Disney Magic--Not very magical....

[repeatcruiser]

I tell my kids (and remind myself once in a while) that you get to choose your mood - no one can make you be in a bad mood or have a bad time - this is all in your control.

 

[roysbrew]

I'm sorry you had a bad trip.

I'm curious, I get very seasick and have been mostly fine on my 2 cruises. Did you and your family take any meds? I've always taken Bonine and brought a patch (just in case). I've never needed the patch. Even when I feel fine I continued to take the bonine. I won't take any chances.
As for the breakfast, is there a reason why you never ate anywhere else or ordered a plain omlet made fresh to order? I never eat scambled eggs anywhere on a buffet. I've never been anywhere, even the best restaurants where they are good. I order my DS 3 and DD 3 and myself plain omlets. Bacon is well Bacon. It's supposed to be greasy. When we cruised it was quite good. We all loved the chocolate croissants and would ask a server for them if we didn't see any. I've eaten my fair share of them in the US and Europe and the ones on the boat were very good. I thought the food in AP was bland but liked the food everywhere else. The rest of my family (who didn't come with us) like simple food. Remember they have a wide population to serve here. When you go to the parks there are more choices for food, but you really can't compare the two there's no ship that could have 40 or so restaurants.
As far as the club, we had great CM. We also cruised in May (maybe less kids). My DS 3 and DD3 had fun. We used it about 2 hours a day. They talked for months about the "yellow shirts". They would resist going in at first so we would hide and watch. Within minutes they were laughing and playing. When we returned they often didn't notice us there for a couple of minutes. Given the choice they would have stayed in the Mickey pool all day. But given the choice I wouldn't have left the spa all day. The only time I didn't like in the club was getting ready for the graduation show. The CM were great. It was the parents. Every child came and parents left crying kids and tried to take photos it was crazy. I stayed with my kids and watched the CM hold as many kids as possible they sang songs and always smiled. I used to be a preschool teacher and there isn't enough money in the world that would have made me repeat that scene again let alone once or (twice in the wonder's case) a week. When we cruise this summer we will probably skip that activity.
I would think that every parent tries to give their child the very best and also expects the very best. I'm sure your earlier statement was not meant to imply that other people who weren't unhappy with the club don't want or expect the best for their children. By the way the best things in life aren't usually the things that cost the most, you can pay alot of money for something or for tution at a preschool and still have bad teachers. As a former teacher I've seen it firsthand. Perhaps a solution for you would be to book two rooms in a lower cat. and bring a nanny who you've screened and your son is comfortable with along. I have several friends who do that when they go to the beach.

 

[cruisingsoon]

Many people tend to 'focus only on the negatives', while others tend to 'focus only on the positives' .... the best trip reports/reviews in my opinion are the 'stories', the very detailed day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute experiences that some good writers have written here. The short diatribes with a title like "Magic - not very magical" are just rants in my opinion. The same goes for the short "magical vacation" rants. I do love the very well written stories that include both positive and negative experiences. The point being, a description of the entire trip ... not just a list of negative or even positives.

Again, flame if you want ... but the OP is likely a 'focus on the negative' type.

With the kind of money the OP spent, maybe it was a bit of a let down and just wanted to vent ... that's OK too ... but it is definitely not what I would call a 'Trip Report'. It was exactly what it is .... a rant.

Maybe there should be a separate thread, one for 'Trip Reports' and one for 'Rants'.

I would be happy to do a day by day for you...

Saturday--flight down (arranged by Disney, reservations were made almost 1 year in advance)-- We were not sitting altogether. My husband ended up sitting with my son and I sat further back in the plane. Waited in line at the airport for a little less than an hour to catch our bus. Bus ride was nice. I loved the movie outlining the boat. We were very excited. Got to the port. Waited well over an hour to get signed in. My son was miserable and hungry. Should have broke down and bought food at the snack bar, but were anxious to get on and get to the buffet. Ended up grabbing pizza when we got on board, 1st thing we passed. The pizza was good. Went to room and missed the departing show because my son wanted to nap. We sat outside on our little deck and relaxed. Got ready for dinner at the Parrot Cay. Met our table mates-all of us were a bit sea sick, it really moves around back there. The water in the glasses was sloshing back and forth a bit. It was a weird feeling. Food was bland, but that was not a problem since I didn't feel so good. I felt really sick by the time we got back to the room after a short walk. Went to bed to make it "stop". The curtain in the room was swaying from side to side--yuck. Called it a night. My son was exhausted anyway.

Sunday--Had room service for breakfast--donuts and pastry were poor, OJ was watery, apple juice was like syrup--YUCK. That was our fault though, shouldn't have done room service. Went to the spa for mani then later a pedi. They were ok, but I was still feeling yuck so it was hard to relax. The girl doing my nails said it would typically calm down by around 12-1 (thank goodness it did). Had lunch at Topsiders--food average. We went to the club to sign up my son. (I have already spoken a lot about the club). Spent some time by the pool--Freezing to death. It was so windy and cold still. Kids were swimming, but most sensible folks had on pants and sweatshirts. Visited the arcade, was bummed at the size. It was very small and packed with people. Later in the week it was not as packed, but there was not much for a little guy to do. He loves arcades and we usually can find enough to keep him busy for hours. Went to dinner at Lumiere's, food was bland. Environment was nice. The waitstaff really tries hard and brings new things if you do not like what you are having. We tried this a couple of times, but nothing really was good. We are food snobs--I will admit that. We are very spoiled when it comes to fresh, terrific food. My family has wonderful cooks, my brother is a chef and has worked at amazing places--The Breaker's Hotel, 4 Seasons, etc. We always have fresh herbs (growing in doors and out), grow a lot of our own produce, I love the food network, and amaze my own friends often at my creations. We travel a lot and try new things all the time. What I am saying is we know good food, but understand that a cruise line would not be what we are used to. Still what we had was no where near what we expected. The meun's were fine, the presentations were ok, but the food was often bland and yuck.

We went to the Golden Mickeys that night. We decided to wait until 10 minutes before show time to go to the theater since my son is a wiggle worm and we didn't want to go too soon. This was a mistake. The whole theater was packed!@!!!! We walked up and down the aisles. The only reason we were able to stay and see the show was because a VERY VERY nice man put his daughter in his lap, and his wife put her son in her lap, so we had 2 free seats with my son in my lap. It was a nice show, but the movie screen clips that were throughout the show were boring to my son. It was very noisy in the theater, but that was expected since there was so many little ones. If I was an adult traveling without kids I would have been very annoyed.


Monday--Went to Parrot cay for breakfast. Was sad to see the pastry and donuts were the same. Muffins were packaged looking. Tried the eggs, bacon, sausage. Eggs were horrible and powdered. Bacon was not great. Sausage was ok. Later saw the omlet bar. Oh well.

Went to kids club a couple times this day. I won't add much to the club stuff except this day I did see a poor little girl around 4 years old have a pee-pee accident. It was so sad. She was standing there with a bright red face crying pathetically in her puddle. I understand that the staff is not allowed to touch children who have accidents for very real health issues. I don't claim to have a solution either. But the little girl was screaming for a very, very long time until her mom came to get her. The staff had surrounded her and her puddle with brightly colored cones and instucted her to stay there and other people/kids to walk around her. It was sooooo traumatic for that little girl.

Went to the pool again. It was much warmer this day since we were further south. There is a HUGE amount of kids in the Mickey pool. I have personally never seen so many in such a small pool before. It was a very fun pool though for the kids. They did not seem to mind, but I jumped in 2 times to upright my son after he had been shoved over. The pool is shallow enough for little ones to walk in, but the big ones are still running and jumping everywhere. I wish there was a half hour a day for smaller ones or something. There is a Goofy pool that has bigger kids, but many were still more interested in the Mickey one since that is where to slide is. There is a Mickey ear with fountains for non-potty trained kids. But big kids were running in and out of that too and slidding over the edge of the "ears". Great pool, but hard to find a time when it is quieter/hazard free for smaller kids.

Went to late lunch at the hotdog place. The hotdogs were good, but the buns were a bit stale. Enjoyed the fries. Had soft serve ice cream too. A teenager would think they died and went to heaven. These fast food places were better then we would have expected and we enjoyed them since we don't eat too much of this at home.

I went to the gym this day. The gym was nice, although the ceiling is not too tall on the 2nd level(a ramp between levels). I am glad I am not 6 foot or would have bumped my head. The guy next to me on the elliptical had his hair touch everytime he stepped. My only real complaint about the gym (I went ~ hour Monday-Friday) it was pretty hot in there. I sweated like crazy every time. The AC was too low and there weren't any fans.

Went to dinner at AP. Our seats were not great for viewing. We were all the way up against a wall and behind one of those serving station things. It was difficult to take it all in. Food same. Servers nice. Went to the family dance hour. My son loved this. The floor was packed, bigger girls were twirling/running wildly around. Cute, but knocked my son down, twice. He was ok, and we did return a couple times later in the week since he loved it so much. Again getting knocked a fair amount. Wish they had picked a bigger dance location.

Tuesday--
Arrived at St. Maarten. Had breakfast at topsiders. Tried the mini blueberry pancakes. VERY dry. I think we went to the kids club for a while. Had a quick lunch, fruit. Went to Afternoon beach bash. It was great. Warning there are some completely naked and topless folks on that beach too. This was not a problem for us since my son is clueless still, but I did hear a couple parents with older kids complain a bit, they had said it was supposed to be a fully clothed beach. No idea. There were a lot of island folks trying to sell things. They hovered most of the time asking over and over if you wanted this or that. It didn't bother us too much, but a couple people on the bus were talking about it on the way back. There were 4 dogs running around fighting at the end of the beach time. One ran by and missed my son by inches. Regardless, we enjoyed our excursion. There were nice cushioned chairs, and an umbrella that we only had to pay $3 to use. We got to see the island on our bus ride. It was nice.

Had to rush to get ready for dinner (20 minutes for all 3 of us). Went back to Parrot Cay. I felt a bit sea sick again. Something about the location I think. Food same. But they gave all of us bandanas for our heads (pirate theme). There was a show at the end of dinner with music and the servers and kids going around the room. Our server grabbed my son and made it half way around before my son started crying. My son was afraid of the loud music and didn't know what was happening. If I had told him what to expect and that he was just going in a circle maybe he wouldn't have been scared. Oh well. We tried very hard to keep my son up for the pirate show. He just couldn't make it. It does not start until 9:45 (probably waiting for everyone to finish dinner). Bummer. Just too late for my little guy after a day at the beach.

Wednesday--St. Thomas day. Everyone on the boat had to get up early this day. We were thankful at this point that we hadn't pushed for the pirate show. Kids and their 'rents looked EXHAUSTED. Wasn't a big deal, just a hoop to jump through. Tried to go to Lumiere's for breakfast. It was filled and they would not allow any more people to go in. We ate at Parrot Cay. Left for bird show at top of the mountain on St. Thomas. The tram ride was cool. It gave a great view. We went on a short hike at the top of the mountain, had some water then saw the bird show. It was a very small area, but was cute. Headed back for the boat after a walk. It was a nice short excursion for a family with little ones.

Had lunch at topsiders, there were fresh shrimp today. That was nice. Glad that we didn't eat on the island! Went to the pool again. It was still very crowded. I would have hoped that people would all be out on excursions. Oh well. Went to the kids club. Tried again to go the basketball court. It always is very crowded and too dangerous for a little one. We expected that though.

Had dinner at Lumieres again. Tonight our dinner companions were at Palo, so we felt more comfortable telling the staff that we were not enjoying our food. They brought over the head guy, who was nice and offered to cook something that we had already had earlier in the week. We didn't have the heart to tell him that there was nothing that we tried that we would have wanted again. He was trying, but what could he do. We only talked to him in order to hopefully make a difference for future guests, we knew it would not do any good for us.

Had our pictures taken--camera staff also very nice. Did the family dance party thing again and called it a night.

Thursday--Went to the character breakfast. Tried the kids Mickey waffle and chocolate pancake--both not good at all, hard. My son wouldn't even eat them. Stuck with the fruit. My son loved that characters.

Someone passed out the night before and fell down some stairs. We made an emergency transfer somewhere and were off course now. The seas were VERY VERY VERY rough today. Up to 20 feet waves per the captains log on the TV. People were stumbling everywhere. On the top deck if you went to the back and looked forward you saw the whole boat tipping up and down. The horizon was moving everywhere. For the person who said they were not sea sick at all and they always get sea sick, I doubt it. This is the day that the kid puked in the Mickey pool. My husband who is never sick, was sick in bed all day throwing up. I felt like I could too but I was trying to keep moving and keep my mind off of it. My son kept complaining that he was dizzy and pick him up. There were people puking in trash cans. It was a very rough day at sea. I went to the movie Nemo with my son, the HUGE screen was swaying from side to side. I concentrated to not be sick. My husband was too sick for food today. Went to Disney Dream show that night (went to the early seating since we were not doing dinner). It was much less crowded then the later seating. The show was great. But it was so rough at sea still that the shutter that the girl was singing (at while she was at the window) kept swinging shut and she kept pushing it open.

Friday--we arrived late at Castaway Cay due to the stop we had to make for the hurt women the night before last. The captain was able to make up some time after the sea calmed down a bit. We were in line for about 45 minutes to get off the boat (my husband wanted off since he was still recovering). We quickly got our seats under an umbrella. Later on many people were trudging down the beach complaining that there was no where left to sit. Probably extra crowded since all/most? of the excursions were cancelled since the water was still to rough. The island was the highlight of the trip. The BBQ sauce actually had some flavor. I also had a mango that nearly made me weap with joy it was so good. We were among the very last people to get back on the boat. We were too late to get to dinner. We had room service. The pizza was not the same as the top deck pizza, it was thicker and soggy. I ordered a ceasar salad and it was tiny tiny, and the croutons were soft. Oh well. Room service we already knew was not the way to go either. We packed everything. Went for a walk on deck, had it almost to ourselves since it was cold again. Had a taco, tasteless and the shell was not cooked, but oh well. Watched a movie on the big screen. Went to bed.

Saturday--

Had breakfast at topsiders so we would not have to get up too early. Took our time getting off. Debark was pretty smooth since everyone was already gone. Waited ~45 minutes on the bus before it left. Flew home, seated together thank goodness.

To those of you I have bored senseless by now, I appologize. After my initial post and reading many of the snappy comments I wonder why I bothered at all. This more detailed post hopefully provides clarity to our experience.

 

[KimberlyC]

To those of you I have bored senseless by now, I appologize. After my initial post and reading many of the snappy comments I wonder why I bothered at all. This more detailed post hopefully provides clarity to our experience.

I enjoyed reading your post! Fortunately, I've never had bad weather on a cruise, but my parents have and reported that it can be miserable. I also like hearing people's perspectives be they good or bad. It can either give me something to look forward to or it allows me to prepare myself and my family in the event something isn't up to standards I would expect. For example, I would like the food to be good, but for my first Disney cruise, I'm just hoping its decent. I've read enough posts on this and another cruise board to know that while many may like Disney's food those who have compared it to the cruiseline I enjoy most (pre-DS) rank it lower. At least I know that going in and have already advised DH that there will be some differences and some will not be for the better but its the sacrifice we are making so that DS can experience Disney magic. Some people love all things Disney and think Disney can do no wrong. I think its a company that does some things really well, but sometimes it could do better.

Just don't give up on cruising based on this experience. Another time, perhaps another line...you may really love it.

 

[Mjasp]

Some people love all things Disney and think Disney can do no wrong. I think its a company that does some things really well, but sometimes it could do better.
Just don't give up on cruising based on this experience. Another time, perhaps another line...you may really love it.

Kimberly...Best words I've read yet.

To the OP...On our first cruise in 2002 my husband said the food would be terrible, he said it would be "Disney Food" It was quite good and we were surprised.
On our second cruise in 2004, he was right, the food wasn't too good at all.
We just sailed on Costa, and the food was delicious. But on the Costa board people hate it or love it. Being Italian, I so enjoyed it.
I do think you should try a line with less children and one that is known for good food. Maybe try Celebrity or take my word and try Costa.

 

[fabumouse]

I wonder why I bothered at all. This more detailed post hopefully provides clarity to our experience.

As a person who has never cruised, but seriously considering a cruise, I found your post very helpful. Obviously, I am reading as much as I can before making a decision, but since my DH does not want to go on a cruise at all, it would be a serious error on my part to oversell it to him. Thanks for all the detail.

 

[Deemarch]

Now that you've written down all of your experience, I feel MUCH BETTER about going on the cruise. We are all so different and look at life in such diverse ways...Thanks for your effort.

By the way, we are 53 years old and travel without kids. And any (how can I say this nicely) fool who would go on a Disney Cruise and expect no noisy children at shows or anywhere on the ship, for that matter, is just that...I guess after our 5 grew up, we still view life as a bit of a circus. We still love the clowns the elephants and the feel of peanut shells cruching beneath our feet.

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

Cruisingsoon, we have already lived through your non-Magical cruise, do we need to relive it again? We get your point. If you didn't enjoy it, chalk it up to a not-so-great-trip and move on. Sheesh!

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

Now that you've written down all of your experience, I feel MUCH BETTER about going on the cruise. We are all so different and look at life in such diverse ways...Thanks for your effort.

By the way, we are 53 years old and travel without kids. And any (how can I say this nicely) fool who would go on a Disney Cruise and expect no noisy children at shows or anywhere on the ship, for that matter, is just that...I guess after our 5 grew up, we still view life as a bit of a circus. We still love the clowns the elephants and the feel of peanut shells cruching beneath our feet.

Oh, Denise, you are one of us! DH and I are empty nesters who finally have a chance to treat ourselves to things we had only dreamed of before and this cruise was one of them. Even though Disney cruises are for families, perhaps these parents can have a chance in the future to enjoy a cruise with Mickey as we see it now. I can only hope they can because it is very special.

 

[momrek06]

Now that you've written down all of your experience, I feel MUCH BETTER about going on the cruise. We are all so different and look at life in such diverse ways...Thanks for your effort.

By the way, we are 53 years old and travel without kids. And any (how can I say this nicely) fool who would go on a Disney Cruise and expect no noisy children at shows or anywhere on the ship, for that matter, is just that...I guess after our 5 grew up, we still view life as a bit of a circus. We still love the clowns the elephants and the feel of peanut shells cruching beneath our feet.

DITTO!! DITTO!! Change the 5 to 2!!! AND DITTO!!

 

[momrek06]

Oh, Denise, you are one of us! DH and I are empty nesters who finally have a chance to treat ourselves to things we had only dreamed of before and this cruise was one of them. Even though Disney cruises are for families, perhaps these parents can have a chance in the future to enjoy a cruise with Mickey as we see it now. I can only hope they can because it is very special.

DOUBLE DITTO!! DOUBLE DITTO!!

 

[dzneprincess]

Cruisingsoon, we have already lived through your non-Magical cruise, do we need to relive it again? We get your point. If you didn't enjoy it, chalk it up to a not-so-great-trip and move on. Sheesh!

Wow that was rather harsh..No one made you open up this thread, which seems to bother you so. I for one enjoy reading and hearing other people's experience on DCL. I tend to stay away from the main boards due to the snarkiness lately, and this is a prime example.

 

[KimberlyC]

Kimberly...Best words I've read yet.

On our first cruise in 2002 my husband said the food would be terrible, he said it would be "Disney Food" It was quite good and we were surprised.
On our second cruise in 2004, he was right, the food wasn't too good at all.
We just sailed on Costa, and the food was delicious. But on the Costa board people hate it or love it. Being Italian, I so enjoyed it.
I do think you should try a line with less children and one that is known for good food. Maybe try Celebrity or take my word and try Costa.

Thanks! I haven't sailed Costa in years but when I did, I loved the food too. Some people don't like it because its "real" Italian food. Its a matter of taste, of course, but I like real Italian food. DH and I loved the food when we travelled to Italy. Oh and more Gelato, Please! Celebrity is my favorite line and is the only cruiseline DH has sailed so its all he will have to compare DCL to. That's why I have forwarned him.

I've chosen DCL for our upcoming cruise because DS will be just shy of 3 and I hope the look in his eyes when he sees Mickey and Friends makes up for the higher price tag and lower quality food that I'm anticipating. So I'm willing to give DCL a try and the areas that I think need improvement will be noted on my comment card at the end of the cruise. But I look forward to every vacation and every cruise so I'm excited already despite so long to wait!

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

Wow that was rather harsh..No one made you open up this thread, which seems to bother you so. I for one enjoy reading and hearing other people's experience on DCL. I tend to stay away from the main boards due to the snarkiness lately, and this is a prime example.

Hey, I call 'em as I see 'em.

 

[WDWLVR]

Hey everyone - remember the DIS guidelines. No personal attacks. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. You can state your own without putting down someone else.

 

[Disney Lover Linda]

I just saw this thread tonight - I am sorry cruisingsoon had such a bad experience. Some trips start bad and end bad. We have been on 2 DCL cruises and loved them both. I do agree completely the food could use some improvement. Its too bad you missed Palo - we would have enjoyed it - truly excellent. With the buffets I found something I liked and usually had it any day we had breakfast there. I told myself buffets are never excellent eating but they are quick and have a variety of foods for many different tastes. I found the dinners hit or miss - some nights good, some very bad. But food wasn't my main reason for choosing DCL. The ship was beautiful, the staff great, rooms and attendant super, and the Christmas cruise we went on was really fun with Santa and Mrs. Claus, tree lighting, snow is atrium. My daughter loved the characters, especially the princesses. The Magic of Disney was there for us. And even Disney can't custom order good weather. Our first curse was a bit cold and had a couple nights rocky seas but not as bad as cruisin had. All in all, I would cruise Disney tomorrow if we had the money - I dreaming of a DCLl Alaskian cruise!

 

[Dreamer04]

Cruisingsoon, I'm glad you posted. We were on the 2/18 Eastern. My DH and DS didn't care for the food at all, except for some very particular items. The chicken tenders (not the ones by the Goofy Pool), the lobster and the chocolate lava cake.

Me and DD 8, on the other hand, enjoyed the food. I won't say it was awesome, but very good.

As for the kids clubs, DD8 has enjoyed the 5-7 groups in the past. But not all day. Usually she spent her evenings there.

I suffer from sea-sickness. I sailed on two cruises before I learned how to handle it. Starting two nights before, I take Dramamine-at night! This way I sleep off the drowsiness, yet the medicine is still effective.

Oh that situation with the four year old, standing in her own urine? I would have a hard time not flipping out if I saw that! There has to be a better way handeling that scenario! How about paper towels and rubber gloves? Or escorting her to the bathroom to wait for her parents? Putting up cones around the child? Come on! I hope to high heaven that the parents said something, or maybe the people who witnessed it could send a note to DCL. They have to be told this is going on. This really bothered me.

 

[ricka47]

Thanks! I haven't sailed Costa in years but when I did, I loved the food too. Some people don't like it because its "real" Italian food. Its a matter of taste, of course, but I like real Italian food. DH and I loved the food when we travelled to Italy. Oh and more Gelato, Please! Celebrity is my favorite line and is the only cruiseline DH has sailed so its all he will have to compare DCL to. That's why I have forwarned him.

As long as you lower the food expectations of your DH, you will be fine. DCL food does not compare to Celebrity in any way. The service is as good, but more formal on X. I was surprised when our DCL waitstaff called us by our first names. On other lines it's usually Mr. or Mrs. or maybe Mr. Richard or Mr. Rick. Some may call this "stuffy." We call it the reason to cruise: to be treated like royalty. If I wanted casual treatment, there's always Denny's!

I missed some of the "my pleasure sir" or, for my wife, "my pleasure madam." That doesn't make DCL bad, just less formal than other lines which may be great for some. But, we found that it spilled over into the dress and manners of those onboard as well and that wasn't good.

 

[kellimomo3]

I noticed you missed your last night's dinner and Saturday's breakfast...When did you tip your serving team???

Kelli'

 

[Deemarch]

Hello! We are a crazy group, to some out there. People don't understand why Disney pulls us, but it does. So much that we find it difficult to vacation elsewhere. I think that may be the main reason for the new Adventures by Disney!

Anyway, I know, from listening to everyone here and finding out exactly what the OP's issues were, that we are going to have a wonderful time on our first Disney cruise in 48 days!! It sounds like it's exactly what I am expecting!! And I might even get to hug the mouse, which is something I rarely get to do in WDW...The little ones get to him so much more quickly than I do!!! LOL