Seven Years Later we are Cruising Disney Again...please tell me it isn't as bad as I'm reading?

[kittylady1972]

We just booked a somewhat last minute Disney Cruise on the Dream...5 Nights in October. Our last cruise was on the Fantasy back in October 2015 with kids...this time it is just for the adults!

Our very first Disney Cruise was on the Dream, a 3 night, so it's been even longer for that ship but of course the Fantasy isn't too different.

Since we are so late booking...a lot of the On Board ship activities are already booked. We'll miss out on Mixology...and some of the remaining drink tastings may only appeal to some of us so not sure that will happen.

I'm reading that the on-ship activities fill quickly...please tell me that's not the case? We remember fondly attending some of the trivia events and family-oriented shows. I am hopeful we can still attend those.

The food reviews in the main dining rooms also aren't great...we aren't super picky eaters or anything but cold food and poor/late service sounds horrible to me. I hope that was an exception.

I wanted to try Palo for brunch as we used to love it...but the lack of buffet and the price tag...I'm not sure that's going to happen. Same for dinner, we've enjoyed meals at Remy and Palo in the past, but I don't need to break the bank on this trip on food that might not even be that great.

Hopefully BINGO is just as fun as it used to be.

I have to admit, I'm already starting to second guess this one and we are heading there with 2 other adults who are first time Disney cruisers, and one is a first time cruiser. I hope it doesn't ruin them. One of them is a Disney fan so hopefully we will be able to make the most of this.

If anybody has any great and recent tips for adults only on the Dream, recent activities you enjoyed, please post them here!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Those things have always filled quickly. There is not enough space for everyone who wants to do them to get a good spot. Get there early.
It's true that if you don't have priority, or you book last minute, the popular things will be gone, that is true everywhere.
I don't know how Palo is now, post covid when everything has changed. but I did always like them.

 

[Graymoon]

Sounds like you’re going in with a negative mindset and you’ll be looking for something to complain about, so I would just cancel. If you can ignore the picky reviews and get excited for the trip, you’ll find that a DCL vacation is better than ever!!

 

[CamColt]

We sailed on the Dream in February with our 2DSs and one's GF. We are frequent Disney cruisers but the GF was a first time cruiser, who loves Disney. She was in awe of everything, so much so her and my DS were able to get a good deal and went again in April.

I really want to go on the Dream in February however it's schedule (sailing on a Saturday) isn't working well with my work schedule. Coming from the North East I would like a 2 day buffer for a cruise, but a Saturday departure doesn't give me that. But my point there is I've been on it somewhat recently and really want to go again.

 

[auntlynne]

I sailed in Dream in September - after a 6-year hiatus in cruising. It was definitely low capacity which might make a difference compared to now, but it was not a disappointment from cruises in the past.

I did get locked out of adult trivia one night. They were still doing social distancing, so lots of empty chairs. And they were in a small bar. They repeated games over several times to make up for the limited space.

(Forward to this April on the Magic. Adult trivia was in O’Gills. No one was ever turned away. They offered multiple sessions each day with different themes. Great new staff running the events. Plus music trivia was happening in Fathom's? And family /Disney trivia was available in D Lounge.

The food, overall, was better than on some previous cruises.

Some things, like the Buena Vista Theater, were better than I remembered.

It was like going home (both cruises). Hope you get a similar experience.

 

[Cheburashka]

We just booked a somewhat last minute Disney Cruise on the Dream...5 Nights in October. Our last cruise was on the Fantasy back in October 2015 with kids...this time it is just for the adults!

Our very first Disney Cruise was on the Dream, a 3 night, so it's been even longer for that ship but of course the Fantasy isn't too different.

Since we are so late booking...a lot of the On Board ship activities are already booked. We'll miss out on Mixology...and some of the remaining drink tastings may only appeal to some of us so not sure that will happen.

I'm reading that the on-ship activities fill quickly...please tell me that's not the case? We remember fondly attending some of the trivia events and family-oriented shows. I am hopeful we can still attend those.

The food reviews in the main dining rooms also aren't great...we aren't super picky eaters or anything but cold food and poor/late service sounds horrible to me. I hope that was an exception.

I wanted to try Palo for brunch as we used to love it...but the lack of buffet and the price tag...I'm not sure that's going to happen. Same for dinner, we've enjoyed meals at Remy and Palo in the past, but I don't need to break the bank on this trip on food that might not even be that great.

Hopefully BINGO is just as fun as it used to be.

I have to admit, I'm already starting to second guess this one and we are heading there with 2 other adults who are first time Disney cruisers, and one is a first time cruiser. I hope it doesn't ruin them. One of them is a Disney fan so hopefully we will be able to make the most of this.

If anybody has any great and recent tips for adults only on the Dream, recent activities you enjoyed, please post them here!

I've had dinner at Palo on the Fantasy in March & on the Magic in October and it was as good as ever. I had dinner at Remy on the Fantasy in March and it was excellent. I booked it onboard, btw.

The October cruise was lacking in some areas due to Covid protocols but that was almost a year ago. It was still worthwhile. The March cruise was almost like old times, just missing a few old favorites like the officers' pin trading and paper navigators. Nothing to ruin the cruise.

The new muster drill protocol is a huge improvement, btw.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Here are my suggestions for you:

As soon as you get on the ship and connect to ship wifi, search the app for beverage tastings. There were quite a few when we boarded our last cruise. They did go fast, but people also cancel, so you can always keep checking "onboard activities".

We were on the WBPC so it wasn't a full ship, but if there was something I really wanted to do, we just lined up a bit early. "Anyone can cook" was by far the most popular event. We also missed one show, the Jon Armstrong show, largely b/c at the time the theatre was still leaving tons of empty seats for social distancing.

We missed Palo brunch due to my little one feeling seasick, but would have still been happy to try it even without the buffet.

I think you'll still have a great time. DCL usually delivers a solid, consistent product.

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

We began cruising with DCL in 2017 and then cruised in 2020, 2021, and 2022. All our cruises have been fantastic, and we enjoyed our post-covid cruising just as much as our pre-covid cruising. We don't do Palo or Remy but haven't had a problem attending onboard events other than one adults-only trivia that filled up before we got there in September 2021. You will have a great time!

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

We have had a great time on cruises without adding any extra activities. Instead of a tasting, go to one of the lounges when they're playing music you like and order whatever drinks you want. Go to a movie. Hang out at the adult pool and on the top deck. Bingo is still on as normal and is still fun. Game shows, trivia and stuff like that still happen (trivia can be a lot of fun, especially when they do it in one of the adult area lounges--seems to get rowdier in there than it does in the D-Lounge). Go see the shows (Beauty and the Beast is really really good, and on a 5-night probably will have some additional performer like a magician or something). We really enjoyed Palo for dinner (twice) on the Dream in May (after a bad experience on the Wonder in December) and I still recommend that. Brunch is still good without the buffet, but not quite AS good, and I don't like how it breaks up the day so much. Plus get off the ship in port and have a great day at Castaway Cay (still just as magical as ever).

 

[CamColt]

Something else I should have mentioned since you are talking about the Dream...Beauty and the Beast! Do not miss it! I've seen most shows, at least all the ones I've had the option to and I don't feel the need to seem most again and again. B&TB I will see every chance I get. It is amazing!

 

[Clarkson U]

At this point restrictions on space and capacity limits in the lounges and activity spaces have been removed. Things were packed on our 9-night sailing but no one got turned away due to crowd control.

I think you will have a great time. Food is still amazing in MDRs and service we had was truly excellent and not just because someone told me to put that on a survey lol lol.

Bingo was busy each time we did it but fun and done like olden times!

Towel folding and anyone can cook etc were also back.

Go enjoy and have a fantastic time!

 

[kittylady1972]

Sorry for not doing individual replies but thank you to all that responded. You have put some of my post covid cruise fears to rest.

This is our 5th Disney Cruise. We've done all 4 of the older ships and hopefully can try the Wish someday. We've loved all of them.


Gonna miss those daily papers for sure but looking forward to new muster drill.


And gotcha on Beaufy and the Beast. We will make sure to see it.

 

[kittylady1972]

Sounds like you’re going in with a negative mindset and you’ll be looking for something to complain about, so I would just cancel. If you can ignore the picky reviews and get excited for the trip, you’ll find that a DCL vacation is better than ever!!

Wow I guess that is certainly one way to interpret my questions/concerns to suggest I just cancel. Welcome to the Disboards.

 

[brentm77]

Can't speak for the Dream, but the Magic in June was part of the best vacation I have ever been on. Food was better than my previous two DCL cruises, service was out of this world, adult entertainment in the evenings was so fun, and the ship was as clean as ever. I had almost no complaints about my experience and ended up booking two more cruises next year because of it. I think we tend to complain more here, because it's human nature. I do it too. Some have indeed been unlucky with some bad experiences, but I think your odds are very good that you will have a great time. Also, you don't need reservations for things like trivia, you just show up early enough to get a seat.

 

[brentm77]

Wow I guess that is certainly one way to interpret my questions/concerns to suggest I just cancel. Welcome to the Disboards.

I didn't take your post like that at all. I took it as, "please reassure me I will still like it because of so much negativity on these boards." I don't see anything wrong with that. It's a huge investment and you don't want to be disappointed.

 

[BrokeMack]

We rebooked late when we switched our Wish cruse to the Fantasy for next month and have been able to find everything we want by checking for cancelations: Palo brunch, a couple of tastings even an excursion that had been booked. Keep checking you should be able to find some things.

Oh, and we cruised in Feb on the Wonder. It was our first DCL, but it was light-years ahead of our preview Carnival experience. The that matter it was much better than our trip to DLR the month before. That one was also a last minute booking. On that trip we got Palo and tequila tasting by checking on embarkation day. Obviously we haven't done the buffet, but Palo was still the stand out meal of the trip, though we enjoyed the Mdrs and Cabanas too.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Please stop reading reviews. People tend to complain more than praise. Some nit pik. Some never see good. Food is subjective. Go in with an open mind. Don't compare to past cruises. Each cruise is unique. Don't look for the bad but look for the good.

 

[kittylady1972]

Can't speak for the Dream, but the Magic in June was part of the best vacation I have ever been on. Food was better than my previous two DCL cruises, service was out of this world, adult entertainment in the evenings was so fun, and the ship was as clean as ever. I had almost no complaints about my experience and ended up booking two more cruises next year because of it. I think we tend to complain more here, because it's human nature. I do it too. Some have indeed been unlucky with some bad experiences, but I think your odds are very good that you will have a great time. Also, you don't need reservations for things like trivia, you just show up early enough to get a seat.

Great to read this...thanks. Also I'm well aware that most people who are happy are far less likely to complain than those that enjoyed it, so I am taking it all with a grain of salt. However I also recognize that a lot of Disney experiences have really gone downhill post Covid due to current overall climate conditions in terms of hiring, supply chain issues, etc. I do recall from our four previous Disney cruises that we always tried to show up early for anything we really wanted to do, which will be extra fun with the people that are going with us as one of them in particular tends to always be running late. Guess we'll just have to leave her behind!

We rebooked late when we switched our Wish cruse to the Fantasy for next month and have been able to find everything we want by checking for cancelations: Palo brunch, a couple of tastings even an excursion that had been booked. Keep checking you should be able to find some things.

Oh, and we cruised in Feb on the Wonder. It was our first DCL, but it was light-years ahead of our preview Carnival experience. The that matter it was much better than our trip to DLR the month before. That one was also a last minute booking. On that trip we got Palo and tequila tasting by checking on embarkation day. Obviously we haven't done the buffet, but Palo was still the stand out meal of the trip, though we enjoyed the Mdrs and Cabanas too.

Yes I will certainly check for some of those last minute cancellations closer to cruise time...thanks for the tip!

My very first cruise was on Carnival and I swore I'd never do another cruise ever again...I just didn't enjoy it. Then we did a 3 night on the Dream with our kids...and I loved it so much. I do really love the smaller ships (Wonder and Magic) for sure. Wonder I think was one of our favorite cruises. Believe me I am still looking forward to this trip.

Please stop reading reviews. People tend to complain more than praise. Some nit pik. Some never see good. Food is subjective. Go in with an open mind. Don't compare to past cruises. Each cruise is unique. Don't look for the bad but look for the good.

Sorry don't think I'm able to stop...but I do recognize that a lot of Disney experiences have really gone downhill post Covid due to current overall climate conditions in terms of hiring, supply chain issues, etc., as we've visited the theme parks several times and discovered. And I know people who are happy are far less likely to post anything versus people who had a bad experience. As I said above, I'm taking it all with a grain of salt but also wanted to see if I could encourage others who HAVE had a good experience to post here about them.

 

[paul436]

Do you have to sign up in advance for BINGO? Or just show up early?

 

[kittylady1972]

Do you have to sign up in advance for BINGO? Or just show up early?

It used to be show up early...which was necessary to purchase the BINGO cards and get seats. Do they still do standard cards and electronic? That's what it was on our last cruise (In October 2015).