Disappointed in Disney Cruise & another ?

[prune1977]

Well we did our first ever Disney Cruise this past January and it was our first cruise ever. It was my DW, DS10, DD8, and DS5 and I. Now I used to say I'd never do one but my aunts and Uncles cruise a lot and talk about how much they enjoy them. One of my best friends did his first ever last year on RCCL and loved it. So I decided to take the plunge and try a Disney cruise. My buddy told me I'd be addicted after I did one. Well we went on the 3 night Dream to the Bahamas, had ports at Nassau and Castaway Cay. Kids of course loved the cruise but DW and I were both disappointed. Staff was friendly, everything was clean but food wasn't great like we'd heard cruise ship food would be, pools were so small I don't know how you'd ever use them. Now was it our fault for having expectations too high and not going on a longer cruise as we felt we didn't do much of anything on the ship? I mean we watched the shows, ate and slept and did the Aquaduck once but that seemed to be pretty much it. Also I thought Disney was supposed to send first time cruisers a couple of things but its not toward the end of March and we've still not received magnets etc. Just wondering if we were the only ones disappointed when going on a DCL cruise?

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

I'm sorry you didn't have a good time. Have you ever cruised on any other lines? Maybe cruising is just not for you.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Well we did our first ever Disney Cruise this past January and it was our first cruise ever. It was my DW, DS10, DD8, and DS5 and I. Now I used to say I'd never do one but my aunts and Uncles cruise a lot and talk about how much they enjoy them. One of my best friends did his first ever last year on RCCL and loved it. So I decided to take the plunge and try a Disney cruise. My buddy told me I'd be addicted after I did one. Well we went on the 3 night Dream to the Bahamas, had ports at Nassau and Castaway Cay. Kids of course loved the cruise but DW and I were both disappointed. Staff was friendly, everything was clean but food wasn't great like we'd heard cruise ship food would be, pools were so small I don't know how you'd ever use them. Now was it our fault for having expectations too high and not going on a longer cruise as we felt we didn't do much of anything on the ship? I mean we watched the shows, ate and slept and did the Aquaduck once but that seemed to be pretty much it. Also I thought Disney was supposed to send first time cruisers a couple of things but its not toward the end of March and we've still not received magnets etc. Just wondering if we were the only ones disappointed when going on a DCL cruise?

You certainly are not the only ones disappointed with cruising (DCL or otherwise). But, your expectations could have been pretty high, and that can lead to let-downs.

In reality a 3 night cruise, IMO, isn't a very good introduction to "real" cruising. You are only onboard for 2 full days, the first and last days only being a half day and not much going on.

You'll also find, generally, that most cruise line food isn't 5 star, or even 3 or 4 star in many cases. It's basically banquet-style food. Some dishes are very good, many are adequate, and some are bad.

I'm not sure what sort of gift a first time cruise gets (where did you see that?), but returning cruisers get an in-room gift based on number of cruises (on DCL) sailed.

Yes, cruise ship pools are small. They really need to be in order for the ship's superstructure to be able to support the weight that high up. I've found the pools on the classic ships seem to be a bit bigger, however (at least in the adult area, anyway).

If you're still somewhat interested in cruising DCL, I'd suggest a 5-7 night as a better overall experience.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

It was almost 3 months after my first cruise before I got the magnet in the mail.

Besides better food and bigger pools, what else was disappointing to you? What expectations were not met? I'm not trying to be argumentative. I'm just trying to get a better feel for what disappointed you.

As for the food, I would agree with PrincessShmoo that it is not 5 star quality. I found the food at Cabanas to be okay, but not great. Food in the MDR was good, but not exceptional. The one really awesome meal I had was dinner in Palo.

I didn't bother with the pools as I was cruising solo. I did ride the Aquaduck a few times when the line was short and enjoyed it, but I wouldn't wait in a huge line for it.

I had a blast on my cruise. I went to the Rainforest Room, relaxed on my veranda, took wine tasting and mixology classes, watched movies, enjoyed the nightly shows. What I liked was there were enough activities to keep me busy if I wanted to keep busy, but also, I could sit back and relax, which is what I was really looking forward to.

It could be that your expectations were too high. It could be that 3 nights was just too short of a cruise to really be able to enjoy it. It could also be that you just don't enjoy cruising.

 

[MrDisneyFan]

Sorry to hear about your experience! It's really hard for me to imagine getting a good introduction with just a 3 day cruise. We did our first DCL cruise a few months ago and we were blown away. We cannot wait to go back. The food was okay, some items were really good. Other things not so great. But if we had a bite of something and didn't like it we said something. They never had any problem making suggestions or bringing alternatives. Often times if we weren't sure between a couple of items we would order both! So I found it was helpful to make sure to speak up if we didn't like something.

I think one thing that helped us as well was doing a LOT of research ahead of time. I had picked out activities ahead of time we were going to do including some adult dining at Palo and Remy (if you want amazing food you won't be disappointed there ). Even with all the research there was always a lot of things I didn't know you could do until we were on board and saw them in the daily Navigator. My DW and I spent some time in some of the adult lounges and ended up getting pulled into some activities they had going on. If anything I felt like we had to make ourselves stop being so busy! It was very easy to bounce around from one thing to another and be crazy busy all day if we had wanted.

I agree, thought the pools were small as well but honestly we never used them, I'm not a big fan of public pools. Icky! Kids were interested in the aquaduck, mickey slide and the aqualab and did all those lots!

We were first time DCL cruisers and got a silver castaway club fridge magnet a while after. I can't recall exactly how long it took.

 

[darkwing818]

I'm sorry you didn't have a good time. Have you ever cruised on any other lines? Maybe cruising is just not for you.

Totally agree with buttercup. One thing though, I'm not sure you should have expected "great" food on a cruise ship. We've cruised with DCL, RCCL, HAL & Celebrity and have found the dining to be very comparable on all 4 lines (IMO). Remember they serving meals for thousands of guests, maybe your expectations were a bit high in this regard. Now dining at Remy is a totally different experience. Pools on most cruise ships are usually on the small side, with DCL pools being smaller.
Personally I would never advise taking a 3 night cruise, as a first cruise, it's just goes by to fast. Again just my opinion, I know others swear by 3 night cruises as a wonderful way to find out if you will enjoy cruising.

It also sounds like you didn't do any excursions or ship activities (e.g tastings, Palo Brunch etc.), these types of things keep a lot of folks busy.

 

[OhThePain]

It is true that cruising is not for everyone. I, myself, after cruising for most my life (I'm 30), am kind of over the whole cruising thing. I also think a 3-night cruise is not nearly enough time to be able to judge if it is truly for you or not, especially if you are hanging out on boards that tend to fluff things up a bit. It was going to be hard for DCL, or any other line for that matter, to live up to the expectations you had going in. However, now that you know what things really are like (a lot of people, small pools, tight rooms, average food, etc.) it might be fair to try another cruise before making up your minds.

My wife and I did our first DCL cruise this past September (we didn't get our magnet in the mail until sometime in January I think). There were things about DCL that we liked a lot better than other cruse lines and there were things we liked elsewhere better. Sometimes it isn't about if cruising is for you or not, sometimes it's just about finding the right cruise line that works for you and your family.

 

[bbn1122]

Our first cruise was a 7 night and we were hooked. Then the following year we went on a three night on the Dream, it was it's Inaugural year. I have to admit it was not the same experience as a 7 night on the Magic. But it was fun. Just not as Magical as that week long cruise. My husband and I did a 2 night out of New York and had a fantastic time. Then we did another 3 night this past August and it was phenomenal. Like a previous poster said, the short cruises are hard to get a good feel for cruising. Also cruising may not be for you.

I think the longer you have on the ship the more time you have to relax and take in the beaut ship and experience of being out of the water. It's hard to relax in three days, when there so many things that you can do and unfortunately you can't do it all. I also find now that my sons are older the cruisers are much more pleasurable because I'm not worried about what they are doing and where they are constantly.

So my suggestion is give it another shot on at least a 4 night with that extra day at sea or a week long if possible.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

When we did our first cruise, (3 day Dream), my wife and I both said we'd never do another cruise again. Fast forward about 3 months and we, for dome random reason, received a 10% off DCL coupon in the mail. We decided to give it one more try, this time 7 nights on the Fantasy. We were absolutely hooked. Being able to unplug from the world for a week is amazing, I come back do relaxec. Our kids are teenagers and never have done the clubs at all. For the most part we all just hang together doing silly trivia, Mickey 500, The Quest, Bingo and the like. After dinner we always plan the next day going through the navigator. Wife then goes to sleep and kids and I hit the top deck for AquaDuck, movies and snacks. We are all so hooked on cruising it's all we want to do. Each family is obviously different but I for one am so glad we have it a second chance. We are branching out to a different cruise line next year and have completely different expectations but are still excited. We're leaving for Hawaii in about 2 months and are bummed we're not cruising instead. The whole idea of trying to plan where were going to eat and what to do is a pain. Cruises are no brainers. BRW, sorry you didn't enjoy it, that's a lot of money to throw into something that you don't like.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Cruising is not for everyone. Your complaints are similar to those I've heard from people who did not like cruising (and not just on DCL). Ships don't have big pools, or spectacular food, in general. There are inherent limitations to onboard living. I also agree that a 3 day cruise is possibly not the best type of introduction to cruising, but the types of complaints you mentioned will be present on longer voyages as well.

 

[Bree]

Cruising isn't for everyone. I agree with others that 3 nights are tough especially one with both days in a port like the Dream does. I also think the Dream is way too big and has way too much going on to be used for the shorter cruises. If they didn't need the smaller ships for Alaska and the European cruises I think it could be a better short cruise experience. Cruise ship pools are small on every line. If pool swimming is important then do a land vacation or add on a hotel stay before or after a cruise. Food is very subjective. Some people think it's absolutely fabulous, but then there are people like me that have access to real fine dining all the time or can cook fancy shmancy. My favorite food on the Fantasy was the oatmeal in Cabanas, the oatmeal raisin cookies and Remy. We went to Palo brunch and were underwhelmed, but my MIL is someone who would be blown away. Even the Grand Marnier souffle raved about on this board was a let down for me.

Is there anything you DID like?

 

[ayz75]

I agree, cruise is not for everyone. I am excited about going on my first DCL cruise this May BUT I know that cruising will never be my first choice of vacation. We're doing it because we want to experience the disney factor (and we're doing the park beforehand). I've cruised 4 times before (NCL, Royal, Carnival and a small line) and while some of my experiences were amazing (the food on Oasis was really impressive - but it was also its first year - so probably why it was so good), I get bored on ships. I'm not into the activities they organize and I enjoy the shows but I'd rather spend an evening exploring/strolling a foreign city.

That said, we still cruise once a year or two because we find that's the best way to plan family/group trips. I cannot imagine having to pick restaurants/sights and decide on what time to meet and whatever, for a week or longer! (yes some of my families *cough ILs cough* prefer to stick together :S so cruise is better if it's a family trip)

 

[KashasMom]

Well we did our first ever Disney Cruise this past January and it was our first cruise ever. It was my DW, DS10, DD8, and DS5 and I. Now I used to say I'd never do one but my aunts and Uncles cruise a lot and talk about how much they enjoy them. One of my best friends did his first ever last year on RCCL and loved it. So I decided to take the plunge and try a Disney cruise. My buddy told me I'd be addicted after I did one. Well we went on the 3 night Dream to the Bahamas, had ports at Nassau and Castaway Cay. Kids of course loved the cruise but DW and I were both disappointed. Staff was friendly, everything was clean but food wasn't great like we'd heard cruise ship food would be, pools were so small I don't know how you'd ever use them. Now was it our fault for having expectations too high and not going on a longer cruise as we felt we didn't do much of anything on the ship? I mean we watched the shows, ate and slept and did the Aquaduck once but that seemed to be pretty much it. Also I thought Disney was supposed to send first time cruisers a couple of things but its not toward the end of March and we've still not received magnets etc. Just wondering if we were the only ones disappointed when going on a DCL cruise?

I really do understand where you are coming from because the Disney cruisers REALLY build up Disney. We were on the Fantasy last month (the second time in 14 months). Everyone's experiences are different because some cruise as couples, some as singles, some as families with kids who spend most of their time in the kids' clubs, some as families with kids who don't spend any time in the kids' clubs. The pools are very small and the Mickey pool is always over-crowded and most of the time doesn't look too appealing. I thought the food ranged from okay to really bad. There was only one thing I really loved - Mickey Bars. (And after paying Disney $$, I don't think I should have to pay to go to a specialty restaurant for good food.) I enjoyed one of the shows but not thrilled with the others (less so the 2nd time around!). And I really agree with you that there just isn't a lot to do. I used to say after our first cruise on the Fantasy that if we didn't spend so much time waiting in line for character/princess photos, we'd have nothing to do. It just may be that cruising isn't for you or maybe a Disney cruise is not. Do a lot of research before - check the daily activity listings for a particular ship/itinerary to see if there are enough things for you and your family to enjoy. (Just Google, they are all online.) There are nicer ports than Nassau and CC is just a beach (really). What kinds of things do your kids like? Other cruise lines may have things better suited to them (especially the 2 older ones). I'd give cruising another shot - maybe a 7 day on Norwegian or Royal. If you find you do enjoy cruising, do a lot of research and then see if the Fantasy is a good fit. BTW, we NEVER got a magnet after our first cruise.

 

[Frozen2014]

I'm sorry that you were dissapointed. Did you check out their daily compass to see what was going on? We've been on the Magic and I've also been on RCL. The Magic was great with shows and kid friendly, but I agree with the pools. DH and I also found not too much to do when our kids were busy (but I know that many adults find tons to do).
We're taking our kids on Royal's Allure next spring. It is super kid friendly with a kid's club that runs organized activities. They also have different neighbourhoods to explore and tons of activities (rock climbing, mini golf, FlowRider surf simulator, splash pad (no waterslide though), various classes, and thing like parades, etc.) Their daily compass also lists things that are going on throughout - so it would be hard to say there was nothing to do.
I've heard mixed reviews of the food on both lines, but we've had no issues or on either from our cruises.
So perhas there wasn't enough going on for you on DCL and you can try another line, or perhaps as others have said, it's not for you.
We had the most amazing time at Disney World last year so I have a soft spot for Disney stuff, but I'll say that personally I prefer the RCL cruises over DCL.

 

[prune1977]

Totally agree with buttercup. One thing though, I'm not sure you should have expected "great" food on a cruise ship. We've cruised with DCL, RCCL, HAL & Celebrity and have found the dining to be very comparable on all 4 lines (IMO). Remember they serving meals for thousands of guests, maybe your expectations were a bit high in this regard. Now dining at Remy is a totally different experience. Pools on most cruise ships are usually on the small side, with DCL pools being smaller.
Personally I would never advise taking a 3 night cruise, as a first cruise, it's just goes by to fast. Again just my opinion, I know others swear by 3 night cruises as a wonderful way to find out if you will enjoy cruising.

It also sounds like you didn't do any excursions or ship activities (e.g tastings, Palo Brunch etc.), these types of things keep a lot of folks busy.

No we did excursions and enjoyed them quite a bit but was disappointed that our glass bottom boat tour on Castaway Cay day got cancelled. Our expectations may have been high on the food not sure but that's what we had been told. It wasn't near as good as the food at WDW. Also we did do a lot of research or I wouldn't have went period. It seemed very cramped as well and I mean the ship not necessarily our rooms; like you just couldn't get away from large crowds. I think the main problem honestly was we just didn't do a long enough cruise maybe. Pools I didn't expect to be huge but good grief not really being able to get in them and being that small with that many people on the ship seems a little ridiculous. Like I said my guess would be friends and family got our expectations maybe a little high and it just wasn't long enough of a cruise. I'll try another one but not sure it'll be on the DCL mainly just due to the cost of it vs. RCCL or Carnival.

 

[DISNEYFOS]

I really do understand where you are coming from because the Disney cruisers REALLY build up Disney. We were on the Fantasy last month (the second time in 14 months). Everyone's experiences are different because some cruise as couples, some as singles, some as families with kids who spend most of their time in the kids' clubs, some as families with kids who don't spend any time in the kids' clubs. The pools are very small and the Mickey pool is always over-crowded and most of the time doesn't look too appealing. I thought the food ranged from okay to really bad. There was only one thing I really loved - Mickey Bars. (And after paying Disney $$, I don't think I should have to pay to go to a specialty restaurant for good food.) I enjoyed one of the shows but not thrilled with the others (less so the 2nd time around!). And I really agree with you that there just isn't a lot to do. I used to say after our first cruise on the Fantasy that if we didn't spend so much time waiting in line for character/princess photos, we'd have nothing to do. It just may be that cruising isn't for you or maybe a Disney cruise is not. Do a lot of research before - check the daily activity listings for a particular ship/itinerary to see if there are enough things for you and your family to enjoy. (Just Google, they are all online.) There are nicer ports than Nassau and CC is just a beach (really). What kinds of things do your kids like? Other cruise lines may have things better suited to them (especially the 2 older ones). I'd give cruising another shot - maybe a 7 day on Norwegian or Royal. If you find you do enjoy cruising, do a lot of research and then see if the Fantasy is a good fit. BTW, we NEVER got a magnet after our first cruise.

I agree that expectations run high with Disney Cruises.. There's a lot of build up about how great the kids clubs are .. the commercials show how many options there are for entertainment on board for kids and grownups alike... umm yeah.. not so much.. We did a 7- day Fantasy cruise in 2013 with 2 days at sea and there were definitely aspects we liked...the Shows, Castaway Cay, the excursions we did, but my kids hated the kids clubs. I didn't blame them much. There was a cooking activity that I thought they would love...we dropped them off and the cast members were totally consumed with 3 and 4 year olds... It was really a glorified preschool/daycare. at 6 and 9 they really had no interest in being there.. The pool was way too crowded for them to swim.. I actually got very concerned about my 6 year old who is tiny because she was swimming around all these adults in the pool..she was going underwater and it was so crowded I didn't know if she would get trapped. I eventually had to pull her out because I was having a nervous breakdown.. We played ping pong, we did the aquaduck (which they weren't allowed to go on without us)...we did the muppet mystery..but with 2 days at sea you do get thru that quickly. Unfortunately, if they don't enjoy the kids clubs, u do struggle to keep them entertained.

That said we are going to try again. A shorter cruise, smaller ship. Itinerary with less days at sea. An earlier dinner seating (my youngest fell asleep in my lap at dinner every night because we didn't actually have a dinner served til 9). We will try the kids club with sign out privileges to see if that makes a difference is how willing they are to check it out periodically during the day..see if there are any kids their age. We will try to do more family-based activities but I think for us having less days at sea will be better.

The spa, adult areas and nightclubs sound nice but I really don't know how you would experience them if your kids don't like the clubs..

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

Is the magnet thing new? We first cruised with DCL in November 2012, and I don't recall getting a magnet in the mail.

 

[DISNEYFOS]

we got a magnet..I'm not sure how long after. Its just one of those oval ones.. says Silver Castaway Cay member or something. We've got a DVC and two AP ones now...I think they can stop sending them

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

Now was it our fault for having expectations too high and not going on a longer cruise as we felt we didn't do much of anything on the ship? I mean we watched the shows, ate and slept and did the Aquaduck once but that seemed to be pretty much it.

And I really agree with you that there just isn't a lot to do. I used to say after our first cruise on the Fantasy that if we didn't spend so much time waiting in line for character/princess photos, we'd have nothing to do.

I don't understand these comments at all, personally. I have done seven day cruises on other lines, but I have only done a three day on Disney (hoping for a seven night next year!) To me, there was so much to do that we barely scratched the surface with a three day. We never got to go to the movie theater, play mini-golf, experience the adult night life (I was pregnant and tired by nine!), do the Midship Detective Agency, go to any classes or tastings, go on a ship tour, or spend any significant time in the spa (again because I was pregnant.) There was tons to do in my opinion; we never sat around and felt bored.

 

[prune1977]

I don't understand these comments at all, personally. I have done seven day cruises on other lines, but I have only done a three day on Disney (hoping for a seven night next year!) To me, there was so much to do that we barely scratched the surface with a three day. We never got to go to the movie theater, play mini-golf, experience the adult night life (I was pregnant and tired by nine!), do the Midship Detective Agency, go to any classes or tastings, go on a ship tour, or spend any significant time in the spa (again because I was pregnant.) There was tons to do in my opinion; we never sat around and felt bored.

I didn't say their wasn't much to do I said we didn't get much done on the ship because we had 2 port days and it was a shorter cruise. Thats why I said for us I think it just wasn't long enough. It seemed like more of floating hotel because of it.