Currently on our first DCL cruise, but we’ve done 10+ cruises in total with other lines. We’re a family of 5. The dinner service so far has been a lot lower than we’re used to and I’m just wondering if this is normal for DCL? It’s a series of little things rather than anything major, but they add up.

So, our first night - the table was prepared with 5 chairs, 5 sets of cutlery, etc - but obly 3 bread plates. We ordered sodas and they took over half an hour to come. The kids starters and their mains came together, so those weren’t really separate courses as such - just loads of food all in one go. Both the adult’s starters were cold. Our water glasses remained empty for a good 15 minutes. All 3 kids ordered Mickey bars for dessert and only 2 came.

Night two - we had the right number of bread plates this time, but only 4 rolls between the 5 of us. The kids starters and their mains delivered together again. My twins both ordered pizza, but one got 3 slices and the other got 2 (and this was not the same amount of pizza but sliced differently - it was literally a smaller portion). The same long wait for our empty water glasses to be refilled.

Does this sound typical for DCL? I’d heard really good things about the service, so this wasn’t what I was expecting. And if it’s not the norm, what should we be doing by way of feedback/sorting it? We’ve been pointing out stuff like the missing dessert and unequal portion sizes as it happens, but haven’t said anything on the timing issues so far (was kind of hoping the first night was just because it was the first night, but looks like it’s not)

So I can stop checking for our room assignment and start packing and planning!

We recently did the 4 day Bahamas cruise on Destiny out of FTL. We had an amazing time. It was our first ever cruise and I’m so glad we chose DCL. I cruised with my turning 16 year old daughter and my mom.

What We Loved:

The kindness of the cast members was refreshing. Anyone from the people standing at the wash stations before Marcelline Market to the Guest Services folks, everyone was wonderful on the ship.

We adored our serving team, especially our assistant server who was new. They were so kind and willing to work with us. I had just had surgery so was on a finicky diet and they were very accommodating. When we asked for more bread, it appeared within minutes. On the last night they brought us out champagne and a cool non alcoholic champagne for my daughter free of charge. Wasn’t expecting that and thought it was excellent.

The shows were amazing! We saw both Frozen and Hercules. Broadway level entertainment. Hercules was my favorite. The singing was fantastic,

Marcelline Market had a wonderful selection at both breakfast and lunch. I was able to get rice and salmon (excellent) and we got the Mickey Churro Waffles for breakfast on the last day.

Our favorite restaurants were 1923 and surprisingly Worlds of Marvel. We are not big Marvel fans but we do like trivia and the little trivia questions during dinner were really fun. Loved the quiet of 1923.

Some Things We Didn’t Love:

The ship was a bit hard to navigate although by 4th day I think we had it figured out. More signage would help.

Castaway Cay day started out with rain. The ship did provide ponchos as we disembarked which was very nice. It was a beautiful island. But the water was kind of murky due to rain so we didn’t spend a lot of time around the beach. Found chairs with an umbrella easily and was able to enjoy some good drinks from the Frozen inspired drink stand.

I bought the WiFi package and it was a little hard to figure out. So we had to wait in line at Guest Services. For first time cruisers I wasn’t sure how to use ship WiFi.

Will probably listen to other folks and stay on the ship in Nassau next time. Kind of chaotic out of the port. We did not do a Disney excursion.

Overall loved it and will be going again. Next time on one of the smaller ships like Fantasy.

We are surprising our kids with a cruise this Christmas and need ideas with how we can surprise them (ages 13 and 11 at time of sailing).

In the past, we did the Mickey phone call and a version of "hangman / wheel of fortune" on Christmas morning.

Give me some ideas how we can surprise the kids again. Please and thanks!

We just returned home from vacation that included a cruise on the Fantasy! Overall it was a great trip.

We flew into Orlando early and stayed at Bay Lake Towers. I'm sad that Disney no longer provides transportation from MCO to the resorts. Minnie Vans do go to BLT, but were more expensive than Mears. We did take DCL bus to the port, which was fine, but their informational videos are old.

Check in at the port went smoothly and we were able to get onto the boat fairly early. It gave us some time to walk around. The ship is beautiful. We were on dec 10, no problems with noise or movement. The overhang on the veranda gave us a break from the sun. The adult only area is quite large with both sun and shade. Though, one day we came back from on deck to find that our deck chairs were gone. Turns out they were replacing them, but we had no prior knowledge.

We got a table on deck and had lunch from Cabanas. The food was okay. TIP, make sure you walk around the entire area. The food was different depending upon where you are. This is true for lunch also. I almost missed the amazing Indian curry because I didn't walk around.

Make sure you bring what ever you need on board with you. One set of luggage arrived late, closer to dinner time.

The lifeboat drill was a mess!!!! The crew had difficulty communicating where our muster station was. Thankfully, we knew where it was because we had walked around the ship when we got on. Fellow travelers were late to the assembly. Then people proceeded to TALK and move around throughout the entire drill. They make two important announcements, according to the crew leader for our station. We were not able to hear anything over people talking to each other and their phones.

Food was okay, though the scallops were delicious and most people at the table enjoyed their steaks. Service was meh, drinks (ice tea, water) were never refilled unless asked. I also felt as though we were a bit rushed.

The shows were phenomenal! Disney's Believe is so much better than Disney's Dream and Aladdin and Frozen were fantastic. Don't miss them.

If you think you are going to eat a lot of popcorn, get the bucket, it will save you money in the end. For the popcorn, you pay for the bucket,$10, but the refills are much cheaper, $2 vs $4 for a bag and they are large enough for sharing. Same for beer, get the mug. You pay for the mug, but when you buy the beer, you get the larger size for the size of a small.

Castaway Cay, it is getting tired, soda machines and ice cream machines were not working at the family beach area. But, the beach and sand areas were great!

Lookout Cay, unfortunately the trees have not grown in, so there is very little respite from the sun. Though, I thought the food was better here. I know people complain about the walk from the ship, but I did not find it so bad and it was 32 (90 degrees) with full sun. But we did not have small children or anyone with a disability. I would have loved to do the nature walk, but found signage lacking.

Overall, it was a great trip and I would do it again!!

Hi! Kind of a weird question probably. We're a blended family and there are three "family names" in our family. Plus, we're French Canadian so our names sound French! Would anybody care if we gave a fun nickname (family friendly of course) when they introduce us to the ship? For example, "Please welcome the Awesome family!"

Hi! me and my wife will be getting some magic bands for the cruise as we can use those when we activate our annual pass next year.

For the kids club and nursery my 2 and 4 years old. Do they get provided magic band when my 4 years old goes to the kids club and my 2 at the nursery? or i have to buy them theirs as they wont be carrying a card lol

For those with little kids, how does the long full sun walk on Lookout Cay work? if you’re carrying beach stuff and they’re too big for a stroller, what do you do? The beach looks amazing, but worried we will be in full meltdown from that walk. Do people bring their own wagon?

Edit: Thank you for those who confirmed there is no shortage of wagons. To those who are downvoting and making rude comments, I thought this was a friendly place to ask questions? I will delete post if it’s that bothersome.

We are looking for a hotel preferably under the marriott brand that has a free shuttle to port everglades. I know uber is easier but we have 2 kids age 4 and 3 and I dont want to bring a car seat for a 5-10min car ride and those ridersafe vests are very expense. Wondering if anyone knows of any hotels that offer free shuttle service.

I’ve been collecting the original blue and gold ship magnets. Managed to get 3 of the 4 but never managed to sail the Dream until last week. To my horror, the magnet has been discontinued and replaced with a brand new series including all new ships. I’d like to complete the original 4 but cannot find the Dream anywhere.

Anyone know where I can find one ?

Thank you.

I’ve never done a Halloween cruise and I’m trying to figure out when to reserve the nursery and dinner at Palo this October on the Fantasy.

What night of the sailing is the pirate night and Halloween night? Are these nights you wouldn’t want to miss, or are they good ones to miss and go to Palo?

Match your mate is also one of my favorite activities on the DCL cruises and I really hope I can see it! What night is it usually done on the 5 night Fantasy sailing?

Thanks in advance!

Hello!
My family is looking into booking a 7 day eastern Caribbean trip on the Treasure.

I have only been on Carnival (Pride, Elation, Splendor, and the Dream most recently) and have little to no complaints. I’m really just curious about some of the differences I may see (I’ve read about the buffets being different and no late night food it sounds like?) and any tips/tricks!

I am also a birder (and because of this I am so excited to go to the Virgin Islands!) and have a professional Sony camera. Have any of you brought cameras aboard? Any issues or recommendations?

Any tips or words of advice in general are highly appreciated!

Sailing the treasure- 5.5 and 8.5 year old. Will they be able to go things together? There is 0 chance my 5.5 yo will stay if they can’t be with their sibling. I didn’t realize they could be separated. I’m reading mixed answers- I know the 8.yo can get access to checking and and out if we permit- but would love to know if they can stay together. TIA!

I'm leaning towards Aurora, but I'm not sure.

Pros - Price. We don't want to get off the boat at destinations anyways because we have a toddler.

Cons - Is the weather going to be cold to the point that we don't go in the pool?

Was on the Disney Adventure out of Singapore last week. The air freshener machines located near elevator lifts smell so good. I would like to buy a home version to use.

Anybody know how to get that air freshener ? I am thinking of contacting Disney for follow up. It must be easily sourced. I discovered it's a similar smell using Aroma Drying Bag that's used in shipping parcels.

Hi! I'm wondering if there are VGT deals that will eventually come out for spring sailings and when should I start looking for them? Thanks!!

We are booked on the Treasure next July around this time and I keep seeing horror stories about the Caribbean right now due to storms. Should we look into maybe pushing our trip back closer to December?

Hey everyone 👋

We booked a Guaranteed Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah on the Wish departing in a few weeks (we're SO excited! 🌟)

We've just been assigned our stateroom and discovered it's an accessible room - huge balcony but missing some of the cosy feel of the smaller cabins (I know I sound insane saying this!)

Obviously we booked Guaranteed and accepted our fate of being placed anywhere on the ship, but we didn't really know this was a possibility. I also think DCL maybe consider this an 'upgrade' because of the additional square footage, but it's not really something we feel we need for just the two of us. We're also missing the split bathrooms! Do you think we'd have any luck asking at port if we could be shifted to a different 05B stateroom? We don't want to ask for any freebie upgrades, would just prefer the smaller set up of the 'normal' rooms! Pretty sure the cruise is not full, as they've been pushing heavily discounted rates for our sailing.

Any thoughts appreciated :)