So we're home from a 5 night MDAS cruise aboard the Dream. It sailed from Ft Lauderdale to cozumel, then onto Castaway Cay before returning to Florida. We sailed concierge with a stateroom on the 10th deck midship. The stateroom was spacious enough and the divider curtain between the queen bed and the pull-out/overhead pull-down was a nice touch.
The Hostess laid out some nice welcome notices with our names and the merchandise I preordered was waiting inside, though not neatly arranged on the bed as shown in the app page where I ordered them from. It took me a quick minute to realize the non-descript dark grey canvas like bags on the floor were the things I ordered.
The stateroom was clean, and well stocked, plenty of water and other beverages in the mini refrigerator. Robes & slippers in the closet along with e plethora of pillows including the foam ones we requested. I would have needed 30 feather pillows otherwise, they always flatten down to .3mm after 1 minute. By this point I got to see first hand what the fuss is all about with the door magnets and I have to say, some of them were really nice. Because this was a Marvel themed cruise, many were Marvel centric and I enjoyed that.
The first thing we noticed that was different from sailing on say, Celebrity, was the food. In the last, we sailed mostly with Celebrity as concierge or aqua and always with the drink package. We'd usually have one night or two at one of the "fine dining" restaurants though by the last Celebrity cruise, we discontinued doing that. Reason being, on Celebrity ships the food was always the same. Like it came from a Star Trek replimat. You know, that ubiquitous wall console that would produce everything from a coffee to a tart tatin mere seconds all the while somehow knowing exactly how you like it. Difference being, on Celebrity it wasn't always how you
like it. In fact, it was always the same level of "flat". The food looked picture perfect but always tasted just short of the real thing, a consistent 7.5 out of 10. Not underwhelming but never exceeding expectation or worthy of blowing a calory count over.
The food on Dream, from that first concierge brunch in Royal Palace on embarkation day to the final breakfast in Enchanted Garden was delicious. Always a 9 or 10 out of 10 with one exception, the pancakes were terrible. I ordered them once, the first morning on day 2. while my wife ordered the French toast. To describe hers is to illustrate the difference between prepared and heated. Hers was prepared while mine was heated. They were no different than what you'd get from a box of frozen pancakes in the grocery frozen foods isle. The same pale uniform color, same exact diameter, same flat height for both. The menu stated maple syrup but don't let the wording fool you, this is high fructose corn syrup masquerading as maple from a tree. Given the restaurants at the parks and resorts to have genuine maple upon request I was hopeful the same would be true on the ship. Sadly, it wasn't. Worked out well though, I didn't order the pancakes again and the French toast paired nicely with the berry compote. (I switched between them and the eggs benedict which was fantastic)
Happy hour at the lounge was from 5pm until 10pm though it usually started 4:45 and ran until 10:10
and while not as convenient as the Celebrity drink package, it was nice having the option to drink something containing spirits or alcohol without having to sign a stateroom receipt. The lounge is nice, a great get a way area from the rest of the ship where it is quieter and less congested. The snacks and small plates were always delicious and varied making it convenient to try things you might not otherwise
think to make at home. The coffee machine is super automatic and while it made a decent cup, better actually that what was served at breakfast in any of the three main dining rooms, it fell short of the Cove. I don't know why I had thought there would be a true espresso machine there and while I would have liked it, the super automatic held its own the few times I used it. I was told they used Lavazza beans which for the lounge I believe but no way the main dining rooms are serving Lavazza. Not even expired Lavazza beans.
One thing that surprised me for a Disney cruise ship which is heavily character themed with Mickey Mouse was the number of "18+ only" areas. There is a single pool area for concierge and it is adult only. There is another pool in an 18+ area and the two main pools in the general area. If the adults have two pools dedicated just for them, why not dedicate one of the two main general pools just for kids? These two pools reminded me of our one and only cruise aboard a Norwegian ship where the pools were mayhem and pandemonium. Adults trampolining the kids to reach water and I'm talking about adults that, how shall I put this---- would benefit from skipping a meal, or 20 meals. I don't think our kids so much as dipped a toe in water during that cruise. This cruise was a little better, they managed to go in when the ship docked at cozumel since we stayed onboard but they closed one pool for maintenance, which I understand, it made sense to do it when the ship was devoid of passengers but again, the few who remained on board were now crowded into the one pool.
Even the small wading pool by the ships edge which looked more like a penny fountain had adults in it. Not one area with a pool just for kids on a Disney ship seems like a lost opportunity.
The Marvel Day at Sea was great. Our booking was late so I was only able to schedule one Hero's Encounter photo op prior to sailing but concierge was able to book us into two more once the cruise was underway. I have to say, the Iron Man was fantastic. He was the Mk III version with some subtle changes to allow the suit to be wearable. The person wearing it is either equipped with a voice changer that makes him sound EXACTLY like Robert Downey Jr or, he naturally can alter his voice which would be impressive or, it is a series of prerecorded phrases the real RDJ provided. Given some of the seemingly unscripted exchanges, I'm leaning towards a voice changer or he's a voice impersonator, specifically a RDJ impersonator.
It made the encounter so much better. It was really like standing next to Iron Man. IF it was a voice changer, I'd LOVE to get my hands on it so I can add it to my own Iron Man Mk 46 suit!
As with the parks and resorts, the cast members/staff/crew were 11 out of 10 perfect. How they do it is beyond me. 12+ hour days 7 days a week and always with a smile and Disney energy is remarkable and worthy of admiration. I couldn't do it. I'm far too "opinionated" to bite my tongue when faced with rude, inconsiderate disrespectful people, of which I saw many. People that
seem to think it is/was okay to treat the crew like dirt because they "paid" for the cruise. I won't go into specifics; anyone that has ever been on vacation knows of what I'm referring to.
Theme park and resort staff at least have a day or two off to decompress and get away, these people have neither. I only know I wouldn't last a month before my opinions would get me fired.
Our dinner staff was great, when it was the MDAS dinner time, he "turned a blind eye" when I stuffed the Marvel themed menu in my backpack! There was no way I wasn't keeping that menu as a keepsake! It looks like the comic books! It's being framed and mounted for our theatre room to go alongside a signed Quarks Bar menu from the Promenade that once existed at the Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas.
One other aspect which differed from any prior cruise experience we have is the gratuity. We opted to prepay it prior to the sailing. I know, this subject raises a lot of arguments and touches on many a nerve with some citing it as a fee and less a gratuity. That isn't the point of my bringing it up. What was unusual for us was in how Disney addresses it. On Celebrity, (I mentally blocked our one and only Norwegian cruise) it was added to the daily onboard account and paid at the end. Nothing else to do. If we wanted to add (or subtract) we could do so at any of the guest relations desks or hand something to the crew member directly though if memory serves, they objected to cash in favor of boosting the gratuity through the onboard account.
Disney placed a gratuity packet under the door pin. It had these "cheques" to be removed along the perforated line and placed into envelopes for us to hand deliver. It goes on to say, we can skip this and the amounts would automatically be dispersed to the appropriate crew member. I discreetly asked one of the crew we had gotten to know and felt comfortable with what her opinion was on guests handing her the envelope vs leaving it to be done automatically. She said they don't mind the cards as it helps them rule out one more passenger that might rescind the gratuity that Disney assigns by default. That revelations was disturbing. That someone would clawback a gratuity which was known from day one of booking. I suppose it is possible to have a bad experience with a crew member that rises to the level of taking that step though I can't recall a single interaction on any ship from any line that was "negative" enough to warrant that.
Anyway, not saying the Disney envelope system is good or bad, it is just different from our prior cruises. It made me feel uncomfortable handing them out, like I was looking for a thank you. I have a sister like that, she expects a certain level of "thanks" if she does something or gives something to someone. I learned long ago, don't accept anything from her.
We took advantage of the 10% off a future sailing within 24 months and will likely book concierge again, perhaps on a different ship to experience more of the DCL fleet.
Overall, the ship experience mirrored our theme park experiences, with the primary "resource" driving that experience being the people. I sure do hope Disney is paying them a higher salary than other cruise lines, given the higher costs Disney charges passengers, relative to other cruise lines.
The Hostess laid out some nice welcome notices with our names and the merchandise I preordered was waiting inside, though not neatly arranged on the bed as shown in the app page where I ordered them from. It took me a quick minute to realize the non-descript dark grey canvas like bags on the floor were the things I ordered.
The stateroom was clean, and well stocked, plenty of water and other beverages in the mini refrigerator. Robes & slippers in the closet along with e plethora of pillows including the foam ones we requested. I would have needed 30 feather pillows otherwise, they always flatten down to .3mm after 1 minute. By this point I got to see first hand what the fuss is all about with the door magnets and I have to say, some of them were really nice. Because this was a Marvel themed cruise, many were Marvel centric and I enjoyed that.
The first thing we noticed that was different from sailing on say, Celebrity, was the food. In the last, we sailed mostly with Celebrity as concierge or aqua and always with the drink package. We'd usually have one night or two at one of the "fine dining" restaurants though by the last Celebrity cruise, we discontinued doing that. Reason being, on Celebrity ships the food was always the same. Like it came from a Star Trek replimat. You know, that ubiquitous wall console that would produce everything from a coffee to a tart tatin mere seconds all the while somehow knowing exactly how you like it. Difference being, on Celebrity it wasn't always how you
like it. In fact, it was always the same level of "flat". The food looked picture perfect but always tasted just short of the real thing, a consistent 7.5 out of 10. Not underwhelming but never exceeding expectation or worthy of blowing a calory count over.
The food on Dream, from that first concierge brunch in Royal Palace on embarkation day to the final breakfast in Enchanted Garden was delicious. Always a 9 or 10 out of 10 with one exception, the pancakes were terrible. I ordered them once, the first morning on day 2. while my wife ordered the French toast. To describe hers is to illustrate the difference between prepared and heated. Hers was prepared while mine was heated. They were no different than what you'd get from a box of frozen pancakes in the grocery frozen foods isle. The same pale uniform color, same exact diameter, same flat height for both. The menu stated maple syrup but don't let the wording fool you, this is high fructose corn syrup masquerading as maple from a tree. Given the restaurants at the parks and resorts to have genuine maple upon request I was hopeful the same would be true on the ship. Sadly, it wasn't. Worked out well though, I didn't order the pancakes again and the French toast paired nicely with the berry compote. (I switched between them and the eggs benedict which was fantastic)
Happy hour at the lounge was from 5pm until 10pm though it usually started 4:45 and ran until 10:10
and while not as convenient as the Celebrity drink package, it was nice having the option to drink something containing spirits or alcohol without having to sign a stateroom receipt. The lounge is nice, a great get a way area from the rest of the ship where it is quieter and less congested. The snacks and small plates were always delicious and varied making it convenient to try things you might not otherwisethink to make at home. The coffee machine is super automatic and while it made a decent cup, better actually that what was served at breakfast in any of the three main dining rooms, it fell short of the Cove. I don't know why I had thought there would be a true espresso machine there and while I would have liked it, the super automatic held its own the few times I used it. I was told they used Lavazza beans which for the lounge I believe but no way the main dining rooms are serving Lavazza. Not even expired Lavazza beans.
One thing that surprised me for a Disney cruise ship which is heavily character themed with Mickey Mouse was the number of "18+ only" areas. There is a single pool area for concierge and it is adult only. There is another pool in an 18+ area and the two main pools in the general area. If the adults have two pools dedicated just for them, why not dedicate one of the two main general pools just for kids? These two pools reminded me of our one and only cruise aboard a Norwegian ship where the pools were mayhem and pandemonium. Adults trampolining the kids to reach water and I'm talking about adults that, how shall I put this---- would benefit from skipping a meal, or 20 meals. I don't think our kids so much as dipped a toe in water during that cruise. This cruise was a little better, they managed to go in when the ship docked at cozumel since we stayed onboard but they closed one pool for maintenance, which I understand, it made sense to do it when the ship was devoid of passengers but again, the few who remained on board were now crowded into the one pool.
Even the small wading pool by the ships edge which looked more like a penny fountain had adults in it. Not one area with a pool just for kids on a Disney ship seems like a lost opportunity.
The Marvel Day at Sea was great. Our booking was late so I was only able to schedule one Hero's Encounter photo op prior to sailing but concierge was able to book us into two more once the cruise was underway. I have to say, the Iron Man was fantastic. He was the Mk III version with some subtle changes to allow the suit to be wearable. The person wearing it is either equipped with a voice changer that makes him sound EXACTLY like Robert Downey Jr or, he naturally can alter his voice which would be impressive or, it is a series of prerecorded phrases the real RDJ provided. Given some of the seemingly unscripted exchanges, I'm leaning towards a voice changer or he's a voice impersonator, specifically a RDJ impersonator.
It made the encounter so much better. It was really like standing next to Iron Man. IF it was a voice changer, I'd LOVE to get my hands on it so I can add it to my own Iron Man Mk 46 suit!
As with the parks and resorts, the cast members/staff/crew were 11 out of 10 perfect. How they do it is beyond me. 12+ hour days 7 days a week and always with a smile and Disney energy is remarkable and worthy of admiration. I couldn't do it. I'm far too "opinionated" to bite my tongue when faced with rude, inconsiderate disrespectful people, of which I saw many. People that
seem to think it is/was okay to treat the crew like dirt because they "paid" for the cruise. I won't go into specifics; anyone that has ever been on vacation knows of what I'm referring to.
Theme park and resort staff at least have a day or two off to decompress and get away, these people have neither. I only know I wouldn't last a month before my opinions would get me fired.
Our dinner staff was great, when it was the MDAS dinner time, he "turned a blind eye" when I stuffed the Marvel themed menu in my backpack! There was no way I wasn't keeping that menu as a keepsake! It looks like the comic books! It's being framed and mounted for our theatre room to go alongside a signed Quarks Bar menu from the Promenade that once existed at the Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas.
One other aspect which differed from any prior cruise experience we have is the gratuity. We opted to prepay it prior to the sailing. I know, this subject raises a lot of arguments and touches on many a nerve with some citing it as a fee and less a gratuity. That isn't the point of my bringing it up. What was unusual for us was in how Disney addresses it. On Celebrity, (I mentally blocked our one and only Norwegian cruise) it was added to the daily onboard account and paid at the end. Nothing else to do. If we wanted to add (or subtract) we could do so at any of the guest relations desks or hand something to the crew member directly though if memory serves, they objected to cash in favor of boosting the gratuity through the onboard account.
Disney placed a gratuity packet under the door pin. It had these "cheques" to be removed along the perforated line and placed into envelopes for us to hand deliver. It goes on to say, we can skip this and the amounts would automatically be dispersed to the appropriate crew member. I discreetly asked one of the crew we had gotten to know and felt comfortable with what her opinion was on guests handing her the envelope vs leaving it to be done automatically. She said they don't mind the cards as it helps them rule out one more passenger that might rescind the gratuity that Disney assigns by default. That revelations was disturbing. That someone would clawback a gratuity which was known from day one of booking. I suppose it is possible to have a bad experience with a crew member that rises to the level of taking that step though I can't recall a single interaction on any ship from any line that was "negative" enough to warrant that.
Anyway, not saying the Disney envelope system is good or bad, it is just different from our prior cruises. It made me feel uncomfortable handing them out, like I was looking for a thank you. I have a sister like that, she expects a certain level of "thanks" if she does something or gives something to someone. I learned long ago, don't accept anything from her.
We took advantage of the 10% off a future sailing within 24 months and will likely book concierge again, perhaps on a different ship to experience more of the DCL fleet.
Overall, the ship experience mirrored our theme park experiences, with the primary "resource" driving that experience being the people. I sure do hope Disney is paying them a higher salary than other cruise lines, given the higher costs Disney charges passengers, relative to other cruise lines.
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