Just got back from a 4 day Disney cruise on the Magic and a 7 day in Walt Disney World. This is my 5th visit to Disney World including my wedding at Wilderness lodge. This trip was my our 11th anniversary.
The cruise was as expected. Top notch accomodations and the food and service was up to Disney's excellent standards. I cant say I feel the same way when off of the ship in the ports of call. I dont care if I ever get back to Nassau...bit of a disappointment. I will say that Atlantis doesnt have anything on WDW.
As for WDW. My wife and I noticed that this was the most crowded we have ever seen the parks. Of course this was spring break for some of the US and they apparently had other events scheduled for the parks. That would probably account for another observation that we made. The parks were somewhat dirty in comparison to the other times we have been at WDW. That includes the more than a dozen times my wife has been to WDW. I used to brag about the cleanliness of the parks to friends, how you didnt see old gum on the pavement in Magic Kingdom and how they vacuumed the sidewalks etc. I have actually observed workers jumping out of knowwhere to quickly pick up a cigarette butt carelessly tossed on the ground by less than conscientious park visitors. I have been told there was a crew whos only function was to remove old gum from the pavement. This time there was old gum everywhere, I felt like I was in the parking lot of a 7-11. I guess they have been let go. Cleanliness in general seemed to be lacking everywhere.
I also felt that the staff was less than happy to see me as well. It seems more and more I encounter staff that are less in character (after all they are Cast Members) and more anxious to get rid of me than ever before. Ive also noticed that clear understandable English is no longer a pre-requisite for customer relations. I realize that Disney is more multicultural than ever but its still an American icon and I would hope that I would be able to check into one of the resorts without the benefit of a translator.
There were frequent comments on the busses and other transport about how Disney has lapsed a bit with their standards so I wasnt alone in my feelings.
I came away from this trip feeling that after 2 Disney cruises, even though they were great in terms of service and quality, are not for me. Cruises in general. I also came to the realization that I would not be returning to WDW during spring break ever again. We will just find other schedules that will work for the kids. I also feel that WDW will not necessarily be our top pick anymore for destinations. We did have fun, when we were not in long lines and when we were just enjoying the park but this was my least favorite trips to WDW.
The cruise was as expected. Top notch accomodations and the food and service was up to Disney's excellent standards. I cant say I feel the same way when off of the ship in the ports of call. I dont care if I ever get back to Nassau...bit of a disappointment. I will say that Atlantis doesnt have anything on WDW.
As for WDW. My wife and I noticed that this was the most crowded we have ever seen the parks. Of course this was spring break for some of the US and they apparently had other events scheduled for the parks. That would probably account for another observation that we made. The parks were somewhat dirty in comparison to the other times we have been at WDW. That includes the more than a dozen times my wife has been to WDW. I used to brag about the cleanliness of the parks to friends, how you didnt see old gum on the pavement in Magic Kingdom and how they vacuumed the sidewalks etc. I have actually observed workers jumping out of knowwhere to quickly pick up a cigarette butt carelessly tossed on the ground by less than conscientious park visitors. I have been told there was a crew whos only function was to remove old gum from the pavement. This time there was old gum everywhere, I felt like I was in the parking lot of a 7-11. I guess they have been let go. Cleanliness in general seemed to be lacking everywhere.
I also felt that the staff was less than happy to see me as well. It seems more and more I encounter staff that are less in character (after all they are Cast Members) and more anxious to get rid of me than ever before. Ive also noticed that clear understandable English is no longer a pre-requisite for customer relations. I realize that Disney is more multicultural than ever but its still an American icon and I would hope that I would be able to check into one of the resorts without the benefit of a translator.
There were frequent comments on the busses and other transport about how Disney has lapsed a bit with their standards so I wasnt alone in my feelings.
I came away from this trip feeling that after 2 Disney cruises, even though they were great in terms of service and quality, are not for me. Cruises in general. I also came to the realization that I would not be returning to WDW during spring break ever again. We will just find other schedules that will work for the kids. I also feel that WDW will not necessarily be our top pick anymore for destinations. We did have fun, when we were not in long lines and when we were just enjoying the park but this was my least favorite trips to WDW.
