. EOS is beautiful, the staff is super friendly and I am sure you will have a great time.

 

[MagicMe]

Just cruised the Wonder in August and disembarking was quick and easy. However, I will say that (1) we had late seating, (2) we went for our sit-down breakfast especially to see our servers one last time, and (3) we were in no hurry to leave!! Guess everyone left before us so we had no problems getting off the ship!!

 

[ChiFiveO]

I think the sewage smell must be a common problem on cruise lines. We were on a Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas last December. The 3rd day into the cruise, the raw sewage smell appeared in our bathroom and went throughout the whole room and never went away. No explanation from room steward or customer service...they "looked into it" for the remainder of the trip.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

staceymerrill,
I am so sorry to hear you had so many bad experiences this time.
I have to agree after 12 cruises, the cutbacks they have done and the raising of their prices has taken the Magic away!!

WE LOVE DCL, so please dont misunderstand, what I am about to say.

PLEASE take the time to send a letter to DCL letting them know the good and the bad things you encountered on your cruise. Let them know the Magic is gone for you!!
There are 2 threads on the main forum right now that address just what everyone here has been talking about. There have been so many cutback the past couple of years and the quality we expect with the Disney name just isnt there like it use to be.

It is still a great cruise, but if your a repeat cruiser you can really see the difference.

If we dont take the time to write and tell them then we have NO right to complain!! They dont know unless we tell them there is a problem.
So please write and rell them how you feel, things can change for the beter so we all can enjoy the Magic of Disney cruising again if we all voice our views in a possitive constructive way with DCL

Plus fill out those comment cards on the ship!!!

Here is where to write:

dcl.guest.communications@disneycruise.com

Thankyou
mom x4,grandma x4