Friend just got back and now I'm concerned...

[moinab]

And the water in the ocean is too salty, water in the pool is too wet, and the sun.......oh don't get me started with how sunny it was............and the nights were really too dark to enjoy anything! and when we walked on the beach, the sand was everywhere!!!!

ROTFL!

 

[Buckaroo's Dad]

And the water in the ocean is too salty, water in the pool is too wet, and the sun.......oh don't get me started with how sunny it was............and the nights were really too dark to enjoy anything! and when we walked on the beach, the sand was everywhere!!!!

kris - lol...

Go with your gut, and have a wonderful time.

gina - perhaps she should go with her family...

She said that the shows were awful and boring, so a few of the nights they just ended up going to the movies

Lisa - your friend probably missed the crew's orgy...

 

[hughiedeweylouie]

I know first hand what it is like to go on a Disney Cruise unprepared. My Disney Spouse was terminally ill and we decided to do the Christmas cruise back in 1998. We booked last minute. I knew nothing about what to ask for. I knew nothing about shore excursions, the children's program, restaurants, good shows, the layout of the ship, etc. We booked two weeks before sailing.
Because of fog, our flight was extremely late getting to Orlando. The Disney rep. was there waiting just for us. She patiently waited as my spouse could not walk but so fast to the Disney bus. We were the ONLY people on the bus as our driver rushed us to the port. He was so relaxed and charming. We arrived at the port and it was EMPTY except for the welcoming staff. We were the last ones on the ship as they closed the doors behind us. I know somehow(maybe Tinderbell ) they knew about us and waited for our arrival.
AND THE MAGIC OF DISNEY BEGAN.
I remember just casually sitting by the hot tub with our kids and Goofy comes and joins us like an old friend. No rush to see the characters because they were everywhere. He took my spouse's towel and pretended to dry off. The four of us were laughing and laughing. Something we hadn't done together for a while.
As we spent Christmas Eve on Castaway Cay, the kids were so happy and the warm air was so good for my spouse--it was heaven that we could experience it all together. I remember him saying to me, "You'd have to be a complete idiot if you couldn't have a good time on a Disney Cruise."
So now 5 years later, our team of three are heading back on the ship--June 5th Magic/Western. You might think it would be bitter sweet--but not at all. Having your own floating hotel take you safely from exotic port to exotic port. And all with the coolness of Disney around us. We'd be idiots NOT to do this again.

 

[Verandah Man]

I am so sorry to hear of your loss, and will be praying that you and your children have a MAGICal and WONDERful cruise next June!!!

 

[aprilgail2]

As far as the room size is concerned she better never go on Carnival...I thought I was sleeping in a closet on there LOL!! We were lucky the 2 beds and a dresser fit in the room.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Kris... ROTFLMBO !!!!!!!

hewiedeweylouie - Excellent post!!! What a wonderful and touching story... I don't see how anyone could express it better


To to original poster... I have not cruised, but I have researched and researched, hanging out on these boards for a year now... I have NEVER heard of ANY of the complaints that your friend expressed?????? People have had plenty of chairs at CC - even on the packed Summer and Holiday cruises. The people who have complained about the food have often been obvious 'food snobs' using words like 'insipid' and mentioning 5-star $100 per meal restaurants??? While not all kids are 'Club' kids. DCL is KNOWN for their clubs. and many parents have to drag their kids kicking and screaming out of the clubs. ( Why on earth did your friend wait TWO hours to check on their kids on their first time in the clubs!!!??????)

Maybe your friend was expecting a Crystal cruise??? But I can guarantee you that a Crystal cruise would not have the MAGIC or the FUN of Disney!!!

 

[professorandmom]

I too heard negative comments before I went - including two from Big Red Boat cruisers who said "well, I;ve already been on Disney and....insert negative comment"

Best of all was directed to my parents. An aquaintance explained that their family hated disney because there was nothing to do at night (I assume no casino). My mother called very concerned and explained she was sure I was wasting my money (insert concerned mother/grandmother comments here).

By this time I had seen the navigators and could give concrete examples of what there is to do, etc. But, insert continued mother/grandmother concern.

I started my tip post when I returned with "certainly everyone's version of reality is different." I did my homework and thought I had more fun than adults should have (no inuendo included, I am a single mom). I was determined not to let small things (and they did happen) ruin our vacation. I think it is that simple.
Have a great time and don't worry about negative comments - what seems black and white is really shades of gray!
Barb

 

[PamCo88]

My suggestion would be to talk to the rest of the family and see what they thought of the cruise. My guess is not the same as the mom. I have only been on one 3 day cruise in 2000. I can't wait to go back for a 4 day with my sweetie who has never cruised. I know he will have a great time because he does every where he goes! (Major Possitive Additude)

 

[DVC4US]

Lisa,

We will also be with you on the March 20th cruise, along with mobesty. I would highly advise you not to cancel this cruise, we are going to have so much fun.

I have to agree with most of the other posts, that there is always somone who doesn't like something. The cruise in March will be our 4th Disney cruise and we also have the 10 day Christmas cruise booked. My children have always loved the kids clubs and we have never had a problem with them. My kids were 4 & 10 the first time we went on a cruise and now they are 7 & 14. The younger one hardly ever wants to leave especially at night when they close.

We were on a sold out cruise last March and we never had a problem with pool chairs or chairs at CC. The pools were crowded on sea days but you could usually find a chair and there were plenty of chairs on CC, you just had to walk further down the beach if you didn't get there early. Also, I never once felt like they were trying to push things on me. The drink mugs were there if you wanted one, the pictures were there if you liked them, and the CM sometimes walked around with drinks if you so desired. But, I never felt forced to buy anything.

I could go on here forever, so if you have more concerns please pm me and I can talk to you more about them. Or go to the posting for the March 20th cruise and talk to the people who will be on board with you, many of them are past cruisers.
LeiLani

 

[shingle]

sounds as if they have habitual complaintus syndrome poor souls

 

[abitjaded]

Lisa,

I agree with one complaint your friend had, it is hectic to get reservations. But with some advance planning, we got everything we wanted, when we wanted it. The rest, well......

The food is not outstanding, but I thought the breakfast buffets were actually better than the food in general. You name it, they have it.

The shows are lots of fun, and are well worth seeing.

And honestly, I don't remember being taken aback by the "quality" of the cruisers. The RCCL crowd across the dock in Charlotte Amalie looked a lot tipsier and rowdier than those on our ship (and they were paying more than we were.) You will see a similar cross section at just about any vacation destination, but I felt that the crowd here was even better behaved and "classier". You notice that the thread about badly dressed REALLY has very few posts. I did not see a single person that I could dish (dis?) about on our cruise.

Carla

 

[Disney1fan2002]

hughiedeweylouie, that was a beautiful story. It brought a lump to my throat. Isn't this what life is about? To find pleasure in every moment? Thank you for sharing. I hope your next cruise is just as Magical!

 

[Disney1fan2002]

I just want to comment about the "caliber" of Disney cruisers. I have to say, 3 years ago, when my DH and I decided to take the 4 day Wonder cruise, and we scraped and saved for just the two of us, I was nervous. I was nervous we would stand out. We didn't have the nice clothes, ect.

The price we could afford put us in a cat.8...deck 2. I called and asked how much it would cost to get a cat. 9 so we could be on deck 5. I just have a thing with being on the lower levels, Titanic anyone? LOL. It cost us another $100 to get a room on deck 5...so we went for it. I was nervous about not fiiting in, until we started meeting people. I have to say, every single family we met onboard were so nice! Even the upscale families! It took me awhile to realize that they were NOT lowering themselves to talk to us...they were just on vacation just like we were. I did not once come across any rude people. It actually amazed me that everyone was so pleasant. But then again, why wouldn't you be? You on a Disney cruise for goodness sake!

 

[Mjasp]

One of my friends is trying to convince me to go RCCL next year out of NY, We have DCL booked with 4 families and 2 more seriously contemplating it, so I will not change that cruise.

My big issue of not going RCCL is the pagers. Although my kids were 10 and 6 on our last Disney cruise, I did NOT allow my 10 year old to check out and was paged when she wanted me. My DD's will be 12 and 8 when we cruise next year and she will again NOT have sign out priveledges. At home, No matter where my kids are they can always reach me, The school has our home #, work # and cell phone #'s. So does any activities they are in where I am not there, so to put her in a club on a ship with no way to reach me gives me reservations.

If your friend was upset she didn't receive a page for 1 and 1/2 hours, she should be alerted that on RCCL she will never receive a page as they only give pagers for the little, little ones.

DIS friends, please don't flame me for not giving my older DD sign out priviledges, its just how I feel and I respect you for how you raise your children.

Just wanted to point out RCCL does not give beepers, unless their very young.

Joanna

 

[vgaskin]

And some people just don't get Disney. My mother in law is a cruising fanatic, been on almost all of them except Disney. We are going on the Thanksgiving and have invited all family to join us. My mom & step-dad are going with us. For my mother in law, her invitation was just a very quick one. I know she doesn't get Disney and would not be happy on Disney.

My mom is going on her first cruise and goes to Disney World alot. We went once or twice a year as kids. Mom is going to have a great time but it took awhile to convince her(didn't try to convince mil). No casino, lots of kids and she loves Disney! Now once they saw the special on the travel channel, they are very excited. But she is a full time traveler in their RV working at other RV parks to see the US. When she starts talking about the cruise, everyone gets excited. "Is this your first cruise? YOu are going to have a blast" then they ask her which one. When she says Disney, they all say "Oh" very disappointed. She got really worried with that for a while. My family thought that way too until we went on our first one.

Mom does not understand the dining rotations, when to book Palo or anything. I tried explaining it last night via email and she finally said, "I will just tell you what we want to do and see and you can book it or tell us where to go on the ship and give us a note telling them what we want when we go". That is fine. For some, it is alittle confusing for the 7 nights. They want the brunch, but don't want to do it on our Character breakfast, don't want it on our CC day(we go to CC on Sunday and Friday), etc. And dinner at Palo's will replace the menu she likes the least, except for some I say she has to attend. We can pick the menu or restaurant to be replaced but have to wait until we get our room cards to get the exact day. I know the 2 likely dining rotations we will get.

Disney is the only one to my knowledge that lets you save money by bringing your own sodas and liquor on board without smuggling it. That can save you a ton of money. When we were on Carnival, they charged you for alot of the stuff that Disney has included, like sodas in the dining rooms, etc.

We went on Carnival last year, it was free thru my company. Oh, don't get me started on their rooms. Disney is way bigger. I don't know about RCL but Carnivals were riduculously tiny. Anyway, I don't know if she does Disney World with her family or not but believe it or not, Some people just don't get Disney.

 

[nuke]

I think your friend was just not prepared for cruising.

Yes the cabins are small but RCCL Navigator cabins are VERY small. Even the balcony cabins that I saw while touring the ship are small. My friend with me had been on Disney and said that the Cat. 6 Disney cabins were far bigger than the Navigator balcony cabins.
If you go expecting a hotel room, you will think the cabins are small.

The paging thing with the clubs....did it happen all the time or just once? If it was a one time thing, All pagers need new batteries every now and then.

The food- Food is so subjective. Everyone has their own opinion.

 

[AnnMorin]

In regards to the pager. I would suggest everyone check the batteries in their pager. On our first cruise right before the show the kids put on DS wanted to page us. He did not want to be in the show. Apparently the batteries were out in our pager as we never got the page. DS (who was 8 at the time) was very upset and started crying. The CM handled it just fantastic. She did not make him go with the group but instead allowed him to stay behind (with her) and play on the computer. when we arrived (which was about a half hour later right after the disembarkation talk) she was so sweet and apologetic. DS was not scarred for life, he has been back to the kids club on two subsequent trips but always laughs and tells us to check the batteries.

In regards to the child being hit.. not to sound callous but kids do hit at times. I teach preschool and there are squabbels all the time. No one gets hurts, you try your best to head them off or prevent them but things do happen when children get together. I would not be too alarmed about that. The CM's are there to facilitate play in a safe environment but not be body gaurds. On the average playground each day children probably push/shove grab etc hundreds of times. Unless the child was injured or an all out fight broke out I would not be too upset about that.

The food in my opinion was fantastic, don't understand the complaints there.

The cabins are much larger than on other lines, as someone who grew up watching "The Love Boat" I do recall my astonishment on the cabin size of my first cruise-but that was on another line which the cabin was half the size of Disney's. I think their cabins are quite roomy. (we always get a cat. 6)

The clientelle in my opinion are of a high caliber as are the staff. Don't understand why would think the opposite.
We sailed on Carnival once (appropriate name in my opinion as it was a circus) now those folks certainly seemed to lack class. Could have been the cruise we were on but I would rather go without a whole lot of other luxeries to stay with Disney once a year. It is well worth the price in my mind.

The shows... come on that complaint is justy silly! Disney is tops in the entertainment field. The shows are broadway quality.

I don't understand why anyone would be surprised/dissapointed whatever about being presented a bill for a cocktail. I have never heard of an "open bar" cruise.

Relax, you will love Disney.. it is in my opinion the best of the best when it comes to cruising.. best of all Disney has something that other cruise lines don't the ablility to transform you to a carefree world. The lack of a casino, the characters milling about, the classic oceanliner decor it all comes together to make you feel like you are have been transformed back in time when things were safer and the world happier!

 

[Buckaroo's Dad]

every single family we met onboard were so nice! Even the upscale families! It took me awhile to realize that they were NOT lowering themselves to talk to us...

Disney1fan2002 - you really should watch some of the very old-time movies on tv late at night. I saw one years ago quite appropriate to your "upscale families" post.

The dummies (literally and well as figuratively) Charlie McCarthy and Knucklehead Smith were talking. They were attending a black tie affair.

Charlie - Well, Knucklehead, how does it feel being with high society. You know, the cream of the crop?

Knucklehead - It feels ok. But why do they call them "the cream of the crop?"

Charlie - Because these people are like cream. They float on the top.

Knucklehead - Yeah, but so does scum...






NEVER reference yourself or your family relative to a caste system. Money doesn't make people better. It allows those that have it to buy more souveniers. Better my son have more time with Dad than tangible momentos forsaken around the house...

 

[AnnMorin]

You warm my heart..

 

[hughiedeweylouie]

BD--"so does scum"

You know what that reminds me of? When I was little, we'd have to use the same bath water as our siblings because filling the tub so many times would empty the well. I would hate to have to go last because of that white yucky scum floating on the top. It was like why bother washing in yucky water.

Ahh--the joys of country life.