Prior cruisers react to first time on DCL

[FLeisure]

Gary,

Boarding times - no , it was sheer stupidity.

We had to line up for 40 mins in our vehicles waiting to unload. They checked absolutely everything and those who had brought someone with them to drive their vehicle away had to leave that person sitting on the kerb outside.

No-one thought to mention that you would need both your ticket and picture ID to get back in before you went to park your vehicle after dropping off. Fortunately, I had mine but loads of people didn't.

We then had the ridiculous sight of a woman who was in her late 60's (from this point on, known as daft old bat (DOB)) to check the drivers back in. Of course the inevitable happened right in front of me. The poor woman (now known as PW) in front of me who hadn't been told she would need picture ID had left it with her husband along with her ID. DOB then decided that she would hold everyone up until she radioed into the building to try and get the husband back. Quite what the odds on this happening where I don't know but by the time she had got a message back to say they couldn't find him (surprise, surprise!) there was a line of about 200 people behind us. The PW was very embarassed by this point and even the offer of several credit cards, which she did have to prove her ID, had no bearing on DOB.

After suggesting for the umpteenth time she could check other people who had ID , DOB finally relented. I still don't know if PW got on the ship but I can imagine the start of her vacation was totally wrecked.

So, after checking in...what did we find ? Some soldier on duty at the gangway. The guy was obviously bored out of his brains and it showed.

My point....if we are going to have extra security then lets make it common sense stuff. This was very much an over reaction to the sad events of Sept 11 and if, by any chance, a terrorist really did want to do damage to the ship he still could have done.

I don't know if I"m in a minority and at the risk of being controversial I am of the opinion that most of the so called "improved" security around the country is a joke. To me, several leading companies are using it as an excuse to make cut-backs.

I'm not just knocking Disney in this. RCCL comes in for some stick as well. In Miami, the Police blocked off the main entry and exit channel for the small boats that used to enjoy sailing past the cruise ships. Frankly, why they did this is beyond me. Just exactly what security risk is this ?

We then get to San Juan and we have jetski's coming right up to the boat and literally touching it. Just what is going on ? Maybe this should be reserved for a different forum.....

 

[gary in florida]

Hope my wife doesn't see your description of a women in here late 60's!

 

[gary in florida]

Hope my wife doesn't see your description of a women in her late 60's!

 

[FLeisure]

Sorry Gary

What I was referring to was that this particular woman should have been retired. She clearly had no idea of what she was doing.

 

[plutospup]

milkymars, I appreciate your review. Interesting to note your thoughts on the wooden railings. Every morning on the 3/9 Magic(I'm an early riser-6am jacuzzi!) I noticed workers sanding,staining, & varnishing the wood railings. However, after the Thursday morning fire the "yellow suits" were concentrating on the fire damage near the Mickey pool. Hopefully, maintenance returns to the high prefire standards.

 

[bengals01]

i have been wanting to ask this question for awhile, what kind of food are you eating that is so bad?

 

[mikeymars]

Originally posted by plutospup
milkymars, I appreciate your review. Interesting to note your thoughts on the wooden railings. Every morning on the 3/9 Magic(I'm an early riser-6am jacuzzi!) I noticed workers sanding,staining, & varnishing the wood railings. However, after the Thursday morning fire the "yellow suits" were concentrating on the fire damage near the Mickey pool. Hopefully, maintenance returns to the high prefire standards.

Interesting that you saw work on the railings going on just two weeks before we cruised, given what I saw. To be more specific about the latter: the varnish on the outside of the railing on our veranda (cabin 6064) was completely gone -- and I mean completely, we're talking 100% raw wood -- as was much of the varnish on the sides of the railings near the tables on both sides of the Mickey pool up on deck 9. Also noticed some varnish gone on railings up on 10 (I wasn't looking for this, it was just impossible not to notice). I didn't seen any work on the railings going on during our cruise, in fact, the only maintenance I saw during that whole week was some painting of the walls up on 9.

 

[plutospup]

Can't respond to the veranda rails, since we didn't have one. The railing work I saw was near the Quiet Cove pool, including the stairways up to deck 10. I was suprised by the awful smell, and their ability to get down to the bare wood. Usually, this occurred before 8 am. I didn't go near the Mickey pool too often since it was very crowded. Hopefully, they tend to the railings throughout the ship.

 

[FLeisure]

Bengals - to answer your question re: food ;

From the DCL brochure :
"Each restauarant offers its own special menu of tantalizing cuisine. And, of course, you can expect an unsurpassed level of personalized service and attention to detail. For example, your own personal wait staff rotates with you each night so you can enjoy one innovative dining experience after another, with servers who already know you like lemon in your iced tea or your steak cooked just so."

From this description you would expect top quality food and excellent service. I have to say the food we received was nothing more than average and our servers the same.

Having eaten at several of Disneys top restaurants the DCCL is well below this standard in my opinion. The meats we had had little flavour and were never cooked as required. The vegetables were soggy and the potatoes nearly always cold. I know cooking for so many is difficult but Disney has the experience of its restaurants to draw from unlike its competitors.

Seems to me that Disney places more emphasis on rotating folks through the different restaurants than it does on food quality. Talking of the restaurants....is it really necessary to play the music so loud through every meal ?

Maybe I'm too demanding but when cruise lines claim to have the best level of service not to mention "tantalizing cuisine" , I do tend to expect it. The only thing "tantalizing" about Disney's cuisine is the question "will it be edible?". For those folks who love McDonalds then DCCL will be great for you...for those who like something a little better ....prepare for disappointment.

 

[amy1007]

I have never been on the Disney Cruise, and I am so excited about our upcoming cruise. However, the above post about the poor quality of the food really has me worried. Do others share this same view of the food?

 

[FLeisure]

Amy,

Sorry to put a downer on your forthcoming vacation. Maybe I've been too harsh....the food is OK just not as good as Disney tries to claim..that's all. Get into Pablo's....

Enjoy your trip.

 

[pal2pluto]

I think fleisure meant Palo's, not Pablos. Palo's is the gourmet dining room for adults only. It is super.

A lot will depend on your attitude, I believe. We thoroughly enjoyed our 7 day in January. I'm shocked and saddened that fleisure had such a poor experience. I believe that his was an exception. Please, I'm not criticizing him/her, but some people are better at making "lemonade out of lemons" than other people. If you're stuck in line waiting, realize you are not the only ones, and maybe try to meet some of the people around you, and instead of being a "seed of discontent" (sorry, been watching 3-2-1 penguins too much), try to find something to good and helpful to focus on.

Okay, I know I'm going to get lambasted, but I choose to make lemonade when I can. We loved our cruise. Yes, there were things that could have been different, but I chose to focus and look for what was magical. My children will remember how wonderful it was, too.

 

[bcburgner]

I don't eat at McDonald's and enjoy really good food. I'm not into totally gourmet type food or dining. Too stuffy for me and the atmosphere isn't much fun for us either. We loved our dining experience on the 4 day Wonder cruise. Food was great, our server was the best and we ate plenty of food. To us, this was one of the highlights of our cruise. Now, I have never been on any other cruise line, so I don't have any comparisons to make. But for us, the food was great. We look forward to ourr 2003 Western Carib cruise.

 

[prymsu]

I guess if i don't have to shop for it, prepare and cook it, serve and then clean up afterwards it is all good to me. Unless something was really poorly under or over cooked, to me it is always good if i am not the one who has to lay out the spread.

As far as servers go, there is no difference between Carnival and Disney. All are pleasant and try to go the extra mile. Of course they may have off days, but then who wouldn't when you work a six month stretch without any days off...

 

[FLeisure]

I don't think it's a case of attitude at all. I was just giving my opinion on events as I saw them and comparing our experience with other cruise lines.

Overall we still enjoyed our trip on DCL but it's not one we would repeat for the reasons already stated. Hopefully our cruise experience as far as food was concerned was indeed, a one off.

Pal2pluto - yes, I try to make lemonade when I can but I refuse to gloss over things that could be better. I realize on a Disney forum that people will defend Disney but simply put, Disney isn't what Disney used to be in my eyes. 10 years ago Disney was light years ahead of any other company in terms of service and general standards. Unfortunately we now live in different times when bottom line is all that apparently matters. And yes, I meant Palo's

 

[gary in florida]

Everybody has their own opinion on food and service. I do not like McDonalds but felt the food at the three restaurants were above average. Also, you can get poor service even at the best 5 star restaurants.
So, in my humble opinion, the food on DCL & the food service is above average.

 

[tecdavidt]

I have stated on these boards several times don't cruise Disney because of the food. You won't starve and on our last cruise 3/16 this year the food was improved over our previous cruises. I still believe the food I had on Carnival and Celebrity was better but Disney is improving. The servers also have a lot to do if your food is cold. That is true for any cruiseline.

We all will have different opinions and that is the plus of a board. I like reading everyone's opinions. The best judge is yourself, go on the cruise and then decide.

We love to cruise and I have to agree a lot of the new security measures are a joke and waste of our tax paying money. Standing in lines is the downside of cruising. Sometimes embarking is fast other times slow. Debarking is the same. The inbetween part is my favorite, being on a ship and seeing only the beautiful deep blue ocean water. It makes it all worth while. Kathy

 

[mikeymars]

Originally posted by liza
Mikemars, thanks for your post. We took our first Disney cruise -- first cruise at all -- a few weeks ago on the Magic. We enjoyed it, but I'm wondering whether we wouldn't enjoy a different line next time. My in-laws rave about Crystal, but it's too expensive for our family of 4. My children are 7 and 4. Is there a line you would recommend that has a good children's program? I've heard good things about Celebrity, but don't know anything about the kids' programs. Would you mind describing the kids' programs on the other ships?

Thanks!

There are a lot of things I like about Celebrity, but their children's programs are an afterthought (the facilities are a joke compared to those on DCL). Carnival had better stuff for the kids, great counselors (facilities so-so, small playroom but a nice kids-only pool and outdoor play area). The newer RCCL ships are probably the best for kids next to DCL.

 

[Mjasp]

OK I have to say something now. Let it be known now, I am NOT putting down anyone who lives in FLORIDA. So don't attack me. I honestly feel its the water.

Being from New York, I eat in excellent restaurants, even the bad ones here are better than any Florida restaurant. ALL DISNEY food tastes the same to me. All of it has a smoked flavor, anyone who has been to the Hoop-de-doo review will know what I am talking about. I have alot of family in Florida (and all over Florida, not just Orlando) and I have gone away from the touristy restaurants and gone to eat in (as our family says) "The Best" restaurants, and believe me, they are not the best.

This will be our first cruise ever, so I can't compare the food to other cruise lines, but if you are going for the food, I would say Disney is a poor choice for the food category. Take it for what its worth, Its Disney and it's Disney food, don't expect "Carmines" or the "Russian Tea Room" and you will be happy.

We already know the food is not going to be a highlight, so we can't be disappointed.

OK I'm done, Now be nice people

 

[gary in florida]

Typical reaction from a New Yorker - everything is better in New York -

From a former New Yorker, who was glad to leave.