chictravel227

OK, so my 2 cents here as well. All of my cruises have been adults only. Adults have ranged in age from 23-60's.

It depends on you. And what you like/dislike.

My first cruise ever was on the Magic (spoiled me for everything else). It was a med cruise and the kids, well, the kids ran rampant and the adults did not seem to remember to parent. We had late seating and the table adjacent to us let their 6 year old run wild around the table, constantly knocking into our chairs.... Had I known, we should have spoken with our head server immediately and asked to be moved. Now I know better. I still remember our waiters though and they really did make up for everything. They were awesome. The whole cruise was awesome, but I don't know how you have a "bad" time when in the med. I mean, come on. I was hesitant to take another Disney cruise because of the kids. We would many times step onto the elevator and find ALL the buttons pushed... Or just kids running around without adult supervision. Do parents not worry their kids will climb the railings and fall overboard? I should also note, these were loooooong port days. Some excursions lasted over 12 hours, so we were not on the ship much on port days. We would pretty much be up at the crack of dawn, get back, shower, go to show and dinner, crash, repeat.

2nd cruise was on Princess for Alaska. Well, my expectations from the Disney cruise were pretty high. I should have lowered them significantly. Smoke smell in room (even after calling ahead to make sure it was cleaned properly...) Entertainment not as good, never got to know our servers, food was horrible (way salty, salt lick salty). The brunch that you pay for was horrible, mine was warm, I was a bit afraid to eat it. Champagne should not be room temp... Especially when there was an up-charge for this brunch. If it were free, well, then, I would not care. Holes in my sheets and they were never changed. I mean, we are not in a boys dorm room, right? Kids were not bad on this cruise, but there were more than we expected. Again, this was Alaska and really, how can you have a bad time? So beautiful. And glacier bay. Just wow. I also missed the towel animals in my room every night (kid at heart), you get this on Disney. Not so much nightly on the other lines. You may if you have kids. I still want the animals, with or without kids.

3rd cruise, back to Disney we go. We were on the Magic again and had our same server from Palo! We did have different dining room servers since one of ours had married and the other was off during that time :(. I tell you, we loved them! Magic tricks after dinner! It was great. We again had a great time. We did a Caribbean cruise out of Port Canaveral, it was a blast. Same great food and service. This sailing also had a high tea, which was fun to attend! Not as many kids, we did an off-season sailing. This is still hit or miss as many will take kids out of school and/or they are home schooled.

4th cruise, I did a Carnival as a girls trip. It was a great itinerary and was tons of fun. I think we had 6 port stops on a 7 night cruise. Which was a good thing, because if you don't gamble, then there was like nothing to do for adults. Unless you wanted to participate in the hairy belly contest.... Demographic was a bit different and I am not in college anymore. Still had a blast. Just got bored on the day at sea. OH, and we booked a suite, which means different things on different lines. Not really a suite, more a big room, still only 1 bathroom. I tell you, Disney spoils you. Food wise, well, it seemed like they would choose one starch (veggies were hard to find, sometimes if you ordered broccoli, you got one spear), so you had different meats, but mashed potatoes were being served whether you got the salmon, steak, or chicken. It made me laugh.

5th cruise, back on Disney, the Fantasy this time. Aqua-Duck here we come! So, we were on the cruise that got hit by the rogue wave on the way back from St. Thomas. Yeah, the aqua duck was a blast. Servers, not so great this time. It was pretty new, so not sure what was going on, but neither or server or assistant server were on their A game. Room steward was awesome. Bigger ship than the Magic. I loved Remy. Palo disappointed compared to Palo on the Magic. Brunch was still awesome, but it was more get you in, turn the table over, goodbye. Whereas, on the Magic, you were encouraged to savor your experience. Remy was an awesome experience, it took us over 3 hours. Loved our server! We also had brunch at Remy, it was more a foodie brunch, not something for everyone, but still enjoyable. I liked it.

6th cruise - well someone convinced me to try Princess again. Yeah, it was horrible. Smoke filled ship that you could not escape. Ruined the piano bar, as smoke filtered up to it. Was not fond of the shows. Food was mediocre. The sheets did not have holes in them, BUT the beds were so hard we could not sleep. We are on vacation in what is essentially a floating hotel, right? Beds should be routinely checked and changed out as needed. Guests should not be told they should have requested an egg crate. Customer service fail anyone? That is like going to the best western and being like, oh yeah, give me an egg crate for your bed because the quality is so bad. The cruise itself was fun, another Caribbean cruise, better itinerary than Disney offers. We got to go to Honduras and Belize. It was lots of fun. I just needed to sleep for a week and use a breathing treatment when I got home.

7th Cruise - Back to Disney, this time on the Wonder. I am spoiled on their customer service. This was too short of a cruise, only 5 days. Ack! It was still a blast. Palo was like it was on the Magic, where they don't rush you and you don't feel like they are simply trying to turn the table over.

Overall, I love Disney's smoking policy. It is only allowed outside. I have a sensitivity to it and asthma, so it is important to me that I have quality air coming into my lungs. This may not matter to you, so it may not impact your choice of lines. It does mine. After that last experience on Princess, until they change the policy, which is unlikely, I am not sailing on any ship that allows indoor smoking. I will say, it was not nearly as bad on my first Princess ship or the Carnival ship, so I don't know what was different on this sailing, maybe the layout of the ship?

Food - you are going to get a different opinion from everyone, some like DCL's rotational MDR's. Some like the anytime dining. Some like only going to the up-charge restaurants. Each line has both good and bad things about it.

Service - IMHO Disney just wins this hands down.

Rooms - Disney's are bigger for same category of room in general. Maintained better. On the last Princess cruise, our balcony badly needed sanding, mom got a splinter from putting her hand on it. I have not seen Disney let the banister get that bad.

Entertainment - Disney wins, even without kids. Tastings are offered and the CM's have fun with them. Much drier on Princess. I don't think we had time for any on Carnival. That really was an awesome itinerary.

Overall Experience - this depends. If you love Disney and are a kid at heart, then Disney is for you. If you like things a little more proper, then Princess. Carnival was more of a party atmosphere.

At the end of the day, all of us here have our own experiences and nuances and can share those, but it really will be up to you! All the lines are different and will have pluses and minuses, it is just finding one that has the most pluses for you.

Is this new, as I have always had to go to guest services to get this done. Maybe it is what time we have boarded, but I have not found guest services to be too swamped during embarkation. Maybe it depends on your sailing? I do agree, it would be frustrating to have to wait for me to book my tastings when your KTTW card is not working properly. So for that, I do apologize, but darn it, I love those tastings! Now, if I can do it online before getting on the ship, sign me up!

We were on the Wonder this past October and were fortunate/lucky enough to be a 2 bdrm concierge suite. This was a 5 day sailing out of Miami. There was some obvious wear and tear, although, Disney at its worst is still better than Princess at its best. The ship has been maintained beautifully. The wear and tear is mainly the carpet and some furniture, but that is being updated as we speak. It is not brand new. If you are wanting brand new, then the Fantasy or Dream are probably for you. We actually prefer the smaller ships Magic and Wonder over the Fantasy. That is us and our preference.

I have not been on HAL and unless/until they change the smoking policy, I won't go on another ship that allows any indoor smoking. I have been on Princess 2 times and Carnival once.

I don't really know how to describe this, but on the other ships I have been on, there has never been a sense of awe or wonder, they are pretty, but not spectacular. On the Disney ships, there really is just something magical about the ships, something special. They have amazing attention to detail. We still rave about the bathrooms on the Fantasy. Just gorgeous. The decor, the staff, the ambiance. It is all there. We always find this lacking on the other lines.

We travel as adults only, no kids, and have always enjoyed our time on Disney ships. We have done the Magic 2 times, Fantasy 1, and Wonder 1. We are booked on the PC October Wonder sailing this year. Counting down the days!

I don't think you made a mistake. I think you will find it a great experience and if you don't, well you tried something new and may just prefer HAL. Nothing wrong with that, that is what makes the world turn, ppl with different preferences! What a boring place if we all liked the same things!

Well, first, I am sorry you missed Castaway, it is a great little island and lots of fun! When I got to visit, it was too windy to wind surf, :mad: but I put on my big girl panties and moved on to serenity bay, where servers were waiting with pretty drinks! :D

It was for the safety of everyone that the ship did not dock that day. Just think back to the accident with Costa a few years ago.

I also agree with the others that this is a life lesson that apparently, you as an adult have yet to learn, but there is still hope for your children. Life happens. Sometimes good things, sometimes bad, but it is how you choose to deal with the situation that determines your outlook.

December 2012 we were on the Fantasy when we were hit with the rogue waves. It was scary. We missed Castaway. We were glad to get back to Orlando safely though. We just flew with it. Oh, and until disembarkation, the staff was great, had loads of activities (they even closed the outer decks so we were all getting cabin fever) and we still had a blast! There were plenty of activities to do. Sounds like you still had fair weather and could have enjoyed any number of the outside decks for a stroll or some book reading.

In 2013, we were in Belize (oh the mistake of trying Princess again) and it was pouring. I mean pouring. Well, it had lightened up a bit, so we were like, yeah, lets do an open air tour of the city. Hah, it started pouring again about 10 minutes after we took off. We were sopping wet and laughing our heads off. It wasn't the best/ most comfortable of times, but we made the most and had a ton of fun. We still laugh about that adventure to this day. Now, like you, I guess I could blame Princess for docking at Belize that day for the weather, but last time I checked, neither Princess, nor Disney, nor Carnival or any cruise line controls the weather.

It is also standard practice in the cruise industry to not refund anything other than port fees/taxes when missing a port. I will not say you should have read the contract of carriage, but at least knowing general policies about the industry can help keep the disappointment at bay. I guess my other issue is you really have not said what you think is fair compensation to you. You still enjoyed the ship, ate the food, and had staff waiting on you for the day. How much do you really think you are owed? Oh, and you were able to enjoy being out on the open ocean! Count your blessings.

I have never heard of Disney going to another island. That would really be logistically crazy, as ports are generally booked fairly well in advance, as well as customs regulations, etc. Also, tendering at CC, hah.

I, like the others, hope that one day you will start remembering the fun times you had and chalk it up to windy weather.

We have always signed up at guest services. I am betting even if they have the sign up at a bar, you can always still go to guest services. We also generally have 2 rooms of adults and have our reservations connected, so one of us may make tasting reservations for all 4. I don't know how it works if your reservations are not connected. I think for many of the tastings the fees are non-refundable after you purchase, because they are limited in seating. We always enjoy the tastings! Have a great time!

Two Words - NO smoking

I could stop there, but there is more:

suites that are actual suites (here's looking at you Carnival)

no holes in your sheets (here's looking at Princess)

Beds that are comfy (as compared to the bricks Princess has on a few ships)

No smoking

character meets

staff that cares

correctly seasoned food

on-board entertainment that is not gambling

No smoking

pixie dust

staff that remember you from sailing to sailing

Palo

Remy

And I will mention again, no smoking.

On my Princess cruises, the smoke smell in one room was horrible, even after I had them deodorize it twice. On the next (and most likely final foray onto a Princess ship, unless someone else is paying for the whole thing, no, not even then) cruise, the smoke that filled the ship interior was so bad that I was using my inhaler every time I stepped out of my cabin. Did not help that the casino was mid ship and all entertainment venues were centered around it and the smoke filtered out to the common areas. I could not even go into the shops it was so bad. Food was just blah on both sailings, well the first everything was super salty so got sent back multiple times. I am not generally salt sensitive, so it was bad. Holes in sheets. Beds that were so uncomfortable, not just me, but my mom's, sisters and friends in separate rooms. Princesses response: you should have booked an egg crate. Don't get me started on this. Oh and the staff was just indifferent the entire time, no one cared if we ever sailed with them again. No sense of pride in who they are working for, first time I left only the absolute minimum in tip.

Carnival was better, but the suite we booked, was really just one big room. Only 1 bathroom. 2 twin beds. Not exactly luxury. At least there were no holes in the sheets and the room was not smokey.

Disney does have some issues. IMHO, the quality of the food has declined in the MDR's over the past 8 years. It used to be wonderful, now it is ok to good. Now Remy and Palo are different stories, IF you do not live in a big city, i.e. New York, LA, (pick a food city) etc. that has 5 star restaurants at your fingertips.

Princess does actually win a point in my book for the adult areas. They are better than DCL's adult areas, you know, kids don't have to walk through the adult areas to get to other areas of the ship. I think this is mainly a problem on the Magic. I did not notice it on Fantasy or Wonder. Also, the staff did kick kids out of the adult areas on Princess, on Disney, usually an adult has to ask the CM to take care of it.

Carnival has better itineraries than Disney. Disney has better staterooms, they are just bigger in general. I love that some staterooms on Disney have the 2 bathrooms. It is excellent.

Bottom line, after two disappointing sailings on Princess (thought maybe my expectations were too high after being on Disney for the first one, so on the second, I lowered them, still not worth it), I will most likely not sail with them again. We want to do Alaska again, but will either choose Holland or go with a smaller line. Would do Disney, but they don't have rights at Glacier Bay, so no go there, it was a highlight of our first trip!

I would go on Carnival again. At least the staff was pleasant and the food was decent, although trying to get more than a vegetable at dinner was interesting.

Disney wins hands down on almost everything and with their excellent itineraries in Europe that are pretty unique, they have a few more years with us until we get bored and stray elsewhere. Then again, there will always be Adventures by Disney. I may sail on different lines if the smoking policies come in line with Disney, I recognize this is a personal health issue for me, but since it is my health, no really worth jeopardizing it just to go on a ship.

We were on in mid October

Day 1 - arrival

Day 2 - sea day, optional dress up, Golden Mickey's (good once, would not go again, unless the entire rest of my party wants to)

Day 3 - Cayman Islands - Pirate Night

Day 4 - Cozumel - Toy Story (personally, I wish we had skipped the show, it drug on forever and I was ready to leave after about 10 minutes, and I LOVED Toy Story, but that is just me, I will not go to it again, if it is still on the ship this next October)

Day 5 - Sea day , Till We Meet Again

Hope this helps

I have asthma, so I sometimes have to leave the shows if there is too much of the smoke/fog, the same stuff that comes out of the e-cigs apparently (I know very little, so apologies if this is wrong). So as someone who has an underlying health concern, I am grateful for the policy.

On how picky you and your family members are. Also, and this was years ago, we got a great 2nd cabin on the Disney Magic for a Mediterranean voyage at a huge discount. We had booked one room for 3 adults, which would have been fine, but the inside cabin price dropped to some insane amount and we thought it was worth our sanity to add the second room. It was not a "great" room, BUT it was functional, still had all the amenities of the other room, except it being inside, our other cabin was an outside cabin. That being said, we spent very little time in our rooms that trip, basically we used them to sleep, shower, and change. Otherwise we were out going going going.

What I am trying to get to is that it depends, on if you have family that will want to stay in the cabins only, if people want to be closer to certain areas than not, if they have specific preferences. I don't know of many "bad" rooms on Disney ships. In our experience, Disney maintains the ships and rooms much better than Princess or Carnival. You can also get rooms that connect, which we love to do now, and that is where a TA can help. However, I think any TA should/would be able to find that information out if necessary, not just a DCL specialist. I think this also depends on if you all want to be on same floor, near each other, etc. A TA will be able to help with that as well, but if your sailing date is specific, then there may already be restrictions. The rooms on Disney are also bigger than other shops in general. I did notice that on the Fantasy, the rooms were a bit smaller than they were on the Magic, but still bigger than either Princess or Carnival for the approximate same class of room.

We traveled as a group of 9 when we went to the Med and were split up all over the ship, it was not really a problem for us, as I value some "me" time. I enjoyed being able to get away from others for a spell here and there. We were together most days and evenings otherwise and had a blast!

We loved Remy and would have actually gone back for a second night if it had been available! Our waiter was a delight and we enjoyed the wine pairings. I think we must have been a fun table, because we got an extra pour or two of some of the wines! It was truly a memorable experience.

The brunch was good, but did not hold a candle to the dinner. Also, the brunch food was more exotic in some ways. I really enjoyed it, being a foodie, but there were a few courses where my companions did not want to try it or did not find it pleasing to their tastes.

We always enjoy Palo's, for the service and the food quality. Brunch at Palo's is amazing.

I will say that I think on the Magic, since there is not a Remy's, the food was better than on the Fantasy Palo. I don't know if others have that same opinion or it was just not having had Remy's and then comparing the two.

I think Remy's is more than worth the money. Also, I have a food intolerance/allergy and Remy's handled it the night of, although it was mentioned while booking, etc. I will say that my intolerance is pretty easy to deal with and there were even times in the MDR that the waiter had to tell me what I could and could not have. But, they were always helpful and would offer up additional choices.