Christening AND Maiden Voyage of the Dream...6 heavenly nights! COMPLETE

[disneyholic family]

loving your trip report!!!!!!!

 

[disgrits]

Very cool report! Looking forward to more!

 

[lovesDCL]

Enjoying the report!

 

[ddeal1957]

My DH and I will be on the 3/20 Dream and can't wait. Your TR is helping me as I prepare for our trip! Travel safely!

 

[hstrickland]

Just found this TR...lovin' it so far!! Can't wait to finish reading everything. We debated on doing a cruise this summer on the Dream, but then decided to go back to WDW. Perhaps Summer 2012 when our youngest is a bit older.

 

[KingRichard]

Thank you for the great info.

 

[svcutler]

Ditto what they said!

Ps-the teen lounge photos seem to be somewhat elusive as well! Thanks for the report!

 

[Dicecatt]

Ditto what they said!

Ps-the teen lounge photos seem to be somewhat elusive as well! Thanks for the report!

I have dozens I'll post tonight.

 

[Dicecatt]

I have never ever been so glad to get off a ship.

Debarkation was a nightmare...plain and simple. There were lines after lines. No CM was directing traffic. They would halt the line to give customs a chance to catch up, and the line instead would grow monstrous. It wrapped around the entire lobby back behind the shops by the Walt Theater. I took pictures...it was scary. And the midship elevators drop people off in a sideways way, so those getting off were entering the lobby in the midst of the line, trying to get through to the back of the line. It was seriously insane. I've never seen anything that bad, including the other non Disney cruises that also didn't do it right.

I expected some chaos, but this was thorough and complete chaos. Let me put it this way...I'm happy I'm at the airport instead of the ship, if that gives you any indication of how bad it was.

 

[ibouncetoo]

Last weekend on the Wonder, they called us in sections (based on our luggage area) to disembark, that way people could wait in the lounges. Did they not do anything like that on the Dream?

Our '08 WBPC cruise in LA was a disembarkation nightmare also, so I was glad to see that they had worked out that problem.



A facebook friend had posted that the back up was customs and that DCL would be addressing THAT issue immediately.

 

[Dicecatt]

Last weekend on the Wonder, they called us in sections (based on our luggage area) to disembark, that way people could wait in the lounges. Did they not do anything like that on the Dream?

Our '08 WBPC cruise in LA was a disembarkation nightmare also, so I was glad to see that they had worked out that problem.



A facebook friend had posted that the back up was customs and that DCL would be addressing THAT issue immediately.

No, they did NOTHING. I saw not one single CM trying to direct traffic or help the situation...not one.

 

[Fastpaks]

WOW, the Dooney & Burke fiasco was mind blowing. People literally spent three or four hours of this very costly cruise standing in line for purses that will be available all year. I took a picture, I'm sure I'll offend some that might read this but I thought it was really awful...and I talked to a poor CM officer that looked frazzled, he told me that several guests in the line threatened his job and said they were going to the highest management they could get to in order to cost him his job. Over. A. Purse.

I can be critical, but really? I think what's more concerning is the reports of long lines and waiting for everything.

Things are a bit rough...service is slow, there are ghastly lines at guest services. But the crew is trying hard and have smiles on their faces despite not sleeping much, and I'm still having a blast!

I will TRY to get a pic of 8A. Not sure why those are so mysterious, lol! Seems no one can get them.

Hi Stacie

LOL after our experience on the SLOW service on the Magic and knowing that most of them were going to the Dream, that's gonna hurt. The one saving grace was the courtesy that most of the CM's had.

I'm very curious to know how the Adult activities were handled at night?! I have heard there is only 1 show at the clubs. That would be a disappointment to say the least.

 

[Dicecatt]

My teen pictures can be found HERE

As far as adult activities, there was really very little. I enjoyed the clubs, and I'll get more into that when I update each day, but there were very few classes, offerings, entertainment for adult only. Pickings were extremely slim, and there were more adults on this cruise mainly because I think many people might have left the kids home because of the high price of the cruise. I was talking to several other guests last night at Skyline and they all commented how they were surprised that there wasn't much for adults. I definitely put that on my comment card! At some point this week I'll scan my navigators, you'll see what I mean. I hope that improves.

 

[floridaminnie]

Can't wait for tween pics and info to share with DD.

 

[mmmears]

Dicecatt -- thanks for the TR so far -- it's great. Looking forward to hearing more about the 2nd cruise!

 

[Dicecatt]

For those of you wondering how I have so much time to do this on the day I get off...I'm stuck at the airport for several more hours! Since I will be slammed busy once I get home, I figured I better help my DIS friends now

Get ready to be scared, here are pics from this morning's madness in the Atrium:

Here the line stretches all the way to the Walt Disney theater:

 

[nenner1]

Wow....that's a nasty mess!

 

[Desi]

Wow, last Nov. we were on the Magic and we just walked off. Seemed we were the only people getting off. We were so empressed with how they handled debarkation. I hope they get this ironed out before we go on the Dream in Nov.

 

[been2marceline]

I'm thinking about doing the Fantasy inaugural... I hope they get this worked out before then!!

 

[miatamel]

Disembarkation was this bad--if not worse--on the 11 day Christmas cruise. Lines to the theatre on one side and lines past Promenade Lounge on the other. Never saw a CM. People couldn't get into Lumiere's for their last breakfast for the lines. This was around 8:00. So, we went to eat and thought it would be better around 9 and it was worse! And STILL no CMs, no announcement of what the problem was, nothing.

That was our 3rd cruise and I knew it had never been like that before and I chalked it up to a full ship but wow, it was bad.