Disappointed!

[wilkeliza]

The Chai Tea Lattes are NOT as good as Starbucks!! I've tried them a couple of times ... and ugh!!

I don't drink chai so could be why. Sbux is because it is concentrate. Not bad if that is what you like but you aren't going to replicate it anywhere because it isn't a real chai latte. I stick to espresso beverages and maybe it helps that I use to be a Sbux barista that I can pretty much tell any barista if they know how to use a quality espresso machine how to make my espresso drink.

 

[Mark D.]

Is there someplace similar on the Magic / Wonder

I think the Promenade Lounge has the same drink selections on the Classics, but no snack case.

 

[LSUfan4444]

last sail on the fantasy I saw plenty of small kids walking through to the main pool I saw a few in the hot tubs at times. I saw a few in the pool.

The only time it really bothered me is when I was trying to take a nap and a loud group of them came through hooting and hollering (which just as easily could have been adults too) and one time I was in the hot tub (just me and my beer) and an early teenage girl climbed in and I immediately got out.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

That works on the Dream / Fantasy. Is there someplace similar on the Magic / Wonder. On the Wonder I thing the Outlook / Overlook Cafe (above the Cove Cafe) was open to all - but now it Concierge. I don't recall a family coffee shop on the Magic.

Please correct me if I am wrong (I blame "Old Age")

The outlook/cove cafe was not open to all. We actually saw a cm kick out a teen with his parents once injn the area with floor to ceiling glass walls in outlook.

 

[Shanti]

That works on the Dream / Fantasy. Is there someplace similar on the Magic / Wonder. On the Wonder I thing the Outlook / Overlook Cafe (above the Cove Cafe) was open to all - but now it Concierge. I don't recall a family coffee shop on the Magic.

Please correct me if I am wrong (I blame "Old Age")

The Outlook Cafe on the Wonder is concierge only?

 

[jrabbit]

The Outlook Cafe on the Wonder is concierge only?

75% of it is (deck 10) They did a really crappy job of dividing up the space. They very easily taken only 60% of the space for concierge - so they have the entry from the elevators. With the way they partitioned it, there is at least 15% of the space that is unuseable for either group.
Going to be in Alaska in a few weeks and I will make sure to be standing infront of the Outlook cafe with my umbrella open!!!!

The Cove Cafe on deck 9 is still open for us common folks.

 

[Shanti]

75% of it is (deck 10) They did a really crappy job of dividing up the space. They very easily taken only 60% of the space for concierge - so they have the entry from the elevators. With the way they partitioned it, there is at least 15% of the space that is unuseable for either group.
Going to be in Alaska in a few weeks and I will make sure to be standing infront of the Outlook cafe with my umbrella open!!!!

The Cove Cafe on deck 9 is still open for us common folks.

Can non-concierge go inside Outlook & get any view at all? Does Cove Cafe have a view?

 

[minniebeth]

Can non-concierge go inside Outlook & get any view at all? Does Cove Cafe have a view?

I can't answer about the Outlook Cafe, but we spent a lot of time in Cove Cafe on our Alaskan cruise a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. We mostly spent our time in the upstairs (deck 10) section there. It does have a decent view (not great) to sit and watch the mountains go by, especially when you are in the more narrow sections of the inside passage. Does it have a good view enough to hang out on Tracey Arm (or Endicott) day? Probably not. You will miss most of the sights. The music and quiet (mostly) atmosphere is very relaxing! The service is wonderful. My only (small) complaint is that there is an open wall to what I'm assuming is the concierge lounge and at times the noise was distracting with loud kids. If I ever do another Alaskan cruise, I'm cozying up with a book and a coffee and never leaving.

 

[dskib]

Managers are the only ones who should be involved in potentially bad guest interactions. The CMs should do their jobs and politely tell them the rules. If they're ignored, they need to escalate it


As for the pool area, a poor design is a poor design. I'm not going out of my way to bring my son up to the pool deck the long way because adults are in their pool. If that's what's expected, they should make the elevator adult only. And good luck with that. We quietly walk right by. Then, later, he goes to the kids club and I enjoy that adult only pool myself, not caring at all that there might be children walking through. Because they designed it that way.

 

[Shanti]

As for the pool area, a poor design is a poor design. I'm not going out of my way to bring my son up to the pool deck the long way because adults are in their pool. If that's what's expected, they should make the elevator adult only. And good luck with that. We quietly walk right by. Then, later, he goes to the kids club and I enjoy that adult only pool myself, not caring at all that there might be children walking through. Because they designed it that way.

Agreed. On the Fantasy, my son and I walked right through, as well, without dawdling. We will not walk 5-10 minutes out of our way to accomodate someone else's desire to not see any kids. The ship should have been designed with a totally separate adults' only section, just like the concierge sun deck is a totally separate, inaccessable section if you are not concierge. It's on Disney that they stuck the adult section in a traffic route, instead.

last sail on the fantasy I saw plenty of small kids walking through to the main pool I saw a few in the hot tubs at times...one time I was in the hot tub (just me and my beer) and an early teenage girl climbed in and I immediately got out.

Not excusing any kids who get into the adult hot tubs (or any adults or CMs who allow them in), but it also doesn't help matters on the Fantasy that they just took away the all-ages hot tubs on the family section of the pool deck. Now kids can't get into any hot tubs at all, and their curiosity about this probably is what is leading some to try the adult one. They totally should not be allowed to, but I understand their desire. I loved hot tubs even as a kid. It's a bummer for them that the Fantasy replaced theirs with a toddlers' wading pool.

 

[ivanp91]

I can't answer about the Outlook Cafe, but we spent a lot of time in Cove Cafe on our Alaskan cruise a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. We mostly spent our time in the upstairs (deck 10) section there.

I believe Outlook Cafe is simply the former name for the upstairs part of Cove that you are referring to (I think since the drydock last year the entire thing, including the now divided upstairs area, is called Cove).

 

[AngelDisney]

A couple of years ago when I was on the Fantasy, there were a couple of adult-only craft sessions in the pub and at least at the first one, there was a mother who insisted that her little one "just HAS to make coasters" and "it's our mommy-daughter time" and while the CMs did ask if anyone minded, no one seemed to want to be "the bad guy". I positioned myself as far away as possible and left pretty quickly - and didn't bother with a lot of the other adult-only daytime activities.

When it's an adult only activity, the CM may have script that's for adults only. I just wish everyone can respect the nature of planned activities and does not take away other guests' experiences. I would not want to be the bad guy either, but probably would leave right away passing the entitled pair as a kind of silent protest.

 

[MickeyD]

I feel compelled to update my earlier post as we have since returned from a Fantasy cruise in May. (The cruise that almost wasn't..lol) On this particular cruise we did notice a LOT of kids being led into the adult only pool area, the Cove area and many parents talking about how "no one will say anything, let's just take them in there." One group of ladies had their 6-8 year olds by the hand and brought them in while the ladies hopped in the adult hot tub (once it finally opened on the second sea day). The kids sat there in the lounge chairs and numerous cast members walked by and said nothing. We were sitting in the chairs by the Cove cafe and watched for quite a while. Did I say anything? No, because the kids were being quiet and the cm's didn't seem to care, and I am on vacation and don't want to be the kid police. Did it bother my husband? Very much so. So all that to say, guess I changed my tune a little after this cruise. It mostly comes from parents feeling entitled to do whatever they want and no one enforcing the rules. We, as fellow cruisers, can either live with it, or try to fix the problem. I think part of the problem on our particular cruise was Disney was dealing with such a black mark from our messed up first day of sailing, that CM's were pretty much told "anything goes, just make sure the passengers are happy." My opinion only.

 

[hygienist999]

My DH and I will sail on our 10th cruise with Disney this October. We've taken our kids with us on a couple when they were teenagers and the rest of the cruises it was just the two of us. All but two have been on The Magic since it is the only ship that goes abroad. I've also cruised a good bit on Carnival and Royal Caribbean and I have encountered more kids on those cruises than on the Disney ships. I've never had any issues with kids on our Disney cruises. I've always thought the sign at the adult pool only meant kids aren't allowed to get in the pool and lay out in the chairs. Never did I think kids could not walk past the area into another area. I have said something to children on two different occasions with Carnival. We always take the stairs and there were a bunch of kids aged about 10 running up and down the stairs. I stopped one of the boys in their tracks and told him to stop running, in my sternest voice. He said he was sorry and they walked the rest of the way down. I saw the little boy several more times during the cruise and he always spoke kindly to me, which I thought was funny. I'll pay more attention to this concern in October when we sail to Nova Scotia.

 

[RedSox68]

I feel compelled to update my earlier post as we have since returned from a Fantasy cruise in May. (The cruise that almost wasn't..lol) On this particular cruise we did notice a LOT of kids being led into the adult only pool area, the Cove area and many parents talking about how "no one will say anything, let's just take them in there." One group of ladies had their 6-8 year olds by the hand and brought them in while the ladies hopped in the adult hot tub (once it finally opened on the second sea day). The kids sat there in the lounge chairs and numerous cast members walked by and said nothing. We were sitting in the chairs by the Cove cafe and watched for quite a while. Did I say anything? No, because the kids were being quiet and the cm's didn't seem to care, and I am on vacation and don't want to be the kid police. Did it bother my husband? Very much so. So all that to say, guess I changed my tune a little after this cruise. It mostly comes from parents feeling entitled to do whatever they want and no one enforcing the rules. We, as fellow cruisers, can either live with it, or try to fix the problem. I think part of the problem on our particular cruise was Disney was dealing with such a black mark from our messed up first day of sailing, that CM's were pretty much told "anything goes, just make sure the passengers are happy." My opinion only.

Just curious -- what happened to mess up the first day's sailing and give them a black mark?

 

[phinz]

Just curious -- what happened to mess up the first day's sailing and give them a black mark?

I'm assuming this was the first 7-day after dry dock, which left PC very, very late.

 

[DVC_Chris]

I remember one cruise on the Fantasy I was relaxing in the adult only area and there was a 12 year old who came and sit in the lounge chair next to me to wait with her grandmother for grandpa to be done swimming. It was the weirdest thing a CM came over and informed them of the policy, when grandma said it would just be 15 minutes or so the CM backed off and said, "Well I am sure its ok and no one minds." At which point, I said, "Well I kind of do."

I got such a stinkeye from grandma, and the CM looked really embarrassed. Grandma acting very entitled said, "But she is just sitting here quietly."

At which point I may have said, "Is this the Adult only area or the Adult and Quiet Children Only area?"

Even bigger stinkeye, CM looked even more embarrassed, and grandma left with the kid.

I don't like being 'that guy', but I have a child, and part of the reason I like DCL is the adult only areas and activities. When CMs don't enforce it, it kind of upsets me.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

I strongly agree with this:

I've always thought the sign at the adult pool only meant kids aren't allowed to get in the pool and lay out in the chairs. Never did I think kids could not walk past the area into another area

We always stay Forward on the higher decks so of course we have to scoot through. But we do not linger. As a PP said, there needs to be a sign on the elevators going up if under 18 cannot use them.

And I strongly agree with this:

At which point I may have said, "Is this the Adult only area or the Adult and Quiet Children Only area?"

Even bigger stinkeye, CM looked even more embarrassed, and grandma left with the kid.

I don't like being 'that guy', but I have a child, and part of the reason I like DCL is the adult only areas and activities. When CMs don't enforce it, it kind of upsets me.

I have kids, too, so it takes real gall to say your 12yr old is being quiet so it's okay. Should I bring all three of my daughter's to the adult pool if they are all quiet? To Serenity Bay?

 

[RedSox68]

I'm assuming this was the first 7-day after dry dock, which left PC very, very late.

Oh, right -- thanks.

 

[Dug720]

I'm still confused how it's more out of the way to walk down the hall to the midship elevators than it is to go to the forward elevators and walk through the adult area outside to get to the pools. The ship dimensions don't change!