If you were in charge of DCL, what would you change?

[Jennifer777]

Are the parks really so much cheaper? When I've priced park trips, I just haven't seen that much of a difference. Tickets are $100+ per person per day. Then you add in food and lodging. It may work out to be slightly less expensive, but it's certainly not a 3x difference.

I agree. We have always found WDW to be just as expensive, if not more for a comparable experience (or as close to comparable as you can get). I think the difference is you have options to do WDW on the cheap such as staying at value resorts and eating only at quick service. There are no non-luxury options for DCL. It would be very difficult to offer a price range similar to the parks when the difference between staterooms on the ship are not as vast as they are on land and the experience you get in terms of dining, entertainment and service is the same regardless of stateroom category, with the exception of concierge.

 

[IrishCowboy]

Open up military discounts to ALL VETERANS, not just retirees and active duty personnel.

 

[MinnieMouse64]

1. Switch up the Dream's itinerary. She's such a big, pretty ship to spend her whole life sailing back and forth to the Bahamas.
2. Keep Cabanas open for dinner as a buffet. Too much table service and not enough variety for quick service if you want to skip the MDRs for dinner.

OMG…I wish you were in charge!!!! This is our biggest complaints.
1) I wish the Dream would go to another place besides Bahamas for a 3 or 4 cruise. With some peoples vacations they can only do the shorter cruises so that is why they pick this cruise. I wish it would do like grand turk and CC or even Key West and CC. We don't even get off at Bahamas anymore.
2) The Cabanas not being open during dinner is probably my husbands, biggest pet peeve. On our first cruise after the first night in the MDR he refused to go to back. He didn't care for our table mates, and thought we would just go up to the Cabana for dinner. Little to our knowledge it wasn't opened, so we had to eat at the quick serve places. I know we could have called room service, but we didn't. Plus, it was after the time we were to be in the MDR. The next night, my grandson and I went to the MDR and the server wanted to know where my husband was. I told him he didn't feel good, because I didn't want our table mates to know the real reason he wasn't there. So the server would not hear of it, until I took him a dinner back to the room.

The only thing other thing I wish you would change when your talking about the Cabana, is getting it open later during lunch too! With the staff having to run to get ready for the dinner crowd in the MDR, they close it early. So can you make this happen too…LOL.

 

[MinnieMouse64]

-3-4 nights cruises going somewhere else than Nassau (Key West would be nice) or staying at CC overnight.

AMEN!!!!

 

[Sytrace]

I would do the following:
1. Change the menus in the MDR's once a year. Even one or two NEW options could make a difference to the dining experience.
2. I would like to see some educational programs for the kids clubs in addition to the fun. For example, an Astronomy program for stargazing, Oceanography, Careers in the cruiseline industry, even a Disney company history class and focus on what Walt Disney started and how far it has grown. (Okay, I am a nerd)
3. Hawaiian and Australian itineraries.
4. I would make Cabanas a buffet option for dinner.

 

[MinnieMouse64]

If I was in charge, I would do the following:

1) Keep the Cabana open later at lunch time, and opened it up for dinner for the people that don't want to go to the MDR.
2) Keep the pool's open later for people that want to swim.
3) I would add an adult cheeseburger and fries to the MDR menu, for the people that just want something casual to eat.
4) Change the MDR times to about 30 mins later.
5) I would add French dress for the salads (I don't understand why it is so hard to get french dressing once you pass the TN line..LOL).
6) For the kids, I would add chicken nuggets instead for the chicken strips (I know it is all the same, but my grandson will only eat the nuggets).
7) I would keep the casual food places around the pool open until like 2 or 3 am. (I know you can order room service, but some people are trying to sleep).
8) Change up the Castaway Club Member gifts every couple months. (or drop it completely and give returning guest 1% silver members, 5% gold members, 10% Platinum members off their cruise) I know 1% off don't sound like much, but when you start adding that to $3000 or more cruises that adds up. And honestly, when I get home I never use that bag they give us again anyway.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Perhaps a selection of CC member gifts that you choose when you check in. That way, you could choose something different each time. Maybe make one of the selections a donation to some charity. That way, those that have too many of something would still get something for their loyalty, even if it's only a good feeling.

 

[Sytrace]

Perhaps a selection of CC member gifts that you choose when you check in. That way, you could choose something different each time. Maybe make one of the selections a donation to some charity. That way, those that have too many of something would still get something for their loyalty, even if it's only a good feeling.

This is wonderful.

 

[NZMUM]

I would:
- Change the MDR menus once a year - even if only changing a couple of things
- Add casual options to the MDR menu such as burgers, fried chicken (they can be upscale burgers)
- Change the Castaway Club to be based on number of days. We sail 7 night cruises - it will take 70 nights for us to reach platinum, while others will get there after 30 nights.
- An itinerary that starts in Australia or New Zealand and sails the South Pacific.
- Change the shows more often
- Change the survey so that the comments/ratings on the food don't impact the servers rating

 

[kid-at-heart]

Return to the old alcohol policy where you could bring on whatever you could carry in a carryon bag. I am not a lush, just prefer to have my preferred brands of alcohol in the privacy of my room without paying Disney an arm and a leg.

 

[belac]

2. I would like to see some educational programs for the kids clubs in addition to the fun. For example, an Astronomy program for stargazing, Oceanography, Careers in the cruiseline industry, even a Disney company history class and focus on what Walt Disney started and how far it has grown. (Okay, I am a nerd)

Love that, and so would my child, and no you're not a nerd

 

[belac]

Return to the old alcohol policy where you could bring on whatever you could carry in a carryon bag. I am not a lush, just prefer to have my preferred brands of alcohol in the privacy of my room without paying Disney an arm and a leg.

That

I don't drink beer or wine, a bit of Vodka only..... I feel the new policy is discriminatory

 

[jane01jp]

I would quit charging people for laundry bags they didn't take.

Think about it - we heard from a DCL employee that they lose 1,500 towels per cruise. Yet, no one is ever charged for those.

 

[jane01jp]

3. There's no need to wait to speak with the CM about booking a future cruise. You can just fill out the card that's available, and submit it. They'll send a quote to your state room, you sign it and you're done.

Unless the quote is screwed up. We chose 7/9/2017 5 night Bahamas cruise. The beleaguered employee gave us a quote for almost $14,000 (she thought we had chosen the British Isles cruise that also sails 7/9/2017), even though we had indicated Bahamas and Port Canaveral. Her mistake cost us about an hour standing in line.

 

[jane01jp]

I would like to have either better food, more variety, or both.

For example, WAAAAAY too many of the dishes in the MDRs feature risotto as a side. Also, fish does not need to be cooked to 600 degrees fahrenheit.

Things that would be good adds:

• Mexican
• Chinese
• Italian entrees
• Good deli sandwiches with chips (I have been able to find potato chips on the Dream and Fantasy, but I was unable to find them on the Magic)
• Mixed grill
• Surf and turf

Mix it up. Change the menus once in a while.

 

[Ofinn]

I would quit charging people for laundry bags they didn't take.

Think about it - we heard from a DCL employee that they lose 1,500 towels per cruise. Yet, no one is ever charged for those.

I'm going to confess I came home with a laundry bag like 9 cruises ago. I totally didn't mean to. It just got mixed up with the laundry. I didn't get charged for it. It makes a great Halloween Candy bag these days.

 

[cgolf]

Here we go and mine is based on doing 12 cruises in 9 years so I probable differ from some here

1. Change up the entertainment - especially the acts the have done the same show for 4-5 years going (John Charles is one exception, all his shows have been unique)
2. Change up the stage shows or offer alternatives - unlike some on the boards I can really only stand the shows once maybe twice max. I do realize that this is the most difficult to do which is why I offer the alternative idea.
3. Change up the trivia questions, for goodness sake how hard is it to change up the music trivia, I think it is the same on the 4 ships
4. Menus need to be turned over often, even taking the chance of losing some favorites, what initially was exciting has now become that again!
5. Late night activities other than the dancing and piano options they have now, crowds disappear after the adult shows are over. (I will say though keep the piano music, when the right artist, Rob Sanders, is playing it is a very enjoyable way to end the night)
6. More adult activities during the day, I vaguely remember some pool events when we cruised early on. With the rate our kids abandon us during the day for the clubs some more fun activities for us would be great.
7. Alcohol policy back to what it was - While not a deal breaker it was part of a way to justify the cost and it also happened when DCL was making many other small changes.

Here are my biggies and why in 2017 we are cruising another line. We will however use our placeholder in 2018 and be back on DCL.

8. New itineraries - In the time we have been cruising DCL there has been very little change here even when they went from 2 to 4 ships
9. Pricing - We can afford it, but as fairly frequent cruisers the value is not there and ultimately DCL may end up not being the long term line we thought it would be for us. It needs to come down, eventually the bubble will burst though
10. Frequent cruiser perks - These really are far behind other lines, but I do understand that DCL banks on newer cruisers. In the long run for them though keeping those that want to cruise DCL a lot very happy might be in their best interests. Bringing back the extra onboard credit for platinum would be great

I am sure there are more but these quickly cam to mind

 

[phinz]

Those auto gratuities go into a big pool, where the money is split up among the crew members you would normally never think to tip (think lifeguards, the people who hand out towels at the pool, the people constantly cleaning the public bathrooms, etc..

I was under the impression that spa employees don't work for DCL, which would seem to indicate to me that they wouldn't pool tips with real cast members. Perhaps with their own fellow spa employees, but not with actual cast members. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

 

[Jillpie]

I won't go back on the Dream for one reason, the awful set up of the adult pool area. That is my husband and I's favorite thing to do, hang at the pool without kids. It was all closed in, absolutely no breeze while in the shaded area (over at the jacuzzis) and just felt completely claustrophobic. My recommendation for the new ships is to copy the Magic and Wonder again for the adults!!! Have it open, yet shaded, let the air flow nicely. And please, whatever you do, a bigger pool, and do not repeat that crazy useless section of putting your feet in only, like over at the bar.

 

[m3owbox]

1. Bigger pools
2. Menu changes
3. Drink packages. With different options. Like say 3/5/10 drinks a day options
4. Different itineraries
5. A place to get food at all hours of the night (other than room service)
6. More adult night time activities