Disappointing Dream :(

[sallymomo]

So I just got back from the 4 day cruise this morning..and I have to say...Dream certainly did not live up to its expectations. Don't get me wrong..I love love love DCL and would prefer to sail on it the all the time but there were just sooo many things that they could have done better.

The Good:
Kids Club was awesome
Loved that kids could switch back and forth between Lab and Club
CC never disappoints
Cabanas layout was pretty good. At no time did you have to wait in long lines for food.
Aqua Duck was awesome!!!
Virtual Porthole was a great touch

The Bad:
Shows sucked big time. I remember seeing Toy Story on the wonder and thinking what an amazing show!! Did not happen on this cruise.
They took out the Friendship rocks graduation which my kids were looking forward to.
They completely forgot the birthday request I had put in my reservation. I didn't bother to remind them because frankly at that point I was just soo disappointed with the servers that I just didn't care anymore

The Ugly:
Pools were TINY!! Seriously, how are you gonna put that many people on the ship and then put those small pools there
Servers in the dining room were Horrible. We didn't see the Disney service that we are soo used to. THey were constantly lagging. They always seemed in a hurry yet our food would take forever to come out. On 2 nights we specifically told them our kids want to participate in the Dine and Play and they completely ignored that request. My kids were eating their main dish when the people from the kids club came to get them. IT was like we told them and they just forgot. No apologies or anything. Just ignorance.
I could go on and on about the horrible service in the dining room..but I am sure you've heard it all.

I went on this cruise with the intention of booking Fantasy for 2012 and then switching to 2013.After being on this ship, I changed my mind as soon as I heard the lady say Fantasy is the twin sister of Dream. I was really hoping to see that extra Disney service that I am soo used to from my 2 times on the wonder....it was not there. I did however book the Wonder for 2012 cuz I would rather sail that ship again. Unless I get a really good deal, my family and I don't plan on sailing on the Dream or Fantasy anytime in the near future. I understand that the ship is new and still has to get its bearings but it wasn't just a few little things that were off, it was a combo of a bunch of things that Dream could have done better.

Hope my post doesn't offend anyone but I just thought I would share what I observed.

 

[Tower]

Your post is exactly the reason I have been avoiding the Dream/Fantasy ships. I loved the Magic and looking forward to our next one in 2012! (Even without a stop at Castaway Cay )
Until I start seeing consistently positive reviews of the bigger DCL ships, I will stick to the Magic and Wonder.

 

[orlandothebeagle]

So I just got back from the 4 day cruise this morning..and I have to say...Dream certainly did not live up to its expectations. Don't get me wrong..I love love love DCL and would prefer to sail on it the all the time but there were just sooo many things that they could have done better.

The Good:
Kids Club was awesome
Loved that kids could switch back and forth between Lab and Club
CC never disappoints
Cabanas layout was pretty good. At no time did you have to wait in long lines for food.
Aqua Duck was awesome!!!
Virtual Porthole was a great touch

The Bad:
Shows sucked big time. I remember seeing Toy Story on the wonder and thinking what an amazing show!! Did not happen on this cruise.
They took out the Friendship rocks graduation which my kids were looking forward to.
They completely forgot the birthday request I had put in my reservation. I didn't bother to remind them because frankly at that point I was just soo disappointed with the servers that I just didn't care anymore

The Ugly:
Pools were TINY!! Seriously, how are you gonna put that many people on the ship and then put those small pools there
Servers in the dining room were Horrible. We didn't see the Disney service that we are soo used to. THey were constantly lagging. They always seemed in a hurry yet our food would take forever to come out. On 2 nights we specifically told them our kids want to participate in the Dine and Play and they completely ignored that request. My kids were eating their main dish when the people from the kids club came to get them. IT was like we told them and they just forgot. No apologies or anything. Just ignorance.
I could go on and on about the horrible service in the dining room..but I am sure you've heard it all.

I went on this cruise with the intention of booking Fantasy for 2012 and then switching to 2013.After being on this ship, I changed my mind as soon as I heard the lady say Fantasy is the twin sister of Dream. I was really hoping to see that extra Disney service that I am soo used to from my 2 times on the wonder....it was not there. I did however book the Wonder for 2012 cuz I would rather sail that ship again. Unless I get a really good deal, my family and I don't plan on sailing on the Dream or Fantasy anytime in the near future. I understand that the ship is new and still has to get its bearings but it wasn't just a few little things that were off, it was a combo of a bunch of things that Dream could have done better.

Hope my post doesn't offend anyone but I just thought I would share what I observed.

 

[sambycat]

I agree on some points, but we just came off the dream a second tome and had an amazing time! Pools remain microscopic though!!

Also - that toy story show was awful!! Eek!!

 

[DMMarla07860]

sorry you were disappointed, when I cruised the Dream I had a great time. I have to say I didn't like Golden Mickey's, but the other shows were great and I think Servers are really hit or miss I had great Servers on the Dream when I cruised in February, but when I cruised the Wonder in April my Servers didn't seem as good as on the Dream. Can't comment on anything else

 

[lmhall2000]

I have to agree about servers running crazy and still being late with food! My husband and I tried to figure out where they were running to b/c they never seemed to have anything in their hands...but on our last Wonder cruise (March)...our entrees got to us after 9:45 pm! It was awful...there were only 5 tables left in the dining room and we were just getting our dessert...one night kids did not even get dessert b/c they had a youth event to attend...it became sad, really.

We HATE to speak up, but we are going to tell our servers on the first night that we would very much appreciate having our entree served in a timely manner...that way we don't sit and wait for the worst to happen.

We are set for the Fantasy next September and we're sooo excited!! Already expecting some slow service, it is hard to find good workers, especially on 4 ships! But, hopefully, the good ones will want to go to the new ships and Disney will learn lessons training these...I know the Kitchen/dining managers work tirelessly and feel a great deal of pressure. Disney has a great product, but each turn can't be perfect...I think I'd skip dinner a few nights just to ride the Duck!

Hope your next time is better!!

 

[Wadekind]

I definitely agree on the servers and pools

 

[jd99]

Also agree re servers. In 11 Magic/Wonder cruises we have always raved about the service - but our one Dream cruise the entire ship's staff seemed "off" - just didn't have that Disney magic we had gotten spoiled by - and our head server (Simone) was a nightmare.

 

[NancyIL]

Our Dream servers in February were on the s l o w side, but the worst dining room service we received was on the Wonder in Dec. 2009. Many people rave about how wonderful DCL's service is compared to other cruise lines, but that hasn't been my experience.

 

[Minnie Monellen]

Did any of you note your specific concerns about the Dream on the comment cards? Any response from DCL?

 

[sallymomo]

yes I did say this stuff on my comment card. Since I just got off yesterday, I haven't heard anything back yet.

 

[LeCras]

I'm so sorry your Dream cruise wasn't everything you were hoping for, but I'm also glad that you took the time to provide honest feedback to DCL. If they don't know, they can't fix it.

Charlotte

 

[Mickeygolf]

I'm also thankful for your post and observations. Even though it's not exactly what I'm hoping to hear it's good to know what I might expect and possibly head off those types of problems. It's not like I can make the pools bigger, but I can talk about that with my family to set expectations and look at all the other wonderful things we can do while on board. Haven't heard of any good ideas yet how to make the servers better, but just knowing what to expect can make it easier.

Thanks for taking the time to let us know your thoughts!!!

 

[talb714]

I am sorry you had a terrible time on the Dream we sailed in August and it was amazing, our servers were great, always made sure the kids had there food first and we were out pretty fast. The kids club was amazing, my kids had a wonderful time. The shows were ok, but this was our first Disney cruise, normally cruise Royal. I have to agree the pools were small and always jammed but we always found a seat by the pool and had a great time. We are booked on the Fantasy for April 2012.

 

[zalansky]

Totally agree - with the exception we had a fantastic asst. server who made our dining awesome. Other than that I have stated ad nauseum that I mush prefer the smaller ships. Bring back the Wonder and Magic to the East coast! We booked a dummy date for the Fantasy too when we first boarded, but I am not 100% sure we will keep it. Makes me sad.

just way too many people on board for my liking. Pools, no good. A must with small kids!

 

[HowdyHeidi]

I've seen several reports now of people not liking the shows on the Dream. What exactly is it about the shows you don't like? Would a first time cruiser like them, would adults not like them, but the kids will? Just wondering if sometimes we should skip the shows and do the other ship activities. I plan on skipping the hypnotist at least, I am just not interested...

 

[RedSox68]

We sailed on the Dream in May. Many threads have listed the pros and cons. Our biggest con was the location of the elevators in the adult only area and the one that requires you to walk through Cabanas to get to the pool deck. Otherwise, we loved the ship. It is beautiful beyond words; the layout on Decks 3 and 4 are much better than on the old ships, and the rooms were wonderful. We had no problems whatsoever with dinner service. We were not crazy about Cabanas layout and much preferred the cafeteria style on the old ships.

Can't comment on the pools as we never use them, but really enjoyed the miniature golf and the interactive portraits throughout the decks.

We loved the new show "Believe" and felt it was as good as "Hercules" (which we still miss). We skipped all the other shows as we've seen them enough. Our favorite show has always been the first night's variety show and the ventriloquist they had on was outstanding.

Also loved all the new renovations they did on CC to accommodate the new ships. Much improved!

We are booked on the Fantasy in 2012 and are looking forward to exploring it more.

I've seen several reports now of people not liking the shows on the Dream. What exactly is it about the shows you don't like? Would a first time cruiser like them, would adults not like them, but the kids will? Just wondering if sometimes we should skip the shows and do the other ship activities. I plan on skipping the hypnotist at least, I am just not interested...

In a word -- nothing is wrong with the shows (really), it just depends on a person's preference. Some hate them, some love them and some (like me) after 10 cruises don't go anymore simply because they have seen them so many times. I think Disney's shows are far and above some of the ones on other ships which resemble Vegas shows and vaudevillian type acts. Some of Disney's shows (I admit) I have seen once and never wanted to see again, but they are well staged, colorful and imaginative. And for children, they are well worth seeing! Disney Dreams, Believe and the Golden Mickeys are the best ones. We've always felt Hercules was THE best, and still wish they'd bring it back!

For a newbie, I would say don't miss them and make your own judgments.

 

[jjgarv]

...for your report. We're sailing the Dream next month, and from the reports that have been posted, I think that we're going to ask our servers, up front, if they could please get us in and out of dinner in an hour and a half tops. There are so many things we want to do on the Dream, that I know many in our traveling party will be getting antsy if we're in the dining room for two hours each evening.

 

[Hillbeans]

Totally agree - with the exception we had a fantastic asst. server who made our dining awesome. Other than that I have stated ad nauseum that I mush prefer the smaller ships. Bring back the Wonder and Magic to the East coast! We booked a dummy date for the Fantasy too when we first boarded, but I am not 100% sure we will keep it. Makes me sad.

just way too many people on board for my liking. Pools, no good. A must with small kids!

I'm feeling a little nervous for my first cruise next November! I thought I had heard they were making the pool bigger on the Fantasy but maybe that was just my imagination?

I am excited for the Aqua Duck, but agree with the consensus that the pool on the Dream appears to be much too small for the volume of travelers on the ship.

 

[pxlbarrel]

Also agree re servers. In 11 Magic/Wonder cruises we have always raved about the service - but our one Dream cruise the entire ship's staff seemed "off" - just didn't have that Disney magic we had gotten spoiled by - and our head server (Simone) was a nightmare.

Simone? This can't be the same Simone we had a couple of years ago on the Magic. He was wonderful. Hmmm