Magic to The Med Report VERY LONG

[disneymom7851]

Thanks for having a good attitude and I am glad you had a good time on the cruise. This thread has really been a lot of negative comments that had no place on the thread

 

[gismo1554]

I have not read every entry on this thread but there is a lot of generalisation going on. As someone else has said, everyone is entitled to their opinions but our experience (as 1st timers on the first Med cruise but we are Disney veterans) was that the experience was fantastic. Yes there were a lot of new CMs but we never found anyone who was unwilling to help in anything we asked about. Service was exceptional and you should not worry about your cruise. We also enjoyed the food and the whole experience so much that we are likely to now do the trip back across to Florida in August.

With regard to the generalisation, Europe is not always cold, wet and miserable in May June & July and in fact I am sending this from my garden in Northern England at 10pm and the temperature is currently 20 degrees (was 26 earlier today). This is fairly regular for UK at this time of the year. Again not everyone in Europe (whatever country they are from) shys away from washing. You will find that people are like that in any country. We could quite easily say that about the abundant and rather larger people we encounter in Florida but we dont because we know that every nation has it's fair share of these problems. Lets keep these generalisations away from the forums!

I agree. By the way there's a few of us on the Bringing home the magic post inthe cruise meet that went on the EB and have booked the return leg so if you do book it then come over and join us.

 

[milestogo]

Hi guys, Laura, I'm so sorry that you had such a bad time. I had no idea when I saw you that you were having a tough trip. Like Hadley and Chris it is like we were on a different ship. We had unbelievable service, food to die for (our table ordered multiples of everything), loved the fun weather. Didn't have one bad experience with kids misbehaving. Loved meeting everyone, the shows, the presentations etc. Although did have minor frustration with guest services, but they made good on it. I hope it doesn't sour you on cruising and that you have a better experience next time. I was surprised how many people liked it enough to book the return in August. Good luck, Kelly

PS: hey Sarah, say hi to Lidsay (my UK girls)

 

[gismo1554]

Hi guys, Laura, I'm so sorry that you had such a bad time. I had no idea when I saw you that you were having a tough trip. Like Hadley and Chris it is like we were on a different ship. We had unbelievable service, food to die for (our table ordered multiples of everything), loved the fun weather. Didn't have one bad experience with kids misbehaving. Loved meeting everyone, the shows, the presentations etc. Although did have minor frustration with guest services, but they made good on it. I hope it doesn't sour you on cruising and that you have a better experience next time. I was surprised how many people liked it enough to book the return in August. Good luck, Kelly

PS: hey Sarah, say hi to Lidsay (my UK girls)

Hiya Will do hone

 

[rikimuk]

Just recently cruised Disney.. 4 day in May 2007. This was our 6th Disney Cruise. I do agree that the service has changed as well as the cruisers. It's not what it used to be. However, we made the best of it and enjoyed our vacation. I never expected more. I accepted... but will definitely take this into consideration for future cruises.
We are booked on the May 3, 2008 Disney Magic in the Walt Suite and at this time I am not looking forward to the trip. Hopefully 10 months from now I will feel differently. To cancel this booked trip would mean we would lose our $3000 deposit because it's the suite. So... we will cruise Disney one last time... and maybe in the future the new ships will offer something different.

Im so jealous you have the Walt Suite can i come?????? Im really small and very quiet!!!!

Lindsay

 

[rikimuk]

Hi guys, Laura, I'm so sorry that you had such a bad time. I had no idea when I saw you that you were having a tough trip. Like Hadley and Chris it is like we were on a different ship. We had unbelievable service, food to die for (our table ordered multiples of everything), loved the fun weather. Didn't have one bad experience with kids misbehaving. Loved meeting everyone, the shows, the presentations etc. Although did have minor frustration with guest services, but they made good on it. I hope it doesn't sour you on cruising and that you have a better experience next time. I was surprised how many people liked it enough to book the return in August. Good luck, Kelly

PS: hey Sarah, say hi to Lidsay (my UK girls)

Hey Kelly,

Its Lindsay your UK girl here saying hi back. Me and Sarah have booked the return trip and can not wait. We are so excited I think work will end up paying for us to go just to shut us up and get rid of us lol.

Lindsay

 

[AuntyBrat]

For those of you who supported my right to post my opinion, Thank You!!

For those of you who felt you had the right to flame me and imply things that I never wrote, I could care less.

One of the questions we had was whether DCL was going to be letting some of their expereinced cast members go, possibly to save money. Well, we have heard from a couple of our friends/cast members who have been with DCL since the beginning, and they were not offered new contracts. And they know of others who were not offered new contracts.

Also, as a couple of other people have stated, the service some people are experiencing is not the same level as it was.

 

[cquick]

We were also on that cruise with you. I just want to say that anyone who posts on this board is allowed their own opinion, so if readers don't agree with the starter of the thread they can say so.

Anyway, We had a great time! It was very exciting to have such wild weather......just think what the original sailors had to go through!

I think the CM's doing the entertaining did a superb job with all the rockin and rolling! I am actually surprised they didn't cancel more of the shows, just for the CM's safety sake.

I really liked the new addition of the wave pool to the Magic!

Of course, it helps that nobody inour family is bothered by seasickness. The first few days we just slept in, it was so comfy!

I do think that DCL should have cancelled the outdoor buffet the night of the Pirate Night ( I mean moved it inside).

If anyone is still reading this thread, we loved our servers and we were going to get our assistant server's email, but we forgot. He was Dragon and he was from Croatia. He was so wonderful to us! It was like having a new friend. And they always remembered what Patrick wanted, and had his "naked" iceburg salad ready for the ranch dressing!

We were on Carnival Freedom the 2 weeks after the Trans Atlantic, and Disney's food was MUCH BETTER! and it was always warm. I actually had my favorite appetiser at Lumiere's for lunch! Pancetta wrapped broiled shrimp! mmmmmmm!

I can see where the problem in the new menu is, I think it's because they wanted to bring more of the Mediterranean flavors.....olives, fruit sauces, etc.

We could NEVER eat the lat night buffets anyway! Too much to eat at dinner!

I always felt sorry for our room hostess, we slept late, so she had to do our room last, then Patrick took a nap in the afternoon, and after that she cleaned up again, then while we were at supper, she turned down the bed! Great service!

Connie

 

[cquick]

OH! btw, I overpacked again! Sent home a whole suitcase with our son, Michael, and we should have taken HALF the clothes we did for the guys! ( I wore ALL my stuff)

 

[RJAYL]

OH! btw, I overpacked again! Sent home a whole suitcase with our son, Michael, and we should have taken HALF the clothes we did for the guys! ( I wore ALL my stuff)

You must be related to My Wife!

Guys Packing List 1 Jacket, chinos, shorts, bathing suit, bunch of shirts assorted & underwear & socks! THATS IT!

 

[Scoobypop]

I don't really know any cast members of DCL personally, so the statement I am making in NO WAY is implying anything about AuntyBrat's friends, but:

Just because someone is with a company since the start doesn't necessarily mean their contract should be renewed automatically. Just because it isn't renewed doesn't mean a company is simply trying to save money. I speak from personal experience when I say I wish most companies had contracts because many, MANY people I work with have no business working at a high end hotel with supposedly world renowned customer service. I'm sure at the beginning, 1998 when the hotel opened (same as the cruise ship), they were good employees. Doesn't mean they still are.

Just some other stuff to consider besides the fact that Disney is trying to save money. Again, perhaps they ARE, I don't know. Just throwing another viewpoint in there. Perhaps the employees contracts that weren't renewed weren't up to par.

 

[DizzneyDAnn]

Also, have you ever really seen an old CM on the boat? Except for the Captain, I think everyone was younger than my 43 years. I think that many Cm's are not offered a job when they get to be a certain age. The ship IS registered in the Bahamas and this is an entertainment company, which unfortunately as far as employment goes prefers youthful exuberance. Older people are relegated to the "old-sea dog" check-in caste. I would LOVE to be on the cruise staff. I would NEVER be given a job. That ship (pun intended) has sailed.



Even Chris and Rob, with all their talent as masseuses, were probably hired in LV because of their extreme good looks and youthful appearance. That's the way the entertainment world works.

 

[CACruisin']

I really liked the new addition of the wave pool to the Magic!

One of DD's favorites too!

I'm sorry Laura that you did not have the trip you hoped for. Certainly everyone has different experiences.

Luckily for us, it really was a trip of a lifetime. It was everything I had imagined and so much more! I agree with all of your WOW's and Good's. It really was wonderful to see the ship photographers at the top of the Rock, and I was really impressed with how organized DCL was with the pins and the signing's.

As for your Bad's and Uglies, it seems to me most of them are really not DCL issues, but more about cultural differences.
FOOD: We loved the food, but then we really like Med type foods. I often ordered an appetizer and two soups along with entree and I loved the different desserts. Of course, I'm not a big cake fan and that seemed to be the predominant item on my past two DCL cruises. On several occasions, DD11 and DD13 weren't sure what to have so our server would bring small portions of two entree's. I don't think there was a single thing they didn't like. I agree the risotto was to die for! I would have liked to see more pasta type itens on the menu also. One night the kitchen staff was definitely having some difficulty with the new menus. Service was very slow throughout the restaurant and the description did not always match the plate. However, this was really an isolated incident for us. I'm not a big soda drinker, so I can't comment about the carbonation issues. The kids didn't complain about it though.
Guest Services: We did have to visit Guest Services several times, but found them to be helpful and went out of their way on more than one occasion to make the trip more magical. I would agree that I did notice a lot of new/green staff in Guest Services with "canned" answers. However, I found that they were more than happy to confer with a supervisor if they weren't sure about an answer or asked them to inquire further.
LE Merchandise: I understand the issue of two families in one stateroom, however, it is DCL's stated policy of one gift per stateroom. The fact that you have had exceptions to this policy in the past, does not entitle anyone to exceptions now or in the future, JMHO.
Cast Members: Our Host was experienced. He was fine and efficient, not over the top. Our servers were also all experienced and had been with DCL for 1-9 years. Our assistant server was not good. His contract is up in September, and quite frankly I would hope he is not asked back. We said as much to our head server. I did give the service team an excellent rating however. Our server did double duty to cover for the ***'t server, and I did not feel it was fair to penalize the whole team with a less than excellent rating. Surprisingly on this cruise, not once did we get the "excellent" speech . All of the other CM's we dealt with throughout the ship in the shops, kids clubs, in elevators and hallways were always friendly and helpful.
Excursions:
Yes, some tours may be boring for young children, and also some adults. Boredom and bad behavior are not restricted by age. (Digressing slightly, the one and only negative experience I had on the cruise involved rudeness and bad behavior from a group adult women on the chocolate buffet night.) DCL did have age guidelines on the excursions however - a lot were for 5 and up. Having travelled extensively, both domestic and internationally, with my children from birth, the experiences for them have been unmatched. I do choose our activities carefully and plan for "the boring times" aka bring sketch books and colored pencils to draw something in the cathedral. We also do a lot of touring "on our own" so we can go at our own pace and not have to be on a group time schedule. Others may not be comfortable doing that.
Physical limitations: As you stated DCL was pretty clear about activity level, steps, etc. If people chose to do the excursion anyway, how is that an "Ugly" for DCL? It seems to me they did a reasonable job identifying the requirements.
European Time: We actually found the opposite to be true regarding scheduling. We would have breakfast then go into town. We would then spend the afternoon, when places were closed, back onboard ship at the pool or catching a movie. Booking a DCL excursion in the morning would mean you would be trying to go into town in the afternoon when everything, including most cafe's are closed.
ATM's: I'd recommend having a little bit of Euro's to have on hand (either from home or guest services) for the first port, however ATM's were not difficult to find and easy to use. Based on my own experience and that of friends/relatives/collegues that travel internationally, ATM's give the best exchange rate. Now if you are taking mostly DCL excursions and will not have time to go into town on your own for an ATM then it would be better to have Euros ahead of time. No, US dollars are generally not accepted in Europe. Nor are Euro's/Canadian dollars/pesos accepted in the US.

This is not intended as a flame of any kind. Everyone has their own experiences. Ours were wonderful. I'm sorry Laura's were not what she had hoped for. As she stated - YMMV.

 

[cquick]

You must be related to My Wife!

Guys Packing List 1 Jacket, chinos, shorts, bathing suit, bunch of shirts assorted & underwear & socks! THATS IT!

Yeah! It turned out that I packed extra T shirts and shorts for the guys and Chuck already had put in more than enough! Oh, well, we will go with your packling list nest time ( for the guys! ) I am sticking with my plan of putting everything I own in a suitcase!

 

[CACruisin']

Oh, well, we will go with your packling list nest time ( for the guys! ) I am sticking with my plan of putting everything I own in a suitcase!

I think I did end up bringing just about every pair of shoes I own except my Ugg boots!

 

[RJAYL]

I think I did end up bringing just about every pair of shoes I own except my Ugg boots!

What no Ugg's

Ladies do not be discouraged we are leaving Tuesday my Wife has 5 Soft sided large duffle type bags with wheels for the 6 of us!

Myself, DW, DS14, DD12, DD6, DD3 I will be lucky to take up half of a bag!

In a couple of years I am going to take my oldest 2 & do a 3 week Rick Steves tour as suggested with only a knapsack!

 

[CACruisin']

What no Ugg's

Ladies do not be discouraged we are leaving Tuesday my Wife has 5 Soft sided large duffle type bags with wheels for the 6 of us!

The Uggs were bulky and was reasonably sure I wouldn't need them on the cruise (but they would have come in handy watching POC2 on the big screen that one night! )

The irony is our family of 5 usually travels in 3-5 carry-on roller type bags, even for trips of 10 days or more. But with cruises ... all bets are off!

 

[mickg7dyd]

Hi,
Someone once told me to put all the clothes you decide to take on your bed then put all your spending money there too. Finally you should pack half the clothes and double the money...

Mick.

 

[memarmay]

I just read this thread for the first time. My family was on the 1st Med Cruise. We were also on the first Mexican cruise. We had a fabulous time. our party was DH, DD(28),DGD(6) and me. Everything was as expected...wondeful. from our servers, Dennis and Ati, who fell in love with DGD and she misses them so, to our stateroom host, Laurel who was so attentive to all of us...esp DGD. Yep, she's a charmer. We were part of a larger group of 14, 13 adults and 1 child. We had a wonderful time at meals...she was raised around a bunch of adults and knows how to act at restaurants and when with adults...and loved the kids club. The food that we ate was very good. yep, very mediterranean but yummy. I know there was one night that nothing looked good to me. We had had a delightful and filling lunch on our tour and I really wasn't hungry. Dennis was worried that something was wrong. He then gave me a couple of suggestions that weren't on the menu and he hit something. It was great.
Our excursions were nice...would have appreciated more than 10 min shopping in Rome, but we did quite fine for ourselves...power shoppers. DD and DGD went on different excursions, more enjoyable for her, and they were happy. We did lots of homework prior to this trip...lots of $$ spent and we wanted to make the most of it...and we did. Between her pix and ours we have a wonderful memory of this trip.
Biggest shortcoming...not DCL fault...at Pompeii, a very young boy launched a decent sized rock and hit DD in the head, breaking skin and drawing blood. Her suggestion to them...sign him up for baseball...he's got a great arm!!! Now THAT'S making the most of a nasty situation!
NOt everyone can have the perfect trip every time...BA lost our luggage, bumped us from a flight loosing our transfer from BCN to the hotel, scattered us all over the plane on our return flight,,,they did fix that..they really were a nightmare. I am so sorry that some had a less than optimal trip, but at least you hung in there, let them know what needs fixing (which is what they want) and passed on info to others so that perhaps they can have a different experience. Good and bad are nice to hear....experience...what you get when you don't get what you want. And I've had LOTS of experience!
Mari

 

[scrapycruiser]

Mari...THANKS ! It's refreshing to read a positive report !!
What tours did you take ? Where were you able to shop ? What was shopping like on the ship ? I'm looking forward to seeing alot of history but did wonder...is there time to buy souvenirs and gifts for the family back home ?