I honestly would be very cautious about approaching anything with the belief that it's going to live up to its board hype. People on the Dis are...well, I'll just say it, freakin' fanatics!
And proud of it! At least on the
DCL side, they are a little more balanced
As opposed to certain other boards, you can mention something you disliked without being condemned as anything from a demanding diva to a blasphemer and heretic. The mob and torches are just around the corner, but scarcely visit here.
That being said, this is exactly how I approached my first cruise, knowing that everyone has different standards, and to not overblow my expectations. But I was very happy with our experience!
I can't speak about the kids part of it b/c DH and I don't have children, but as non-party types, the activities and adult areas were perfect. And maybe I'm weird, but I just can't do the vegas-y look of some of those other cruise lines. Atmosphere really matters to me, and DCL is so very tasteful and attractive. Plenty of relaxing, cozy and lovely places to spend the day.
I found the food merely mediocre. Not gross, perfectly edible, but more boring and bland...better sounding than tasting (except Palo, of course
) I mean, I found the shrimp on the embarkation buffet to taste something like barely thawed cardboard, but everyone else goes craaaazy over it. So who am I to listen to when more people than not seem to like it, so again, your mileage may vary. (Though they're right about the chocolate croissants and BBC's...no really, you can't NOT have one).
Perhaps b/c we didn't have children, our waitstaff were just average to poor. The NICEST people, really. But they were slow slow slow, always forgot to refill the table's drinks, etc. The other table they had next to us called over the head waiter and complained. This is not to say you won't have amazing service, and like I said, ours weren't rude...just maybe inexperienced or having issues? Though our server at Palo WAS everything I've read about. Amazing!
On the other hand, our room attendant couldn't have been more wonderful. It was like having one of those magical elves I used to read about in my fairy tale books that helped with the chores while you slept. I'd leave my room for a few hours, come back, and presto chango, everything would be neat, tidy with something special left behind
We never once encountered rude or indifferent service overall. And considering in the real world it's hard to go one day without encountering that, that's really saying something for an entire cruise
And then of course, there's
Castaway Cay. It really is as lovely as in the pictures. Loved the adult beach, wish I could stay there forever. Walked by the super crowded family beach and thought I would have lost my mind if I'd had to spend the day over there. Again, apparently we are the only one's who feel this way b/c countless families on here will tell you how much they loved it. This was the one and only time I truly realized HOW MANY people were on the ship with us. They do such a good job as crowd control on the ship, it's sometimes hard to tell.
The beds were VERY comfortable, the sheets soft. We slept like babies except for some strange pounding noise that seemed to take place around 2 am every night.
Some people do have an inconsiderate habit of letting their children run off steam in the hallways at gawdawful hours, but thankfully they quickly pass. Overall I found the passengers to be very civilized and considerate of each other.
To sum it up, do I think the cruise is five star? No. But I think it's a very very good cruise, way up there. The service was never bad, and always friendly. I felt it was above and beyond family and couple friendly, the activities cute and engaging. Mostly my number one reason to be on this cruise was to relax...not to party, not to run all over like I do in the park, but to reconnect with DH and pamper myself a little. DCL accomplished all of those goals for me.
P.S. I should warn you that you'd better like Sade. By the end of the cruise I thought if I heard "Sweeeetest taboooooooo" one more time I'd begin shrieking hysterically.
