Has Disney really gone downhill?

[epcotrulz]

The food comment is so subjective…

I AM a foodie and am a picky eater (quality not wanting everything processed and plain) and I find most menus have a standout dish.

The sea bass in Enchanted Garden is fabulous for example … IMO, as are the scallops …

I don’t really care for the truffle pasta app in Animators Pallate, but some people go gaga over that.

My attitude is if you don’t like the dish they brought you, let the sever know, they will try to make you happy … that’s something I don’t get on land … let’s try everything on the menu! Lol

Go, and enjoy your cruise. I think DCL is still a top notch place experience…

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

So many threads complain that service is bad, food is bad, ship is over crowded, no more dinner cabanas. We spent a small fortune for a western Caribbean on the fantasy mid June. This would be our 4th Disney cruise and I am starting to regret it. I cannot imagine being stuck on a boat for 7 days if it isn’t anything but awesome. Add the late dinner seating we can’t move to earlier and sargassum, and I would cancel if I could. Ugh.

I want you to remember the first rule of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Always bring a towel.

Wait...you're going on a cruise. Great views on open water. Different ports. Cast Away Cay. You'll be replete with towels.

I meant the second rule: Don't Panic.

I was on the April 22 Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Dream. Disney+ promotion led to a full capacity, short staffed ship. That and conversion from short cruise to seven night led to issues in mdr service in terms of getting food out. Service was slow and food did seem to get progressively worse (but still it was fine for what it was and again I think that conversion affected things). Castaway Cay disembarkation was a bit nightmare but...

It was also only my second cruise, and first cruise without covid protocols. Our servers were great overall. Recommendations sometimes didn't pan out, but servers responded to our request for a faster turn around on our Beauty & the Beast night so we could get seats. Never experienced service issues outside of MDR. Loved the activities: did trivia (we won a Pixar trivia!), mini golf, the AquaDuck a couple times, relaxed in the adult only pool, did the relationship game where we had to match answers with our partner (second place), and met plenty of characters. For our extra costs, we swam with sea lions and snorkeled in Treasure Island, biked the trail on Castaway and snorkeled some more, used the rain forest rooms, ate a Palo Brunch, and had lots of wonderful tastings (stem to stern wine, champagne, whiskey, & beer).

So despite some issues, I have no hesitancy returning to DCL (I am looking to branch out to different cruise lines soon just because of my need for variety). I have a cruise on the Fantasy in November, so you better have a good time on there so that I don't get second thoughts .

 

[tlovesdis]

I went on my first Disney cruise end of April on the Dream and had an amazing time! Was it overly crowded, yes, but did I let that bother me, NOPE! A vacation is what you make it and we made it one of the best vacations ever! Most of the food we ate was delicious! Were there some things that weren't so great yes (soup is not Disney's thing) but that can happen at any restaurant you go to! Most people come on here to complain, not to praise, so take those things lightly! Go and have fun!!!!

We already booked our second cruise because we had such a great time!

 

[Erica1016]

We just sailed on the Fantasy (Eastern) for our 7th cruise. It was our second time on the Fantasy. We still had an awesome time with great interactions with cast members (especially the entertainment staff) and enjoyed all of our food. I don't think you should be too worried!

 

[princesscinderella]

OP here, thanks everyone. I will try to go with a positive attitude. We have done 3 3-day cruises on the Dream and loved it. We last cruised in Feb 2020 and pretty sure we brought COVID home with us. We decided to do a longer cruise this time with new ports, so this will be different. My husband is a foodie and kind of a poop, so part of my apprehension is anticipating his bad attitude and not letting it ruin things for me. We have a 13 year old daughter who is so excited to spend a week with teenagers so in reality this is all for her.

The cabana change is unfortunate since we can’t seem to get off the late seating and we sail in 3 weeks. Hopefully we get a note soon if a change. Without cabanas they don’t give guest many options, especially for 7 nights. I hope Disney changes that. I thought if doing Royal Caribbean, but the timing and ports didn’t quite work out, and want to feel like I am on a ship, not a floating mall with so many people!

I will report back end of June! Cheers everyone!

Once you go on a 7 day 3 days will seem way too short. You will have a great time, see if you can change to main dining daily on the app sometimes it pops up as available in addition to checking when you get onboard if you can’t get it before then.

 

[lanejudy]

Hopefully we get a note soon if a change.

Be sure you are checking your reservation regularly...you may not receive any formal notification of a dining change.

 

[tvguy]

What exactly are you referring to as "the cabanas change"? You do realize that DCL has never offered a dinner buffet, right?

Well, yes, and no. Cabanas that I am aware of never offered a dinner buffet, but when it was still called Topsiders they did offer a dinner buffet.

 

[auntlynne]

We say we can’t eat that late, so get first seating. But I find myself eating late at home some nights, so it may not be so absolute as I think.

At least 2/3 of your family sounds stoked. A lot of people who have only done 3 nights really love the longer cruise. It definitely feels more like a vacation, not turning around and repacking so soon.

Food thoughts - sometimes the appetizers are better than the main courses. You can have multiples of something or several different ones. Don’t get stuck thinking “one from column A…”. The menus on our last cruise seemed to have an Indian entree every night. Regular and Caesar salads are available every night. There’s the Standard sirloin, chicken, or salmon + 1 other option ”on the lighter side.” And communicate to your server you don’t want to have a long dinner if you want to be there forever. We always knew what we wanted to order when we arrived (the menu is on your app), which helped speed up things. (Don’t forget you can order from the other MDRs’ menu on Rotation meals. Some items are just so much better. I usually save it for one special item, but it does make me feel better some nights).

I have never thought of MDR cruise food to be great, no matter the line, but I manage to not be hungry and usually bring home the souvenir of extra lbs. Perhaps a large breakfast and lunch can replace needing to eat a full dinner.

Yes, dropping Cabanas dinner was a loss for some of us. It was especially nice if you wanted to eat not too early and not too late - somewhat a Goldilocks situation.

You can often pre-book 2 Palo dinners if the first is on Night 1. And you don’t have to pay $45 and get a complete meal. You can order a la carte and just order the items you want.

Glad to hear you will have a good time.

 

[Kwami]

The menus on our last cruise seemed to have an Indian entree every night.

Was this a cruise longer than 7 nights with some of the rarer menus? Because I don't see any Indian food on any of the main menus.

 

[BrokeMack]

Complaining about Disney while spending thousands per year on Disney is the Disboards favorite pass time (I'm guilty of this too).

 

[jimmymc]

Disney's food has been hit or miss since the Magic and Wonder first set sail. As chefs and kitchen managers come and go, the quality is inconsistent. Sometimes the rotational restaurants and buffet are fantastic, and other times they're meh to bad. Disney seems to know this, but the older kitchens are not big enough to cook fresh food for all 3 restaurants and they have to do what they can. The dinner and Pirate Night buffets are still missing, however, so that is one real cutback.

Ship crowds are similar to what they've always been. There were crowded times pre-2020 and there will be crowded times now. I'm not the best person to comment on service, since I fail to notice either way unless it's really bad, and the only really bad service I get from Disney is the IT department. If you're really opposed to late seating, definitely ask about moving on embarkation day. It's rare that people are told no, at least from what I've seen.

 

[jimmymc]

Once you go on a 7 day 3 days will seem way too short. You will have a great time, see if you can change to main dining daily on the app sometimes it pops up as available in addition to checking when you get onboard if you can’t get it before then.

Just did 4 days at Disney World and it was way too short. I feel like the more I travel, the less I enjoy little long weekends and the more I want to save up vacation days for a longer trip.

 

[squirk]

Complaining about Disney while spending thousands per year on Disney is the Disboards favorite pass time (I'm guilty of this too).

Nobody hates Disney more than Disney super-fans.

 

[DSLRuser]

Has Disney gone down hill? My answer is no.

do not agree with many creative decisions. Live Action version of Classic Cartoons is one of my biggest complaints. Hollywood has lost all originality and they take the easy route to make a quick buck. Moana is not even 10 years old and already being "re made".

I give zero crap about LGBTQ+. You do you. But it doesn't have to be thrown in our face at every turn. Stop forcing it.

The parks and hotels are still great. But I am a capitalist. When the price gets too high, people will stop coming. So far, we have not hit that point. I hedged my bet years ago with DVC, so at the moment, it is expensive to go to WDW, but still in our capability financially.

 

[CamColt]

I've been cruising with Disney since 2000 and would not say it's gone downhill. My most recent cruise was February on the Wish. While I did not love the Wish itself, the CM's service and the food were definitely the highlights. The food I felt was maybe a bit better than it had been in the past. I've also been on 2 Dream sailings, post covid and those were wonderful too.

 

[cwis]

Nobody hates Disney more than Disney super-fans.

And nobody gives more money to Disney than Disney super-fans.

DW calls me crazy when I point out this is a sect. I'll convince her on our next cruise! or the one after that…

 

[pearljammer]

So many threads complain that service is bad, food is bad, ship is over crowded, no more dinner cabanas. We spent a small fortune for a western Caribbean on the fantasy mid June. This would be our 4th Disney cruise and I am starting to regret it. I cannot imagine being stuck on a boat for 7 days if it isn’t anything but awesome. Add the late dinner seating we can’t move to earlier and sargassum, and I would cancel if I could. Ugh.

To start, you’ve been on 3 previous so something brought you back. I get it. Disney costs much more than other cruise lines. We spent a lot of time recently trying to decide do we do Disney or another cruise line (as we’ve not cruised since pre-shut down era). We found the other cruise lines to be too much to deal with regarding drink packages, what you can/can’t bring on board, costs add for “specialty dining” etc. Not to mention, I read about how large and crowded many of THOSE boats are. At the end of the day, we’re sticking with what we know and comfortable with. We know what to expect, etc. Not to mention some of their private islands have additional charge for food or their pools, whatever.

Do I expect things have changed. Sure. But hasn’t everything?? A lot of it is mindset too. Try not to let others guide your thinking. Remember why you booked them to begin with. That which has brought you back vs another cruise line. As far as itinerary, we too have chosen a Western but only because it’s the route for the week that fits us (not because it would have been my first choice).

Are there areas of the boat that get “crowded”? Absolutely but I guarantee you it’s no better on another boat! Cabana’s for dinner…well, I’ve only done it once and it was menu order and I wasn’t a huge fan so for me, not missing anything. Besides, the food court area by the pool is fine. We too have late dinning for the first time on our next one so I’m planning to snack at the food court area before dinner.

I’ve read many people who just don’t like the Wish. Do I care? Not really as I’m going and will experience it myself. Please remember that opinions are a dime a dozen. Everyone has one. I hope when you get back, you realize the anxiety/stress/concern (pick your adjective), was all for naught. *wink*. Enjoy!! It’s going to be summer and HOT! Concern yourself with what suit and sunscreen you’re going to pack. *smile*

 

[pindecisive]

I think it's really important to know ahead of time if your style of vacation matches a cruise.

We stayed at The Caves in Jamaica (paid in cash) a few years back and when people ask me about it, I say "It was amazing." It was a boutique experience at a resort that caters to max 24 people - the food was excellent, the service was steller, and they didn't bother you at all unless you put out your flag for drink service.

Fun fact, ackee and saltfish is amazing.

While we do enjoy the 'living at the pool' lifestyle a cruise can provide, Kaanapali Hawaii is where we go for just sun basking and swimming. There are close restaurants that make things I can eat, so we eat at the same two places and do nothing for a week. We pay in points so it's free.

If I'm going to pay in cash for an experience, it had better be amazing. The food needs to fantastic and the service needs to be prompt and friendly. And too crowded should be the very last thing I describe it as.

We've done personalized guided tours of Greece and Costa Rica and the food was always amazing because the people running the tours were locals. We got to try local cuisines for every meal of our trips which is like 40% of why we travel. So if the food is just meh? Yeah, we're good basking for free in Hawaii.

 

[slindamood]

So many threads complain that service is bad, food is bad, ship is over crowded, no more dinner cabanas. We spent a small fortune for a western Caribbean on the fantasy mid June. This would be our 4th Disney cruise and I am starting to regret it. I cannot imagine being stuck on a boat for 7 days if it isn’t anything but awesome. Add the late dinner seating we can’t move to earlier and sargassum, and I would cancel if I could. Ugh.

We just got off the Dream Transatlantic cruise, a 13 night cruise. We also were on the Dream last July, 5 nights. The recent cruise was much improved over July. For one, CMs did not have to wear masks and the interactions were much better. The food was among the best we have had in over 20 years of Disney cruising. And the service was among the best. The ship never seemed crowded and often no lines, or short lines, to see princesses and characters. We have been on 4 DCL cruises the past 14 months, and the only one we were less satisfied with was the Wish. It did seem crowded, but that could be that the cruise was short and everyone was out and about to examine the new ship. Everyone seemed lost making it more chaotic.

 

[DCLMP]

So many threads complain that service is bad, food is bad, ship is over crowded, no more dinner cabanas. We spent a small fortune for a western Caribbean on the fantasy mid June. This would be our 4th Disney cruise and I am starting to regret it. I cannot imagine being stuck on a boat for 7 days if it isn’t anything but awesome. Add the late dinner seating we can’t move to earlier and sargassum, and I would cancel if I could. Ugh.

Overall, I don't think it's gone downhill. Now is it worth what you paid? I guess that's for you to decide I've never booked a Caribbean cruise during peak season. It wouldn't be worth it to me.

This is your 4th cruise if you keep cruising Disney you are bound to eventually have a bad cruise. Maybe not even bad cruise just one that's not as good as the previous one. I think it's normal if you do something over and over you become more critical. I'm more critical than I was 20 cruises ago.

As a platinum cruiser, there are definitely some things that have gone downhill for me, but they wouldn't affect you.