Return to our first Cruise Ship - the Magic

[Whatley trio]

We have just posted our review of our 8th cruise. http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=251078

While we are always excited about a cruise, we experienced problems that we never had before on a Disney Cruise. Is Disney loosing its "Magic" in cruising? While we will always enjoy our cruises, we fill it's time to try other lines and see what they have to offer.

[moki'smommy]

Thanks for the review! We were on the Magic shortly before the big dry dock...and had some significant room maintenance problems. Looks like they were not all resolved during the dry dock.

 

 

A couple of issues...first, there has always been a booking fee for using points on DCL or anything else outside of the DVC resorts. It used to be $75 and a few years ago was raised to $95. We have heard it mentioned at each DVC presentation, although it certainly isn't emphasized. There are other restrictions as well when you cruise on points; you didn't encounter any of these situations, so didn't encounter them.

 

Secondly, the onboard credit is only for on board rebookings. It is $100 on cruises of less than 7 nights and $200 on cruises of 7 nights or longer. It is NOT a benefit for being a return cruiser; it is a benefit for rebooking on board. It used to be based on Castaway Club status--again, a few years ago this was eliminated, meaning that those of us with many DCL cruises took a hit there. But in fairness, we were never promised a loyalty program.

 

We were in 2 different Magic cabins last summer, and each had problems. We endured a water leak with dryer fan running on the first 12 night leg, but for this and other reasons, insisted on a different cabin for the second leg. It had a sewer leak (yeah, no fun at all....) that took several days to fix and we had the same sort of key problems you describe.

 

Villains....yeah, we've seen all 3 re-writes. There comes a time when a show should be scrapped as it is just not working. The funny part was I've been seated with 3 different theatre people at dinner (not CMs, people with theater jobs/training)...they have all expressed that they could easily and cheaply fix that show, interesting.

 

Glad you had a good time regardless of your problems. We're back on the Magic for our next cruise and hoping for the best. Can't wait to see the "re-do."

[Whatley trio]

Secondly, the onboard credit is only for on board rebookings. It is $100 on cruises of less than 7 nights and $200 on cruises of 7 nights or longer. It is NOT a benefit for being a return cruiser; it is a benefit for rebooking on board. It used to be based on Castaway Club status--again, a few years ago this was eliminated, meaning that those of us with many DCL cruises took a hit there. But in fairness, we were never promised a loyalty program.

 

Wow-if this is true, then they have changed. We were on the Disney Fantasy in Oct 2012 and they gave us $50 for being a Castaway member and another $50 for using our Disney Chase Card. We also received a backpack as a gift

 

We did receive a carryon bag as a gift for returning on the Magic this time.

 

As for the bottle of wine given on the last night, we do not even drink wine haha

[moki'smommy]

Yeah, it has changed....a lot. We used to get $350 in onboard credit from DCL plus a credit from our travel agent. That DCL credit could not be combined with the $50 Disney Visa, but no big deal. Now max from DCL is $200. Yes, you get the welcome aboard gift too. The one and only time we cruised on points, we also got a welcome aboard gift from DVC in addition to the hats and general stuff they hand out now.

 

Booking on points is generally not a good deal although there are some cruises where the point charts are good. You have to look at them carefully.

 

An onboard rebooking used to be good indefinitely; not it "dies" if you don't use it within 15 months. And most recently, they have changed their insurance policy--you used to get a 100% credit toward a future cruise of anything the insurer didn't pay; now it is 75% and must be used withing a year of the denial letter.

 

Celebrity was actually nice, but my 20 something didn't like the age mix on their ship.....just saying......

Edited March 9, 2014 by moki'smommy

[vacation_junkie]

We have just posted our review of our 8th cruise. http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=251078

While we are always excited about a cruise, we experienced problems that we never had before on a Disney Cruise. Is Disney loosing its "Magic" in cruising? While we will always enjoy our cruises, we fill it's time to try other lines and see what they have to offer.

 

We were on the Magic at the end of January and will never sail DCL again.

 

We will stick to our regular lines that we've always had a fantastic time on.

 

We had several issues with our room. Air broke twice, toilet wouldn't flush half the time. The room seemed to be falling apart. Horrible room svs and cold and undercooked food each meal in the dining room.

 

I'm still fighting with them to get the unused OBC refunded that I added to our account from my Visa ahead of time. (When the canadian exchange was good) I was first advised that it will take up to 10 business days for the refund to go through. It's pushing 7 weeks.

 

I've never EVER had such a poor experience on any other sailing we've ever done. And we sail often so its not like I'm comparing this to 1 or 2 other cruises.

[Whatley trio]

Thanks for your reply. I too feel that there were things that for the so called #1 ship of that size has far to go. Of the things we were most disappointed was the menu's at night. We noticed most was a repeat of our 2012 Fantasy cruise. One thing my wife and I like is trying different things on different cruise ships. Different food, different activities, different shows.

It still was a good cruise, just expected more. We'll take a break and sail with another for awhile.

[Cruisin' Along]

I appreciated reading your thorough review. Unfortunately, I also think Disney is losing some of its luster. We've had three very nice Disney cruises, but their prices and other changes are causing me to check out other cruise lines for our next cruise.

[Whatley trio]

It's a shame in a way. Disney will always be Disney. The look in a children's face and the joy can not be bought. But for us older cruisers who has seen the characters for the 101st time (parks included) we tend to start looking for other things that wow's us such as those fabulous menus that we had in 2001 on our first cruise.

 

 

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[moki'smommy]

It's a shame in a way. Disney will always be Disney. The look in a children's face and the joy can not be bought. But for us older cruisers who has seen the characters for the 101st time (parks included) we tend to start looking for other things that wow's us such as those fabulous menus that we had in 2001 on our first cruise.

 

 

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Maple Glazed Salmon!

 

Yes, the food quality has been steadily decreasing. So sad.

[Whatley trio]

I can still remember the speciality food from 2001. The one thing I will never forget was the desserts. I had never like cheese cake until that cruise There was just something special and yes the amount was more too

 

 

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[Shmoo here]

I can still remember the speciality food from 2001. The one thing I will never forget was the desserts. I had never like cheese cake until that cruise There was just something special and yes the amount was more too

 

 

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The best cheesecake I ever had was in Disneyland at the Plaza Inn. I wish they had that onboard!

[moki'smommy]

It is sad that that food at the resorts is MUCH better than that on the ship..but it does show that Disney knows how to make really good food. And yes, I realize that each galley has to serve 450 guests very rapidly (on the classic ships assuming a nearly full ship). But still, it used to be wonderful and it isn't any more.

[Whatley trio]

Several times on our cruise the waiter realized that the food was not as we had hoped for & offered us other items. Sadly the items were not any better lol

 

 

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[moki'smommy]

Several times on our cruise the waiter realized that the food was not as we had hoped for & offered us other items. Sadly the items were not any better lol

 

 

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We learned a little secret on our last cruise--ask for something special. You want one entree but the side from a different entree. This means that the food is freshly plated for you and has not been sitting under warming lights for however long. It took most of our first leg of a B2B to get this figured out, but we were tired of cold food that didn't taste good.

[Whatley trio]

Wow that's good to know!

 

 

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[Shmoo here]

We learned a little secret on our last cruise--ask for something special. You want one entree but the side from a different entree. This means that the food is freshly plated for you and has not been sitting under warming lights for however long. It took most of our first leg of a B2B to get this figured out' date=' but we were tired of cold food that didn't taste good.[/quote']

 

Yeah, I don't really mind going "off menu" sort of, in this case. I mean the side you're asking for is already made, just for a different plate.

 

I'm not as comfortable asking for something that's actually not on the menu, however. But I know some people do it.

[moki'smommy]

Yeah, I don't really mind going "off menu" sort of, in this case. I mean the side you're asking for is already made, just for a different plate.

 

I'm not as comfortable asking for something that's actually not on the menu, however. But I know some people do it.

 

Exactly, Shmoo...this isn't asking for something "off the wall." OK, on almost 30 cruises, we have gotten some things that were not on the menu, but we didn't "order" them. We had a situation when the chef came out and asked one member of our group what her favorite food was--next night, it came to our table as a surprise. MANY years ago, our server learned that broccoli was DD's favorite vege. Every night from then on, an unordered side of broccoli appeared at her place.

 

The only time I really "ordered" off the menu was one night when my daughter's jaw was really bothering her (she was scheduled for surgery after our cruise). I asked the head server if he could get her some pasta of some sort. He kind of looked at me blankly and asked what she wanted. I said something easy to chew--any sort of pasta and put some alfredo sauce or whatever was easy on it. She said it was the best pasta she's ever had! BUT that was on leg 2 of a 24 night cruise (by which time they'd gotten used to her chewing issues, although normally managed from the menu), and we were very comfortable with our team....and they knew we wouldn't mind waiting. We don't normally do the "off menu" bit.

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Food is subjective. I'll leave that alone.

 

I'm concerned about room maintenance as we have one group with us who is on the 2nd floor, and I think that's where most of the maintenance problems have been? We are aft decks 7 (one veranda, two interiors), one mid ship deck 6 (interior) and on aft deck 2 (interior deluxe room.) Its only a 4 day but I'm hoping its as magical as our 3 day Dream was last year. So maintenance concerns me...

[moki'smommy]

 

I'm concerned about room maintenance as we have one group with us who is on the 2nd floor, and I think that's where most of the maintenance problems have been? We are aft decks 7 (one veranda, two interiors), one mid ship deck 6 (interior) and on aft deck 2 (interior deluxe room.) Its only a 4 day but I'm hoping its as magical as our 3 day Dream was last year. So maintenance concerns me...

 

Our maintenance issues August 2013 were in 2 different cabins on deck 2. The first, they never did fix (that's why we moved). The second was eventually fixed after many attempts by housekeeping and FINALLY sending a plumber.

 

Lloyd (from India) is usually the head of hotel on the Magic. You'll see him in the atrium before dinner on most evenings. He is VERY serious about upkeep. So, if you have a problem, first talk to your stateroom host and Guest Services. However, if it isn't fixed within a few hours, talk to Lloyd if you see him around the ship. He will take notes and follow up with you to be sure it was done.

 

When are you cruising? Come back and tell me who is going to be on for the trans-Atlantic? (Captain, CD, ACD, will Cedomir be there, etc.....)

Edited March 14, 2014 by moki'smommy

[Cruisin' Along]

We learned a little secret on our last cruise--ask for something special. You want one entree but the side from a different entree. This means that the food is freshly plated for you and has not been sitting under warming lights for however long. It took most of our first leg of a B2B to get this figured out' date=' but we were tired of cold food that didn't taste good.[/quote']

 

This may vary with servers. I asked for a small steak on our last cruise. I had already ordered a seafood plate and just wanted a small steak to go along with it. Our Server said "Sorry - everything is pre-plated and you have to take the whole plate including sides." He said to just eat what I wanted and leave the rest - but I don't like wasting food. :(

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Our maintenance issues August 2013 were in 2 different cabins on deck 2. The first' date=' they never did fix (that's why we moved). The second was eventually fixed after many attempts by housekeeping and FINALLY sending a plumber.

 

Lloyd (from India) is usually the head of hotel on the Magic. You'll see him in the atrium before dinner on most evenings. He is VERY serious about upkeep. So, if you have a problem, first talk to your stateroom host and Guest Services. However, if it isn't fixed within a few hours, talk to Lloyd if you see him around the ship. He will take notes and follow up with you to be sure it was done.

 

When are you cruising? Come back and tell me who is going to be on for the trans-Atlantic? (Captain, CD, ACD, will Cedomir be there, etc.....)[/quote']

 

We are on the 5/5! I'll try to remember to get the scoop. I'm learning to have a phone/camera on me at all times (can't always expect a photographer) as well as a note pad ("what was his name?") so I will try.

[moki'smommy]

We are on the 5/5! I'll try to remember to get the scoop. I'm learning to have a phone/camera on me at all times (can't always expect a photographer) as well as a note pad ("what was his name?") so I will try.

 

I don't know how to PM people on this board....so if you want to, e-mail me at kcashner@hotmail.com I'll give you what current info I have which might apply to your cruise.

[Host Mick]

We learned a little secret on our last cruise--ask for something special. You want one entree but the side from a different entree. This means that the food is freshly plated for you and has not been sitting under warming lights for however long. It took most of our first leg of a B2B to get this figured out' date=' but we were tired of cold food that didn't taste good.[/quote']

 

I learned that a looooong time ago when I worked at Burger King.

Don't just order a Whopper. Some sandwiches are made in advance and left on the rack for a short time. Ask for a Whopper with something special, anything special like extra pickles and they'll make it fresh.

[DahliaRW]

We learned a little secret on our last cruise--ask for something special. You want one entree but the side from a different entree. This means that the food is freshly plated for you and has not been sitting under warming lights for however long. It took most of our first leg of a B2B to get this figured out' date=' but we were tired of cold food that didn't taste good.[/quote']

 

That is interesting. My food was always hot and I never had issues. But, I pre-ordered and had a gluten free meal. That being said, dh never complained about the temperature of his food either, so I'd assume it was fine for him and he ordered off the menu.

 

A lot may have to do with how fast your server gets it to you after it comes from the kitchen.

[moki'smommy]

A lot may have to do with how fast your server gets it to you after it comes from the kitchen.

This is very likely the key....on leg one, our server was VERY slow. This was the first time I remember cold food. Sure, there were some servers I liked better than others, but this is the second one who was really dismal (out of 30 DCL cruises), and on the other one with a poor server, we had an incredible assistant who more than made up for it.