DW and I are putting our love affair with DCL "on hold"

[DLgal]

For us, those things were offset by a massive benefit - low crowds. It was great.

Crowds have never bothered me on the ships. The 2 Dream cruises we took were in the middle of August and we didn't encounter crowds anywhere.

 

[MomOTwins]

I'm sorry, but there have been numerous reports of limited kids club slots, completely closed teen clubs or a lack of activities when they do open

Yes, our kids time in the kids club was limited compared to prior cruise--they got their one time slot a day and that was it. But we had anticipated that and planned to have DH or I available to stay with the kids while the other parent did an adult-only activity. And there was absolutely no shortage of highly entertaining family-friendly activities outside of the kids club. I actually enjoyed getting to spend a lot more time with kids on the ship--lots of fun family memories. I view that as an improvement, but then, I also really like Disney World trips where we have a lot of family times, and I was always a little sad on the ships when my kids never wanted to spend time with mom and dad because they wanted to be in the club all day.

physical lines to get in pools

This was 100% a massive improvement for me. I'd rather wait 5/10 minutes to get into a pool and have some space to relax and swim than pre-covid times when the pool was kid soup and I was constantly being kicked, elbowed, and splashed by people inches away from me. Plus, if you timed it right, you could alternate between the pools and hot tubs, slide etc. and just hop in line when the whistle sounded for the changeover so that you were never really waiting in line much at all. Or swim at night, when there was never a line. Plus, the wait for the pools was offset by the MUCH shorter waits for the aquaduck and pelican plunge compared to pre-Covid--with the reduced number of guests onboard, those lines were a breeze compared to pre-Covid.

cancelled shows

I gather that has happened twice now, on two consecutive sailings of a single ship, during the peak of the Omicron variant. So hardly a feature of the "onboard experience" since cruising restarted last August. And knowing DCL, they still have plenty of activities going on that don't involve the quarantined stage actors.

inability to watch a movie in the theater if you show up "too late"

That has happened to me pre-Covid too. I've always accepted that being late to a first-come, first-serve activity is a "me" problem and not the cruise line's fault. They had multiple showing of everything so that if you missed one, you could go again another time.

lines to get in the gift shops, limited merchandise

The line moved very quick and was more or less just a slow walk into the store as people are constantly cycling in and out of the stores. In any event, the wait to get in was offset by the shorter wait to check out. The castaway cay shops I would add, never had a wait and seemed to have a LOT of new merch compared to our last cruises. I went a little spend-crazy there!

masks required for onboard photos

Only indoors--can still get professional photos outdoors or take photos yourselves outdoors or indoors at your dinner table without masks. Candidly--DCL photos were never the best quality and always had those silly borders so we never bought them and just used our own phone for pictures. And when we did have masks on, our masked photos as a family look great--they reflect the reality we are living in now, and we always choose some fun disney masks which look super cute in the photos.

no deck parties for Pirate Night and sail away, etc.

My kids LOVED the Mickey/Minnie show the introduced instead of sail away, as well as the extra character appearances in the MDRs. Usually sail away is so crowded we have to lift them up to see anything and it is shoulder-to-shoulder crowds out in the hot sun. And sorry, you're misinformed, there absolutely have been evening deck parties since restart on fireworks night. They are not heavily advertised but they are happening. Most people are still dressing up and treating it as a pirate night even though it is not formally announced as such. And there are other pirate character appearances and activities in the ship.

How can you say the onboard experience hasn't been diminished?

In sum, I honestly think it all sounds so much worse when you see someone else reporting the experience but you really have to experience it yourself before judging. You might not agree with my take on everything above. But I think it is entirely fair and truthful for me to say I did not feel it was diminished. Of course, there were some people who even pre-Covid felt the cruise experience was utterly ruined by the decision to take away pillow-case signing, or pump bottles instead of individual shampoos, or lack of paper navigators, or some other change. Every time Disney changes something, people will freak out. I'm guilty too of some minor freak outs in the past. But it is not all doom and gloom and I think if you go in with an open mind, you'll be pleasantly surprised. I can honestly say, 100%, no doubt in my mind, that our pandemic cruise is the very BEST one we have ever taken.

 

[DLgal]

Yes, our kids time in the kids club was limited compared to prior cruise--they got their one time slot a day and that was it. But we had anticipated that and planned to have DH or I available to stay with the kids while the other parent did an adult-only activity. And there was absolutely no shortage of highly entertaining family-friendly activities outside of the kids club. I actually enjoyed getting to spend a lot more time with kids on the ship--lots of fun family memories. I view that as an improvement, but then, I also really like Disney World trips where we have a lot of family times, and I was always a little sad on the ships when my kids never wanted to spend time with mom and dad because they wanted to be in the club all day.


This was 100% a massive improvement for me. I'd rather wait 5/10 minutes to get into a pool and have some space to relax and swim than pre-covid times when the pool was kid soup and I was constantly being kicked, elbowed, and splashed by people inches away from me. Plus, if you timed it right, you could alternate between the pools and hot tubs, slide etc. and just hop in line when the whistle sounded for the changeover so that you were never really waiting in line much at all. Or swim at night, when there was never a line. Plus, the wait for the pools was offset by the MUCH shorter waits for the aquaduck and pelican plunge compared to pre-Covid--with the reduced number of guests onboard, those lines were a breeze compared to pre-Covid.


I gather that has happened twice now, on two consecutive sailings of a single ship, during the peak of the Omicron variant. So hardly a feature of the "onboard experience" since cruising restarted last August. And knowing DCL, they still have plenty of activities going on that don't involve the quarantined stage actors.


That has happened to me pre-Covid too. I've always accepted that being late to a first-come, first-serve activity is a "me" problem and not the cruise line's fault. They had multiple showing of everything so that if you missed one, you could go again another time.


The line moved very quick and was more or less just a slow walk into the store as people are constantly cycling in and out of the stores. In any event, the wait to get in was offset by the shorter wait to check out. The castaway cay shops I would add, never had a wait and seemed to have a LOT of new merch compared to our last cruises. I went a little spend-crazy there!


Only indoors--can still get professional photos outdoors or take photos yourselves outdoors or indoors at your dinner table without masks. Candidly--DCL photos were never the best quality and always had those silly borders so we never bought them and just used our own phone for pictures. And when we did have masks on, our masked photos as a family look great--they reflect the reality we are living in now, and we always choose some fun disney masks which look super cute in the photos.


My kids LOVED the Mickey/Minnie show the introduced instead of sail away, as well as the extra character appearances in the MDRs. Usually sail away is so crowded we have to lift them up to see anything and it is shoulder-to-shoulder crowds out in the hot sun. And sorry, you're misinformed, there absolutely have been evening deck parties since restart on fireworks night. They are not heavily advertised but they are happening. Most people are still dressing up and treating it as a pirate night even though it is not formally announced as such. And there are other pirate character appearances and activities in the ship.



In sum, I honestly think it all sounds so much worse when you see someone else reporting the experience but you really have to experience it yourself before judging. You might not agree with my take on everything above. But I think it is entirely fair and truthful for me to say I did not feel it was diminished. Of course, there were some people who even pre-Covid felt the cruise experience was utterly ruined by the decision to take away pillow-case signing, or pump bottles instead of individual shampoos, or lack of paper navigators, or some other change. Every time Disney changes something, people will freak out. I'm guilty too of some minor freak outs in the past. But it is not all doom and gloom and I think if you go in with an open mind, you'll be pleasantly surprised. I can honestly say, 100%, no doubt in my mind, that our pandemic cruise is the very BEST one we have ever taken.

Glad it worked out for you, but I am 100% NOT willing to pay DCL prices for what you detailed in this post. It honestly sounds terrible TO ME. I want a cruise where I can do what I want, when I want, and that has EVERY option/amenity available at the time of sailing. I don't want to have to get out of the pool or hot tub at the sound of a whistle, like I'm at jail and yard time is over. No thank you.

 

[diablodancer]

I also just learned flying in from the EU Canada requires that international traveler submit an actual piece of paper with our “quarantine plan”. What the fudge?? Does that mean that I need to book 14 days just in case before my sailing? It’s things like that that are making me now seriously reconsider if this is the right booking for us at this moment.

Yeah, this is the main thing that’s also making me reconsider the Vancouver to Hawai’i sailing. That and not knowing how long the mandatory test on arrival’s results will take to arrive and how many days in advance is need to arrive to account for that (I’ve been to Vancouver numerous times before and, while I like the city, it’s not somewhere I’d prioritise for vacation days atm).

 

[SnowWhite2]

I just got off the Fantasy and I felt I didn't get the value I needed to do another cruise. This was #21 on DCL for us. Not much adult activities unless you want to do trivia all day. Two comedian/jugglers - one wasn't that good and the other we never got into a show. The adult pool area was crowded and it was hard to get a lounger/chair. WD Theater show cancelled on last two nights. Last minute port change when they knew GC wasn't going to be open for months. That change screwed up our beverage tastings which were double booked on the sea day requiring us to decide to do tastings on port day or cancel. Not just one tasting but ALL beverage tastings impacted by the change of sea/port day. Dining room tables were all taken. They were a bit further apart than normal. They required you to put on your mask at dinner if they took your picture. Absolutely ridiculous. You had to keep your mask on to get pictures with characters or at the backdrops. If I can get a FL resident rate with my daughters who live in FL, then it might be worth it.

 

[tvguy]

I am glad we did our DCL cruise. Had a great time. But it for us was a once a lifetime trip because it was so much more expensive that other cruises. Of course, when I took my first cruise in 1980 all cruises were a once in a lifetime event for many folks. DCL and Disney have kind of changed course away from what we expect in vacation. On the cruises our kids had no interest in kids clubs, we had no interest in spa treatments or even using the pool etc. We were too busy doing things we never had time for them. Glad I went to WDW for the first time 5 years ago, but we won't be back. I miss my childhood Disneyland experiences from 1965. I don't get the Star Wars and Marvel stuff.

 

[MomOTwins]

I want a cruise where I can do what I want, when I want, and that has EVERY option/amenity available at the time of sailing.

I have literally never been on a cruise like that! By that standard, pre-Covid I should have been able to ride the aqua duck with zero wait any time I wanted, eat dinner in the MDR whenever I want instead of at a fixed seating time, show up 1 minute before a stage show and sit front and center, eat palo brunch or book a cabana without it selling out to concierge or a higher CC status tier, and so on.

In fact some of the things that meant I could not do what what I wanted when I wanted pre-covid are no longer a problem—no more waiting in the crowded port terminal to board, no more long lines at Cabanas and hunting for a table, no more long boring muster drill, no more waiting in long lines for characterd, no more having to show up super early for fireworks to have a decent view, no more “lounger wars” on the pool deck trying to get somewhere to sit or guarding your spot when you need to step away for a second so that people don’t dump stuff on the floor, no more searching the theater for an open spot only to be told every open seat is being saved.

If you only focus on what has changed, of course it sounds bad. But it’s not accurate to day there was no waiting or constraints on what you could do before covid. And when I think about our cruise it is remarkable how much wonderful entertainment, activities, top-notch food and service, and amenities we enjoyed in just 3 days.

 

[DLgal]

I have literally never been on a cruise like that! By that standard, pre-Covid I should have been able to ride the aqua duck with zero wait any time I wanted, eat dinner in the MDR whenever I want instead of at a fixed seating time, show up 1 minute before a stage show and sit front and center, eat palo brunch or book a cabana without it selling out to concierge or a higher CC status tier, and so on.

In fact some of the things that meant I could not do what what I wanted when I wanted pre-covid are no longer a problem—no more waiting in the crowded port terminal to board, no more long lines at Cabanas and hunting for a table, no more long boring muster drill, no more waiting in long lines for characterd, no more having to show up super early for fireworks to have a decent view, no more “lounger wars” on the pool deck trying to get somewhere to sit or guarding your spot when you need to step away for a second so that people don’t dump stuff on the floor, no more searching the theater for an open spot only to be told every open seat is being saved.

If you only focus on what has changed, of course it sounds bad. But it’s not accurate to day there was no waiting or constraints on what you could do before covid. And when I think about our cruise it is remarkable how much wonderful entertainment, activities, top-notch food and service, and amenities we enjoyed in just 3 days.

I didn't say anything about not ever waiting or having instant access to everything. I'm not sure why you feel compelled to disagree with me on this point. If you would like to fund a DCL cruise for me to prove your point, I'll take it. But I'm not spending MY precious vacation funds on the experience currently. being offered. I'll just wait until it's back to normal.

And FWIW, I never experienced ANY of those things you mention on my previous cruises. We never had an issue getting a chair, finding space in the pool or hot tub, riding the aquaduck with minimal waits, showing up at the last minute and getting theater seats, never had to hunt for a table or wait in long lines at Cabanas, never had a problem finding space on the beach at Castaway Cay, etc. We sighed up for tastings and spa appointments after boarding, didn't ever wait more than 30 minutes to board, made Palo reservations after boarding, changed our dining to early dinner and got a private table 2/2 times, etc. Our cruises were quite enjoyable, even on "full" Dream sailings in the middle of summer. So, it sounds to me like you haven't had good experiences on your pre pandemic cruises because that all sounds terrible.

 

[MomOTwins]

I didn't say anything about not ever waiting or having instant access to everything. I'm not sure why you feel compelled to disagree with me on this point. If you would like to fund a DCL cruise for me to prove your point, I'll take it. But I'm not spending MY precious vacation funds on the experience currently. being offered. I'll just wait until it's back to normal.

And FWIW, I never experienced ANY of those things you mention on my previous cruises. We never had an issue getting a chair, finding space in the pool or hot tub, riding the aquaduck with minimal waits, showing up at the last minute and getting theater seats, never had to hunt for a table or wait in long lines at Cabanas, never had a problem finding space on the beach at Castaway Cay, etc. We sighed up for tastings and spa appointments after boarding, didn't ever wait more than 30 minutes to board, made Palo reservations after boarding, changed our dining to early dinner and got a private table 2/2 times, etc. Our cruises were quite enjoyable, even on "full" Dream sailings in the middle of summer. So, it sounds to me like you haven't had good experiences on your pre pandemic cruises because that all sounds terrible.

So I read "what I want, when I want it" as exactly that, particularly as most of the changes you complained about were about minor inconveniences like waiting a few minutes to enter a shop or the pool, or showing up a little early for shows.

I really don't know what to say about the second half. Not sure if you are just ridiculously lucky or have rose tinted goggles remembering, but pre-Covid, long lines for the aquaduck, difficulty finding seats for loungers, chaos at Cabanas, and seat saving at stage shows were all extremely frequent complaints on these boards and something I experienced literally every cruise.

 

[DLgal]

So I read "what I want, when I want it" as exactly that, particularly as most of the changes you complained about were about minor inconveniences like waiting a few minutes to enter a shop or the pool, or showing up a little early for shows.

I really don't know what to say about the second half. Not sure if you are just ridiculously lucky or have rose tinted goggles remembering, but pre-Covid, long lines for the aquaduck, difficulty finding seats for loungers, chaos at Cabanas, and seat saving at stage shows were all extremely frequent complaints on these boards and something I experienced literally every cruise.

All I meant was that everything was open and operating as normal. No restrictions on kids Club access, no time limits on pool, no capacity limits at shows, etc.

And I am definitely not remembering my cruises via rose colored glasses, but it has been a long time, since 2013. Maybe cruising on DCL has become that much worse since then or passengers have just become that much more insufferable, but we definitely never had any of those issues on either of our DCL cruises. At no point would I ever describe any parts of our cruises (two 5 day double dips) to be "chaotic." Maybe I'm just not that dramatic.

 

[sethschroeder]

DCL is only 75% magical right now

75% on an offering that is 25% overpriced though especially now when you see the markdowns on these cruises.

consider that Walt Disney World might only be 50% magical right now

I don't think that is fair at all. Pretty much 95% of all things is up and running at WDW right now. It costs more for sure but I don't think WDW is less magical it just costs more and has changed as a product. Also with WDW you have like a 0% chance of being quarantined in a room and losing out on your vacation. As the OP said going out of Canada as an example (and like all their Alaska cruises) is a huge hurdle of planning currently with lots of potential pitfalls.

For us, those things were offset by a massive benefit - low crowds. It was great.

Which is not guaranteed and is likely not the case on the OPs cruise either. If Disney guaranteed 50% or 60% or 40% capacity I would possibly buy the argument except when you book last minute. Example we went in December on DCL Wonder and we knew going in to the cruise (booked 6 days out) that it would be fairly empty.

 

[sethschroeder]

Yeah, this is the main thing that’s also making me reconsider the Vancouver to Hawai’i sailing.

I was trying hard to figure out a way to cruise to Alaska out of Vancouver but their rules are so crazy restrictive. They can choose to do whatever they want as a country but it makes it impossible to rely on.

Also its not that you land in Vancouver, get randomly selected for testing, you test positive, and they send you in a car back home. You are now stuck in Canada under their laws, needing to meet their requirements (which could always change), before they will let you leave the country. So its a larger risk than Seattle where you could have a car rental booked and then just drive home (even if it was 1000+ miles).

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I don't think that is fair at all. Pretty much 95% of all things is up and running at WDW right now. It costs more for sure but I don't think WDW is less magical it just costs more and has changed as a product. Also with WDW you have like a 0% chance of being quarantined in a room and losing out on your vacation. As the OP said going out of Canada as an example (and like all their Alaska cruises) is a huge hurdle of planning currently with lots of potential pitfalls.

WDW *attractions* are primarily up and running. WDW *service* is in the pits. The cast members are plenty friendly and they're doing the best they can, but there simply aren't enough of them. At WDW, you're *very* lucky to get a fresh towel one time in a week-long stay. On DCL, you'll get fresh towels every hour if you want them. The stateroom and dining service on the ships is as good as it's ever been.

 

[sethschroeder]

At WDW, you're *very* lucky to get a fresh towel one time in a week-long stay.

Maybe you have different expectations then. Staying DVC you are not expecting fresh towels daily so I can't say I will miss that and even traveling for work I always put the DND when I arrived and took it off when I left. Never have had an issue with housekeeping but there starting on Friday so maybe things have changed a bunch from earlier in 2021.

Like I said though WDW is not fully up to snuff but its in a better spot than DCL if you are paying "full inflated price" for the offering. Also DCL is much more likely to get "better" in the long term where as WDW is not really going to be getting "better" likely.

The stateroom and dining service on the ships is as good as it's ever been.

Yes but its only part of the full experience. You essentially described a hotel in those two things. For longer cruises to be missing 50% of the entertainment in the evening, missing kids options (nursey closed or limited kids club booking), and the higher likelihood of missing ports (at the current time) all adds up to a reduction of the offering.

Now there are lower crowds on ships but thing is you can't count on that. If I could book a June cruise and it was locked to 50% capacity then no issue but that isn't something you can do.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

You essentially described a hotel in those two things.

Right, that's kind of my point. The ships right now are better hotels than Disney's ACTUAL hotels. That's a problem.

For longer cruises to be missing 50% of the entertainment in the evening, missing kids options (nursey closed or limited kids club booking), and the higher likelihood of missing ports (at the current time) all adds up to a reduction of the offering.

I was just on the Magic in December, and while there were certainly modifications to the schedule, there was never a time when there wasn't a full menu of stuff to choose from. I suppose if your normal schedule is to watch a different show in the main theater every single night, you would notice something missing, but that's never been my expectation.

For kids stuff, the nursery was never part of the fare, so it's not really a cut as far as I'm concerned. It's a for-purchase service, so it's not like something that used to be included and now isn't. And there's no limitation on kids club booking in practice. The ships are so low capacity, that you never have a problem. You could schedule your kid back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back if you wanted to.

 

[sethschroeder]

Right, that's kind of my point. The ships right now are better hotels than Disney's ACTUAL hotels. That's a problem.

Except I don't go to WDW for the hotels.... and I don't expect the same service either by a long shot. You have a stateroom attendant assigned to your room, that works 12 hours a day, and works primarily on tips. You are not getting that at WDW where its about just having a clean room with nice grounds.

wasn't a full menu of stuff to choose from

Except again things are absolutely missing. Its like saying at WDW they close Epcot and Animal Kingdom but you still have a full schedule of things to choose from.

different show in the main theater every single night, you would notice something missing, but that's never been my expectation

Except that is one of the many primary draws to Disney. Its main entertainment that you can do with kids (or just as a couple) on the cruise. Its also the biggest entertainment piece of the day. So your expectation can be different but its a fairly significant loss. Its like WDW shutting down half the rollercoasters.

the nursery was never part of the fare

But its gone.... So its a loss from the cruise and is impactful to those with little kids. So we went with a child who was just shy of 3 in December knowing what to expect but we went because the sail date was substantially discounted last minute.

And there's no limitation on kids club booking in practice. The ships are so low capacity, that you never have a problem. You could schedule your kid back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back if you wanted to.

Except people have had issues from what I have read and there is 0% guarantee that come 2 months or 6 months from now more people are not cruising but they still have limitations on the kids club.

 

[Girl of the South]

I took Amtrak from Chicago to Seattle pre-pandemic and it was a lot of fun. I was by myself so just had a roomette . . . . food was decent, view was awesome. So much fun sleeping on the train. If I were to do it again I might splurge and get the bedroom. I didn't try the shower which was on the lower floor - kind of worried about falling (have a bad knee). It was so relaxing. My family took a train across country when I was a kid - I was maybe 7 years old? What a memory. You can check out the room numbers online and request one that you want if you aren't assigned one you like. Try to get the upper floor. I guess with the bedrooms (with toilet and shower) there are fewer to choose from. Do bring snacks. Wifi was mostly decent. Happy 'training'!

 

[MomOTwins]

Except that is one of the many primary draws to Disney. Its main entertainment that you can do with kids (or just as a couple) on the cruise. Its also the biggest entertainment piece of the day. So your expectation can be different but its a fairly significant loss. Its like WDW shutting down half the rollercoasters.

Nowhere near half of the entertainment on the cruise ships is closed. Missing an evening show is not like missing half the rides in a park because that is not even something you can do during the day—it is just one hour of your day in the evening. You wouldn’t say Hollywood Studios is half closed because its main evening show, Fantasmic, isn’t happening. You can focus on what’s missing or you can look at what’s there!
—All rotational dining including dinner shows
—All quick service dining as well as both buffet and a la carte breakfast and lunc
—All lounges, with live music in at least one lounge every evening
—Multiple stage shows (except on one ship for two cruises when actors were quarantined)
—Character meet and greets
—All pools, splash pads, slides, mini golf anf sports deck
—Kids clubs for all ages 3 and up open with exception of one ship for a couple of weeks with a quarantine.
—Game shows
—Trivia
—Drink tastings
—Bingo
—Princess tea
—Bippety Boppity Boutique
—Arts and Crafts
—Deck dance parties
—Fireworks at sea
—All shops open
—Movies all day in funnel vision and multiple new movies in theater
—24 hour Room service
—Full housekeeping including turn down service
—Full service spa
—Castaway Cay amenities more or less identical to pre-Covid except refuced Scuttles Cove hours

I just refuse to accept that all of that is “terrible” compared to what was available before.

All I meant was that everything was open and operating as normal. No restrictions on kids Club access, no time limits on pool, no capacity limits at shows, etc.

And I am definitely not remembering my cruises via rose colored glasses, but it has been a long time, since 2013. Maybe cruising on DCL has become that much worse since then or passengers have just become that much more insufferable, but we definitely never had any of those issues on either of our DCL cruises. At no point would I ever describe any parts of our cruises (two 5 day double dips) to be "chaotic." Maybe I'm just not that dramatic.

I never sailed in 2013 but maybe the veteran cruisers can fill in the gaps. I will say it certainly sounds like a lot changed if you didn’t experience some pretty intense crowds in the terminal at embarkation, sailaway pirate party, lines for aquaduck, and family pools. Maybe DCL got more popular. It’s ballooning prices would certainly seem to indicate that.

 

[DCLMP]

All I meant was that everything was open and operating as normal. No restrictions on kids Club access, no time limits on pool, no capacity limits at shows, etc.

And I am definitely not remembering my cruises via rose colored glasses, but it has been a long time, since 2013. Maybe cruising on DCL has become that much worse since then or passengers have just become that much more insufferable, but we definitely never had any of those issues on either of our DCL cruises. At no point would I ever describe any parts of our cruises (two 5 day double dips) to be "chaotic." Maybe I'm just not that dramatic.

I think your memory is spot on. I've cruised DCL 26 times between 2010 and 2021 on just about every itinerary they offer and I agree with you. I've never had a chaotic cruise or a bad experience.

 

[sethschroeder]

Nowhere near half of the entertainment on the cruise ships is closed.

They are doing 2 shows on 4 nights and 3 shows on 7 nights.

That is half the primary entertainment in additon to all deck parties gone.

Some of the main aspects (kids club/nursery) of cruising with Disney are impacted thus the value is impacted.

You can focus on what’s missing or you can look at what’s there!

That's fine but I was just on a cruise so I am just outlining the main things seem to be lessened. Things like trivia and bingo are nice but is not substantially different (although Disney themed which is nice).

I don't think anyone is saying DCL stinks it's simply that for a premium price some want to think twice. I am perfectly fine going if there is a discount though.

I would absolutely go on another DCL cruise no issues. I just wouldnt pay non-pandemic style pricing for DCL right now. Especially when I see cruises in June or July running $10k-12k for a single verandah for a 7 night in comparison to some the suite level service you can get elsewhere for around the same price.