Disappointing Adult Cruise On The Dream

[meremac]

While it's definitely possible for adults to have fun, DCL is heavily geared toward families. This inherently makes tables for two harder to come by (especially during the more popular early seating), and the family pools are always crowded on sea days (but the adult pools are typically MUCH quieter). Because the focus at dinnertime is on the rotational restaurants themselves (since they're typically VERY popular with families), this means that: 1) They need all hands on deck in those rotational restaurants, so it makes sense to keep the buffet closed (but still have room service and quick-service options available for those who don't wish to dine in the restaurants); 2) The first seating is a little more rushed since they have to get half the ship fed, cleaned up, and prepped for second seating (with the exception of the first few times we cruised with little ones, we always choose the later dinner for this reason, and I've never felt rushed).

I'm not saying that you're wrong at all for feeling the way you do. But ultimately, you're not DCL's target demographic. We've sailed with Disney nine times, but our kids are older now (18 & 16). We've got one more booked this summer, and I bet that will be the last one as a family until my kids have kids, as other cruise lines just have more to offer for adults. But I don't fault Disney for that. Their product is unparalleled for their target demographic, and it's just not our family anymore (although I will continue sailing with DCL in perpetuity with whoever wants to come with me lol).

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

2. Our waiter and assistant waiter were friendly and competent, which was fine, but didn’t really go out of their way to make the dining experience special.

Servers take their cues from the customers / diners. On DCL family / Disney is the big focus. Therefore the servers are trained to go that extra bit with children, which is why so many servers do things like games, magic tricks, tell funny stories etc with family tables.

If there are no children at the table, then they will take a different approach. Servers are always watching and observing their customers. If you are an adult couple, not dressed in any Disney themed clothes and are obviously not familiar with the Disney characters or theming of the restaurant, they they will take a more stand back approach. They are expert at reading body language, so if music comes on and you just sit there not interreacting, or dont sing along or just look confused, they wont be as interactive with you.

Ive done 2 solo cruises and been at a table on my own on both and Ive had amazing interactions with servers and on both cruises the serving team most defiantly did go out of their way to make the dining experience special. I make the effort to be engaging, I dress up in themed clothes to match the theme of the restaurant, I sing along and cheer, or clap etc with music , I talk to people at nearby tables and so much more.

Basically as an adult without children on a Disney cruise, in the MDR you need to make the effort to engage the serving team.

Not great, but no big deal. But on the second to last night of the cruise, they both walked up to the table with stern, concerned expressions and stood there awkwardly. After a long uncomfortable pause, they launched into an long uncomfortable dissertation on the fact that we would be receiving a questionnaire in our state room, and, pretty much, their jobs, well being, and potential contract renewals depended on us giving them all 10s.

Again a bit of preparation on your part would have helped. Its been discussed for years and years that this happens on Disney cruises. If you had made the effort to follow recommendations by people here on Dis and other online resources, everyone says to stop the servers before they start or to say it to them early on in the cruise that you are aware of the questionnaire / survey and there is no need to explain the process.

 

[Paul Stupin]

Servers take their cues from the customers / diners. On DCL family / Disney is the big focus. Therefore the servers are trained to go that extra bit with children, which is why so many servers do things like games, magic tricks, tell funny stories etc with family tables.

If there are no children at the table, then they will take a different approach. Servers are always watching and observing their customers. If you are an adult couple, not dressed in any Disney themed clothes and are obviously not familiar with the Disney characters or theming of the restaurant, they they will take a more stand back approach. They are expert at reading body language, so if music comes on and you just sit there not interreacting, or dont sing along or just look confused, they wont be as interactive with you.

Ive done 2 solo cruises and been at a table on my own on both and Ive had amazing interactions with servers and on both cruises the serving team most defiantly did go out of their way to make the dining experience special. I make the effort to be engaging, I dress up in themed clothes to match the theme of the restaurant, I sing along and cheer, or clap etc with music , I talk to people at nearby tables and so much more.

Basically as an adult without children on a Disney cruise, in the MDR you need to make the effort to engage the serving team.

Again a bit of preparation on your part would have helped. Its been discussed for years and years that this happens on Disney cruises. If you had made the effort to follow recommendations by people here on Dis and other online resources, everyone says to stop the servers before they start or to say it to them early on in the cruise that you are aware of the questionnaire / survey and there is no need to explain the process.

Good points, but I absolutely will not believe the issues of which you speak are my fault in any way. I did not expect or want magic tricks or funny stories, I just expected them to be good servers. And, honestly, shoveling food at my wife and I at breakneck speed does not qualify as good serving. I don’t care how fast it came out of the kitchen. They could have controlled the speed.

Also, my research led me to believe that the DCL servers made a genuine effort to understand their guests’ likes and dislikes, and even anticipate them. No evidence of that either. Was I supposed to have reminded them about that too? And, truly, we made a genuine effort to be amiable and warm, not cold and aloof. We’re not jerks. We asked them about their hometowns, the upcoming crossing, whether they’re going to port, etc. etc. We were actually genuinely interested in their lives onboard and off. Sadly, it didn’t make them any better.

Yes, I definitely wish I was more prepared for the embarrassing lecture on DCL crew contract renewals at least being partially dependent on unrealistic survey results. But my lack of awareness doesn’t make the practice any less abhorrent, or awkward, or weird, especially on a Disney cruise. Just because the practice has apparently been around forever and you’ve grown to tolerate it doesn’t make it right.

That said, I do thank you for taking the time to tell me what you think. The fact that everyone feels free to honestly express an opinion makes these boards so unique and interesting!

 

[Mango7100]

Servers take their cues from the customers / diners. On DCL family / Disney is the big focus. Therefore the servers are trained to go that extra bit with children, which is why so many servers do things like games, magic tricks, tell funny stories etc with family tables.

If there are no children at the table, then they will take a different approach. Servers are always watching and observing their customers. If you are an adult couple, not dressed in any Disney themed clothes and are obviously not familiar with the Disney characters or theming of the restaurant, they they will take a more stand back approach. They are expert at reading body language, so if music comes on and you just sit there not interreacting, or dont sing along or just look confused, they wont be as interactive with you.

Ive done 2 solo cruises and been at a table on my own on both and Ive had amazing interactions with servers and on both cruises the serving team most defiantly did go out of their way to make the dining experience special. I make the effort to be engaging, I dress up in themed clothes to match the theme of the restaurant, I sing along and cheer, or clap etc with music , I talk to people at nearby tables and so much more.

Basically as an adult without children on a Disney cruise, in the MDR you need to make the effort to engage the serving team.

Again a bit of preparation on your part would have helped. Its been discussed for years and years that this happens on Disney cruises. If you had made the effort to follow recommendations by people here on Dis and other online resources, everyone says to stop the servers before they start or to say it to them early on in the cruise that you are aware of the questionnaire / survey and there is no need to explain the process.

I have to disagree that it is the OPs responsibility to engage with the service team in order to get good service. It is the service teams job to make their guests comfortable and to feel welcome—kids or no kids, Disney super fan or not. Now if the OP said “we don’t want to talk and just want to eat quickly so don’t make small talk” that is one thing. But just because they aren’t head to toe in Mickey gear and dancing to the music doesn’t mean they don’t deserve the same service as the next table. So they should wear a themed outfit every night in order to get good service?

And it sounds harsh to say the OP should have made an effort to follow recommendations on these boards about the excellent service ratings talk. I hate the ratings talk. That is 100% on Disney for putting a system in place like this. They put guests in an uncomfortable position with this. One cruise we told the server we knew the system and still every night we got a story about his family and how the excellent ratings are essential. So they don’t always stop. I guess we could have said if you say another word we will rate you poor, but that made would have made me uncomfortable as well.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

One cruise we told the server we knew the system and still every night we got a story about his family and how the excellent ratings are essential. So they don’t always stop. I guess we could have said if you say another word we will rate you poor, but that made would have made me uncomfortable as well.

That's basically what I do. When they start the spiel, I say "Yes, I know, and understand the survey ratings. Now, you don't have to repeat it again." That generally works, but IF they start it again on a later date, I'll interrupt them (yes I'm that rude) and say, "We've already discussed this. Any further "reminders" will result in a lower rating number."

 

[MickeyD]

But both my wife and I are genuinely curious. Are we overreacting? Are we being too critical? We still have some positive memories from it, and frankly hate to carry away any negativity. And, for what’s it’s worth, we took the Brightline up to Orlando (great experience), and are now having a great time at WDW!

Do I think you are overreacting, definitely no. We just returned from a Fantasy cruise in February and dh and I noticed quite a few of those same issues. However, we never received the dreaded "excellent" speech. I attribute that to our tablemate that talked NONSTOP and the servers just tried to interject to get our orders and sneak the food in when she paused to take a breath!
For me, as a Platinum--so I have experience cruising Disney--several things have become "less" since Covid. Feb was our first cruise since 2020, so our first post-covid.
We cruise as two adults and have cruised most other main stream lines as well.
The Disney difference for us has always been having servers remember your preferences, being handed cool wet cloths after a hot excursion in port, having an actual adult retreat to get away from the kid soup of the main deck, engaging with crewmembers, and that feeling of "coming home" when getting back on the ship.
This time we still had most of that, but the food this time was just a mix of a beef dish, a chicken dish, seafood, and a pasta dish. Most the time it looked (and tasted) like leftovers from lunch. There were many nights I couldn't find one thing on the menu that sounded appealing and instead of the server (and head server who came over) trying to find something for me to eat, they just made a comment about me not eating and left. On our 2020 cruise both the servers and the head server would go to another restaurant and get me something if I didn't eat. They would say that not eating is unacceptable. Keep in mind, I am NOT high maintenance, and did NOT make a scene on either occasion, I just quietly said "no entree, or whatever." It was the extra mile from 2020 that I appreciate, that shows they actually cared to make our vacation special. This time there was nothing that stood out and for the first time in 12 cruises with them, we tipped just the recommended amount.
That said, we carry with us only good memories from this cruise and don't let things like that drag us down, so I urge you and your wife to do that as well. Hold on to the good and let go of the less than stellar. I am afraid we will see more of that in this post-covid world--at least for a while.

Lisa

 

[Genie+]

After so many discussions I can’t help but read it as survival rating instead of survey rating

What use is any rating system where the company knows they’re sending their employees down fueled to bend the customers to think twice about any complaints. Something is broken here because if it is effective well that’s broken too.

 

[Paul Stupin]

For me the Disney Difference is

• The Welcome On Board Announcement
• The Disney music playing in the public areas
• The Disney themed public areas
• The Disney themed restaurants
• The Disney themed stateroom
• The Disney themed stage shows
• The Disney themed entertainment
• The Disney films in the cinema and on the Funnell Vision
• The Disney merchandise in the shops
• The Disney customer service
• The overall Disney themed ship

Thats why I choose DCL over other cruise lines

We do love all that, of course! But my issues, alas, supersede all this.

 

[Paul Stupin]

I have to disagree that it is the OPs responsibility to engage with the service team in order to get good service. It is the service teams job to make their guests comfortable and to feel welcome—kids or no kids, Disney super fan or not. Now if the OP said “we don’t want to talk and just want to eat quickly so don’t make small talk” that is one thing. But just because they aren’t head to toe in Mickey gear and dancing to the music doesn’t mean they don’t deserve the same service as the next table. So they should wear a themed outfit every night in order to get good service?

And it sounds harsh to say the OP should have made an effort to follow recommendations on these boards about the excellent service ratings talk. I hate the ratings talk. That is 100% on Disney for putting a system in place like this. They put guests in an uncomfortable position with this. One cruise we told the server we knew the system and still every night we got a story about his family and how the excellent ratings are essential. So they don’t always stop. I guess we could have said if you say another word we will rate you poor, but that made would have made me uncomfortable as well.

Thank you, and very well expressed. We’re Disney fans, but it’s far from an obsession. We thought all the fun theming would be accompanied by an elevated cruising experience, but all we got was the fun theming. I thought that post was a bit harsh as well, but I am on a Disney Cruise board, expressing a generally negative opinion, so I expected a certain degree of nastiness. Honestly, I’m surprised at the number of posts that might not completely agree, but are generally courteous, good natured, and respectful as well!

 

[Kit Jackson]

Honestly, I’m surprised at the number of posts that might not completely agree, but are generally courteous, good natured, and respectful as well!

If you make a well thought out, quasi reasoned point, people on these boards are mostly likely going to treat you as someone with a valid opinion that may differ from theirs.

 

[Travel60]

Servers take their cues from the customers / diners. On DCL family / Disney is the big focus. Therefore the servers are trained to go that extra bit with children, which is why so many servers do things like games, magic tricks, tell funny stories etc with family tables.

If there are no children at the table, then they will take a different approach. Servers are always watching and observing their customers. If you are an adult couple, not dressed in any Disney themed clothes and are obviously not familiar with the Disney characters or theming of the restaurant, they they will take a more stand back approach. They are expert at reading body language, so if music comes on and you just sit there not interreacting, or dont sing along or just look confused, they wont be as interactive with you.

Ive done 2 solo cruises and been at a table on my own on both and Ive had amazing interactions with servers and on both cruises the serving team most defiantly did go out of their way to make the dining experience special. I make the effort to be engaging, I dress up in themed clothes to match the theme of the restaurant, I sing along and cheer, or clap etc with music , I talk to people at nearby tables and so much more.

Basically as an adult without children on a Disney cruise, in the MDR you need to make the effort to engage the serving team.

Again a bit of preparation on your part would have helped. Its been discussed for years and years that this happens on Disney cruises. If you had made the effort to follow recommendations by people here on Dis and other online resources, everyone says to stop the servers before they start or to say it to them early on in the cruise that you are aware of the questionnaire / survey and there is no need to explain the process.

No, no, no and no. I've sailed on quite a few different lines and ships. While I usually do enough research to figure out what's where in relation to our cabin, it is not incumbent on me to figure out all that stuff. And, other than DCL, I've never gotten "the talk".

 

[Free Agebt]

We often cruise DCL and seems like the same amount of kids that we find on other mid-pricing cruise lines.
We like the DCL adults only areas. If kids bothered us we'd pay more for a Blue hair cruise line.
Food can be inspired & fantastic or absolutely appalling.
Yes the service is rushed,, dunno why.
No other line has the comfort and warm service of DCL. It never disappoints and other passengers have a friendly attitude we don't encounter on other lines.
DCL is unique and the bigger ships may just be cattle boats and that uniqueness and magic may be gone. We'll find out in Jan on the Treasure.

 

[DCLMP]

I think DCL gets overhyped on this forum which may lead to disappointed. I think that's especially true for experienced cruisers that have cruised other lines and our happy with other cruise lines. DCL was our first family cruise and we were blown away by the experience and cruised only Disney for many years. We started branching out and found a lot of positives on other cruise lines and somethings we even liked better than DCL.

I still love DCL we set sail in Alaska in 8 days, but really looking forward to our NCL cruise in Japan next year. With 30+ cruises under our belt it's more about itinerary than anything else these days. When I find a Disney cruise that's a decent price such as the first Alaska cruise of the season I'm all for it. We will do a Disney cruise next year to. I'm just waiting for the right cruise at the right price.

If you want to give DCL another try I would suggest the Magic or Wonder. Find an offseason cruise that's discounted or not too expensive. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the older ships. In my opinion the Magic and Wonder are the best Disney has to offer. There's something really special about these ships.

 

[plutolovr]

We often cruise DCL and seems like the same amount of kids that we find on other mid-pricing cruise lines.
We like the DCL adults only areas. If kids bothered us we'd pay more for a Blue hair cruise line.
Food can be inspired & fantastic or absolutely appalling.
Yes the service is rushed,, dunno why.
No other line has the comfort and warm service of DCL. It never disappoints and other passengers have a friendly attitude we don't encounter on other lines.
DCL is unique and the bigger ships may just be cattle boats and that uniqueness and magic may be gone. We'll find out in Jan on the Treasure.

No need for a "Blue hair cruise line" to avoid kids. Virgin Voyages is 18 and older and does not attract a ton of older people. It's tons of fun.

 

[Paul Stupin]

We often cruise DCL and seems like the same amount of kids that we find on other mid-pricing cruise lines.
We like the DCL adults only areas. If kids bothered us we'd pay more for a Blue hair cruise line.
Food can be inspired & fantastic or absolutely appalling.
Yes the service is rushed,, dunno why.
No other line has the comfort and warm service of DCL. It never disappoints and other passengers have a friendly attitude we don't encounter on other lines.
DCL is unique and the bigger ships may just be cattle boats and that uniqueness and magic may be gone. We'll find out in Jan on the Treasure.

For is the food was indeed appalling, with rushed unpleasant service. I didn’t feel there was any real value for just two adults. Everyone goes on and on about the adult areas, but for us they were just ok. High winds closed Satellite Falls down for the last of our two sea days, and there was really nowhere else to go.

 

[Paul Stupin]

I think DCL gets overhyped on this forum which may lead to disappointed. I think that's especially true for experienced cruisers that have cruised other lines and our happy with other cruise lines. DCL was our first family cruise and we were blown away by the experience and cruised only Disney for many years. We started branching out and found a lot of positives on other cruise lines and somethings we even liked better than DCL.

I still love DCL we set sail in Alaska in 8 days, but really looking forward to our NCL cruise in Japan next year. With 30+ cruises under our belt it's more about itinerary than anything else these days. When I find a Disney cruise that's a decent price such as the first Alaska cruise of the season I'm all for it. We will do a Disney cruise next year to. I'm just waiting for the right cruise at the right price.

If you want to give DCL another try I would suggest the Magic or Wonder. Find an offseason cruise that's discounted or not too expensive. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the older ships. In my opinion the Magic and Wonder are the best Disney has to offer. There's something really special about these ships.

I think we’re “one and done” with Disney. Actually, we’re at the Riviera now and it’s fanatastic! There are a lot of kids, but because of the space and layout, it’s no issue for us at all. And, of course, it is Disney. But I never want to see that many families packed into such a relatively small pool area again. It’s really not a pleasant sight.

I would try either the Magic or The Wonder, but cruises are expensive and the substandard food and dining room service make booking a second Disney cruise too risky.

And, for us, Celebrity or Oceania are just so clearly superior that there’s really no question we’ll just move on. Even Holland America. Celebrity in particular is lively, with a lot more going on.

For those people who enjoy cruising, but without any experience on other lines, I’d suggest opening your horizons a bit. There really is a bigger, better cruising world out there.

 

[Nabas]

2. Our waiter and assistant waiter were friendly and competent, which was fine, but didn’t really go out of their way to make the dining experience special. Not great, but no big deal. But on the second to last night of the cruise, they both walked up to the table with stern, concerned expressions and stood there awkwardly. After a long uncomfortable pause, they launched into an long uncomfortable dissertation on the fact that we would be receiving a questionnaire in our state room, and, pretty much, their jobs, well being, and potential contract renewals depended on us giving them all 10s.

This is the part of your cruise than angers me the most about DCL.

On our DCL cruises, we also felt pressured to give the wait staff a perfect score, with their jobs absolutely depending on it. I don't blame them. I blame Disney. Disney clearly doesn't want honest feedback and should be ashamed of themselves for creating a work environment where employees feel threatened by constructive criticism.

 

[Nabas]

Typically Cabanas is open on the last morning, but they do not really advertise this. Did you check and find it closed? If so, this would absolutely create an issue in the MDRs. I think too many people are unwilling or unable to put luggage out the night before and this does lead to luggage issues when disembarking. PE is still a new port for DCL, so that may still be working out some of the kinks.

Cabanas was open for our DCL cruises. In fact, we were in the last group called on our most recent cruise and sat in Cabanas waiting to be called.

But they did stop serving food at least 30 minutes before we were called.

 

[Mango7100]

I think we’re “one and done” with Disney. Actually, we’re at the Riviera now and it’s fanatastic! There are a lot of kids, but because of the space and layout, it’s no issue for us at all. And, of course, it is Disney. But I never want to see that many families packed into such a relatively small pool area again. It’s really not a pleasant sight.

I would try either the Magic or The Wonder, but cruises are expensive and the substandard food and dining room service make booking a second Disney cruise too risky.

And, for us, Celebrity or Oceania are just so clearly superior that there’s really no question we’ll just move on. Even Holland America. Celebrity in particular is lively, with a lot more going on.

For those people who enjoy cruising, but without any experience on other lines, I’d suggest opening your horizons a bit. There really is a bigger, better cruising world out there.

We are doing our first Celebrity cruise in July on the Beyond and really excited about it. We had originally booked a 10 day Southern Caribbean on the Fantasy in July
but switched to an 8 day to the ABC islands on the Beyond. Our verandah on the Beyond including premium WiFi, premium drink package for 2 adults, and 2 specialty dinners was over 5k less than our ocean view on the Fantasy without any drinks or WiFi. DD11 also voted Celebrity because “there’s too many kids on a Disney cruise” and she isn’t into characters anymore. We have also done NCL Haven with a kid and Princess and RC before kid.

 

[Paul Stupin]

This is the part of your cruise than angers me the most about DCL.

On our DCL cruises, we also felt pressured to give the wait staff a perfect score, with their jobs absolutely depending on it. I don't blame them. I blame Disney. Disney clearly doesn't want honest feedback and should be ashamed of themselves for creating a work environment where employees feel threatened by constructive criticism.

I couldn’t agree more. We absolutely hated it, and didn’t appreciate being put in such a weird position. This was exacerbated by the fact that our serving team did not deserve the ratings we were pressured to give them.

So unprofessional. We really did expect better from Disney.