Disappointing Dream :(

[lmhall2000]

Just had to pipe in that we had Simone a few years back, and he's one of 10 servers/attendants we've had that made such a great impression (the head dining guy)...just very sincere and personable...he needs to go into CM attitude training...they're lucky to have him!!

 

[Alexander]

We had great servers, so that was not an issue for us.

My parents sailed with us for the first time on the 8/25 sailing, AKA The Irene Sailing....we felt the 3 night cruise was horrible....however, my parents thought it was absolutely wonderful. They had no expectations going in, loved the shows, as I said, we had GREAT dining room servers, and a great room steward, they had no interest in the pools so that wasn't an issue for them. We felt the lack of accurate information regarding ports, times, etc. was inexcusable, and stopping in Nassau twice was the killer for us.

I think the more time you spend on these boards and the more preparation you do, your expectations continually climb. It seems as though so many people are expecting pure perfection and being disappointed when they don't receive it.

I also think we need to remember that the Dream is new and there are going to be kinks that need to be worked out.

With all of that said, we really did not like the size of the Dream and the number of people, so we will likely only look for sailings on the smaller ships in the future.

 

[Alexander]

Just curious what the average contract term is for servers / waitstaff on the Dream? It appeared as though alot of reviews through late Spring into Summer had mellowed out about service in the dining rooms; now it seems like we're back to the reviews posted right after the MV....cruisers reporting it was either the best ever, or the worst. Aren't the CM's contracts staggered by a few months to avoid a significant turnover at one time, and could that possibly explain why service is not as consistent as it should be?

Contracts are either 3, 4, 4.5 or 8 months in length. Dining room servers work a miniumum of 84 hour weeks, with the ability to work up to 92 hours with overtime. If you search for DCL jobs, you will find the website that lists all of this information.

Frankly, if I had to work 12 hour days, sleep in quarters the size of a closet, be away from my family for months at a time, and wait on people who are sometimes less than pleasant, I might have a hard time being cheeful too!

 

[mouseears1]

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

We has Simone as the head server as well, he stopped by our table every day and made sure everything was good. He made arrangements for us to get into the dessert buffet before anybody else was in there so my husband could take pictures, he made arrangements so our server could visit us in our cabana on C.C. etc......Our experience with Simone was fantastic and he was the one from Italy.

 

[genmasjoy]

We were also on the Dream Sept 4-8 sailing, and enjoyed it very much. We knew the pools were small so we made the Nassau day our pool day, and the adult pool area was very nice that day. The next day, we enjoyed Serenity Bay at Castaway Cay, so on the day at sea, we didn't try to use the pools. We did walk by and saw they were very crowded. We devoted the sea day to a leisurely brunch at Palo and a wine tasting at Meridian. I liked the shows but if you don't like them, they show first run Disney movies in the Buena Vista theater, so that is an alternative. My husband is seriously allergic to garlic and our waiter and head waiter were very attentive and made sure that he pre-ordered his dinner for the next night to avoid problems. We didn't meet our cabin steward till the third day, but he did a great job. We were in a balcony cabin and for the Bahamas sailing, found it very enjoyable as a place to sit and relax. I thought that Disney did a great job and I have previously sailed on Wonder, Magic, Holland America, Celebrity and Princess, so I have a basis for comparison.

 

[kplatt]

Sailing on the Dream in February, on maybe it's fifth cruise, I learned that there was a higher than expected (by me, at least) percentage of new-to-DCL staff on board. I'm thinking that time will sort out those who can deliver the high performance that DCL wants from those who can't. I saw some things on board that I never saw on the Magic or Wonder, such as service staff throwing scraps of food for sea gulls from Deck 10.

As to the question of pool size -- they are ALL small on every ship I've sailed. I'm only guessing that it has something to do with wave action in the pools while at sea.

I think that DCL is just suffering from growing pains. Tough on us cruisers who are paying top dollar for our vacations and expect more based on our experience on the classic ships. I'm going to try to be more mellow on our Fantasy inaugural cruise and go with the flow!

 

[simbasmom2]

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...

The hypnotist show was awesome...you may want to try it. I was skeptical too. Actually he was so popular they did and an adult version that they already had planned, but then added an extra (not planned) adult show on the last night. He was awesome. It was a highlight. have fun!

 

[simbasmom2]

For peace of mind for future Dream cruisers...we have sailed the Wonder 3 times to the Bahamas and the MR and we sailed the Dream last month. We love love love DCL and actually prefer the Dream. So do the kids and DH. I actually started to worry about everyones comments on here. Everyone is going to have a different experience due to the luck of the draw with which servers they get, weather, room steward, etc. We had good service, not as good as the Wonder...but nothing to complain about. Service on the Wonder was over the top. Now with that being said Palo and Remy service was WONDERFUL!! We love all the added touches on the Dream, more to do. It is such a beautiful ship. Our only negative interactions were with the photography staff...kinda rude. We loved it so much we booked the Fantasy for April and cant wait. I will actually have a hard time with no Duck, Remy, detective agency, etc. when we decide to sail one of the classics in the future, I am so sorry that she has not lived up to everyones expectations - especially since she is not cheap!! Good luck to future cruisers

 

[bonnielynn]

We cruised in August. I think its all in your expectations before you go.. I figured with everything everyone was saying that we would encounter something. We had things here and there.. getting on I had a woman about knock me down and jump in front of me when the call #3 boarding.. Our toilet began to leak on like the 2nd day, called 2x before I left the room.. it was fixed when I returned.. I think the assistant server was way way better than our server.. and we did leave one night because it was taking so long to get our entree. CC 2x.. and it rained both times.. sun came out.. then rain again..

All in all though it was a fantastic cruise. We rode the aquaduck, we ate at palo, my son loved the vibe, we did sit in the adult pool near the misters.. (I agree the pools are way to small for a ship that size), we did a champagne tasting, we ate way to much.. and enjoyed the sea.

We booked again for the Fantasy.. and someone said they are going to make the pools bigger.. not sure if that is true or not.. but going anyway to check it all out..

Sorry you had a bad time.. hope the next cruise is fantastic!!

 

[patsal]

I felt the same way about my late July cruise. I did not rebook and have never before left a Disney ship without rebooking! The shows were underwhelming, the service was underwhelming and the food was underwhelming.

Beautiful ship, aquaduck was fun, Palo food was great but the service not so much, CC a wonderful day--but those things alone were not enough to get me back.

 

[mytripsandraces]

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!!

Is the Toy Story on the Dream the same show that's on the Wonder or is it different? I've seen the Wonder version twice and will skip it on the Dream, unless it's different.

I have enjoyed all of DCL's production shows - including Toy Story and Villains...although I dozed through the latter on the Dream! I especially enjoyed Hercules, and was fortunate to see it for the first and only time about a week before its last performance on the Wonder in January 2008.

My next question was going to be whether or not the Villains show is on the Dream. Thanks!

 

[Dizzyworld]

I wonder if there's something significantly different in the way the Dream operates that make it seem so off. We were on the MV but I'd have expected things to have worked themselves out by now.

When we were on the Dream and talking to the bartenders, they said there were design problems in the dining rooms and the bars. This design flaw is making it difficult for the servers to get the food out.

I felt the same way about my late July cruise. I did not rebook and have never before left a Disney ship without rebooking! The shows were underwhelming, the service was underwhelming and the food was underwhelming.

Beautiful ship, aquaduck was fun, Palo food was great but the service not so much, CC a wonderful day--but those things alone were not enough to get me back.

Although we had a great time and are looking forward to our cruise on the Fantasy, I agree the fodd was underwhelming. Noticed this on the Magic in 2009 too. And we want better ice cream in the self serve machines. The kids said it didn't taste like ice cream.

Is the Toy Story on the Dream the same show that's on the Wonder or is it different? I've seen the Wonder version twice and will skip it on the Dream, unless it's different.



My next question was going to be whether or not the Villains show is on the Dream. Thanks!

Villains is on the Dream. We thought it was okay. And we prefer Dreams to Believe.

 

[RedSox68]

When we were on the Dream and talking to the bartenders, they said there were design problems in the dining rooms and the bars. This design flaw is making it difficult for the servers to get the food out.

Our servers told us the exact same thing on our May cruise. The head server had been working for Disney for 11 years and has been on all three ships. He said the new ship's design between restaurants and kitchens was a nightmare for serving staff -- long distances between stations, long (slippery) hallways and inconvenient passageways. He said it was exhausting. But our servers were incredible and we never felt a hiccup in service after the first night while everyone got settled in. That could be thought that three of their stations never showed for any dinners all four nights.