Just returned from 1st Disney cruise...things we didn't like

[sfven]

We just got back from our first Disney cruise on the Wonder. While we had fantastic time, we realized the 3 night cruise was too short. The extra day at sea would've given us much needed relaxation after two days of just getting up and going all day. And packing leisurely on the last day would've been nice. We didn't get back on-board from CC until 4:15p, and after we all got showered, it was already time to get ready for main dining. Then after main dining was the Dreams show. So we rushed to get back to the room after the show at 9:40, to change and pack.

A few things we didn't like about the cruise:

-Food was mediocore, the food at the resort is better. We ranked it on par with Carnival's, with Royal Caribbean's being better than both. (The stone crab had a very fishy smell and was partially still frozen.) I thought the wraps were the best items on the ship.

-The bedrail on the top bunk creaked VERY LOUDLY. Everytime my dd7 moved, you would hear the metal rail. It woke up ds3 a few times. We thought this was just in our stateroom but several members of our group had the same issue.

-They need to adjust the closet doors so they can "lock" into place when shut. The first night of the cruise was very rocky and the doors kept sliding open and shut. Dh finally wedged paper in-between the doors to keep them from moving.

-Character meet times always coincided with dinner or show times. We didn't wait in line for any characters as we didn't want to show up late for dinner or not get seats together at the shows. The evening characters were the ones we wanted to see, dressed in pirate costumes and formal wear. But the times never worked out.

-I don't know if it was just this particular cruise or if this is a common concern, but the wooden stairs between decks 9 and 10 back near the Mickey pool are VERY SLIPPERY when they get wet. We saw several people fall, including myself and ds3. They should put down sticky strips or something on each step to prevent slips.

Other than the food, the other issues were minor. We wouldn't hesitate to cruise Disney again, the kids were bawling as we were leaving the ship. But we would also look at doing another Royal Caribbean cruise because the price is better. Although, Royal doesn't have the great costumes/uniforms for the crew, the character theming, and horn tune!

 

[jilljill]

You are so right, the 3 day is too short.

The closet doors have been an issue for us on every cruise and we first went in 1999. You just learn to stick something in them to keep them from banging open.

 

[Olga]

The character meet and greets were a joke, badly timed and too short. Instead of several Mickey's, there seemed to be only one and he left kids in line crying. One night Mickey practically ran through the diningroom, one blink and he was gone.

 

[sfven]

The character meet and greets were a joke, badly timed and too short. Instead of several Mickey's, there seemed to be only one and he left kids in line crying. One night Mickey practically ran through the diningroom, one blink and he was gone.

You are so right. The lines were really long, and unlike at the parks where a new Mickey would come out, they just told everyone to come back at the next meet time. They really need to add more greet times that work for both dining times/show times.

 

[rillsung]

After doing a 15 day for our first ever cruise (in August), we could never do anything shorter than a 7 day Our closet doors had velcro to hold them closed! We had no problem with them opening and closing. Our statroom host had a supply of velcro.

 

[Tink rules]

Same here... 15 nights and no complaints... and I'm sticking velcro strips in my travel kit for when I cruise again... our room had it but I appreciated it alot and will bring my own for next time.

 

[monicastanner]

3 days is tough, but that's the way we've done Disney twice. Simply because it's so much more pricey. We can do a 7 night Carnival or RC for the same price as a 3 night Disney. We LOVE Disney and can't wait to eventually do a 7 night, just gotta save and plan.

It's our least favorite food wise as well. We prefer Carnival to even RC though, it's just where we've had our best meals. I guess it's not what Disney is focused on and they do so many other things so amazing, the food isn't top priority.

 

[gangie321]

We are just back from our first Disney Cruise, a 4 night cruise. I agree with some of your points. Packing for a family of 4 in a couple of hours is just not enough time. We were in CC untill 4:30 , then the baby napped till 6. I sent DH, DD and DS to the show so I could stay back and pack...then dinner at 8:15...that meant finish packing between 10p and 11p (can you say STRESSFUL?)
The characters...well I guess I assumed that they would be strolling around the ship all of the time! My poor daughter, I had promised her that she would see the princesses...we didn't get to see one, except at the shows. I could never get the family ready early enough to go befor dinner, and even if I could DS (2 years old) is not interested in standing in line for 1/2 hour, then sitting at dinner for 2! But yes, it always seemed to coincide with dinner...
I will sail with Disney again. We had a great time, but this was the first cruise with kids so I can't compare others...

 

[Tink rules]

I can't imagine trying to do just a 3 or 4 day cruise... not that I wouldn't and having a family to pack up for would just make me crazy the last day. We only had the two of us and barely made it back from dinner the last night to get our bags out - and that was with the help of Lyndon our wonderful SR host. Granted that was after 15 nights and I did have a ton to pack, but still...

 

[NJFabFour]

Yep, another family of 4 just back . . . we were on our first cruise, the 4-night. I agree that packing was a little stressful. We made sure we got back by 3:00 from CC on the last day and I was still stuffing things in the suitcases as the CM was loading them at 10:45! He cut me short by 15 minutes!
We didn't have any trouble with closets or bedrails - they were very quiet and still the whole trip.
Character greetings were definately crowded at show and dinner times! We never did any of these times because the lines were waaay too long. We tried to catch them in the mornings or afternoons and a few later in the night. CC had fairly short lines for the characters, though.
It was just so wonderful . . . we found the food to be fantastic but have no other cruise experience to compare it to. We rebooked to do a 7 night next time! Can't wait!

 

[SnowWhite2]

We have never had a problem with character meet and greets on the 7 day cruise. I think with the shorter 3/4 days, there is just too much going on to have the characters out that often. Our best character meets were during the sea days. There was the row of all of the Princesses lined up for autographs, just go down the line and you have about 6 of them. That was the only time I ever saw a long line for the characters. the rest were at most 15 people.

Given that there is a show or dinner going from 5:30 until 10 pm, it is hard to get the characters out at a time that works for everyone.

 

[buzz328]

We are a family of five that just got back from our first Disney cruise. I have to agree the character lines were really long, but luckily our kids weren't too disappointed about missing them - they are 14, 10, & 5 and even our 5 year old son thinks he's too old for characters. We did get to see Captain Jack in front of the Walt Disney Theater with no wait at all and our 5-year-old was thrilled about that. I know my girls would have been devastated when they were little if they had to miss the princesses.
The food was not as good as we hoped for, but yet we still managed to eat so much we were constantly stuffed! The chocolate chip cookies everyone talks about were awesome - even better on the island than from room service.
We had 2nd seating for dinner so I think that gave us more time to pack.
We all had a great time and would love to do another Disney cruise, but it is kind of hard not to think about a Carnival or RCCL when they are almost 1/2 the price. I'm just afraid the kids would be so disappointed in their kid's camps after spending 4 days with the Disney counselors.

 

[WDBRDWLK]

After cruising on the Wonder (3 nights) several times on DCL we have tried to pack a little each day so that last night is not so crazy. If you brought clothes for formal night (7 nights) then you wear it once and pack it. Roll your clothes, it takes less space in the suitcase.
Don't try to do your laundry at the last minute, you are wasting valuable time. When one adult is in the shower the other adult can be packing up souveniers and clothing that you know you won't be wearing again on the cruise.

As for the character greetings, we always looked at the navigator to see who, where and when and then decided what would be more important...a priceless experience for a young child meeting a princess or dinner...dinner could wait. Taking a Disney cruise is all about the kids and the adults should take a back seat and let the kids experience it ten-fold.

There are so many events that overlap that you have to make choices...sometimes that means parents split up with the kids and go in different directions and meet up at a specific time and location.

I know this may not be feasible for everyone but it worked well for us.