No Dream for us......1/17-1/20

[4princes2princess]

This was our 3rd Disney cruise, first 2 were on the Wonder (once out of PC and once out of San Pedro). It was myself, my 23 year old daughter, 10 year old twins and an 8 year old. Husband had to stay home for health reasons. (cancer follow up with radiation)It took us 1.5 hours and 3 security lines(they kept moving us around) to just get on the boat. Once onboard, I knew to pack the swimsuits, so the kids could wait in line for the Aqua Duck. I was shocked that there is a height minimum of 54". So only two could ride if they were under this height. Fine, but they would not let my daughter wait in line for one of the twins to come back up. SO for her to ride, I would need to be with her (she is 53 inches), or she would have to wait for one of them to return. Wait time was 45 minutes,so total weight time would have been 1.5 hours!! I asked why can't she just wait for one of them to meet her at the top and they said it would not be fair to those who have waited in line, WHAT, she is waiting in line!!

I went to the customer service desk to complain, but they are FIRM on this issue. We also had issues with guests leaving laundry in machines for over 2 hours, broken machines, etc...

Our meals were just OK. I expected more. Waiter said he does not smile because he does not want to be fake, he is not happy. We received below standard service and all nights. He would not let us order off the kids menus if we were an adult. No changes to anything. Just crazy! Assistant server was great however. Always had a game to play with the kids at the table with the crayons.

Very crowded. 4,000 on the boat is just too many. It took 20+ minutes every time I wanted to get my kids in or out of kids club. They would not allow two adults to get the 3 kids to make it faster. It was a nightmare. Kids seemed to have liked it though.Never saw Kids club come into the dining room to get the kids, since we had late dinner. Kids birthday cake came after we were walking out ( I paid $33 for this).

I am most disappointed in the lack of entertainment for the adults and the kids. There was NO show in the dining rooms, NO show for the kids to perform, NO t-shirts or pillowcases for the kids to decorate, movies were all at weird times with many conflicts with dinner or shore excursions.

Almost all of the adult events on the navigator were either music or alcohol related. I don't drink!! So basically we were bored the whole time. My husband is retired military, so this trip was very expensive for us to manage. My kids had to give up, Christmas and birthday gifts as well as a party. We were told by former Disney Magic crew members that they no longer do dinner shows. Bummer cause my kids loved them!

Room steward was great. Even decorated my room with birthday decorations when I had not paid for them and left extra chocolates when my daughter asked for more (extra tip for him!)

There were NO characters in the dining rooms EVER! So we did not buy 1 single picture from the boat (saved money there), but I did buy special coordinating outfits, so we could have a new picture of the kids.

**Bonus from the Dream- My kids got the flu while on the boat. Confirmed 6 hours after we got off the boat.Thanks Disney! This set me back another $100 in copays and meds.

Did anyone else go on the Dream and have the same lack of amenities as we did or poor service?? I just don't know what to do at this point.

 

[chrisrunty]

*

 

[3princessMommy]

Did you talk to the head server about your server? We had a problem once with a server team that was brand new and had too many tables. After one conversation with the head server, we were moved and had a FANTASTIC server. The head server even helped out when they were running behind. I know everyone doesn't always see their head server, but this is their job, so if they didn't do this, they didn't earn their salary that cruise.

Sorry you didn't have a good time though. :-(

 

[stmize]

I was on that same cruise with my dh. We found lots to do but then again we were mostly just relaxing. We didnt even get off the ship at nassau and Only did the shows the second night but pirate night was great.
We did notice that our room Stewart was ok but we never saw him. However our room was always clean and stocked very well
Our servers were just ok not great. Not that they were awful just not what we experienced in sept 2011

Sorry that it wasn't magical for you and that your family got sick.

 

[wallawallakids]

I am sorry that you did not have a good trip and I hope your family is recovering well. Did they really have no shows though? Doesn't everyone get a show rotation depending on their dining rotation? Is that not true on the dream? Just curious.

 

[pearlieq]

Sorry it was a bummer of cruise.

I've been disappointed with the adult activities since our first cruise. You're right--there's almost nothing to do (especially on short cruises) that doesn't involve alcohol or listening to a band. And what there is doesn't change much between cruises. The result for us is that we don't cruise often with DCL and never on the longer itineraries. Unfortunately, they seem to be doing just fine without us.

I also think it's ridiculous that there couldn't be some kind of child swap-type thing for the Aqua Duck, especially with the height requirement being so high.

Finally, I'm really sorry to hear about your server. I've also gotten mild pushback when I've tried to alter anything on the menu. I understand they're serving hundreds and it's hard to change things, but they've always at least tried to accomodate, even if it's just bringing me both entrees when I wanted the protein from one and the side from another. It sounds like you got a really bad egg.

I can't believe they wouldn't let you order from the kid's menu. There is NO excuse for that. If you ever happen to sail again or for anyone else reading this, don't accept that. Politely but firmly insist, and call in the head server if needed.

As for what to do, probably not much at this point. Dining service issues can often be resolved well while you're onboard, but now that you're home the most you can do is maybe send a letter to DCL detailing your issues. I'm assuming you filled out the comment card onboard and reduced your server's tip. That will help too.

Maybe look into another cruise line for next time. DCL is really one of the better mass-market cruise lines, but maybe Royal Caribbean might be a better fit for your family? They certainly offer a lot more for adults/older kids to do and their prices are pretty competitive.

 

[psboynh]

Was on the wonder jan 14-19 2013 and Mickey made an appearance on the first night at Animators Palate. But then again I was not expecting any Charactors at dinner. It was my first time on DCL, my fiancé second time. The only time we ever heard of Charactors showing up at all in the resturaunts is during the Charactor breakfast. I may be wrong in this reguards. No matter cause we saw a lot of them when we were roaming the halls, during which they gave us plenty of interaction!

 

[4princes2princess]

On the Wonder we had a show in the dining room every night. The kids got to get up and parade around the room. They did the limb one night even. We had a few characters including a pirate come to the dining room on pirate night. On the Dream we had table #34 which was around a corner with one other table and the dirty food bins. We could not even see the restaurant at all! This was not animators or the royal palace. I can't even think of the name as we did not even get to "see" what this restaurant was about.

I just think for the money there should have been something for the adults to do. Even just trying to find a place to sit up on deck was hard.

Lesson learned I guess and the next cruise will have to be on either Royal or Carnival. I did the WC on Carnival Magic in October and was presently surprised at the TON of activities they had for both kids and adults. They had a murder mystery (it was the whole week, you had to find crew members to get clues), a flash mob (so cool to be a part of this), tons of trivia, great shows, comedians every night, food was good, and it did not take more than 20 minutes to check in or get off.

Just was wondering if Disney had changed up its way of business since 10-2011 as that was the last time we had sailed.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[wallawallakids]

On the Wonder we had a show in the dining room every night. The kids got to get up and parade around the room. They did the limb one night even. We had a few characters including a pirate come to the dining room on pirate night. On the Dream we had table #34 which was around a corner with one other table and the dirty food bins. We could not even see the restaurant at all! This was not animators or the royal palace. I can't even think of the name as we did not even get to "see" what this restaurant was about.

I just think for the money there should have been something for the adults to do. Even just trying to find a place to sit up on deck was hard.

Lesson learned I guess and the next cruise will have to be on either Royal or Carnival. I did the WC on Carnival Magic in October and was presently surprised at the TON of activities they had for both kids and adults. They had a murder mystery (it was the whole week, you had to find crew members to get clues), a flash mob (so cool to be a part of this), tons of trivia, great shows, comedians every night, food was good, and it did not take more than 20 minutes to check in or get off.

Just was wondering if Disney had changed up its way of business since 10-2011 as that was the last time we had sailed.

Thanks for the replies!

That Carnival cruise sounds like fun!! Might have to look into that sometime! Thanks for your reply. We are new to cruising, so this will be our first sailing. I am sorry your time wasn't that magical. Hope your next cruise is better.

 

[tweis]

Sorry you did not have a magical time on the Dream. We sailed the Dream this past summer and had a wonderful time! We were on the 5 night and did not see characters in the dining room but I don't think they do that except for character breakfasts on the other ships. There of course, was the "show" in AP and the servers DID interact with the children and they were up and dancing with the children. This only happened in AP but we did not expect it in EG or RP. We had no problems with ordering from any menu and could leave off sauce or whatever on anything we ordered. Sounds like you just had a bad server. Maybe your next cruise on whichever line you choose will be better.

 

[kalel29]

Wow. I've read a ton of TR's over the last few months and with the exception of maybe a rude "server" here and there, had never heard of not having enough to do. But I guess everyone will have a different experience. Maybe next time (if you decide to go again) it would be different.

 

[oybolshoi]

Did you play the Midship Detective game with the interactive artwork around ship or play miniature golf?

My husband and I cruise Disney now and then and usually find plenty to keep ourselves occupied (with and without alcohol), but as someone else stated: we all look for different types of activities. I'm sure it's more difficult to find things to do as an adult if you're worrying about kids and keeping them occupied as well.

We loved the Dream when we sailed on our 4-night in October 2011; headed back to it again this fall.

 

[jenseib]

Wow, I have sailed the Dream twice now and I still need to go back to do all there is to do. It sounds like you didn't do enough research before going perhaps?
Thats sad about the servers. You should've talked to the head server. Our first Dream cruise we had the best servers. Last trip they were just OK, not bad, but not the greatest, especially the assistant. But we still had a great time. So much so that we all want to do it again (16 of us that trip). 4 are already going again in a few months.
You do have to tell your servers about sending the kids to the clubs during dinner, otherwise you would never notice them come and collect the kids.

 

[markuehl]

we were on the dream in june 2012 LOVED IT had a fabulous time the shows were great we did some tastings didn't have time for a movie and didn't even get off the ship in nassau we are booked for the fantasy 2014 can't wait i will say it was our first disney cruise so we had nothing to compare to.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

We were on the Dream this past June. It was the first cruise we'd ever taken, and though I won't say it was a bad trip, I am not planning to cruise again. It was crowded everywhere, the pool deck was pretty much impossible to use unless you went at really off times and there just wasn't much to do on the sea day. For the price we paid, I kept thinking that we should have just gone to Disneyworld. The kids did love the clubs, though, and we really liked the shows. Food was okay, the atmosphere of the restaurants was nice and we had good servers. I just didn't feel like I got my money's worth overall. I'm chalking it up to us just not being "cruisers." We LOVED Castaway Cay (we were on a double dip) and are now looking to do a beach all-inclusive vacation next summer.

Did they just change the aquaduck height requirements? DD was around 42-43 inches and she rode with me.

 

[FREEZIN]

WoW!

 

[jenseib]

We were on the Dream this past June. It was the first cruise we'd ever taken, and though I won't say it was a bad trip, I am not planning to cruise again. It was crowded everywhere, the pool deck was pretty much impossible to use unless you went at really off times and there just wasn't much to do on the sea day. For the price we paid, I kept thinking that we should have just gone to Disneyworld. The kids did love the clubs, though, and we really liked the shows. Food was okay, the atmosphere of the restaurants was nice and we had good servers. I just didn't feel like I got my money's worth overall. I'm chalking it up to us just not being "cruisers." We LOVED Castaway Cay (we were on a double dip) and are now looking to do a beach all-inclusive vacation next summer.

Did they just change the aquaduck height requirements? DD was around 42-43 inches and she rode with me.

No they changed it really early on. Like after the first few sailings. But smaller kids can ride with adults. My Daughter had to ride with an adult. Well actually I think it's a certain age and over a certain height.

 

[makunc1]

So aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

 

[bucky1023]

That is too bad that you didn't enjoy your trip. My family was on the Dream back in August of last year and found many things to do on the ship for adults and kids.

We learned how to draw characters, played bingo, played multiple trivia games (Disney, music etc), learned the art of towel animals, met tons of characters around the whole ship, comedy, family karaoke, had the pool all to ourselves at 9am after going down the AquaDuck without a wait (on a sea day) and tons of other things that we just didn't have time to take in.

In the end we enjoyed it so much we will be on the Fantasy this year for a longer trip and can't wait!!

 

[shezfrombermuda]

This was our 3rd Disney cruise, first 2 were on the Wonder (once out of PC and once out of San Pedro). It was myself, my 23 year old daughter, 10 year old twins and an 8 year old. Husband had to stay home for health reasons. (cancer follow up with radiation)It took us 1.5 hours and 3 security lines(they kept moving us around) to just get on the boat. Once onboard, I knew to pack the swimsuits, so the kids could wait in line for the Aqua Duck. I was shocked that there is a height minimum of 54". So only two could ride if they were under this height. Fine, but they would not let my daughter wait in line for one of the twins to come back up. SO for her to ride, I would need to be with her (she is 53 inches), or she would have to wait for one of them to return. Wait time was 45 minutes,so total weight time would have been 1.5 hours!! I asked why can't she just wait for one of them to meet her at the top and they said it would not be fair to those who have waited in line, WHAT, she is waiting in line!!

I went to the customer service desk to complain, but they are FIRM on this issue. We also had issues with guests leaving laundry in machines for over 2 hours, broken machines, etc...

Our meals were just OK. I expected more. Waiter said he does not smile because he does not want to be fake, he is not happy. We received below standard service and all nights. He would not let us order off the kids menus if we were an adult. No changes to anything. Just crazy! Assistant server was great however. Always had a game to play with the kids at the table with the crayons.

Very crowded. 4,000 on the boat is just too many. It took 20+ minutes every time I wanted to get my kids in or out of kids club. They would not allow two adults to get the 3 kids to make it faster. It was a nightmare. Kids seemed to have liked it though.Never saw Kids club come into the dining room to get the kids, since we had late dinner. Kids birthday cake came after we were walking out ( I paid $33 for this).

I am most disappointed in the lack of entertainment for the adults and the kids. There was NO show in the dining rooms, NO show for the kids to perform, NO t-shirts or pillowcases for the kids to decorate, movies were all at weird times with many conflicts with dinner or shore excursions.

Almost all of the adult events on the navigator were either music or alcohol related. I don't drink!! So basically we were bored the whole time. My husband is retired military, so this trip was very expensive for us to manage. My kids had to give up, Christmas and birthday gifts as well as a party. We were told by former Disney Magic crew members that they no longer do dinner shows. Bummer cause my kids loved them!

Room steward was great. Even decorated my room with birthday decorations when I had not paid for them and left extra chocolates when my daughter asked for more (extra tip for him!)

There were NO characters in the dining rooms EVER! So we did not buy 1 single picture from the boat (saved money there), but I did buy special coordinating outfits, so we could have a new picture of the kids.

**Bonus from the Dream- My kids got the flu while on the boat. Confirmed 6 hours after we got off the boat.Thanks Disney! This set me back another $100 in copays and meds.

Did anyone else go on the Dream and have the same lack of amenities as we did or poor service?? I just don't know what to do at this point.

Sorry you had a bad trip!

I am just wondering if they gave you an explanation about why it took so long to get on the ship?

Did you talk to the head server about why you couldn't get child meals? My mom eats quite often from the child's menu and never had a problem.

The only problem we had on our last 4 night cruise was there wasn't enough time for all the activities.