Should we try again?

[joyful1nh]

We just got back from our 3 night AP cruise. We enjoyed it, but it wasn't the best cruise I've ever been on. Then we stayed a week at the WL and had such a wonderful time...

I did go ahead and book a 7 night Eastern in Feb 04 while on the ship. Trying to decide if I should cancel and spend the week at WDW instead.

Specifics:
The weather was terrible on our cruise. Rough seas, cold and windy in Nassau & Castaway Cay. Was not impressed with dining room servers or the variety of food offerings. BUT -- loved the spa, thought the cabins were well appointed, and loved the entertainment offerings. DD loved the children's activities. This was my 7th cruise, 1st on DCL. Favorite cruise lines are RCCL & Holland America, but neither offers the children's activities that DCL does. My in-laws will be in St. Maarten when we cruise so we could meet them for a day. We did not dine at Palo.

Was in Cat 10 (inside) on Wonder. Booked Cat 7 (navigator verandah) on Magic.

So -- should I give DCL another try?

 

[howardk613]

I would give the DCL another chance. Weather has a lot to do with the cruise so try and choose a date where the weather is usually great ie.. Nov. A verandah is a real plus and makes the cruise even better.

 

[Michelle]

Absolutely give it another try. You'll find that the Caribbean cruises generally have MUCH better weather overall and the ports are better too.

 

[taswira]

joyful1nh - Sorry you were disappointed by the AP cruise. As you know, I was on it as well. True - the weather was not the greatest, but it <I>could</I> have been worse and I am grateful that it was not. The rough seas did not seem nearly as bad as the last night of my cruise in May. I have taken to the ginger supplement regimen before, during and after cruises. It works great for me and I don't take Dramamine or anything else.

We all know that weather is something beyond DCL's control. I had a verandah, but never even sat on it because it was too cold (regular verandah). If you read my trip report, you know that my initial serving team was a <I>major</I> disappointment, but fortunately my favorite server had me moved to his table for the rest of the cruise. He is such a wonderful server that I don't mind the lack of variety in the menus. The major thing about the cruise that bothered me was the lack of Cruise Director Rick. He is <I>entirely</I> different (and far more visible and active) than Jacqui.

Please don't give up on DCL. Having done 5 <I>Wonder</I> cruises in 12 months, there were good and bad things about each of them. The good always outweighs the bad for me, but that could be because of my attitude about DCL. My only suggestion if you do the <I>Magic</I> is possibly to request a Croatian server. All of the Croatians I have met so far seem to love their work and perform outstanding service.

Shari

 

[Mickbee]

From one Manchester NH cruiser to another; give it another shot! We had a blast this past summer. We will be heading back this summer as well. Both 7 days!

Sorry to hear your trip didn't go well, I bet the next will be better.

Have fun!

 

[KennyK]

Just got back from a 3 day cruise on the Wonder. The weather was much better this week than on your AP cruise. We had a Cat 11. This was the first time for us in an inside stateroom and really did not have any troubles with it.

As far as wait servers we had a Ti and a German team. they were really great to us. Our table was made up of a buisness group with mostly Chiliean business men who didn't speak much English. Yes we could have asked to be moved to a different table, but didn't, they were all very nice. Our wait staff made our dining experience most pleasurable though and tipped them accordingly. As far as the menus, I happened to like them better than the past ones, but that's a personal preference.

We had second seating and was on the PTA rotation. had table 27.

KennyK

 

[taswira]

I'd like to clarify that I was <I>not</I> implying that there are not great servers from a variety of countries. There are <I>many</I>. I only meant that I have not yet encounterted a <I>bad</I> server from Croatia. They all seem to be superb.

Just didn't want anyone to misinterpret.

Shari

 

[mmouse37]

Shari....so Jacqui is on the Wonder now?...I know she left the Magic after our 1/4 cruise and I thought she went home for vacation....did not realize she moved to the Wonder. We have sailed with her on a number of DCL Magic cruises and never had a problem with her, but did not see her too much more than at the shows, etc.

MJ

 

[taswira]

MJ - Yes, Jacqui was on the Wonder for the AP cruise, so I assume she is still there. There was no <I>problem</I> with her, it was just that I am not used to such a low-profile cruise director. She did not seem to be as involved and "always there" as Cruise Director Rick, who makes frequent announcements and is there for nearly all the activities. He is also friendly and outgoing.

Rick was my Cruise Director for 4 of 5 DCL cruises. I was told he is on vacation. You get used to someone being there and come to expect things to be a certain way. With someone else, it is always different. Jacqui was not <I>bad</I>, but was not <I>notable</I> to me. I don't think I would know her if I saw her again.

Shari

 

[mmouse37]

Shari...I know what you mean....she was there only at certain things but not really visable other than that. Would love to try a cruise with Rick...he sounds awesome!!!

MJ

 

[shelly3girls]

I would definitely try another cruise. I think someone made an excellent point that the weather in the 7-day cruises should be much better and warmer. And don't miss Palo's, it was the best part of our whole cruise!

 

[taswira]

MJ - Rick IS <I>awesome</I>! I think the AP cruise would have been entirely different had he been the Cruise Director. I am sure Barb and Tony have some great stories about him, with all the <I>Wonder</I> cruising they do! However, he is occasionally on the <I>Magic</I>.

 

[Towncrier]

Give it another try Joy. We thought had great servers on our first cruise. But, believe it or not, they've gotten better with each Disney cruise that we've taken. We've done two 7-days and one 3-day and my feeling is that the 3-day is not nearly long enough to get the true flavor of a cruise. You will have a blast on the 7-day eastern itinerary. That's the 7-day that we have done twice. And be sure to get a Guavaberry Colada when you stop at St. Maarten.

 

[BethC1952]

We had the chance to have a long chat with him during our December cruise, and he mentioned that he was going home for Christmas for the first time in a number of years (5? 7?), and that, since he has younger children, he was very pleased. I hope he's back for our cruise in December!

Beth

 

[RellingTwin]

Our 1st cruise was in late Jan (1/25/99) and the water was too cold to swim. Keep in mind we lived in Fl at the time and are spoiled when it comes to swimming! We had a very nice time, but it just can not compare to the 7 day cruise.
That said...cruising just is not everyones "cup of tea". It is a very different type of vacation from WDW.
There are pros and cons to both.
My reasons for enjoying the cruise (in my opinion a WAY less stressfull vacation then WDW) maybe the oposite of someone else.
Seeing your in-laws in St Martin would be really wonderful!It would be great to have someone there who could show you around!

 

[aprilgail2]

I would give it another shot but I would not ever go in Jan again...I went on a cruise in Jan once and have been to Florida in Jan and it is just not warm enough for me...I like the weather in April and May better for cruising!

 

[joyful1nh]

Thanks so much everyone for your feedback! A lot of you are confirming what I already suspected -- the three days is too short, I'm more a Caribbean fan than a Bahamas fan, we were unfortunate with our dining service, and the bad weather just capped it all off.

Thankfully none of my family suffers from motion sickness, so we didn't have to take anything while on board despite the rough seas. My main complaint weather wise was that I couldn't sleep because of all the creaking noises from the ship's rocking.

Our dining companions (Shari, it was Bari & family!) agreed that the service was disappointing - and said it was better on their prior cruise. We were on the PTA rotation, main seating, table 35.

I also think Feb would be a better time since it is a little further from the holiday madness. We would be going the week before President's week (Valentines Day!) & my daughter would be able to celebrate birthday #6 on the ship....

Thanks again for all the great info!