Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 ... at their events, in their parks and resorts and on their ships. Here's what Brady McDonald of the LA Times thought of his first Disney Dream cruise, which was also his first cruise ever (the exact audience Disney is hoping to snag with the new ship): <a href="http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-disney-dream-cruise-ship-02201114,0,5887838.story" target="_blank">http://www.latimes.com/travel/...38.story</a>
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 Typo alert: that should be MacDonald (I am assuming no relation to our own Lee MacDonald).
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I'm not sure that's not what Disney doesn't want. Just about everything I read was positive, and those that weren't (like complaints about the cramped stateroom and bathroom or the sounds of kids on the ship) seemed to come more from misplaced expectations, rather than anything that Disney actually did poorly. Yes, there are always things to improve on, but I found this to be a mostly realistic, very positive review. Either way, after Brady wrote his scathing article about the "What Will You Celebrate" campaign, he's really lost a lot of credibility with me, especially when it comes to realistic expectations. He and his wife stopped by DLR on her birthday to pick up her free gift card, since she had an AP, but they never bothered to look up what would happen if they showed up on a blackout day. After a bery dramatic story that sounded like it was about a 14 year old girl being told that her parents didn't approve of her new boyfriend, he complained endlessly about the campaign, which was presented very clearly to people who took the time to figure out what was actually going on. It's always nice to have another opinion, but I really don't give his much credit.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Here's a link to that article. It was posted on March 19, meaning that the program had been running for nearly 3 months when the incident occurred. Given that he is a journalist that specializes in the southern California theme parks, you'd think he might have read some of online comments about how the system works. As I recall, almost every discussion for the first month or two of the year surrounded the program and how it functioned. It may not have been common knowledge, like who the US President was, but it was easier to find that which attractions would be closed for refurbishment on the day of their visit. It just seems like he's a little too ill-informed to have a job that is so high profile. <a href="http://www.thetravelears.com/2009/03/19/disneyland-passholders-watch-out-for-birthday-blackout-dates/" target="_blank">http://www.thetravelears.com/2...t-dates/</a>
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<I'm not sure that's not what Disney doesn't want. Just about everything I read was positive, and those that weren't (like complaints about the cramped stateroom and bathroom or the sounds of kids on the ship) seemed to come more from misplaced expectations, rather than anything that Disney actually did poorly. Yes, there are always things to improve on, but I found this to be a mostly realistic, very positive review.>> I found it realistic and, probably (since I haven't been on the Dream yet), pretty fair. But he certainly took shots. From the food to the entertainment (I agree with him on Villain's Tonight show, but thought he was a bit harsh on Golden Mickeys) to the spa and the general level of service (a key on a new ship, or any ship). Fair review? Likely. Postive? I'd say more like honest (to him) and fair. <<Either way, after Brady wrote his scathing article about the "What Will You Celebrate" campaign, he's really lost a lot of credibility with me, especially when it comes to realistic expectations. He and his wife stopped by DLR on her birthday to pick up her free gift card, since she had an AP, but they never bothered to look up what would happen if they showed up on a blackout day. After a bery dramatic story that sounded like it was about a 14 year old girl being told that her parents didn't approve of her new boyfriend, he complained endlessly about the campaign, which was presented very clearly to people who took the time to figure out what was actually going on. It's always nice to have another opinion, but I really don't give his much credit.>> I vaguely recall that incident. But that's not really here nor there to me. The issue is when Disney invites social media the response is always positive, almost always glowing as a quid pro quid of taking the voyage or attending the event. When you invite (or they just take one on their own) real reporters, then you don't get to control the message. I'm fairly certain Disney thought it would have gotten more raves in the Times simply because Brady is a cruising neophyte so he had no basis for comparison ... and still, the review was far from glowing.
Originally Posted By Manfried A hack is a hack. Regardless of who they write for, whether a newspaper or an online site. The guy sounds like a hack.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<quid pro quid>> I think that's sushi of some kind ... meant quid pro quo. Shouldn't post late after long day ...
Originally Posted By Mr X ***It was the first cruise for my family, Disney or otherwise. We found the ship’s décor luxurious and the entertainment mostly top-notch. The food and service were hit or miss, and at times, the pampering didn’t live up to the top-dollar price tag. But all in all, we had a great time*** Why is that such a hack job? It's pretty much the same thing I've heard from many others regarding Disney cruises. *shrug*
Originally Posted By TP2000 While I think Brady McDonald and his whiny wife are total losers, this latest article is Reason #472 why I won't ever go on another cruise for as long as I live. I have taken one big, expensive Princess cruise in 1990, and my life has been just fine without repeating that experience. The Disney Cruise Line, with mice cavorting in culturally-appropriate casual wear, sounds even more annoying than the regular cruise lines.
Originally Posted By Mr X Seems weird to dismiss cruising just because of one unhappy experience. Unless you suffer from seasickness or something. I think taking a cruise is a lot of fun. I guess it's just me.
Originally Posted By Doobie To answer your initial question, Spirit, there were plenty of "real" reporters on the ship. The reporters from the Orlando Sentinel who are the equivalent of Brady on this coast were on the ship. I don't know if Brady was invited or not to the preview, but I do know other newspaper reporters from around the country were. Perhaps he just didn't go on the media cruise because he was already going on this one. And BTW, since I was looking forward to my own trip on the Dream earlier this month, I read dozens or even hundreds of articles from people who took the media cruise, and several of them were more negative than this one. I thought Brady was very fair, positive with a few qualms and gave an interesting perspective since it was his first cruise of any kind. Doobie.
Originally Posted By leemac Spirit - With all due respect to Brady is he a "real" reporter? I didn't think he wrote for the main paper - just his blog. I thought that Dawn C. Chmielewski was the beat reporter for Disney (like Brooks Barnes id for the New York Times). I do have an issue with some of his naive judgements at times - I chuckled when he said he deliberately avoided Cabanas despite the fact that the food is probably the best buffet I've ever had - and it is a beautiful space (albeit it is a crowded dining room). I also thought his wife's comments about the spa were very unfair. I thought the service was exceptional - it is the same operator as on the other ships and they are consistently rated highly. I had a number of treatments on the Dream's inaugural cruise and the spa was consistently better than on the Magic and Wonder. Ultimately it just seemed like an incredibly uninformed piece - he didn't realize that tips are extra? He complained about the "incidentals" but DCL is the same as every other cruise line. He reckoned the stateroom "grew"? What an odd comment. He also missed the fact that the staterooms are the largest out there. His snotty comments about kids is also way off the mark.
Originally Posted By Doobie I think a lot of what Lee mentioned, while one might expect a reporter to have done their research, is what makes Brady's a good perspective. When you have no cruise experience, a lot of things he mentions do come as surprise - tips, small rooms, etc. So while it may be unfair to criticize the Disney Dream specifically for this, it is a very realistic expression of what many first time cruisers experience. So from that perspective I'm glad he wrote it. I love cruising more than anyone I know. But there's no question - cruising is not for everyone. Doobie.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper "Real" reporters (at least in the newspaper business) are dinosaurs. Here is South Florida we are finding most of them to be just out of college and lacking many critical skills. It has got to the point where an reporter will call us for a story, get the facts, write it, send it to us to see if they got it right, and we rewrite it for them because...well...no...they didn't get it right. Though, they are a step up from the Blogs which don't even care about facts. It is a shame what is happening to the press but it is a runaway train now.
Originally Posted By MousDad I think Spirit's point stands. No pixie-blind blogger is going to say something as brutally honest (in their mind) as it being like Chuck E. Cheese. Whether that comment, and the other observations made, are valid is not the point being made. The point being made is that I'm sure Disney is extremely ticked that someone writing for a major media outlet compared their product to Chuck E. Cheese. Anyone think he'll be invited to the next social media party?
Originally Posted By Doobie While they may not have used those words, as I said earlier there are articles written by people who were invited onto the cruise (and I don't know if Brady was and just didn't go) that had many critical things to say. Here are some examples: --- We had higher hopes for the new "sports deck." Instead of creating a space for families to take part in outdoor activities, this area seems like an afterthought. The golf, while cute for toddlers, is small and not really suitable for older kids or adults. The sports court is nothing special, and the basketball nets are too low. --- When we first cruised on Disney (Disney Magic in 1998), its adult-only Quiet Cove pool -- a pioneering concept -- was a sanctuary. There was soothing jazz, an adult bar and plenty of space. On Dream, we expected an evolution of the concept (which already has been improved upon by lines like Princess). Instead, Disney has regressed. The cramped pool is surrounded by a narrow sun deck (even at high noon most chaises are shaded), and the bar -- with its stools planted firmly in the wading area -- aims mindlessly for a Vegas-like swim-up ambience. --- From a cruise ship perspective, I'm not nearly as impressed with Disney Dream as I was with Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class twins -- those ships can't be matched in terms of moving cruise travel in a new direction. --- Both of these are from CruiseCritic.com and yes - I'd be shocked if they weren't invited on the Disney Fantasy media cruise. The fact is it's a great ship and not a whole lot of negative is going to be written. But I think Disney can handle a little criticism just fine. Doobie.
Originally Posted By HMButler79 I have to agree on Animators Palette. i CRINGED when i saw it was basically Turtle Talk with Crush/Chef Mickeys w/ food and tables. The original APs on the first two ships are much better
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Mmmmhhhmmmm. Overall this ship seems to be trade offs from what I can see (I know, different than experiencing). On deck does not seem to be as nice, and AP seems a step down (especially the joke of a minigolf course, Royal Caribbean is far more appealing). But the main atrium looks beautiful, the water duck is a nice addition, and those internal port holes are really cool. I do think though a lot of the reports are unbalanced by people with limited cruising experience.
Originally Posted By Doobie There are many other things that I think are a big step up (though not everyone agrees with me) - The District adult area, Enchanted Garden (huge step up from Parrot Cay), Cabanas (food is awesome, especially compared to Topsiders/Beach Blanket), and I could go on. It's very easy to focus on the things that they didn't get quite right like Animator's Palette (though it is an improvement) and the sports deck (the worst part is putting it directly over Remy/Palo), but overall the ship is truly wonderful. And some of things that don't work like the dance number in AP - the ship is still very young. Changes will be made. The Magic/Wonder have been around over 10 years, the Dream for about a month. It takes time to get the balance right on things like that.
