Just back-- very disappointed

[budwmn]

I've been getting kind of annoyed when people comment that service is going down. Who knows? Maybe you had an unusually great experience on your previous cruise and now it was just average. I think it just depends on the CM's you interact with. Some are definitely better than others. If you get stuck with bad servers in the dining rooms or a lousy room steward, it doesn't mean all of the service is declining. It may just be bad luck.

Same goes for food. My DH and I have ordered the same meal. One has loved it while the other didn't. Does that mean food quality has improved or declined? Each of us offer only one person's experience on one cruise. Go ahead, voice your opinions good or bad, but don't make sweeping generalizations about DCL.

 

[undertheradar]

We sailed on the Magic during DCL first year and I had an ok time. Now that my family consists of 3 kids, I cannot justify the $7000+ that a DCL vacation prices out at. We cruised with DCL that one time and have not been back. We priced sailings here during the west coast sailings and found that we could go to HI and WDW and still not come close to the costs for these sailings. While I find the comments of others that these cruises are worth every penny spent to be interesting, every penny that I spend on my family's vacation is important to me. In truth, I was happy when Mickey sailed on the Big Red Boat! We sailed 2x with Mickey and once with Bugs Bunny and had good family experiences. Without the Big Red Boat, there would not be DCL. It is obvious that the execs in Burbank have forgotten just how expensive these sailings have become if they had to pay for them! To those that sail over and over again and are happy, be happy and enjoy your sailings. To those who have sailed and learned that this is a lot of money and not always a great return, there are many other ways to vacation.

 

[dwkwootton]

SailorMinnie, I would think that the people that are reading this thread know that my opionion (or anyone else's) is just that, an opinion. I'm going to call a spade a spade. In your effort to continue the personal ax you started grinding with me in the hidden forum of a PM, it sounded like you insulted the intelligence of everyone reading these boards. If anything didn't sound like an opinion, it was your intro remark that was worded like a command or an order encompassing everyone with what they need to do.

And budwmn, it doesn't annoy me that some people don't think that services are on a downward trend. I really don't get it why people get annoyed when some people, including myself think that the services are on a downward trend. Disagree? Great, isn't that the idea of forums like this! Annoyed? I can't figure that one.

The discussions about possible problem areas are likely to be helpful since Disney seems to want the feedback and to be pretty good in responding. Isn't that why they ask for their patrons to fill out their lengthy questionaire at the end of the cruise? For one example, they responded positively about complaints on soda prices by adding complimentary soda to the Deck 9 beverage station. I would think Disney will welcome the input that some of their customers are finding there may be problems developing with the kids clubs for the younger kids. From what I understand DCL reads this board for that very reason. And attempting humor to lighten things up (as the written word does not convey emotion like the spoken word): I don't think the DCL execs will come unglued over any less than perfect input and decide that it must be the bad people looking for trouble who are out to get them who say these awful things !!!

 

[aprilgail2]

. My two year old was bored in Flounders because the babies were always napping so it everyone tried to be quiet, and the toys were more geared toward younger toddlers. .

I had that problem on our first cruise. My daughter was 2 1/2 and hated Flounders. She said it was all babies and had baby toys. So needless to say after one time she really did not want to go back so she and I just hung out together the whole cruise. It didn't bother me at all but I can see why some people go with the idea of leaving their child in Flounders and having some free time to hang out with the adults would be dissapointed if that happened. Then we cruised last year when she was 4 and I had to drag her out of the club! It shocked me since she is not a kid that adapts well to new things but a worker came right over to her and got her involved with something right away and that was all it took. We are going again in April and all she talks about is going back to the kids clubs! I try to book early so I've never paid more than 2800 for 3 people and that is pretty reasonable to me.
Everyone is not goign to be happy wih the same things..to some a nice relaxing cruise is what they consider boring...to me its great to kick back, grab a deck chair and watch the water or people watch. I spent hours in the rainforest room last cruise just relaxing.

 

[markey]

My thoughts on the free soda is that it was easy to add it and have people think it was free. Who here doesn't think that extra cost was figured into the cruise price? As far as Disney charging higher prices, they will continue as long as people are willing to pay and they keep sailing with full ships.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

As far as Disney charging higher prices, they will continue as long as people are willing to pay and they keep sailing with full ships.

And it's hard to fault Disney for doing that since all businesses figure out their saturation point and go from there. The whole point is to figure out at what point charging more will lose more business than the increased cost will support. Hmm, not sure if that makes any sense, but you know what I mean.

T&B

 

[budwmn]

dwkwootton - Perhaps I need to clarify my statement. It doesn't annoy me that some think DCL service has declined, it bothers me when they state it as fact. The point of my post was that each of our experiences on DCL is unique and random -- not just because of our own preferences and perceptions, but also due to the individual CMs we interact with.

On our last two cruises with DCL we had better food and service than the previous three. Does that mean it's improving? I doubt it. I think we just got lucky. However, I fully respect your belief that service has declined. If you cruise again, I hope you'll have better luck, too.

 

[SailorMinnie]

dwkwootton - Perhaps I need to clarify my statement. It doesn't annoy me that some think DCL service has declined, it bothers me when they state it as fact. The point of my post was that each of our experiences on DCL is unique and random -- not just because of our own preferences and perceptions, but also due to the individual CMs we interact with.

On our last two cruises with DCL we had better food and service than the previous three. Does that mean it's improving? I doubt it. I think we just got lucky. However, I fully respect your belief that service has declined. If you cruise again, I hope you'll have better luck, too.

This was my point, that any of our opinions are very often stated as fact, because for us they are. I don't think I was insulting anyone's intellignece by reminding readers to take all of our posts as personal perception. There have been a few posts lately where people have said that they are considering a Disney cruise, but are concerned because of some of the negative posts. And people have read the positive posts and quite possibly come away with over inflated expectations. This was just a caution and a plea for balance, no ax to grind.

And, dwkwootton, as far as calling a spade a spade, you seem a bit defensive and in my opinion have come across just as insulting as you accuse others of being. That was my observation and not an attack.

 

[dwkwootton]

Fair enough budwmn and thanks for taking the time to clarify. I did try to use wordage that indicated opinion as opposed to fact, but when I reread it, I can see that I was not successful in doing that. When I said it was true that the prices are going up it would have been better to end that sentence there and start a new one regarding opinions on service.

 

[dwkwootton]

This was my point, that any of our opinions are very often stated as fact, because for us they are. I don't think I was insulting anyone's intellignece by reminding readers to take all of our posts as personal perception. There have been a few posts lately where people have said that they are considering a Disney cruise, but are concerned because of some of the negative posts. And people have read the positive posts and quite possibly come away with over inflated expectations. This was just a caution and a plea for balance, no ax to grind.

And, dwkwootton, as far as calling a spade a spade, you seem a bit defensive and in my opinion have come across just as insulting as you accuse others of being. That was my observation and not an attack.

Yes, I'm defensive and have said so in earlier posts ~ and trying to shake that off. For me it was difficult to be labeled wrongly for my opinion. And like the gal who stated she wasn't going to post anymore citing nasty PMs as one of the reasons, your nasty PM and other nasty PMs I got are not a nice thing, in my opinion. To the best of my knowledge, I have not posted anything that could be considered insulting since the threads of 1-15. Being strongly opinionated but also being very nice, many people have noticed how very hard I've been trying to post my strong opinions in a more gentle tone. Perhaps if you try to, you may notice this as well.

 

[SailorMinnie]

I certainly didn't think I was being nasty in the PM, but you've sure made me sound like a villian. Here's what I sent, so the y'all can be the judge. I will keep my observations and opinions to myself in the future and limit my posts simple factual answers to questions that folks pose.

"It's obviously taken me a while to reply. I had several replies worked out but none of them felt quite right, so I guess that's why it's taken so long. You did in fact read me wrong, I didn't mean to imply that I thought you were criticizing Houzer. I simply felt that after reading through all of the posts, you were just as critical, insulting and mean as anyone else who you didn't agree with. That's what I meant about calling the ketle black.

Again, my observations and thanks for your time"

 

[dwkwootton]

Sailorminnie, that's your subsequent PM, not your first. But lets try to be done with whoever's mistakes from the past and I'll continue to work hard be more sensitive in my choice of words. It seemed to me that of the numerous posts, you deliberately selected mine and I should not have assumed that.

 

[Greysword]

Wow, this thread got long fast

This may have already been suggested, but I wanted to make an observation to help with the check-in process.

My wife and I went on the Jan 23rd 2005 Wonder cruise. We were at the terminal by 10am (I think), and we were the third in line to enter the terminal (at 10:30). Went in, right up to the counter and checked in. There was barely anyone there and the club registration tables had no line and the CMs were happily awaiting their guests.

If I may be so bold to suggest, if parents get to the terminal early, they can get the family signed in, then get the kids registered quickly. The rest of the wait time can be had by the kids running up and down the mostly people free terminal, watching the movies ont eh televisions, looking at the ship, having a snack, and meeting the Mouse when he (or his lovely wife) make an appearance!

The other concerns I have to agree and disagree on some levels. Not as much to do but sit and relax, but I thoroughly enjoyed being disconnected as was previously mentioned.

Sorry your trip wasn't as fun.

 

[rejobako]

I'm definitely in the "sit and relax" camp. Aside from watching my daughters being born (and maybe a couple of intimate moments that are none of your business ), the most wonderful experiences of my life have been spent in casual repose -- lounging with my family in a hammock underneath the oak tree in my back yard; stretched out on the grass at my grandfather's wine cellar in Europe looking out over the vineyards; sitting on a bench in the Louvre just before closing time, alone with a dozen incredible Monet paintings; skinny dipping in the ocean off Negril Beach at midnight . . . I'd love to add: "having a cold dry martini on the verandah on my Disney cruise after the girls are in bed, watching the moonlight play off the waves."

Is it May yet?

 

[mking624]

Hi there,
I'm a brand new member, but I've been lurking here for ages since my DH & I are considering taking a cruise on the DCL.

I'm sorry there have been people who haven't had the most enjoyable vacations. It happens, unfortunately, from time to time. I've gone on various vacations that weren't the best of times (to put it mildly). The important thing here, and I believe this was mentioned before, is to take the good parts of it and remember those times. If all we do is focus on the negative, we're never going to find enjoyment in anything. That doesn't mean we don't take the negative into account at all, after all, we can learn from it. But it does mean we're not dwelling on it to the point that we forget the times we smiled, laughed, etc. I highly doubt that anyone's experience on the DCL was so bad that they never had one sliver of a moment when they didn't even smile. If you did smile, cheer up...that's a good memory for you! Take what you have experienced and learn from it...and also focus on the good memories you came back home with.

I work for The Disney Store, and even in that small realm, I've come to find that guests have incredibly high expectations of Disney. It's really unfair for all the workers because if they don't meet even the most minute detail, people label us as a disappointment. And I'm only in the retail aspect. It's hard on us. Now, I'm not at all implying that every Disney CM is perfect and any guest who is disappointed with something must be wrong, because I know that's not true. I've experienced various things that can attest to that. But my plea here is to remember to not expect perfection from imperfect people. We can never reach that level.

I've read complaints (for lack of a better word, not meaning to sound critical) about how people can go on other lines for a lot less than the DCL. And that's very true. However, what many seem to be forgetting is the reason why other lines cost less is because of the fact they have casinos on board. They make up all that money right there. If I'm not mistaken, and others can correct me if I'm wrong, DCL is the ONLY cruise line that doesn't have a casino on board. So naturally, they need to make up the costs in other ways. When you compare how much people spend in gambling on top of what they paid for the actual cruise on other cruise lines, it actually is along the same rates as what Disney charges for their cruise without the casino. So please try to keep things in perspective before coming down on the cost.

Anyway, that's just my 2 cents on the matter. Don't mean to step on anyone's toes.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

If I may be so bold to suggest, if parents get to the terminal early, they can get the family signed in, then get the kids registered quickly. The rest of the wait time can be had by the kids running up and down the mostly people free terminal, watching the movies ont eh televisions, looking at the ship, having a snack, and meeting the Mouse when he (or his lovely wife) make an appearance!

Wait a minute, here. They are NOT married, nor do they live together.

Can a person get into their cabin as soon as they are able to board the ship?

T&B

 

[SailorMinnie]

On previous cruises we have wandered toward our cabin soon after boarding (and we're always there early). And we were able to get into the cabin. This last time in Jan. we went to try and there was a retractable barrier at the doorway from the elevator preventing us from going into the hallways to the cabins. It wasn't opened until exactly 1:30 (or was it 1:00). Whatever time the little piece of paper they gave us said was the time the cabins would be ready, that was when they let us through. So I don't know if this was new, or we were just lucky that the cabins were done the other times we sailed. I guess that's not really much help is it? Maybe someone can help enlighten us both!

 

[allears]

mking624, I think you are so right about what many of us expect from Disney. They have worked hard at building a reputation of being the best at guest services that when we encounter real world people working at a real world company and things aren't just so, we can get a lot crumpier than we might at some other company. I have heard some horror stories about some guests at the stores and what they expect because it's Disney.

And you point about the lack of casino on board is also well taken. There are also some other less obvious factors that I have surmized that put DCL in the premium league. Along with money being spent in casinos, other ships, in general, also probably rack up a lot more in sales of alchol. I'm not saying that every other line if filled with drunken fools, but on the Disney ships the demographics are such that less booze is going to be sold. Of the 2500 passengers, many times up wards of 1000 0f them are kids, who can't buy drinks. Also a factor is that on some lines you have to pay for the kids activities after a cetrain hour, not the case on Disney. A lot of space is decicated to the main theatre as well as the movie theatre. This makes for less sellable state room space.

Then there are some of the less obvious things, like docking locations in some of the ports. Only every other week does the Magic go to Key West, yet it docks right there at the center of town. Not all of the lines will pay extra for this convience. The last cruise we were on and from the Key West Cam yestersday, the Magic was the only one docked right there near Mallory Square. There was an empty birth in front of it. Yet the Carnival Glory was docked at the old naval base. Seemingly only a few feet astern of the Magic, but about a mile from town. You have to take a tram becasue that dock isn't connected to the marina where the Magic docks. Cozumel is the same. Again the Magic only goes there every other week, yet they dock right there at the new pier in the center of town. When we were there in January, there was a carnival ship and NCL docked with us. There were upwards of five ships docked at the old pier a couple of miles from town, three of which were carnival ships, they also had one anchored in the harbor tendering people in. These prime spots have to cost more money, which naturally gets passed on in the cost of the cruise. We just take these things for granted. One last thought is the large number of enterainers on board. There is the main stage cast, plus characters.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

That's a help! I guess that people shouldn't count on the rooms being available, but if they are that's great. I know that it's advised that a person should bring a carryon bag with a swimsuit, but it would be a little tight if everyone is changing in the restrooms. Or do most people go aboard, eat, and by the time they want to swim their cabins are ready?

T&B

 

[SailorMinnie]

I think you are right there. Most people are eating and getting settled. I don't think you'd encounter much of a crowd trying to get changed. But the cabins seem to always be ready by that 1-1:30 timeframe which still gives you a couple of hours until the lifeboat drill to spend at the pools.