Cruise Curmudgeons of the World Unite

[aan1701]

Baby Strollers:

In what alternate universe of narcissistic self-entitlement is it considered acceptable to push a Combi Sport Twin Stroller through the narrow, crowded passageways of a ship and expect people to part as if your child was some king or emperor being driven in his golden chariot???

Another thing: I know little Kynydy gets tuckered out quickly, but pushing a 5-year old in a stroller is creepy. Really creepy.

Amen to this. I still have no clue why you need a stroller on a 963 foot long ship. Really? I get it in the ports, but on the ship?

 

[Donald Applecore]

I know little Kynydy gets tuckered out quickly, but pushing a 5-year old in a stroller is creepy. Really creepy.

 

[GrumpyGoat]

Golly, I so love every other thread on the forum being a form of "I'm a new cruiser, tell me everything I need to know." Really, shall I chew their food for them too?

It's not just here. I hang out on forums dedicated to photography and to amateur radio. It's the same way there... "I just bought the <insert whizz-bang camera here> and I need help with the settings." Well, did you read the camera's manual? There's a reason it's included...

It's not as bad on the amateur radio forums because you have to have a license to operate. That presupposes a minimum knowledge because there's a test to get the license, but it's not always the case. I tried to help one guy program a radio the same model as mine and even after I wrote it out step-by-step, including the specific frequencies for his location, he still said it was too hard and got rid of the radio.

We might as well face it, there are just those who will take the lazy way, no matter what.

Towel animals:

They're cute, they're clever, and the first one was a pleasant surprise. However, our children considered breaking them apart to be on par with murdering a cherished pet, so by the end of our cruise, our family of four was sharing a tiny cabin with a puppy, a mouse, a flower, a dinosaur, a monkey, and some sort of lobster thing.

I'll take pictures before I dismember the towel animals... (Although, my wife says we have to keep the monkey...)

Baby Strollers:

In what alternate universe of narcissistic self-entitlement is it considered acceptable to push a Combi Sport Twin Stroller through the narrow, crowded passageways of a ship and expect people to part as if your child was some king or emperor being driven in his golden chariot???

Another thing: I know little Kynydy gets tuckered out quickly, but pushing a 5-year old in a stroller is creepy. Really creepy.

Don't get me started on strollers... Apparently some people with children, especially small children, think procreation confers on them some kind of entitlement to be oblivious, obnoxious and rude to the rest of the adult population. The thing I hate is the person with the double-wide stroller that stops right in front of you on a narrow walkway and then gets indignant when you say something...

My better half owns "sea trips". I own "land trips". So, as I don't venture down to the DCL board, I had NO IDEA this thread existed until I was pointed in this direction.

This is just one more reason why I am thrilled to have married up.

I have not yet cruised with Mickey---my first is this August to Alaska. But there are still a few things that like-minded curmudgeons might appreciate.

At the top of the list: the threads with titles like "Not Magical!" that go on to describe how the Cast Member who welcomed them through the turnstiles on their first day did not smile quite as brightly as the Cast Members used to, setting the entire family up for a day's worth of disappointment, from slightly too much ice in the lunch beverages right on up to a missing audio effect in the third scene of Splash Mountain.

A close second: It is not "vacay". It is vacation. It is not "brekkie". It is breakfast. It is not a "ressie". It is a reservation. I understand that pixie dust addiction makes people do strange things, but even so one should be able to type a sentence without having to freebase it.

"Has anyone ever stayed at POP Century?" Yes. It's a large hotel, and is often full. I think one can conclude that someone has stayed there. Once. Maybe.

And, finally, a reminder. Mickey is in business to separate us from our cheese. As a result, prices sometimes rise. Mobilizing a flash mob to protest the 25 cent increase in Mickeybar cost is possibly not the best use of one's time.


You can turn off signature display---click on "User CP" in the upper left corner. Click on Edit Options on the left hand side. Scroll down to the Thread Display Options section, and un-click the checkbox. Turning off signatures is the second best feature of DISboards---right behind the Ignore List.

Those "abbreviations" sound like they might be coming out of Australia... That's the same kind of slang I encountered when I crewed on an Australian-flagged sailing ship. I still haven't figured out what language they speak down there.

I know what you mean about the slang and nicknames, however. There seems to be a tendency among younger male photographers to nickname every new lens that comes along. There's "The Brick," the "Magic Drainpipe." and the "Bigma..." Why can't they just call them the Canon 24-70mm 2.8, the Canon 80-200mm 2.8 and the Sigma 50-500mm which is what they are?

Thanks for the reminder about the signature thing. VBulletin is used on a lot of other forums and I had completely forgotten about that feature, probably because none of the others I frequent are anywhere near as cluttered as here...

 

[lakelandgal70]

Ok this post has me . My first cruise is Nov 2012 and I keep thinking all the questions I have are gonna come off as grumpy sounding but now I know better!

 

[SLK1]

A close second: It is not "vacay". It is vacation. It is not "brekkie". It is breakfast. It is not a "ressie". It is a reservation. I understand that pixie dust addiction makes people do strange things, but even so one should be able to type a sentence without having to freebase it.

.

Do you know how long it took me to decipher all the DisBoard abbreviations??? Is it THAT hard to type out "Small World"? No, they have to present it as "IASW" (took me a while). Or, when I first joined, I scratched my head over "MNSSHP" and "MVMCP". I lost sleep over it - it's just not THAT hard to type out "Halloween Party" or "Christmas Party". But that's just me. I guess I'm more verbose than most.

 

[iankh]

Do you know how long it took me to decipher all the DisBoard abbreviations??? Is it THAT hard to type out "Small World"? No, they have to present it as "IASW" (took me a while). Or, when I first joined, I scratched my head over "MNSSHP" and "MVMCP". I lost sleep over it - it's just not THAT hard to type out "Halloween Party" or "Christmas Party". But that's just me. I guess I'm more verbose than most.

Ah, apparently you didn't get the note about saving up your boxtops for the seoret decoder ring.

 

[GrumpyGoat]

Ah, apparently you didn't get the note about saving up your boxtops for the seoret decoder ring.

Oh my! Something else to add to my packing list...

 

[JAM113]

On our last cruise, we by some miracle did not get a survey. Maybe they knew I was a curmudgeon before I did! That sneaky Disney company. I felt a minute of guilt, but I did not ask for one. We did leave good tips, however (gotta live by the t shirt mantra.)

Our cruise was a back to back and our server kept reminding us to fill out the survey and we didn't get one, so I asked guest services for it and didn't think anything about it when they asked for our room number. Our stateroom hostess apologized when we saw her at the start of the second part of the cruise and said she thought we would consider it one cruise and planned to just give us a survey at the end of the second. I felt so bad realizing she probably got in trouble for us asking for the survey since she didn't leave it for us

~~~
I'll add my own pet peeve to the thread... People who ask "Will I like...?" Really. How on earth will we know if you will like something or not. Obviously somebody likes it if it's out there in the world, and there is probably somebody who doesn't like it, but there is no way at all for a total stranger to know if *you* will like something.

 

[aan1701]

O.K. I saw it again on a different thread. People the name of the place is Palo and Remy. Not Palos and Remys. Please people stop saying I am going to Palos or I am going to Remys.

 

[iankh]

Now for the most curmudgeony of all my curmudgeonry ... this may be even bigger than the Sail Away Party. Grander than the Pirate Party. Grumpier than having an ice cream sunday dropped down the front of my shorts at Scoops (Oh, I forgot to mention that incident).

The Coffee on the Ship

Before I launch into my curmudgeonly tirade first let me say that I have no high expectations of the coffee at the drink station. It would be impossible for DCL to keep fresh coffee thermoses filled up, so their Nescafe sludge makes perfect sense for that venue. Also, I am happen that they have hot caffeine on tap at no extra charge unlike other cruise lines.

But what gives with the Nescafe in the dining rooms and in Palo? And before anyone corrects me, I have spoken to chefs and the chef at Palo and all the dining rooms serve Nescafe.

The only difference between the dining rooms and the drink station is that it is more diluted at the drink station.

What is it with the Nescafe? I suspect that either Nestle's must give Disney a VERY good deal, or they have horribly incriminating photos of Walt Disney, probably taken in the Swiss Alps and probably involving a dirndl, a cuckoo clock and possibly a goat. I'm not sure.

Otherwise I can't understand why they don't serve decent brewed coffee.

Even Palo, their premier restaurant on two ships serves instant coffee. I mean really! What top restaurant have you ever gone into serves Nescafe? I'd rather have a glass of milk and a couple of No-Doze.

I order specialty coffees in the dining rooms and Palo.

I also make several trips a day to the Cove Cafe, who by the way, have most excellent little pastries, some of the best on the ship. Plus their punch card is good from ship to ship and cruise to cruise.

Sadly, I have resigned myself to the instant sludge.

I plan on trying Remy on our next cruise/s our first trip on the Dream, a back-to-back 4/3 night.

You don't think they could possibly serve Nescafe as the dining room coffee at Remy, do you?

 

[dylan'smom]

Ah, yes, the coffee..or lack there of...

This is not, however, unique to DCL - Princess & virtually all the mass market lines use that awful Nescafe - yuk!! I resorted to Starbucks instant a few times (emergency stash). The only freshly brewed coffee I experienced (served table side or room service) on a cruise ship was on Regent Seven Seas.

And I've discussed this swill with people over the years who insist that DCL room service coffee or main restaurant coffee is NOT nescafe, but good and freshly brewed!! And this must be how they "get away" with it!

But Palo not serving brewed coffee is absurd. I'm not the biggest fan of Palo (dinners, anyway), and I would list my complaints here about how overly impressed and awestruck I'm supposed to be, but... it just gets me annoyed again at the experience...fresh wound...lol

I hope you will report back about Remy's coffee...it just may be a true test of their culinary expertise.


.

 

[GrumpyGoat]

Now for the most curmudgeony of all my curmudgeonry ... this may be even bigger than the Sail Away Party. Grander than the Pirate Party. Grumpier than having an ice cream sunday dropped down the front of my shorts at Scoops (Oh, I forgot to mention that incident).

The Coffee on the Ship

Before I launch into my curmudgeonly tirade first let me say that I have no high expectations of the coffee at the drink station. It would be impossible for DCL to keep fresh coffee thermoses filled up, so their Nescafe sludge makes perfect sense for that venue. Also, I am happen that they have hot caffeine on tap at no extra charge unlike other cruise lines.

But what gives with the Nescafe in the dining rooms and in Palo? And before anyone corrects me, I have spoken to chefs and the chef at Palo and all the dining rooms serve Nescafe.

The only difference between the dining rooms and the drink station is that it is more diluted at the drink station.

What is it with the Nescafe? I suspect that either Nestle's must give Disney a VERY good deal, or they have horribly incriminating photos of Walt Disney, probably taken in the Swiss Alps and probably involving a dirndl, a cuckoo clock and possibly a goat. I'm not sure.

Otherwise I can't understand why they don't serve decent brewed coffee.

Even Palo, their premier restaurant on two ships serves instant coffee. I mean really! What top restaurant have you ever gone into serves Nescafe? I'd rather have a glass of milk and a couple of No-Doze.

I order specialty coffees in the dining rooms and Palo.

I also make several trips a day to the Cove Cafe, who by the way, have most excellent little pastries, some of the best on the ship. Plus their punch card is good from ship to ship and cruise to cruise.

Sadly, I have resigned myself to the instant sludge.

I plan on trying Remy on our next cruise/s our first trip on the Dream, a back-to-back 4/3 night.

You don't think they could possibly serve Nescafe as the dining room coffee at Remy, do you?

Instant coffee? INSTANT COFFEE? They don't serve fresh brewed coffee? After twenty years in the US Navy, I don't drink no stinkin' instant coffee...

 

[Mom2PrincessesLinSy]

OMG (short for Oh My Golly), this is freakin' hilarious!

And as I get ready to sail aboard the Wonder in a month, many of these things I truly wish to avoid! I am thankful that we booked our PALO reservation for Pirate Night, ARGH!

Thinking I won't need to fight with the Chaise Lounge chair hogs since we will be in Alaska, but I will probably have to fight over a place on Deck 9 or 10 for my quintessential photo of a Glacier with Mickey's head on the bow of the ship in the foreground. No seriously, I really want that, but I am not going to get up at 6am to fight for my place to get it. Maybe I can convince someone to send me a copy....

I think my biggest beef is with those people who stake out the center of the Walt Disney Theater along with seats for 50 of their closest friends. Really, buddy, they aren't your friends, they are just using you for your seats! They don't want to get there early either.

Oh, and the CC gift. When we first started sailing, they changed the gift each year. And they were nice. DCL towel, really nice Carry On bag. Now I guess they buy in bulk, and stocked up for the next 10 years for all the ships. I just don't need another bag with DCL water bottles and Rice Crispie Treat Flip Flops. Its Alaska, for Gosh Sakes! Throw a pair of Mickey gloves and scarf on my bed, I probably forgot to pack them!

 

[Ariel224]

What is it with the Nescafe? I suspect that either Nestle's must give Disney a VERY good deal, or they have horribly incriminating photos of Walt Disney, probably taken in the Swiss Alps and probably involving a dirndl, a cuckoo clock and possibly a goat. I'm not sure.

I think you mean Nestle, right?

At any rate, I think I'm glad I drink tea, as I can see that DH is going to be spending a fortune at Cove Cafe. Don't worry though, he's no Disney Expert, and won't try to pretend he's one either.

 

[PaceFamily]

Ah, yes, the coffee..or lack there of...

And I've discussed this swill with people over the years who insist that DCL room service coffee or main restaurant coffee is NOT nescafe, but good and freshly brewed!! And this must be how they "get away" with it!

I just got back from the Disney Dream and am a serious coffee drinker . I talked with several of the servers at the different restaurants and confirmed that the coffee in the restaurants is a brewed coffee, not the concentrate as at the self serve. It is, however, NESCAFE brand and does have that unique flavor, but is better.

I brought my French Press coffee maker and my own ground coffee onboard. I got a lot of interesting looks carrying my pot to the restaurant and Cabanas. Found the servers to be very willing to fill the pot with hot water and even rinse it out when I was done .

 

[dylan'smom]

I just got back from the Disney Dream and am a serious coffee drinker . I talked with several of the servers at the different restaurants and confirmed that the coffee in the restaurants is a brewed coffee, not the concentrate as at the self serve. It is, however, NESCAFE brand and does have that unique flavor, but is better.
......

Interesting...as much as I'd love to believe they are correct, unless it's different on the Dream, it's the same stuff... concentrate that is reconstituted.

But the Nescafe they use is a liquid concentrate....not powdered, so maybe it was brewed at some point & then dehydrated?? ...and then rehydrated? Or maybe the term freshly brewed means they have then just diluted it!!

I'd say you were smart to bring that press!! I've brought one before and used it in the room. Then The Cove came along so I just run up a tab there now. Even there, the only freshly brewed you will find is espresso. I happen to like it (and they make a good cappucinno), but DH has trouble with the "Americano" (espresso diluted with water) so gets a mocha...! But I digress.....

Thanks for sharing that -- I'd really like to think that maybe they are moving in a different direction now (?)

.

 

[Cerberus9]

I'm tired of being treated like the Devil Incarnate for suggesting that my family might just possibly enjoy some aspect of a *gasp* cruise line other than Disney.

 

[iankh]

I just got back from the Disney Dream and am a serious coffee drinker . I talked with several of the servers at the different restaurants and confirmed that the coffee in the restaurants is a brewed coffee, not the concentrate as at the self serve. It is, however, NESCAFE brand and does have that unique flavor, but is better.

I brought my French Press coffee maker and my own ground coffee onboard. I got a lot of interesting looks carrying my pot to the restaurant and Cabanas. Found the servers to be very willing to fill the pot with hot water and even rinse it out when I was done .

Yes, they do tell that story about it being "brewed" but it isn't, it's a liquid concentrate, I asked. At first I was told that it was "special" Nescafe. I asked point blank whether it was concentrate or ground coffee. It's concentrate. That was a bit over a year ago on the Magic.

I asked again this past April at Palo on the Wonder. Yep, still concentrate with hot water added. The only brewed coffees are the specialty ones they offer.

 

[iankh]

I think you mean Nestle, right?

Touché!

 

[PaceFamily]

I asked point blank whether it was concentrate or ground coffee. It's concentrate. That was a bit over a year ago on the Magic.

Maybe they have changed it on the Dream. I too asked point blank "Is the coffee brewed or from concentrate" and every one swore it was a brewed coffee. It did taste different.