Disney Magic lack of "Pixie dust"

[NHdisneylover]

We were on the last public 7 night Med cruise and found the crew to be really good (with the notable exception of the rebooking agent who was beyond terrible) and did not see any issues with leaking water anywhere.

We DID see weird management decisions starting to happen mid cruise (like all of a sudden bread plates, salt and pepper were only available if you asked for them at both lunch and dinner--multiple servers confirmed this was a new order from above and they had no idea why, there were a few other similar things). I do know stuff like that can really wear a staff moral down quickly.

I also know MANY crew members were worried about what the chartered week would be like. All crew, even entertainers, had been told they were not allowed to leave crew areas at when not working, were told not to try to socialize, etc. There was certainly a feeling that things could be really difficult in that week right before the TA. I wonder if they WERE really difficult and if not having recovered from that is part of the problem you encountered?

 

[carolsherman]

Thank you previous poster Viva Volce was great I am trying to search to find songs from them but it is not under Viva Voce can someone please help as to what the name of the foursome was. Thanks.

No flames here either but whether a person does 4 or 40 they expect a certain magic from Disney that is why most people pay premium price. Not all aspects of the cruise was bad there were fantastic passengers I met on the cruise as well as some cast members (spa etc). As far as it is what you make it, I don't cruise with children as mine are grown and Disney's art of Entertaining was great but only an hour in length, most disney movies they had were ones I had seen as a child and as far as the Lion King 3d in my opinion was nothing fantastic (great movie though).

Also from a travel agent standpoint I have clients that pay top dollar to get that Disney experience if they are not happy then you know it rolls downhill to the agent.

I am a firm believer in Walt Disney's dream as well as the product but I just saw a lot of disappointment among other passengers as well as myself that I hope it not going to continue.

Everyone has their own opinion but when I travel I do it thru my eyes and the eyes of potential clients.

PLEASE IF ANYONE KNOWS THE EXACT NAME OF THAT FOURSOME VIVA *** PLEASE LET ME KNOW AS I LOVED THEIR SONGS. THANKS

 

[TotallyAngelic]

Hi there,

I have too agree with the OP, we have just disembarked from the same WBTA cruise as the OP and having cruised on both the Magic in the Med and then the Dream then WBTA, Disney has lost it's MO-JO and I wouldn't have a bad word said about our servers. The main problem was a total lack of interest by some CM's and then the CD "Peter" dropped the classic phrase of characters appearing in all there costumes, at least he remembered his "lines" that night where on most he forgot.

I had a long chat to the Chief Engineer after water was pouring in the stairwell of deck 10 fwd for most of the trip blocking at least one or no more stairwell and many decks had buckets near the lifts to catch water leaking from various sources throughout the two weeks. When I asked him, he admitted that they had tried repairs in the summer in the Med, but none worked even placing new steel plate, it was embrassing to see the ship in such a poor state even the deck 4 fwd men restrooms have a central support structure rusted through.

The CM's that were those we new and loved have all moved on to different ships or shore side and the overall product is so diluted that DCL is a shadow of it's former self. I have cancelled 4 cruises this evening with Dreams as I don't want to go back until things have settled down in years to come.

Please don't get me started about the adult entertainment, if I have Ricky Kalmon and John Charles anymore I shall have throw them overboard. lol PS: I thought Charo was fun, she could have fun at her own expense, however many thought she was not playing the guitar!!!!!

I would say we had excellent tablemates who made up for all of the short comings of this once classic ship
,

Having just returned from the WBTA I have to agree re. the cabaret style entertainment being a little disappointing. We also did the WBTA 2010, as did a lot of guests, and it was disappointing to see a lot of repeat entertainers from that cruise eg. John Charles, Ricky Kalmon etc. The Magicians were also very disppointing, especially the one that did the close up magic in Rockin Bar D, as you could see how he did a lot of his "tricks" and his presentation was non-existant.

On a positive note we did enjoy all of the Disney Cast Productions, the Viva Voce show, and Alfred and Seymour. We also got to see The Lion King in 3D which was stunning. One of the surprise highlights of the cruise was a cabaret by the Cast in the Promenade Lounge, which was amazing.

We also witnessed the water pouring in through the ceiling on the Deck 10 forward stairwell after the rain storm at Castaway Cay ... there always seemed to be towels on the floor in that area to soak up any drips.

However, our cruise was still fantastic and made all the more so by our wonderful table-mates and friends I would not say that the Magic has lost "the magic" as a lot of the magic comes from what you make yourselves and the people you share it with

 

[jlwhitney]

I am about to get flamed, but the problem isn't Disney persay, it's the Disney "addicts", those who cruise on Disney 3 or 4 times a tear seriously, quite a few did the EBTA and multiple other cruises and that is fine, but how much do you think is really going to change in 5 months? They definitely aren't going to change a major production or add a truck load of entertainment while in Europe.

I was on the same cruise and had a great time with my family and so did many others I talked to who don't have 10 to 15 Disney cruises under their belts. I for one enjoyed Viva Voce, and thought they were a refreshing addition to 15 days of entertainment.

Those complaining about the lack of new releases? Blame that on the movie releases schedule, very few new movies are released in September, although they did get Lion King 3D which was a plus.

My wife and I felt there was plenty of adult entertainment, from Art of Entertaining nearly twice a day, and the showing of classic Disney movies in the theater there was plenty to do.

The one major complaint I had was with John Charles, many say he is a great entertainer, but he was very annoying IMO. I actually filed a complaint against him as his attitude towards me after the show was very poor.

Fantastic cruise and not as bad as some would lead you to believe. I don't plan on cruising Disney again for awhile, but that is because I am living in Europe, otherwise I would be back at it next year.

I completely agree, and it was actually closer to 4 months apart, nothing is really going to change. The amount of people on the ship that did both transatlantics was probaly less than 10% is not less than 5%. Nothing wrong with doing 3-4 cruises a year, but don't expect major changes.

 

[Wadekind]

I can see the point about the entertainment getting stale. But it doesn't matter if it is 1 cruise or 100 maintenance and condition of the ship should be consistent. These reports of rusted support members, drips and leaks really have me second guessing our March 2012 cruise. I have been reading every new mention of the Magic and there does seem to be a pattern of disrepair. A clean well maintained ship is part of why we chose Disney.

 

[SoSiWe]

I also find it ironic that the ones who say the magic is gone, sail about once a month. I get sick of dressing after 5 Christmas get togethers, but I sure do love it when Christmas comes around again. Our family is about to cruise for our very first time and we are packing bags and bags of magic for our family...we also have our magic detectors packed and we planning on finding it in every nook and cranny. So, whoever is sailing between now and May, please don't take the magic with you- leave some for my boys, please!

 

[TotallyAngelic]

I also find it ironic that the ones who say the magic is gone, sail about once a month. I get sick of dressing after 5 Christmas get togethers, but I sure do love it when Christmas comes around again. Our family is about to cruise for our very first time and we are packing bags and bags of magic for our family...we also have our magic detectors packed and we planning on finding it in every nook and cranny. So, whoever is sailing between now and May, please don't take the magic with you- leave some for my boys, please!

There will be plenty of magic there ..... and you won't have to look hard to find it ... the first time is always so special

 

[kathi]

But it doesn't matter if it is 1 cruise or 100 maintenance and condition of the ship should be consistent.

A clean well maintained ship is part of why we chose Disney.

I completely agree with this (and was going to post something similar). I do not expect the entertainment to change or the menus to change but I do expect the ship to be in good repair (understanding that some wear is to be expected). Hopefully they get the issues straightened out quickly. It's not like Disney to leave things broken or looking shabby.

 

[Iceman93]

Wow, I must have sailed a different WBTA. Granted it was my first Disney cruise, but I almost don't see how there could have been any more pixie dust. The ship was in OUTSTANDING condition, and I don't consider a single leak in one stairwell to be a sign of slipping standards. I also thought there was more than enough to do, in fact several times every day there were multiple activities I wanted to participate in and so I had to choose--being bored was never a concern. Finally, the CM's were universally awesome--I can honestly say I did not meet a single one in any department or function who was not cheerful, professional, and good at their job.

Before I get flamed, I've also sailed a total of 100 days on Holland America and also took one cruise on Radisson (now Regent), so I know a little bit about premium cruising. I'm also a self-admitted Disney nut, so I am not one to turn a blind eye when I think the company isn't living up to Walt's ideals.

In conclusion, I have to agree with the posters who state that the problem is with some of these frequent repeat Disney cruisers. It was both humorous and sad to see all the people walking around with their gold and platinum lanyards (seriously? for the whole two weeks?) constantly trying to one-up each other with their stories of how often they cruise or how many itineraries they've done or whatever. I felt bad for the CMs who had to keep a smile on their faces as some of these braggards tried to tell them how to do their jobs or name-dropped officers they know and what future cruises they've already got booked.

The one thing under Disney's control that was a disappointment on board was Palo, but I'll save those stories for when I post a full review. Otherwise, it was just our fellow guests who tainted parts of our first Disney cruise experience. That being said, the pixie dust far outweighed any of those negative factors...

 

[WilliamK99]

In conclusion, I have to agree with the posters who state that the problem is with some of these frequent repeat Disney cruisers. It was both humorous and sad to see all the people walking around with their gold and platinum lanyards (seriously? for the whole two weeks?) constantly trying to one-up each other with their stories of how often they cruise or how many itineraries they've done or whatever. I felt bad for the CMs who had to keep a smile on their faces as some of these braggards tried to tell them how to do their jobs or name-dropped officers they know and what future cruises they've already got booked.

Totally agree with you, the main problem on the ship was what my wife and I referred to as Disney snobs who felt they deserved better treatment than everyone else, just because they have been on multiple Disney cruises. My worst experience on the ship was when someone with a Platinum lanyard pushed by 4 year old away from a box of craft items because they were looking for a specific item for their villain mask, when the CM (James, who really is a wonderful CM) saw this, he stepped in and helped my son out, but all the while the individual was talking about how kids were ruining their cruise...



One final thing, I will say I felt bad for a cast member who had to hear one person cry and whine because someone was looking at a menu and it was in the line of her shot of Peter Pan. I will say the good far outweighed the bad though and there are some fantastic people cruising who are really great people. I liken my encounters with these individuals par for the course when doing a Disney cruise..

 

[Wadekind]

The ship was in OUTSTANDING condition, and I don't consider a single leak in one stairwell to be a sign of slipping standards. ...

Thanks for a different perspective with some experience behind it. I wouldn't be concerned about a single leak either but there are other posts on DIS about dripping sewer water, leaks in the theater, leaks at the chandelier in the lobby and so on. I know these eventually get fixed but it seems as if there is some kind of maintenance issue reported on here after almost every sailing of the Magic.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Thanks for a different perspective with some experience behind it. I wouldn't be concerned about a single leak either but there are other posts on DIS about dripping sewer water, leaks in the theater, leaks at the chandelier in the lobby and so on. I know these eventually get fixed but it seems as if there is some kind of maintenance issue reported on here after almost every sailing of the Magic.

We have sailed her 8 times. Most recently August 27. I don't recall a single major maintenance issue on any sailing with the exception of the A/C going out for about 15 hours on deck 2 this year (and it went out around 10:00 pm and from taking to otehr guests most of us didn't realize it wasn't just ourselves needing to adjust the thermostat until the next morning so DCL probably did not get reports and know there was a wide spread problem to fix until then. Once they knew about the issue, it was fixed in about 5 or 6 hours (as in temps back down to where we wanted) in about 5 or 6 hours and with a phone call to apologize and make sure everything was running smoothly coming in afterwards. We never saw leaking water in stairwells, lobby or theatre (including this most recent Med trip). I know these things really do happen some time, but I do not think they are nearly as common as you seem to think

 

[GumbyO]

I too was on the past TA. The OP imho is right. She/he mentions nothing about leaks etc. They talk about the service. It definitely has slipped. The dining room staff are not at the level they have been in the past. I experienced this, despite what others who weren't there may say, or think.
I wasn't on the previous TA, but have been on 2 in the past years, and the entertainment has become repetitive. I love John Charles, and he did mix it up a bit this time, but there has to be other entertainment available.
It seems if you say anything that isn't a love in with DCL you get jumped on. Well this was MY experience, and also that of many other folks I spoke with onboard, including some first time DCL cruisers. YMMV

 

[kathi]

It was both humorous and sad to see all the people walking around with their gold and platinum lanyards (seriously? for the whole two weeks?)...

I have no problem with your perspective on your cruise - but please keep in mind that many people walk around with the gold and platinum lanyards for the entire cruise because it's WHAT THEY HAVE. (I am one of those people and i'm not trying "one up" anyone. I'm just trying not to lose my room key).

 

[Silverfox97]

It was both humorous and sad to see all the people walking around with their gold and platinum lanyards (seriously? for the whole two weeks?) constantly trying to one-up each other with their stories of how often they cruise or how many itineraries they've done or whatever. I felt bad for the CMs who had to keep a smile on their faces as some of these braggards tried to tell them how to do their jobs or name-dropped officers they know and what future cruises they've already got booked.

Wow. Harsh. Are you jealous?? Sure sounds like it!! We've never experienced anything like that......oh my.....

I have no problem with your perspective on your cruise - but please keep in mind that many people walk around with the gold and platinum lanyards for the entire cruise because it's WHAT THEY HAVE. (I am one of those people and i'm not trying "one up" anyone. I'm just trying not to lose my room key).

Right?? We wear our Silver lanyards now for the same reason, and will wear our Gold ones next June (and hopefully Platinum after that). It's where we put our Room Keys - we don't carry purses or wallets on a cruise because we don't need to!!! I love my lanyard - no matter the status

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Wow. Harsh. Are you jealous?? Sure sounds like it!! We've never experienced anything like that......oh my.....



Right?? We wear our Silver lanyards now for the same reason, and will wear our Gold ones next June (and hopefully Platinum after that). It's where we put our Room Keys - we don't carry purses or wallets on a cruise because we don't need to!!! I love my lanyard - no matter the status

I think both PPs are referring to those folks that tend to expect preferential treatment because of their status. No, not everyone does this, but there are folks who do, they may not be on the DISboards, but they sure do exist...

 

[Webmiester]

Something I've found in all of my cruises and interactions with folks on them and friends we've made along the way is....
90% of it is your attitude. We expect great service. We are kind of snobs, but certainly never feel entitled based on any sort of status.
People react to you. They react to your attitude and the way you treat them.

The one example that will always stand out in my mind is... We were having breakfast at Lumiere's/Triton's (can't remember which ship) getting some of the best service from this really nice lady from India. We were asking her about her family, how often she gets to go home or phone home, etc. She told us that she has a daughter back home that she rarely gets to talk to because she does 7 day cruises and was hoping to get onboard the Dream to get shorter trips.
She goes over to this lady and her 2 (obnoxious brats) kids. This lady in a typical NJ/NY (no offense ) accent and started whining about something so small and so stupid that I don't even recall what it was...something like her kid dropped the spoon and nobody was there to instantly replace it.
Anyway, the server was being completely professional and polite and yet this woman kept complainging...it turned into a tarrade of everything that was wrong on the cruise or wasn't to her twisted expectation.

Sorry, we received the same service she did, but we had a better attitude about things and ended up having a much better experience.
The End.

 

[m_kasch]

I just got off the WBTA as well. The cruise was awesome, but there was definently some problem with water on the front of the ship. We were on Deck 5 forward, and numerous cabins complained about the mildewy smell that was present. They were working on the pipes in our hallway nearly every day, and several ceiling panels were removed and left out for most of the cruise in the hallway -- you could see that there were a couple of plastic pans to catch leaking water. The carpet in the front of the ship was nearly always damp as well. One day while working on the pipes, they shut off all the water, only reason I knew is because I was in my room when they did it, the others staying by me (I knew them) were not informed. For the first few days, my bathroom was VERY mildewy smelling, and my allergies kicked into high gear as soon as I got on the ship. They must have fixed something, because it did get noticably better after the first few days (referring to the smell). The air conditioning was leaking on the very last night of the cruise, and someone from maintenance came and said they would send someone...which they didn't, so I put a glass under the leak and went to bed because it was past midnight at that point.

The rest of the ship, I had no complaints about, and I really wouldn't have complained about the damp carpet or work in the hallways, but the mildewy smell in the bathroom was a problem for sure. I still had a GREAT time on the cruise and hope to go again...hopefully they have fixed their water issue though!!

 

[herbg]

considering the unbelievably high prices Disney charges for their cruises in comparison to others....."going with the flow" and "making the best of it" don't cut it with me...

 

[jiminyC_fan]

considering the unbelievably high prices Disney charges for their cruises in comparison to others....."going with the flow" and "making the best of it" don't cut it with me...

I believe I made both of those statements. I have cruised HAL and DCL. Believe me, there isn't THAT big of a difference. You just have to know how to shop.

I am one that makes "friends" with the CM's. I carry on a conversation with them. I don't expect to be waited on just because that is their job. I treat them like I want to be treated and I truly think that can make a difference. I, plain and simple, don't "expect" anything but my meal served. I am not a foodie so food quality doesn't make a difference to me. I see so often at dinner where people can't even look up and make eye contact with their server. They don't say please and thank you's. That would get old real fast. I am not saying that the people on this thread that have been disappointed are that type.

A stained or damp carpet doesn't spoil my cruise. I still can go about my day.

So in my eyes, going with the flow or make the best of it is what I do. I haven't been let down yet.