Does Dream feel really crowded?

[cats mom]

If an item is taken or a pillow, the guest room should be charged. Or Disney can have a price list in the room of things that can be taken for a price.

I've seen that done at several hotels we've stayed at.
The sad thing is... I bet the people who feel it's OK to take things that don't belong to them are the same people who would pitch such a fit when they were charged for the items, claiming they didn't take them of course, that Disney would eventually back down anyway.
Can you tell I have personal experience dealing with something similar?

 

[PoohJen]

Actually, yes. I think we were right over Evolution & you could hear the bass thump, thump, thump until they closed at 2 AM. But it didn't keep me awake (but an army marching thru the room wouldn't keep me awake when I'm tired LOL).

Ohhh noooo. My Deck 5 rooms are similarly situated...I was concerned about bass noise when I booked these but we need 4 connecting rooms and this was our only option. Some things that might bother some won't bother me at all...but bass noise....shoot. (hey, no, it won't ruin my trip, but it is indeed a downer for me).

 

[Nevada]

Castaway Cay didn't feel crowded at all! I wondered where everyone was!

I heard that most of the complaints at guest services were in regards to Gold and Plats not getting invites to the special events.

I dunno.

I did hear the word Ebay a ton. I only bought what my family and I will use.

 

[cquick]

Yes, very long lines for everything. We spent 2 weeks on Oasis of the Seas last June, and a week on Allure over New Years. The lines on the Dream were worse. We had 3100 on the Maiden Voyage, and I couldn't even get anywhere near the Sail Away show. In 2 weeks they are booked to capacity and they'll be doing 2 Sail Away shows to accomodate everyone. First will be before the Muster Drill, second one afterwards.

The ship is just not organized well. All of the quick service restaurants are in one clump on Deck 11, and the buffet at the other end of the ship is only open for a couple hours at a time. The dining room service is extremely slow.

.

YUP! I totally agree with the line problem. I thought the new way they laid out the Cabanas buffe would be in improvement, but it's not. I don't like the sandwich, pizza, and deli all grouped together. To wait for food, the people take up all the walking space to the adult pool area.

 

[sues14]

Just returned home from the Dream and my honest opinion, I was amazed on how much room there was on the new ship with so many more passengers. I ran into a travel agent on board and she was asking various questions and my # 1 surprise was the crowd/lines were smaller than anticipated considering the number of passengers.

The only long line was at Guest Services and I kept wondering what I was missing. I heard the many guests were complaining about other guests.

In feb 2010 i wwas on the magic in sept 2010 i was on ncl epic and people asked me wich i liked better my choice was the magic and here is why:

the people on the epic were in a hurry,to get on elivators i never saw such a gross showing of adult behavior,i was shoved steped on or pushed aside, old people with cains walkers or skooters where just pushed away. I dont get it,on the magic i saw other people waithing for the next elevator for anyone, i saw people waiting for some stranger to get their disney
moment, even if they were really the next in line. Disney isnt disney if you dont slow down and enjoy the reason you are there.
I just hope and pray that people quit complaining take breath and enjoy what you are there for enjoy. Oh and sorry about spelling and spaces iam using an ereaderto type this and the space button is not wanting to work.

 

[makaylee]

you will wait in line in many places that you did not on the other ships... pack your patience....

The two top comments heard everywhere:

1) Food service is horrible
2) I am tired of waiting in line

We were actually warned about this by our stateroom host on our last cruise. He said if he were us he would NOT go out of his way to sail on the Dream or Fantasy. I'm not going to let this stop me though. I'll just pack my patience like op stated.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

I was on the MV B2B and quite honestly we didn't encounter lines other than at the shops. Never for lunch or breakfast. I am surprised that others are reporting that.

 

[revans00]

I wonder why they would be complaining about other passengers???

Because it was the other passengers who stole Maiden Voyage glasses from other passengers who set them down momentarily; who stormed the gift shops and grabbed arm-loads of merchandise to take off to the side, sort thru, then throw on the floor, who cut in line, who ran in front of others, who....well, you get the idea.

I was on the MV and I thought the ship was great, and the CM's did a very good job (knowing that most were new). The only real distraction of my cruise were the MINORITY of the other passengers who were misbehaving.

 

[revans00]

I have to agree here. I was truly amazed by the ignorance and attitude of some of my felllow MV 'guests'. The first night shopping, could only be described as a full contact sport.

Those who stole the AP cutlery (and the CMs know which tables it was) should have been confined to their staterooms.

Otherwise, the CM's (especially the new ones) really tried hard to be as good as they could be. The food (IMHO) was the best we've seen on DCL. Crowding? not a factor until debark (which was the Customs & Border Patrol's issue).

I agree, the food was among the best I've had (on my 7 cruises). Yes, there was once our drink server forgot to ask about coffee before dessert was served, no biggie.

Customs was not an issue for us; we cleared in <10 minutes, Yes, the line was long but moved at a constant, brisk, walking pace.

 

[Spiffie]

We (me, dh, ds & dd - both 10) sail on the Dream March 13th. I was excited. Now I don't know what I am. Nervous, I guess. I can be patient when I have to wait in a line, but if someone cuts in front of me, I have NO problem letting them know how I feel about it and their behavior.

oh boy!

 

[GotDrums]

Hi Spiffie: I don't know that you even need to be nervous because most of the rukus was caused by opportunist type's who were greedy.
This was because of all the Maiden Voyage merchandise I'm sure.
It was a drag not being able to purchase a hoodie with Maiden Voyage on it because of hoarders but hey we got windbreakers for only 15.00 each that were very nice.
The Dream is a great ship and Disney is a great cruise line.
Happy sailing
Tim

 

[Mickeygolf]

Yeah, I can't see wasting our time being nervous the lines are too long or we can't get to the buffet or some people feel the need to cut in line. This is our first family cruise and we're going to have a great time because it's Disney and it's a brand new ship. I'll reserve judgement until I see it myself. There's already been so many inconsistant reports from people who felt it was bad and people who loved it.

Glass half full is our motto!!! Hope everyone has a great time on their cruise!!!

 

[dovbniak]

A little late to this party but I will add our two cents:

We were on the maiden voyage January 26. It was crowded for character meet and greets (at one point, they enforced a one family picture with Mickey because of the long lines).

The late dining was always lined up to get in but once the doors opened people seemed to be seated rather quickly.

The main areas of the ship during these times were busy but there were lots of other areas that were desolate (deck 4 outside for example).

We never waited longer than 15 minutes to ride the duck.

Shopping was a nightmare if you wanted the limited edition stuff for sale. Someone I heard say it was like Black Friday or something...

We never felt crowded except at Castaway Cay. We had an annoyingly large family beside us who had lots of kids (not that there is anything wrong this, I have two of my own) and parents who did not watch them very closely (that is a problem).

 

[DWGal210]

This is just how I feel as well. We leave the 20th of this month & are VERY excited (a just girls trip). Of course there are kinks to work out - but I feel that positives outweigh the negatives the most of the time. There will always be inconsiderate people, nothing will be perfect. Of course peoples concerns are legitimate, but I also take the glass 1/2 full approach.

Yeah, I can't see wasting our time being nervous the lines are too long or we can't get to the buffet or some people feel the need to cut in line. This is our first family cruise and we're going to have a great time because it's Disney and it's a brand new ship. I'll reserve judgement until I see it myself. There's already been so many inconsistant reports from people who felt it was bad and people who loved it.

Glass half full is our motto!!! Hope everyone has a great time on their cruise!!!

 

[KingRichard]

Yeah, I can't see wasting our time being nervous the lines are too long or we can't get to the buffet or some people feel the need to cut in line. This is our first family cruise and we're going to have a great time because it's Disney and it's a brand new ship. I'll reserve judgement until I see it myself. There's already been so many inconsistant reports from people who felt it was bad and people who loved it.

Glass half full is our motto!!! Hope everyone has a great time on their cruise!!!

It has been posted many times that you should NOT form a line for the buffet on the Dream.

So there is no cutting in line. Just people not paying attention and causing their own problems.

 

[JennLK]

I have seen a few photos spattered over the internet of Dream. One thing that is now worrying me is that it appears to be crowded?

For those who have cruised on Dream already with 4000 people, does it appear crowded? How are the public areas etc?

Thank you

Kim

Sometimes it felt crowded. I just got off the Dream yesterday and it was my first cruise so I have nothing to compare it to. Embarking was crowded. We got there close to 12 but we were on the ship and in our room by 1:30. Luggage arrived shortly after. The line was long so most of that time was spent waiting in line to check in. Our boarding # was called by the time we had checked in. Cabanas for lunch that day and any other day was not so bad. D Lounge, Deck parties (we attended 2:15 sail away and pirate party and the afternoon deck party/show by the pool) were not overly crowded. Cabanas on castaway cay morning was very crowded. Fast Food was pretty crowded late afternoons (except Castaway Cay day) but still just a few minutes wait. Getting off at Castaway was a mess but I chalk that up to the crew needing more experience and that should probably fix it self in the long run. Aqua Duck had a long line about half of the time having 15 min + wait times. Pools seemed okay otherwise. Mid Ship elevators or being near the restaurants/theaters near showtimes/dinnertimes could be pretty crowded. However we had early show and dinner (5 and 6) and the show and dinner itself was not so bad at all. Guest services usually had a line and the stores were usually busy but not bad. Shutters was not bad and the system they have works great. You can view and order pictures through a computer monitor, can view them on your in room tv, or you have your own little book (character/color/number coded) which makes it very easy. Even the night before we left it was not crowded. I picked up my photos the next am without a hassle as well.

I did not check out the adult spots - they were fairly uncrowded the few times I walked through - my husband went to a bar around 10:30 one night (687 maybe) and said there were just a few people there as well

Castaway Cay was not crowded at all and even the woman who braided my daughter's hair commented to the same. Maybe not everyone came off of the ship (shame on them it wasa beautiful day)

Disembarktion was painless. We did have the early breakfast (6:45 - was rough) but at the end of breakfast we heard the ship had been cleared and we were off of the ship and in our car by oh, 8:30 at the very latest.

One thing that bugged me and my husband was that the future cruise desk only had one person at all times - which led to lines and waits all times of the day. We did not get a chance to rebook onboard because honestly on 3 Day cruise - which was our first ever cruise - we did not want to wait 30 mins in line before even speaking with someone. Kind of stinks but I suppose it is not worth the few hundred in savings to risk missing a show, character experience or being late to dinner etc.

Overall I don't think it was that bad considering most of the crowd issues can be chalked up to the newness of the staff/ship and learning how to manage it properly.

 

[cseca]

...
One thing that bugged me and my husband was that the future cruise desk only had one person at all times - which led to lines and waits all times of the day. We did not get a chance to rebook onboard because honestly on 3 Day cruise - which was our first ever cruise - we did not want to wait 30 mins in line before even speaking with someone. Kind of stinks but I suppose it is not worth the few hundred in savings to risk missing a show, character experience or being late to dinner etc.

Overall I don't think it was that bad considering most of the crowd issues can be chalked up to the newness of the staff/ship and learning how to manage it properly.

Just curious, did you not get to drop off the booking form in the box?
We sailed MV and didn't want to stand in line for hours either. Every day about 30min-1hr before the desk opens there were already a line. Since I already stood in line for everything else I didn't want to do it either.

So I got the brochure and droppen the form in the box. We got the quotes that night I think. I even dropped in a second form because we decided to rebook for 2 cruises and we were able to do the same thing.
I wanted to talk to the agent to ask about the categories but honestly I was tired of standing in lines by then...
But we got our 2 rebooking no problem.

Oh and as to the OP's question about crowd...
That's a toss up. Some things are definitely way more crowded than others.

For example,
we find that Cabanas weren't bad. BUT we ate at off times... maybe that's why we got lucky.

The lines for characters were LONG, but we expected that. Not good with a squirmy toddler but we do what we gotta do kinda thing.

Lines for shops... oy vey don't ask.

The lines for show... we got the early show, no lines at all.

The lines for dining room... the early shows ran a bit long most of the times so we never had to stand in line for our main seating.

Cookies... didn't see any lines at all

Aquaduck... the longest was 20min I think.

Guest services... don't ask

Shutters... Not bad really. Especially if you check your pictures at the kiosks before they open (when the place is empty). Then when they open you know exactly which pictures you want to get from your folder. I think it took me about 10min for the whole transaction (finding my folder, picking out the pictures, standing in line to pay).

Special events.... LOOOONG... for example, Ducky Williams signing, Gold/Platinum special thingies, etc.

 

[Cruiselady]

It's Disney!! Have fun roll with the punches. I am not going to have my vacation ruined by a line cutter. So I wait and extra minute. Remember it's a Dream come true!!!

 

[scamper45]

Just got off the Dream and was told there were 3700 guests. There were only a few times I felt like there were alot of people. After the safety drill, and just before meals. The gift shops were busy around the show times and there was usually a line at guest services. But it was no different then on the magic/wonder. I rebooked the first day on becuase i knew from past times the lines get longer and the cruise continues. I feel that the cast members did a great job! Alot of them just got on the ship a few weeks ago. Since I am a travel agent this was a educational cruise for me. I spent the first 2 days walking around and checking out every inch of the ship and talking to alot of the cast members about the ship. There was a short line to get off in castaway cay but it is because the ship is too long to use the forward gangway. Only the midship gangway was open. All in all it just took about 5-10 mins to get off. I have waited that long on the Magic and Wonder. I think people are over reacting about the crowds. I also ate at cabana's ...it was a big improvement But a little confusing. Ate at the places by the pool and never waited any longer than i ever did on the other ships. It is a beautiful ship and I cant wait to go back. 3 nights.....not long enough!

 

[andrea1978]

Hi,
We were on the 1/30 voyage and it wasn't really crowded for us.
In fact, it felt really spacious...
The lines at Cabanas and the quick service lunch/dinner places (Luigi's, etc.) always moved very quick.
We never had any sort of delay with our dinner rotation.
We had no line to disembark and embarck for Castaway Cay and no line to leave the ship around 9am on the last day.
Shops were a little crowded after the shows let out but died down quickly.
We never waited more than 1-2 minutes for an elevator.
We waited at most 10 minutes to see a character, i.e. Woody.

The only time it was uber-crowded was our day at sea afternoon at the pools- you couldn't move- so we didn't go swimming that afternoon.

For some reason there was always a long line at guest services but we never used guest services so it didn't affect us.

Kristina