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[dattlightner]

Hello, newbie here on the boards Okay, I have a little dilemma and hope ya'll can help me out . DH and I want to take our two kiddos (dd 10 and ds 8) on a cruise. We were planning November 2010 for several reasons.
1. the kids will be 10 and 12, so they will be in the same "group" at the kids club.... I really don't know if this is a big deal or not (having them together), but dh and I thought it might be better for them.
2. In November, the kids always have off the Mon. and Tue. of Veteran's Day, so they would only miss 3 days of school.
3. Dh and I are in the catering business and this is a slower time for us before the madness of Christmas parties begin.

Okay, still with me?? Sorry, I tend to be long winded So what's the problem??? Well, I've been reading and lurking on this board and a couple other boards and was a little worried when I found a post titled "what would you change about DCL?" and some of the answers worried me. First was about the Goofy pool... some said it was a little scary, but didn't say why. So, I ask "why??" and Second, a lot have been complaining about the food (as stated above, DH and I work with food everyday, so we expect high quality when we go out).... is it really that bad?? Now, I know a lot can change within the next 2 years or so, but still. There were other things and it just got me wondering if DH and I should wait and take the kids when the new boat hits the waters. What do ya'll think??? I am so anxious to go (even more than my upcoming trip to WDW in '09- with the in-laws... 10 of us total) that I don't know if I can wait 3 more years.... 2 is hard enough

So, go on the Magic (I think the new sailings come out soon for 2010, right??) or wait for the new ship??? And, as you already read, November is the best month, so that probably won't change. TIA!!!

[emtpej]

Hi and welcome!

The good thing about posting here is that you can get answers to your questions from nice people.
The goofy pool might be scary because sometimes it seems like there are 1000 kids in it,,,
The food was excellent. I don't know who would have a problem with it, except maybe people who just can't resist how wonderful it is and eat too much, something. If you want to get on the new ship (if its not delayed for some reason) I don't know what you will have to do for that, I guess Dave will say.

Have a great time planning and ask away! There are really helpful people here!

[Dave Marx]

The Goofy pool is pretty typical of cruise ship pools. It's smaller than most folks would want, and it has equal depth (4 feet) throughout. Parents looking for a "shallow end" won't find one (the Mickey Pool is more appropriate if 4 feet is too deep). Because it's the "family pool" it's usually very busy, especially with kids who are too big for the Mickey (kids) Pool. Again, that can be an intimidation factor for smaller children. That busy-ness is probably the thing that seemed most "scary" to folks reporting on it.

DCL is unusual among ships of its size in having multiple pools (kids pool, family pool, adults-only pool). Back when Disney's ships were built, they were among the largest ships afloat, and multiple pools was a major novelty. Now, ten years later, and with the advent of the mega ships, it's no longer a pioneering feature.

Food service on DCL rates a solid "B" in our book. No, it's not a fine dining delight, but it's far, far better than "bad." Each DCL kitchen is serving about 450 guests per seating, so as a caterer who knows what kind of food is practical to serve to groups of that sort, I think you can appreciate the limitations DCL and all large ship cruise lines face - pleasing guests with a wide range of tastes and levels of sophistication, and doing it in large quantities.

When DCL's food is rated in surveys of travel magazine readers, it rates very well among the large-ship cruise lines. Readers of Conde Nast Traveler, who generally rank among "discriminating travelers," rate DCL a close second in overall experience behind Celebrity among large-ship cruise lines. If the food was bad, DCL wouldn't even show up on that list.

There are smaller cruise ships that actively market a high-end dining experience for all (at luxury prices). On the large-ship lines the high-end dining is done in optional, extra-cost dining rooms. DCL's version, Palo, gets very high marks in that regard. Disney's add-on price is among the lowest of all cruise lines ($15/person) for that experience, and the value received is closer to $60-$75/person. The trouble with Palo is that, as a limited seating, cooked-to-order establishment, it's very difficult to get a reservation.

[emtpej]

Dave,

Isn't Palo the only shipboard restaurant that got five diamonds from AAA (if that counts for anything)??

[Colexis Mom]

Welcome to the boards We never had any issues with food on the trip Always had great meals, and the kids loved the kid clubs!! I'm sure you'll have a great time

[Dave Marx]

Originally Posted by emtpej

Dave,

Isn't Palo the only shipboard restaurant that got five diamonds from AAA (if that counts for anything)??

Not to my knowledge. I don't think AAA rates any shipboard dining rooms. Victoria and Albert's at Walt Disney World has a five diamonds, and The Hollywood Tower Hotel at Disney's Hollywood Studios has 13 diamonds (you have to watch which elevator you ride, though).

[emtpej]

Originally Posted by Dave Marx

Not to my knowledge. I don't think AAA rates any shipboard dining rooms. Victoria and Albert's at Walt Disney World has a five diamonds, and The Hollywood Tower Hotel at Disney's Hollywood Studios has 13 diamonds (you have to watch which elevator you ride, though).

My mistake. I knew V&A was on the list, but I thought Palo was, too.
Who does rate them, and are the ratings reliable? What places would rate an 'A' with you?

I'll have to 'drop in' on the HTH and check it out, sometime.

[Dave Marx]

Many of the travel magazines run annual reader polls. They generally don't get specific about rating food in particular restaurants on particular ships. Typically, they rate overall food for entire cruise lines, but sometimes you'll see ship-by-ship ratings, too.

Look at it this way - most people are looking for restaurant reviews/ratings in order to make a decision about where to eat tonight/where to eat in a strange new place. Cruise passengers basically don't have a choice - choose the ship, and you've chosen the restaurant.

My cruise ship dining experiences have been on DCL, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival. The regular dining rooms on all three lines have each been very satisfactory. It'd be hard to pick one over the other consistently on food alone. Each has had hits and misses. I give Disney's servers an edge. Since I rate DCL a "B," that gives the others a "B," too. I'm not sure you can give higher than that to any large ship main dining room. To get an "A" you need to be doing more cook-to-order items than are possible in the big dining rooms.

Palo rates highest of any of the specialty dining I've done on those three lines - food, service, and surroundings are all first-rate. It's still not the peak of fine dining, but it's very, very good.

Someday I hope to cruise on some of the small- and medium-ship luxury lines. The food is intended to be superior on those lines, and it's an achievable goal, since they're serving fewer meals.

[dattlightner]

Loving the comments about the food Makes me very happy. I have LOVED all the food at Disney (except for Sci-Fi... wasn't too impressed) and figured the food on the cruise ship had to be pretty decent. DH and I traveled on a Princess cruise and it was pretty good, but that was also 7 years ago, so I don't remember the quality exactly. Glad to hear that it is just crowded in the goofy pool and not "scary"... I didn't know what to expect for an answer there!!

Is the beginning of November a good time to cruise?? I am hoping it won't be way crowded, but it's a cruise and (most importantly) it's DISNEY, so who can complain?? So I am thinking, just book the 2010 and hopefully re-book on the ship for a later cruise on the new ship??!! What do you all think, sounds like a GREAT plan to me

And, thank you all for your help!! If I think of anything else, I will definitely ask away (I'm sure I'll have lots once we officially book!!).

[dmpyron]

I would rate Carnival's food to be slightly better than DCL, but the service to be superior on DCL I would rate RCI's to be slightly less, but the service is at about the same level. RCI does tend towards a more "deluxe" type menu, while DCL really has a broader range of clientele to appeal to. How many 8 year olds are going to eat escargot? DCL does have the advantage of only having two ships, so the standards are a little more tightly managed. On Carnival and RCI, there tends to be more variability from ship to ship. And, honestly, Celebrity has a very nice menu and does quite well on some dishes, but others seemed a little lacking.

[Dave Marx]

Originally Posted by dmpyron

How many 8 year olds are going to eat escargot?

Not many, but it is on one of the regular DCL dinner menus if they're game. (My brother and I were game at that age... no comments about Frasier and Niles Crane allowed! )

[Anijac1412]

Originally Posted by Dave Marx

My brother and I were game at that age... no comments about Frasier and Niles Crane allowed!

LOL!

[HeatherD]

I would rate Carnival's food to be slightly better than DCL, but the service to be superior on DCL I would rate RCI's to be slightly less, but the service is at about the same level. RCI does tend towards a more "deluxe" type menu, while DCL really has a broader range of clientele to appeal to.

Really, Dillon? One of our comments, after trying both Carnival and RCI (pre-DCL), was that RCI was much better, food-quality-wise, than Carnival. Carnival's seemed to me to be, well, it was quantity vs. quality. To serve that much, you sacrifice the flavor (it's my brownie test - brownies at hotels and conventions here in Vegas tend to look like chocolate, but not taste like chocolate - that was Carnival - Hostess vs. Little Debbie).

DCL was much better than Carnival (IMO) and at least equal with RCI. All things being equal, DCL edges them out since my overall experiences were better (service, etc).

[dmpyron]

The last couple of years, Carnival has received very high ratings. Better than Princess (much to "their" chagrin, since Carnival and P&O, PLC and Co. own both (did you choke on that name????)). Carnival brought in several high end chefs to develop a new menu. Of course, as I pointed out, the quality is much more variable when you have over 20 ships vs. 2. I do personally rate Palo above most of the other mass market lines' specialty restaurants. Particularly NCL's. And that's before factoring in price.