Just embarked on Disney Dream and already disappointed

So for those wondering if you can get Princess Gathering or Frozen Meet and Greet tickets when you board, the answer is a big fat no. I tried to get them as soon as we were given access to online and they were booked. I got the earliest boarding time available and as soon as we boarded went straight to The Port Adventures desk and was told they were booked and were booked before the cruise (and was told I could have booked online...uh, thanks, I tried) I pleaded and said that it's my son's first birthday and all I want are photos ( he doesn't want to talk to them or want autographs) and that I had a Prince Charming costume especially made for this. He then proceeded to tell me, that it would be better and easier that I attend each different individual Princess Meet and Greet. Uh really???? So it will be easier that I wait in 5 separate lines and change my one year old 5 different times??? Yea, Ok.

Now, I know this does not matter to him. Your child's first birthday is for the parents and I spent a lot of money to take this cruise and I've already prepaid the Shutters photo package so I can capture all these photos. I had called DCL before the cruise and asked specifically about the Princess Gathering tickets and was told they reserve some for on board guests. The guy today told me otherwise. We are Diamond on RCCL and this first impression on DCL is not helping us make the switch.

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Well, you've hit the biggest problem on the Dream--big ship, little time. They only have so many spots and they have 4000 guests. Put in perspective, the classic ships will have 2500 guests and at least as much time, the Fantasy will have 4000 guests but 7 nights of cruising. The Dream also tends to have more "first timers" than some of the other ships, so people don't have the experience previously and want to "do it all" on this cruise.

As a first timer, you were at the bottom of the line for booking, choosing a boarding time, etc. Sorry, but that's how it is on most lines. It is a no cost way of rewarding the frequent cruisers. However, there is no excuse for shoreside giving you wrong information on the phone. That's not ok, although it is not at all rare! I've also been told different things by different CMs at the same desk on board. It seems to be a DCL problem that the answers vary. One hint--check back tomorrow morning. The concierge staff holds some tickets for any concierge guests who didn't reserve them in advance. If those are not used by concierge guests, they are turned over to Port Adventures for use by anyone who requests them.

I'm not trying to be harsh, but that's just reality--you chose the ship with the worst chance of getting what you want whether it is a Princess gathering or dinner at Palo.

I do hope that you have a good cruise. Yes, there are lots of character meet and greets, and you should be able to get at least some of the photos you want.

Well' date=' you've hit the biggest problem on the Dream--big ship, little time. They only have so many spots and they have 4000 guests. Put in perspective, the classic ships will have 2500 guests and at least as much time, the Fantasy will have 4000 guests but 7 nights of cruising. The Dream also tends to have more "first timers" than some of the other ships, so people don't have the experience previously and want to "do it all" on this cruise.

 

[b']As a first timer, you were at the bottom of the line for booking, choosing a boarding time, etc. Sorry, but that's how it is on most lines. [/b] It is a no cost way of rewarding the frequent cruisers.

 

I'm not trying to be harsh, but that's just reality--you chose the ship with the worst chance of getting what you want whether it is a Princess gathering or dinner at Palo.

 

I do hope that you have a good cruise. Yes, there are lots of character meet and greets, and you should be able to get at least some of the photos you want.

I don't think that's true. None of the other lines I sail (Carnival, Celebrity, or Royal) have different booking or online booking timeframes for new cruisers versus those in upper tiers of the loyalty program. Early boarding maybe, but that would not have affected the OP since DCL didn't hold tickets.

You are correct that I was thinking of the lines for boarding. We have done 3 Princess cruises in the last 12 months with essentially no "seniority" on that line....so we got the high numbers when we entered the terminal. Their top tier gets a lounge with hot and cold snacks while waiting to board and boards first; we got a cold drafty warehouse with empty vending machines. At least we had a water fountain and restroom, which is more than those who didn't make it into the terminal waiting area had!

Also, they've been promoting their new online reservation service (alongside the Spa times and Palo dining) rather heavily, and most experienced guests were able to order their Meet ticket times six weeks ahead--That's why it was booked up so early.

Talking to Guest Services day of boarding can still put you at the end of the line.

I'm a first-time cruiser myself, but I was familiar enough with Disney's online reservation system for their land parks that I expected most of their activity/dining reservations could be made before leaving.

It's no comfort to say "Now you know", but knowing it is a great help to planning both the land and sea Disney vacations.

Also, they've been promoting their new online reservation service (alongside the Spa times and Palo dining) rather heavily, and most experienced guests were able to order their Meet ticket times six weeks ahead--That's why it was booked up so early.

Talking to Guest Services day of boarding can still put you at the end of the line.

 

I'm a first-time cruiser myself, but I was familiar enough with Disney's online reservation system for their land parks that I expected most of their activity/dining reservations could be made before leaving.

It's no comfort to say "Now you know", but knowing it is a great help to planning both the land and sea Disney vacations.

OP stated that she tried to make reservations when her window opened--that's 75 days in advance. Not sure where you got the 6 week idea as the latest window is 10 1/2 weeks before embarkation. Platinum and concierge guests can book at 120 days before embarkation.

Simple solution, pick the princess you want to meet and dress him for that. Check the navigator for times, often they have a few within a short time frame, you could dress him only once sand possible get a few.

We missed a few meet and greets due to when they were offered (super early or late), it didn't make or break our cruise.

Personally, I didn't like the princess meet and greet, only three of the princesses odd wanted to meet, not worth waking early for. I expected more than four princesses but the others weren't on the ship.

I'm not sure about on the Dream, but on the Wonder we had a farewell thing, the princesses and characters were there for last chance pictures and signing. If this is in the Dream, You could dress him then, then try to get the princesses. We got Ariel, Minnie, Cinderella, and Belle. We already had the princesses from the meet and greet but odd wanted another.

Op, another tip, take your own pictures as well, don't just rely on DCL. My favorite moments were captured by me or another cruiser with my camera.

Dcl photographers take 1-3 pictures, you miss the special moments of the hug, the smile, of Olaf 'laughing' because you told him to smile to get your kid to smile, of the interaction between characters and your child, of Mickey Mouse playing peekaboo with your baby, of tinker bell asking odd about her map, of Anna putting reindeer antlers on herself then your kid. 💕

The dcl photos were mostly of everyone looking at the camera. Lame. Those aren't memories to capture.

The series of Mickey Mouse playing peekaboo with one twin will always be dear to me.

I get that you are disappointed, but I think one picture with him dressed up with any princess would be sufficient, as he is so young and doesn't know the difference. I think this is the definition of a first world problem

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The OP hasn't been back since the 9th, but hopefully they figured out they could meet the Princesses in the Atrium when they do a M&G. Yes it does mean queuing up for each Princess, but there would be no need to change the child each time.

Do you get a group photo with all of the Princesses at the ticketed M&G?

ex techie

The OP hasn't been back since the 9th, but hopefully they figured out they could meet the Princesses in the Atrium when they do a M&G. Yes it does mean queuing up for each Princess, but there would be no need to change the child each time.

Do you get a group photo with all of the Princesses at the ticketed M&G?

 

ex techie

No, it's literally 4-5 princesses in a row in the atrium. You get in line behind the ropes and proceed down the line to each princess in a row, just like a normal meet and greet except with 30 seconds between princesses. The CM actually hands your autograph book to the next one to speed the process along. Your take a separate picture with each princess.

I don't think that's true. None of the other lines I sail (Carnival, Celebrity, or Royal) have different booking or online booking timeframes for new cruisers versus those in upper tiers of the loyalty program. Early boarding maybe, but that would not have affected the OP since DCL didn't hold tickets.

DCL does in fact tier the signing up for activities - Concierge and Platinum can check in and sign up for activities at 120 days (with an edge to concierge who can put their requests in with shoreside concierge at 125 days and those are entered so that they go in just as the 120 day window opens); Gold cruisers can check in and sign up for activities at 105 days; Silver cruisers at 90 days; and newbies at 75 days.

That can also affect what Port Arrival Times (PATs) are available - and the PAT is what helps to assign your Boarding Group. Getting there way ahead of your PAT will in all likelihood NOT score you an earlier boarding group - odds are high you'll be standing there watching people who arrived after you but at or closer to their PAT get called to board.

So yes. A new-to-Disney cruiser is somewhat at the bottom of the barrel. (Though ahead of those who wait for the *GT rates to come out - if they do.)

OP here. I haven't been online since we got back. So first off, I wasn't going to let this ruin my cruise. It was my son's birthday and we were going to make the most of it, but this was not the way to start it off. I did get online the morning we had access 75 days prior to sail. I signed on as soon as I woke up. That was one of the things that was so frustrating. I felt like I was penalized for never having cruised Disney before, when other lines do not do this. I did go to Guest Services (after first stopping at Port Adventures) and again begged and pleaded for some tickets and they put us on the waiting list.

Anyway, the information the first rep gave us was wrong, he said every princess at the gathering would make an individual appearance during the cruise, when in fact, this is not true. On our sailing, only Cinderella and Rapunzel did an appearance the first night. No other princess meet and greets the rest of the cruise (other than the gathering). Since his costume was Prince Charming, I decided that we would go only go to Cinderella's individual meet and greet, even though the one the first night was well past his bedtime. I dressed him up and got in line while Rapunzel was still there. The DCL handler told me we would be the first one in line for Cinderella. Perfect! My poor son was struggling. Anyone try and keep a 1 year old up past their bedtime knows it's not fun. Anyway, after Rapunzel left and while we were waiting for Cinderella to arrive, one of the crew spotted my son in his costume and came over. I had no idea who the gentleman was, but he fell in love with my son and his costume. He noticed how fussy my son was and asked if I knew about the Princess Gathering. I said I did and I had tried to get tickets both online and when we boarded but couldn't. He then asked for my name and stateroom number and said he'd see what he could do.

Anyway, we took the picture and finally dropped off our son at the nursery (he was asleep before we got there) and enjoyed some adult time. Then lo and behold, at the Match Your Match game show, we realize the gentleman was the cruise director. He spotted us and told us we should have a surprise when we got back to our cabin and when we did, we had tickets to not only the gathering, but also for Anna and Elsa (which we already had tickets for). I spotted him later on the cruise and thanked him profusely.

I did turn in one set of our Frozen meet and greets as I didn't want someone to not be able to go because I had two sets. But I did see that not everyone thinks this way. While in line at the gathering on Saturday, I did see several people there, who I saw again there on Sunday. One of which was an adult with no children. I don't know if this is a design flaw with the ticketing system or if people have learned a way around it, but I can't believe some people have the nerve to go twice when I saw several little girls there in tears because they hadn't gotten tickets. We were able to give my husband's ticket to a little girl and she stood in line with us.

So in the end, we were very lucky. I was very disappointed in the beginning, but then "let it go" (pun intended) and again, luck intervened and we got our tickets. But since these character meet and greets are the draw of a Disney cruise, I think DCL needs to work on how they are done. Especially with a large ship with a shirt duration.

In the end, I did not feel DCL was any better than RCCL. In fact, in many areas, I felt it was sub par. The characters are the only thing that is the difference IMHO. We had a great time and a great cruise (despite crappy weather), but I don't see us sailing DCL again, at least for a while until my son can truly appreciate the characters. He is obsessed with Mickey, but he can easily meet him at the parks anytime we go.

Thank you for turning in your un-needed tickets. Yes, more people need to get that idea.

We once missed an event due to lack of tickets. Later that day a lady remarked that she wished she had known that I needed some--her party had 6 that they decided not to use. grrrrrr...

And I'm glad that the trip worked out for you.

Glad to hear you got the photo you wanted!

ex techie

Glad to hear it all worked out. FYI if you do cruise again, be forewarned that some events are VERY popular and people log into the system at their first opportunity which is midnight eastern standard time. If you wait until morning, odds are many things may be closed out by then.

I am glad that you were able to get the pictures you wanted.

As for the tickets, I feel this is a good way to do it. When I was on the Panama Canal cruise, the princesses meet and greet were first come first served. I saw them close the line. A lot of people didn't get to have their picture taken with the Princesses. This was a cruise that had a lot of sea days. With the tickets, on my most recent cruise, the line went faster and you show up about 5 minutes before and know that you will get to meet with the characters. Through circumstances that I didn't know about, I got extra tickets to the Anna and Elsa meet and greet. I used it and nobody cared that I was traveling solo.

The princess and character deals are not just for kids and DCL doesn't care who is in your party. They are available to anyone who gets the tickets and/or stands in line.

While I do understand how the parents of kids may get the idea that it is a "kid thing" or that kids should have priority, people have many different reasons for wanting to see a particular character. I volunteer to do costume design locally--I LOVE to see the Disney costumes up close. We traveled with a friend who had played a character on stage in a high school production--she wanted to see that Disney character. The reason you want to see a character or get a photo doesn't matter. If you want it, do it.

I like the ticket system for the more popular characters. You don't have to stand in line as long as some of the "open" meet and greets and you know the line is not going to close when you get close to the front. Yes, most of the time a CM will cut off the line in order for everyone to have time, be we have had those situations when a character went in and the line became a line for the next character. In general, the ticketed events are calmer--less noise, less chaos, etc.

This thread wins the most text per post average ever.

Congratulations. :)

This award is actually difficult to attain.

Yet this thread has won. Great work to all.

May we all respect and learn from the noise presented.

Sail on ....

This thread wins the most text per post average ever.

 

Congratulations. :)

 

This award is actually difficult to attain.

 

Yet this thread has won. Great work to all.

 

May we all respect and learn from the noise presented.

 

Sail on ....

from where i sit, this thread wins the award for best example of how to set yourself up for disappointment when you go on a cruise...

especially around a child who couldn't care less about whatever it is that has you in the depths of despair....

no offense....

from where i sit, this thread wins the award for best example of how to set yourself up for disappointment when you go on a cruise...

especially around a child who couldn't care less about whatever it is that has you in the depths of despair....

no offense....

agree

I have to agree that sford75 made their opportunities to see the Princesses as limited as possible by booking only a 3 day cruise and the shortest amount of time aboard, on a Very Merry Time cruise as well, with a Pirate Night, Santa and Mrs Claus as well.

However, they should not have been given mis-information by the DCL shoreside CM.

That said, they seem a regular cruiser on RCI, and I know DCL are not alone in shoreside rep's giving out misinformation.

Were their expectations too high? Yes.

Were they given mis-information that they should't have? Yes

Were they to have taken a 4 night cruise just before theirs, Rapunzel (twice), Snow White, Belle the first evening, Snow White, Belle, Rapunzel (twice), Cinderella (twice) the second evening.

Fortunately for them, it worked out and they got the picture they wanted in the end due to luck and pixie dust from the CD.

But it is also important to mention there is no guarantee to see ANY princesses on any given cruise.

Just like Noro can affect the Guests, those who have very close contact with you like Character performers also get sick!

Be aware you may not see your Character of choice.

ex techie

Just to add,

Yes on DCL you are penalized for being a first time cruiser.

You get the last online activity booking window available, and are at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to meet and greet tickets, excursions, and spa and restaurant reservations. (Concierge Guests are the exception)

Also, anyones "status" on another line is very much irrelevant to DCL. They do not know your status, or care to offer any perks to persuade you to switch, which I agree with. I'm sure RCI are the same?

They also have fewer ships to fill, and do very well at filling them, even if they do sometimes offer some discounted fares towards the sailing date.

ex techie

To the original poster - I'm glad that, in the end, it all worked out for you! Talk about Disney "magic" (pun intended) :)

Glad to hear it all worked out. FYI if you do cruise again, be forewarned that some events are VERY popular and people log into the system at their first opportunity which is midnight eastern standard time. If you wait until morning, odds are many things may be closed out by then.

Good info

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