Wonder returned to port after 3 hours at sea

[StanSroka]

During our meal (6:00 PM seating) on our first night at sea, it seemed that our waiter passed out. Later that night the Captain made an announcement ~8:00 that we were turning around to go back to PC due to a "medical emergency".

I don't have a problem with that (who would) but we arrived at Nassau after 1:00 PM. Somehow we were advised to take the tour of Atlantis ($122 for four of us) and get back to the ship for, again, our 6:00PM dinner.

What a waste of time, effort and money. Some of the fish tanks at Atlantis were dirty and the water was cloudy. The tour guide was stating what the room rates were and where we could park our $2million yachts when we returd.

Our entire time in Nassau was a waste. I was not just unimpressed, I am disappointed that Disney would provide such poor shore excursions.

To save money, go to the Living Seas in Epcot then walk around the Grand Floridan. The experience would be better and cheaper.

 

[lbgraves]

Which cruise were you on? I hope that whoever was ill is alright. There have been numerous threads about disappointment in Nassau, which is why we will never do the 3 or 4 day cruise. Did you enjoy Castaway Cay?

 

[ivanova]

How long ago did this happen?

In DCL's defense, they do not "provide" the shore excursions, they simply work with the suppliers in Nassau that actually provide excursions. I've never done the Atlantis tour, so I cannot comment on whether your experience was typical of that excursion. We did the Nassau city tour and had a nice time.

 

[kellib36]

In DCL's defense, they do not "provide" the shore excursions, they simply work with the suppliers in Nassau that actually provide excursions.

This is very true. We're having a heck of a time trying to find handicap accessible excursions for our May Repo cruise. Disney is not being helpful at all. They keep saying "Other countries don't have to abide by ADA rules." Gee, thanks for THAT bombshell!!!

They want us to wait until we are actually onboard, and THEN come talk to them at the excursions desk......uh huh......

 

[videogal1]

This is very true. We're having a heck of a time trying to find handicap accessible excursions for our May Repo cruise. Disney is not being helpful at all. They keep saying "Other countries don't have to abide by ADA rules." Gee, thanks for THAT bombshell!!!

They want us to wait until we are actually onboard, and THEN come talk to them at the excursions desk......uh huh......

Hi Kelli
Yes, do go and meet with Heath at the Shore Excursion desk as soon as you can. I beat him up pretty good while on the 10-day cruise and he stated that if people who needed special assistance with excursions would contact them when boarding the ship they would do their best to make access arrangements for the excursions you want to go on. My TA has already sent him a copy of my excursion list and I fully expect him to get together accessible transport so I can go on the selected excursions. He is right...The countries visited do not have to comply with the ADA but, as Disney charges those who are disabled a full, not reduced fare, it is up to Disney to provide full, not reduced services. Holland America Lines went out of their way to get together a fleet of accessible taxis at each port of call on the Eastern 7-day cruise Cash and I took last November so if Holland America can make it a priority, so can DCL. Tell Heath I said so...He'll be quaking in his boots...

 

[kellib36]

Tell Heath I said so...He'll be quaking in his boots...

And you say people are afraid of Cash!!!! Who's the rotweiler here?!?!?

 

[StanSroka]

We were on Wonder on the 3 night cruise leaving 4/14/05. My wife wanted to take a shorter cruise in the event that she did not like it. I wish that I read more discussions of the Bahamas excurisions. I now understand why there are some people that don't leave the ship while in port.
We were, and remain, very disapointed in DCL. I asked my kids if they want to do another cruise or spend 4 extra days ay WDW, they both want WDW.
Maybe ... just maybe ... we'll do another DCL cruise, but no time soon.

 

[232271]

It is responses like these about the ports that make me so nervous about cruising.

Hopefully we will enjoy it more. What a disappointment to spend that much money and wish you were somewhere else.

 

[CPM]

It is responses like these about the ports that make me so nervous about cruising.
Hopefully we will enjoy it more. What a disappointment to spend that much money and wish you were somewhere else.

The Bahams are a port people typically complain about. I have to say I really liked the Atlantis tour. My son was facinated by the DIG. I thought the grounds were beautiful and we just enjoyed walking around. The diver was so nice, he saw my son through the tunnel and told him to go up and meet him. He handed him a bunch of real shark teeth and answered all kinds of fish questions we had.
We were only there for maybe 4 hours. Which was enough. We gambled a little before we left. Actually won enough to pay for the tour.
We always book the late seatings for dinner so we don't ever have to rush back to the shop for dinner from excursions.

If you are worried about bad ports just make sure you do your reasearch before you go, pick a ship and ports you think you would like before actually booking a cruise.

 

[DCLcruiser]

Hi Kelli
Yes, do go and meet with Heath at the Shore Excursion desk as soon as you can. I beat him up pretty good while on the 10-day cruise and he stated that if people who needed special assistance with excursions would contact them when boarding the ship they would do their best to make access arrangements for the excursions you want to go on. Tell Heath I said so...He'll be quaking in his boots...

In case you didn't see the DCL web site or the reservation book there is a section about this. Guests with Disabilities Q&A

 

[Otimon]

We never took a tour on any of our cruises while in Nassau but opted instead to explore on our own. We always took a taxi over to Atlantis and just walked around enjoying the beautiful resort. Back to the ship for lunch. Then off again to walk around the town a bit. We always spent some time on a bench in the little square outside Festival Place at the dock just watching the local hairbraiders and cruise passengers come and go.

Very relaxing at our own pace.

 

[StuartMI]

We did the Ardastra Gardens tour on our 11/14 cruise and it was just fine. Zero complaints! I think our meeting time for that was around 1pm so we spent the morning on the boat just relaxing and getting massages. After the tour we went to senor frogs where DW and I sucked back a few banana daiquiris.

I think Barb does it correctly and just counts Nassau as a day at sea!

 

[dizneyusa]

DCL I must say is one of the better cruise lines for 3 and 4 day trips especially with kids!!!!

Nassau has been really rebuilt since hurricane and fire damage a few years
ago.

We are with the group that takes the taxi over to Atlantis enjoy a couple hours come back to the ship and enjoy the ship. If we feel like doing a little shopping then we get off the ship again with other cruisers and shop, we have met alot of nice people in the past.

There are only so many places the ships can go to in a 3-4 day time period out of Florida. The other itinerary that is great and we would LOVE FOR DCL to get it approved would be a Key West and Cozumel run.............Maybe a 3 day Nassau and Castaway and a 4 day Cozumel, Castaway and Key West!!!

Oh, and maybe a NEW SHIP to have for the East Coast and the Magic could go over to the West Coast................Oh, I know I am dreaming for now, BUT, you never know

Dana
dizneyusa

 

[UGAFan0829]

It is responses like these about the ports that make me so nervous about cruising.

Hopefully we will enjoy it more. What a disappointment to spend that much money and wish you were somewhere else.

I have to add my 2 cents worth here. I believe it's all about what YOU make it. The DH and I did the 3-night back in January. We scheduled the Dolphin Encounter excursion for our Nassau stop, and LOVED it. We highly recommend it to everyone. We also chose to walk around to some of the different shops and restaurants there before we headed back to the ship. Nassau is a little different, and probably can seem scary to some people, but if you do research and find out what you're going to be ecountering, then I don't think it's as scary as you might think. Yes, we did encounter people who asked us numerous times if we wanted to buy this or that, or if I wanted my hair braided, but there is a way to handle it. I just think it's all about having an open mind and a positive attitude.

 

[ivanova]

Oh, and maybe a NEW SHIP to have for the East Coast and the Magic could go over to the West Coast................Oh, I know I am dreaming for now, BUT, you never know

Just keep praying for a 1.24 EURO/USD exchange rate and they'll sign the contract for the 3rd ship (and I'm hoping they'll sign for the 4th ship at the same time).

The DCL rep I spoke with said the 3rd ship is already slated for FL, but the Wonder & Magic will be staying in FL too......the 4th ship (in 5-7 years is his guess) will sail out of CA.

 

[jrabbit]

Oh, and maybe a NEW SHIP to have for the East Coast and the Magic could go over to the West Coast

Hey, it's DisneyLAND's 50th anniversary and WDW gets 4 new major attractions. Disneyland gets some paint!! So you probably will get your wish - new ship for the east coast, "hand me downs" (albeit very nice ones) for the west coast.

 

[chrisn]

We've been to 10 Caribbean Islands and Maui. Nassau was our least favorite and we saw it on our 4 day DCL cruise. I had been wanting to tour Atlantis because my children were interested in an extended stay at the resort. I rented a room at Comfort Suites in order to have access to the ammenities and stayed at Atlantis for about 4 hours. I'm really glad I did this because now I know we won't waste the money to go back. I'm kind of a hotel snob and to tell you the truth I was expecting more from Atlantis. It's a huge sprawling resort and while it is nice, I personally think it's over rated. The maintenance around the resort leaves a lot to be desired. The tanks were dirty. The pools were a little "off color" and frankly I didn't think it is worth what they charge for it. The Iberostar Resorts of the Caribbean put Atlantis to shame.

 

[r3ngels]

Just keep praying for a 1.24 EURO/USD exchange rate and they'll sign the contract for the 3rd ship (and I'm hoping they'll sign for the 4th ship at the same time).

The DCL rep I spoke with said the 3rd ship is already slated for FL, but the Wonder & Magic will be staying in FL too......the 4th ship (in 5-7 years is his guess) will sail out of CA.

That is what I heard too.

 

[jott3]

We visited Atlantis in November with another cruise line and we really liked it. The tanks, grounds, and pools looked very clean and well kept at that time. The construction in the streets around the resort area was a little difficult, but we really enjoyed our tour. My only complaint was that the group was a little large so it was sometimes difficult to hear the guide.

 

[8 Ears]

Too bad you did not enjoy Nassau. We went out on our own with DS 10 and had a wonderful time! We walked to the Gardens. A slightly pushy "native" tried to get us to use "his" taxi service. We tried to be polite and then were getting a tad annoyed. Another native came along calling the gentleman by name and told him to leave us alone we looked like "nice" people and smiled at us. Then she told us to ignore him that he is always that pushy. He told us to have a nice day and we went on our way.

At the gardens we found them to be polite and answer any questions we had. They asked if we had seen such and such? We should go see this or that.

At the Pirates Museum the "Pirate" was joking with us. He could also tell that DS was nervous. He in a soothing voice he assured him nothing was going to jump out at him but it would be dark. He also made us promise that we would walk right through if DS got too scared. After the tour we bumped into him and he questioned what DS thought about it. DS admitted he was scared in places so we just kept walking. The Pirate told him that next time he would know what was coming up and it would be better.

Long story short, everyone we came in contact with went beyond. Oh, also in one of the shops DS could not decide on a T-shirt and the slaes lady told him to take his time and he would find the right one for him.

We enjoyed the difference in life styles, sorry you did not have the same experence.