New Disney Ships: News, Rumors, Speculation.....and Names!

[ivanp91]

As I said before (and is suggested on page one), Disney needs a Mulan themed Asian type restaurant. Every cruise line we have been on had an Asian specialty restaurant. One themed for Moana with Hawaiian food would also be an exciting idea. I'm listing that on page one. Thanks.

DCL certainly does need to add more alternatives to the standard MDR/Cabanas/pool deck options. I didn't particularly enjoy my cruise with Princess a couple years ago, but at the very least the ship I sailed on (Sea Princess) had other dining venues. The one that served pizza wasn't bad by any means, and it was nice to be able to absorb the atmosphere of the venue and have table service, as opposed to DCL where if you wanted pizza you are stuck on the pool deck or utilizing room service.

I get that DCL wants to stand out from other cruise lines, and what they do is done very well. However, after 7 Disney cruises the dining in particular is becoming 'boring', for lack of a better word. One example, the rotational dining was becoming a bit of a slog for me towards the end of the EBTA a few months back - but there really aren't a lot of other options. Rotational dining, Cabanas (serving a modified menu from the MDR anyway), quick service on the pool deck, or having to get dressed up and pay for Palo/Remy isn't really a lot of choice. Sometimes it would be nice to break it up with a table-service specialty pizza, burger joint, or even as you said, Asian or something similar.

 

[RedSox68]

DCL certainly does need to add more alternatives to the standard MDR/Cabanas/pool deck options. I didn't particularly enjoy my cruise with Princess a couple years ago, but at the very least the ship I sailed on (Sea Princess) had other dining venues. The one that served pizza wasn't bad by any means, and it was nice to be able to absorb the atmosphere of the venue and have table service, as opposed to DCL where if you wanted pizza you are stuck on the pool deck or utilizing room service.

I get that DCL wants to stand out from other cruise lines, and what they do is done very well. However, after 7 Disney cruises the dining in particular is becoming 'boring', for lack of a better word. One example, the rotational dining was becoming a bit of a slog for me towards the end of the EBTA a few months back - but there really aren't a lot of other options. Rotational dining, Cabanas (serving a modified menu from the MDR anyway), quick service on the pool deck, or having to get dressed up and pay for Palo/Remy isn't really a lot of choice. Sometimes it would be nice to break it up with a table-service specialty pizza, burger joint, or even as you said, Asian or something similar.

Agreed. Many of the lines we've been on have other free alternative restaurants like an Irish Pub or hamburger venue. While I know Disney will stick to the rotational dining, having one ship get away from it and have more restaurant options may not be a bad alternative for variety.

If they do a Hawaiian themed restaurant, I hope their mascot is the cast of Moana and not Lilo & Stitch. That was just not our favorite movie and we found him quite annoying (JMPO)

 

[KashasMom]

DCL certainly does need to add more alternatives to the standard MDR/Cabanas/pool deck options. I didn't particularly enjoy my cruise with Princess a couple years ago, but at the very least the ship I sailed on (Sea Princess) had other dining venues. The one that served pizza wasn't bad by any means, and it was nice to be able to absorb the atmosphere of the venue and have table service, as opposed to DCL where if you wanted pizza you are stuck on the pool deck or utilizing room service.

I get that DCL wants to stand out from other cruise lines, and what they do is done very well. However, after 7 Disney cruises the dining in particular is becoming 'boring', for lack of a better word. One example, the rotational dining was becoming a bit of a slog for me towards the end of the EBTA a few months back - but there really aren't a lot of other options. Rotational dining, Cabanas (serving a modified menu from the MDR anyway), quick service on the pool deck, or having to get dressed up and pay for Palo/Remy isn't really a lot of choice. Sometimes it would be nice to break it up with a table-service specialty pizza, burger joint, or even as you said, Asian or something similar.

Totally agree! So tired of only having the MDR at night too. Would love them to mix it up...Asian/Mongolian Wok/Indian/Italian....!!

 

[southerngirl528]

personally liked the "original" Parrot Cay -- in its glory days. Once they removed all the décor for the Med cruises in 2007, it killed it for us - but still liked their menu.

Me too! My family LOVED Parrot Cay! Their buffet was good and I always liked dinner there as well. It was a fun ambiance, and reminded me in a very nice way of the Enchanted Tiki Room.

 

[RedSox68]

Me too! My family LOVED Parrot Cay! Their buffet was good and I always liked dinner there as well. It was a fun ambiance, and reminded me in a very nice way of the Enchanted Tiki Room.

It had our favorite decor, too. We were really sad when they didn't put the decor back after the Med cruises. Oh well, the Rapunzel replacement sounds like fun. I gotta get me back on the ships!

 

[southerngirl528]

Oh well, the Rapunzel replacement sounds like fun. I gotta get me back on the ships!

Me too! I haven't been on one of the classics since the Hawaii 2015 sailing. I looooove the Wonder and the Magic!!!

 

[RedSox68]

Me too! I haven't been on one of the classics since the Hawaii 2015 sailing. I looooove the Wonder and the Magic!!!

I'd be on them a lot more in the past 5 years if they just weren't so unaffordable (for us). I do miss them - they were our very first cruise line and we consider The Magic "home".

 

[Dug720]

Oh, okay. I thought that that restaurant was popular? Thanks.

I personally loved it. But then I tend to run weird with the dining on board - I don't like Lumiere's/Triton's/Royal Court/Royal Palace one iota. Worst menu IMHO. But most people seem to love that one.

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

On the dining topic, I am hoping not to see additional upcharge restaurants. I really like the rotational dining, and the fact that really high quality meals in somewhat varied settings are included in our cruise fare. We did Palo brunch, and it was very good, but I'm not sure we would do it again because we found the included meal options to be very good. I feel like on some other cruise lines, the main dining room is not particularly good and/or sort of the "same old, same old" to encourage guests toward the upcharge restaurants. I don't care for that model at all. I feel like on DCL, you can have an excellent MDR experience, and the adults-only restaurants are a truly optional bonus.

 

[RedSox68]

On the dining topic, I am hoping not to see additional upcharge restaurants. I really like the rotational dining, and the fact that really high quality meals in somewhat varied settings are included in our cruise fare. We did Palo brunch, and it was very good, but I'm not sure we would do it again because we found the included meal options to be very good. I feel like on some other cruise lines, the main dining room is not particularly good and/or sort of the "same old, same old" to encourage guests toward the upcharge restaurants. I don't care for that model at all. I feel like on DCL, you can have an excellent MDR experience, and the adults-only restaurants are a truly optional bonus.

I would love for Disney to include one new factor for dining -- a dinner show! Many cruise lines have them and while they cost extra, they are great fun and we have always found the food to be good. I agree that Disney has the market on the rotational dining cornered -- but I know for us, if we do a 10-night or longer cruise -- we grow tired of the restaurant selections quickly and find that they might tend to repeat a lot of offerings.

 

[southerngirl528]

I'd be on them a lot more in the past 5 years if they just weren't so unaffordable (for us). I do miss them - they were our very first cruise line and we consider The Magic "home".

Entirely understand. I am looking into the future at our next cruise and am surprised just HOW pricey they can be. We are blessed in that our kids are now young adults so we can avoid the pricier "school's out" timeframes. And though lots of folks don't like the idea, I have used my DVC points on cruises a number of times. Being here in FL helps too, though my first FL resident discounted cruise is coming up soon.

If you are a Costco member, they give back a pretty nice percentage in a Costco cash card if you book with them. I plan on definitely doing that next time!

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

I would love for Disney to include one new factor for dining -- a dinner show! Many cruise lines have them and while they cost extra, they are great fun and we have always found the food to be good. I agree that Disney has the market on the rotational dining cornered -- but I know for us, if we do a 10-night or longer cruise -- we grow tired of the restaurant selections quickly and find that they might tend to repeat a lot of offerings.

I'm a big fan of this idea - or really any other dining options - as long as they keep the three rotational dining options up to par. I think we would try an upcharge dinner show if it was meant for the whole family, since DD would be pretty into that.

I should also state that I'm not a particularly adventurous eater, and if I like something, I'm keen to have it several days/meals in a row. So that might be one reason that rotational dining appeals to me. On a 10+ night cruise, I think I would like repeating some favorites! But, I can see how that would definitely not appeal to everyone.

 

[southerngirl528]

On the dining topic, I am hoping not to see additional upcharge restaurants. I really like the rotational dining, and the fact that really high quality meals in somewhat varied settings are included in our cruise fare. We did Palo brunch, and it was very good, but I'm not sure we would do it again because we found the included meal options to be very good. I feel like on some other cruise lines, the main dining room is not particularly good and/or sort of the "same old, same old" to encourage guests toward the upcharge restaurants. I don't care for that model at all. I feel like on DCL, you can have an excellent MDR experience, and the adults-only restaurants are a truly optional bonus.

I thought a bit about your post and have to say I personally very much agree with you. We do always do Palo, because we LOVE it and feel the charge for the quality is pretty nominal. We did Remy once. And that will be it for us.

I think one thing I have always LOVED about DCL is that they do not nickel and dime you like some cruise lines, though some of that has changed since DCL's inception. Full disclosure, I was a little put off when they opened the fancy ice cream shops. For extra charges of course! I would NOT want to see another extra-charge dining option though it would be great if they added something like the popular Asian restaurant idea, even if it was a fast food option with noodles, soups, and stir-fry for example. And okay, I DO like RedSox' idea of a dinner show too!

 

[RedSox68]

I thought a bit about your post and have to say I personally very much agree with you. We do always do Palo, because we LOVE it and feel the charge for the quality is pretty nominal. We did Remy once. And that will be it for us.

I think one thing I have always LOVED about DCL is that they do not nickel and dime you like some cruise lines, though some of that has changed since DCL's inception. Full disclosure, I was a little put off when they opened the fancy ice cream shops. For extra charges of course! I would NOT want to see another extra-charge dining option though it would be great if they added something like the popular Asian restaurant idea, even if it was a fast food option with noodles, soups, and stir-fry for example. And okay, I DO like RedSox' idea of a dinner show too!

Thanks. I did list way back at the beginning of this thread on page one the idea for the 40's supper-type club, too. I bet they could pull either of those off well!

 

[scgustafson]

Has no one suggested the Nautilus?

All the current ship names are nouns. Does anyone think they will start using other parts of speech? I would go with Adventure, Believe, and Wish. But one of those isn't a noun.

Not really sure you want to name a cruise ship after something that is supposed to spend most of its time under the water, a submarine.

 

[MasonsG]

Just talked to one of the outstanding CMs on the Wonder in Edge, was curious as with the new ships it will be our grandsons 11th DCL cruise and he would just be entering Edge- they are so excited to see what the Imaginators have planned next. I don't know if this was already posted (so apologies- this is already pg 30) but she said they gave the staff of all the kids clubs huge chance to submit feedback on what guests have loved most, what they most would love to see happen, just a Huge amount of input from all of them which I was very impressed with. It shows DCL really cares about what guests value most and where the new ships can bring in the newest magical experiences into all their kids clubs. Can't wait to see what they add to their already amazing ships.

 

[RedSox68]

Just talked to one of the outstanding CMs on the Wonder in Edge, was curious as with the new ships it will be our grandsons 11th DCL cruise and he would just be entering Edge- they are so excited to see what the Imaginators have planned next. I don't know if this was already posted (so apologies- this is already pg 30) but she said they gave the staff of all the kids clubs huge chance to submit feedback on what guests have loved most, what they most would love to see happen, just a Huge amount of input from all of them which I was very impressed with. It shows DCL really cares about what guests value most and where the new ships can bring in the newest magical experiences into all their kids clubs. Can't wait to see what they add to their already amazing ships.

That's awesome that they let the crew members give feedback -- they are first-hand at the front with the parents and kids. And I know there are a lot of past passengers that would be delighted to see them find another route for kids to get to the top deck without going through the adult area

 

[MasonsG]

She said by the time they contributed all their ideas and feedback it was practically a small novel so I'm excited to see Disney have fun with it- its going to be amazing. Now if my calendar would just speed up :0)

 

[o&smom]

It had our favorite decor, too. We were really sad when they didn't put the decor back after the Med cruises. Oh well, the Rapunzel replacement sounds like fun. I gotta get me back on the ships!

Do you have any photos of the original? We first experienced Parrot Cay on a Med 2010 cruise. Would love to see what we missed.

 

[hogie1]

Not really sure you want to name a cruise ship after something that is supposed to spend most of its time under the water, a submarine.

True, but some sort of homage to the classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea film would be cool. That was one of my favorite movies as a kid watching it on the Disney Channel back in the day!