Following my last thread to tide us through these times, tell me about your first cruise

[TiggerBouncy]

I want to know when you had, where you had it. I want to know about the great service you received. I want to know about the fun people you met. I want to know your VERY FIRST IMPRESSIONS. If you have never been on a DCL cruise, ask us your questions, of tell me what you are looking forward to!

My FIRST DCL Cruise was on the Fantasy's 3rd sailing (her first eastern cruise). We wanted the itinerary which is why we were not on the first sailing. It was also our honeymoon cruise. I am afraid I overdid it on the flowers, LOL. I went online to the DCL shopping page and ordered a couple of different flowers. They over-filled out room! Our hostess was Air. She was terrific - we saw her every day, and she always took the time to talk to us, ask about our plans. She did not have a lot of suggestions to offer since the ship and itinerary were new, but she always listened. She seemed to know when we were leaving, and would always be around and cleaned when we were gone. We gave her some of our roses to keep in her cabin.

I can still remember walking on the ship for the first time. Although I have been on cruises before, I had never been on one where they announced the party. That was so much fun! Seeing the chandelier in the Fantasy was just jaw-dropping. I had never seen anything so elegant in person before. I wanted to know everything there was to know about the ship. I took the tour and it was a lot of fun.

Our table mates became good friends and we still keep in touch, although we have never managed to plan another cruise (it's funny - we almost always miss each other by a week or sometimes a day). However, we all changed our shore excursions so we could take them together (how fun!).

Probably my favorite memory from that cruise though was just sitting in Quiet Cove pool (the part with the wood benches) and talking with some of the other adults while a DCL Crew member would circle around and refresh our drinks. I felt like some rich snob at a club with a private waiter - even if only for a few days! Not the life I would normally live (I have trouble letting people bring me things - I am generally the one who gets up and grabs things for others).

Oh, and those things hanging from doors.... So cool and what was that all about? It took me almost a year before I learned about FE's! (and then I just had to do them on my next cruise).

Tell me about your first cruise. It can be any memory!

 

[mmouse37]

As I mentioned in your other thread our first cruise was DCL's MV of the Magic back on July 30, 1998. It was wonderful though there were some incidents we will never forget!! One was our dinner mate. We were a group of 7 and were seated at an 8 top for dinner. As we were approaching our table I noticed someone with Mickey ears already seated at our table. I was excited as I figured this person was also a real Disney fan. As we get to the table we notice that the man was dressed in ragged cut offs and a stained muscle type sleeveless white t-shirt. We also noticed that he was in a wheelchair. Ok, so maybe his luggage didn't make to his room before dinner. No big deal. Well, it turns out this gentleman definitely had some mental issues. His behavior as soon as we sat down turned bizarre. He started taking the roll off our 9 year old daughter's plate and took a bite then wanted to put it back, he started massaging our friend's back very seductively and she asked him to stop but the weird behavior continued, even after calling out such behavior. Then he would zone in and out making rude comments. We tried to be respectful as his obviously had issue but it became too much. Our serving team was apologetic but I am sure they didn't want to be rude to person who was clearly not all there.

My husband went to talk to the head server about his behavior and he was very apologetic. We could not imagine continuing dinner that way or for the next 3 nights with this passenger. Head server came over and spoke to the man and he was getting angry and he finally wheeled himself out of the dining room. Next night as we entered the dining room the man was sitting by himself at a table and didn't even recognize us when we walked by. We could not understand how he was traveling alone. The server told us that he was acting the same way during lunch service and made the female server cry from things he said to her. During the cruise we saw him continually ask younger looking women to push him in his wheelchair. It was just crazy. Picture Lt. Dan from Forrest Gump.

Another incident was at the hot tube by the family pool. As we were walking by we noticed that an excessive amount of foam/suds were coming up out of the hot tub. We watched this foam spreading onto the deck and ran to get a CM as people were slipping. Turns out someone thought it would be funny to put a box of laundry detergent into the hot tub. CM's came over and were just shaking their heads.

Even after all that we still had a great time and were forever hooked on DCL. I also want to note that in the beginning of DCL there was no cruise director and not many organized activities at all. Nothing like it is now. It was more of a find your own type of fun. DCL soon realized they did need a Cruise Director to help build an activities program and to MC.






MJ

 

[JM_97]

4 night Bahamas on the Disney Wonder from Port Canaveral:

- Having them announce our name as we walked on was awesome. It really did feel like a red carpet experience. Other lines don't do this, which is perfectly fine, but with Disney it's an extra touch that really sets the mood for the whole cruise.

- Service was excellent all around. We had two great servers, but I can't remember their names. Was it pure luxury? No, but they still went above and beyond of what we expected them to do. They were so friendly and eventually knew what our favorite drinks were so by the end we didn't even have to ask. We had some great conversations about our favorite things in Nassau and Castaway Cay. One night I said I didn't want dessert and they still brought me a Mickey Bar. They made the trip even better and it's always stuck out to me. Elsewhere on the ship, it was even better. No request was a problem and it was done quickly and effectively. Only saw the cabin steward once but he was very polite. We told him how we wanted to sleeping arrangements and everything worked out perfectly.

- One of my favorite memories is walking from the basketball courts as the sun was setting on a sea day. Music playing in the background, everything was sparkling clean and it was just an amazing sight. That whole sea day might have been the best day of the trip. We just kind of went with the flow and it was such a relaxing day. Castaway Cay was awesome too but this made me realize how sea days are my favorite. You really get the know the ship, and the Wonder was (and I'm sure is!) an awesome vessel. Maybe one day we can sail on her again.

- I loved Pirate Night! It was so festive and there was so much going on! From the food to the fireworks to all the costumes, it was just a fun night. I loved the fact that on this trip Pirate Night led up to a sea day.

- Golden Mickeys was my favorite show! Exceptional performances and I loved how when you walked up to the WD Theatre you are treated like a "celebrity" arriving at the Emmys or Golden Globe Awards.

- The worst part about the trip was that it was too short. To me, a 4 night vacation on land is plenty but it flew by way too fast on a cruise

 

[TiggerBouncy]

As I mentioned in your other thread our first cruise was DCL's MV of the Magic back on July 30, 1998. It was wonderful though there were some incidents we will never forget!! One was our dinner mate. We were a group of 7 and were seated at an 8 top for dinner. As we were approaching our table I noticed someone with Mickey ears already seated at our table. I was excited as I figured this person was also a real Disney fan. As we get to the table we notice that the man was dressed in ragged cut offs and a stained muscle type sleeveless white t-shirt. We also noticed that he was in a wheelchair. Ok, so maybe his luggage didn't make to his room before dinner. No big deal. Well, it turns out this gentleman definitely had some mental issues. His behavior as soon as we sat down turned bizarre. He started taking the roll off our 9 year old daughter's plate and took a bite then wanted to put it back, he started massaging our friend's back very seductively and she asked him to stop but the weird behavior continued, even after calling out such behavior. Then he would zone in and out making rude comments. We tried to be respectful as his obviously had issue but it became too much. Our serving team was apologetic but I am sure they didn't want to be rude to person who was clearly not all there.

My husband went to talk to the head server about his behavior and he was very apologetic. We could not imagine continuing dinner that way or for the next 3 nights with this passenger. Head server came over and spoke to the man and he was getting angry and he finally wheeled himself out of the dining room. Next night as we entered the dining room the man was sitting by himself at a table and didn't even recognize us when we walked by. We could not understand how he was traveling alone. The server told us that he was acting the same way during lunch service and made the female server cry from things he said to her. During the cruise we saw him continually ask younger looking women to push him in his wheelchair. It was just crazy. Picture Lt. Dan from Forrest Gump.

Another incident was at the hot tube by the family pool. As we were walking by we noticed that an excessive amount of foam/suds were coming up out of the hot tub. We watched this foam spreading onto the deck and ran to get a CM as people were slipping. Turns out someone thought it would be funny to put a box of laundry detergent into the hot tub. CM's came over and were just shaking their heads.

Even after all that we still had a great time and were forever hooked on DCL. I also want to note that in the beginning of DCL there was no cruise director and not many organized activities at all. Nothing like it is now. It was more of a find your own type of fun. DCL soon realized they did need a Cruise Director to help build an activities program and to MC.

Wow! So sorry to hear about the experience with the person in the wheelchair. On one of my cruises (not my first) there was a gentleman who definitely had mental health issues. However, he was not travelling alone - his brother was with him. Although not a table mate, he was hanging out in Quiet Cove.... only he was not so quiet. He would constantly shout and sometimes he would shout inappropriate things. His brother was attempting to keep him calm. The crew didn't really know what to do about it and I think everyone just kinda gave them a wide berth. There are not really good solutions I think for these situations.

Had another cruise (3 days) where I never ever saw my dinner mates. We had one (or it was another couple), but they literally never showed up for any meal. Out waiter never met them or saw them. We are guessing them must have booked Palo and Remy or just choose to eat in their cabin.

And that's crazy about the hot tub! I guess it was at least clean / disinfected!

 

[CmdrThor]

It was cancelled on Monday.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Tell me about your first cruise. It can be any memory!

First cruise - this was the first time we'd cruised, ever. We booked a 15 night Panama Canal on DCL. Almost immediately, people were saying "You're taking a 15 night cruise for your first cruise!?". That made us a little nervous. Apparently most people start with 3 or 4 nighters to be sure they're going to like it.

Anyway, we're pretty much "we'll take it as it comes" people, very adaptable.

Walking up the gangway on embarkation day, I grabbed my husband's arm and shrieked "WE'RE GOING ON A SHIP!" I was hooked before I even got on the ship.

We lucked out and snagged a Palo reservation about a week before the cruise, so we had a great, fancy night out. Loved the shows onboard. Loved the sea days. Loved seeing the Panama Canal. It was everything I expected from cruising - great service, good food, and friendly people.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I remember being surprised that my normally shy tween took to the Edge right away and even made friends that he still hears from occasionally (3 years later). But my normally outgoing teen had to be tricked into going to the Vibe. "Just take a walk with me. Oh look, there's the door to the Vibe. Just stick your head in and tell me what it's like, because mom can't go in there. Yes, I'll wait." A minute later he came out with a smile and said he'd made a friend and he'd be back later.

I remember the 11pm screening of Beauty and the Beast for it's Prem-Ear. That was nice. We actually got to see it twice.

It was a SWDAS cruise. I remember being in an atrium elevator, tucked over to the side when one of the characters shooed people off. His friend didn't realize I was there. They were just about to drop their act when I smiled and just asked how their day was. I think he was grateful I got off on the next floor with nothing more than a "have a nice day".

I remember that my family had a great time, even though they'd previously spent the last year teasing me about signing them up for a Disney cruise. They were so happy to find out they could go on another one the next year, because I bought a placeholder without telling anyone.

 

[Lilsia]

My oldest daughter and I went on the Wonder for a 3 night cruise when she was 4. It was our first ever cruise and we fell in love with Disney cruising. We won the final jackpot bingo. $1800, which paid for our cruise.

 

[bobbiwoz]

First DCL Cruise. We bought a resale DVC contract that had banked points and because of work schedule we couldn’t use them for a trip to WDW, but I got the idea that if I added a few points, we could do a 3 night DCL Cruise on the Wonder for DH’s 60th birthday. We had a great time, it was in an inside cabin and a lot of fun. Last November we did our 30something DCL Cruise for DH’s 75th birthday! We have sailed with family, friends and just the two of us. We enjoy DCL a lot!

Troy, our cabin steward decorated our cabin!

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Our first DCL cruise was in January of 2009, a 7 night on the Magic. We totally enjoyed the ship and cruise. The very first cruise we ever took was on Celebrity and our luggage never arrived (from the airlines). That cruise was miserable filling out forms and getting the run-a-round on where our luggage would meet up with us (we finally found it in the holding area at our home airport, it was never forwarded by the airlines). So the DCL cruise was relaxing, fun, and a great experience. Hopefully, #11 will be in January 2021.

 

[oufpat]

First Disney Cruise and first time to Europe was the Mediterranean on the Magic September 2017. We are two Disney loving young seniors and the only way to get DH to Europe was to have Mickey drive the ship. We loved it so much we brought our 2 daughters and 5 grandkids on the Magic out of Miami April 2019 and they also loved it!

 

[auntlynne]

Wonder, 3-night Bahamas, April 2007. Two nieces, ages 14 & 16.

I found the cruise at a good price on a discount website, about 3 weeks before sailing. (Around $400 for the cabin). My DS, her 4 DD and I had done their first family trip to WDW 2 years prior; my sister said that I could only take them on Disney if we were going to sail.

I did no research. I expected that Disney quality seen at WDW and was not let down.

We had a secret porthole on Deck 5, with minimal blockage of the window. Double bathroom. Not a bad way to start. The location is one of my favorites - close to the Buena Vista Theatre, a Public restroom nearby, front elevators, and very low traffic. The only downside was a well-used crew door across the hall.

I had not discovered my sea legs yet (that would take several cruises), and only made it partway through second seating dinner the first night before giving up and going back to the cabin. We were in Parrot Cay and I really wanted the creme brûlée cheesecake; I think the girls brought it to me.

Loved the production shows, the movies, and the opportunity to allow the girls to do what they wanted in the confines of a floating hotel. We all enjoyed the classic styling of this and all DCL ships. It is not wasted on these kids. (Years later, the then-14 yo and I visited the Chihuly museum in Seattle. We really enjoyed the his chandeliers Onboard).

It was a discovery vacation, learning the ship, playing on Castaway Cay, and then, boom, it was over -

Until that September, for a 4 nighter.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

April 2008~ Dianey Wonder. 3 night. We had spent 4 days at the Polynesian pre-cruise, so with two little ones we were already exhausted when we got on the ship. LOL The kids were nervous about the lifeboat drill. Back then you still had to wear your life jacket up on deck. We had a great time. Tried to do everything as first timers often do. That has changed. We are now less is more. Getting into Castaway was a challenge that cruise with multiple tries and finally success around 10am, which resulted in a mad dash for beach time (esp. on a 3 day cruise). Anyway, we get off the ship and my husband sees the captain. Walks straight up to him to shake his hand and thank him for docking. I think they were a bit taken aback, maybe thinking he was going to be mad about a late docking? But, once he realized his intent, there were smiles all around and this picture. I will never forget that day or this cruise. Now an addiction! Fun thread!

 

[Lizzards]

Our first cruise was on the Fantasy June 2015, Eastern Caribbean. We always stayed club level at the parks, so we sailed concierge for our first cruise. We went with family friends. There were 8 of us all together and had the most memorable trip of a lifetime. Cabana on Castaway Cay! Exceptional Dining Service where the server created coffee ice cream for us! The concierge hosts were fantastic. The service all over the ship was amazing. We were hooked and have sailed 9 times since then. I will always treasure the memories of that first cruise...stepping onto the Fantasy and being swept away into a vacation world...an escape from reality...real rest and relaxation...laughter...fun. Priceless!

 

[lundve]

As I replied on your earlier post, our first cruise was a MEMORABLE one. From the prior post:

AUGUST 28, 2004
“Cruise #1 (First time of the Disney Magic) Getting stuck on the ship when our 7 night Western turned into a 10 night thanks to Hurricane Frances - I gained 20 lbs because I was pregnant with our first child and fully indulged in eating for 2”

It was just supposed to be a normal 7 night Western Cruise. It sailed Saturday to Saturday and I was going to use the weekend we returned to rest up. I was a teacher and needed to be back for the professional development meetings on Tuesday and the first day of school on Wednesday.

We boarded, ate lunch, unpacked and explored. We were told during the muster drill, that there was a possibility of hurricane hitting Castaway Cay later in the week. Instead of stopping there on the last day of our trip, we would be going there first. It was officially recorded on the the following day’s navigator.


Also, the port of Key West, which had been the first stop, was replaced by Costa Maya at the end of the week - I believe, a port, at that time the Disney Cruise Line did not frequent.

Other than constant weather and itinerary updates by Captain Tom and cruise director Brent, the cruise itself felt pretty normal. The dining, activities and excursions were top notch. The weather was perfect. We were so young - and I was barely out of my first trimester with our first child who is now 15 and half.



Towards what was supposed to be the end of the cruise, we received this note in our stateroom.



We were off to Galveston. The ship need a fuel, and they were running dangerously low on certain types of food. Several kinds of fruit were completely unavailable, the buffet kinda resembled a leftover feast and there was a limited amount of milk, because the pastry chefs were hoarding it for desserts. If you’ve never had the opportunity to travel in the Gulf Stream, towards Texas, at nearly 25 knots, while pregnant - you do not know what you’re missing. It truly was the only time I felt seasick.

What’s not stated in that article above is that people who needed to get back to their lives were allowed to disembark in Galveston and fly home from there. We chose to stay onboard.

As we got closer to Florida, and the storm had passed, Disney Cruise Line was in a holding pattern with several other ships. They were then notified that the channel markers had possibly moved and that we would not be allowed to disembark at Port Canaveral but instead would be getting off the ship in Fort Lauderdale. We ended up docking right behind the Disney Wonder which had also been stranded without a port. Lesson learned from this - Buy travel insurance especially if you buy your own flights. We had used a dinky little discount airline out of Albany, New York. They were not helpful or able to get us home quickly. This was Tuesday, I had already missed the first day of school - a teacher workday. We ended up purchasing a flight leaving Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday afternoon onboard at the Internet Cafe, to Hartford, Connecticut. Then we rented a car and drove back to Albany to get our car, so that I could be to work on Wednesday morning (Untenured teacher here!) It was an adventure. We were only out about an extra $500, but still it would be nice to have that been a covered expense. Those with insurance and who bought their flights through DCL were assisted by travel agents that have been flown into Grand Cayman and then boarded to help out.



Below are all of the navigators for this trip, I love that we got new ones for the additional days, made up by the crew staff each night and printed fresh. Since Monday, was so crazy and they were unsure if we’d still be onboard, we received half day navigators on single sheets of paper that day.



We were celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary and the upcoming role of being parents. It was memorable and something that we will always remember. And, we would not hesitate to sail during hurricane season again. We were safe, and it didn’t cost us any extra money for a longer vacation. More Mickey = More fun!

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Dec. 2000: 4- Night Wonder for our anniversary

My husband and I left the kids (4yo, 2yo and 10 months old) with my sister, and as soon as we stepped on the ship regretted it. We had an ocean view stateroom on deck 5. My favorite memory of that cruise was, due to a late pick up from the WDW resorts, we didn't get on the ship until after 3PM. They had told us that the lunch buffet had closed so they could get ready for dinner, but there was food available on the 9th deck. We checked out our stateroom and then went to deck 9 to people watch. My husband was watching everyone walk by with plates of food, and I could tell he was hungry. I kept asking him if he was hungry, and he replied "I'm fine." My husband is a penny-pincher. It didn't take me long to realize that although he knew meals were included on a cruise, he may be thinking in-between food is to be paid for. He was sitting there figuring, if we were going to eat in a few hours, he wasn't going to spend money for a cheeseburger. When I told him ALL food was free on a cruise, he was up like a shot and back in a flash with a cheeseburger and fries, and a big ole smile.

We loved that we could go to a late movie and just walk down the hall to our room at 1AM. No getting into a freezing cold car to drive home.

Another favorite memory from that cruise, on the 1st full day, I believe it was Nassua, we were in the elevator heading to dinner. A family (mom, dad, 2 kids) gets in and the kids are whining. They want to know why they had to come out of the kids club. Mom was explaining to them that she had not seen them all day and she missed them, and didn't they want to eat dinner as a family? The kids just asked if they could go back after dinner. They mom looked at me with pleading eyes. I just shrugged, like "hey, my kids are at home." LOL It would take 4 years for us to go on our 2nd cruise, this time WITH the kids, and my kids played it exactly like that couples kids. They did not want to come out of the kids club for dinner either.

My all time favorite part of that cruise and all future cruises? The turn down service.

 

[KKKKCS]

August 2008 7 night Mexican Riviera out of Long Beach. A group of friends, over dinner, talked about the Magic doing west coast cruises in the coming summer. Having never been on a cruise before, and loving Disney, we all decided to give it a try. All the families except ours backed out. We booked a category 4 verandah room (family of 5) and had a great time!!! It was the start of my wife's Disney pin collecting obsession, and the first of 13 Disney cruises so far (number 14 booked for October).

Highlights of the trip were what we call, "The Funnest Day Ever!" which was zip lining in Puerto Vallarta, meeting and befriending many cast members from all over the world, and watching the kids "suffer through breakfast with mom and dad" before escaping to the kids clubs.

The real gem of the cruise though happened because my wife and I were bored before dinner one afternoon and decided to go see what this DVC thing we kept seeing in the navigator was. We sat through the presentation and were very impressed, but "we're just not time share people don't you know." We went up to the pool afterwards and got a couple of umbrella drinks and got to talking about what we had heard, and came to 2 realizations. One, for the cost of 2 1/2 of the cruise we were on, we could have a guaranteed vacation for the next 50 years. And two, more importantly, this was the first real family vacation we had been on in 7 years, and that needed to change. We finished our drinks and marched down to the DVC desk and requested a booking time. We bought 360 Kidani points the next morning and have never looked back. We now have 540 points and have had some of the most amazing vacations. My favorite thing about our DVC is being able to share our good fortune with our family and friends. We provide the accommodations, you just have to get there. SO MANY great memories made over the past 12 years. And it all started with a little "Magic"

 

[Henlady]

Our first cruise ever was 4 nights on the Wonder, October 2005 with Hurricane Wilma. We left port quickly and the captain assured us that he would find a nice calm sunny spot for the ship and our first day would be at sea instead of Nassau. Well, Wilma had other ideas and we couldn’t get away from her and the seas were very rough. My first day of cruising was pretty bad and I couldn’t get out of bed I was so sea sick. DH went to dinner alone. The head server very kindly called the room to see what I might like to eat for dinner and sent it right up. The rest of the cruise was great. We have #13 booked on DCL for this November.

 

[CamColt]

Great Thread!

My first Disney Cruise, was in October of 2000, 3 nights on the Wonder as part of a Land/Sea package. It was with my family of 4, my sister's family and our parents. I had only been on 1 cruise before that, 5 years earlier on the Big Red Boat. I have to admit I didn't know too much going in, although my sister had found these boards a couple months beforehand so this is where we got most of our info. I remember signing on just to ask 1 question....and I became the addict!

We had a great time, with the exception of my then 3 year old being a bit difficult (I swore I'd never take him anywhere again...ha, that was a lie), and of course 3 nights was way too quick. I still remember our server, Iggy. He was great with my 8 month old, even carrying him around the restaurant at dinner.

Our first night was very rocky, to the point people were leaving dinner left and right and hardly anyone was left by dessert time. There was also lots of "cleaning up" around the ship that night. I remember seeing Voyage of the Ghost Ship, and Disney Dreams on that cruise. We stayed on board at Nassau and of course were in awe of our first visit to Castaway Cay.

As for meeting people, I had my first Dis meeting on the last night of that cruise. We had read here that at a certain time the Wonder and the Magic pass each other in the night. That was 1 thing we wanted to see and we did end up going outside and seeing the Magic off in the distance. A family from England was also there and we figured out they were the people we had talked to here on the Dis, I believe their board name was the Crow Birds. Not sure what happened to them but I do remember them. And at the time I never could have imagine all the Disers I would end up meeting, and really becoming friends with in the next 20 years. (It's been 20 years???? )

Here's to 20 more years of Disney Cruising, hopefully starting up SOON!
And thanks for making me take the trip down memory lane.