We hated the Disney Cruise

[Anonymous]

Cruises are for lazy people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We went about 6 yrs ago, and on one hand I am happy for the memories, but I do feel it was a huge waste of money.

We went for a week. I wanted the shorter cruise but my dh said let’s just do a week if we are doing it. We chose a Caribbean destination I wanted to go to anyway.

Then, we got diverted, my dh got noravirus and quarantined for 24 hrs but took days to feel better, one dc went to kids club but other would not. Not a lot to do then! Shows good, watched movies, a few games.

We are not food crazy. We like good food ( it was ok),but we also don’t eat just because it’s available if not hungry. Meals are the thing you plan around as are scheduled. After day 3, the gluttony of food got to me. Also, We do not start our day with alcohol and that’s a big push. I was surprised as a family cruise. I drink just not like the focus😀

Beautiful ship, beautiful views, lovely staff, and fond memories now, but I’d never do it again. Well maybe if I am a grandmother and am invited to join. I have no desire to ever cruise again.

Two years later took same kids ( now tweens) to Italy for 2 weeks and it was amazing. Since then we do trips.

However, I recently met a friend of a new neighbor who mentioned they grew up doing a Disney cruise every year and loved it. everyone is different!

Perfect timing for this thread!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is somewhat worrisome, as we leave for a Disney cruise next month.

Just be prepared for CROWDS! The pools are very small. The line for Aqua Duck is very long. Look carefully at the crowding in the kids club before you send your child in there. Hopefully, you won't have a hurricane. And don't limit your kids to what is on the dinner menu -- just ask the waiter to get your child whatever they want. We didn't do that and wish we had used their "service" to the full extent.

There was a horrible drowning on a Disney cruise pool. The child lost major brain activity. Google it. Awful. Everyone was around but no one saw him because the pool was crowded.

I love the idea of a Disney cruise because I love the Disney resorts and I think my kids would go crazy for the novelty of it but it seems like I would hate it. I’m picky about food and crazy crowds stress me out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The previous posters grumping about Disney Cruise lines are just typical of the "Look at how cool and sophisticated I am. I would never go to Disney World, or dine at Applebee's. Even though Disney Cruise lines is universally praised, by families,hated it!" types. Forget about them and just enjoy yourself, you will have a great time.

I love Disney World. I do not enjoy Disney Cruises. They suck. Too crowded, not enough to do, too expensive for a cruise.

Don't drink the Kool-Aid, PP!

And that's exactly how I feel about Disney World. Please tell me what is so great about DW. Standing in long lines for rides, dragging kids around in heat, not being able to go to a restaurant unless you've reserved months in advance ... These are the things I hear about DW. And huge crowds. Tell me something that would make me want to go because I don't get it. At least the cruise has great restaurants (shrimp, steak, whatever you want), entertainment every night, a kids club that my kids love and actually gives me a break to go to spa or adults only pool or restaurant, and the same waiter in every restaurant for your table which helps service and consistency. Not seeing any of this at DW.

I don't go when it's crowded or hot. I don't stand in long lines. I don't have any difficulty getting reservations. I've had days when my kids were the only kids in line to see Phineas and Ferb and they had 20 minutes alone with those characters to play. I've had days when we walked on to the Haunted Mansion, got off and turned around and walked back on. I've never waited more than 10 minutes for a ride on Soarin' or the Star Wars ride or Space Mountain.

There is pretty good food in lots of places at WDW, especially the resorts. There is a lot of charming design and whimsy there. There are friendly people there. There are shows that the kids love, especially the "street" entertainment in Epcot. They have one of the best waterparks in the US. They have DisneyQuest, a multistory video game arcade, that my kids love. They have spectacular fireworks shows. There are great kids' activities at the Deluxe resorts (Animal Kingdom) We usually get the kids an in-room sitter or drop them off at a kids' club for an adults only meal once or twice while we are there.

The stuff that you like about the cruise? It's all availabe at WDW and it's better done and there's a LOT more of it.

I find this hard to believe. I went during the peak of covid and all rides were running but parks were at 25-30 percent capacity as per FL rules and we still waited in lines for 20-30 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The previous posters grumping about Disney Cruise lines are just typical of the "Look at how cool and sophisticated I am. I would never go to Disney World, or dine at Applebee's. Even though Disney Cruise lines is universally praised, by families,hated it!" types. Forget about them and just enjoy yourself, you will have a great time.

I love Disney World. I do not enjoy Disney Cruises. They suck. Too crowded, not enough to do, too expensive for a cruise.

Don't drink the Kool-Aid, PP!

And that's exactly how I feel about Disney World. Please tell me what is so great about DW. Standing in long lines for rides, dragging kids around in heat, not being able to go to a restaurant unless you've reserved months in advance ... These are the things I hear about DW. And huge crowds. Tell me something that would make me want to go because I don't get it. At least the cruise has great restaurants (shrimp, steak, whatever you want), entertainment every night, a kids club that my kids love and actually gives me a break to go to spa or adults only pool or restaurant, and the same waiter in every restaurant for your table which helps service and consistency. Not seeing any of this at DW.

I don't go when it's crowded or hot. I don't stand in long lines. I don't have any difficulty getting reservations. I've had days when my kids were the only kids in line to see Phineas and Ferb and they had 20 minutes alone with those characters to play. I've had days when we walked on to the Haunted Mansion, got off and turned around and walked back on. I've never waited more than 10 minutes for a ride on Soarin' or the Star Wars ride or Space Mountain.

There is pretty good food in lots of places at WDW, especially the resorts. There is a lot of charming design and whimsy there. There are friendly people there. There are shows that the kids love, especially the "street" entertainment in Epcot. They have one of the best waterparks in the US. They have DisneyQuest, a multistory video game arcade, that my kids love. They have spectacular fireworks shows. There are great kids' activities at the Deluxe resorts (Animal Kingdom) We usually get the kids an in-room sitter or drop them off at a kids' club for an adults only meal once or twice while we are there.

The stuff that you like about the cruise? It's all availabe at WDW and it's better done and there's a LOT more of it.

I think you’re lying.
Which resorts have you been to that have a kid’s club?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cruises are for lazy people.

Lol.

I’m a super busy exec who sometimes wants to just show up and relax on vacation rather than have to make plans, reservations, etc.

Cruises are the easiest vacations, and kids are entertained and happy.

We also take elaborately planned trips. But I think our cruises are the most relaxing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I hated it as well. Our kids (8 and 9) LOVED it and still talk about it. The service was fantastic, however DH spent A LOT of time talking to staff about what it's like working there, and it was so demoralizing. They were really the most amazing people, and they are being exploited for their labor. No it's not just by Disney but Disney sure as hell could make an impact. Anyway it was just all around a huge bummer.

They are not being exploited. More money than they otherwise could make.

Yes they are and it's sad how many people don't care. It's a "purgatory at sea":
https://www.businessinsider.com/why-cruise-ship-workers-take-brutal-jobs-2018-11?r=US&IR=T

Besides: what do you expect on a swimming dirtbag?

If they were being exploited they would leave. They can do that. That they are not paid UMC wages is not being exploited.

I make middle class income. If someone offered me to get 5x that income by working 84 hours a week on a ship or whatever, I would take that in a heartbeat. So would 80% of all people in the world I'm pretty sure. Do that a few years and retire. So a teenager at age 18 can get 5x an average middle class wage per year, work for 5 years, put most of it in long term investments and retire. The cruise workers are benefitting from the arrangement, that's why they signed up!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cruises are for lazy people.

Lol.

I’m a super busy exec who sometimes wants to just show up and relax on vacation rather than have to make plans, reservations, etc.

Cruises are the easiest vacations, and kids are entertained and happy.

We also take elaborately planned trips. But I think our cruises are the most relaxing.

Seriously. Sometimes I just want a lazy vacation where my preferred drink is on the table when I arrive at dinner, where I can send the kids to have fun in another place while I sit out in the sun, and where I can just watch the ocean go by as my kids binge on soft serve ice cream and Disney movies in the pool. Not every day and every vacation has to be a crazy adventure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cruises are for lazy people.

Lol.

I’m a super busy exec who sometimes wants to just show up and relax on vacation rather than have to make plans, reservations, etc.

Cruises are the easiest vacations, and kids are entertained and happy.

We also take elaborately planned trips. But I think our cruises are the most relaxing.

Seriously. Sometimes I just want a lazy vacation where my preferred drink is on the table when I arrive at dinner, where I can send the kids to have fun in another place while I sit out in the sun, and where I can just watch the ocean go by as my kids binge on soft serve ice cream and Disney movies in the pool. Not every day and every vacation has to be a crazy adventure.

Yep.

Nothing beats a sleeping in followed by a day at sea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is somewhat worrisome, as we leave for a Disney cruise next month.

Just be prepared for CROWDS! The pools are very small. The line for Aqua Duck is very long. Look carefully at the crowding in the kids club before you send your child in there. Hopefully, you won't have a hurricane. And don't limit your kids to what is on the dinner menu -- just ask the waiter to get your child whatever they want. We didn't do that and wish we had used their "service" to the full extent.

There was a horrible drowning on a Disney cruise pool. The child lost major brain activity. Google it. Awful. Everyone was around but no one saw him because the pool was crowded.

I love the idea of a Disney cruise because I love the Disney resorts and I think my kids would go crazy for the novelty of it but it seems like I would hate it. I’m picky about food and crazy crowds stress me out.

I watched my kid like a hawk when he was in the “big” pool. He’s a great swimmer but I insisted he wear a life jacket for this reason. I envisioned do to it being so crowded that another kid could easily push him under due to horseplay or just by accident and he’d not be able to find a way back up because the pool was that crowded.

I was shocked that the lifeguards weren’t enforcing a capacity limit. The other pool was much less crowded but you had to deal with the babies in swim diapers (“yuck”) to use that pool. Again because the lifeguards weren’t able to enforce that rule either. So it’s risk drowning in the bigger pool or crypto, norovirus or meningitis etc., in the less crowded pool.

[Anonymous]

Pools are definitely the worst part of a cruise. If pools are an important part of your vacation, do a resort. When we cruise, I avoid the pool.

But resorts have drowning events too. There was an awful drowning event at art of animation a few years ago—the paretnts were checking in and the child ran off. They were searching the lobby and by the time they found him it was too late. Someone had left the pool gate unlatched and it was crowded. Since reading that, I am obsessive about closing and latching the pool gates at resorts. It’s so easy for a kid to get away in a hotel dining room or lobby and of course they run to the pool with all the people having fun. So, not to be ghoulish but—close that pool gates behind you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pools are definitely the worst part of a cruise. If pools are an important part of your vacation, do a resort. When we cruise, I avoid the pool.

But resorts have drowning events too. There was an awful drowning event at art of animation a few years ago—the paretnts were checking in and the child ran off. They were searching the lobby and by the time they found him it was too late. Someone had left the pool gate unlatched and it was crowded. Since reading that, I am obsessive about closing and latching the pool gates at resorts. It’s so easy for a kid to get away in a hotel dining room or lobby and of course they run to the pool with all the people having fun. So, not to be ghoulish but—close that pool gates behind you!

There’s always personal responsibility. Two parents and neither one had an eye on the kid? Awful things happen all the time, this has nothing to do with Disney or a cruise.

[Anonymous]

We have been on 3. I have gone with 3 and 5yo. We had such an amazing time that we went again when kids were 4 and 6. Then we had a third child and went when they were almost 3, 8 and 10. We did not go during spring break or winter break so it wasn’t that crowded.

My kids loved the meet and greets, kids club, science lab, cooking lab, shows, dance parties, hermit crab races, whale bone hunt, water slides. It was a great time.

My older kids are probably aged out now. My 5yo would still love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here.

7 day cruise on the fantasy in March.
Insanely crowded.
Pools packed like sardines. Literally. No swimming possible - just standing.
Service in restaurants sooooo slow.
Huge lines for aqua duck.
Huge lines for character meet n greet.
Restaurants jam packed all the time.
Food mediocre.
It would have been fine if it was cheaper. But it's pricey.
We spent the same at very high end resorts.

We love WDW so we aren't haters.
We even enjoy the occasional Applebee's

I think what you experienced was all the post-Covid travelers. We're not traveling to any popular destinations for at least another year until the "amateurs" are done with their post-Covid "we saved a shit ton of money over the past two years so let's splurge" trips.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I hated it as well. Our kids (8 and 9) LOVED it and still talk about it. The service was fantastic, however DH spent A LOT of time talking to staff about what it's like working there, and it was so demoralizing. They were really the most amazing people, and they are being exploited for their labor. No it's not just by Disney but Disney sure as hell could make an impact. Anyway it was just all around a huge bummer.

They are not being exploited. More money than they otherwise could make.

Yes they are and it's sad how many people don't care. It's a "purgatory at sea":
https://www.businessinsider.com/why-cruise-ship-workers-take-brutal-jobs-2018-11?r=US&IR=T

Besides: what do you expect on a swimming dirtbag?

If they were being exploited they would leave. They can do that. That they are not paid UMC wages is not being exploited.

I make middle class income. If someone offered me to get 5x that income by working 84 hours a week on a ship or whatever, I would take that in a heartbeat. So would 80% of all people in the world I'm pretty sure. Do that a few years and retire. So a teenager at age 18 can get 5x an average middle class wage per year, work for 5 years, put most of it in long term investments and retire. The cruise workers are benefitting from the arrangement, that's why they signed up!

You are beyond clueless. If you are cruising on a ship that is flying the flag of convenience you are containing to the brutalizing and exploration of vulnerable people. Disney usually flies under the Bahamian flag. It is beyond horrible - but enjoy the kids club! https://story.californiasunday.com/below-deck/