Spring Break Fantasy disappointment

[amyh13]

I plan to write a review but I know there is a lot of discussion about the price premium of a Disney cruise. I feel like more people come to this section of the board for advice so I thought I would throw my opinion in.

I been on 6 cruises, 4 with kids, two without. 2 on Carnival, 1 RCCL, 1NCL, 1 Premier (yes I am old) and 1 Disney. One Alaska, the rest Caribbean. I love to cruise. Never met a cruise I didn't like. And my family can afford at least one pricey vacation a year, I am very lucky.

I have an 8 yo boy and 4 yo girl. After taking the Carnival Dream on the Eastern itinerary last year for spring break (kind of last minute in a suite) I thought "My kids would DIE over a Disney cruise!!"

Did lots of research, joined a fish extender group, took the kids to Disney World, surprised them on Christmas Day with a poem.

Mind you, I am not a big Disney fanatic. LOVE ALL Disney movies. My sister lives in Orlando and I have been to Disney World three times in 23 years.

And really, it was just "okay." We had some bad travel karma that was no one's fault (ER trip the night before leaving ATL, Me with Norovirus on the last night).

Kids club, hands down, nothing better. The Ship - BEAUTIFUL. The Service - Cabin Steward, nothing special. Dining Staff, EXTREMELY Friendly, but slow and inaccurate.

Found my bill from Carnival last year. 1/3 the price. They have "your time dining" which is FANTASTIC, show up when you get there. No wait and a table for two! With EXCELLENT service EVERY night. An awesome cabin steward.

Cooking is my hobby and I am an amateur foodie. Cabanas had shrimp and stone crab every day but for the most part, Carnival food was better.

Cruising is such a relaxing vacation. If your budget does not include Disney, there are plenty of other offerings. And if I were going for an all adult cruise, I would go for a Celebrity or Princess, not Disney.

 

[carpenta]

We prefer DCL's smaller ships for we find the service better. I agree with you that for the price you do expect top notch service. I do think that DCL is reaching a critical price point where the price is not equal to the service. Hope you have better "karma" on your next cruise.

 

[cris0809]

We did the Fantasy during spring break this year (March 15) and I wouldn't do that time of year again on Disney. While the weather was gorgeous it was just too crowded. It's the first time I've really felt the amount of kids in every single area that I guess most people feel during summer/school breaks/holidays.

Give me the offseason. I'd rather have hurricane season. Peak season is OUT!

 

[socaintexas]

I just got off the Fantasy 5/3/14 and, while it was great, it was not the magical experience that we have had on prior cruises. We have been on all four and have to say that we love the atmosphere, feel, and service of the classic ships. Had the Fantasy been my first cruise we may not have become Disney cruisaholics!

 

[Ofinn]

It looks like from your ticker you booked another cruise on DCL. Can you give more detail on what you didn't like other than the price.

 

[mtchurchmonica]

Give me the offseason. I'd rather have hurricane season. Peak season is OUT!

Agree! It does make a difference.

 

[amyh13]

We have cruised small and large ships so we didn't feel overwhelmed. The pools were crowded buy kids didn't care.

I have traveled the world and stayed in some really swank places. I run with a crowd that has the ability to go on luxurious vacations and thinks that thinks cruising is "cheesy." But I like it. So when I see that adult would choose to cruise Disney without kids I think, it must be AWESOME for this crazy price.

I just did not get the value. We had a FABULOUS time on our Wal-Mart ranked Carnival Cruise and plan to do it again next Spring Break.

 

[amyh13]

My ticker must be doing something funny. We do not have another Disney Cruise planned. I will correct.

 

[magrudersmakes3]

the ticker will reset itself as a new vacation once your trip is over.

 

[jlemieu1]

Give me the offseason. I'd rather have hurricane season. Peak season is OUT!

Agree with the OP. I only off season. It's basically 1/2 price and are never crowded even on the new ones.

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

Sorry you didn't have a magical time, OP!

We also cruised over Spring Break on the Fantasy (4/12-4/19) and it was just as magical and awesome as usual. In seven out of eight DCL cruises, they have been sold out so I haven't felt any difference during peak times vs. off season. I think sometimes it's the mix of people who you are cruising with too - not to pick on your fellow cruisers but in our experience we had an amazing FB group (over 200 people) and had organized several meet and greets, private events, etc. and because we "knew" a lot of each other it was like a big family.

We are still in the camp that DCL is worth the extra money and we are pleased with their service and haven't had any real let downs. I'm sure if we had experienced that, we'd feel differently.

I hope it works out for you in the future

Heather

 

[Trera]

We always like Labor Day cruises as they don't seem as crowded due to school being back in session and it is still nice and warm.

 

[Made Up Name]

We've had a nice time at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City. It's sure a lot cheaper than WDW or Disneyland, but it's not Disney.

I'm pleased you have enjoyed your Carnival cruise.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

We have been on the Dream and the Magic, and for us Magic wins hands down. The bigger ship was just too crowded for our taste. We felt more at home on the Magic. It just seemed more "personal", like the staff took the time to get to know us. On the Dream, there were so many people all over the place that it felt much more like we were part of the herd. The Magic just seemed overall more laid back. We get Mardi Gras off school so we travel in what is the off season for most of the country, and still felt the impact of being on the bigger ship.

 

[su_A_ve]

You need to understand one thing. All companies want to fill their ships. All of them have tiered pricing.

But it sells. It's not just ONE thing that makes it the best for most, it's a combination of things.

And as more people sail, the prices will continue to go up, and yes, the ships will be full. I would NEVER recommend taking a Disney cruise for the first time on a holiday. Same goes for the parks.

Imagine comparing it to a burger. It's a beef patty and bread. But you can have a Whopper for $5, a Red Robin Royal Burger for $10, or Gordon Ramsay's Burgr Euro Burger for $16.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

OP, you and I must have been on different CCL "Dreams". That was the cruise that almost turned me off to cruising 100% altogether. The only redeeming part about my CCL Dream were the ports (which are usually always great) and the fact that we had 3 days at WDW (2 before, 1 after.) Otherwise, if I didn't set foot on a cruise ship again, I would have been fine with that. Each CCL I took each year got more and more unfriendly worse serviced with the 3 man dining 'team'. Admittedly, it was the same month following the Triumph disaster and CCL was feeling the strain, as were all their employees (by employees, I mean the ones that were left... I felt really bad for them with all the cut backs. At one point, I had to get up and pour my own coffee in the main dining room repeatedly off the beverage stand. That would have never happened on any of the lines I've been on, but especially not Disney.)

It was a fluke that my Dad booked the DCL Dream a whopping whole month later for their anniversary on a short notice sail. Because we all live across the country, we knew having their kids with them would be the best gift we could get them, and so we all surprised them on their 3 day DCL Dream cruise. It was the best 4 day trip (added one hopping day at WDW prior and surprised them at the Contemporary for dinner) that our family had ever, ever had.

We just got off the Magic last week, and while the rooms weren't perfect, the cruising experience was still among the top we have had with exceptional entertainment, even for us adults. (Our family cruised Disney last year with no kids and then our friends brought 1 youngster out of 11 of us.)

I would never cruise on spring break if I can help it (although accidentally our DCL Dream was Atlanta's but that was just a regional thing) because I refuse to cruise peak season, but my dream ship is the Fantasy.

I would also wonder about more specifics of how the Fantasy could have been more magical for you than it was. My Carnival Dream was the biggest let down of any cruise ship experience I have had, and that seemed to be among your favorite, so I wonder if you and I are in opposite land? We tailed the Fantasy the whole time and spend half our time oggling her from our Carnival Dream.

 

[amyh13]

I don't think this ship was completely sold out but it was mostly full. And that really didn't bother me. The following week was much more expensive. My kids had a blast and that is what was really important.

Things I liked:
The rooms were nice and more tastefully decorated. The split bathroom worked great and I love a bathtub. I have to get a suite on other lines to get a bathtub.
The wave phones are nice
The kids clubs were really awesome. But my kids liked the other lines kids clubs too.
My husband and son loved the movie theater.
Bringing on your own alcohol was great (although CCL and RCCL let you bring on 2 bottles of wine).
Better room service menu
Cabanas is a nicer buffet option than other lines.

The other things that aren't necessarily bad but just observations.
Embarkation seemed very unorganized.
After much debate I have decided that I really prefer the anytime dining option rather than the traditional seatings. My kids can't wait until 815 to eat and 545 is just way to early. The rotations are cool the restaurants are beautiful but just not worth it to me. With open dining, we could drop the kids off to eat with the camp and then take our time getting ready for dinner.
There appeared to be a lot more pool space on other lines.
There just was not enough adult time. I am sorry, I work full time the joy of cruising is a chance for my husband and me to spend time together. We ate dinner alone 5 of 7 nights on our last cruise and hung out all evening until it was time to pick up the kids. That never happened on this cruise. In fact we almost seemed separated the entire time. There was no matinee Aladdin show. We were planning to all go at 3 and then go to dinner. Well that didn't work. A couple of nights DH and son went to a movie. Character appearances. Pirate Night. It was just NEVER ending. I am sorry waiting in line for over an hour to meet princesses is just not that fun for me. And I know it isn't all about me so that is why I did it. But I kept thinking there would be some evening grown up time and again, that never happened.
Castaway Cay -ehh. MASS of humanity. Now I know why the ridiculously overpriced cabanas are so popular.
The service was EXACTLY like every cruise I have ever been on. In fact of all of my cruises I would say that my Carnival Legend cruise had the best service. I was waiting on this over-the-top experience and it didn't happen. Everyone seems to think that Disney is so different but all cruise lines have spotless ships, friendly staff, accommodate food allergies and diet restrictions, beautiful spa facilities, great exercise facilities.
Before we upgraded to a suite on our last cruise we were booked in a balcony cabin. I found the bill. 1/3 the price for the EXACT same itinerary. The suite was half the price. Carnival will even do your laundry for you for $15/bag.

After it was over, I was broke and exhausted and had to be at work on Monday morning.

All in all, I just think I did not get twice the experience for twice the money. I got the same experience for twice the money. I have never read a bad review for this cruise so I know all of you will have a great time. I just want people who are on the fence and perhaps really can't afford a Disney cruise to know that they can get a very similar experience for less money.

 

[100AcreWood]

I'm curious since you have children and have experienced different cruise lines, besides Disney which line is the best for children? We're cruising Disney this year and maybe again next year but we're considering trying RCCL, Norwegian or Princess. What are your thoughts?

 

[amyh13]

The friends we were travelling with did RCCL to Alaska a couple of years ago and had GREAT things to say about the kids programs. Our RCCL cruise was a short one on an older boat so I don't think we got the full experience. My daughter had just turned 3 so she was a little hesitant but my son loved it!

Our NCL cruise was before we married so I honestly didn't pay much attention but they seem to have really upped their game with the kids stuff. The waterslides looked awesome on the Getaway. I loved our NCL cruise and am looking at those as well.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Everyone seems to think that Disney is so different but all cruise lines have spotless ships, friendly staff, accommodate food allergies and diet restrictions, beautiful spa facilities, great exercise facilities.

Wow, good for you! I mean that sincerely! I asked repeatedly for a GF menu on the CCL Dream, and all I got was the waiter smiling and nodding, clearly not understanding a single word I said. I got SOOOO sick. This year on the DCL Magic, we were treated like queens with our own GF rolls, a special dessert ordered for us every night. We had special items as requested and exceptional dining experiences all over, including Palo with fresh made GF pizzas and death by pancakes. Not once did I get sick on this trip. I either got food poisoning or a really horrible lower GI problem about the 3rd day on the CCL Dream. I felt as bad for me as I did the people around me... where is that embarassing ICON...

We often got orders we didn't ask for, didn't get some of the items we did order, but it was clear that we never would (dinner service went on past 7:30 and usually we couldn't make comedy shows or we would have to skip dessert or take it with us, not the relaxing dining experience we were hoping for), so we would eat whatever they finally did bring us. The dining staff didn't even give us their real names, which was fine I guess, because CCL didn't have a comment card to put them on anyway, just a survey several weeks later that didn't even reference a table number. We couldn't get our waters filled and we had swam in the salty ocean and hot sun all day. I'm not a water obsessed person but I still remember being super thirsty and just rubber necking the whole time to try to find any of our 3 servers. They were just so overwhelmed with the tremendous amount of tables they were given. At one point, the AC was kickin' high gear so I asked for a cup of hot tea and had a finger promptly placed in my face saying that they would be back when they could. I don't even blame them for the bad service, I blame CCL Corp for stretching them so thin.

My souvenir refillable adult cup 'blew' away (I think someone stole it) while I was napping on deck and had it next to my lounge chair. I asked repeatedly the housekeeping and bar staff in the area, no one had seen it and they refused to give me another. So I refused to buy another drink on board (they would have made much more buy giving me the free cup so I would pay to refill it.) They had no interested in helping me out at all. I never did find my cool cup either.

I never saw the room steward, but my husband did, and all he did was tell him they don't make any money but tips and ask for more tips.

We had endless 'buy this! buy bingo! buy buy buy' going on that trip, 'let me take your photo!' when I had no make up on and was rushing to get to dinner. They cut back the sushi bar we loved, they didn't offer shows every night, some nights, the Love and Marriage show was the big headliner.

I agree that Disney cruising offers LOTS of opportunities to be busy, and that suits us just fine. That is a different style in cruising, since I was SO ready to get off the last CCL. You don't have to do everything on the Navigator, you can nap in your room as much as you like, or on the deck in the shade (which we did for several peaceful hours on Castaway Cay.) But if like us, you WANT some fun things to do, there is plenty. That is more than I can say for the CCL Bingo Boats. Also, some of the things that the guests did on the main giant screen at the deck parties in the middle of the day made this 10 yr (at the time) married person squirm! That is not my idea of entertainment...

We planned ahead and if we saw a princess we wanted to take photos with, we would get in line as least 20 min before the time on the navigator. This last time, we were within the first 3 photos with Rapunzel, and we didn't even wait that long. (We were on the Magic though, but Dream last time, and it still wasn't bad as long as you got in the line a few minutes early.)

For me, the sea days on CCL are really boring. Karaoke and trivia all day, a super crowded bean bag toss, a lewd sexy man or hairy chest contest. I have gold status on CCL because back in 2007 and 2011, we really enjoyed the cruises. However, they have been declining since, and I personally wouldn't take time off for a free one. We only smelled smoke once on our Disney cruise, but on CCL, it wafts all over. They also funnel you through the smokey Casino and deliberately place all the activities right there when there are plenty of other lounges for trivia. They would tell us to get a seat 30 min before the show, so we would, and then they would literally go up and down the aisles selling $20 bingo cards. We don't play bingo or gamble. If we left, we would lose our seats. Cheap.

And yes, for the prices we pay on Disney ($540 pp the first 3 day veranda Dream, $522 pp the 4 day interior Magic), getting the coke included WAS a big help. After my horrible painful stomach upset (which after that, I only ate fish and fruit the remainder of the trip), it cost me over $2 including gratuity for a can of coke zero. My husband often orders cokes with dinner, and so the $2 added up substantially. So did their tight fisted adult drink policy. On Disney, I can order 2 for 1 pretty easily, but I have never seen that offered on CCL. Not to mention that they gave us 2 bottles of free wine sent to our room for a creaky AC vent. AND that we could have brought literally any beverage of any quantity on. I drank Coke Zero the entire trip last week and LOVED being able to help myself. Say what you will about DCl vs CCL, but their drink packages sometimes DOUBLE the cruise fare people pay (I follow it regularly on CruiseCritic) and they still have limits on them.

I'm being specific just to point out that its difficult to tell others (especially newer cruisers) that they can get as good an experience on the CCL Dream as they might the Disney Fantasy. It might not be exactly your cup of tea, and that's fine, but there were drastic differences in the business models, and for that, I won't be back on CCL. Even my husband agreed we would try anyone but CCL next, despite our gold VFIP status.

Regarding crowds, can I just say, I have never experienced crowds like I did on the CCL Dream? I have never seen anything like it, and it was just a week in late February, not when school was out. They closed the buffet at 1:30, and the only thing left open was a grill at the aft of the ship, where every kid on board was already in line for a hotdog. We had several double lines for the omelet station (clearly the only edible eggs up top at the buffet.) I waited in line for COFFEE... when I finally got to the beverage, there were no cups, but everyone with cups kept refilling. When the cups came, there was no coffee left, and I had to wait again for the machine to be refilled. Even self serve icecream, there was a line for that. I was suckered into what I refer to as a roller derby inspired jewelry 'sale' event on the last seaday and after all that effort, I decided to buy myself something. The first 2 items I picked had already been broken (I did say roller derby inspired) so I went and finally found a set that hadn't. Checking out at the gift shop was another ridiculous line. While standing in line, two strangers said "I can't wait to get off of this god forsaken boat. this is the worst cruise I have ever taken."

Clearly, I wasn't the only one!

Perhaps Fantasy didn't live up to your expectation, but I would be careful suggesting that people can have as great a time on a cheap cruise line, as that is just not something you can promise. Unless you can fix all the things I mentioned above...