How have the passenger numbers been lately?

[Chrissy-Mickey]

How early did you have to arrive for something like Bingo?

I was in the hallway (relaxing in a porthole) when people lined up for Bingo. People were indeed turned away. I don't know how long in advance that was, but I had been thinking about going to Disney Tunes Trivia that was nearby at a later time. People were lining up there 40 minutes in advance. It's important to add though that it was raining at that time.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Because with a more crowded ship there will be more people trying to do the limited number of things. Capacities will still be reduced in theaters, tastings, activities, etc. The appeal of a cruise is not to have long lines and wait times or being completely shut out of activities. We sailed in September with 1100 on board and although there were fewer things to do, you could still DO them. Holiday cruises are SUPER EXPENSIVE, we already lost a port so 3 days at sea with not enough to do sounds pretty awful.

Is it too late to change to a different date?

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We'll be sailing on Nov 27 on the Magic. I'm hoping that it being between the holidays, it's not so crowded. Being able to do different activities is nice but honestly, as long as I have a lounger on the deck, I'm good. Home and work have been so busy lately; I just want to relax with my hubby.

 

[stkgator]

Just returned from the Nov 11 3-Day Fantasy cruise. 2,200 passengers. I was told that they were expecting 2,700 with the drop attributed to cancelations. They said that this was the first post-pandemic Fantasy cruise with over 2,000 passengers. The dinning staff stated they are crewed at around 60% of pre-pandemic levels.

 

[Ikaikalani]

Just returned from the Nov 11 3-Day Fantasy cruise. 2,200 passengers. I was told that they were expecting 2,700 with the drop attributed to cancelations. They said that this was the first post-pandemic Fantasy cruise with over 2,000 passengers. The dinning staff stated they are crewed at around 60% of pre-pandemic levels.

Can I ask, was Skyline open?

 

[Fruto76]

The 11/8 Magic had between 800 and 900 passengers with less than 200 kids. We were a group of 20 - did dinner and the shows all together, aside from that there was at the most 12 of us together for bingo, 4-6 for trivia or games. Never got turned away for anything. We typically arrived 5-10 mins before presales started on Bingo, the shows we arrived 15-20 mins early and trivia/crafts/games about 10 mins before start.

 

[stkgator]

Can I ask, was Skyline open?

Yes, Skyline was open during this cruise.

 

[Ikaikalani]

Yes, Skyline was open during this cruise.

Thank you!

 

[epcotrulz]

Was on the 3 night Fantasy cruise as well and the only time I noticed it being 2,200 vs 1,800 (September on the Dream) was the line for the AquaDuck.

 

[Joe Brig]

Just returned from the Nov 11 3-Day Fantasy cruise. 2,200 passengers.

Do you know if every family had a private table at dinner?

 

[mathed101]

The 11/8 Magic had between 800 and 900 passengers with less than 200 kids.

Wow! I sure hope the cruise on 11/27 is that low! Did you enjoy being on the ship with such a low number of pax?

 

[stkgator]

Do you know if every family had a private table at dinner?

I believe everyone was seated with only their traveling group - as I saw several large parties seated at the same table. Our party of two was seated by ourselves at a six-person table during our Royal Garden rotations. We also ate breakfast and lunch in one of the MDRs, and were always seated by ourselves.

 

[starry_solo]

11/8 Dream cruise had 1200-1400 passengers. Guest services told me 1200 but on the FB group, someone else was told 1400.

 

[epcotrulz]

Do you know if every family had a private table at dinner?

Yes they are only seating groups that travelled together at the same table.

 

[Elsa75]

I share your same concerns. We have a 7 night on the Fantasy at the end of March for Spring break. We've done this cruise many times, so we've been able to do a lot of the stuff on previous cruises. I'm just hoping if they increase the number of passengers, then they will also increase how many people are allowed in the areas/do activities. My dd is 13 yrs old, she hasn't cared about anything Disney for several yrs, so this may be our last Disney cruise(Once she's off to college it will be great for dh and I can start cruising during cheaper times of the year!)

Just FYI my kids are 15.16,and almost 20 and STILL Disney Cruise Crazy! (have never been to Disney World or anything else... just the cruise.) You might have MANY more Disney Cruises ahead of you! My son in University chose a Disney Cruise as his grad trip!

 

[Fruto76]

Wow! I sure hope the cruise on 11/27 is that low! Did you enjoy being on the ship with such a low number of pax?

It was such a great cruise- We were a large group- 20- so sometimes it was easy to forget how few guests were actually on board. I do miss seeing the entire top deck filled with excitement and watching people get ready to embark on a week of fun like we did in pre-covid times. But It was so nice to arrive in the adult pool area and ALWAYS have a seat in either the sun or shade available. The kids were non-stop on the Aquadunk - never more than a handful of people in line but mostly walk on. The kids clubs always had additional booking times if they wanted it. We were not turned away from any event due to capacity- we always tried to get there early if there were more than 6 of us. We did bingo most sessions, made it to almost each trivia session, watched all 3 shows, FW on night 1, a few of us went to the movies a couple times- it was just a phenomenal experience. I hope you feel the same after your upcoming voyage.

 

[mathed101]

It was such a great cruise- We were a large group- 20- so sometimes it was easy to forget how few guests were actually on board. I do miss seeing the entire top deck filled with excitement and watching people get ready to embark on a week of fun like we did in pre-covid times. But It was so nice to arrive in the adult pool area and ALWAYS have a seat in either the sun or shade available. The kids were non-stop on the Aquadunk - never more than a handful of people in line but mostly walk on. The kids clubs always had additional booking times if they wanted it. We were not turned away from any event due to capacity- we always tried to get there early if there were more than 6 of us. We did bingo most sessions, made it to almost each trivia session, watched all 3 shows, FW on night 1, a few of us went to the movies a couple times- it was just a phenomenal experience. I hope you feel the same after your upcoming voyage.

Sounds like a wonderful time especially with a large group! Thank you for all of the information about the things that you have observed and experienced. It is really reassuring to hear that your group had such a great cruise. We are looking forward to feeling the same way as you did. We love to plan ahead but when we get on board we are easy to please and like to hang out on the ship. We are super excited to hit Castaway Cay two days in a row. Living the dream!!

 

[delo4]

The Fantasy 5 night double dip cruise last week had 1400 passengers. Our head server told us that Disney will only be seating families together in the Dining Rooms. She said that this will be a permanent thing.

we had a great time, but the DCL app was frustrating at times.You had to do most everything on it. The virtual queues were vey frustrating. Our app would tell us we were not connected to the DCL WiFi when we were. Some of us would get the notifications for things, others would not. I did not like having to be so connected to my phone for everything, but you didn’t have a choice.

There were also not many children on the cruise. The adult beach was closed on Castaway the first day we were there, high winds and rough seas apparently. We were late to Castaway both days. The first day was because of high winds. The second day was a “technical challenge”. It was never explained what they meant by that. We had cabanas on both days, but were not able to get in them until 10:30 because of the late docking.

 

[texaskristi]

I'm really concerned what capacity will be for Christmas and New Year cruises. Hoping we have not made a terribly expensive mistake.

When are you cruising? We are on the Wonder 12/31.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Wow! I sure hope the cruise on 11/27 is that low! Did you enjoy being on the ship with such a low number of pax?

Me too! I know I’d enjoy it.