Anyone else Upset with the OCT 25 thru NOV 1 cruise?

[4hernandez]

If I remember correctly, I believe the 101 Dalmations have a preference for the black and white Animator's palate!
I would like to clarify something, I am not choosing I to look back at negative aspects of my cruise. Someone started a post on his experience and wanted to know if anyone else was upset...I am not upset. I could understand some of his disappointment. I believe that not everything in life is going to meet your expectations (like I mentioned in my previous response, maybe I had unrealistic expectations of "Halloween on the Highseas"), but that does not mean that there is room for improvement on Disney' end. I do not feel that anyone is "bashing" Disney. I love Disney, but even Disney could have done a little bit better on the Halloween programs. Weather is Weather--not everyday is going to be 75 and sunny. The weather did not have anything to do with the decorations of the individual TOT stations,. 101 Dalfan, you mentioned that this year was a better Halloween cruise than last year, each year hopefully will be better than the last, but this is nly accomplished by letting those in charge know that some, maybe just a few and certainly not everyone felt that something was lacking. By the way I loved your FE gifts.

 

[Maryrn11168]

What seems to be forgotten here is that the bad weather contributed GREATLY to the arrangement of events. IF the Hallowe'en events had been planned for our last day, the day Hallowe'en actually fell on, then it would have interfered with Castaway Cay as well as everyone's attempts to get packed up to leave. These boards would have been full of complaints on how their Castaway Cay day was ruined because of participating in Hallowe'en events or how Hallowe'en was ruined because their family wanted to be on Castaway Cay. Given that it was a no-win situation for DCL, it made perfect sense to move it a day ahead to a SEA DAY. A sea day is a wonderful time to tackle it all because everyone is on the ship and nobody misses out on any excursions etc. Who could have anticipated that the Grand Cayman day would turn into a sea day and the sea day would turn into Key West?

I have to agree with you about the change in itinerary causing a lot of the confusion! Staff members had to re-arrange work schedules to accomodate more meals on ship, maybe they planned on decorating while everyone was in grand caymen then we were at sea and they had to arrange activities to do that day!!so they had to pull from the decorating staff to run something else. My kids had a great time and we rebooked for 2010!

 

[dvc4life]

Just sitting here reading all the recent posts and I have a thought about our past Halloween's at Disney. We have been going to Disney in October since 2005. And I have to say that 2005 rocked. Nothing has compared since then. Was it because that was the first time we were there? Was it the decorations? Was it the candy? Was it the cruise? I couldn't tell you.

What I can tell you about 2005 is that it left a standing impression upon us that we want to continue to go during this time frame. We love the MNSSHP and the Food and Wine Fest at EPCOT. I will say that in 2005, Disney must have had something going on with Hershey's because our girls, and us, got so much candy it was unbelieveable. Even when we left the MK there were tables set up outside and you could get whatever you wanted! Wow. We have never gotten that much, or that kind of candy ever since. Did we complain or not want to go back? No. The parade, the people, and just being at the park with a limited number of people is awesome.

And then we went on our cruise, and the girls got a bunch more candy there. I bet, by the time it was all over we had over 10 lbs of candy. Could we bring it all home? No. So, we had to leave it on the ship. We left a note for our cabin attendant telling them to enjoy because we just couldn't pack it in. So, maybe we weren't the only ones doing this and that is why Disney doesn't hand out so much candy. I don't know. My kids really don't need all that much candy.

So, every year is different. Maybe Disney could have done more, I don't know. And yes, the weather and the port situation probably had a lot to do with it. But it was better than getting hit with Paloma, lol.

 

[jship210]

OH AND IT IS DISNEY FAULT KIDS WERE RUNNING HOG WILD THEY CHANGE THE 11-13 YEAR OLD CLUB TO WHERE THE KIDS COULD CHECK THEMSELVES IN AND OUT REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE PARENTS WANTED! I TOOK MY KID TO CLUB AND LATER ON THAT DAY I FOUND OUT SHE HAD BEEN SWIMMING, HANGING OUT IN THE ARCADE, AND WONDERING AROUND DOING AS SHE PLEASED, WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE!!

Parents have any responsibilty here???
Disney, contrary to opinion, does not raise children, nor do teachers or police officers.

 

[jenn&nelsonrego]

I wonder if I was on a different cruise from the OP.

Shosie,

I was on the same incredible cruise that you were... Not at all on the same cruise as the OP.

(In avoidance of flames, my disclaimer is that the OP is certainly entitled to his/her opinion and it is unfortunate that many things snowballed to create a not-so-fun time for that family).

This was the 4th trip on DCL for DH and I and it was the best by far (with the exception of our honeymoon and I think that was b/c there was extra magic then ~and not in the hottub~ ). We have always had an incredible time on our DCL trips (and we do have a RCCL cruise to compare to).

The food on this trip was exceptional! I never had a piece of meat with excessive fat on it (and I am very very picky about this)! Everything from chicken tenders and cheeseburgers at Pluto's, pizza at Pinocchio's, the incredible paninies (sp?) at Goofy s, to the wonderful food in our dining rooms and exceptional in Palo's.

I was disappointed with the weather, but can certainly not blame that on DCL. I will take that up with God. I thought DCl went above and beyond in securing Key West as an additional port for us. This was something they did not need to do, it was their commitment to their guests that caused them to go out of their way for us. I, personally, would have preferred an additional Sea Day as those are my favorite. I must not have been in my cabin when the Captain called to ask my opinion. Bummer.

Also, something I have not seen considered on this thread. Was there an expense for DCL to go to Key West that day? An additional expense for docking at a Navy shipyard? Having all those trolleys brought in? This is not my area of expertise, but I tend to think that DCL still had to pay docking fees at GC, then again at Key West.....

HSM didnt matter to me... I gave the pins away when I got home and actually was confused by the CM's in red robes... DH had to clue me in... Once he did though, I simply shrugged....

I was slightly bummed by the combo of semi-formal night and Halloween but I understood it and realized that the change in our itinerary was to blame for feeling so rushed through Halloween (if it truly had been a Sea Day, it would have been much more easy going IMO). I came back from KW, took a quick shower, changed into my Halloween Costume, ran around, took pictures with the characters in their costumes, then headed back up to my room to put on my semi formal dress.... It all worked out in the end.

[What seems to be forgotten here is that the bad weather contributed GREATLY to the arrangement of events. IF the Hallowe'en events had been planned for our last day, the day Hallowe'en actually fell on, then it would have interfered with Castaway Cay as well as everyone's attempts to get packed up to leave. These boards would have been full of complaints on how their Castaway Cay day was ruined because of participating in Hallowe'en events or how Hallowe'en was ruined because their family wanted to be on Castaway Cay. Given that it was a no-win situation for DCL, it made perfect sense to move it a day ahead to a SEA DAY. A sea day is a wonderful time to tackle it all because everyone is on the ship and nobody misses out on any excursions etc. Who could have anticipated that the Grand Cayman day would turn into a sea day and the sea day would turn into Key West?

Well said. Perfect!

I have to agree with you about the change in itinerary causing a lot of the confusion! Staff members had to re-arrange work schedules to accommodate more meals on ship, maybe they planned on decorating while everyone was in grand caymen then we were at sea and they had to arrange activities to do that day!!so they had to pull from the decorating staff to run something else.

My thoughts exactly.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip and I would love to repeat it! We also stayed at OKW in WDW for a week after and everything was simply wonderful!

Oh! And we did re-book onboard (I have learned that the trick to this is to do it early on in the cruise). We are doing to WB TA in Sept 2010!

 

[TotallyAngelic]

Shosie,


Oh! And we did re-book onboard (I have learned that the trick to this is to do it early on in the cruise). We are doing to WB TA in Sept 2010!

We are hoping to book this cruise too Jenn! Obviously we should have listened to all the advice on our HOTHS thread to re-book on board - but although we discussed it at great lengths we didn't manage to make any decisions. So we arrived home in the damp, dreary and depressing UK, and immediately regretted it!

At the moment I am waiting on quotes, and I have a reservation hold with DU until tomorrow. No kids this time either - just DH and myself!

 

[Maryrn11168]

OH AND IT IS DISNEY FAULT KIDS WERE RUNNING HOG WILD THEY CHANGE THE 11-13 YEAR OLD CLUB TO WHERE THE KIDS COULD CHECK THEMSELVES IN AND OUT REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE PARENTS WANTED! I TOOK MY KID TO CLUB AND LATER ON THAT DAY I FOUND OUT SHE HAD BEEN SWIMMING, HANGING OUT IN THE ARCADE, AND WONDERING AROUND DOING AS SHE PLEASED, WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE!!

Mybe you should be yelling at your daughter!! If she left the kids club she should know where you were so that she could let you know what she is doing!!!!

 

[PrincessaJasmine]

Are you allowed to request a 12 year old to stay in the Lab? I'm booked for a 10/31/10 Wonder cruise.

The Wonder does not have the Ocean Quest club........yet and hopefully it never will!

 

[mmouse37]

WOW...that's a new one. Guess somebody took the name 'Adult Pool' literally...

We witnessed this before on one of our cruises so not a new idea!!! People just don't think they will get caught or they just don't care. After the incident we witnessed we saw the crew drain and powerwash the hot tubs.....

 

[orlandothebeagle]

The Wonder does not have the Ocean Quest club........yet and hopefully it never will!

My niece lovd the ocean quest. Why do you say that?

 

[dvc4life]

My niece lovd the ocean quest. Why do you say that?

My 12 year old loved it too! She met a lot of friends down there and they had a blast together. I love seeing her pictures of her and the friends in OQ. It lets me know that she really did enjoy the cruise when she was down there.

 

[jajomo0118]

The Wonder does not have the Ocean Quest club........yet and hopefully it never will!

WHY?

My niece lovd the ocean quest. Why do you say that?

DITTO....

My 12 year old loved it too! She met a lot of friends down there and they had a blast together. I love seeing her pictures of her and the friends in OQ. It lets me know that she really did enjoy the cruise when she was down there.

DOUBLE DITTO...


Our sons had sign out "rights" when they were 11 & 12 and we had guidelines and if those guidelines were not followed then the sign out right was taken away from them. I preached alot about rules and safety and I can say we never had any issues with them. Anytime I went to find them they were doing what they were supposed too. Its called having boundries and rules and most kids can follow them if given the chance.....JMHO...not meant to comment one anyones parenting skills...please do not take it as so....

 

[suziemva]

I'm sorry that I haven't had time to post about this yet but finally do now.

We enjoyed this cruise. We really did. Not because of the DCL ToT. Not because of our ToT - although that was really fun! It was because of the people we met through this thread. They made me forget that there really wasn't alot of decorations, that it rained at CC both times, and the loud nasty drunk that was directly in front of me! Yes, he could have stepped on my toes if he's stepped backwards. AND I KNOW that that behaviour is NOT tolerated at all on DCL and had found out that he was confined to quarters for a few days. Trust me, I did NOT make eye contact with him the rest of the cruise when I bumped into him on our deck.

Would I ever cruise Halloween again? I don't know. I had fun doing the ToT for our group but is it a big deal to us? Not really. I personally don't like getting a ton of candy as our kids don't eat a lot of it - they would love to but I really don't want them having my weight problem - HUGE sweet tooth here. We ended up leaving over half the candy to our cabin attendant.

I think the biggest thing here is that people feel that this was to be a MAGICal cruise and that they paid for that MAGIC. Well, you did pay for it. That you didn't feel you received it, I'm sorry. Truly sorry. I wish we could have gotten the OP to have joined our group. Like I said, we had such a great time with our fellow HOTHS cruisers, it may have blinded me to anything less MAGICal on this cruise.

I think my biggest thing was the weather. Sure it wasn't great. Could have been worse. But it made me laugh when a CM told the lady begging her for some bonine for her 12 yo son and asking when it would stop and how much longer we had to endure this weather - "Ma'am, Disney is MAGICal but even Disney can't control the weather! We're doing our best but just can't get that under our control.....yet!"

I still was just super happy to be away from home, the cell phones, the computers, schoolwork, dreary weather, work, ......insert your most hated thing here. I had a great time and miss all my new friends!

Oh, and it was all the parents who volunteered to help with ToT that made it great! Without them, it just would not have been. See, HOTHS group effort again!! MAGICal!

 

[jenn&nelsonrego]

I'm sorry that I haven't had time to post about this yet but finally do now.

We enjoyed this cruise. We really did. Not because of the DCL ToT. Not because of our ToT - although that was really fun! It was because of the people we met through this thread. They made me forget that there really wasn't alot of decorations, that it rained at CC both times, and the loud nasty drunk that was directly in front of me! Yes, he could have stepped on my toes if he's stepped backwards. AND I KNOW that that behaviour is NOT tolerated at all on DCL and had found out that he was confined to quarters for a few days. Trust me, I did NOT make eye contact with him the rest of the cruise when I bumped into him on our deck.

Would I ever cruise Halloween again? I don't know. I had fun doing the ToT for our group but is it a big deal to us? Not really. I personally don't like getting a ton of candy as our kids don't eat a lot of it - they would love to but I really don't want them having my weight problem - HUGE sweet tooth here. We ended up leaving over half the candy to our cabin attendant.

I think the biggest thing here is that people feel that this was to be a MAGICal cruise and that they paid for that MAGIC. Well, you did pay for it. That you didn't feel you received it, I'm sorry. Truly sorry. I wish we could have gotten the OP to have joined our group. Like I said, we had such a great time with our fellow HOTHS cruisers, it may have blinded me to anything less MAGICal on this cruise.

I think my biggest thing was the weather. Sure it wasn't great. Could have been worse. But it made me laugh when a CM told the lady begging her for some bonine for her 12 yo son and asking when it would stop and how much longer we had to endure this weather - "Ma'am, Disney is MAGICal but even Disney can't control the weather! We're doing our best but just can't get that under our control.....yet!"

I still was just super happy to be away from home, the cell phones, the computers, schoolwork, dreary weather, work, ......insert your most hated thing here. I had a great time and miss all my new friends!

Oh, and it was all the parents who volunteered to help with ToT that made it great! Without them, it just would not have been. See, HOTHS group effort again!! MAGICal!

Well said Suzie! You are absolutely right too! I had an awesome time! Can't wait to go back!

 

[auntlynne]

Expectations. That's what so much of our happiness boils down to. Did something live up to them or fail to meet them?

Expectation: Disney will do Halloween (insert any other special day here) right. [We personally don't do witches or the like, but pumpkins and Mickey Mouse-based Halloween stuff can be fun.] But if you are a kid with a costume and are waiting for the chance to show it off, running from the port of call to get ready would leave you wanting. I had forgotten about the stuff that was supposed to have happened, as mentioned in the letter. They did build it up as more than they delivered. I went to one station and saw a long line of people waiting for dumdums; I wanted chocolate - and it sounds as though adults weren't really given the opportunity to get any, anyway.

Expectation: Good food. I've eaten everything on the ship that I've wanted to try (third cruise). Looking at my scheduled future cruise, I realized it wasn't for the food that I was going to take that trip. But I have never left the boat hungry or lighter, for that matter. Pinocchio's Pizzeria always makes up for any spare inch of stomach left empty. And we had a waiter that I wanted to give a tranquilizer. He complained about the kitchen and was moody; he seemed to relax after a few days, but he just tried too hard to be charming. Now how can I get them to serve Dole Whip pineapple soft serve onboard?

Expectation: Great shows. I've seen the Golden Mickeys, etc...multiple times. Now I could skip them and try other things if I wanted. Heath Hyche was definitely my favorite. He especially made my niece's day at CC when he saw her Auburn U hat and gave her a big "War Eagle" - and found about 5 AU fans in the vicinity. Definitely a connection thing making a memory. And the poor ventriloquist; I kept wondering why this guy was talking a bit loud and seemed to be responding to what she was saying. I honestly thought he was mentally challenged at first before I realized he was a heckler. She definitely needs to work on her act; but she was talented. I appreciate that for the most part, even "adult" acts are not filled with profanity. But the best part was having new playmates from the DIS who would wave me over to join them for activities. I was alone for the nighttime events and was so happy to have fun people around. Shoshana, Adam, Sandy, Tony, Shirley, Doug and Carianne+DH were a great gang to hang out with.

Expectation: Great Cruise. I didn't really care about the food, okay with the shows. Disappointed that I didn't get to go to Tulum (at Cozumel) or drive power boats at Grand Cayman or parasail at CC - more disappointed for the children than for me, as I found alternate activities (and so did they).

But...But...I am scheduled on another cruise and wonder how it will be as good as this one without having our DIS posse around. How can a bunch of pirates (the theme for our cruise meet thread) be nearly as fun as this set of people was. But then I think that I wasn't all pumped up about having "Halloween on the High Seas" as my theme, either. And these people aren't really pirates...they just play one on a cruise vacation. And they are there to have fun. Just as I did. And many of you did too, and some didn't. Some won't. Some can't. Some never will. And some wanted to but ran into situations that didn't match their expectations.

(Boy, that is fun writing little stories that somebody might take the effort to read, or not. But you get to put your feelings out there. )

to everyone who helped make this trip exceed my expectations.

 

[podsnel]

The Wonder does not have the Ocean Quest club........yet and hopefully it never will!

I'm so sorry you feel that way- OQ was heaven to my DS11- he LOVED it, and cried on Thurday night when he realized the cruise was almost over, largely because of it. He loved the video games and the activities- it was all good!!
The ability to sign himself in and out was never an issue, primarily because he never wanted to leave the place. We would check on him periodically, let him know where we were, and he also knew (along with DS9 after the 1st night) that if he left the club, he had one and only one option- go to the cabin. I think he did that maybe once- the rest of the time he was happy to be in OQ. I couldn't see how this would be appropriate for either of my sons before we sailed, but once we got there, it actually was fine. They followed our rules, and we all had a good time. If DH and I had an adult activity planned, we also made it very clear to them that they HAD to stay in the clubs until we were done and came back to check on them. And they did. I don't even know if I would go on the Wonder if there's no OQ- DS11 would be devastated!!!

 

[JoiseyMom]

OH AND IT IS DISNEY FAULT KIDS WERE RUNNING HOG WILD THEY CHANGE THE 11-13 YEAR OLD CLUB TO WHERE THE KIDS COULD CHECK THEMSELVES IN AND OUT REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE PARENTS WANTED! I TOOK MY KID TO CLUB AND LATER ON THAT DAY I FOUND OUT SHE HAD BEEN SWIMMING, HANGING OUT IN THE ARCADE, AND WONDERING AROUND DOING AS SHE PLEASED, WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE!!

Your child doing things without YOUR knowledge was YOUR fault. Not DIsney's. My DD12 has been on 2 cruises. Once when she was 11 and then 12. We gave her signout privliges when she was 11, and she checked in with us, and I knew where she was the majority of the time. In August we had the issue that they could come and go as they pleased. We gave OUR DD instructions on what she could and could not do. And to leave us voice mails and messages on the white board on our door. She did also have the ability to page us, since our DS7 was inthe clubs and we had a pager. She always was where she said she would be. ANd yes the kids ran amok on the EB cruise...but Disney did a great job of handling it. If the parents controlled their kids and were PARENTS, the issues would not have been that bad. Some parents got on the ship and were like..see ya when we get off!! That is NOT Disney's fault.

YOU control YOUR child. It's not Disney's job to babysit your child, and you had enough time to know that the older kids were in quest. I have also heard that parents were able to get pagers for older kids and to be paged when the left quest.

But if YOUR child left the clubs after YOU left her there, and YOU told her to stay and not to leave...it's YOUR issue with YOUR child.

 

[JoiseyMom]

First off I do not feel entitled I just have never been disappointed by Disney I have done the Christmas parties and Halloween and they have always been so much fun. This was just poorly scheduled. Candy is not a big issue with me but the point is your average Joe will give out a few pieces of candy and if not when it's only one it's worth having. I do follow my Navigator everyday and you just can't do somethings if youhave early dinner and sometimes you miss out if you have late dinner. Mickey and Minnie we out n their Halloween costumes ONLY during 1st Dinner not any other time. And as far as the parents job finding out info all it said was Friendship rocks in the Theater Ok I am uppose to know what that is because?? Last time it was a graduation ceremony not friendship.
Yes I did enjoy many things on my cruise. I enjoyed all the Cast members they are the most friendly people you ever want to meet. I enjoyed watching my kids swim with sting rays in Nassau and REALLY enjoyed Castaway Cay it was beautiful. I was just let down maybe I had built it up too much to myself before I went but only because I know how Disney does things and usually it is always over the top abover everyone else. I loved each and everyone of the shows they are always the best like no other

You really can't compare the WDW Halloween and Christmas Parties to DCL. The WDW parties are ticketed events. They are extra parties people are paying for, so they are above and beyond. DCL never spouts wow...great Halloween celebrations. They do however do things for Christmas, and advertise what they do. I am sorry if you were disappointed...but DCL never pushed the Halloween aspect of the cruise. And I have been reading that things seemed unplanned because they had to change ports. I am sure that was a part of the issue. It's not that easy to change things on the fly. There are alot of schedules to redo.

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

Sorry you had a bad experience.

I wouldn't be upset about the Halloween event...it's not a holiday like Christmas. Even when I go to WDW, I don't expect to Trick-or-Treat unless I buy the hard ticket for MNSSHP.

But I would be upset at the inappropriate couple (not DCL)...I'm just a little confused about your statements, I'm not saying it's a lie, just that it sounds a little contradictory:

Oh and people were caught having intercourse in the hot tub

FIRST OFF IT DIDNT HAPPEN IN THE ADULT POOL IT HAPPENED IN THE GOOFY POOL WITH KIDS AROUND..

It happened "in the hot tub" or "in the Goofy Pool?" Or both?

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the only hot tubs were at Quiet Cove...there are whirlpools at both.

 

[disney1990]

Your child doing things without YOUR knowledge was YOUR fault. Not DIsney's. My DD12 has been on 2 cruises. Once when she was 11 and then 12. We gave her signout privliges when she was 11, and she checked in with us, and I knew where she was the majority of the time. In August we had the issue that they could come and go as they pleased. We gave OUR DD instructions on what she could and could not do. And to leave us voice mails and messages on the white board on our door. She did also have the ability to page us, since our DS7 was inthe clubs and we had a pager. She always was where she said she would be. ANd yes the kids ran amok on the EB cruise...but Disney did a great job of handling it. If the parents controlled their kids and were PARENTS, the issues would not have been that bad. Some parents got on the ship and were like..see ya when we get off!! That is NOT Disney's fault.

YOU control YOUR child. It's not Disney's job to babysit your child, and you had enough time to know that the older kids were in quest. I have also heard that parents were able to get pagers for older kids and to be paged when the left quest.

But if YOUR child left the clubs after YOU left her there, and YOU told her to stay and not to leave...it's YOUR issue with YOUR child.

Totally agreed. If I told my child to not leave the club and they left, it would be an issue between me and my child. People need to understand that, if you can't control your children, how can you expect Disney to control your child if you can't.