Observations: Dining, alcohol and sharks.

[Rogillio]

Disney Cruise Line application. A must! We used this free app to set up a group chat and could stay in touch with everyone in our party. The app also has the Navigator and we used this more than the paper version.

Dining. The continued dressing down on cruises is apparent. Saw a lot more shorts, tee-shirts and flip flops in the MDRs than in the past. Our family dressed nice and I don't think anyone noticed the shorts and flip-flops except me. I would not have noticed but because this is always a hot topic on this board I could not help but look around and see what other people were wearing.

Non-Americans. I was surprised at the number of non-Americans sailing. There were a lot of Europeons, Indians and Asians on the cruise. Seeing this made me realize what a huge market there is for Disney! People with money from all over the globe are coming to Florida just to sail on a Disney cruise. So don't expect prices to ever come down on DCL.

Beers. On our last cruise you could get a 'bucket of beers' that came in a tin bucket full of ice and beers. Now they have a cooler of beers. It's a very nice DCL cooler and you get it 'free' when you buy 6 beers. I think it was $36 for the 6 beers and cooler. To get it refilled you pay for 5 beers and you got 6 beers. They also have this for water at CC. 6 bottles of water and ice and the cooler for $20....plus tip and tax.

Pirate Night. I was surprised that the wait staff did not participate in the pirate night. They did not wear pirate attire and did not do anything special. In the past the wait staff walked around waving bandanas and singing....none of that at all this time.

Wine. We had 5 adults and got the wine package - 4 bottles of wine (2 red and 2 white) - for about $135. This was cheap wine! I’m mean the kind with the screw on top, something you’d pay $7 for at Publix. If you like wine, it would be worth the effort to brining your own IMO. They had a ‘premium’ wine package but I don’t remember how much it was.

Sharks. While at Serenity Bay (adult beach) we were out in the water about 50 yards off shore when some people on shore started yelling "SHARK". Everyone started running to shore. People said there were 2 sharks. I started heading further out away from shore to let my sister and son know as they were out further than me and could not hear people on the shore. When they could head me and started heading in I turned around to face the shore I saw one of the two sharks between me and the shore, it was about 4 feet long. I waited on my son and sister. One of the DCL employees came by with a jet-ski to try to run the sharks off. People said they were nurse sharks and are not very aggressive. Nevertheless a bit disconcerting to see a big shark swimming by you in the water. It was exciting for a while but once they were gone people went back in the water.

Airport Shuttle. We got in line to get off the ship a few minutes after 7 am. By 7:30 we were sitting on the bus waiting for the bus to fill up before we could leave. We got off the bus at the airport a little before 9 am.

 

[kp3690]

Thanks for the tips. The Sharks would be a little unnerving!

 

[elfandrents]

This is a first for me I have never heard or read anyone talking about shark sightings. I would have been on the ship so fast you would think I'm Jesus because I could walk on water lol. Question what beer was on board I have not sailed dcl yet but read about poor beer selections onboard. I don't drink bud coors miller etc do I have a fighters chance of a yuengling or Newcastle Carlsberg I would even take a Molson Canadian as a last resort.

 

[TheLanes]

Thanks for the report! Just because wine is screw top does not mean it is cheap, although I don't doubt it was a cheap wine in the regular non-premium package.

The beer cooler seems like a decent deal

 

[Quellman]

Wine. We had 5 adults and got the wine package - 4 bottles of wine (2 red and 2 white) - for about $135. This was cheap wine! I’m mean the kind with the screw on top, something you’d pay $7 for at Publix. If you like wine, it would be worth the effort to brining your own IMO. They had a ‘premium’ wine package but I don’t remember how much it was.

I'm not a wine snob but here are two quick links (1 and 2) about the use of screw caps vs. cork. The summary is that screw caps are cheaper and used for wines stored typically less than a year or two. Cork is used for wines that are full bodied and need a bit of oxygen. However, there are many types of cork and not all are the same. There is risk of cork tainting the wine and cork falling apart. Naturally if you are more versed in wine it could be a big difference to you.


Thanks for your trip report and summation. I think the coolers are a neat takeaway item for sure! I am not terribly surprised about the sharks however. As long as people don't "act tasty" they should be fine. It is nice to see that Disney is quick to respond. Do you recall if there are any signs at Serenity mentioning that the beach is open water?

 

[lillygator]

do you have a picture of the cooler?

 

[Rogillio]

I'm not a wine snob but here are two quick links (1 and 2) about the use of screw caps vs. cork. The summary is that screw caps are cheaper and used for wines stored typically less than a year or two. Cork is used for wines that are full bodied and need a bit of oxygen. However, there are many types of cork and not all are the same. There is risk of cork tainting the wine and cork falling apart. Naturally if you are more versed in wine it could be a big difference to you.


Thanks for your trip report and summation. I think the coolers are a neat takeaway item for sure! I am not terribly surprised about the sharks however. As long as people don't "act tasty" they should be fine. It is nice to see that Disney is quick to respond. Do you recall if there are any signs at Serenity mentioning that the beach is open water?

Yes, there is a sign as you go in that warns of the dangers....sharks, fire corral, jelly fish, etc. I heard someone on the beach say that if a shark bit you here you'd be able to retire. The implication being that you could sue Disney. But I don't think Disney is liable for all the potential dangers in open water. One could have a reasonable assumtion of safety inside the lagoon where the waters are protected but there is no protetion on Serenity Bay.

I'm not much of wine connoisseur....I just know know that, in Publix, the cheap stuff comes with screw on tops. That is the extent of my wine expertise. I guess I should have added that we enjoyed the wine. 4 bottles between 5 people over 3 nights was about right.

 

[MUN]

Yes, there is a sign as you go in that warns of the dangers....sharks, fire corral, jelly fish, etc. I heard someone on the beach say that if a shark bit you here you'd be able to retire. The implication being that you could sue Disney. But I don't think Disney is liable for all the potential dangers in open water. One could have a reasonable assumtion of safety inside the lagoon where the waters are protected but there is no protetion on Serenity Bay.

I agree with you that DCL shouldn't be liable for shark attacks at Serenity Bay; however, my slip and fall attorney would jump at the chance to take the case.

 

[Rogillio]

do you have a picture of the cooler?

 

[Rogillio]

This is a first for me I have never heard or read anyone talking about shark sightings. I would have been on the ship so fast you would think I'm Jesus because I could walk on water lol. Question what beer was on board I have not sailed dcl yet but read about poor beer selections onboard. I don't drink bud coors miller etc do I have a fighters chance of a yuengling or Newcastle Carlsberg I would even take a Molson Canadian as a last resort.

They had a pretty good selection of beers....obviosly all the most popular beers but they also had nice selection of lesser known beers. I wanted a can that had a screw on top (as opposed to a glass bottle) so I could take into the pool with me so I got the Coors Lite silver bullet....not my favorite beer but I like being able to put the top back on the beer and put it back in the cooler, go for a swim and come back to the rest of an ice cold beer.

 

[Orukal]

Now they have a cooler of beers.

Anyone have a picture of this cooler? I'm just curious.

 

[jlynch924]

Great point about the price of the cruises in relation to the number of non-Americans coming to sail. I'd never thought of it like that, but you're very right.

 

[Rogillio]

I agree with you that DCL shouldn't be liable for shark attacks at Serenity Bay; however, my slip and fall attorney would jump at the chance to take the case.

LOL Yeah, DCL would pay an 'undisclosed amount' just to keep it from going to trial. They don't want the publicity and they also don't want it in the hands of a jury (who is apt to do anything....as McDonalds found out when they lost the case to the woman who sued becuase her coffee was too hot).

I've read that Disney will spend unlimited money defending against most lawsuits so as not to set a precedent. Most attorneys won't take a pro bono case agaist Disney becasue they know Disney will drag it out for years and they will likey never win. And most individuals would go backrupt tyring to sue Disney.

In this case though, you'd have to find a court willing to hear the case. Disney would simply submit they have no liability for natural sea dangers in the open water.

 

[wilma-bride]

How many days was your cruise? I guess it was a 3 night. The servers don't normally dress up for pirate night on a 3-night cruise, they wear the costume that goes with the dining room for that night.

 

[ChicosWife]

LOL Yeah, DCL would pay an 'undisclosed amount' just to keep it from going to trial. They don't want the publicity and they also don't want it in the hands of a jury (who is apt to do anything....as McDonalds found out when they lost the case to the woman who sued becuase her coffee was too hot).

I've read that Disney will spend unlimited money defending against most lawsuits so as not to set a precedent. Most attorneys won't take a pro bono case agaist Disney becasue they know Disney will drag it out for years and they will likey never win. And most individuals would go backrupt tyring to sue Disney.

In this case though, you'd have to find a court willing to hear the case. Disney would simply submit they have no liability for natural sea dangers in the open water.

Which would be right. Disney shouldn't be responsible for sharks in the ocean! LOL

 

[Weedy]

The Disney is responsible for everything mentality is the reason the pools are now closing at 10.
And maybe for the change in the carry on alcohol policy, people have been posting they were told it was limited because kids were getting drunk on the parents booze.

 

[bumbershoot]

They don't want the publicity and they also don't want it in the hands of a jury (who is apt to do anything....as McDonalds found out when they lost the case to the woman who sued becuase her coffee was too hot).

If you're going to bring it up, you should read up on it.

The case was totally justified. They served coffee that was so hot it caused 3rd degree burns, and caused the need for skin grafts, in the elderly woman's inner thigh/groin area. They served coffee that was THAT hot. What do we do with coffee? We drink it.

McD's, at that time, had already been in trouble more than once for serving coffee that was hotter than standard. They KNEW this was a problem.

The woman just wanted her medical bills paid, and McD's ignored her. So, she sued.

And none of us have ANY idea how much she actually got. We know the amount the jury said, but that's not the end of the story. The end of the story is sealed.

McD's was 100% in the wrong on that case. It's a horrible case to mention when talking about crazy juries. If your grandmother was handed a cup of coffee that she was going to drink, spilled it, and ended up with skin grafts, you would want her to be compensated by the company knowingly making that coffee THAT hot.



I've been on 3 and 4 night Dream cruises and have never experienced the dining staff singing.

 

[TestingH2O]

The case was totally justified. They served coffee that was so hot it caused 3rd degree burns, and caused the need for skin grafts, in the elderly woman's inner thigh/groin area. They served coffee that was THAT hot. What do we do with coffee? We drink it.

McD's, at that time, had already been in trouble more than once for serving coffee that was hotter than standard. They KNEW this was a problem.

The woman just wanted her medical bills paid, and McD's ignored her. So, she sued.

Coffee was definitely too hot and they had been warned. As with any story, these is STILL MORE though. While driving, the woman took the top off the cup and put it between her legs rather that in the cup holder. IMO, the case still remains a lovely shade of gray.

 

[mevelandry]

As Rogillion stated: there is a huge sign at the entrance of Serenity Bay stating all the creatures that can be found in the waters of Serenity Bay. Sharks are among them.

Potentially dangerous as well, stingrays can also be seen there. We met one of them.

That being said, as long as you advise people of the risks, I don't think you can be sued.

 

[MUN]

As Rogillion stated: there is a huge sign at the entrance of Serenity Bay stating all the creatures that can be found in the waters of Serenity Bay. Sharks are among them.

Potentially dangerous as well, stingrays can also be seen there. We met one of them.

That being said, as long as you advise people of the risks, I don't think you can be sued.

Of course you can.