Will guest experience suffer on the first sailings?

[denny33142]

We have our Disney Dream cruise scheduled for September 10, Since i heard that all cruises are now canceled through at least the beginning of August it seems that our cruise will be one of the first to sail, I am beginning to feel that we might get a less than satisfying experience if the restrictions become too tiresome on the first sailings.

I remember that we took a vacation to Disney World about a month after it re-opened and we had the worst experience we have ever had on any of our Disney vacations. Masks were required everywhere even to take photo's, All of the shows and parades were cancelled including the fireworks shows, Many of the restaurants were closed, Constant reminders from the Cast Members to keep social distancing and masks on or you would be escorted off the premises, These things constantly took us out of the Disney feel and experience.

I just want to know your opinions on this, We are paying full price and it is not cheap so we expect to also get the full experience just like we did in our Disney Magic cruise in 2016.


Thank you guys!

 

[JWG]

If you're looking for the pre-pandemic normal experience I think you will be disappointed.
It's impossible that there won't be some type of shifted/altered requirements in order to get sailing going again.

And that's IF the cruise gets to go. With the cancelation of the test cruise and the awareness there's probably 4-6 weeks of effort post test cruise to get a revenue sailing going even September is looking dicey at this point.

 

[diablodancer]

Agree with the above poster. With the test cruise cancelled, the only potential insight into what sailings might look like will be the UK staycation cruises which start next week and these require mask wearing at all times, social distancing and booking activities such as the shows in advance.

 

[pascalspal]

I imagine the experience will be vastly different from previous cruises. With the unknowns of the regulations they will have in place for US sailings, we can look to the regulations for UK sailings as a potential right now. I know the experience won't be the same, but it doesn't mean it will be bad.

Some of the UK guidelines to think about that could become a possibility for US sailings:
- reserving pool time
- reserving kids club time (2hrs/day max)
- coordinating reservations to have kids in the kids club when you want an adult dinner/mixology class/spa treatment
- fewer shows and reserving times for each show (4 night UK sailings have two shows, both repeated to accommodate for distancing)
- potential absence of self serve items (buffet, ice cream, drinks) or possibility of crew serving these items
- pre-boarding testing requirements/other hoops to jump through
- masks in all public areas

Things to think about and decide if you are comfortable with that. While the parks are getting back to normal, I think cruise line will be a different story. I believe DCL would love to pop back into how it was before, but we all know that unfortunately it cannot. I believe they will push hard to make everything as normal as possible, but you do run the risk of having new rules/regulations/experiences being possibly one of the first returning cruises.

I would imagine DCL loses thousands upon thousands of dollars every day their ships sit idle. Im sure they are hungry to return to sailing and want to provide the best sailing experience possible to recoup their losses over the last year+. I think the experience will be just as wonderful as previous if go into it knowing whatever the new rules and regulations are! There will be differences, and bumps in the road for sure.. but truthfully its all a part of adjusting back to normal. I expect it to take much much longer to get back to normal in cruising than we have seen in other areas though.

 

[RedHead0186]

We have our Disney Dream cruise scheduled for September 10, Since i heard that all cruises are now canceled through at least the beginning of August it seems that our cruise will be one of the first to sail, I am beginning to feel that we might get a less than satisfying experience if the restrictions become too tiresome on the first sailings.

I remember that we took a vacation to Disney World about a month after it re-opened and we had the worst experience we have ever had on any of our Disney vacations. Masks were required everywhere even to take photo's, All of the shows and parades were cancelled including the fireworks shows, Many of the restaurants were closed, Constant reminders from the Cast Members to keep social distancing and masks on or you would be escorted off the premises, These things constantly took us out of the Disney feel and experience.

I just want to know your opinions on this, We are paying full price and it is not cheap so we expect to also get the full experience just like we did in our Disney Magic cruise in 2016.


Thank you guys!

If you are expecting to the get the full experience then I would suggest waiting. For the price of these cruises you're totally entitled to get the full experience; however, that's very unlikely to be the case with any sailing in 2021, let alone the first few back out. I would guess even some 2022 sailings will have different experiences (heck, some of the modifications might become permanent, who knows). If your goal to get on a ship and have a good time, then I'd stick with your booking. But if your goal is to get the full experience for your money, then I would say you're better off waiting.

 

[icc2515]

If you did not like the opening of WDW you are going to hate the beginning of the cruise start for Disney.

 

[OpieDoodle]

I think the word "suffer" is a hard word to quantify. If you're going in expecting the same experience pre-COVID and it'll ruin your trip if not then I'd tap the breaks and push your trip off another year or so.

I have family that went down when WDW opened after COVID. Was it a different trip than "normal" oh heck yes. They did still have a good time. They weren't fans of the masks in the parks but they were happy to be there and still seemed to have a great time!

They did not go into it expecting "normal" in times that were not normal tho either.

Disney is going to be more conservative in terms of pushing the limits. So if any of that really bothers you and will absolutely ruin the trip then yes I'd push your trip out at least a year. Things will not be back to the way they were anytime in the near future.

 

[MomOTwins]

I echo what others have said: a September 2021--if cruises happen--is going to be a reduced experience. I think the Dream will come back with fewer restrictions than the Magic is experiencing this summer (UK requirements are different), but there will still be at least some changes--some because kids cannot be vaccinated yet so they still need some virus-prevention measured, some to pare back staffing costs because the ship will likely not be running full and because they have lost so much money recently.

On the virus safety front, expect testing to be required for any unvaccinated guests prior to embarkation and it may still be required onboard to return to the U.S (depending on CDC rules). Excursions may be restricted to those booked directly through DCL. I highly doubt close up character meets will be happening--appearances will be at a distance. Shows will likely be pared back to a single show repeating each night, with reservations required. Possibly also reservations required for kids clubs and the pools. I don't know if masks will be needed--I give that 50-50 odds.

On cost-cutting front, I think we may see no fireworks or pirate night show. No buffets, and pared back menus in the dining rooms. Reduced housekeeping. Slimmer activity/live entertainment schedules.

 

[icc2515]

I think the word "suffer" is a hard word to quantify. If you're going in expecting the same experience pre-COVID and it'll ruin your trip if not then I'd tap the breaks and push your trip off another year or so.

I have family that went down when WDW opened after COVID. Was it a different trip than "normal" oh heck yes. They did still have a good time. They weren't fans of the masks in the parks but they were happy to be there and still seemed to have a great time!

They did not go into it expecting "normal" in times that were not normal tho either.

Disney is going to be more conservative in terms of pushing the limits. So if any of that really bothers you and will absolutely ruin the trip then yes I'd push your trip out at least a year. Things will not be back to the way they were anytime in the near future.

This person is asking about themselves. They said that they went a month after WDW opened and had the worst experience ever at Disney due to the restrictions and closures. They will suffer plenty on the first cruises.

 

[Micca]

I'm afraid I agree with the other posts, I don't think things are going to be anywhere near "normal" and anyone expecting to be fully satisfied with the compromised conditions will be sorely disappointed. I would LOVE to be wrong.

 

[icc2515]

I don't know if masks will be needed-

CDC already said masks required for unvaccinated guests. The question is if vaccinated guests will have to mask up.

 

[MomOTwins]

Double posting, but I wanted just to add. I too went back to WDW right after it opened and agree that it was not the same. But there was a tradeoff too: it was so quiet in July/August last year that we at times felt like we had the parks to ourselves. Not having to wade through crowds of people felt so luxurious. Having the ride vehicles and transportation (e.g., gondolas, monorail cars) to ourselves was a fun novelty--every boat ride was a front row seat! Got some amazing family photos too.

I think some of that translates to the ships too. The first few sailings are going to be running empty because people will be nervous about booking and want to wait to see what happens. So the terminal at embarkation and debarkation should be more manageable, castaway cay may feel much quieter than usual, the tiny pools won't be as crowded, and meals will probably feel a little more relaxed.

 

[MomOTwins]

CDC already said masks required for unvaccinated guests. The question is if vaccinated guests will have to mask up.

But due to the recent court order, unless something changes, the CDC order will become optional as of July 18. CDC may come back with a modified order, and/or appeal the ruling, but for now, the current Conditional Sailing Order has no authority for Sept 2021 sailings.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I’m not sure our Sept 20 Cruise will be sailing. If it does, it will be a lesser experience. However, we are looking forward to sitting on our veranda and watching the ocean.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

We have our Disney Dream cruise scheduled for September 10, Since i heard that all cruises are now canceled through at least the beginning of August it seems that our cruise will be one of the first to sail, I am beginning to feel that we might get a less than satisfying experience if the restrictions become too tiresome on the first sailings.

I remember that we took a vacation to Disney World about a month after it re-opened and we had the worst experience we have ever had on any of our Disney vacations. Masks were required everywhere even to take photo's, All of the shows and parades were cancelled including the fireworks shows, Many of the restaurants were closed, Constant reminders from the Cast Members to keep social distancing and masks on or you would be escorted off the premises, These things constantly took us out of the Disney feel and experience.

I just want to know your opinions on this, We are paying full price and it is not cheap so we expect to also get the full experience just like we did in our Disney Magic cruise in 2016.


Thank you guys!

So it sounds like you already know the answer to your question. I think anyone on the first few sailings will be looking at a cruise with so many restrictions that the experience will def be diminished. Having said that, your trip will be what you make of it. Our trips back to the parks right after they reopened were some of the best visits we had however cruising is so different.

Now with that said, if you will/won't have to wear a mask, IDK but I think if that's a factor for your enjoyment, I'd steer clear of cruising.

 

[CamColt]

We are currently booked on the August 9th Dream, the first cruise as of now (I'm not holding my breath). I'm going into it knowing it will not be a normal cruise. There will be changes and restrictions although we do not know what that would be right now. I'm sure some I will not like, but I'm going into this knowing that. If it bothered me enough that I thought I'd hate the cruise, I would cancel. It doesn't. I cruise DCL enough to be able to deal with some restrictions for just a 4 night cruise, if it means I will be back on a ship! The benefits outweigh the restrictions for me.

If this were a once in a lifetime trip, I would wait until things are more normal, but since it's not, I can roll with the punches. In fact, I even booked a GTY room, which is so not like me. I'm really willing to adjust for this cruise.

 

[bbel]

Even without new rules and regs, there's the issues of things like, CM not working with guest for over a year and new protocols for themselves that they're getting used to, and equipment not being used to the same extent in over a year. Teams put together who have never worked together.
It doesn't matter how much training you do or how many test cruises with 'select' guests, nothing prepares you for the real thing.
But everything will be done to make it as perfect as always, even if some don't see it that way.

Just like the first cruise or two after dry dock, or the first few cruises of a brand new ship: not everything will be perfect. But that's the price you pay to be one of the first.

With all new things in life, if you want to know what to expect, and what you know all things will be as smooth as possible, wait till they've been going a while and everyone is back in the swing of it, and there's been some honest reviews done.

 

[bbel]

I will add though, me, my cousins and their kids were booked on a UK staycation cruise this summer and we recently cancelled. Not really anything to do with covid rules as such, we're not offended by masks and they won't make or break any experience for us, and it wouldn't bother us if we were asked to sanitise at every door, and we all test every week anyway.

But it was a lot of money for pretty much a few hours. There was a lot of info on what wouldnt available but not much on what would be. We can play bingo at home and we're not too excited about 2 days of towel folding and trivia lol.
We just weren't excited. But what made us excited was that it wouldn't be too much more to save for 2 weeks in florida. So we're (hopefully) doing that next summer instead!


So basically, if you're not excited about it, don't go, because chances are you'll find the negative.
Find something you are excited about and do that. It doesn't have to be disney related either.

 

[denny33142]

Thank you all for the replies.

It's true that in addition to the restrictions there is also the issue of the Cast Members not having interacted in a cruise setting for over a year and i am not sure how that would effect the excellent CS Disney is known for. We booked for September in order to give DSL and the Cast Members sometime to dust themselves and workout some of the kinks they might encounter in the first sailings.

Remember that we are still paying pre-pandemic prices which we all know is not cheap compared to other cruise lines, And the reason we are paying these prices is for things like the Shows, Fireworks and the excellent Customer Service.

I booked it as a surprise for my wife as she has never been on a Disney cruise (I went before i met my wife in 2016) and would hate for her to not enjoy the trip the same way i did back in 2016.

I am going to wait another 1-2 weeks to see if there is any announcement from Disney before i cancel. If all of the shows including the fireworks are still a go then i will be more than happy to move forward with the trip. But if the restrictions are too severe or many of the shows are cancelled i would rather just take another trip to Disney World which seems to be running much smoother than last year.

 

[Cheburashka]

Even without new rules and regs, there's the issues of things like, CM not working with guest for over a year and new protocols for themselves that they're getting used to, and equipment not being used to the same extent in over a year. Teams put together who have never worked together.

On the other hand, I imagine the crew will come back with a lot of enthusiasm. I'm a teacher & when we got sent back to school to teach in person in September for the first time in 6 months, we were very enthusiastic about being back and so were the kids. Even with all the crazy restrictions (much more severe than anything that will occur on vacation), it was a positive atmosphere because everyone was pleased and relieved just to be there together. I could imagine the crew also being very enthusiastic about getting back to work and being able to interact with guests again, and that the guests would also be very happy to be there after a long spell of no cruising, so again, likely a special atmosphere for the first season of cruising in that sense.