donaldrees
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2003
- Messages
- 59
Hey guys,
This was our 5th cruise with Disney - having sailed on 3 of the 4 ships and on sailings from 3 to 14 nights, we consider ourselves familiar fans.
Boarding in Miami was below expectations - if only for the fact that our previous departures have all set sail from Port Canaveral where the port and customer service is usually high quality. In Miami, the port services are overall contracted out and don't deliver the level of service and warmth one expects from Disney. At least that was the case for us. Our check-in agent took our picture without any warning and boarding started significantly later than scheduled. The terminal itself is crammed on a good day, the delayed boarding time turned into wall to wall standing room only. The unusual check-in continued onto the ship when I was surprised to not board through the atrium but instead through deck 4 then down the atrium stairs with our luggage.
I bet with a start like that you might think this is going to be a bad report. The truth is the opposite. The wait staff in our dining room were exceptional. We had the joy of being serviced every night by Zinzani and Zimik. Paulo, our MaitreD was a bit over the top and zany, but always took the time to make sure we were having a great time. The menu and quality of food ranged widely with some truly standout dishes as well as some unusual meals that did not feature the ingredients listed in the menu. The ship was quiet enough that not all three restaurants were in rotation for the second seating. The buffet quality was always top-notch and the BBQ featured as we crossed the canal was a real treat (though kudos to the poor cooks having to BBQ in that heat).
In terms of entertainment offerings, again - a mixed bag. On these longer cruises, it's always fun to enjoy the Art of Entertaining but while some of these classes were run by enthusiastic hosts, more than a few consisted of uninterrested dining room hosts reading printed Wikipedia information about the history of cheese or Balsamic Vinegar. On the other hand, the crew talent show and many of the special acts (Mike Super, Justin Flom & a ventrilloquist who's name I can't remember) were absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, in the second week the choice to bring on a 3rd magician (who proceeded to do many of the same tricks Mike Super and Justin Flom had amazed us with) and the decision to bring Buckets & Boards on seemed a bit questionable. Jimmy, our amazing and hilarious cruise director, had informed us all that there were very few children on board (200) - and with shows that are already skewed towards a younger audience (Toy Story, Disney Dreams) it seemed a bit unnecessary to bring on yet another act that may miss the mark of the audience. Don't get me wrong, great guys and very talented but it's something I've noticed on the longer cruises where most people are adults, that Disney doesn't venture far from their comfort zone with what they provide - which is too bad because more and more, Disney is a company that caters to adults in an incredible way (adults only adventures by Disney, europa, Tutto gusto, etc). The highlight for me was the Golden Mickeys and the crew talent show - both were highly entertaining and had that special magic that's hard to describe.
In terms of ports, the rainforest horesback riding in Puerto Vallarta was an absolute blast and the tendering procedure that the Disney team have put together is a testament to the high level of guest experience that the company continues to set the bar for. The transit through the Panama canal was a very exciting day. I only wish we could have stopped in the city of Panama. It looked exciting on the horizon. Finding out that Disney paid over 300,000$ for the cross was shocking.
I can't finish my report without mentioning Captain Fabian. He really took the time to make this trip special. From his talk about shipbuilding, to playing hide and seek in the atrium with the kids - he's magic personified and really amazed me with his commitment to making our cruise special.
I don't know if I can share a video, but I did chronicle my cruise ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbdiMZVLwL8
I'm also happy to answer any questions!
This was our 5th cruise with Disney - having sailed on 3 of the 4 ships and on sailings from 3 to 14 nights, we consider ourselves familiar fans.
Boarding in Miami was below expectations - if only for the fact that our previous departures have all set sail from Port Canaveral where the port and customer service is usually high quality. In Miami, the port services are overall contracted out and don't deliver the level of service and warmth one expects from Disney. At least that was the case for us. Our check-in agent took our picture without any warning and boarding started significantly later than scheduled. The terminal itself is crammed on a good day, the delayed boarding time turned into wall to wall standing room only. The unusual check-in continued onto the ship when I was surprised to not board through the atrium but instead through deck 4 then down the atrium stairs with our luggage.
I bet with a start like that you might think this is going to be a bad report. The truth is the opposite. The wait staff in our dining room were exceptional. We had the joy of being serviced every night by Zinzani and Zimik. Paulo, our MaitreD was a bit over the top and zany, but always took the time to make sure we were having a great time. The menu and quality of food ranged widely with some truly standout dishes as well as some unusual meals that did not feature the ingredients listed in the menu. The ship was quiet enough that not all three restaurants were in rotation for the second seating. The buffet quality was always top-notch and the BBQ featured as we crossed the canal was a real treat (though kudos to the poor cooks having to BBQ in that heat).
In terms of entertainment offerings, again - a mixed bag. On these longer cruises, it's always fun to enjoy the Art of Entertaining but while some of these classes were run by enthusiastic hosts, more than a few consisted of uninterrested dining room hosts reading printed Wikipedia information about the history of cheese or Balsamic Vinegar. On the other hand, the crew talent show and many of the special acts (Mike Super, Justin Flom & a ventrilloquist who's name I can't remember) were absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, in the second week the choice to bring on a 3rd magician (who proceeded to do many of the same tricks Mike Super and Justin Flom had amazed us with) and the decision to bring Buckets & Boards on seemed a bit questionable. Jimmy, our amazing and hilarious cruise director, had informed us all that there were very few children on board (200) - and with shows that are already skewed towards a younger audience (Toy Story, Disney Dreams) it seemed a bit unnecessary to bring on yet another act that may miss the mark of the audience. Don't get me wrong, great guys and very talented but it's something I've noticed on the longer cruises where most people are adults, that Disney doesn't venture far from their comfort zone with what they provide - which is too bad because more and more, Disney is a company that caters to adults in an incredible way (adults only adventures by Disney, europa, Tutto gusto, etc). The highlight for me was the Golden Mickeys and the crew talent show - both were highly entertaining and had that special magic that's hard to describe.
In terms of ports, the rainforest horesback riding in Puerto Vallarta was an absolute blast and the tendering procedure that the Disney team have put together is a testament to the high level of guest experience that the company continues to set the bar for. The transit through the Panama canal was a very exciting day. I only wish we could have stopped in the city of Panama. It looked exciting on the horizon. Finding out that Disney paid over 300,000$ for the cross was shocking.
I can't finish my report without mentioning Captain Fabian. He really took the time to make this trip special. From his talk about shipbuilding, to playing hide and seek in the atrium with the kids - he's magic personified and really amazed me with his commitment to making our cruise special.
I don't know if I can share a video, but I did chronicle my cruise ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbdiMZVLwL8
I'm also happy to answer any questions!
