Think YOUR Cruise Was Bad?

http://www.cruisereviews.com/DisneyC...neyWonder9.htm

William J. Cullen

Number of Cruises: First Cruise
Cruise Line: Disney Cruise Line
Ship: Disney Wonder
Sailing Date: December 13th, 2001
Itinerary: 3 day cruise

Matthew A.Ouimet, President
Disney Cruise Line

Dear Mr. Ouimet,

We have just returned from a three-day cruise on the Disney Wonder with our
two children (our nine year old son and seven year old daughter). The
three-day cruise concluded a sixteen-day vacation that included an
eight-day stay at a Disney Resort while visiting the Disney Theme Parks. We
had hoped that the cruise would be the highlight of our vacation.
Unfortunately, it was a very undesirable experience. This letter will
detail our experience upon your cruise ship. Please take the time to read
it in its entirety.

Our last visit to Disney was three years ago and this vacation had been in
the planning and booking stages ever since. We chose to conclude our
vacation with a Disney Cruise after having seen promotional materials and
never having been on a cruise. It was also our intent to introduce our
children to a positive cruise experience with the hope that it would
generate interest for a full week cruise of the Caribbean for our next
vacation. We further decided that it would be magical to renew our vows on
ship and booked a vow renewal package. We also upgraded our cabin to a
category six in order to enjoy the ocean from our private balcony.

We were transferred to the Wonder via Disney Cruise ground transfers and
were instructed to report to guest services to make reservations for shore
excursions, spa treatments, etc. We were also instructed to do this in a
timely manner as activities fill up quickly. We reported to the guest
services desk, along with numerous other passengers, and were then
redirected to the activities desk, which further directed us to the spa for
other reservations. The whole process was very hectic and confusing for us
as well as many other passengers we encountered. We had attempted to make
reservations prior to our arrival and were denied that option.

Our first dining experience on board was at Triton¡¦s and the meal was
fantastic. The food and atmosphere were excellent. Our servers were
attentive, especially the assistant server named Preecher. The poor English
of our main server, however, frustrated us as we had difficulty
communicating with him due to his heavy Russian accent. This was not quite
the ¡§world class service¡¨ we would expect on a cruise ship. Nonetheless, we
enjoyed our meal.

We chose to purchase and participate in the ¡§Atlantis beach excursion¡¨ in
order enjoy the ¡§sun drenched beaches and explore the azure blue ocean ¡§
and to perhaps ¡§shop for hidden treasures¡¨ in the ¡§exotic¡¨ port of Nassau
the next morning. After a quick breakfast buffet, we headed off the ship
with our guides. Our first encounter with the local residents was to be
bombarded by women darting into our group asking to braid the woman¡¦s hair.
We further encountered a man attempting to sell marijuana to anyone from
our group that was interested and strolled past two cab drivers having a
heated argument over who would get the next fare. Is this what is meant by
¡§shopping for hidden treasures?¡¨ My daughter was shaken by the experience
and crying. We then ferried to Paradise Island on a quaint vessel with a
pleasant crew.

The long walk to the hotel was as described by our guides and we were
assigned to a section of beach on the hotel property. Our family was hot,
so we changed into our suits and immediately entered the salt water. My
wife and I were nauseated by a strong odor of septic emanating from the
¡§azure blue¡¨ water. Mr. Ouimet, we have been to the Caribbean before, we
grew up in New England where we have been to the ocean and even been on
fishing boats on numerous occasions. We have never encountered such an
odor. We were further shocked when we walked back on the ¡§sun drenched
beach¡¨ and discovered a condom that had been washed up along with other
trash on the beach. That beach was not a healthy environment for anyone to
be swimming in.

We had a decent lunch and toured the Atlantis hotel and its beautiful
aquariums. This part of the shore excursion met and exceeded our
expectations. We then walked back to the terminal to catch our return
ferry. As we approached the terminal, we were greeted by a man wearing an
official looking uniform and identification, who instructed us that the
ferry back to Nassau was at the next intersection. We started that way, and
I realized that it could not be correct. We then reversed direction and the
man again attempted to steer us to the other terminal. I confronted him and
he stated that we could take the ferry that we wanted. I believe the man
was attempting to drum up business for another ferry company. An employee
from your cruise line, stationed on that same corner, or a shuttle bus,
would have eliminated this problem.

We then took the 2:30PM ferry back to Nassau where numerous local residents
greeted us. One who was half passed out and intoxicated, in the middle of
the walkway with his dirty old dog, which my daughter wanted to pet. Many
more were attempting to sell various ¡§hidden treasures¡¨ including cigars,
marijuana, hair braiding and prostitution. As we approached the area
between the cruise ships, my daughter noticed a man limping in front of us
who was wearing nothing but a towel and a tee shirt and was bleeding. I am
a State Trooper and an Emergency Medical Technician; my wife is a Physical
Therapist. We both recognized a puncture mark, consistent with a stab
wound, in the man¡¦s side. He was returning to one of the other ships and we
overheard his friend explaining to the ships crew that he was a victim of a
robbery. My son then noticed a Nassau Police van dropping off numerous
people and asked me what it was for. We told him it was a van for lost
people, although its passengers looked more like crime victims. We were
thankful to be back on board the Wonder safely.

We understand that the Disney Cruise Line cannot control the security of
Nassau, but we suggest that educating its guests before they choose to go
ashore would be appropriate. We would further recommend that a different
port of call would be more appropriate for a family based clientele.

We returned to our stateroom to prepare for our vow renewal. I ordered a
bottle of sparkling wine in order to toast with my wife on our private
balcony. She began to change clothes as I opened the privacy drapes to the
balcony. I was angered to find a wet paint sign and shocked to see men on a
scaffold looking back at my wife (half undressed) and I. So much for a
private romantic toast. The railing was covered with fresh urethane that
made the balcony unusable. This certainly did not qualify as ¡§more personal
space than you would expect on a cruise ship.¡¨ Why was the ship being
painted with guests on board? The cruise line cannot afford to take out of
service for a few days in the off-season for regular maintenance?

Marianna of guest services then escorted us to our vow renewal ceremony
with Captain Tom. The ceremony was very intimate and the Captain very
cordial and professional. At the conclusion of the ceremony, we chose to
have dinner as a family and ¡§savor the magic¡¨ at our scheduled table at
Animator¡¦s Pallet, rather than split up and go to Palo¡¦s. Guest services
were to deliver the wedding cake as dessert to our table and the
collectable cake top and remaining cake was to go to our stateroom.
Animator¡¦s Pallet was visually outstanding. The service was attentive but
rushed, and the food was fair. The beef was overcooked and chewy. I¡¦m not
sure that I would call it a ¡§deliciously different dining experience.¡¨ The
cake never arrived until we had completed our dinner, including dessert.
The section headwaiter apologized and stated that it would be present at
our next dinner. I advised him that some of it was to go to our stateroom
as late night snack.

We changed up and decided that we would attend the family beach party on
the pool deck that started at nine-thirty. By about 10:15PM our children
were exhausted and we returned to our stateroom. We found all of our
renewal package items in the room, except for the cake and cake top. We
went to sleep hoping that Castaway Cay would make up for an awful day in
Nassau.

We awoke the next morning to a view of Castaway Cay, a truly beautiful
location. My wife and I were scheduled for a morning massage on the beach
and we chose to place our children in childcare for the roughly two hours
that we would need to be alone. We told the children that they would be
together and the schedule indicated sand castle building and fun noodles.
The kids thought that would be great. They love to make sand castles and
play by the ocean.

We began our ¡§carefree day in paradise¡¨, checked the children in, and
enjoyed our 10:30AM massage. I then attempted to purchase a soda at the bar
and was advised that they were out. We returned approximately two hours
later and found our children having lunch¡Kat different tables. My daughter
was sitting alone and pouting and three little boys were jumping on my son
as he tried to eat. We then picked up our children as my son sang
¡§Alleluia¡¨ and my daughter started crying that they (the counselors)
wouldn¡¦t let her sit with her brother and a little boy spat food at her. I
chose not to tell her that according to the Disney Cruise Line she was
¡§dining island style¡¨. We also found out that the only water the kids had
seen was from a hose being squirted at them to cool them down. My children
were also not allowed to remove their tee shirts and shorts in order to get
wet in their bathing suits that they were wearing underneath. In other
words, they were required to get wet in their clothes instead of their
bathing suits. We then decided to snorkel but were unable to see any fish
due to the sand being kicked up near the shore. I did swim out
approximately 200 yards and discovered fish. However, that distance was far
too great for our children to swim. The money spent on rentals was wasted.
We contemplated returning to the ship, but instead decided to relax on the
beach and do some swimming. We ended our day with a banana boat ride and
returned to the ship.

Once onboard the children enjoyed the Mickey pool and we enjoyed a cocktail
from Sampson, and charming and friendly bartender. He explained that there
was no soda left but provided us with excellent margaritas. No soda again?
Why?

We attended our final dinner at Parrot Cay intending to enjoy some
¡§tantalizing Caribbean dishes¡¨ and again were disappointed by the food. I
requested prime rib medium and it was cooked beyond the point of well done
and was chewy and non-consumable. Perhaps it was the communication problem
with our waiter that caused the error? My wife had a seafood dish which
caused her vomit for most of the remaining evening as I packed for an
unexpected 11PM luggage pickup and 9AM debarkation. At the conclusion of
our dessert. There was another attempt to serve us our wedding cake that
was now a day old. We never did receive our collectable cake top that we
purchased with our wedding package.

The 9AM Sunday debarkation was unexpected as we were scheduled for a 4PM
flight and anticipated an 11AM check out as is common at hotels. We ended
up touring the Orlando International Airport for our final day of vacation.
I don¡¦t think that the cruise should even be called a ¡§three day ¡§cruise
considering that we were brought to the ship at 2 PM on Friday and were
required to leave at 9AM on Sunday.

We subscribe to the philosophy that if one presents a problem or complaint,
one should also offer a solution to that problem or complaint. We recommend
the following:

1. This was our first Cruise and we found it very difficult to obtain the
necessary information to plan our activities onboard and ashore. A
catalogue in each stateroom listing services such as that found in hotels
would be a great help for future first timers.

2. The ship is beautiful but maintenance should not interfere with the
passengers¡¦ comfort or privacy. The ship should be out of service when
maintenance is required.

3. Better information on ports of call regarding safety and security and
better security for Disney guests while ashore is needed, not just
disclaimers to protect the company¡¦s financial interests. More pleasurable
and safer ports of call should also be considered for future cruises.

4. Improved food and food services are needed. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and
pizza are nice but cannot be the foundation of cuisine for a cruise ship.

5. More activities for kids and parents together are required. Vacations
are supposed to be for the whole family, not a place to dump the kids and
do your own thing. The result is that many school-aged children are running
around unsupervised on the ship.

We expected our experience on the Disney Cruise to be the high light of our
vacation where we would be treated to outstanding food, service and
entertainment for the whole family. We expected a ¡§one of a kind vacation
of enchantment and romance.¡¨ ¡§A carefree vacation of fun and relaxation.¡¨
We expected to experience ¡§a kind of enchantment as limitless and
surprising as the sea itself¡¨ and to take home ¡§memories that we¡¦d cherish
for a lifetime.¡¨ Instead, we were shuffled around and rushed. We were
unknowingly placed in harms way and exposed to an unhealthy environment. We
had our privacy invaded, our taste buds tortured, our children neglected
and our hard earned wages wasted. The cruise certainly was as ¡§surprising
as the sea itself ¡§and did provide ¡§memories that will last a lifetime.¡¨
Unfortunately, the surprise is that the memories are not good ones. If our
cruise experience is common for a passenger on the Wonder, then I it¡¦s a
wonder that it continues to have passengers. Based on our experience, we
have renamed your ship the Wish¡KWish we had spent our time and money
elsewhere.

Sincerely,

William J. Cullen
Sharon A. Cullen

Let us know if you ever get a reply.

Wayne

"Chrissy Cruiser" wrote in message
...
http://www.cruisereviews.com/DisneyC...neyWonder9.htm

William J. Cullen

Number of Cruises: First Cruise
Cruise Line: Disney Cruise Line
Ship: Disney Wonder
Sailing Date: December 13th, 2001
Itinerary: 3 day cruise

Matthew A.Ouimet, President
Disney Cruise Line

Dear Mr. Ouimet,

We have just returned from a three-day cruise on the Disney Wonder with
our
two children (our nine year old son and seven year old daughter). The
three-day cruise concluded a sixteen-day vacation that included an
eight-day stay at a Disney Resort while visiting the Disney Theme Parks.
We
had hoped that the cruise would be the highlight of our vacation.
Unfortunately, it was a very undesirable experience. This letter will
detail our experience upon your cruise ship. Please take the time to read
it in its entirety.

Our last visit to Disney was three years ago and this vacation had been in
the planning and booking stages ever since. We chose to conclude our
vacation with a Disney Cruise after having seen promotional materials and
never having been on a cruise. It was also our intent to introduce our
children to a positive cruise experience with the hope that it would
generate interest for a full week cruise of the Caribbean for our next
vacation. We further decided that it would be magical to renew our vows on
ship and booked a vow renewal package. We also upgraded our cabin to a
category six in order to enjoy the ocean from our private balcony.

We were transferred to the Wonder via Disney Cruise ground transfers and
were instructed to report to guest services to make reservations for shore
excursions, spa treatments, etc. We were also instructed to do this in a
timely manner as activities fill up quickly. We reported to the guest
services desk, along with numerous other passengers, and were then
redirected to the activities desk, which further directed us to the spa
for
other reservations. The whole process was very hectic and confusing for us
as well as many other passengers we encountered. We had attempted to make
reservations prior to our arrival and were denied that option.

Our first dining experience on board was at Triton!|s and the meal was
fantastic. The food and atmosphere were excellent. Our servers were
attentive, especially the assistant server named Preecher. The poor
English
of our main server, however, frustrated us as we had difficulty
communicating with him due to his heavy Russian accent. This was not quite
the !¡±world class service!¡L we would expect on a cruise ship.
Nonetheless, we
enjoyed our meal.

We chose to purchase and participate in the !¡±Atlantis beach excursion!¡L
in
order enjoy the !¡±sun drenched beaches and explore the azure blue ocean
!¡±
and to perhaps !¡±shop for hidden treasures!¡L in the !¡±exotic!¡L port of
Nassau
the next morning. After a quick breakfast buffet, we headed off the ship
with our guides. Our first encounter with the local residents was to be
bombarded by women darting into our group asking to braid the woman!|s
hair.
We further encountered a man attempting to sell marijuana to anyone from
our group that was interested and strolled past two cab drivers having a
heated argument over who would get the next fare. Is this what is meant by
!¡±shopping for hidden treasures?!¡L My daughter was shaken by the
experience
and crying. We then ferried to Paradise Island on a quaint vessel with a
pleasant crew.

The long walk to the hotel was as described by our guides and we were
assigned to a section of beach on the hotel property. Our family was hot,
so we changed into our suits and immediately entered the salt water. My
wife and I were nauseated by a strong odor of septic emanating from the
!¡±azure blue!¡L water. Mr. Ouimet, we have been to the Caribbean before,
we
grew up in New England where we have been to the ocean and even been on
fishing boats on numerous occasions. We have never encountered such an
odor. We were further shocked when we walked back on the !¡±sun drenched
beach!¡L and discovered a condom that had been washed up along with other
trash on the beach. That beach was not a healthy environment for anyone to
be swimming in.

We had a decent lunch and toured the Atlantis hotel and its beautiful
aquariums. This part of the shore excursion met and exceeded our
expectations. We then walked back to the terminal to catch our return
ferry. As we approached the terminal, we were greeted by a man wearing an
official looking uniform and identification, who instructed us that the
ferry back to Nassau was at the next intersection. We started that way,
and
I realized that it could not be correct. We then reversed direction and
the
man again attempted to steer us to the other terminal. I confronted him
and
he stated that we could take the ferry that we wanted. I believe the man
was attempting to drum up business for another ferry company. An employee
from your cruise line, stationed on that same corner, or a shuttle bus,
would have eliminated this problem.

We then took the 2:30PM ferry back to Nassau where numerous local
residents
greeted us. One who was half passed out and intoxicated, in the middle of
the walkway with his dirty old dog, which my daughter wanted to pet. Many
more were attempting to sell various !¡±hidden treasures!¡L including
cigars,
marijuana, hair braiding and prostitution. As we approached the area
between the cruise ships, my daughter noticed a man limping in front of us
who was wearing nothing but a towel and a tee shirt and was bleeding. I am
a State Trooper and an Emergency Medical Technician; my wife is a Physical
Therapist. We both recognized a puncture mark, consistent with a stab
wound, in the man!|s side. He was returning to one of the other ships and
we
overheard his friend explaining to the ships crew that he was a victim of
a
robbery. My son then noticed a Nassau Police van dropping off numerous
people and asked me what it was for. We told him it was a van for lost
people, although its passengers looked more like crime victims. We were
thankful to be back on board the Wonder safely.

We understand that the Disney Cruise Line cannot control the security of
Nassau, but we suggest that educating its guests before they choose to go
ashore would be appropriate. We would further recommend that a different
port of call would be more appropriate for a family based clientele.

We returned to our stateroom to prepare for our vow renewal. I ordered a
bottle of sparkling wine in order to toast with my wife on our private
balcony. She began to change clothes as I opened the privacy drapes to the
balcony. I was angered to find a wet paint sign and shocked to see men on
a
scaffold looking back at my wife (half undressed) and I. So much for a
private romantic toast. The railing was covered with fresh urethane that
made the balcony unusable. This certainly did not qualify as !¡±more
personal
space than you would expect on a cruise ship.!¡L Why was the ship being
painted with guests on board? The cruise line cannot afford to take out of
service for a few days in the off-season for regular maintenance?

Marianna of guest services then escorted us to our vow renewal ceremony
with Captain Tom. The ceremony was very intimate and the Captain very
cordial and professional. At the conclusion of the ceremony, we chose to
have dinner as a family and !¡±savor the magic!¡L at our scheduled table
at
Animator!|s Pallet, rather than split up and go to Palo!|s. Guest services
were to deliver the wedding cake as dessert to our table and the
collectable cake top and remaining cake was to go to our stateroom.
Animator!|s Pallet was visually outstanding. The service was attentive but
rushed, and the food was fair. The beef was overcooked and chewy. I!|m not
sure that I would call it a !¡±deliciously different dining experience.!¡L
The
cake never arrived until we had completed our dinner, including dessert.
The section headwaiter apologized and stated that it would be present at
our next dinner. I advised him that some of it was to go to our stateroom
as late night snack.

We changed up and decided that we would attend the family beach party on
the pool deck that started at nine-thirty. By about 10:15PM our children
were exhausted and we returned to our stateroom. We found all of our
renewal package items in the room, except for the cake and cake top. We
went to sleep hoping that Castaway Cay would make up for an awful day in
Nassau.

We awoke the next morning to a view of Castaway Cay, a truly beautiful
location. My wife and I were scheduled for a morning massage on the beach
and we chose to place our children in childcare for the roughly two hours
that we would need to be alone. We told the children that they would be
together and the schedule indicated sand castle building and fun noodles.
The kids thought that would be great. They love to make sand castles and
play by the ocean.

We began our !¡±carefree day in paradise!¡L, checked the children in, and
enjoyed our 10:30AM massage. I then attempted to purchase a soda at the
bar
and was advised that they were out. We returned approximately two hours
later and found our children having lunch!Kat different tables. My
daughter
was sitting alone and pouting and three little boys were jumping on my son
as he tried to eat. We then picked up our children as my son sang
!¡±Alleluia!¡L and my daughter started crying that they (the counselors)
wouldn!|t let her sit with her brother and a little boy spat food at her.
I
chose not to tell her that according to the Disney Cruise Line she was
!¡±dining island style!¡L. We also found out that the only water the kids
had
seen was from a hose being squirted at them to cool them down. My children
were also not allowed to remove their tee shirts and shorts in order to
get
wet in their bathing suits that they were wearing underneath. In other
words, they were required to get wet in their clothes instead of their
bathing suits. We then decided to snorkel but were unable to see any fish
due to the sand being kicked up near the shore. I did swim out
approximately 200 yards and discovered fish. However, that distance was
far
too great for our children to swim. The money spent on rentals was wasted.
We contemplated returning to the ship, but instead decided to relax on the
beach and do some swimming. We ended our day with a banana boat ride and
returned to the ship.

Once onboard the children enjoyed the Mickey pool and we enjoyed a
cocktail
from Sampson, and charming and friendly bartender. He explained that there
was no soda left but provided us with excellent margaritas. No soda again?
Why?

We attended our final dinner at Parrot Cay intending to enjoy some
!¡±tantalizing Caribbean dishes!¡L and again were disappointed by the
food. I
requested prime rib medium and it was cooked beyond the point of well done
and was chewy and non-consumable. Perhaps it was the communication problem
with our waiter that caused the error? My wife had a seafood dish which
caused her vomit for most of the remaining evening as I packed for an
unexpected 11PM luggage pickup and 9AM debarkation. At the conclusion of
our dessert. There was another attempt to serve us our wedding cake that
was now a day old. We never did receive our collectable cake top that we
purchased with our wedding package.

The 9AM Sunday debarkation was unexpected as we were scheduled for a 4PM
flight and anticipated an 11AM check out as is common at hotels. We ended
up touring the Orlando International Airport for our final day of
vacation.
I don!|t think that the cruise should even be called a !¡±three day
!¡±cruise
considering that we were brought to the ship at 2 PM on Friday and were
required to leave at 9AM on Sunday.

We subscribe to the philosophy that if one presents a problem or
complaint,
one should also offer a solution to that problem or complaint. We
recommend
the following:

1. This was our first Cruise and we found it very difficult to obtain the
necessary information to plan our activities onboard and ashore. A
catalogue in each stateroom listing services such as that found in hotels
would be a great help for future first timers.

2. The ship is beautiful but maintenance should not interfere with the
passengers!| comfort or privacy. The ship should be out of service when
maintenance is required.

3. Better information on ports of call regarding safety and security and
better security for Disney guests while ashore is needed, not just
disclaimers to protect the company!|s financial interests. More
pleasurable
and safer ports of call should also be considered for future cruises.

4. Improved food and food services are needed. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and
pizza are nice but cannot be the foundation of cuisine for a cruise ship.

5. More activities for kids and parents together are required. Vacations
are supposed to be for the whole family, not a place to dump the kids and
do your own thing. The result is that many school-aged children are
running
around unsupervised on the ship.

We expected our experience on the Disney Cruise to be the high light of
our
vacation where we would be treated to outstanding food, service and
entertainment for the whole family. We expected a !¡±one of a kind
vacation
of enchantment and romance.!¡L !¡±A carefree vacation of fun and
relaxation.!¡L
We expected to experience !¡±a kind of enchantment as limitless and
surprising as the sea itself!¡L and to take home !¡±memories that we!|d
cherish
for a lifetime.!¡L Instead, we were shuffled around and rushed. We were
unknowingly placed in harms way and exposed to an unhealthy environment.
We
had our privacy invaded, our taste buds tortured, our children neglected
and our hard earned wages wasted. The cruise certainly was as
!¡±surprising
as the sea itself !¡±and did provide !¡±memories that will last a
lifetime.!¡L
Unfortunately, the surprise is that the memories are not good ones. If our
cruise experience is common for a passenger on the Wonder, then I it!|s a
wonder that it continues to have passengers. Based on our experience, we
have renamed your ship the Wish!KWish we had spent our time and money
elsewhere.

Sincerely,

William J. Cullen
Sharon A. Cullen

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 17:16:25 GMT, "Wayne Lundberg"
wrote:

Let us know if you ever get a reply.

Hi Wayne,

Don't fall for this. It is dated 2001.

Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 17:16:25 GMT, Wayne Lundberg wrote:

Let us know if you ever get a reply.

Wayne

Not my letter.

I should have seen that!!!

"Ray Goldenberg" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 17:16:25 GMT, "Wayne Lundberg"
wrote:

Let us know if you ever get a reply.

Hi Wayne,

Don't fall for this. It is dated 2001.

Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 09:26:54 -0800, Ray Goldenberg wrote:

Hi Wayne,

Don't fall for this. It is dated 2001.

So much for your killfile, Googleberg.

And, btw, who cares if it was 2001. The point, that your pointy head
missed, SpamKing, is that the Cullen's cruise was somewhere between
hilarious and horrible.