Unpopular Opinions

[perditax]

My unpopular opinion: I truly believe that people don't feel safe in Nassau b/c of the majority bahamian/african descent people more so than the area. NYC is dirty, rat infested, and ppl are pushing ppl onto the tracks yet ppl still line up to go for a visit.

I understand where you're coming from, but I noticed that in a recent Dream navigator, even Disney displays a very prominent warning about crime Nassau on that day's navigator. I was surprised. So I bet people who are not well travelled are certainly scared--by the warnings.

(Keep in mind I'm a frequent NOLA visitor. My main hesitance with Nassau is I've seen people talk about the street vendors laying hands on people (putting jewelry on them etc) and I get twitchy when people invade my personal space. I don't have any fear of being mugged when I set foot off the ship, though.)

 

[bcwife76]

I know we haven't cruised yet (first one is this September), but I've been looking at the wine packages and they seem like such a huge racket!! Why do people pay that much for wine? I've compared the prices that Disney is charging to our local liquor store prices (and keep in mind I'm in Canada so prices are higher than the US) and the price of wines is 2-3 times what I would pay in the liquor store!! So no we will not be ordering a wine package and will instead bring our own onboard.

 

[Dug720]

I understand where you're coming from, but I noticed that in a recent Dream navigator, even Disney displays a very prominent warning about crime Nassau on that day's navigator. I was surprised. So I bet people who are not well travelled are certainly scared--by the warnings.

(Keep in mind I'm a frequent NOLA visitor. My main hesitance with Nassau is I've seen people talk about the street vendors laying hands on people (putting jewelry on them etc) and I get twitchy when people invade my personal space. I don't have any fear of being mugged when I set foot off the ship, though.)

Never heard of that. But if you keep walking WITH PURPOSE and simply ignore they go for easier marks.

Don't bother coming to NYC ever if the thought of that makes you "twitchy". You can't NOT touch people walking around.

 

[moomy-san]

We watched the evening shows on our first cruise and never again. They feel like one big long sappy commercial, and frankly, DCL, you've already sold me on your product.
We spend more time napping on our verandah than we have ever spent soaking up the sun on deck.
By the time I get off the ship I cannot wait to eat regular food.
I can't stand the majority of the cruise directors and club hosts. Club Host Robin on the Fantasy was good, and years ago Daniel on the Wonder was AMAZING but otherwise, they are generally meh.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

One time I had gluten free pancakes on the last day that were bad. Other than my own kids, I have seen two poorly behaved children and two poorly behaving adults (okay, I've seen a couple more at guest services reducing tips or complaining about what seemed like really minor things, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt since I don't know their backstory). Once I had a CM at the GS desk ALMOST be not helpful enough to me, but when she picked up on how stressed out I was, she quickly became my guardian angel. One night I had a really bad leg cramp. Once I had a horrible excursion, in Cartagena.

So here is my (possibly) unpopular opinion: other than these incidents and one other I will mention later, in 8 weeks on DCL in 4.5 years, I have enjoyed every show, cast member, dinner, lunch, snack, room service, family activity, adult beverage, adult beverage tasting, Palo, Remy, trivia, movie (I often see the same movies more than once in the same cruise), dinner show, kids club open house, Aqua ducking and dunking, Castaway Cay, Cookies, Cabana, excursion, fish extender and fellow cruiser AND EVERY SECOND of my DCL cruise. Yes, some things I loved more than others, but just being on a DCL ship puts a huge GRIN on my face. Maybe I'm repressing some bad memories, but I don't think so.

My caveat is that when my 82 year old mother became very ill on our transatlantic cruise and was in the infirmary A LOT (see me stressed out at GS as mentioned above, 2AM, having left my kids alone in room, trying to get my mom in a wheelchair and oxygen tank back to the room after spending an hour convinced I was watching her die on that cruise) --- that was not enjoyable. But I was very grateful to the professional and wonderful staff at the infirmary who took such excellent care of her.

So, as I finish drinking my Mickey Mouse embossed pitcher of DCL lemonade (better than KoolAid and included in the price of your cruise, deck 9, drink station!), I proudly say, DCL, hope to see you again real soon!

 

[tidefan]

Mine is that we do not really care for Palo. However, we LOVE Castaway Cay. One thing I will say, is that the experience there is very different if you are on the Dream/Fantasy vs. the Wonder/Magic. We much prefer CC on one of the classic ships.

 

[Ashley Christensen]

It is one of my favorite ports to pull into. It is so beautiful coming into port.

 

[mevelandry]

I know we haven't cruised yet (first one is this September), but I've been looking at the wine packages and they seem like such a huge racket!! Why do people pay that much for wine? I've compared the prices that Disney is charging to our local liquor store prices (and keep in mind I'm in Canada so prices are higher than the US) and the price of wines is 2-3 times what I would pay in the liquor store!! So no we will not be ordering a wine package and will instead bring our own onboard.

Even at home, the same bottle you'll find at the liquor store you'll pay at least twice the price in a restaurant.

You can bring yours on board but unless you drink it in your room, you'll have to pay a fee.


Now, about Nassau... I would be shocked if it had anything to do with ethnicity... Keep in mind that Canada, USA (and probably other countries) and even the cruise lines issued warnings about Nassau... Therefore, it's not just an opinion: it's a fact. Now, you can choose to ignore it and go anyway, or you can choose to stay 100% safe and not go.

 

[suedon70]

I agree with several on here that Castaway Cay is overrated. Walking into the water requires water shoes or flip-flops or you risk cutting your foot on the shells. Nearly every beach in Florida is superior to it.

 

[ptcbass]

I noticed that DCL also issues warnings about other ports in their Navigators (was reading them online). I wonder why Nassau get so much attention. Maybe it is because it gets visited more than the others.

When we made our last booking the DCL cast member raved about the Golden Mickey Show over and over. After watching it I wondered what the fuss was all about. It was kind of cute I guess but nothing amazing and I certainly wasn't impressed.

I agree with what others have said about room service. I only get it if we want something I can't get elsewhere on the ship at the time. Ex. If I want some hot tea I will go up to the pool deck and make myself some and not order it.

Here is a comment that gets some people upset - A vacation (yes even on a cruise ship) is not a excuse to stop being a parent. I know someone that leaves her kids to wonder the ship the entire vacation so that she can party. She even got off in port, leaving her kids on the ship, and went and got drunk on a beach (fortunately found her way back before the ship left). Uncool!

Interesting to hear how many don't care for CC. I haven't ever seen water that clear before so we LOVED it and the time flew by and we only rented a float mat and didn't do much of anything else. Now I do agree that Cookies wasn't anything to rave about. The food was just ok and filled the void but that was it.

 

[momof2n2]

I'm sure this one will be wildly unpopular (I'm an accountant)! It seems people order room service cookies or Mickey bars every night. I have pictures of $-signs running up and down the corridors dropping off cookies and trying to deliver Mickey bars before they melt. I understand that I have the right to order room service as many times as I like. I'd like for us all to agree that we won't abuse the free room service policy. That means someone single and traveling with children has carte blanche to order as much as needed. Otherwise, we use some discretion. NCL has added a service charge for room delivery. I'd hate to see that policy spread. Whew - glad I got that one off my chest!

As someone who just booked NCL I couldn't agree more ;-)

 

[Stitchie13]

Fish Extenders - Did it once over a Christmas cruise and honestly it added more stress and planning time
Cruise Entertainment CM's - I just find that whole team too OTT and I almost get a cavity listening to them but I appreciate all the hard work they do for everyone that loves them.
Castaway Cay - Serenity Bay why can't the adult beach be near water that you can really swim in?
I don't think Palo on the Dream is as good as on the Wonder or the Magic.

I used to really enjoy Palo dinner and then I went to Remy and now the food at Palo to me is just blah I wish they would change the menu more to force us into all ordering something different. I also wish though when Palo changes a dish, well really they shouldn't. The portobello mushroom appetizer is nothing like it was 10 years ago oh and neither are some of the brunch desserts.

 

[purfectlyweird]

Even at home, the same bottle you'll find at the liquor store you'll pay at least twice the price in a restaurant.

You can bring yours on board but unless you drink it in your room, you'll have to pay a fee.


Now, about Nassau... I would be shocked if it had anything to do with ethnicity... Keep in mind that Canada, USA (and probably other countries) and even the cruise lines issued warnings about Nassau... Therefore, it's not just an opinion: it's a fact. Now, you can choose to ignore it and go anyway, or you can choose to stay 100% safe and not go.

The clutching of the pearls vibe that i get from the Is Nassau Safe posts lead me to believe otherwise. I'm not trying to get into a race debate but from personal experience people are definitely wary of a group of minorities, black people especially. Most times for no good reason but their own preconceived notions. Nassau is a small island that you have to treat like a big city. Common sense isn't too common these days.

 

[aprincessatlast]

Sea days! I find them boring and do not really like them. A perfect cruise would be a port every day for me. I like to cruise to take me to different place and experience different things. I enjoy the ship on embarkation day and for the evenings. Diaper races and bingo are not my idea of fun. Not that I don't enjoy silly entertainment here and there but multiple days of it? No thanks.

Palo I find way overrated. Especially the brunch!

Things I can not say are overrated but I do not really get is Fish extenders and Concierge. Those are just researched a ton type things and it is not for me. Like DVC sure it has value for some, however others just don't get it. Not that they can't afford it (concierge, dvc) but rather don't really see the value in it.

 

[ptcbass]

Sea days! I find them boring and do not really like them. A perfect cruise would be a port every day for me. I like to cruise to take me to different place and experience different things. I enjoy the ship on embarkation day and for the evenings. Diaper races and bingo are not my idea of fun. Not that I don't enjoy silly entertainment here and there but multiple days of it? No thanks.

Not many have commented on sea days. We always wondered if we would like them and will find out in 25 days. My main goal for my vacation is to sit on our varandah and drink my coffee. Can't wait! I think a mix of relaxing days with port days might be nice. I sure hope I am right and my family isn't bored. We did a 3 night Dream instead of the 4 last May because my family didn't understand the point of a sea day. We will have 3 on our upcoming cruise.

 

[mcd2745]

I'm usually the king of unpopular opinions. I seem to think very differently than just about eveyone else. Just on these boards, for instance, the threads that I ususally find interesting and think will go on forever usually die after only a few posts. And the ones that I think are pointless end up with 50 pages of posts. Anyway, my unpopular DCL opinions are:

• Pirate night is awful and needs to go
• same can be said for sail-away party - crowds are unbearable
• Villains Tonight is the best show (rest are too sappy)
• On Dream/Fantasy, the Royal Palace/Court is my least favortite of the 3 rotational restaurants...by far
• Why is it that everyone must eat lunch immediately upon boarding a cruise ship (DCL or any other)? Worried you're not going to get any more food the rest of the cruise?
• Mickey Bars are no different than rectangular-shaped, chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream bars
• I couldn't care less that they announce our family when we walk onto the ship. No one else cares when we (or you, for that matter) arrive.
• I can't fathom why it matters to some people who the cruise director or captain is

 

[Ariel484]

It's funny; I am the opposite. Villains Tonight was my least favorite show.

OMG YES. I've seen it twice now...two times too many. We're cruising on the Magic next year and I'm pleased to see that Villains will be replaced by the new Tangled show!

I like the Golden Mickeys, but Believe is not my cup of tea.

I personally have no desire to do a FE. I know some families really enjoy this, but it is not tempting for us.

Same. Never tried it but I know it would be way too stressful for me. And that's not what a cruise is about!

I have enjoyed every show, cast member, dinner, lunch, snack, room service, family activity, adult beverage, adult beverage tasting, Palo, Remy, trivia, movie (I often see the same movies more than once in the same cruise), dinner show, kids club open house, Aqua ducking and dunking, Castaway Cay, Cookies, Cabana, excursion, fish extender and fellow cruiser AND EVERY SECOND of my DCL cruise. Yes, some things I loved more than others, but just being on a DCL ship puts a huge GRIN on my face.

I do agree with this, for sure. Nothing like walking into the atrium on embarkation day and having that moment where I realized, "OMG. I'm here. This is my home for the next few nights!" So many feels.

• Pirate night is awful and needs to go
• same can be said for sail-away party - crowds are unbearable
• I can't fathom why it matters to some people who the cruise director or captain is

Agree with this. I think we'll skip Sail Away next time - DEFINITELY will skip the pirate show, which I find to be cringe-inducing (love the fireworks though). And I don't get the hype over who the CD is either.

 

[tinkerone]

i find the first night show and the last night show a HUGE commercial for dcl. thats all it is. 60 minutes of commercial with a few minutes of actual show (actual performers) thrown in for good measure. its the reverse of tv where the commercial only lasts a few minutes and the actual show is the main feature. having said that, we don't go to these anymore anyways so it doesn't matter to us but i have read others who think these are the best performances ever. (i'm shuttering).
also i'm in with the group who thinks palo is over hyped. way over hyped.
that is all………..

 

[Eeyorebabies]

I am a super cheesy love all things Disney person. Yet even I would have to agree with the shows being sappy, and quite boring. I definitely would recommend at least seeing them once (like on your first cruise) after that you can make up your minds on wether to return. We did a 3 night cruise on the Dream last year. The cruise itself was not long enough. I hated feeling rushed into everything. Hurry up on board, hurry up to eat, hurry to the excursions, hurry up to the MDR, hurry to the show, hurry to bed, rinse and repeat. I felt like cattle being prodded for 4 days. We were supposed to do Magic Kingdom the day after the cruise, we lasted about 4 hours before being too tired, grumpy, and feeling like we needed a vacation from our vacation.
This time we are doing 7 days on the Fantasy to the Western Carribean. Sea days sound perfect. I like the idea of not being rushed from one thing to the next. Now that we have done the shows, we can pick and choose which ones we actually like. I really don't understand why they can't mix up the shows a bit more. Like the Western Carribean have a certain set of shows, Bahamas another set, etc. I mean we go to Disney World and they switch shows up there, while still keeping the classics.
MDRs, honestly, we are simple country folk that like down to earth simple foods. Half of the stuff we had no clue what it even was. They should really have pictures lol! I was going to use my time to try new foods, yeah, no go. Everything I tried was pretty gross. I honestly could have stuck with the turkey cranberry sandwiches by the pool over some of the fancy food in the MDRs lol.
We got off in Nassau, and didn't feel our safety was threatened at anytime. I really hate when people pull out the "ethnicity" difference as why people feel unsafe. That has nothing to do with it. It's the environment and being in a foreign country that already set people on alert. The crimes in the area and warnings from Disney is what makes people feel unsafe. If you stay with your tour group and don't wander on your own, you will be fine. It's those that want to explore without a group that are easy targets.

 

[silverangel879]

Liking these! It so awesome how can we still enjoy the same ship but different aspect of it! and still talk to each other here!

For me, growing up in Puerto Rico and now living in FL, it is more attractive something cultural than the beach in the stops...I grew up with beautiful beaches less the 2 hours from home (to any direction) so it takes a lot to find a beach super impressive and different from what I was used to. If there is something quirky and different (like renting a scooter in Nassau and have lunch in a place where we were the only tourist there) and the beach, will pick the first.

I do enjoy the shows, no matter how cheesy they are, my sweet husband will go and see them with me especially if they are new to us. We both enjoy days at sea. We see them as a chance to really enjoy the ship...specially if it is a Disney Cruise. We know if there were all port....we prefer to get out and explore...so sea days give us chance to relax, and wonder the ship. Or just chill in a chair...

Castaway was nice not super impressive for us...but we LOVED renting some bikes and ride the island...it was a nice time to our selves and a good way to burn some calories from all the eating

I can't understand why knowing who the CD or captain makes a different. Although, we did have our photo taken with Commodore Tom (and have him signed our Christmas ornament) after knowing only one other cruise ship in the world have a commodore.

Palo we only did the brunch and our server was amazing and we had an awesome time. It was a good base for our Mixology class 2 hours later....lol!