Just Back- Mixed Thoughts

[Scooby3x1y]

[/QUOTE]We've been on the Magic 8 times and have had very different experiences each time with room stewards and servers. Although each has been very different they all were efficient. Some were not as sociable but even they went out of their way to know us and my children by name and be very cordial. Even other room stewards in the hall will ask how you day was. I would definately have noticed a difference if a room steward was as the OP mentioned. The great people onboard, and how nice they are has been a big reason we stay loyal to DCL.

I haven't been on NCL yet but we have been on 2 RCL cruises and the difference in the staff was really noticable. The service was no where near as good as DCL and most would avert thier eyes rather than say hello in passing. That never happened to me on DCL.

The original OP's opinion should not be slammed because you don't happen to agree. Again, every one of my cruises on DCL have been different. Some are filled with the best service, food and entertainment others really are lacking in one or all the areas. I agree the food quality has changed if you don't agree maybe your tastebuds and expectations are different. Really there was no need to attack.[/QUOTE]

Well said...I agree.

 

[PizzieDuster]

On our first DCL cruise after reading these boards, I had high hopes of meeting our room steward. He never showed the first day (4 day Wonder). I had to call guest services for ice, etc. The cast member who came said our room steward was sick. We just called guest services for ice, etc for the next two days. We finally saw him on day 3. Now that is bad.

Our following DCL trips were improvements.

But nothing compared to our RCCL room stewards. We had a balcony room for my DH, DD and I and an inside room across the hall for our teen boys. They were always present in the hall. Took care of the teens. Would tell them as they came down at dinner time "your mammas looking for you boys" and would open our stateroom door for the boys to come check in. And many times would tell us where they went. "Awww, the boys were hungry..." And a couple of times I didn't want them sleeping in I gave them a time to knock on the door to wake them up They did have a job to do and couldn't wait all day for those teens to get up They were wonderful! My teens and daughter loved them. (Because of cabin locations we had two - one for the boys inside cabin and one for us.) They got to know our family very well.

OT: Best Mac & Cheese ever: Marongo Casino, almost to Palm Springs in California....the restuarant on the top floor ---- lobster mac & cheese....worth the drive

 

[RedSox68]

No, we never post our names on our room door. The stewards learned our names from their list. The amazing thing to me is when we sailed on the next cruise and a former room steward yelled down the hall to my daughter, calling her by name! How he (Calvin) remember, I'll never know -- but we've had servers who also remembered us and remembered our names! To me, that is a talent and well deserved tip follows for the extra attention and effort

 

[Perdie]

I agree about it being a crapshoot for food and service on DCL...but mostly it's been excellent. That said, I choose DCL over any other (been on RC and Celebrity). We had really bad food on our Med Cruise in 2007 (always came out cold) the whole table complained, it got to the point where Fitz (head server) walked around with a meat thermometer to test our food! And our server was wet behind the ears...and it showed...she was flustered and not all that nice. On the other hand, we have always had great room stewards! And our Feb 2008 cruise the food was fantastic! But the Magic needed a good cleaning-which I guess it has since we were on-with the flat screens added etc, we noticed it needed an upgrade!

Overall, I love DCL-even with a few bumps along the way!!!

 

[watergal]

On the one hand we have never been called by name unless we made an effort to introduce ourselves personally. But then again, we all travel under our legal names, not our everyday names.

James = Chip

Paula Jane = PJ

Elizabeth = Becky

Robert = Bobby


We promised ourselves wouldn't do that to the kids but did anyway.

 

[watergal]

The food on the ships for us has always been comparable to the parks. If you think the food at the parks is bland then guess what.....

At the same time, the entertainment, restaurants, and parties are also similar to the parks and also fantastic.

The great thing is the variety and frequency of character greetings on the ship.

I don't understand th problem with including kids in the entertainment. The opportunity to participate should be part of the fun.

 

[nenner1]

No, we never post our names on our room door. The stewards learned our names from their list. The amazing thing to me is when we sailed on the next cruise and a former room steward yelled down the hall to my daughter, calling her by name! How he (Calvin) remember, I'll never know -- but we've had servers who also remembered us and remembered our names! To me, that is a talent and well deserved tip follows for the extra attention and effort

Calvin is freakin' awesome!!!

We had a problem with one of our two rooms and our kids room was separated from ours, we were given the option to move to a different floor to have adjoining rooms but we decided NO WAY because we liked Calvin so much! He is really a shining star of DCL!!

 

[RedSox68]

Ah, what the heck - might as well throw in my other favorite story about a staff member.

On our cruise in 2002, we had Alex (from Croatia) and Glynnis (Trinidad). My 13-year-old daughter just fell head over heels for him and cried when she had to say goodbye. In fact, she would not go to the final breakfast, but gave us a drawing she had done to give him.

When we sailed again in 2004, we found out Alex was still onboard as head server, and Glynnis had been promoted to head server. We went to their respective dining rooms to say hello. Glynnis remembered us immediately and gave us big hugs and we talked quite a while. Then we went to find Alex. As we walked toward him, he turned around, got a huge smile on his face and yelled "Emily, I still have your picture hanging in my room". I was floored -- and Emily was thrilled. We talked for a while, found out he was engaged and wished him the best (hugs all around). Those are the people who make DCL what it is!

 

[katlady]

I just returned from the Disney Wonder today. I sailed the 4-day cruise back in 2003 both times on Deck 2. My experience in 2003 was much better than this past week. Immediately upon arrival on Day 1, I went to Guest Services and complained about the odor on Deck 2 near 2635-2645. I complained on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. They did try to mask the smell but it didn't work.

Guest Services (Blair) went over and above my expectations to ensure that the problem was being addressed. I'm pleased with the customer service but they were not able to eliminate the odor. There were several of us that complained to Guest Services and others that noted it on the comment cards.

I can't complain about the food. I thought it was good, but my husband didn't agree with me. I'm not hard to please when it comes to food My kids never complained either.

The stateroom was showing wear and tear. I was surprised but the ship is 10 years old.

We did save a Carnival passenger at sea. It was great to see how Disney was able to successully rescue him. Carnival was not able to properly launch their rescue boats. Safety is my 1st priority.

Even with the odor in the hallway and the aging of the ship, I will still continue to sail with Disney. I've been on 3 Carnival cruises and nothing compares to the total Disney experience. When looking at the whole experience Disney still comes out on top!

 

[RedSox68]

We did save a Carnival passenger at sea. It was great to see how Disney was able to successully rescue him. Carnival was not able to properly launch their rescue boats. Safety is my 1st priority.

Terrific articles this morning from the Florida newspapers. Disney got very high marks for their quickness and successfulness in helping the man. Reports indicated that Carnival's lifeboats were taking on water

 

[altiek]

Wow, I just joined here today, and this is only my second TR to read. Makes me very leery to post one in case I have a differing opinion than a certain poster, or she feels my "attitude" needs pointed out again and again. Which by the way, the "attitude" you think he is showing is directed at his trip, yours is directed at him personally....pretty uncalled for, IMO


conandrob, thank you for your honest report. I read no attitude it in. My cruise is costing a lot of money(a $1600 deposit...yikes), I have very high expectations from Disney itself and because of reports I have read elsewhere. If my food is subpar to me and things look shabby after dropping $6000, I know I would be upset.

 

[PrincessYessenia]

The three night cruise makes absolutely no sense to me, and after a week on the Magic I am glad I chose seven nights over four.

OUCH! I completely agree with you. HOWEVER, I have only gone on 7 nights and one 10 night BUT will be going on my first 3 night in December because it was all DBF and I could afford at the moment. We are only 20 & 21 and we just got a house, we have dogs that need dog-sitting while we're gone, school, and work to deal with. Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to do 7 nights sometimes. Also, some people may not even want to be on a ship 7 nights and CHOOSE a shorter trip. You have to factor in getting days off work as well, some people can only get so many days off. I think it's better to go on a 3 night than no cruise at all. Just saying.

 

[barney4liz]

OUCH! I completely agree with you. HOWEVER, I have only gone on 7 nights and one 10 night BUT will be going on my first 3 night in December because it was all DBF and I could afford at the moment. We are only 20 & 21 and we just got a house, we have dogs that need dog-sitting while we're gone, school, and work to deal with. Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to do 7 nights sometimes. Also, some people may not even want to be on a ship 7 nights and CHOOSE a shorter trip. You have to factor in getting days off work as well, some people can only get so many days off. I think it's better to go on a 3 night than no cruise at all. Just saying.

Well first, I have to say:

GO GATORS!!

Thank you.

We have only gone on 3 & 4 nights thus far. We had a 7-night booked for this past August and had to reschedule to a 4-night due to a conflict with DD's band camp schedule. Living 2.5 hours from the Port, we sort of treat the ship as a favorite weekend beach destination. There is a big market for the shorter cruises, for many reasons. There are lines that offer two-night cruises. I personally can't imagine going for less than 3 nights, but clearly there is a market. Different strokes, etc.

 

[DollyXXXX]

I agree that to attack with sarcasm an honest review is out of line and uncalled for on such a "friendly oriented" board.

We are celebrating our 10th anniversary in Jan. and I hope it is just as fantastic as it was 10 years ago. I am a gourmet foodie and back then I had the best food I have ever had on a vacation. I can tell you everything I had to eat at every meal!!

 

[DollyXXXX]

Gee, if I thought I'd be reading so much animosity, I'd start talking to my husband!!!! LOL

 

[saffiebella]

I have to agree 100% with the OP. We were on the same cruise (8/27-8/30 2009 Wonder) and I am so disappointed to concur with those sentiments. I was actually a little embarrassed b/c I raved and applauded the Wonder after returning from our 2008 3 night ....so much so that I convinced even more of my family to sign on for an annual family reunion cruise. The food was h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e. No ifs, ands or any amount of wishful thinking could change that. We chose Disney b/c we thought the quality control and attention to detail would trump other liners especially in the food department. My friends, I got food poisoning the 1st night. I am not the kind to go telling anyone about it, b/c I was soooo embarrassed and quite frankly too sick to stand in one place long enough to relate the story!! I visited just about every bathroom on each floor on night 1. I was so determined to enjoy the ship that I set out on a tour with my sister and had to bail every 5 minutes for the restroom : (

The best thing about the food on the cruise was the mango yogurt (The Mountain Hike) at Triton's breakfast and that is not saying a good thing. We ate at Palo the last night and had a wonderful evening b/c 1) we had just been back from the Rasul and 2) haven't had a romantic dinner in 5 years!! The food was just OK but the experience more than made up for it.

Service on the cruise was terrible. Our head server was the worst and we were stuck with him and his bad attitude right up until our last dinner and breakfast, not a pleasant memory. Kecha was his name, my husband joked that he needed to kecha-clue and realize he works in the service industry and put a smile on his face. I can't believe this guy can continue to work for Disney with such a poor attitude. He was annoyed that I had to excuse myself to take our 1 year old to the nursery and he rushed us out of every meal actually telling us he had to get ready for the next seating. Sometimes our food came out cold...the list goes on. We are now researching other cruise lines (something I thought I'd never have to do) for next year's big family vacay just based on the meal quality & food service alone! The room stewards were just OK, not very friendly.

As I'm writing this I can hardly believe I'm speaking about the DISNEY cruise. I thought we'd found the perfect vacation after my 1st experience and never bothered to research any other lines....but how can I wholeheartedly recommend my friends and family spend the extra money for a premium service that (if we are honest with ourselves) no longer exists?

I am a die hard Disney loyalist and I will post my trip report with tons of awesome photos, but I felt this post was refreshingly honest and I had to chime in and call a spade a spade this time around. The Disney Wonder was in need of an S.O.S. It's splendor was hijacked by age and the present economy...Grade: C (not very Wonder-ful : (

 

[tink_lover]

After reading this about the service in more than one post, I have to ask - do you think that the bad economy is affecting people's ability to tip what is expected? Do you think the bad service is related to poor tipping due to tighter budgets for people?

 

[saffiebella]

You could be on to something. The attitudes of some crew members were dejected, distracted and downright negative. The morale among them could be pretty low. I've heard this is true in the parks w/disgruntled, over-worked, under-paid workers providing poor service.

Disney should treat their workers better so we don't have to suffer!

 

[MMitchell29]

What I find amazing is that everytime someone have a difference of opinion about Disney and talk about their bad or negative experience there are people that come on here and make the other person feel like their lying or it's not possible to have a bad experience with Disney as if can do no wrong.
I mean seriously, I love Disney just as much as the next person but I also keep it real and know that with 1,000 or more passengers not everybody is going to have a super duper great time. And it should be o.k to express your feelings about without someone following up behind you with a rude or smart a$$ comment. Or the person that come on here and talk about how great of a time they had. seriously how inconsiderate.

OP thank you for keeping it real and sharing your experience with disboards, I myself can appreciate a person like you.

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

Oh no! We loved the Wonder last year, and dear friends of ours will be cruising on her in November, based upon our rave reviews... Hopefully the shabbiness will be fixed up pronto in the upcoming drydock. Food- geesh- hopefully DCL reads this. I hope the PPs who had bad food experiences have LET DCL KNOW. Help out the folks coming after you! Send a letter! Or two!

AND we raved so much about DCL we are on the Magic this time with both sets of parents. My folks are definite foodies, so this worries me. Hopefully the food is better on the Magic!