Cruise Curmudgeons of the World Unite

[SullyMonster]

---------
Hello! You are now being connected to a live interviewer who would like to ask you a few more questions. For completing the interview, you will receive a $10 Amazon gift code. Please use the box below to type your response and then click SEND.
---------
You are now connected to: Gretchen
Guest: hello
Gretchen: Hi and thanks very much for chatting with me today. As a reminder, for completing our conversation, you will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card Code. Now, I’d like to take some time to talk with you about the new website you just saw. To get started, what did you think about the navigation bar you saw in today's survey?
Guest: it was fine
Gretchen: hi there.
Gretchen: What exactly makes it fine?
Guest: it has everything needed.
Guest: would you like to know what you can inprove about the website that really needs improving?
Gretchen: Now, here is the navigation bar again to a take a look at:
Gretchen: Now, here is the navigation bar again to a take a look at:
Guest: rather than a re-design of something that is allready fine?
Gretchen: Imagine that you are starting to plan your cruise, please walk me through how you would use this navigation bar. What section would you go to first, what kind of information would you be looking for…things like that.
Guest: I can't see the whole bar
Gretchen: Next question is right above
Gretchen: you can scroll left to right to see the whole bar : )
Guest: the navigation bar is fine
Guest: depending on what I need to do it is all there
Gretchen: Thanks. Now, Imagine that you are starting to plan your cruise, please walk me through how you would use this navigation bar. What section would you go to first, what kind of information would you be looking for…things like that.
Guest: since you have a script you're not going to ask me what I'd like to see changed about the site
Guest: do you want to know what I think about the disney.com cruise site
Guest: or just the stinking nav bar?
Gretchen: Have a nice day. Happy holidays
Your party has left the session.

 

[GrumpyGoat]

What happened to the thread? I stay away for a while and the thread dies? Time to kick this back to the front...

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Maybe CURMUDGEONS don't like to update?

 

[ddixon1]

Up until now, I've just read this thread and chuckled, but this one totally hit one of my peeves. For the love of Pete (who is that guy anyway, and why do so many people want his love?) people, please teach your kids to stay in their chairs during a meal!!!! Really, do I get up and play "duck-duck-goose" with you at your table? If it's not OK for me, then why is it OK for little Timmy? My kiddos have been going to restaurants from the time they were infants in carriers and have been taught that we sit in our chairs, and don't get up, not even at home, until we're done. If your kid is running through the aisles, don't be surprised or offended when I push my chair back to leave just as they're running by and they trip and fall.

It's also really unsafe for the servers, with big trays they need to keep their minds on what they're carrying, not on watching out for screaming howler monkeys that parents should be policing!!!!!

OK, rant over...

Word, ma' brotha!
Late at night, after enduring the thundering sound of 'little' feet pounding up and down the hallways and stairs, I envision myself camouflaged as Chip or Dale (true to their tiny sizes)... Then... Just as little Johny or Suzie run past, I 'line' them! They sail through the air, unceremoniously landing in a heap of crushed Mickey bars, bloody noses, broken teeth, and princess tiaras. And I pee my pants, relishing the sweet, poetic justice.

 

[ddixon1]

You guys...I have found a new home and it is filled with hilarious, awesome people.

I want to play. I have two entries into the things that drive me a little crazy.
1. The Shutters system of printing out every picture they take and then asking you to trash the ones you don't want: No, I don't need 50 various poses of my son with characters; but there's something about dropping his smiling little face into a big trash can with the words "DISCARD UNWANTEDS" on it that makes me shudder a little. And seriously, "unwanteds" not a noun nor should it be pluralized.

2. The accusation from others on the boards that I am a horrible person for "dumping" my son in the Kids Club on a family vacation: First of all, I love my family and want nothing more than to spend time with them and create memories....but I do not think someone was ever intended to spend 24/7 on a 14 day cruise in a small enclosed cabin with 2 other people. A 2 hour break should not be akin to Sophie's Choice. Second, it's a club, for kids, where they play, on a Disney cruise, not prison. I have "dumped" my son lots of places he doesn't want to go (the bathtub after a day of playing in mud, his bed when he's fighting bedtime, once in a swimming pool-okay that was an tripping accident and I do feel really bad about that one) but I hardly think taking him to play at a kids activity center is dumping or akin to shipping a child to military school for a decade. RELAX.

I. Love. You.

 

[iankh]

No cruises for me in 2012. I was booked on a 7-night DCL cruise for Christmas 2013 with some DCL pals, but we jumped ship for a 14-night Celebrity cruise. New experience for us, plus we saved a little bit and doubled the length.

I'll be entering new unchartered territory.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

No cruises for me in 2012. I was booked on a 7-night DCL cruise for Christmas 2013 with some DCL pals, but we jumped ship for a 14-night Celebrity cruise. New experience for us, plus we saved a little bit and doubled the length.

I'll be entering new unchartered territory.

We're hitting the Fantasy in October to see the ship, and that'll probably be our last DCL cruise for awhile. The changes to the on-board bookings and credit and no really new itineraries mean we'll just go elsewhere.

We're hitting the Baltics in 2013 so will go with RCCL. They've got a great itinerary that goes where we're looking to hit.

I'll update everyone if there are any new peeves after this cruise! I'm sure the larger ship will provide plenty of opportunity!

 

[cruisecrasher]

So I'm all happy (forgive me fellow curmudgeons, for I was practically giddy) over DCL changing the 8 night cruises next spring from Galveston from Western Caribbean itineraries to CC, and PC (WDW!) instead.
So if you've been keeping up with the boards, everyone has been, shall we say, expressing extreme displeasure at DCL changing the itineraries.
It is wrong!
It is not fair!
Etc.

I'm pretty sure the contract pretty much says they can take us wherever they want, so long as they return us more or less when they said they will and all, but DH came up with a good pic and said I should share it with them.
That would get me infractions, so I wandered over here to share it with likeminded grumpsters.

I think people forget that this is a business. And honestly once you're onboard and chilling out, you won't much care where the ship is heading.

Off to go irritate them by being cheerful about the itinerary change again.

 

[Tink rules]

Yup.. they can take ya out and sail around in circles until your ...

 

[cruisecrasher]

What makes me cringe is when I stand next to a sign, let's say the one that says Palo. Someone who is new will ask if this is Palos. I am sorry you ask me that I will say no. After all the name of the place is Palo not Palos. People who pulralize names make me cringe. Sorry that's my rant.

My husband brings up the (very curmudgeonly point).
There is a Palo on the Magic.
There is a Palo on the Wonder.
And they even shoehorned one in next the the Remy(s) on the new ships.

So...
there are Palos...

 

[Mokat76]

My husband brings up the (very curmudgeonly point).
There is a Palo on the Magic.
There is a Palo on the Wonder.
And they even shoehorned one in next the the Remy(s) on the new ships.

So...
there are Palos...

But unless you have unusual superpowers, you cannot be at all three Palos at once. Therefore, if someone asks me if this is Palos, I am still within my rights to say, in my best curmudgeonly tone of voice, "No, this is not Palos." or, assuming they're somehow concerned about possessives, "Palo's what?" Actually, I'm probably too chicken to say either, but I'll think it. ;-)

 

[SueTGGR]

I have to put in a complaint. It is with Disney Cruise Line and their food. Give me food with a little KICK! I went to Palo on the Fantasy in June and ordered my favorite shrimp dish (for the life of me I can't remember the name ) and it was so bland. It is in a tomato sauce and before it had quite the kick to it. With a lot of the food being so bland, I was really looking forward to my meal more than ever @ Palo. Is it just me or is the cruise food getting more and more tasteless? This was out 4th cruise so it isn't that I am used to other cruise line food. Anyone else?
BTW, I did say something to the waiter being the Curmudgeon I can be and his response was that people complained it was too spicy (even though the description states it is SPICY) and so they told the chef to take it down a notch. But now it tastes like tomatoes and no spice.
Later,
Sue

 

[WDWMarcy]

I found this curmudgeonly thread when I was working over my spa angst. I am loath to book again. I had a great pedicure, facial, and massage, on the Dream, but the hard sell for products really turned me off. After the facial/massage, the products totaled over $1,000. The pedi had almost $100.

 

[cruisecrasher]

I couldn't resist.
I started a thread called Have Any Of Y'all been to Magic Kingdom?
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2981121

On the main boards.
In all fairness I am trying to plan a single day in WDW, but I'm fairly certain I could've found more intelligent questions to get useful direction from fellow DISers.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I found this curmudgeonly thread when I was working over my spa angst. I am loath to book again. I had a great pedicure, facial, and massage, on the Dream, but the hard sell for products really turned me off. After the facial/massage, the products totaled over $1,000. The pedi had almost $100.

This can easily be avoided. When you make your reservation, just ask them to put the remark "No Sales Pitch" on your records. They will respect this.

Corinna

 

[cruisecrasher]

This can easily be avoided. When you make your reservation, just ask them to put the remark "No Sales Pitch" on your records. They will respect this.

Corinna

I hope that really works. It's a real shame when you're all nice and relaxed and ready to wander off to your stateroom and they're standing there hard selling.
Last time the massage lady had been talking for a good five minutes and I'd been totally ignoring her listening to the waves in the background. And zoning out.
Finally I heard her break in with a "so what do you think about the products."
I responded with "I think I need to use the restroom after listening to the waves for an hour and being encouraged to drink water to 'flush out toxins' or whatever you said earlier."

Also sidesteps this issue.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I hope that really works. It's a real shame when you're all nice and relaxed and ready to wander off to your stateroom and they're standing there hard selling.
Last time the massage lady had been talking for a good five minutes and I'd been totally ignoring her listening to the waves in the background. And zoning out.
Finally I heard her break in with a "so what do you think about the products."
I responded with "I think I need to use the restroom after listening to the waves for an hour and being encouraged to drink water to 'flush out toxins' or whatever you said earlier."

Also sidesteps this issue.

We have only ever cruised on the two classic ships, but it always worked for us.

Corinna

 

[iankh]

We're hitting the Fantasy in October to see the ship, and that'll probably be our last DCL cruise for awhile. The changes to the on-board bookings and credit and no really new itineraries mean we'll just go elsewhere.

We're hitting the Baltics in 2013 so will go with RCCL. They've got a great itinerary that goes where we're looking to hit.

I'll update everyone if there are any new peeves after this cruise! I'm sure the larger ship will provide plenty of opportunity!

I would still like to try the Fantasy, but the itinerary we had for Christmas 2013 was same old, same old.

The Celebrity itinerary was pretty compelling as was paying less for a cruise of double the length. I am also aware that there will be quite a few extras that they charge for, but still in all it seemed pretty good.

DCL has been the only cruise line I've been on, so after we'll see after I sail on Celebrity.

 

[cruisecrasher]

on the main Cruise boards...
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2983744
wonder if they'll get closed or moved?

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

I would still like to try the Fantasy, but the itinerary we had for Christmas 2013 was same old, same old.

The Celebrity itinerary was pretty compelling as was paying less for a cruise of double the length. I am also aware that there will be quite a few extras that they charge for, but still in all it seemed pretty good.

DCL has been the only cruise line I've been on, so after we'll see after I sail on Celebrity.

This is the same old, same old, but, we get to go scuba diving in Cozumel! Which of course I'll do any time I can, and my husband invents times to do it. And yes, fellow curmudgeons, we'll be leaving the youngest on the ship when we go. He's not certified yet, although DD is so she'll be going with us. Boy is he pissed!