second time around the magic was gone About This Page:

[CinciSmithFamily]

Let me just say I realize there are some very pro Disney people on here, and if you're the type that doesn't like to read criticism of Disney , then stop now. I'm not trying to flame or antagonize anyone.

first the particulars

this was our second Disney Cruise, approximately 1 year apart. We are a family of 4, a couple with an 11 year old boy and a 9 year old girl.

our cruise was December 20th for 3 days to Nassau.

This is difficult for me to write but I think its important to note for anyone considering a cruise.

I'm going to point out some things I didn't like, and to some people they will sound petty - but I want to give a clear picture of my view of the cruise as a repeat passenger. This is very long as I intentionally put some thought into some of the things I wanted to write in this trip report for several days after the cruise.

Our second trip wasn't so magical as our first. You can find our first trip report from last year here, and it was a great vacation.

I think for me, two things really played a role in me being disappointed in the vacation.

First, perhaps familiarity breeds contempt - now that I was an experienced cruiser, I knew exactly where to go, what to do and when to do it. While that may sound great and a definite advantage, for me, it gave me time to notice things about the cruise I didn't notice before and unfortunately, remember things about the cruise from last year and question why it didn't change.

Secondly, the weather, which I know Disney can't do anything about ruined much of the water related activities that I had hoped to do, and in turn gave me more time to focus on Disney service.

I'm not writing this as a critique of Disney so much as I am a cautionary tale of people making a decision to make a return cruise and having certain expectations.

Ok, so let me start off with my wife got off from work on Friday, December 18th around 3pm. We finished packing and left our house around 6:30pm and planned to drive thru the night down to Cocoa Beach. We had a number of reasons for doing this, including dropping our dog off at a kennel and taking in a day at a beach hotel before the cruise to relax. I would not advise this for anyone.

Although I knew what to expect with driving all night, we hit a snow storm midway around 2am that slowed us down and added a couple of hours to an already long trip.

Again - this has nothing to do with Disney but just to highlight how the best plans gone astray compound the overall feeling of the cruise.

We arrived at our hotel in Cocoa Beach and found the beach to be a brisk 62 degrees. For us, that is barely warm enough for the kids to enjoy an outdoor heated pool, much less the ocean but we tried to make the best of it. While the kids swam in the heated pool, I caught a nap and then we all went out to eat that night.

The next day we arrived at Port Canaveral around 9:30am thinking we'd get a jump on the day and be one of the first to enter the boat once they start boarding passengers. This was unfortunate for us as we were told they weren't ready to receive passengers and we should park in a waiting area until they come get us. About an hour later, an elderly man in a golf cart came to us and asked us to follow him. I found it odd that we were the only people in the waiting area but even more perplexing for me was that once we went in, there were about 200 passengers already checked in ahead of us.

Now its not important for me to be first, its really not that big of a deal and I wasn't trying to be the first one in, but I just felt like that if you drive there, you are a bit handicapped by the process that allows passengers that didn't arrive in personal vehicles to go ahead of those who do.This happened last year as well but we arrived about 30 minutes later so we didn't have to wait. I mean, part of the reason I drove was to maximize my day on the boat, and it worked out that way, but it could have also worked out that 8 busloads of passengers were ahead of us and got thru while I waited for the golf cart guy to come get me.

The check in process was easy, and again, knowing what to do -such as registering the kids, finding a seat in the lounge area, etc., made the process better than the first time we went thru.

I surprised my wife with an early Xmas present by upgrading to a Category 5 room on level 7. While she loved the room, let me just state that for some people who question whether getting a balcony on a 3 day cruise is worth it, IMHO, it is NOT worth it. If I had to put a $ amount on the time we used the balcony (we are big on shore excursions and are not the type to order room service or coffee in the room) then it worked out to about $5 a minute to cover the cost of upgrading from our porthole room. For some Disney cruisers, money is not a big deal. I don't consider myself cheap but I am very value oriented, and there are a number of things on this trip that I felt didn't live up to the cost. This was one of them. I will say this - that our location on level 7 was of more value in terms of proximity to amenities on the boat than the balcony.

We were in group 4 this time which meant we were on the boat around 12:20. Taking advantage of reading here, just like last time, prepped us for going straight up to deck 9 and swimming. When we walked on the boat they tried to steer us toward Parrot Cay but we went up to let the kids swim in the heated Mickey and Goofy pools and made our way over to Beach Blanket Buffet.

We had the pools to ourselves for at least 30 minutes after we got on board.

The remainder of the day was uneventful - lifeboat drill, dinner with the family in Triton (my favorite restaurant on the boat) and watching the Golden Mickeys. I will say that I was surprised to see that the shows were the same as last year, and since I had sat thru them before, I paid more attention to lip synching and what not than enjoying the actual show. How long do the shows run? 12 months later and they haven't added a single new one?

The second day we arrived in Nassau and unfortunately it wasn't much warmer than the day before in Florida. We chose a shore excursion of the Atlantis Waterpark/Aquarium (booked several weeks earlier) and what we found was that only a few of the water rides were heated (and that is used generously) and many others were not. The large pool was heated to a tolerable temperature but my kids were shivering and chattering from the kid oriented rides to the point they refused to do anything water related after an hour or so. We bought a couple of cokes for $9 and went over to the aquarium - which is impressive but good for about 30 minutes.

Honestly I don't remember what I paid in total for my "day" at Atlantis but whatever I did, I didn't get my money's worth. Is it luck of the draw that I was there on a particularly cool day? Yes, but its not like I paid $20 a head for this, this was several hundred dollars for the day and this type of weather wasn't a 100 year climate anomaly. i mean, the lifeguards were wearing hooded sweatshirts and sweatpants. They weren't about to go in the water. Am I wrong to expect that a place on the scale of Atlantis would be prepared for this? Am I wrong to believe that this has the Disney Seal of Approval so to speak that would have addressed the fact that they are taking guests down during winter? Well maybe I am but for a few hundred dollars that results in about 3 hours of tortured fun, I do expect it. I expect that every experience that I encounter thru Disney takes those types of things into consideration. We returned back to the boat early taking a taxi, dropped the kids off at the discovery lab/zone and my wife and I went to the straw market. Before we went to the straw market, we decided to grab a bite at Beach Blanket Buffet. We arrived to find a long line and the hostess handing out sanitary wipes trying to steer people to the Goofey Galley or Pluto's Doghouse. Now for me, there really is no comparison between a buffet and those two, but what I realized was that they were trying to shut the buffet down. I was a bit irritated to see that they started turning people away so they could shut the doors to the buffet. I mean, as a guest, if you show up, even if there is a scheduled closing time of say 3pm (which I also don't understand) - is Disney really going to turn guests away? The answer is yes unfortunately.We were in line safely so we weren't turned away but honestly I'd be upset if the people in front of us were designated as the end of the line and I had to settle for a ceaser wrap sandwich.

The Nassau evening was Animators Palate and Toy Story Musical. It was what I expected although some of the menu items were the same as last year. To be honest here, almost all the menu items were the same as last year, which again, I'm not sure if I'm just expecting too much but I've always felt part of the cruising experience was the culinary quality and diversity you get as opposed to everyday life. Is changing the menu every 12 months for repeat cruisers too much to ask?

My daughter had sinus issues (perhaps from the cold water at Atlantis) so we opted to stay in our room for the late night pirate night and let her sleep to make the most of Castaway Cay the next day.

So the final day arrives and we are pumped for Castaway Cay,except that the day is once again cool - not cold but not tropical either. We purchased a snorkel/bike/tube package (again -weeks in advance) for each of us and left the boat around 9:00am to make the most of the day. We tried to make a valiant effort at snorkeling but it was just too cold, and from the number of people who stayed only ankle deep in the water, we weren't the only ones who thought that.

However that wasn't what frustrated me about Castaway Cay.I fully understand you can't control the weather. While we were on the beach, instead of the peaceful sounds of waves or kids playing in the water, I spent my day listening to the sounds of construction - the back up warning beeping, the front end loader breaking up rocks, the traditional sounds of construction you hear in an urban environment - as Castaway Cay was doing construction for some water rides or whatever. Look - I love Disney but I paid a premium for not only a Disney Cruise, but to take this cruise during the Xmas break. Somehow a "Pardon our Mess" sign just isn't going to get it done for me. How about Pardon My Vacation, I didn't pay all this money so you could make Castaway Cay great for the families who visit next summer Sign? One of the highlights of last years vacation was us relaxing on Castaway Cay on a hammock next to our lawnchairs close to the water . This year they moved all the hammocks to "common areas" I assume to prevent people like me from getting off the boat early and hogging them all day in a prime beach location. So I sat there, on a cold beach listening to bulldozers and what not, basically counting the moments until we were back on the boat and headed back home. I wasn't angry but I will say that while my perspective of this cruise would have changed 180 degree had we seen 78 degree days instead of 62, what really bothers me is Disney didn't do anything different because of it, and because of that I don't see myself spending thousands of dollars on anything Disney related in the near future. What could have Disney done? I don't know but water is such an important part of Castaway Cay and the vacation itself, if you can't take advantage of it (cold weather, rough weather, rain, whatever) then it really takes a huge chunk out of the what is already , time wise a very short vacation.

Finally as a parting shot, when I am a guest on the cruise, I expect that the ships amenities are available to me as long as the cruise is "in service". I was frustrated to see Disney painting the pool the last night at sea returning from Castaway Cay on my first trip. Do families swim at night - I don't know but I do know that on both cruises, the last night, areas were roped off for maintenance. Not to fix something that was broke but to clean, paint or whatever. Just as with the construction on Castaway Cay, I don't like the idea that my cruise has to be...I don't know the right word, let's just say diminished by Disney performing work that I believe should not be done with guests around.

People talk about the Disney difference and I didn't feel it this time as a returning guest. Same food, same shows, less convenience, less concern for me as a guest, more money out of my pocket. If it was my first time, I probably wouldn't have noticed, but the second time around, turning my towel into a monkey just isn't enough to convince me this was worth it. I mean they make such a big deal out of returning guests, yet virtually nothing had changed. I essentially took the exact same vacation I did the first time. I even had the same head server as last year.

For a 3 day cruise, I spent about $1000 a day for a family of four,not counting transportation but including shore excursions and on board activities. I have no idea how that rates with the cost of other peoples vacations or whether they believe that to be expensive, normal or cheap - however for me, the result as you have probably guessed by reading my trip report is that I didn't feel I got my money's worth, and I expected Disney to put more effort into seeing that I did, especially in this economy.

[B.M.]

Thanks for the review! I have never cruised at all before, but hope to change that in the near future and I appreciate your honest opinions- it definately makes me favor towards cruising in the summer time......

[unewillow]

I'm sorry your cruise wasn't everything you expected. I hope that in the future you will try again, maybe something different to respark the magic. Not to diminsh your feeling of "less magic", but I just had some thoughts as I was reading this.

As they say, you pick your dates and you takes your chances. I feel that if you decide to take a cruise in December that you should be prepared for weather that is on the cool side and maybe you need to plan excursions that do not rely so heavily on water related activites. I know that CC is built around the whole "perfect beach getaway" thing, but there's nothing to say that if the weather is bad or cold you HAVE to go sit on a cold beach. You could have tried to rent bikes and take a ride, you could have explored the island, you could have stayed on the boat and found activites to do as a family. No one forced you to be cold and miserable.

Most people can not afford to take a cruise once a year, and those who can afford to do so probably would not feel compelled to take the SAME EXACT cruise year after year because it would get boring very quickly. To the shows being the same, it cost probably thousands of dollars for Disney to mount Broadway style shows, and multiple different shows each night for these cruises. Between building and figuring out how the sets will fit and work on the ships, training the entertainment staff, etc. you simply can not expect them to redo the entertainment frequently. The same for the menus, most restaurants never change their menus (assuming they are successful) and I wouldn't expect Disney to change theirs frequently either.

Remember, these ships are in service basically every single day for 2 and a half years or so and the day to day maintenance that needs to get done should try and get done at night when things are least in use, but sometimes that's not an option.

The CC construction should be getting done on the "off" days when people aren't on the island, so I see how that would be annoying and upsetting if I got there and all I could here was construction noise and that is something I would definately complain about the company.

But otherwise, I feel like someones attitude and expectations can make or break any vacation, Disney or otherwise, and I think that sometimes you need to step back and say is this something that's really a problem for me or am I making it a problem because it's not what I want/expect? It's not Disney's job to make sure you are having fun, it's Disney's job to give you the TOOLS and the OPPORTUNITIES to have fun...the rest is up to you.

[guitardiva]

Sorry that your trip did'nt go the way that you wanted. That always sucks. But I have to say that cruising in the Winter months is a coin toss. ....one year since the last cruise..... You paid to take the exact same cruise for the second time. They would charge way more if they had to constantly change their shows.
To me the big point was the CC work. That is wrong of them totally. They should only do that kind of work if the CC is closed to visitors or at some point when no guests are there. That to me would be worthy of a complaint letter to the cruiseline. Make a bit of noise about that one.

[wvugrrrl]

Thanks for the interesting review. I can definitely see your point of view here, but I can also see where some of the other replies are coming from too. Going almost anywhere south in the winter is a bit of a crapshoot - for our WDW trip 3 weeks ago, I had 3 climate's worth of clothes packed - one night, it was so cold I needed gloves; the rest of the trip, it was so warm I wore shorts and flip-flops. I do think it's pretty unfortunate that, taking a cruise so close to Christmas, you had so many issues with construction/repair. I know they boost prices higher at Christmas time, so I don't think it's too much to ask that you get a little peace for your money! But as far as the food/show/repetition stuff - Disney's pretty good at public announcements of any major changes they're making to shows and whatnot. In this case, silence on their part means nothing's any different. Maybe you can wait to cruise again until they announce a new show, or try cruising on one of the new boats when they launch this year.

I do think the Castaway Cay issue was a bit ridiculous - CC is only open when the ships come in - it's not like they couldn't shut down the construction for the few hours that the boats are docked there, and then start it back up when they leave. I'm with guitardiva on that one - I think I'd probably write a letter to corporate and express your disappointment.

Again, thanks for the review - we have yet to do a Disney Cruise (it's only a matter of time!...and money), but I love hearing all kinds of opinions, warts and all!

[HollyH]

Thanks for the honest review. I, too, would have been upset with the construction on Castaway Cay.....and I would have complained about it too. And I was glad to hear your feeling on the "value" (or lack thereof) of the balcony on a short cruise. You point out some things that are valuable for repeat cruisers (and first timers, too) to consider when planning their vacation. But I'm a bit confused as to why you were upset that you "essentially took the same vacation as (you) did the last time." I mean, you booked the exact same vacation.

[CinciSmithFamily]

yes I booked the same vacation but is the expectation that 5 years from now Disney will still be doing the same 3 shows, that they will have the exact same menus? If so, then yes I am way off base and made a mistake in booking a return cruise.

If the answer is no,then I don't think its unreasonable to ask when do they change things out. Is asking for one new show out of 3 over the span of 12 months too much? Is Butternut squash a mandate as a soup for Disney for 18 - 36 months?
I knew my post wouldn't be popular with the pro-disney crowd but I think its important for people who see a cruise as a very dynamic and diverse vacation to understand that I found it very static and redundant my second time around. Some of you may be saying "well duh".

Unfortunately I am unyielding in my belief that something should be different in terms of offerings in a 12 month span - especially given that this is not a cheapened down booze cruise with a casino but a fairly expensive- you're paying for atmosphere and the experience vacation.

This time around, I didn't see the cruise as a customer oriented service offering, I saw it as a business designed to maximize profit, and I'm sad to say its tainted my view on all things Disney for awhile.

[eff051102]

Thank you for your review. I do have a few questions that I hope you will answer.

Have you been on any other cruises other than Disney? I have and while I haven't
been on a Disney cruise (yet) I will say that in most cases the food doesn't
change and if your lucky the shows change. It would be nice it the Cruise lines
would change things up but when it costs as much as it does, I just don't hold my
breath. I do agree that construction while you are vacationing is a pain and I
really don't understand why the CC was going on during the Christmas season but
these things happen. As for the the ships work, during the evening time is the only
time they can do things so I'm ok with that.

Have you visited WDW and did you like that vacation? I ask because for the most
part the food doesn't change much unless you eat at some TS meals, the shows
stay the same unless they put in a new one which takes time and money and the
weather is unpredicable there as well.

I'm sorry you didn't have the vacation that you wanted and I hate that this caused
you to have a tainted view of Disney. I think if you had chosen another
cruise line and sailed 2 trips to the same ports you would've gotten the same
feeling on that cruise. Hopefully you and your family will try cruising again but
maybe just on a different line.

[DrDolphin]

Sorry to hear that the cruise did not live up to your expectations. As a 5-time Disney cruiser (with 6 and 7 already booked - I tell you that so you know where I come from) - I have seen Disney change shows once every 3-4 years - and then it tends to be one of the shows, not all of them at a time. Disney Dreams has been on both ships since the beginning - that's 10 years). With regard to menus - I know that they add and subtract new items based on feedback from guests - if most guests love something (like the butternut squash soup) - then it will stay on the menu for the long run. That results in slow change to the menus. They don't tend to institute wholesale menu changes. I do know they try new items on new menus on special itineraries (Panama Canal, trans-Atlantic, etc) to have those cruisers be the Guinea Pigs.

I hope that you contacted Disney about the construction on CC - I totally agree that was way off base, but as someone that lives in North Florida - I will tell you that weather in the winter is truly hit or miss. Sometimes we are 70 degrees with 70 degree water (won't be much warmer) and other times (like today) it is 34 degrees.... and COLD!! I am sorry that the weather did not cooperate, but I would be shocked to see "tropical" weather in December in Florida (or the Bahamas).

I hope that you were honest in your post-cruise review and assessment that was left in your stateroom the last night of the cruise, and that you have followed up with DCL Customer Service. They would really benefit from your perceptions as a return cruiser. Thank you for your honest review, again, I am sorry that your trip did not live up to expectations, and I hope that someday, you will give DCL another chance.

[Colexis Mom]

Sorry about the construction at CC. I wouldn't have been happy with that and they should have been doing it on the off days. As for the weather, unfortunately, you can't plan that! We've been to WDW twice in December, both times having to wear hats and mittens (buying them the first trip) and being under freeze warnings. Coming from CT, while it was warmer, it certainly wasn't what we had hoped for, but I didn't let it get us down. We just spent less time than we would have in the pools, and more time doing other things! We also have family that went on a 3 day DCL cruise July 4th weekend, and did not enjoy it at all. We went in August on the Western and had the trip of our lives. I think it depends on expectations and what you make of it! Sorry your trip turned into a sour one!

[CinciSmithFamily]

to answer some questions, yes I have been on other cruises, 2 others prior to Disney both of which were 7 day cruises. And I've been to WDW several times.

I don't think the comparison to a WDW vacation is comparable however because there are literally hundreds of choices in terms of entertainment and dining. With this being a land based park with surrounding parks and connections, you could literally go 5 years in a row and not have a similar vacation.

Because you are a captive guest on the cruise ship, IMO, the onus should be on Disney to mix it up, not the guests.

I also have some questions, does Disney have the exact same 3 shows on the 7 day cruises? Are the menu's the same at the restaurants? If so, do guests just sit thru the shows twice and eat the same appetizers and desserts every night?

After reading the responses here it appears I made a mistake in scheduling my second 3 day cruise (as everyone is aware, the only 3 day Disney cruise offered) in such a short period of time by believing that I would see different entertainment and food choices the second time around.

[DrDolphin]

Originally Posted by CinciSmithFamily

I also have some questions, does Disney have the exact same 3 shows on the 7 day cruises? Are the menu's the same at the restaurants? If so, do guests just sit thru the shows twice and eat the same appetizers and desserts every night?

A couple of the shows are universal - "Golden Mickeys" and "Disney Dreams". They play on both ships.

On the shorter cruises on the Wonder - Disney has "Toy Story", which replaced "Hercules, the Muse-cal". I think there was another show before Herc - but I never saw it. I started cruising on Disney in 2004.

On the Magic (7 night cruises) - they also offer "Let the Magic Begin" and "Twice Charmed" (at least as of July when I last sailed). On special itinerary cruises like the Panama Canal, trans-Atlantic, etc that have more nights - they will throw in things like the Crew talent show, variety shows, special guest entertainers... and "limited time" shows - that are usually limited length engagements, like the Med cruises in 2007 had a special show that only played while the ship was in Europe.

One thing I have noted on my numerous cruises, is constant "tweeking" of the shows - changes in some costumes, dance numbers, additional characters, special effects, to help keep them fresh. I enjoy looking at the shows and trying to find the new things (or see things I missed the first time since I was in awe). Do I get as upset if I miss a show now? No - and I have been known to spend my evening in the rainforest, or having a spa treatment or soaking in a hot-tub in lieu of the shows since I have seen them before. Opens up the possibilities for me to find new and different things to do. I am a firm believer in seeing all the options, and the navigator usually listed things going on at the same time as the shows to give me different (less crowded too) options for my evenings.

I haven't been on the Wonder since 2005 - so I can't answer your question about the menus being the same between the ships, but I can tell you that when I cruised in July of this year on the Magic, many of the menus (or at least a majority of the items) on the menus for the Captain's Gala, Formal Night #1 (Golden Mickeys night) and Pirate night were the same as I remember from the west-bound Panama Canal cruise from May 2008. I know that the menus differ from night to night in the restaurants.

[CinciSmithFamily]

Originally Posted by DrDolphin

A couple of the shows are universal - "Golden Mickeys" and "Disney Dreams". They play on both ships.

On the shorter cruises on the Wonder - Disney has "Toy Story", which replaced "Hercules, the Muse-cal". I think there was another show before Herc - but I never saw it. I started cruising on Disney in 2004.

On the Magic (7 night cruises) - they also offer "Let the Magic Begin" and "Twice Charmed" (at least as of July when I last sailed). On special itinerary cruises like the Panama Canal, trans-Atlantic, etc that have more nights - they will throw in things like the Crew talent show, variety shows, special guest entertainers... and "limited time" shows - that are usually limited length engagements, like the Med cruises in 2007 had a special show that only played while the ship was in Europe.
............
I know that the menus differ from night to night in the restaurants.

that is what I was thinking - that there is the possibility of rotating at least one show and menus from the 7 night cruise into the 3 day cruise and vice versa, since the boats are identical - without any additional "investment" costs to Disney. Thanks for your response.

[DrDolphin]

Originally Posted by CinciSmithFamily

that is what I was thinking - that there is the possibility of rotating at least one show and menus from the 7 night cruise into the 3 day cruise and vice versa, since the boats are identical - without any additional "investment" costs to Disney. Thanks for your response.

it is an interesting idea - forward it to Disney, maybe they will implement it!

[audrey77]

It is very expensive to produce and execute a new show. You're paying for (and not all are on staff- could be freelance):
-writers
-choreographers and directors
-set design
-musical performers (and recording of the music, sound engineers, etc)
-Character voice talent (Mickey, Minnie, etc... and they are most likely NOT cheap!)
-costume design, shoes, tights, makeup, etc. Possibility of new character costumes ($$$)
-rehearsals (which are most likely all overtime- someone has to do the old show during the day; rehearse at night for the new show)- dancers, singers, techs, hosts, etc. Also remember that there are multiple casts.
-updated signage
-marketing
-ROYALTIES for certain music, character usage, etc. (may pay to a sub-company within Disney)

Switching shows from the 7 day cruise to the 3... changes people's work schedules. I would assume that one cruise is more prestigious or preferred than the other.

You should definitely tell them about the construction...