If you knew DCL Executives were reading this, what would you say?

[KaitlinsMom]

BUILD ANOTHER SHIP!!! The prices are getting too high! We have a cruise booked for this year, but there is a 99% chance that we are going to change it to another cruise line for a cheaper price - and the money we save will be our spending money -

 

[kdsluvdisney]

What a fantastic idea! If nothing else, maybe I will feel a little better that I can at least voice my thoughts!

We booked late so of course we had to pay more and had poor choice of rooms. I had no idea the Princess cruise was so much less until I started reading this board and heard so much about it -- of course I then went and checked it out! Oh My!!!!! I love Disney and the 'magic' of Disney but it sure does tempt you!

1) I would like to see the water be hotter! My DH said it was because I was so short. The water turned cold before it hit me -- and we did have the hand held shower so that is the only way I could get water warm.

2) Explain in advance the difference between adjoining and connecting rooms. I didn't know there WAS a difference. It sure was akward for us to send our 4 year old next door to gparents in jammies at nite. I really thought the door swinging on the map of the ship meant that they were adjoining, nope, just connecting. (which at that time I thought connecting meant that there was a door inside the room.) Or maybe that is wrong, I still have trouble saying which one is connecting and which one is adjoining. One is next to the other, one has a door inside.

3) The 'ship' clock thing is fine, but a clock with an alarm or lighted display would have been nice. Hard to see that ship clock in the dark! How are we suppose to be off the ship on the last day -- yes I know, by the wake up call, but I like to be up b4 the family to get ready and the phone wakes everyone up! The clock is right by me and wakes just ME up.

4) Why do they have 'activities' while we are at dinner? We wanted to go to the farewell thing but missed the first part because we were at dinner. (we had late seating) I wanted to change dinner the night of pirate night but there were not any openings. So, we ate dinner and went upstairs and there was the buffet and huge dessert buffet. Of course, we were too full after just having dinner!

5) Why do we tip the head server? All he did was walk around our table and have this silly laugh. Unlike our server and asst. server who worked there tail ends off. However, after reading these boards, I felt I needed to tip him a little.

6) I read so many posts about people just walking on to the ship. I saw all of these pictures of people with Mickey and Minnie before they even got on the ship. The bus picked us up at the hotel and we went directly to the ship. I asked about getting an earlier bus (ours came at noon) and was told there wasn't any and that no one would be able to get on the ship anyway, why do we want to get on early? Well, we got there and had to wait in line for 2 hours! Mickey and Minnie were not out there (guess they too got tired of waiting?) We could have started out maybe a little less hectic had we been able to get there a little earlier --maybe? Instead of sitting on a bench at our resort for 1.5 hours we could have taken a bus to a different hotel and headed on out? Instead we had to stand in line, then they ran us right to the buffet because it was closing. We were rushed thru our late lunch. It was ........ interesting to say the least.

Ok, Thanks for letting me vent! No flames please!

 

[yankeegal64]

I would have to say the price. My DB has gone every year for 6 years and he has said the next cruise will probably be the last. The price has increased but the services offered have not. It is a shame that so many family can't afford to take their children. Everyone that has been understands how addicting the cruise is. You want to be able to return with your child and for them to be able to take their children one day. I can understand saving for a year for a vacation, but it shouldn't take two years. I really wish they would step back and think about what Walt Disney would have wanted.

 

[pppiglet]

The price is too high and they need Carnival's bedding! Oh it was heaven sleeping on the bedding and pillows on Carnival.

 

[MommaluvsDis]

kdsluvdisney,

Adjoining means that the rooms are side by side. Connecting means that they connect by means of 2 doors between them therefore not requiring entry into the hallway. This same thing happend to me b4. I asked for adjoining but meant connecting. Be sure to pack 2 rubber door stops! I only packed one the next time.

So, now I remember it this way:

C, I can walk through the walls! Yeah, I know, corney but it works for me!

 

[Jmnskn]

My suggestion would be to give a discount to teachers for cruising. We can't go any other time besides the high price times. We don't get weeks off when the cheaper cruises are. Disney prides themselves on supporting the Teacher of the Year. Why not support them with a discount during the summer. It wouldn't have to be all summer, just a week or two that we could plan for. On our saleries, Disney makes it almost impossible.

 

[ricka47]

Price is a problem. Not the amount as much but give us the value that should go with the price. Food is perhaps the major area that needs improvement. Give it some taste....it looks good, but is very bland. Cost cutting can be seen everywhere in the food area.

Also, other lines have a show band that plays around the ship and for the evening shows. This is not a rock band or an island band, but a nine or ten-piece band. It really adds to the shows and is much better than recorded music.

DCL does a very nice job but not when the price is compared to its competitors. In general, you get more value for your money with most of the other main stream lines. If DCL can improve food, that will be a great start.

When people complain that WDW is so expensive, I've always agreed but said that at WDW you get what you pay for. I don't believe that is true with DCL except for the paying more part.

 

[Papa_Tigger858]

I would like to see maybe a new ship or maybe the Magic or Wonder call the west coast home! I missed the cruises out here last year but I heard they were a blast to go on. I think that it would be a great chance to sail to new ports and some old ones. I fell in love with the cruise line after one cruise and I would love to go as often as I could but the only problem is the traveling from coast to coast. I would love to take a 3 or 4 day cruise as a quick getaway. Not to Mention cruising to Hawaii would be awesome...just a suggestion

 

[ricka47]

5) Why do we tip the head server? All he did was walk around our table and have this silly laugh. Unlike our server and asst. server who worked there tail end off!

From past cruises, it was the head waiter who works behind the scenes to make sure that your waitstaff is doing their job. He or she is also there to make sure that all is well and to take care of special requests.

Our Head Waiter on our recent Magic cruise was very attentive and helpful.

 

[UMTerp]

Change the evening performers!!! We are going on our 4th DCL cruise in a few weeks. We almost know all of the words to their routines. We loved them the first time and the second but the third time was too much! You have too many repeat cruisers to be having the same shows for every cruise. I'm not talking about Dreams, Twice Charmed, etc. I know those are standard. I'm talking about Rich Purpura, Michael Harrison, etc. Love them but too much repetition!

Would also like to see something done about the lounge chair saving problem.

Thanks!

UMTerp

 

[Skallywag]

Please make the disembarkation procedure more friendly for UK residents. Also do not know why we have our passports removed as if we are criminals.
Having to get in line as such an unearthly hour on the last day thoroughly spoilt my holiday and was such an abrupt finish.

At least with the Med cruises the boot should perhaps be on the other foot and we will be able to disembark at leisure.

 

[disneymum]

My three biggest disappoinments

1. The food, for what you pay for the cruise it's definitely not up to snuff to the other cruise lines.

2. The excursions, why don't they also cater to people with smaller children, as well as those in wheelchairs, and why are they so expensive compared to doing it on your own?

3. The Price, by the time you pay for your cruise, air, and tips you could have put a down payment on a house. It's Insane!!

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Please make the disembarkation procedure more friendly for UK residents. Also do not know why we have our passports removed as if we are criminals.
Having to get in line as such an unearthly hour on the last day thoroughly spoilt my holiday and was such an abrupt finish.

Fully agree with the above, Princess cruises give your passports back the last night on the way back and you do immigration then.

Give Chips/Fries at Plutos out without salt and let people who want salt add their own, often it is covered with it, and you cannot eat, very unhealthy.

Allocate actual seat numbers in the theatre for the main show and rotate these.

New shows each year, must change annually.

Book MICKEY to do a visit to your children in the stateroom, or anyone of a choice, say for a suprise wake up at breakfast?

 

[kimszath]

When I bought into DVC a couple of years ago (while on the Magic), one of the big selling points for me was how you could cruise with your points--when I bought, the DVC salespeople were pushing that really hard! Then immediately after (I bought in Nov 2003), the points charged for cruising skyrocketed! Now I can only afford to go once every year and a half to two years! (Yes, I know I can rent my points and pay cash--if that's what my cruise should really cost, though, then why can't Disney do this FOR me??? It's not like we're not already paying Disney EVERY MONTH FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES!!!) The prices are SO out of line with what DVC was advertising that it's ridiculous. Yes, I know DCL isn't a right--it's a privilege, and it's also not in the same "family" as DVC--it's part of the Disney Collection. And I know DVC wants me to fill my space at SSR. And yes, I should probably take this up with DVC (who me and a thousand other people have already complained to). But I'd have to guess the points rates are set partly or mostly by DCL.
Please make it possible for me to cruise on my points, without having to rent them, so I can go for half the price!!! (My 300 points won't even take me on a 7-nighter in a Cat 11 in January--the "value season"--for my family of 3!!! But I can "rent" those 300 points at $10 to $12 a point, pay $2500 for the fare, and spend the rest on souvies!!!) Gimme a break, DCL!!! Can't you guys work this out for us???

 

[RCBA]

Carnival has a better childcare program for those of us w/ 24-36 month olds. A child that age is too big to be combined with babies in a nursery. Don't want to change their diapers/help them potty? Fine - require that at least one parent/guardian remain on the ship & avail to be paged to take care of this task.

Build a 3rd ship soon!

 

[Skallywag]

I quite agree am sure, although I no longer have the charts, that we could cruise at any time of year with our points when we purchased but would need to save them up for a couple of years now.

Yes please Disney look at this for us and also the problems with passports and disembarkation.

 

[milestogo]

I'd like to agree on the need for closed captioning. When our 3 year old goes to sleep hours before us, we want to enjoy a movie, but keep the volume very low. It really helps to have closed caption!!!

We love the cruise and would do it more often if it were on the west coast and were just a little less expensive. Thanks

 

[kdsluvdisney]

C, I can walk through the walls! Yeah, I know, corney but it works for me!
Thanks MommaluvsDis! THAT I can remember! Glad I'm not the only one - that was a tough one for us! (we didn't have the door stops either -- we used towels! HEHE!)

Thanks Ricka47 too!

I'm with the others on the towels on the chairs too. We never could get a chair because there were always towels on them. Price is a big one too!

 

[Dana_Buckley]

I also agree about the rates, I just looked,

June 2006 - 7 day Eastern, family of 4 cat 9 - $9,198
April 2007 - 7 day Eastern, family of 4 cat 9 - $4,877

How can the rates be soooo different???

We are West Coast and would love an Alaskan Disney cruise, if we can afford it, $5000 maybe, $9000 NO WAY! It sure would be easier without $1200 in airfare added on!

Have a great weekend!

 

[Flagger]

If I see a towel on a chair for more than 15 minutes, I just remove it and lay down at least on other lines I have done this.

As far as what I would like to see: A CASINO on board. Allow a place for the adults to donate to the mouse and lower the price of the cruises.

I know I will get flamed for this one, but knock out the wall in some of the split bathrooms. From what I have read the wall is too close to the toilet so for tall folks like me I will be sitting on the commode side saddle which really doesn't sound all that comfortable after a week.

Oh and stop using the whole Euro vs Dollar as an excuse not to build ships. Payment is not due until you take delivery of the ship. No one has any idea where the Euro will be in the time between the keel is laid and you take delivery.

Dana: All cruiselines offer early booking discounts. I bet if you looked at rates on just about any cruise line for the same cruise a year apart, you would see something similar.