No Magic on Disney Wonder
Written: Jun 06 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: nice for young children, good plays, spacious stateroom with great decor
Cons: poor service, below average food, no midnight buffet
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| d.caves's Full Review: Disney Wonder |
In January of this year, I found out I was going to have a life threatening surgery. One of the promises I wanted to fulfill before my surgery was to take my daughter, who is moderately mentally handicapped, on a Disney Cruise. My daughter is mentally about 8 years old, still enjoys cartoons and Disney characters. Disney seemed the best choice for her.
Since this was to be a gift for her eighteenth birthday and high school graduation, I opted to make it really special. We went all out and reserved a stateroom with a balcony on the seventh floor.
Our cruise took place in February. The welcome aboard was nice and we were very pleased with the size of our stateroom and cleanliness. The room decor was also very pleasing, as was the size of the balcony.
The first disappointment came with the dining experiences. We felt herded into the dining room like cattle. Service was entertaining, but slow. Food was below average and not what we had expected for a cruise line. The drinks were usually brought out long before your meal was served with the ice already melted. If your drink was empty by the time your food arrived, good luck getting a refill. We felt as if it was a signal to eat quickly and leave at the same speed.
We did like the idea of rotating restaurants, yet that still did not make up for the poor service and below average food.
Not one to let anything spoil a trip for me, it was onward to the sunshine and pool. Luckily even though the pool was small, it was not crowded. The pool also had a large four foot lip around the top filled with a few inches of water, to either cool down in or just lay in to sun. That and the two adjoining adult jacuzzis were our favorite spots on the entire ship.
After sunning for a good while, we were very thirsty. I ordered a few colas and gave the server my Disney Card, which charges to your major credit card, no cash is accepted on the cruise. It would not swipe. I was told to go to customer service and get a replacement card. Even after explaining I had a medical condition that made it difficult to make the trek to customer service and back, I was told that was the only way I could get the drinks. Not wanting to spoil the celebration for my daughter, I made the long trip to customer service, stood in line with ten other people having the same problem. I was given a new card, told it was a "good card", and made the long trip back to the pool area. The card worked and we were able to get the colas.
The trip to Castaway Cay was beautiful. If anything salvaged our trip, it was this island. The water was so clear, you would see the design on sand dollars under water. Not only was the island beautiful, but the food was cooked on outdoor grills and pretty good, even though a limited selection. If I could have changed anything about the trip it would have been to stay on the island longer. The only downside was that even here if you expect service, you will not get it.
Back on the boat and we thought this must be the night of the midnight buffet! Wrong, there is no such thing! They did bring out some fruit and cheese, but that was not what we expected. Again, I ordered a few colas to drink poolside and found out my card was not swiping again. I was told I had to go back to customer service desk (that terrible long trek again) and get a new card. I finally broke down and explained that I had a growth pressing against my spinal cord and had no intentions of going back to customer service desk. I received no sympathy and no colas! Knowing we had to drink something, I made the trip to customer service and was really angry. They gave me a new card after waiting in line with the others whose cards had failed again. I insisted on speaking to the customer service manager. They told me to have a seat and he would be right with me. I sat in great pain and waited for thirty minutes. He never came out of his office. By the time I limped away I was fuming.
After the cost of this trip and keeping in mind the fact it was a gift for my special daughter, I kept trying to find things to enjoy about this cruise.
I did enjoy watching the children ages two to ten having a great time. The staff seemed very attentive to this age child during the early evening dances and programs. The plays were very good and entertaining for all ages. The view from our stateroom was breathtaking. The room was cleaned and made up nicely everyday. The room attendants were very friendly and service oriented.
If you have very young children, this might be a nice cruise. The mistake I made was believing there was something for all ages on Disney Cruises, as advertised. It was more like a floating Disney World. Not the luxury, service or food you would expect for a cruise.
We were very anxious to get off of this cruise. I would like to say I would recommend it to those of you with young children, but I cannot in good faith recommend Disney Cruises to anyone. I am a very service oriented person. I expect service to equal the cost of my accomadations!
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
d.caves
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Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 15 members
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