KGSB11

On 3/11/2023 at 10:06 AM, not-enough-cruising said:

I was on mid February.

 

We were able to get Bulleitt, and Buffalo Trace just about everywhere. Makers mark was a little harder to find but about 75% of the bars had it.

Thanks; Ill try to get my fill of BT.  What about higher proof for cocktails like a WT101?  I've heard Trellis bar is a good spot to go. 

I leave in 14 days to head to Galveston to board on the 26th.  Kind of a Whisk(e)y centric question, any insight on which bars were stocked better than others? 

4 hours ago, Twinmom_2015 said:

I might cancel it. Lol   I am hoping it goes down, because I feel that is over priced too.  

It might, however wait until it does before cancelling your current package.  It would really suck if you cancel now and it goes higher and you end up buying it anyways.

I purchased the Deluxe package the other day myself, and it was $7 higher than the lowest I have seen it for my cruise (a.k.a. 1 Beer a Day lower, lol).  I can manage.

Just purchased this morning for my Allure cruise next month.  $85 last night, and now it is $75.  Cheapest price I have seen it in the last 2 months was $68.

OP, I'm wondering if you have been on a 3 night RCI cruise? If so, I would like to hear that comparison.

 

I haven't read every post yet, but a few post in made me wonder this question. To me, that would be an apples to apples comparison.

 

I have done 2 B2Bs on the Dream, and the 3 night vs the 4 night are completely different...and for a lot of reasons.

 

I'm not a fan of the 3 nights.....but put up with it for 2 stops at Castaway Cay. If my first DCL cruise was a 3 night Dream, I never would have gone again. We are gold on DCL, but price has driven me away....I concur with many of the comments made on these boards about that aspect of DCL.

Up until the Disney, the shortest cruise I had been on was a 5-Day on Liberty back in 2014. So I am comparing a 3-day Disney with a 5-Day Liberty.

I'll admit that 3 days is just a teaser cruise, but I would have expected more from the price. Especially considering that many people may use it to "Try Out" Disney to see if it is as good as WDW. We spent one day at Magic Kingdom in 2015 with our girls (ages 3 and 6mos then) and the service we got out of two meals at the park was phenomenal despite my feelings toward the company; even the new trainee at one of the park restaurants was awesome -- I would think that they [Disney] would be pros at great service with very little rapport.

...still lines for everything (we had hoped it would be like Disney World but without the lines - nope, every time Mickey appeared, within seconds there were 200 kids waiting to see him!).

 

Disney heavily pushes their "adult only" areas, every dining venue that is adult only costs good money.

 

While on land I feel Disney customer service is second to none,

Yes the lines! My daughter started crying not 5min after we boarded (12:15pm) because Rapunzel was in the lobby greeting people but they closed the line before we got there. Because of the the 3-day we spent most time on the ship. Stayed on at Nassau (as did many many others) and spent the morning at Castaway Cay and came back at 1pm for lunch in the buffet -- this was the best time on the ship. There were about 10 people on the pool deck and the AquaDuck line was 5 min.

The Adults Only areas is what I had a problem with, so when my kids passed out at 9:30-ish, we had to go back to the room since strollers (i.e. sleeping kids) weren't allowed in any lounge. They don't have in-room babysitting like RCCL (not that I ever used it because RCCL doesn't mind kids in the lounges).

I was a fan of the Disney service at WDW and WDW restaurants (despite not caring for the company as a whole) and that was what I expected on-board. Sadly, they fell short.

I have never been on DCL, but I have to wonder is making a comparison of a 3 day cruise like comparing Majesty to Harmony?

It is very possible that it is not a fair comparison, and that is what I am trying to find out; I am comparing this 3-day DCL to a 5-day on Liberty.

You need an MRI IMO..The Disney Dream is the # 1 rated ship in the world...I thought she was fantastic- best cabins ( didn't you LOVE the 2 bathrooms??- super!), best shows ( by far), best MDR food, best service, best private island ( REALLY by far!) , best 4 days ever at sea..BTW, I went on the Liberty also one year earlier and LOVED it- but she was NO match for the Dream..Palo's Brunch ALONE was worth the cruise, along with Castaway Cay, all the Disney nightime shows, fireworks, fried coconut shrimp at the buffet ( are you kidding?)..simply amazing IMO..what didn't you like? AND we have NO kids & are in our 60's...:cool:

 

Big Al

An MRI? haha

Because it was the #1 rated ship is is why I am so confused. I really didn't want to make a list of negatives because I still had a great time, so I'll try to keep it simple and not a rant.

- Cabins -- our Ocean View cabin had only 1 bathroom; it was accessible, so I'm sure that is the reason. The room also had an automatic door which proved to make my DD(1) a flight risk where she would push the button and then end up running down the hall...this was funny the first 30 times she did it, then we had to start blocking the door with various items.:')

- Shows -- Only went to the Pirate show..although it seemed like most revolved around the movie theater to watch "In Theater" movies. Which is not why we vacation -- DD(4) did enjoy the movies by the pool, but there was little interest in the theater.

- Food -- MDR was okay, found the food to be a bit bland and more limited. Buffett was good -- I did enjoy crab & shrimp each day for lunch

- Service -- Didn't make any impressions. Overall I found some of the staff to be short and non-approachable at times; with the exception of our room steward Yerilee; he was great! Wife was very sternly corrected at the buffet for describing to DD(4) the purpose of the sanitizing wipes was to wash hands before eating (which she was then given a curt rundown of the important differences between washing and sanitizing -- okay, you describe to a 4 year old the nuances between the two)

The first nights dinner, my youngest daughter (23mos) made a mess of some food and when we asked for more napkins we were shouted at "No!, but I can get you some towels" -- I don't care what they are, I just wanted something to clean up.

The biggest disappointment for me was the complete separation of the Adult areas in that once my kids passed out at 9:30/10:00 there wasn't much for us to do because all the lounges were "Adults Only". Many a time on RCCL, we could enjoy live music at The Schooner Bar, Boleros, or the Champagne Bar whilst the kiddos were passed out in the stroller. But this was not allowed on Disney.

You know the drill--they sail full. Prices only go up. Someone's buying.

 

If you're looking for someone to agree with you that those people are all crazy, I'm sure you'll get some takers, especially in the RCI forum (where DCL cruisers generally end up when they get priced out--even the main Disney online community/podcast has its official cruises on RC).

 

(That said, I just saw in another thread that Disney's ships are on par with luxury lines in terms of passenger to space ratio.)

Not looking for vindication; just whether my experience was typical or atypical.

The service was so much better on Disney with our girls. Once we arrived for dinner, I did not have to worry about a single thing. They talked with the kids to get something they would like each night. When the food came out, they would cut up anything for each of them and truly wait on them much more than my wife and I. This was great as we could relax and really enjoy dinner instead of helping our daughters.

This was in-line with my expectations, however was far from received. By the third and final night (having done these exact things days 1 and 2) I had to wait for the wine list, order and wait for milk for my daughters, and when asked for bread right away to keep DD (23mos) occupied, it would come in "normal" time after drinks and orders were placed. These are things I have become accustomed to on Royal cruises and expected the same if not better service.

I also witnessed the next table over request a certain pastry at breakfast for their kid and were denied because they can only serve off of their tray and when they run out, they cannot grab from other trays.

I feel compelled to say that it certainly did not ruin the vacation...sun was warm, beach was Sandy, water was salty -- better than any day at home...I was just surprised.

This is kind of all there is to it. You're either "in the bubble" or you're not. You don't need anyone else to confirm your opinion in any case.

 

(I am not in the bubble, but my one *concierge level* cruise with DCL blew away the other four lines I've been on in terms of service. Pretty sure the concierges would have jumped overboard and swum back to shore to fetch me something if I asked nicely. That said, it was concierge and it's too rich for my blood. Plus ... too many screaming kids in the dining rooms and no dinner buffet.)

I just found it odd that my wife who is "In the bubble" as you say, also felt the same.

Just got back from a 3-day cruise on Disney Dream with my family of 4. I wasn't very impressed and by day 2, I was already starting to note all the differences between DCL and RCCL; and in my opinion RCCL came out ahead in most areas including the Kids Club/Adventure Ocean.

Truth be told, I am not a huge fan of the Walt Disney Company in general, but I honestly had an open mind after hearing people rave about service and the "Disney Experience". Not saying I had a bad time because -- Cruising. But I left not caring if I sailed with them ever again and really looking forward to my Feb 2018 Liberty cruise. Even my wife, who LOVES Disney felt the same.

Loooking for others' opinions on DCL vs RCCL and wondering if I missed something or just had a random chance "off-day" for that cruise?

Thank you all for the kind words on the review/trip report thus far.

I will be done transferring all the photos to the new site today. Once it is finished, the remainder of the review will be posted as the text was completed last week.

LOVE the pictures!!!!!:D:D

We never made it out the door!! It was POURING!!!!!!

Retreated to our balcony, which was on the starboard side, so I missed the FlowRider house, which I was looking forward to seeing..:mad:

 

Cannot wait for the next installment.......

 

Maybe we'll spot ourselves in a picture or two......:D

I have ton's of pictures from Maho Beach in St. Maarten and Nellie's Beach on Labadee. I bet if you spent any amount of time at either place, you made it on my camera :).

Would appreciate some tips for travelling with children, it's our first family cruise with two young boys...what are the must haves/recommended things you'd take?

 

 

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Also, this blog as good tips for traveling with kids:

http://havebabywilltravel.com/

Would appreciate some tips for travelling with children, it's our first family cruise with two young boys...what are the must haves/recommended things you'd take?

 

 

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Lots of toys.

We pack 1 or 2 carry-on size bags full of small books and small toys -- mainly for dinners where their attention span can be put to the test. We bring several small favorite toys plus a few new ones from the dollar store that are easily donated later.

We bring the bag with us and just keep bringing new ones out as they get bored with others.

We also put the "No videos/TV at dinner" rule on vacation as well and if it keeps them happy, videos are okay with us.

Breakfast in the WJ - We arrived about 10:30am and had a 10min wait to be seated, but we were seated in a nice window seat which was a plus. Although arriving that late when they stop serving at 11am means you have work quick to make sure you get your food because by 11:15am, lunch is already set up and the once sizzling bacon is now a dish of rice pilaf :eek:

Getting smiles out of kids can be tough sometimes. At least she had her bag of toys to keep her occupied at meals.

I had plans to meet my dad for the Martini Clinic at 3pm and we stalled by exploring the ship and going to Johnny Rockets for Lunch.

Finally time had arrived for the Martini Clinic. I had been looking forward to this as I tried the Margarita Clinic on the Allure and had a blast (at least the parts I can remember). So it was off to the...Champagne Bar – which is kind of a misnomer as their martini list is quite good. In fact the head bartender/instructor of the class mentioned that many martinis can only be made in the Champagne Bar due to the ingredients. The Martini Clinic is held twice and different martinis are made in each class; the charge is $25 per class or a slight discount if you register for both classes at once.

Chocolate Martini

I later suggested to my wife, the Black Forrest Martini and she became a fan instantly -- it became routine for me to get her one every night after dinner with my Premium Package -- a $2 up-charge with the package.

The Champagne bar became a de-facto hangout for us and the family for the remainder of the cruise.

This was an early to rise day as we had reservations for the Character Breakfast in the MDR...which seemed like a good idea two months ago; but after a long travel day on Friday, coupled with an exciting first day onboard, all four of us were a bit slow that morning -- So keep that in mind when traveling with young-cruisers.

We were one of the last to arrive but yet still had plenty of time to get settled and our food ordered before the characters started coming out.

No need to worry about body image when being photographed next to a Hippo! -- and when others can't seem to properly focus a cell camera :confused:

After the breakfast we headed up to the pool deck for a full day in the sun; which brings me to the next section of discussion:

Pool(s)

Most…nay…all of our time spent on the pool deck all week was at the H20Zone, because – kids. DD(4) enjoyed the current pool/lazy river, waterfalls, and the main kids pool while DD(1) spent some time in the Baby Splash Zone but was not too interested to stay for long periods of time. We did bring an inflatable mini pool for the youngest but she was more interested in walking around the pool deck than spending actual time in the water.

The main kid’s pool gets crowded and is very rambunctious – it didn’t take me long to realize that if you plan on having a drink by the pool, you best have a cover of sorts, lest your drink include chlorine. I also found out that adults in the kid’s pool area are bulls-eyes for the water cannons operated by young-cruisers.

We preferred to sit in lounge chairs just outside the immediate area, yet within ear-shot and eye-sight of the H2Ozone – these are the chairs if you proceed straight out of the elevator lobby closest to the kids pool and walk straight to the starboard side without turning forward or aft; they next to the deck stairs going up to 16 – The area is partially covered, but gets some sun which is good with an infant. I also preferred this area because the ocean view is a solid glass wall open to above as opposed to the ocean view windows immediately in the H2Ozone which are covered fully by deck 16 above.

DD(1) taking a mid-day snooze -- she enjoyed looking out at the ocean

Just before dinner, DD(4) participated in the cupcake decorating class which is hosted in Cups and Scoops in the Boardwalk area. Although she required a little bit of help, all the "major" steps were done by her.

Just enjoy...There are plenty of things to do for non-partiers who enjoy nightlife.

Don't try to spend time at every corner and venue on the ship -- I have found that it is much too large for that (I have been on Allure and Oasis and have yet to go on the Rising Tide Bar, Zip Line, or Rock Wall.

I usually scope out all the places the first two days and settle on a few areas that I like -- because every cruise and crowd is different, I have found that no two venues are alike and the same venue is different from one cruise to the next.

Very nice photos. Enjoying the review so far! I didn't realize that you could have lunch at Giovanni's on embarkation day...is that the only specialty restaurant open for lunch the first day? Did you make reservations ahead of time? Thanks!

Giovanni's is open for lunch along with Vintages, Sabor, and Johnny Rockets. No charge venues include Solarium Bistro, Park Cafe, Boardwalk Dog House, Wipe Out Cafe, and Windjammer.

We did not make reservations ahead of time and our party of 8 was seated immediately -- they are pretty much dead for lunch. The entire time we were there, only two or three other tables were taken; this was also the case when we went on Allure a few years ago.

I much prefer this than the elbowing at Windjammer or Park Cafe on Embarkation day.

That fills us in to where I left off before in posting pictures.

If I could have just 1 or 2 more people confirm that they are able to see the new pictures, that would be much appreciated.

I will hold off of transferring the remaining photos to the new hosting site until I know for sure it did work.

We had 10201 and 10199 connecting C1 balcony rooms for the four of us; 1 for kids, toys, and the perpetual mess – 1 for adults and space. Having the Pack and Play next to the closet (ie: Bed by Balcony layout) was best for stroller access and storage.

2 bathrooms were an absolute blessing but we did miss the ocean view. We just didn’t end up using it as much as other OV balconies in the past – possibly the addition of 2 kids changed the cruising dynamic a bit but we probably won’t do two inside balconies again. Because of the space/price though, we would do two insides – maybe even gamble on next one and do one inside with kids -- ummm..the jury is still out on that.

My parents had a JS which was very nice...definitely helped us to remember that we missed the oceanview balcony.

View from Balconies

Just an FYI for those that wish to know...

From the Junior Suite on Deck 8 (i.e. my feet, but not my room).

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I can't see the pictures!!!:(

 

We were on this same cruise with you, and DEVASTATED at the torrential downpours at sailaway.

 

We went all the way forward on Deck 14, to the sun deck and you could barelyl see 2 feet out.:mad::mad:

 

Cannot wait to read more!!!!:D

Yeah, that rain was definitely not fun -- we were planning to be up on 16 over looking the pools and people partying...perhaps even giving out copious amounts of "High-5's". But Mother Nature had other plans -- we went to deck 15 instead and viewed sailaway under cover.

That is until the lighting really got close. My niece was looking out the window and jumped back about 20ft when there were a few thunder-claps a few inches too close.

How soaked did you end up on 14???

Our expectations with two young (dependent) kids was as follows – lots of activities geared towards occupying them and trying to find ways to relax while doing so (Small intermittent breaks for things that queued our interests). This was our fourth cruise (3rd with Royal) and 2nd cruise bringing young-ones. There were a lot more families on this cruise than in my previous “shoulder” season experiences which was expected – though we did run into quite a few of the “Really? You brought kids onboard?!” stares.

We ended up leaving the hotel at10:30a with the same Q&S driver from the day before. FYI: The Hyatt Bell Service will copy luggage tags for free whereas I paid $8 for Business desk and printing day before. Also a note regarding Q&S, we annoyed another family that arrived a few minutes before us and started loading their luggage despite our reservation made the previous day. The problem is Q&S contracts with hotel and is also independent so the Bell desk may not be aware and will just load guests as they are ready -- be sure to let them know of any reservations you have.

Arrived to Terminal 18 at 10:45a with no wait and by 11:15 we were in GOLD waiting seats. Promptly at 11:30am we were called for boarding.

We ate at Giovanni’s for Lunch as we did on Allure – Cyril, our waiter, was awesome but there was a grumpy couple next to us that gave us the "Kids Stare". Not sure what their "deal" was, but I was in vacation mode and gave them my best "C'mon -- lighten up you stiffs"

DD(4) being sociable as usual

FYI: Rain makes for a wet sailaway

That didn't keep my niece from having a good time though.

I do hope these new links work -- here are the photos from the first post which was about flying down to FLL and the Hyatt the day before Embarkation day:

This is them doing their best "Don't put my face up on CC with all those crazies "

It's always best to travel light, when you have kids!!

Hyatt Pier 66 Arrival and Kiddos Playing.