Costs vs. Level of Satisfaction

[GatorMomInNC]

i just read a scathing online review from someone on the Wonder in Alaska this week. She was first time on DCL and vowed never to cruise DCL again. Her main complaint was the behavior of the other passengers and the food quality. But, she did mention pretty early in the review that she paid $14,000 for a family of 5 in a family verandah room.

She didn't give any specifics on the behavior that ruined her cruise, and her level of dissatisfaction was so hyperbolic, and the complete opposite of my experiences with DCL (AND many other reviews of DCL in Alaska that I have seen) that I do wonder if there isn't just a bit of shock value/attention grabbing going on.

However, since DCL prices have risen so much in the last few years, I suspect we may see more negative reviews like this. When people pay that much for a cruise, the expectations must run VERY high, which makes pleasing the customer difficult. I think this is especially true for first time DCL cruisers, who don't know what they are getting for that much money, and anything short of a tsunami of pixie dust will disappoint. If the reviewer had only paid $5000 for the cruise, would we have seen a more favorable review?

From postings here on the DIS, it appears for some who have cruised DCL previously, they are not booking at the higher rates: they know the product and aren't willing or able to keep booking at the current prices. Those that continue to re-book know what to expect and are still willing to pay the price for the product, so I suspect they will still enjoy the cruise without thinking, "Is this all I am getting for my money?"

Curious as to what all you other Disboarders think...

 

[SuperDry]

Interesting. It's hard to know what the person's real issue was, or what their perspective was, without knowing more. How old were they? Did they have family traveling with them? If their previous cruising experience was on, say, Cunard, I can see how a Disney cruise would be a culture shock. For example, MDR dress code is going to be vastly different on Cunard vs Disney, and even Disney's dress code is more of a recommendation rather than anything enforced: you can show up on Disney formal night in shorts and a T-Shirt, as long as you don't have swimwear, flip-flops, or a tank top. Some people want a rules-enforced formality to the dining experience, and perhaps were expecting it on DCL, what with the price tag and all. That's why there are "different boats for different folks."

 

[squirk]

Some people are crazy.
Some people have an enormous sense of entitlement.
Some people are hypocritical, holding others to far loftier expectations than they hold themselves to.
Some people go on a Disney Cruise with unrealistically high expectations.
Some people think they they are the only people who "paid a lot of money for this cruise".
Some people just like to complain and feel aggrieved.

I have not read the post in question, so I can't say if this lady had a legitimate gripe or if she falls in one or more of the above categories. Disney is not perfect and, yes, sometimes they disappoint, but in my five cruises and 20+ trips to the parks in the last seven years, they have never failed catastrophically with regard to my trips. And when they do fail, they usually work hard to make things right, within reasonable and sensible limits.

EDIT - well, now that I've read the article in question, I'd say the lady fits several of my categories above.

 

[MunFam]

Well, I came home extremely disappointed in our stateroom hostess and our dining service team after our WBPC 2015 cruise, so maybe its an issue with the Wonder. I had a few other families reach out to me privately after they returned to share that they also had serious issues with their service teams and/or room host based on my review.

We had serious issues with basic food allergy situations (sent coleslaw (egg) to kids club as her special ordered safe meal that is lethal to my kiddo, sent a plate of treenuts as an "Im sorry for messing up" to our stateroom when DD and I both have treenut allergies! Sent sour mac and cheese to the table. It was seriously so bad. Even our server freaked out at how pungent it was when he smelled it, yet our head guy, cant think of his title, told us they would never serve something bad like that! and those are just a few of the things) and our room hostess was not nice and would say no to requests like ice...after room service told us to request daily refills from her. I travel a LOT because I am a corporate travel director, so this was not my first rodeo, it was not a once in a lifetime trip, it was not our first cruise, we did not pay a boatload for the trip, we were not in concierge or a suite and thinking we were extra fancy...I expected basic customer service and even after speaking to guest services a few times and bless their hearts, they tried, but our hostess started retaliating (oops, she forgot we would need towels that day...and the next day...and the next day...), it just did not end well. It actually became the running joke with our table mates at dinner each night about what she did to us each day! We had a good laugh and toasted our wine to her.

I'm not sure if DCL is losing its service-driven attitude or what, but I noticed things like staff not greeting guests in passing. I always said hello to them first. Room service trays would sometimes sit in the hallways 12+ hours during the day. We also noticed that the staff working in the buffets were down right over being there. Its like...oh, you are not the one paying my gratuity at the end of the trip, so screw you.

Now, we also had some very wonderful experiences as well. The whole thing was not negative. The characters were amazing, guest services staff were kind, the kids club team were saints and the lifeguards were wonderful. I do have to say though, that if I were constructively grading DCL, the scale would slightly tip to the "poor" side and not the "excellent" side of the scale overall.

 

[over50visits]

Disney cruises are truly magical, mostly due to the CMs, but also because of the beautiful ship, Castaway Cay, and the entire MDR experience.

I can see how someone who is bothered by other guest behavior could come away with a bad experience. There are people who wear grubby shorts and t-shirts on formal night, who claim pool chairs and keep them saved when they are away, kids who are noisy in the halls, people who send a kid or two to the theater to save lots of seats for shows, people who grab a hammock on CC and keep it all day even if not using it, people who order several different entrees just to try a bite of each and have the rest thrown away, people who are rude to the servers, people who make demands at CS throughout the day, and on and on.

Such is life. If you have the "rude guest filter" on, these folks will not bother you, and you will have a fantastic cruise. If you spend time worrying about how others act, you can be on the exact same cruise and be miserable. My examples above are many of the things we've heard and see on this board that have bothered people.

I believe you will most likely have the experience you expect to have on your cruise!

 

[JW9DVC]

Disney cruises are truly magical, mostly due to the CMs, but also because of the beautiful ship, Castaway Cay, and the entire MDR experience.

I can see how someone who is bothered by other guest behavior could come away with a bad experience. There are people who wear grubby shorts and t-shirts on formal night, who claim pool chairs and keep them saved when they are away, kids who are noisy in the halls, people who send a kid or two to the theater to save lots of seats for shows, people who grab a hammock on CC and keep it all day even if not using it, people who order several different entrees just to try a bite of each and have the rest thrown away, people who are rude to the servers, people who make demands at CS throughout the day, and on and on.

Such is life. If you have the "rude guest filter" on, these folks will not bother you, and you will have a fantastic cruise. If you spend time worrying about how others act, you can be on the exact same cruise and be miserable. My examples above are many of the things we've heard and see on this board that have bothered people.

I believe you will most likely have the experience you expect to have on your cruise!

Just how grungy were these t shirts and shirts? Not washed or not to your style? It is perfectly allowed in the MDR. You are never expected to have to clean your plate of food. Who doesn't want to try something, especially if it's new? Maybe ask for a small portion, yet most of the time. They still bring out the full portions.

I agree with the rest for the most part.

JW

 

[aggiedog]

The article in question is an editorial on a news type website, like she was writing a travel review for them. Her biggest gripe was that people didn't cover their mouths when they sneezed or coughed, and that they were messy and rude and didn't control their children.

She actually praised the CM's for their overall attention to detail, the level of cleanliness on the ship, and their having to "put up" with rude people.

Her assumption was that everyone there was well off and educated enough to "know better" on how to act as they all probably spent the same amount she had so must be the same socio-economic and educational level as her.

She also said she didn't like the food, but admitted that was subjective so didn't complain further about that.

Then she concludes that she doesn't like DCL, but maybe other cruise lines would be better.

I honestly think it's a case of buyer's remorse for spending $14K.

For those that want to read the full review:
http://www.examiner.com/article/disney-cruise-to-alaska-lasting-impressions

 

[sweetpee_1993]

http://www.examiner.com/article/disney-cruise-to-alaska-lasting-impressions

That's the article. The picture isn't even the Wonder. It's kinda funny.

First of all, I would never spend $14k for a 7-night cruise. Nooooooo way. We typically do not travel in the summertime because I will not overpay for travel. I'm fully okay with the fact that with both our boys entering college in the next 2 years we will not have them traveling with us for the same types of trips we've always done. Maybe when they get out of college? We'll see.

We were on the WBPC this past May, too. Service was normal for us. Had its highs & lows. I so feel bad for @MunFam. I would've had fits. Probably abandoned the cruise at one of the ports. Yikes!

I think if the product is what you're looking for and its worth whatever the price is to you, then do that. Not a thing wrong with it. It's different for everyone and they have to evaluate their family's wants & needs accordingly. Personally, I'm at a turning point. My boys are both aged out of the youth/teen programs. We've been on all 4 ships. We've seen the shows. We've dined in the restaurants. We've done the activities. There's only so many times I can meet Mickey & the gang. It's all become routine and not as exciting. So much just doesn't interest us. To sail any of the itineraries that aren't Caribbean or Bahamian the prices are just silly for us. The ships aren't enough to entice us to pay more for Disney than other cruise lines doing the same itineraries. The Disney-, family-, kid-centric aspects either no longer fit for us or aren't interesting enough right now to make the additional cost worthwhile. We are looking for a bit of a different vibe so venturing off from Disney is a logical choice. So for us, no, that price tag isn't so worth it right now. We do have other little Disney cruises sprinkled in over the next couple years but not much. Those have more to do with the people we're sailing with than the cruise itself. For right now I'd rather pay less to go to the same places, have new to us ships & experiences, and have money to do other things. Like more trips.

 

[squirk]

It seems highly irrational and super-weird to write off an entire cruise line because of a single cruise involving rude passengers over whom Disney has no control.

Lord knows, there are rude people on Disney cruises. And I bet there are rude people on NCL, Carnival and RCCL cruises, too. It's not like DCL is the preferred and exclusive cruise line for rude people worldwide.

Again, weird.

 

[jlynch924]

After reading the review, it seems to me that the reviewer just wanted to offer a diatribe on the lack of social skills in her fellow passengers. Instead, she did it by trashing DCL. It's ridiculous. In any collection of 2,400 people, you'll find all manner of social skills. Simply having the discretionary income to take a pricey vacation does not indicate whether a person has manners. Since the reviewer seems to blaming DCL, perhaps she thinks there should be a Miss Manners test given prior to getting on board?

 

[ludari]

I read the examiner article and after sailing on seven Disney Cruises I've had some bad experiences with passengers as well but it was never enough to ruin my cruise or lure me away from sailing with DCL.

 

[southerngirl528]

I read that article on Yahoo news a few minutes ago and found it quite ridiculous. First, to say she spent $14,000 on a stateroom that wasn't a suite??? I can't find that kind of pricing on DCL. I've done the Alaska cruise on the Wonder, 2 years ago. Went with DD, SIL and 2 grands and had 2 staterooms. We all LOVED it and we are a pretty discriminating bunch.

For someone to diss an entire ship and cruise lines because of "rude passengers" is stupid IMO. From the tone of the article, perhaps the author was the rude one…...

 

[perditax]

Ok, I couldn't take her seriously after the second paragraph, where she seems to believe that rudeness is confined to people without "high paying jobs", and that wealth conveys some sort of intrinsic goodness. I'd like to live in that bubble.

(Apparently she hasn't spent any time in the luxury line forums on Cruise Critic.)

Don't get me wrong, I'm always happy to participate in a referendum on whether DCL is worth the price, just not sure this article is worth our time.

 

[squirk]

^ This.

The more I think about that article, the more that lady irritates me.

 

[MunFam]

I read the article...I have had clients like this before. I honestly do not think that this has anything to do with the cruise line or the cost. I think this has to do with the fact that this particular person is just not made for cruising. All of the complaints stand out to me as someone who is complaining about not being able to get away from the human chaos that is a cruise. And really, to a certain degree, cruises are human chaos. You are herded on like cattle, in to the dinging room, in to shows, off the ship, on excursions, kids are running wild because they are having fun and on vacation etc. etc. If you are not used to constant crowds and the way other people behave, even if its just different, you are going to freak out and a cruise amplifies that because you really cannot escape it the way you can on a land based vacation. Cruises also bring together a lot of different cultures, behaviors, and age ranges...especially Disney Cruises.

So my guess is that this particular person is not really well traveled...perhaps this was her first real vacation beyond her small town, chooses her friends based on like-mindedness, appears to be somewhat ignorant to the fact that paying a lot of money (in her opinion) equals being well educated and having a certain heir to you...which anyone that has traveled knows that's just not true. Money does not buy class, manners or elegance and different cultures may behave differently in similar environments than others. Its not wrong, its just different and it seems like this person was very uncomfortable with all of that "change" or as we call it "traveler diversity" when she assumed that the price she paid for her vacation would equal only a specific "type" of person would be cruising with her.

 

[tvguy]

Your title...."COSTS VS. LEVEL OF SATISFACTION" is probably the best phrase I have ever seen to describe what a Disney Cruise is. Let's face it, there are better values in the cruise industry. But value is not what Disney is selling,. What you are buying with Disney is the feel, the magic, the "pixie dust".
The other thing is, the cruise industry has changed as it has gone mass market. It has adapted to a changing customer who does not want to dress up for dinner, they don't want to have the formal experience that was the hallmark of the cruise industry from the early 1900's until the late 1990s.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

they don't want to have the formal experience that was the hallmark of the cruise industry from the early 1900's until the late 1990s.

And that makes me sad. I really like the whole "classic ship travel" thing.

 

[over50visits]

Just how grungy were these t shirts and shirts? Not washed or not to your style? It is perfectly allowed in the MDR. You are never expected to have to clean your plate of food. Who doesn't want to try something, especially if it's new? Maybe ask for a small portion, yet most of the time. They still bring out the full portions.

I agree with the rest for the most part.

JW

Beats me...as I said, I was noting that I've seen various posts complaining about all the things on that list from time to time. I prefer to notice and remember the great things, mostly how much fun the CMs are to talk to and interact with. And talking about the cool stuff is more fun than talking about perceived problems with other guests.

I haven't read the original article, so there's a lot of speculation going on here (by me). I'm just guessing the writer thought $14,000 entitled her to a cruise where the other passengers met her behavior standards, and when they didn't (whatever it was) it affected her enjoyment of the cruise. There's the rub.

 

[tvguy]

And that makes me sad. I really like the whole "classic ship travel" thing.

We do too. My first cruise.....which was a work assignment...was on a luxury gourmet cruise back in 1980 on the MS. Mermoz. 1 sitting for dinner, gourmet food, tuxes REQUIRED for formal night.
First cruises for DW were on the Norway, celebrity entertainers (sorry Mickey and Minnie), who spent the week hanging out with the passengers.
But, if you shop carefully, you can find more traditional cruises.

 

[squirk]

So my guess is that this particular person is not really well traveled...perhaps this was her first real vacation beyond her small town, chooses her friends based on like-mindedness, appears to be somewhat ignorant to the fact that paying a lot of money (in her opinion) equals being well educated and having a certain heir to you...which anyone that has traveled knows that's just not true. Money does not buy class, manners or elegance and different cultures may behave differently in similar environments than others. Its not wrong, its just different and it seems like this person was very uncomfortable with all of that "change" or as we call it "traveler diversity" when she assumed that the price she paid for her vacation would equal only a specific "type" of person would be cruising with her.

I could not agree with you more, but did you see her bio?

"Rona Moore is a travel agent in the suburbs of Salt Lake City. She is married with four children and enjoys traveling, sewing, and, she spends much of her free time volunteering at her church."