Thoughts on my Dream B2B

[JinxyB]

Hi all,

 

I am back from my 4/3 day B2B on the Disney Dream and thought I would get some of my thoughts out on here. This board was very helpful on questions I asked over the months and I thank everyone for that!

 

The purpose of this trip was to celebrate my son's 5th Birthday and we combined it with 2 days at Magic Kingdom pre-cruise. I had originally wanted to take the 7-day Fantasy cruise, but the timing did not work with my vacation days and I was adamant about doing the park first and relaxing on the cruise. I had considered taking another cruise on a different line and doing just one day in the park, but ultimately decided on making this a very Disney Birthday celebration!

 

I grew up in South Florida and have been to Disney parks multiple times growing up and in college. My last Disney experience I think was in 2002 when I went to Disneyland/California Adventure. So, it has been a long time and now I have a child who I wanted to experience the fun. My son likes Disney movies and used to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but we are in no ways fanatics about Disney stuff. A co-worker who is a Disney fanatic lent me a book about tips/tricks about Disney and it honestly overwhelmed me with all the planning, research, etc. My only thought was to install the app on my phone to see current wait times on rides and to make it to the park when it opened.

 

Regarding the Disney cruise, these two cruises were numbers 30 and 31 for me, so I like to think I am an experienced cruiser among the mainstream cruise lines.

 

I'm not going to do a formal review, but will just type bullet points I thought were important.

 

- We stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort and booked the Disney bus to Port Canaveral. In retrospect, I should have chosen private transportation and gotten to the port much earlier at our port arrival time of 1030. I feel most of this first day was wasted with waiting around for the bus to leave at 1215.

 

- Check in was easy and we were on the ship by 1355. We were handed a card that said rooms would be ready by 1400. We went straight to the room to drop off carry-ons.

 

- First leg of trip was my son and I and also my mom. We booked a deluxe inside room which I found roomy and comfortable. My son loved the pull-down bunk and I thought the starry ceiling with constellations was cool. The bed was comfortable, although I wish there had been an option to separate the bed into 2 twins. I liked that you could partition off the room with a curtain and that there was a night light in ceiling near bunk as my child is scared of the dark. Virtual porthole was cool.

 

- I liked the plush towels, toiletries, and general nautical theme of the room. Storage was OK. I wish there was a shower stall in the bathroom with the toilet as I have experienced in other cruise staterooms with the 2 bathroom concept. On Demand TV was awesome.

 

- We had an issue with the A/C not cooling on the last 2 nights and also very loud welding/sanding sounds late at night coming from above the room. Maintenance was prompt and heard said noises when he was in the room. Did not hear noises again until last night of second cruise in a different room/different floor. A/C was freezing during the day and seemed to stop working at night?

 

- The lines, oh the lines and chaos in Cabanas and on the pool deck! I don't like the way the buffet is set up-causes mass confusion and I didn't want to seem like I was cutting in line to grab something at a different station. Did not like that there was no custom omelet station and person served you fruit. Coffee was bad and my mom hated the coffee mate creamer. I told her to ask for real cream or use milk but that's on her.

 

- I have never seen or experienced such a crush of kids and chaos as on that pool deck. Kids packed like sardines in the pools, parents yelling at kids, etc. Not very relaxing IMO. I did like how they have life vests of various sizes for the kids. Nemo's Reef was cool for the toddlers but I also saw bigger children in there. Lines for Aquaduck were ridiculous, but that's to be expected. I always saw lifeguards at the pools, which was nice. You were not even allowed to have a cup of water while sitting at pool watching your kid swim-a bit restrictive to me.

 

- Adult area was very nice and serene although there is a family area right there near the funnel puddle so it could be loud. The new Satellite Falls was very nice!

 

- I liked the pool towel policy- don't have to check in and out towels on your card. Bins of towels and towel guy handing out towels was great. Plain white towels with no Disney logo- very smart!!

 

- Vanellope's Candy Shop-browsed in there but did not buy anything. Some of those treats were works of art, and who is going to buy a glitter candy apple for $9.99?

 

- This was the most crowded I have ever seen a cruise. I don't know if it was the holiday sailing or what, but there was always crowds, lines, and masses of people everywhere.

 

- Gorgeous ship and decorated beautifully for Christmas. This was the most aesthetically pleasing ship I have ever been on. Attention to detail was impeccable.

 

- Bathroom attendants in every public restroom visited. Very clean.

 

- Lines for characters were immense. My son was not really into this, thankfully, although we did get a picture with pirate Minnie on Pirate Night.

 

- We did the Pirate dress up for my son in the BBB. He normally loves getting dressed up and having his face painted, but he could have cared less about this. I was secretly disappointed he wasn't into it. It was not worth the $99. He didn't want to dress up in his costume on the second Pirate Night :(. Costume was of high quality materials and sturdy.

 

- I thought Pirate Night was kind of lame. We went to the early deck party and were unimpressed, but that may just be us not being Disney fanatics. Tons, and I mean tons of people got dressed up and were really into it. We had a long day at Castaway Cay, so we didn't stay up for fireworks, but I heard they were nice.

 

- Shops were mobbed and I mean so mobbed you could barely turn around or even browse comfortably in them. I did all my shopping on the first days of the cruises to avoid the masses if possible. Quality of goods was excellent but you are going to pay for it dearly.

 

- I watched some of the shows on the TV and thought they were good. My son was so exhausted most nights he was asleep by 8 or 9.

 

- We did the Blue Lagoon Beach Day in Nassau. It was just OK, nothing too special and we should have saved our money and stayed on the ship. Too much time wasted standing in line for boat, traveling to island, etc.

 

- Castaway Cay is hands down the most beautiful and well designed private island I have ever been to, and I have been to most. Please, someone take me back there!! No tendering, decorated beautifully for Christmas, Scuttle's Cove kids area on island, Serenity Bay awesome, and fun waterslides into the ocean.

 

- The Oceaneer's Club/Lab: my son who generally loves the Kids' Clubs on ships and begs to stay, absolutely hated the club on Disney :(. We toured the club and it seemed really fun with a lot to do, but I honestly think the ages of 3-12 together is not a good idea. We dropped him off at the club after much cajoling and were called after 1 hour to pick him up. My son said there were too many kids essentially waiting for the Star Wars stuff and Infinity games. He did get to drive the Star Wars ship a few times but he really wasn't into it. I did drop him off for a few hours the second cruise, and he was happy in the art section and also the Toy Story room, but he never willingly wanted to go and was glad to leave. Scuttle's Cove on CC was nice and my son enjoyed it there for a few hours, despite not wanting to go at first.

 

Will write some more notes later....thanks for reading!

Edited December 9, 2015 by JinxyB

[tinybiny]

Thanks for the report. My first cruise was on the Dream and I felt like there were way long lines everywhere, also. We had really long lines to enter the MDRs. It was a sold out cruise. I've never had issues with lines on the Wonder.

 

What did you think about the food in the MDRs compared to other lines you've been on?

[JinxyB]

- We had a fantastic dining team and I liked the rotational dining. Animator's Palate was my favorite and Royal Palace was my least favorite. I don't eat seafood, but my Mom enjoyed her seafood dishes. I liked how they had different coloring books/kid's menu every night. They were able to get my son a plain hamburger or hot dog if he wanted. He did not like the pizza. Waiters got to know my son and interacted with him every night, did magic tricks, etc. We did not eat at Remy or Palo.

 

- I liked the fact there was a movie theater on board with new releases, but found it tacky they charged for popcorn and soda.

 

- At the conclusion of the 4-day cruise, we ate breakfast at 0645 with my Mom and I left the ship so I could help her with her luggage and get her on the bus. The letter I received said all B2B people had to be off ship by 0900. I went through security again and into the empty terminal and was told they would start checking the B2B people in at 0930. This left us with little to do, but it was nice to have the terminal all to ourselves and look at the model of ship. It was very cold in the terminal and I had forgotten to take a jacket with me and was pretty miserable. I found the observation deck and hung out there because it was warmer, but it was wet from rain.

 

- I have only ever done one B2B before this one and did not like the way Disney handled this process. In my previous B2B (Carnival) all B2B passengers met near guest services, were escorted off the ship through customs and immediately allowed back on the ship. There was little down time with this process. I will not do a B2B with Disney again, as half the day was wasted waiting in the terminal. It was confusing getting back on the ship, but I asked someone around 1120 when we would be let back on, and the employee said all B2B passengers were already on. He let me through and we were one of the first on board? I had to switch rooms unfortunately, but all my luggage was in front of my new room and the room was ready at 1130. We ate lunch quickly and changed into bathing suits to take advantage of short Aquaduck lines. We rode it once and then waited on a short line and were next in line to go when the TV monitor went black and they shut the slide down. They ended up closing the Aquaduck until after muster drill to fix the video screen/equipment. :mad:

 

- The 3-day cruise was equally as packed with people and it seemed even more frenetic with people trying to fit everything in. We requested the same awesome waiters and enjoyed them again.

 

- I liked the fact that you could sign up for the luggage express program (or whatever Disney calls it) for free if you are taking the Disney bus back to the airport. I noticed Southwest was not included in the list of participating airlines.

 

- In conclusion, we really enjoyed our Disney vacation and I am glad I got to experience a Disney cruise and see for myself what everyone raves about. The ship is gorgeous, service for the most part was impeccable, and the entertainment was excellent. I did not sign up for any future cruises on board, as the only time I would have available is in July 2016 and that was a blackout date. Just for fun, I looked up cruises on Disney Fantasy and Carnival Magic the same week next July. An inside room on the Fantasy is 3x the inside price on Carnival. For me personally, I am not willing to pay that price to cruise Disney. They do have a great product, but for a "non-Disney" person, it doesn't make any sense to pay those prices. I paid less than half those prices for a balcony on the Harmony of the Seas for a Spring Break 2017 sailing. I would consider a short sailing on the Dream again, but would not consider the Magic or Wonder as they do not have the amenities/slides/mini golf that the Dream/Fantasy do.

 

Thank you for reading!

[Ex techie]

- We had a fantastic dining team and I liked the rotational dining. Animator's Palate was my favorite and Royal Palace was my least favorite. I don't eat seafood, but my Mom enjoyed her seafood dishes. I liked how they had different coloring books/kid's menu every night. They were able to get my son a plain hamburger or hot dog if he wanted. He did not like the pizza. Waiters got to know my son and interacted with him every night, did magic tricks, etc. We did not eat at Remy or Palo.

 

- I liked the fact there was a movie theater on board with new releases, but found it tacky they charged for popcorn and soda.

 

I agree that charging for popcorn is tacky and money grabbing.

Included soda, well that is available on the pool deck, so you can just grab a soda before the movie however.

 

- At the conclusion of the 4-day cruise, we ate breakfast at 0645 with my Mom and I left the ship so I could help her with her luggage and get her on the bus. The letter I received said all B2B people had to be off ship by 0900. I went through security again and into the empty terminal and was told they would start checking the B2B people in at 0930. This left us with little to do, but it was nice to have the terminal all to ourselves and look at the model of ship. It was very cold in the terminal and I had forgotten to take a jacket with me and was pretty miserable. I found the observation deck and hung out there because it was warmer, but it was wet from rain.

 

- I have only ever done one B2B before this one and did not like the way Disney handled this process. In my previous B2B (Carnival) all B2B passengers met near guest services, were escorted off the ship through customs and immediately allowed back on the ship. There was little down time with this process. I will not do a B2B with Disney again, as half the day was wasted waiting in the terminal. It was confusing getting back on the ship, but I asked someone around 1120 when we would be let back on, and the employee said all B2B passengers were already on. He let me through and we were one of the first on board? I had to switch rooms unfortunately, but all my luggage was in front of my new room and the room was ready at 1130. We ate lunch quickly and changed into bathing suits to take advantage of short Aquaduck lines. We rode it once and then waited on a short line and were next in line to go when the TV monitor went black and they shut the slide down. They ended up closing the Aquaduck until after muster drill to fix the video screen/equipment. :mad:

 

How was half the day wasted when you left the ship with your mom at 9am, and for whatever unknown reasons, like why did you not ask to reboard after escorting your mom off when you had been told you could you could reboard at 9:30am?

Why did you not ask someone, just sit there freezing in the terminal?

And you lost 2 hours at best. Not half a day waiting in the terminal.

I loose all sympathy and empathy with people who exaggerate when complaining. At least be consistent and honest.

 

Your particular situation of escorting your mom to her ride to the airport seems to have confused and complicated this situation, as did your lack of desire to speak to any of the CM's in the terminal to ask about rebounding until 11:20.

There would have been "little down time" if you had been just a regular B2B Guest, but your specific situation complicated things.

A little bit of personal responsibility at 10am, (were you back in the terminal by then?) of asking a CM "I was told I could reboard at 9:30am" would have gone a long way to you not feeling cold and miserable in the terminal.

 

Also rides break down.

Why be mad because that happened when you were in line to ride.

Look at it from afar. The ride broke down. It happens. Why be mad? Just accept it happens, and did not happen to just you. It wasn't personal.

 

- The 3-day cruise was equally as packed with people and it seemed even more frenetic with people trying to fit everything in. We requested the same awesome waiters and enjoyed them again.

 

You knew it would be before you cruised.

 

- I liked the fact that you could sign up for the luggage express program (or whatever Disney calls it) for free if you are taking the Disney bus back to the airport. I noticed Southwest was not included in the list of participating airlines.

 

- In conclusion, we really enjoyed our Disney vacation and I am glad I got to experience a Disney cruise and see for myself what everyone raves about. The ship is gorgeous, service for the most part was impeccable, and the entertainment was excellent. I did not sign up for any future cruises on board, as the only time I would have available is in July 2016 and that was a blackout date. Just for fun, I looked up cruises on Disney Fantasy and Carnival Magic the same week next July. An inside room on the Fantasy is 3x the inside price on Carnival. For me personally, I am not willing to pay that price to cruise Disney. They do have a great product, but for a "non-Disney" person, it doesn't make any sense to pay those prices. I paid less than half those prices for a balcony on the Harmony of the Seas for a Spring Break 2017 sailing. I would consider a short sailing on the Dream again, but would not consider the Magic or Wonder as they do not have the amenities/slides/mini golf that the Dream/Fantasy do.

 

Thank you for reading!

 

Comments in RED

 

ex techie

Edited December 10, 2015 by Ex techie

[Shmoo here]

Hi all,

 

...

 

- The lines, oh the lines and chaos in Cabanas and on the pool deck! I don't like the way the buffet is set up-causes mass confusion and I didn't want to seem like I was cutting in line to grab something at a different station. Did not like that there was no custom omelet station and person served you fruit. Coffee was bad and my mom hated the coffee mate creamer. I told her to ask for real cream or use milk but that's on her. There is an omelette station in Cabanas for breakfast. I used it a couple of times.

 

...

 

- Adult area was very nice and serene although there is a family area right there near the funnel puddle so it could be loud. The new Satellite Falls was very nice!I agree, the Funnel Puddle set up being just above Quiet Cove makes no sense to me, either.

 

...

 

- Gorgeous ship and decorated beautifully for Christmas. This was the most aesthetically pleasing ship I have ever been on. Attention to detail was impeccable.Yep, the holiday themeing makes the Very MerryTime cruises very popular.

 

...

...

 

- ...

 

- At the conclusion of the 4-day cruise, we ate breakfast at 0645 with my Mom and I left the ship so I could help her with her luggage and get her on the bus. The letter I received said all B2B people had to be off ship by 0900. I went through security again and into the empty terminal and was told they would start checking the B2B people in at 0930. This left us with little to do, but it was nice to have the terminal all to ourselves and look at the model of ship. It was very cold in the terminal and I had forgotten to take a jacket with me and was pretty miserable. I found the observation deck and hung out there because it was warmer, but it was wet from rain.

 

- I have only ever done one B2B before this one and did not like the way Disney handled this process. In my previous B2B (Carnival) all B2B passengers met near guest services, were escorted off the ship through customs and immediately allowed back on the ship. There was little down time with this process. I will not do a B2B with Disney again, as half the day was wasted waiting in the terminal. It was confusing getting back on the ship, but I asked someone around 1120 when we would be let back on, and the employee said all B2B passengers were already on. He let me through and we were one of the first on board? I had to switch rooms unfortunately, but all my luggage was in front of my new room and the room was ready at 1130. We ate lunch quickly and changed into bathing suits to take advantage of short Aquaduck lines. We rode it once and then waited on a short line and were next in line to go when the TV monitor went black and they shut the slide down. They ended up closing the Aquaduck until after muster drill to fix the video screen/equipment. :mad:

 

The letter you got telling you that you needed to be off the ship by 9:00 also states that you will not be getting directly back on (at least ours did). It states that you will not be reboarding until at least 11:00. As to "getting on first" yes, it does happen. In our case we reboarded at 11:10, Concierge boarded at 11:15. So not a lot of "only B2B cruisers time".

 

...

- I liked the fact that you could sign up for the luggage express program (or whatever Disney calls it) for free if you are taking the Disney bus back to the airport. I noticed Southwest was not included in the list of participating airlines.DCL and SouthWest did a test period earlier this year. It was apparently not as successful as the program with the other airlines and both DCL and SouthWest opted to not continue it.

 

...

 

Thank you for reading!

 

A few comments from me in red. Thanks for your review.

Edited December 10, 2015 by Shmoo here

[JinxyB]

How was half the day wasted when you left the ship with your mom at 9am, and for whatever unknown reasons, like why did you not ask to reboard after escorting your mom off when you had been told you could you could reboard at 9:30am?

Why did you not ask someone, just sit there freezing in the terminal?

And you lost 2 hours at best. Not half a day waiting in the terminal.

I loose all sympathy and empathy with people who exaggerate when complaining. At least be consistent and honest.

 

Your particular situation of escorting your mom to her ride to the airport seems to have confused and complicated this situation, as did your lack of desire to speak to any of the CM's in the terminal to ask about rebounding until 11:20.

There would have been "little down time" if you had been just a regular B2B Guest, but your specific situation complicated things.

A little bit of personal responsibility at 10am, (were you back in the terminal by then?) of asking a CM "I was told I could reboard at 9:30am" would have gone a long way to you not feeling cold and miserable in the terminal.

 

Also rides break down.

Why be mad because that happened when you were in line to ride.

Look at it from afar. The ride broke down. It happens. Why be mad? Just accept it happens, and did not happen to just you. It wasn't personal.

 

Actually, there was no confusion on debarking the ship. The letter I received the night before clearly stated that B2B guests must be off the ship by 0900, check-in would begin by 0930 and re-entry to the ship would begin no earlier than 1100. I chose not to wait in the terminal because I was cold and waited outside on the observation deck. I met some people and were chatting with them, not watching the clock for each minute to pass until 1100. When I saw a few people walking across the tunnel to the ship, that is when I questioned an employee regarding B2B guests.

 

If I felt like half my day was wasted waiting, then I am entitled to my opinion and frankly, I did not ask you for yours. You have no idea what time I awaken and what time I go to sleep, and to me these 3.5 hours waiting in and around the terminal were wasted time to me. All I was stating was I did not care for the way the B2B situation went compared to my previous experience on a different cruiseline.

 

Regarding the Aquaduck closure, I suppose I chose the wrong emoticon...the sad face should have been more like it :(. Actually, during my seven days on the ship, the Aquaduck was closed at least 4 times that I personally experienced: twice for A/V equipment malfunction, once for someone getting stuck?, and once for a reason I am not aware of. These were 4 times that I was actively trying to use the slide, so there may have been more when I was not actively trying to use it. I get that it isn't personal, but it was mildly annoying that their star feature/attraction on the ship was frequently breaking/shut down.

[JinxyB]

There is an omelette station in Cabanas for breakfast. I used it a couple of times.

 

That's interesting to know, because I specifically asked if there was a custom omelette station and a crew member in Cabanas told me no, just the pre-made omelettes (which were pretty tasty).

[JinxyB]

DCL and SouthWest did a test period earlier this year. It was apparently not as successful as the program with the other airlines and both DCL and SouthWest opted to not continue it.

 

Thank you for this information, I had no idea. I wonder does Disney pay the airlines for this? Usually on other cruiselines, you have to pay for this type of luggage express program, whereas it was free if you booked the Disney transport. It worked very well for us and our cases arrived safe and sound back in NC!

[moki'smommy]

Thank you for this information, I had no idea. I wonder does Disney pay the airlines for this? Usually on other cruiselines, you have to pay for this type of luggage express program, whereas it was free if you booked the Disney transport. It worked very well for us and our cases arrived safe and sound back in NC!

 

I don't know what the fee arrangement is between DCL and the airlines. You are right that on other cruise lines, there is typically a charge for this service. However, DCL transfers are significantly more expensive than what I've encountered on other lines for similar or the same ports.

 

Example--DCL at Canaveral (about 45 minute drive) is $35. Houston to Bayport (about an hour) was $24. London to Dover on DCL was $80 EACH WAY. London to Southhampton on another line is $78 ROUND TRIP!

[Ex techie]

Actually, there was no confusion on debarking the ship. The letter I received the night before clearly stated that B2B guests must be off the ship by 0900, check-in would begin by 0930 and re-entry to the ship would begin no earlier than 1100. I chose not to wait in the terminal because I was cold and waited outside on the observation deck. I met some people and were chatting with them, not watching the clock for each minute to pass until 1100. When I saw a few people walking across the tunnel to the ship, that is when I questioned an employee regarding B2B guests.

 

Right.... Now things are clearer.

So you had a letter telling you what the procedure was, but ignored it.

You had the opportunity to leave at 9am and reboard at 11am but due to your time awareness, didn't realize or keep track of the time despite your chilliness inside the terminal waited outside without knowing the time, so missed being able to board earlier.

 

If I felt like half my day was wasted waiting, then I am entitled to my opinion and frankly, I did not ask you for yours. You have no idea what time I awaken and what time I go to sleep, and to me these 3.5 hours waiting in and around the terminal were wasted time to me. All I was stating was I did not care for the way the B2B situation went compared to my previous experience on a different cruiseline.

 

I am not privy to your sleeping schedule, nor wish to be, and you should have prefaced your post with no comments allowed if no one else is allowed to comment on your lack of ability to follow the instructions on your letter. Somehow, you have managed to massage and additional hour from the 9am latest debark time to you reboarding at 11:30? Thats 2 hours 30 minutes by my watch? Not the 3 hours 30 minutes you have? And possibly could have been 2 hours max if you had kept track of the time? (unless you debarked earlier because of escorting your mom to the bus?)

If you felt like half your day was wasted, thats on you. And yes you are entitled to your opinion, and entitled sounds like the appropriate word for your command of the situation.

 

Regarding the Aquaduck closure, I suppose I chose the wrong emoticon...the sad face should have been more like it :(. Actually, during my seven days on the ship, the Aquaduck was closed at least 4 times that I personally experienced: twice for A/V equipment malfunction, once for someone getting stuck?, and once for a reason I am not aware of. These were 4 times that I was actively trying to use the slide, so there may have been more when I was not actively trying to use it. I get that it isn't personal, but it was mildly annoying that their star feature/attraction on the ship was frequently breaking/shut down.

 

The emoticon you chose was ANGRY, not SAD before.

Ship happens! Ride's have problems in the parks on land for goodness sake, and have to be closed whilst they fix them! They have warehouses full of sensors and equipment, and teams of people to fix them ASAP. Ships have a small store of sensors and equipment and a couple of people to fix stuff when it breaks.

It isn't always possible to completely fix a problem until you get back to your home port and get the right parts to fix it. Sometimes you have to fix it as best you can until then and hope that it works.

 

 

Carnival don't have these problems, because they only offer the regular slides.

And they don't have trained lifeguards at each end monitoring the people on them.

You want straight back on, then Carnival seems to work for you.

It is also up to the port authority when a ship is cleared to allow new or B2B guests on. Did you know that? Not just the cruise lines say so.

 

Manage your expectations. Just because it is Disney, doesn't mean it is perfect at all. It is Disney at sea, and you have to make allowances for that.

 

ex techie

Edited December 11, 2015 by Ex techie

[moki'smommy]

I don't know exactly what your instructions were. We have done 4 B2Bs, and each time the instructions were different. However, it was made clear to us that if we exited the terminal, we would have to re-board with the general population of guests. If we wanted to reboard early as a B2B, we had to remain in the terminal.

[meatloafsfan]

My procedures on our Dream B2B in 2011 were the same as yours and frankly, it went about as un-smoothly as yours did as well. :rolleyes:

 

We were told in the letter to be off the ship at 9:30 and then didn't get to re-board until right before the concierge/platinum people after 11am (probably closer to 11:30 when boarding started).

 

And although most of the b2bers were told to wait in the concierge area, we were not. It was only once the terminal started to let other people in that I tracked someone down and asked what's going on. At that point, one of the workers in the port told us to move to the concierge area, and then of course it was packed full and she had to ask a bunch of people to move themselves or their luggage so that my mother in her wheelchair could get into the area.

 

We lost too much time that day waiting around and it was too disorganized that I decided not to do a 3/4 night again.

 

Our next B2B is a 10/11 night (on Carnival in January - I can't wait for those cruises!) and I'm hoping its smoother.

Edited December 11, 2015 by meatloafsfan

[moki'smommy]

While we did not lose "a lot" of time on our 4/3 B2B, and we did not find it disorganized, I would not choose to do it again.

 

We were told to be off the ship by 9:15, went thru Customs and up the elevator to the top floor very quickly. Then we sat for approximately an hour and made friends with the only other cabin doing a B2B. Somewhere about 10:30 we were allowed to board, before the terminal opened to incoming guests. We had about an hour on the ship before others began boarding. Since the on line TA we had used managed to mess up the booking, we were being required to change cabins--thus, needed to hang in public areas till 1:30.

 

In my opinion, the downside to this sort of B2B so far outweighs the preferred 7 night cruise that I wouldn't do it. We have done B2Bs where different ports were involved (trans-Atlantic/Med, Greek Isles Med/Venice Med, etc) These I'd do again in a heartbeat.

[Peg_S]

Jinxyb: thanks for your review. I havent been on a DCL cruise in 14 years, and am soaking up all the info I can. We go on a 4 night in early Feb. Thanks for your comments.

 

Peg

[AtlFolks]

My kids are veterans of four lines and they report DCL kids programs are at the bottom of their list. This has always been a shocker to me - Disney is supposed to be the entertainment king.

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed your report/review.

 

Keith

[JinxyB]

My kids are veterans of four lines and they report DCL kids programs are at the bottom of their list. This has always been a shocker to me - Disney is supposed to be the entertainment king.

 

I was shocked my son did not like the Disney club...I usually can't drag him from the kids' clubs on RCCL and Carnival.

 

In my opinion, the downside to this sort of B2B so far outweighs the preferred 7 night cruise that I wouldn't do it.

 

I agree, I won't do it again. Lesson learned!

 

I don't know exactly what your instructions were. We have done 4 B2Bs, and each time the instructions were different. However, it was made clear to us that if we exited the terminal, we would have to re-board with the general population of guests. If we wanted to reboard early as a B2B, we had to remain in the terminal.

 

They actually told the B2B guests to wait in the concierge lounge, which I did not see a lot of the B2B's doing...the observation deck is part of the terminal and is directly outside the concierge lounge, so I actually never exited the terminal itself or had to go through security again, etc.

 

Our next B2B is a 10/11 night (on Carnival in January - I can't wait for those cruises!) and I'm hoping its smoother.

 

Oh wow, those cruises sound fantastic! I am so jealous!! I have heard really good things about the Journey cruises and hope they keep doing them.

 

Carnival don't have these problems, because they only offer the regular slides.

And they don't have trained lifeguards at each end monitoring the people on them.

You want straight back on, then Carnival seems to work for you.

It is also up to the port authority when a ship is cleared to allow new or B2B guests on. Did you know that? Not just the cruise lines say so.

 

Yes, I am well aware of the port authority, thank you. Why did you feel the need to bold trained lifeguards? The only thing I mentioned about the lifeguards is that I though it was nice Disney had them...I actually wish all cruise lines had lifeguards. I'm not going to argue semantics with someone who is very hateful towards an anonymous stranger on Cruise CRITIC...this is a website where people are free to express their experiences and opinions, not be picked apart and raked over the coals by a Disney employee. I have my opinion and you, an obvious Disney cheerleader, can have yours. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

[moki'smommy]

Sorry, I somehow misunderstood that you had escorted a family member out of the terminal. My mistake.

 

There is no reason for B2Bs to be disorganized as DCL has years of experience with them at multiple ports. I do understand the rules changing when the ships are away from their home port, but it makes no sense to have different instructions and different experiences on B2Bs out of Port Canaveral. I understand that the cruise line must follow the instructions from Customs and Immigration, but that's typically not where the issues occur.

 

Disney kid programming thru the years has been very hit or miss, in part depending on which age rules were in effect. While I understand why the current policies are in effect, they seem to get a lot more negative reports than the "old days" with smaller age groupings.

 

 

In any event, thanks for your report. And happy cruising!

[JinxyB]

In any event, thanks for your report. And happy cruising!

 

Happy cruising to you, too! :D

[Ex techie]

Yes, I am well aware of the port authority, thank you. Why did you feel the need to bold trained lifeguards? The only thing I mentioned about the lifeguards is that I though it was nice Disney had them...I actually wish all cruise lines had lifeguards. I'm not going to argue semantics with someone who is very hateful towards an anonymous stranger on Cruise CRITIC...this is a website where people are free to express their experiences and opinions, not be picked apart and raked over the coals by a Disney employee. I have my opinion and you, an obvious Disney cheerleader, can have yours. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

 

I'm not arguing semantics with you, just offering a counter view, and not in a "hateful" way. lol!

This is a website where people are free to express their experiences and opinions, and others are able to counter your opinion, otherwise it would just be the same as TripAdvisor.

Leave an opinion, and only the hotel can try to discuss your experience with you.

You obviously do not like anyone that disagrees with you or offers a differing point of view, and with with more information about processes that you, or those your were offered but chose to ignore. ;)

 

BTW I'm an EX DCL (Disney) employee, and it was my choice to leave by the way.

 

And if you have read my previous posts, you would know I am very far from a DCL cheerleader, and will and do criticise them all the time for their changes since I worked for them, but also praise them when they change things for the better IMO.

 

Merry Christmas to you and yours too!

 

ex techie

[Ex techie]

Missed from my previous post was that I emboldened trained lifeguards as one of the reasons that DCL shut down the waterslide.

Other lines may have staff or crew members at each end, with some training as to how to be responsible for the life of the person on the slide, ex. not let another person down until the all clear is given for the next rider, but are they trained and qualified lifeguards?

Do they take the same responsible attitude as a qualified DCL Life Guard? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe they are a pool drinks server earlier on, maybe they are a pot washer trying to earn more money?

The two positions without that qualifications enable one to shut the ride down with authority and experience to do so.

 

Rather than Trip Advisor, if you do not want anyone to critique your attitude/your perceived experience/your unwillingness to follow instructions, the Cruise Critic does have a cruise review section?

Otherwise, we are here to offer a differing option if needed, and the OP to not feel bum hurt because someone said something that contradicted you.

 

ex techie

[Ex techie]

Sorry' date=' I somehow misunderstood that you had escorted a family member out of the terminal. My mistake.

 

There is no reason for B2Bs to be disorganized as DCL has years of experience with them at multiple ports. I do understand the rules changing when the ships are away from their home port, but it makes no sense to have different instructions and different experiences on B2Bs out of Port Canaveral. I understand that the cruise line must follow the instructions from Customs and Immigration, but that's typically not where the issues occur.

 

Disney kid programming thru the years has been very hit or miss, in part depending on which age rules were in effect. While I understand why the current policies are in effect, they seem to get a lot more negative reports than the "old days" with smaller age groupings.

 

 

In any event, thanks for your report. And happy cruising![/quote']

 

At the conclusion of the 4-day cruise, we ate breakfast at 0645 with my Mom and I left the ship so I could help her with her luggage and get her on the bus. The letter I received said all B2B people had to be off ship by 0900. I went through security again and into the empty terminal

 

Do you have to go through security again if you did not leave the terminal?

 

They actually told the B2B guests to wait in the concierge lounge, which I did not see a lot of the B2B's doing...the observation deck is part of the terminal and is directly outside the concierge lounge, so I actually never exited the terminal itself or had to go through security again, etc.

 

And one wonders why they did not hear the call to reboard the ship after they ignored the instruction to "wait in the concierge lounge" not just wander off into other parts of the terminal, like the secure viewing deck.

Obviously DCL should place reigns or trackers on those cruises that cannot follow simple instructions, such as stay here, do not wear a watch, or take responsibility for themselves leaving an area they are TOLD to to stay in then piss and whine about they were late reboarding because they were off somewhere else and where not corralled to reboard?

 

SMH.

 

ex techie

Edited December 19, 2015 by Ex techie

[moki'smommy]

The above does demonstrate that you left the terminal. If you took your mom to the bus, you had to leave the terminal to do it. If you do the normal B2B, you do not go out the terminal doors and you do not have to go thru security. You go thru Customs, make a left, and go back upstairs using either the stairs or the elevator. You never go outside. The instructions I received in for Port Canaveral B2Bs said that if we chose to leave the terminal, we'd have to come back thru security and board with the new incoming guests. Sounds like that's just about what happened to you.

 

So in one place you say you did go thru security and in another place you say you did not go thru security. And then you didn't wait where you were told to, but justify this by saying that the observation deck is close to the concierge lounge (which it is.)

 

It is really hard to blame DCL for the mess when guests choose to ignore the instructions they are given.

[JinxyB]

So in one place you say you did go thru security and in another place you say you did not go thru security.

Sorry for any confusion regarding going through security...I was referring to not going through security again while waiting on the observation deck and then entering the terminal proper.

If you do the normal B2B, you do not go out the terminal doors and you do not have to go thru security. You go thru Customs, make a left, and go back upstairs using either the stairs or the elevator. You never go outside.

I did not know this-these instructions were not included in my B2B letter. I can attach it if you would like to read the letter. I decided to help my elderly mom, who is recovering from orthopedic surgery, collect her suitcase and escort her to the bus as she was feeling overwhelmed. That's totally on me, and I owned that. When I went through security again (zero line) and entered the terminal, we were literally the only people in the empty terminal. Because it was so early, I would have still been the only one in the terminal had I not gone through security and went the way you mentioned. There were a few workers milling around, but we were the only passengers. I asked a worker and they told me B2B passengers would start getting checked in at 0930. It was around 0750-0800 at the time. A few other B2B passengers started showing up and milling around. At 0930 we formed a line to get checked in-there was less than 10 of us at 0930. They told us we would be allowed to enter the ship no earlier than 1100. A few passengers waited in the concierge lounge and others like myself went elsewhere. I chose to wait outside because I was cold and I owned that, too. I did poke my head in the concierge lounge around 1030 and it was full, standing room only. Like I stated before, I met someone and was chatting with them, not watching the clock, and I own that as well. I ended up getting on the ship at 1120 and was one of the first ones on regardless of me not militantly following instructions to wait in the concierge lounge the entire time. When I entered the ship, they did not even have the greeters set up, so it was early!

 

Look, I'm not here to argue. I admit I did not follow the instructions to wait in the concierge lounge but was still one of the first ones on the ship. I only have my one other B2B to compare this one to, and I did not like all the waiting around associated with this one. I'm talking about the waiting around in the terminal from 0800-1100 (assuming that is when they started letting B2B on), vs. no waiting in the terminal for hours during my other B2B. My other B2B we met at guest services, were escorted off the ship, turned in our customs form, and were escorted back on the ship with zero down time. That was my complaint/ "piss and whine," not the 20 min I wasted meeting a new friend. If I'm entitled to you, then so be it. I think I can handle the insults from an anonymous stranger. That is all.

 

I probably won't sail Disney again based on the fact my child hated the kid's club and the high price tag. Maybe I will if I can somehow snag a good deal (do these exist?), as there were many aspects of the cruise that I really enjoyed. Maybe my child will like the club when they are older? I would like to visit Castaway Cay again, at the very least. I thank everyone who answered my questions before my sailings. I may or may not submit a member review (yes I am aware of this and have reviewed cruises before).

 

I'm going back to my regular boards-Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Edited December 19, 2015 by JinxyB

[Ex techie]

Not arguing either. Just pointing things out.

 

Like if you hadn't had to escort your mother off the ship and outside the terminal to get a pre 8am bus, you could have stayed in the comfort of the ship environment until 9am, left the ship at 9, gone through security and back into the terminal waiting area, so mostly likely 9:20/9:30am, and only had a 1hr 30 minute wait to reboard at 11am.

 

Each and every Guest's needs or situation is different.

Obviously this did not work well for you.

 

Would it have worked better for you to escort your mom off a Carnival ship and outside the terminal, then back into the terminal on a Carnival ship? I don't know.

 

All I do know though is that your personal circumstance made things a lot harder and more uncomfortable for you than it would have been for others that were just reboarding the ship.

Still not quite the 30 minute option for B2B cruisers Carnival have worked out with the Boarder Control administration on your last B2B (without mom I'm guessing?), but a lot quicker that your situation took.

 

I hope you enjoy your future cruises on DCL, Carnival or whomever suits your needs.

 

ex techie

Edited December 20, 2015 by Ex techie