Maiden Voyage Perks?

[scottofsdea]

Question to those of you who have done maiden voyages. What happens in way of special amenities that are offered? I have heard that gifts are in your stateroom each night and that they show off the chefs with special menus. Honestly, I am interested in what happens during a maiden voyage of a Disney Ship. Thanks so much!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Question to those of you who have done maiden voyages. What happens in way of special amenities that are offered? I have heard that gifts are in your stateroom each night and that they show off the chefs with special menus. Honestly, I am interested in what happens during a maiden voyage of a Disney Ship. Thanks so much!

I don't really know the answer to the question, I just hope the cruisers on this maiden voyage don't act like some of the cruisers on the Dreams maiden voyage! There were many reports of silverware, blankets, pillows, all kinds of stuff missing after the cruise. Some of which actually showed up on ebay!

Have a great trip.

 

[kcashner]

MJ will hopefully chime in about the MV of the Dream.

I was on the MV of the Magic, and it was enough to cure me of any desire to ever do a maiden voyage again. They just weren't anywhere near ready for the guests.

Before the Dream MV, there were many "shakedown" cruises for various groups, but again, a friend who was on the official MV was not pleased. To start with, you get to pay about twice as much as a normal cruise fare. What you basically get are bragging rights and the chance to purchase limited edition merchandise.

I've heard of nightly gifts on the DVC cruises...we sure didn't get them on the MV of the Magic. Honestly, we were doing good if we got lunch! And I'm really not kidding.

 

[lbgraves]

Those on the Fantasy's MV who were also on the Dream's has said they received a litho from Ducky Williams, a DVD on the making of the ship, something about a coin but I can't remember exactly what at the moment, etched champaign glasses at sailaway, and they got to keep the menus each night as a memento.

As far as the cost of the MV for the Fantasy, the prices when we booked it mid January a couple weeks after the change was made were the same prices opening day for the Magic's 3/30/12 cruise -- which I found surprising considering we were going to be ON the MV and the Magic was going to be tagging along to Cozumel and Grand Cayman with us, but not on the MV. It is one of the weeks for spring break , so I expect that week to cost more for any of the ships. When I was shopping for a cruise for 2013 on opening day for gold/platinum CC members the June cruise that I priced with the 10% discount was more than we are paying for the same room on the MV. Now, if you booked a few months later, the prices went up about 160% from the original rates, but I don't think we did too badly.

 

[Namsupak]

We were on the Dream MV and to be honest it was a toss up. Lets go over the amenities. There were some gifts such as plastic hands on the bed when we came in that say maiden voyage. There was also some sort of lithograph I believe at one point, but I think this may have been an "inaugural voyages". There was a fiasco regarding the commemorative champagne flutes with some guests taking cases of them and then some people getting none. On the sailaway there was some sky writing. The free stuff was honestly better on the "shakedown" cruises prior. I think there was an ipod or something like that on one of those cruises. There was a lot of stuff you could buy, some said MV some just says inaugural voyages, which is kind of general. You could cruise the whole first year and get some of that stuff. Here is the LINK to that stuff. We bought several of these items which sold out on the maiden voyage, but some of that crap was still around when we were on for the New Years cruise 2 months ago and also on our January cruise 1 month ago. Also the Dooney's that people were killing each other for, well at the end of the MV you could have just ordered it and it was shipped free to your home, or wait till the end of the year and get 40% off.

Special menus? I wish, really the menus were not that great at all, nothing special or fancy. And the pirate menu was exactly the same as on the magic and the wonder. As a PP mentioned there were tons of mad guests. Also as a side note, worst dining team we have ever had. Debarkation = nightmare - long 2 hour wait. PC was clearly not ready at all.

Overall it was memorable, there was more good than bad. Would we do it again? We are going on the Fantasy MV here in a month. We have a lot lower expectations this time around. We would not do it again for the "perks", but the experience was interesting as we had never been on a MV before. If you want perks or special menus etc, go on a long Transatlantic, Hawaii, or Panama Canal cruise. Part of the problem with the Dream is that it has very short itineraries, which is what DCL's plan was in the first place, but with short itineraries it is hard to do a lot of fun menus and special stuff when you are trying to get all the regular stuff in as well. There may have been special stationary or letters we saved also but nothing to really brag about. The neatest stuff was the art we bought but this was not really a "perk"

 

[super mike b]

We really enjoyed the maiden Dream cruise. The parties were great. There was lot's of nice extras too. That's why we are doing the maiden Fantasy this year.

Sure there were the "crazy people", but the ship is big enough to steer clear of them. I am glad that DCL is letting you pre-purchase the maiden voyage T-shirts this time around. The gift store on the first night was a really sad show.

 

[N365PA]

My wife (Hamm1207) and I were on the Dream MV and I have to agree 100% with what Namsupak said. It is an awesome experience but I wouldnt go in with the highest expectations. Frankly dining service was horrible and when the stores opened each night it was close to a riot trying to get MV items. Would we do it again, you betcha. I couldnt get off of work for the Fantasy maiden otherwise we'd be on it. I would do it for the experience of a lifetime for a disney fanatic, not for the "free items."

Heres what we recieved at night on our beds:

1st Day - Miaden Voyage Mickey Hands to wave with
On the deck party the special MV Champagne Flutes / Champagne Bottles
(Not sure of the following order)
Dream Maiden Voyage Litho (autograph session with Ducky the next day)
Dream Keel Coin
Making the Dream Coffee Table Book (Signed by Captain Tom)


Clint

 

[ilovetexas]

My wife (Hamm1207) and I were on the Dream MV and I have to agree 100% with what Namsupak said. It is an awesome experience but I wouldnt go in with the highest expectations. Frankly dining service was horrible and when the stores opened each night it was close to a riot trying to get MV items. Would we do it again, you betcha. I couldnt get off of work for the Fantasy maiden otherwise we'd be on it. I would do it for the experience of a lifetime for a disney fanatic, not for the "free items."

Heres what we recieved at night on our beds:

1st Day - Miaden Voyage Mickey Hands to wave with
On the deck party the special MV Champagne Flutes / Champagne Bottles
(Not sure of the following order)
Dream Maiden Voyage Litho (autograph session with Ducky the next day)
Dream Keel Coin
Making the Dream Coffee Table Book (Signed by Captain Tom)


Clint

I am really always so pleased with the service I get on ships and now I'm concerned. We're booked on the 5th sailing of the Fantasy. Considering the service issues you ran into on the Dream's MV, do you think they would have had them ironed out 5 cruises later? It's a special cruise for us, 10th anniversary and we picked DCL with no kids just for the experience. I would hate it if I get off the ship thinking we should have gone Celebrity until the Fantasy worked the kinks out!

 

[super mike b]

I am really always so pleased with the service I get on ships and now I'm concerned. We're booked on the 5th sailing of the Fantasy. Considering the service issues you ran into on the Dream's MV, do you think they would have had them ironed out 5 cruises later? It's a special cruise for us, 10th anniversary and we picked DCL with no kids just for the experience. I would hate it if I get off the ship thinking we should have gone Celebrity until the Fantasy worked the kinks out!

A lot depends on what type of person the guest is too. Our service was not so great at first, but mainly because our servers had come from another cruise line and didn't know the "Disney-way" yet. we had fun and were patient. By the end of the cruise everything was pretty good. We spend good money to cruise with Disney there is no way that we will let minor issues get in the way of a good time!

 

[Florida Dreamin']

I am really always so pleased with the service I get on ships and now I'm concerned. We're booked on the 5th sailing of the Fantasy. Considering the service issues you ran into on the Dream's MV, do you think they would have had them ironed out 5 cruises later? It's a special cruise for us, 10th anniversary and we picked DCL with no kids just for the experience. I would hate it if I get off the ship thinking we should have gone Celebrity until the Fantasy worked the kinks out!

I wouldn't be worried. There are eight cruises before yours with seven total seven days. We did the first Dream shakedown cruise last year and it wasn't bad at all, along with that we will be on the second shakedown (Eastern) for the Fantasy this year. The only thing you might really have to be ready for is the slight possibility of non-warm food. Don't worry, it'll be fine!

 

[Disney Dreams]

I don't really know the answer to the question, I just hope the cruisers on this maiden voyage don't act like some of the cruisers on the Dreams maiden voyage! There were many reports of silverware, blankets, pillows, all kinds of stuff missing after the cruise. Some of which actually showed up on ebay!

Have a great trip.

I'm sure they will (sadly). People are people. And Disney fans are Disney fans.

I am really always so pleased with the service I get on ships and now I'm concerned. We're booked on the 5th sailing of the Fantasy. Considering the service issues you ran into on the Dream's MV, do you think they would have had them ironed out 5 cruises later? It's a special cruise for us, 10th anniversary and we picked DCL with no kids just for the experience. I would hate it if I get off the ship thinking we should have gone Celebrity until the Fantasy worked the kinks out!

Would you stay in a brand new hotel of a well-established chain the fifth week it's open?

- Dreams

 

[ilovetexas]

I wouldn't be worried. There are eight cruises before yours with seven total seven days. We did the first Dream shakedown cruise last year and it wasn't bad at all, along with that we will be on the second shakedown (Eastern) for the Fantasy this year. The only thing you might really have to be ready for is the slight possibility of non-warm food. Don't worry, it'll be fine!

Ah, heck, non-warm food won't kill me !! I'm not picky. I've only had one BAD experience in any service area on 8 different cruises and 4 different lines. I just saw several comments about poor service on new ships and got a little jumpy.

How the heck to you get to do a shakedown cruise? I want on THAT list!

 

[lbgraves]

The cruise that had the ipods in the packets was for TAs and the ipods had deck plans & other information loaded on them. The TAs had to turn them in at the end of the cruise. They didn't keep them, or they were charged to their account just like the wave phones.

Thankfully we have already been able to order the shirts/hats for the MV online and they will be waiting for us in our room the first day, so that issue has been solved. Other items were offered in another email to prepurchase for the inagural voyages that we will receive before the cruise. Another big difference for the Fantasy's MV is that it is 7 nights. A 3 night on the Wonder was nerveracking for us even after having spent 43 nights on the Magic and knowing the way the system operated. It's just too short.