Wonder - January 21, 2011 The Cruise To Nowhere In Particular..

[kkmcan]

I felt the food was pretty good except for the spinach artichoke dip appetizer. man that was bland and tasteless! I had the steak the first night and the linguini with just lobster the second night and both were really good. Our servers were great but I did notice that of all the tables they served in our area we were always last to be waited on therefore we were last to leave the dining room.

So we did see the flag parade in PC because were still there. We then got our dessert after the parade and then we hustled off to officer pin trading.

I do have to say that the asst server Lucca, although very nice, was so freaking difficult to understand. It was quite frustrating to keep asking him to repeat what he said. Service during our sunday morning breakfast was really terrible. We sat forever waiting for refills on our coffee. Had to ask. then he only refilled my cup and hurried off even though 3 other adults at the table needed coffee as well. We also had to ask for and then wait for ketchup for the hashbrowns. And again had to ask for the pastry tray to be brought around again right before we left.

all in all it wasn't the best cruise. Just ok in my opinion. Dh and tried to take a dip in the jacuzzis at the adult pool but there were so many people in them that they were packed in their like sardines. We went to the family pool and same thing. So we went back to the adult pool and hung around for 15 minutes or so and gave up. It was cold waiting to see if anyone left.

 

[bubbasmom99]

Hey we had Lucca too! Table 24... first seating... were you nearby?

I am one of the ones who thought the ship was less crowded than I'm used to, and we normally sail in the off-season! I sat out by the Goofy pool and watched the lines for the character greetings in the gazebo next to me and there was never a LONG line... everyone who showed up on time got their picture. Surprised there was not a ship photographer there though...

On the first night, DH and I went to the adult jacuzzi. Pool and spas were both empty and it was at least 15 min before anyone else came by. This was sometime between 9 and 10 pm.

My kids didn't ask to take pics with the characters so we avoided all those lines, which did seem kinda long, but we walked right up to do portraits on the white background (1st night).

I enjoyed most of the food we had, and it was better compared to our last cruise (Magic, Dec 2008). I agree that the servers seemed rushed and not as personable as they would have been on a longer cruise, but Disney on a bad day is still a thousand times better than anywhere else, land or sea. I was just happy to be there.

 

[cmwade77]

I felt the food was pretty good except for the spinach artichoke dip appetizer. man that was bland and tasteless! I had the steak the first night and the linguini with just lobster the second night and both were really good. Our servers were great but I did notice that of all the tables they served in our area we were always last to be waited on therefore we were last to leave the dining room.

So we did see the flag parade in PC because were still there. We then got our dessert after the parade and then we hustled off to officer pin trading.

I do have to say that the asst server Lucca, although very nice, was so freaking difficult to understand. It was quite frustrating to keep asking him to repeat what he said. Service during our sunday morning breakfast was really terrible. We sat forever waiting for refills on our coffee. Had to ask. then he only refilled my cup and hurried off even though 3 other adults at the table needed coffee as well. We also had to ask for and then wait for ketchup for the hashbrowns. And again had to ask for the pastry tray to be brought around again right before we left.

all in all it wasn't the best cruise. Just ok in my opinion. Dh and tried to take a dip in the jacuzzis at the adult pool but there were so many people in them that they were packed in their like sardines. We went to the family pool and same thing. So we went back to the adult pool and hung around for 15 minutes or so and gave up. It was cold waiting to see if anyone left.

That would affect the tip that I left the server......I tip based upon service received.

 

[ClubDis]

It was right before dessert. I would say about 7:10 pm. They dimmed the lights a bit and started from the kitchen where the buffet table is and continued on to the back of the room where we were. They had two lines and when the lines reached the back of the room the split off and circle back around again. I can't imagine how anyone could have missed this, especially with the Baked Alaska flaming.

It wasn't before dessert for us. Sounds like we weren't the only ones who were well done with dessert when this occurred.It would have been nice to know something was supposed to happen, we would have hung around. I thought we were just supposed to leave when we were finished. Wasn't planned very well, in my opinion. Should have been done much earlier. Not gonna lie, I'm kind of miffed.

 

[Magix]

It wasn't before dessert for us. Sounds like we weren't the only ones who were well done with dessert when this occurred.It would have been nice to know something was supposed to happen, we would have hung around. I thought we were just supposed to leave when we were finished. Wasn't planned very well, in my opinion. Should have been done much earlier. Not gonna lie, I'm kind of miffed.

I agree. Well, not about the miffed part, but it is kind of a bummer. We arrived to AP probably about 10 minutes after the start of the late dining. We had a leisurely meal, including desert, and nothing happened while we were there. We must have just missed it. Our waiter did not indicate anything would be happening. We had no idea until we happened across it at PC. We just figured our restaurant didn't do it, since there was not the slightest hint of it and many people had already had desert and left. Guess next time I cruise with DCL, I'll just sit there on the last night until something happens.

 

[ChipperMerlin]

Just now getting around to reading all the posts - returning home has been hectic and full of "drama." Glad things are settling back to normal.

We were on the 15 day Panama Canal cruise, and so possibly have a different perspective on this cruise.

Getting off/back on the PC cruise was a nightmare - we were supposed to be off by 9:30 and back on by 10:30. Ha! Finally were escorted off after 10:30 - cleared customs, went back up to re-board. The CM who was supposed to meet us and take us back on never showed. Port staff didn't know what to do with us and wanted us to go on board when they opened it for everyone. Finally a CM did let us on at 11:30 - we were to go to Quiet Cove for coffee & pastries until the 12:30 boarding. The Quiet Cove CMs didn't get the message - but they did finally comp us with specialty coffees.

As soon as the ship started allowing people to board, we had a nice lunch at BBB. Not crowded yet. Friday afternoon was chaotic - lobby full of people milling around - noise level high. However, we went to our room and didn't let it bother us.

Meals - we had reservations at Palo for Friday dinner, Saturday brunch and Saturday tea. Our assigned restaurant was Parrot Cay and we stopped by to meet our table mates and greet our server. We were surprised to find that our place was at a table for two. Strange - as we like to meet other people.

Character photo ops - Loved the fact that you got into one line, then went from character to character in the lobby. Much more efficient - we didn't have any pix taken, but observed the lines from deck 4. On PC cruise, you had to go get into a new line each time. As to the characters on deck 9 at the gazebos, there was seldom a photographer accompanying them on the PC cruise, so this wasn't a change.

Saturday - every time we wandered around, it didn't seem crowded or noisy. Perhaps it was because we weren't at the pool areas. We did go to one of the bingo games and we played several of the trivia games. We enjoyed ourselves and continued having a great time.

Sunday - got off the ship easily - no lines and no immigration to deal with. Biggest problem - took over 45 minutes for them to open the luggage bays so we could get our bags. This was a shock, since we were used to coming off the ship and finding them lined up for us at Port Canaveral.

Are we glad we stayed on for the two day cruise? Yes - we are one step closer to Platinum - and we would have spent more if we had gone to Disneyland for the same amount of time. Considering that we will be at both Disneyland and WDW next month, we were happy to cruise.

 

[ChipperMerlin]

We would like to thank everyone who participated in the FEs - got some really great things. I misplaced the name of the person who put a lottery ticket in ours - thought you'd like to know that it was worth $2! Thank you!!!

Because we were on the PC cruise, we didn't have a complete list of participants, so went along each deck and put our goodies in each FE until we ran out.

Thanks again to everyone who stopped by 6090.

 

[ChipperMerlin]

Happy Birthday to Des & Tori - and greetings to Richard. A big thank you for letting us stop by and vicariously enjoy the Walt Disney Suite. It was a "sweet" suite! So glad we got to meet you on the PC cruise and this one.

 

[cmwade77]

I just thought that I would let everyone know that I gout our trip report up at:
http://www.wades4ever.com/disney-cruise-to-neverland.html

I will post more about the FEs later, when I get a chance to do so.

 

[YenSid1222]

I just thought that I would let everyone know that I gout our trip report up at:
http://www.wades4ever.com/disney-cruise-to-neverland.html

I will post more about the FEs later, when I get a chance to do so.

Believe it or not, the amount of live singing is pretty much the same in both GMs and DD. All the solos are live, the chorus stuff has back up vocals...but it is the same level for both shows.

They also record each performer early on in their contract so that if someone needs to be on vocal rest, they can still perform and just lip synch to their own voice. There was definately one performer that I can remember that did this last weekend.

However, even in DD each performer sings the chorus parts on top of the back up vocal tracks. Somewhere I have the sheet music for the whole show.

Incidently, did anyone attend the 6:15 performance of DD where there was the little issue during the Aladdin scene??? It was VERY funny to watch the casts reactions!!

 

[ClubDis]

Incidently, did anyone attend the 6:15 performance of DD where there was the little issue during the Aladdin scene??? It was VERY funny to watch the casts reactions!!

I did, but I didn't notice anything. But then again, it was my first time seeing it. What happened?

 

[cmwade77]

Believe it or not, the amount of live singing is pretty much the same in both GMs and DD. All the solos are live, the chorus stuff has back up vocals...but it is the same level for both shows.

They also record each performer early on in their contract so that if someone needs to be on vocal rest, they can still perform and just lip synch to their own voice. There was definately one performer that I can remember that did this last weekend.

However, even in DD each performer sings the chorus parts on top of the back up vocal tracks. Somewhere I have the sheet music for the whole show.

Incidently, did anyone attend the 6:15 performance of DD where there was the little issue during the Aladdin scene??? It was VERY funny to watch the casts reactions!!

I can tell you that for Golden Mickeys every person in the cast had mics, but in Disney Dreams many of the cast had no mics. I do understand that they fill in the ensemble, but if they don't have mics, they can't be singing in a way that can be readily heard. I was in the front row for both shows, so I could easily see who had mics and didn't. Please note that this was for the 8:15 show both nights.

 

[kkmcan]

Hey we had Lucca too! Table 24... first seating... were you nearby?

We were table 26. The big table in front of the windows. How funny you were so close and we didn't even know it! If I had known, we would have stopped by your table to say hello.

 

[YenSid1222]

I can tell you that for Golden Mickeys every person in the cast had mics, but in Disney Dreams many of the cast had no mics. I do understand that they fill in the ensemble, but if they don't have mics, they can't be singing in a way that can be readily heard. I was in the front row for both shows, so I could easily see who had mics and didn't. Please note that this was for the 8:15 show both nights.

Soloist mics are in their hair. The only tracked vocals are ensemble parts. There is a lot more live singing than you may think. Yes, they are singing on top of the ensemble track so that the show has a full sound that would otherwise not be possible with an ensemble of just 8-10 (which would leave only 2 people on each vocal part). All principles (Anne Marie, Anne Marie's Mother, Peter, Blue Fairy, Aladdin, Ariel, Cinderella, Fairy Godmother, Belle, CoL Soloist) sing and speak their own parts.

It is common to also only mic someone if they have a solo. In the GMs almost every ensemble member has a solo line in the opening number, so they each would be mic'd for that reason alone. But all ensemble numbers are tracked in exactly the same manner as DD.

 

[YenSid1222]

I did, but I didn't notice anything. But then again, it was my first time seeing it. What happened?

During "Prince Ali", the rear lift normally raises up Aladdin on Abu in elephant form...all on the staircase unit that is used a number of other times in the show. Then it is used by the harem girls who fan him with the long feather fan things.

Well, the lift did not come up with elephant unit. So the number gets to the point where they are supposed to run back to Aladdin...and you could see each of them turn around to see...no Aladdin. This also meant that Aladdin was not on stage for his normal entrance. Keep in mind that the performer would have been under the stage at this point. Soooo, suddenly running from stage left in the middle of the climax of the song comes Aladdin who goes to the spot where the elephant should have been and just starts waving. The fans had been just left on the stage sitting there when the haren girls had nobody to fan. BUT also remember that normally Aladdin would have been about 6 feet above the ensemble. Now he was having to stand behind them effectively blocked from view except for those of us on the sides. We could also see the giggles happening as the cast quickly started redoing their blocking accordingly.

Then at the end of the number the girls normally pose on both sides of Aladdin and ride the lift down to the pit and exit down there. Half of the girls went and stopped and posed next to Aladdin standing at stage level...the other half just ran off.

Anyway, it was LOTS of fun watching the expressions of everyone as they would turn to look for something that should have been there and to see them quickly figure out how to readjust the show. Thats the kind of stuff I love in live theater!

 

[dsnydaddy]

I just thought that I would let everyone know that I gout our trip report up at:
http://www.wades4ever.com/disney-cruise-to-neverland.html

I will post more about the FEs later, when I get a chance to do so.

Very nice Trip report. Thanks!

 

[bubbasmom99]

We were table 26. The big table in front of the windows. How funny you were so close and we didn't even know it! If I had known, we would have stopped by your table to say hello.

How funny! Your table looked like they were having fun! Lucca's accent was difficult to understand but I appreciated his effort. I truly believed he was giving 100% to his job, even though it did feel a bit hectic at times... but we are pretty easygoing, and he kept our drink glasses filled so definitely no complaints here. The brain teasers were a little annoying - only because I don't want to think so hard on vacation

 

[ibouncetoo]

OK, who stayed at the Crown Plaza and how did you like it? Did you eat at a nearby resaturant?

Trying to decide where to stay for the LA/Vancouver repo.

.

 

[bubbasmom99]

OK, who stayed at the Crown Plaza and how did you like it? Did you eat at a nearby resaturant?

Trying to decide where to stay for the LA/Vancouver repo.

.

We got the Crowne Plaza on Priceline and it was great. check in was a breeze, the hotel was quiet... perfectly adequate. However, they had some water pump issue in the morning and we had no water for at least a half hour around 9 am. Thankfully we'd already gotten ready and we just went ahead and checked out. I don't know how long it took for them to get things going again but I'd have been screaming for some sort of discount if I were in the middle of a shower with a head full of shampoo!

We ate dinner at Acapulco on the waterfront and I really enjoyed it. It's a chain but we don't have one up here. I thought it was as good if not better than Chevy's. The prices were reasonable, considering it was a touristy area. You could actually walk from the CP to Acapulcos... it's a block and a half away. If we'd known that, we probably would have.

 

[PizzieDuster]

We got the Crowne Plaza on Priceline and it was great. check in was a breeze, the hotel was quiet... perfectly adequate. However, they had some water pump issue in the morning and we had no water for at least a half hour around 9 am. Thankfully we'd already gotten ready and we just went ahead and checked out. I don't know how long it took for them to get things going again but I'd have been screaming for some sort of discount if I were in the middle of a shower with a head full of shampoo!

We ate dinner at Acapulco on the waterfront and I really enjoyed it. It's a chain but we don't have one up here. I thought it was as good if not better than Chevy's. The prices were reasonable, considering it was a touristy area. You could actually walk from the CP to Acapulcos... it's a block and a half away. If we'd known that, we probably would have.

Hi buubasmom

We stayed at the Crowne and did not experience any water problems. DH was up with DD and they showered and went down to the piers to take pics. I showered had no problems and got to the port by 10:00 because DH had to get to work so he just swung by and dropped us off. We went to the port the night before to see where and how to get there - a dry run.

DH pulled over and Porters took our luggage and DD12 and I walked right in, up the esculators and had no lines at all! We got boarding pass #2. It was not so much that I wanted to get there early - it was my hubby is an attorney and had a court appearance and had to DROP us off early


We had dinner the night before at The Port restaurant at the waterfront. We then went back for a glass of wine at the Crowne in the lounge and then we hit the sack!

I spoke to fellow DISers in the lobby in the morning who were very smart and walked to the port. But we passed them half way to the terminal. Like I said, I had my DH in a tie ready for us to drop and roll the minute we pulled up to the port