Good for a first and last experience. Cruising is NOT my cup of tea. Service was absolutely excellent. Don't like nickel and diming experience. Cruises should be sold as ALL INCLUSIVE of absolutely everything including coffee, liquor and tips. Or for those that don't drink A FULL ALL INCLUSIVE EITHER ALCOHOLIC OR NON/ALCOHOLIC package. I shouldn't have to fork over a signature, a tip, a dime. NOThING, ZIPPO. Include everything. Charge extra 100 or 200 or 300 depending on package and include it ALL.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Went fast and well. Great customer service.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Food was good and plentiful. But I don't believe in being charged for latte or espresso and that is an outrage to me. All inclusive resorts on land include even the liquor. Bottled water is also extra charge and then you must tip or the poor people that give excellent customer service would not get paid. I don't like nickel and diming it's low class. Charge the packages up front including absolutely everything. If some want to buy a la carte then so be it. But you need all inclusive packages and not this nickel and diming and having to show your card everytime you want a latte and have to sign a receipt for it and add a mandatory tip. It's all so ridiculous. Charge me an extra 100 up front or an extra 200 for a full ALL INCLUSIVE PACKAGE. For this alone I would not cruise again.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
They are nice. But the movies were NOT first run. I had seen them all. They gave us a "day at sea" because they were afraid of a small tropical storm. The day had no extras and they did a really lame fireworks display as compensation. OMG they should have given free beverages. The live performance shows were nice. Pools on "day of sea" were so packed that we were shoulder to shoulder in the hot tub because it was so cold out. Pools are really eeniee weenie. It's a ship, I get it. I wanted to experience it and I did. Nothing exciting about it. On land resorts that are ALL INCLUSIVE are much better.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
See above comment.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Staff was superb and excellent. Can't say enough good things.
It's a good and different experience. But the Atlantis is highly overrated and expensive. The locals live "over the hill" and the poverty is soul crushing. Please eat in the tourist area and buy some souvenirs from the locals. Pay for the locals to give you a "tour" and tip them even after you have paid for the tour.
The ship captain gave us a "day at sea" because there might be a tropical storm with 60 mph in our path to Castaway Cay. So we never got to visit. But I heard and read that it is amazing.
Come on people what is your issue with doing a Disney cruise??? Its the happiest cruise ship on the 7 seas. I guess there are some grumpy people and nothing will change them. I know you will get charged for a few thing but it you complain about Disney go try Royal where they charge you a drink package of $45 per day or check even $12. ( I think) per day for a soda card. I think people like this want everything for free in a cruise and for Disney 90 % is included. Also it was there 1st cruise per there info so I don't think they have anything to compare it to but that's my 3 cent( adjusted for inflation)
Everyone has their preferences. Each line offers something different to appease to different groups. I personally prefer Celebrity. The last few times we’ve went we got the go best package (which includes WiFi,tips,premium drinks up to $13, and a $300 shipboard credit). The drinks include lattes and bottled water. We never have to spend a cent onboard and usually wonder how we’re going to spend the shipboard credit (not gamblers). Maybe you can do some research and find a line that fits your needs.
We plan ahead, you may not have looked into how it worked before hand, its never fun when you are suprised to find something costs extra. Although it is possible not buy anything once onboard they are plenty of free options (coffee instead of expresso for example). There are cruise line the are all-inclusive, and you may want to look into them. They include everything coffee, alchahol, all food, excursions, prepaid tips. Once on board you won't pay a penny. BUT Disney isn't one of them and neither is most mainstream line. They are usually luxury line and you probably pay $6000 easy for a week long cruise, granted most likely in an all suite ship. Although you may feel you got nickel and dimes my guess is it was a lot cheaper that what you would have paid for all-inclusive.
Research makes things a lot easier. Know before you go. Almost every cruise line charges extra for the things you described. If you want an all inclusive package you will certainly pay way more than $100-200 extra. Since cruising is not your cup of tea you are definitely better off at land resorts.
Not everyone wants everything. Why should everyone pay for things only you might want. Having said that, I've sailed Disney and for what they charge, I can understand where you are coming from. A significant reason why I don't sail them now, but I knew what I bought and they delivered exactly that with great service.
Cruise are all inclusive. They just offer other options that you have to pay for. Disney is better than some of the other lines. You don’t pay extra for non-alcoholic drinks. I like the juice; soda; coffee; tea being available on deck at anytime. Sometimes they have first run movies, but you have to remember that all of the movies are made by Disney. All cruise ships charges extra for gratuities. Disney allows you to tip with envelopes. We did not tip all of the extra people; opting to give more to our cabin steward and our servers. Most cruise ships, including Disney, are cashless. That’s just how it goes. If you decide to cruise again, research a little more so you won’t be surprised.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
