Anyone else Upset with the OCT 25 thru NOV 1 cruise?

[BabyRN]

Are you allowed to request a 12 year old to stay in the Lab? I'm booked for a 10/31/10 Wonder cruise. I will have a 12, 9 and 7 year old at the time. I will not allow my 12 year old to run in and out free, so if he's unable to stay with the 9 year old in the lab then I guess he will be stuck with me and his dad!! While I know I am taking the chance that maybe Disney is not going to do anything spectacular with this cruise for Halloween, in my eyes I believe the kids will have a better time being on this type of vacation. I will bring some type of candy for them so they don't get disappointed, just in case, but I'm sure I'll find some fellow DISer's that will do some trick or treating! Halloween is not a holiday...it's for fun. Unless it was advertised as a big ordeal for the ship, I would not expect to see a whole lot more than what it sounds like there was. It almost sounds as if the OP was more upset that his/her kids didn't get much candy.

 

[NewfieMom]

We were also on this cruise, and although our 11 year old had the freedom of being able to come and go as he pleased from the club - according to DCL rules - he DID NOT have that freedom according to our rules! He knew his limits, and that we would check on him - which we did. It worked out great. One night I did see some kids running and yelling on deck 4, but otherwise, not an issue. Of course, there were some of the dis trick or treat kids running - including my group - but we really tried to keep that to a minimum, and it was only for an hour. My apologies to anyone they bowled over in their excitement !

I did think the DCL Halloween celebrations could have been a bit better, but then again one of the disadvantages of sailing at a special time is that it can take away from other cruise experiences - we celebrate Halloween every year, but don't cruise every year! They enjoyed the trick or treat, but it did mean getting them out of the pool and them missing other things they wanted to do, so I don't know if they or I would have wanted it to be more involved. Of course, the fact that we had the FABOULOUS dis TOT (thanks Suzie !) may have colored that opinion. But the kids enjoyed it, and that's what matters. I was glad to not have the huge haul of candy they usually end up with at home. And hey - my kids got to trick or treat without heavy coats and mitts to deal with the cold & wet weather here that alone was worth it!

We were also in Rockin' Bar D when the heckler was there - he was sitting RIGHT in front of me . I will admit he made me anxious - he was a BIG man! His friends/family did their best to stop him, without success. But DCL handled it very quickly and efficiently. My friend did the ship tour later, and a question was asked about "the brig" - that man was used as an example, and apparently he'd been confined to his cabin for a few days. I know I did seem him and his family around later in the cruise, and he had a much different demeanor. I felt really sorry for the performer, and his wife !

Other than that, we really enjoyed the cruise, and would sail DCL again. I think the friends we made on the meets made a huge difference. I would think twice about sailing in October again - the weather just wasn't what I want when I spend that much money to go south. But DCL did the best they could with the weather and the port changes. I, for one, was sorry they went to Key West - not because of the port - but I was looking forward to an extra sea day to enjoy the ship!

 

[dvc4life]

We were also in Rockin' Bar D when the heckler was there - he was sitting RIGHT in front of me . I will admit he made me anxious - he was a BIG man! His friends/family did their best to stop him, without success. But DCL handled it very quickly and efficiently. My friend did the ship tour later, and a question was asked about "the brig" - that man was used as an example, and apparently he'd been confined to his cabin for a few days. I know I did seem him and his family around later in the cruise, and he had a much different demeanor. I felt really sorry for the performer, and his wife !



NewfieMom - Thanks for the information about the guy being confined to his cabin for a few days. I wondered what they did about something like that. I was sitting at the table right by the stairs where they took him out. I even got up and moved because I didn't want him right behind me. My DH stayed in his chair but I was nervous. And I did see him around the ship towards the end and he did seem very subdued. Thanks again!

 

[karibritt01]

Are you allowed to request a 12 year old to stay in the Lab?

My DS10 and DD6 went back and forth between the club and the lab with no problems. They like to stay together, so would choose where to go based on what activity was going on at the time. Not a single counselor even looked at me funny when checking my 10 yr old into the 5-7 group, or my 6 yr old into the 8-10 group.

 

[BabyRN]

My DS10 and DD6 went back and forth between the club and the lab with no problems. They like to stay together, so would choose where to go based on what activity was going on at the time. Not a single counselor even looked at me funny when checking my 10 yr old into the 5-7 group, or my 6 yr old into the 8-10 group.

Thank you...it's nice to know they will have that freedom to be able to stay together. I will NOT be allowing my 12 year old to be going to the 11-13 yr old group!!

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

Ok Since the responsible parents are concerned about this I wrote Disney asking them about it and this is the response.

11/6/08


Dear Michelle,

Thank you for choosing another Disney Cruise Line Vacation!


I am happy to assist you with information regarding the youth programs.


Children between the ages of 8 - 12 can check-in and check-out of Youth Activities with parental permission. If you do not wish your children to have this privilege, you will not give them permission to leave the children's program without an adult to sign them out.


As to the children running the halls, etc., I too have been on two Disney Cruises and have never encountered the situation. This may be a limited situation as there are several families with children on our ships.


Regrettably, there are children who may be running in the halls etc. however, it does not mean they were in the youth program.


I hope this information has been helpful. If you require further assistance in planning your visit, please feel free to contact us.


We look forward to sailing with you!


Have a Magical Day!


Francesca

Reservations Department

Disney Cruise Vacations

OK that is the response I got. I wouldn't want my 9 yr old checkin herself out without being paged first which i believe u CAN flag their wrist bands as such. However knowing she is responsible I would let her check in. She has wanted to go to the club half way through dinner before and instead of appet. they order their meal for then and that way she could run up and check herself in w/o one of us havin to interrupt dinner. Now my 5 yr old not so sure at that age I would let her walk across the hall...LOL j/k but she is a totally different one then her older sis.

 

[BigJon]

I was also on the "Halloween" cruise last week. I thought Heath Hyche was the funniest comedian I've seen on the Disney ships. And I was also at the show with the female ventriloquist. Me and my wife left within 5 or 10 minutes. She had a lot of talent (her lips really didn't move), but her delivery wasn't that good, in my opinion. Once her show began, I could sense some uneasiness and tension within the crowd. After reading this thread, I'm glad I did leave. I would not have wanted to be around with the guy heckling her. She definitely did not deserve that.

 

[SweetSpot]

Ok Since the responsible parents are concerned about this I wrote Disney asking them about it and this is the response.

11/6/08


Dear Michelle,

Thank you for choosing another Disney Cruise Line Vacation!


I am happy to assist you with information regarding the youth programs.


Children between the ages of 8 - 12 can check-in and check-out of Youth Activities with parental permission. If you do not wish your children to have this privilege, you will not give them permission to leave the children's program without an adult to sign them out.


As to the children running the halls, etc., I too have been on two Disney Cruises and have never encountered the situation. This may be a limited situation as there are several families with children on our ships.


Regrettably, there are children who may be running in the halls etc. however, it does not mean they were in the youth program.


I hope this information has been helpful. If you require further assistance in planning your visit, please feel free to contact us.


We look forward to sailing with you!


Have a Magical Day!


Francesca

Reservations Department

Disney Cruise Vacations

I think you will find that at time the DCL reps haven't been advised to changes on the ship. They only recently changed the ages and clubs on the Magic (don't know if they ever made the change on the Wonder) and it was a trial basis to be decided on after dry dock. Apparently they have kept the change in place. The new club is in Ocean Quest for 11 -13 yr olds without the ability to restrict check in or check out. You can (I have done it in years past) put your child in the younger club if you feel fit, so you can have a 12 yr old go to the Lab who's age goes until 10 and then since they are in the Lab you can restict check in and check out priveleges. But as of right now, on the Magic, if your child is 11 -13 in Ocean Quest or 14 -17 in the Stack they can come and go as you please even if you want DCL to restrict their check in/check out privelges. Ages under 11 who are in the Lab or Oceaneer Club, parents have a choice to restrict priveleges.Unfortunately, the DCL reps sometimes are misinformed to changes on the ship.

 

[WHATIF]

I was on the Magic the week before Halloween. My grandson is twelve and he was in the Ocean Quest club. It is true that he could check himself in and out, but we had no problem with that. He is not an angel, but he is a reasonably well behaved kid, and he had strict instructions to immediately return to our cabin when he left the club. He could then go other places on the ship and rejoin his group of friends, but only after checking in and letting us know where he would be, and with whom. We knew some of the other parents of kids of the same age, and all seemed to be great kids. We had no problems with tweens or any other age group.

I am sorry the OP had such a bad experience. We had a great time and would gladly cruise again.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

Ok Since the responsible parents are concerned about this I wrote Disney asking them about it and this is the response.

11/6/08


Dear Michelle,

Thank you for choosing another Disney Cruise Line Vacation!


I am happy to assist you with information regarding the youth programs.


Children between the ages of 8 - 12 can check-in and check-out of Youth Activities with parental permission. If you do not wish your children to have this privilege, you will not give them permission to leave the children's program without an adult to sign them out.


As to the children running the halls, etc., I too have been on two Disney Cruises and have never encountered the situation. This may be a limited situation as there are several families with children on our ships.


Regrettably, there are children who may be running in the halls etc. however, it does not mean they were in the youth program.


I hope this information has been helpful. If you require further assistance in planning your visit, please feel free to contact us.


We look forward to sailing with you!


Have a Magical Day!


Francesca

Reservations Department

Disney Cruise Vacations

OK that is the response I got. I wouldn't want my 9 yr old checkin herself out without being paged first which i believe u CAN flag their wrist bands as such. However knowing she is responsible I would let her check in. She has wanted to go to the club half way through dinner before and instead of appet. they order their meal for then and that way she could run up and check herself in w/o one of us havin to interrupt dinner. Now my 5 yr old not so sure at that age I would let her walk across the hall...LOL j/k but she is a totally different one then her older sis.

I think this is still true on the Wonder, but on the Magic, it should read ages 8-10. On the Magic, ages 11 - 13 now go to Ocean Quest and can check themselves in and out with no ability to change it by the parent.

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

Thanks for the info...I sent the info onto the Disney reps so they could give out the correct info.

 

[tink too]

I promptly heard about the couple in the hot tub, DS14 said "I saw two people naked in the hot tub, "did you hear about that mom?

OMG - that is terrible - some people have no shame! I think DH would have thrown them over the side of the ship if he'd caught folks doing that in front of all the kids around.

 

[barndweller]

Well, I might as well chime in since I was on the cruise and it was my first Disney cruise. We are retired and went simply because our children are big DCL fans (5 times) and wanted to have a family trip. This was only the second time we have ever cruised the first over 20 years ago on Royal Caribbean. We took my 80yo mom as well.

We loved the roomy cabin with split bath & veranda on deck 6. We had no problem with kids in the halls but the blond woman and her entire family who loudly monopolized the laundry room all morning long on Monday was very annoying. (Sorry, just needed a little rant!) The weather was disappointing and the change of port before sailing as well. We had planned to do a tour of Mayan ruins as our only planned shore excursion. Alas, it wasn't in the cards. Key West was an interesting alternate port but an American party town wasn't on my bucket list of must sees before I kick said bucket. I found the announcements on the speaker system impossible to understand given the cruise director's accent and my 60 year old ear's diminished abilities. This made added or changed activities very difficult to track. We enjoyed the Martini Tasting and Wine Tasting very much but knew nothing about the Latin Dancing or Galley Tour until after they were over. The men in our group really wanted to do the cognac & cigars but the timing was really bad and it was not rescheduled. The only beverage station (coffee & sodas) was at the far aft end of the ship while we usually spent our leisure moments in the adult area at the front. This made for a long trek to get non-alcoholic refreshment. Our servers at dinner were very good but the food was only OK. I expected much better. We were unaware of the hot tub incident and the delay at leaving port. We had a great time because we were with our family, not because the cruise itself was outstanding. We enjoyed watching the children in their costumes, the clever adult costumes, and the friendly folks we met onboard. We loved the 2 stops at Castaway Cay despite the rotten weather. But the other ports of call were not our cup of tea. We feel the higher price charged for DCL isn't worth it for us but understand the big appeal to families with young children or Disney fanatics. But for us, once was enough.

 

[Familyman1024]

My family and I recently went on the disney magic cruise in Oct 11-18.We rebooked for Halloween 2010, hopefully things will be better. Sorry to hear about the bad time everyone had. I've always had a good time and hope it continues.

 

[Shoshie]

I wonder if I was on a different cruise from the OP. Our week was nothing like that (this was my thrid DCL cruise, 16th overall).

Our waiters were amazing. The food was delicious. Our tablemates were the perfect match. Our cabin steward was incredible. And everyone I met, with the exception of a couple of kvetchers on our tram to Serenity Bay (and the one heckler), was great.

There was so much going on, I couldn't believe how much we did -- from match your mate to trivia to Bingo.

Yes, our Cozumel excursion was canceled, but it gave us time on the ship. We bought awesome Key Lime goodies in Key West, too.

We were on deck two and had no problems with kids knocking on doors or hanging out with nothing to do. We don't have kids, but every kid we talked to that week said they were having a great time.

As for the Halloween stuff, I thought it was just right. We enjoyed the party (I was Alice in Wonderland, DH was The Bachelor). And as for the TOT, how much candy should one kid get? I honestly didn't see anyone lacking for sugar.

Sorry you had a bad time, every cruise isn't perfect for every person.

 

[BabyRN]

My family and I recently went on the disney magic cruise in Oct 11-18.We rebooked for Halloween 2010, hopefully things will be better. Sorry to hear about the bad time everyone had. I've always had a good time and hope it continues.

Are you going on the Magic or the Wonder? I'm booked for 10/31/10 for the Wonder!

 

[WDWLODGE]

Sorry you had a bad expierence. I haven't had time to read the whole thread, but I hope that you take the time to contact DCL and let them know what you think. That is the only way things will get improved.

 

[mommylovesdisneymore]

Hi! I just found this thread and I do not know if this really counts but we were on the 3 day cruise for Halloween this year and it too was a joke. We were on an excursion in Nassau and actually took and earlier boat back so my 2 boys (4 & 12) could get ready for Halloween and like you I know how great Disney can be and expected something great like They do for their Halloween party. NOT!! we too had about 7-9 spots to stop at with the boys and they gave out one piece of candy each I mean several stops my son got 1 dumdum sucker. I am sorry but that is sad. All the money Disney makes and they can not even give out decent candy. My boys had worked so hard and made their own canvas trick or treat bags and they had maybe 12 - 15 pieces of candy total. WOW!! I get that in 2 stops at home. Then I get HSM is very popular with the tweens and that is fine but they could have mixed it up a little because neither of my boys were into it at all. people in caps and gowns were not halloween to them. The "party" per say with the costume contest on deck 9 lasted maybe 20 min. But we missed that trying to actually see some characters for Halloween. Like previously stated if you had dinner early you missed everything Characters shows everything. I just think it was so poor I expected so much and built it up so much to my boys and they were just let down and it did not help they did pirate night the same day so it was all so rushed. Also we did not see as many characters this time as previous cruise. They too never told us about the graduating ceremony this time either but i heard they did not have the caps and it was friendship rocks or something not DCU. I just have to say I was very disappointed and so were my kids the best thing that did happen though was to meet friends from here on the board and participate in the Fe exchange and of course Castaway Cay last time we could not get in so this was a big deal for us.

 

[orlandothebeagle]

Hi! I just found this thread and I do not know if this really counts but we were on the 3 day cruise for Halloween this year and it too was a joke. We were on an excursion in Nassau and actually took and earlier boat back so my 2 boys (4 & 12) could get ready for Halloween and like you I know how great Disney can be and expected something great like They do for their Halloween party. NOT!! we too had about 7-9 spots to stop at with the boys and they gave out one piece of candy each I mean several stops my son got 1 dumdum sucker. I am sorry but that is sad. All the money Disney makes and they can not even give out decent candy. My boys had worked so hard and made their own canvas trick or treat bags and they had maybe 12 - 15 pieces of candy total. WOW!! I get that in 2 stops at home. Then I get HSM is very popular with the tweens and that is fine but they could have mixed it up a little because neither of my boys were into it at all. people in caps and gowns were not halloween to them. The "party" per say with the costume contest on deck 9 lasted maybe 20 min. But we missed that trying to actually see some characters for Halloween. Like previously stated if you had dinner early you missed everything Characters shows everything. I just think it was so poor I expected so much and built it up so much to my boys and they were just let down and it did not help they did pirate night the same day so it was all so rushed. Also we did not see as many characters this time as previous cruise. They too never told us about the graduating ceremony this time either but i heard they did not have the caps and it was friendship rocks or something not DCU. I just have to say I was very disappointed and so were my kids the best thing that did happen though was to meet friends from here on the board and participate in the Fe exchange and of course Castaway Cay last time we could not get in so this was a big deal for us.

I am sorry you were disapointed, did you not enjoy anything??

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

Sorry if i seem a little confused but isn't finding out whats going on the job of the parent,,,,thats what the navigator is for! We have always done early seating and have had NO problem. Halloween is not a HOLIDAY and why is everyone focused on candy...sheesh go buy your kids a bag!! Just rots their teeth and makes em fat anyhow. It's funny what people get upset about. I would be disappointed(not mad) if I missed Castaway, or Till we meet again....the things my kids love. The simple things...stop feeling entitled and be happy with the surprises that do happen!