SUNDAY - FINAL MORNING
We did not sleep at all. Our dear friends Kevin and Julia, despite several warnings, did not finish packing until 4:00 AM. We feel sorry for whoever had to deal with the bags (if you are reading this, my apologies for the delay).
Monica was first out of the cabin to her early appointment with Immigration. Once she had her green card back, she came back to the room just as room service arrived. We ordered way too much, but it always fun trying to get it all down. Once again, wheat toast saves the day!
We went downstairs to seek out Rodrigo. We wanted to say goodbye and he promised us he would find us at some point in the morning. Rodrigo was helping collect the various comment cards from everyone. We spent a few minutes chatting and he asked if we were leaving yet. We told him no, we still needed to get some photographs from Shutters.
Off to Shutters we went. We bought several stock photos showcasing the ports of call. Monica and I have our photos from each trip framed. No matter what souvenir we buy, the photos are the best reminders of the trip as they instantly bring about the memories of what fun you had.
We went back to the room and watched Kevin and Julia deal with 300 pounds of carry-on, or in this case, carry-off luggage. We said goodbye to our wonderful stateroom attendant (Negi). Let me say once more how amazing this guy was. We feel as though we made a true friend.
We went down to the third floor and most of the ship was empty at this point. We found Rodrigo who came out and hand us one final little gift. The tipping policy for the Concierge is somewhat unknown (at least to me). We had to force him to take a gratuity. We had a wonderful little talk and said our goodbyes. Rodrigo said we would attempt to extend his contract by one week in order to be there for our next trip on the Wonder (he is scheduled to go home on Jan. 7th, the day we board). That would be a pleasure.
We walked off the ship where we were met by Captain Henry and his assistant Robyn who shook our hands and wished us a safe journey home.
The rest of the trip home was a nightmare and I will spare everyone the details of the tight connecting flight and missing luggage.
In the end a few points I would like to touch base on:
1) When sitting in our room one day, we had a lengthy conversation with both Rodrigo and Claire (the Concierge group) about guest expectations. I made it clear that I considered us to be difficult guests. The conversation that followed was enlightening. Rodrigo told us that we were his favorite kind of guests. The reason is that we come on board and politely ask for what we want. We lay out our expectations from the minute we board. He said the difficult or bad guests are those who come on board, never say a word or ask for anything and then go home sad and/or disappointed.
Rodrigo said it is Disney policy to never tell a guest no. That you should first try to accommodate any request and then inform the guest if it is possible or not. They even have a special assistant on board at a special telephone number to assist cast members with fulfilling guest requests. Both Claire said that their job is to try and exceed guests expectations, not just merely meet them or come close. What a great attitude and what a fine group of people. We wish him well and hope to see him (although he will be in a different role) next time we cruise.
2) Our wait staff
Eric, Romy, Deniz (Roy in Palo). These people could not have provided a better experience. We thank them for everything. It is very sad to come home and not have that level of service. Lunch today at Capital Grille was sad. I could only pick out one entrée and they handed me a bill at the end of the meal! These guys spoil you and we hope that others are as lucky as we are to have them on their dining rotation.
3) Entertainment - The vast majority of entertainment at Disney is wonderful. I still am not fond of the Muppets nor do I think that you will ever see it return its current state. So many of their shows are perfect, that this one seemed slapped together. I stand by my opinion and we will see if Disney feels this warrants a return to the stage at any point in the future.
The rest of the shows (Welcome Aboard, Farewell, Susan Egan) were amazing. I hope these become semi-permanent fixtures on future cruises.
4) Ports of Call - Each port of call was well chosen and I would not be surprised to see this become an itinerary that pops up several times per year. The length of the cruise was great and we appreciate the special effort that went into making sure the guests experienced a great time.
What can I say
.Some people read my trip report and see nothing but negative. I so greatly enjoy my Disney cruises that we are already looking forward to the next on in January. I am certainly not a glass half full kind of guy so dont read too much into my sarcasm. Yes, there are a few things that can be improved upon (in my opinion). When you are this close to perfection, I feel that they should know what few items need fixing. We have enjoyed taking couples with us each time who have never sailed on Disney. Each couple at the end the cruise then swears they will only sail Disney for future cruises. To me, that speaks for itself.
We brought home plenty of souvenirs and have each navigator and menu. We would be pleased to answer any questions and would be happy to send scans of any of the paper items we received.
In the end, this is only one mans opinion. I am certainly not trying to change the opinion of anyone else. I, always enjoy reading what others have to say about certain experiences and then going into an activity prepared. Sometimes I share the same opinion and sometimes I dont, but it helps to know a little information in advance. That is all this trip report is about. Dont love or hate the people at
DCL because of what I write. Thanks for taking the time to read!
Go Steve!
You might want to go back and reread the above post, as it was the OP who couldn't handle people not agreeing with his opinion on things. It was the OP who started the name calling and insulting. So if you want to quote an imature quote or tell someone to grow up lets be fair all the way around here.
