Stay away from the Disney Wonder

[DetroitDisney]

Well there doesn't seem to be rattling construction today, but we are also tendered and not truly in port so that could be part of it.

As far the noise, apparently the work in the adult area is done now, or they have at least removed the tarps and aren't working on it. The upstairs of the cove cafe seems to still be closed off. The manager at guest services said the jack hammering outside my stateroom was them working on a lifeboat. Huh? They also told me they ordered that work to stop because of complaints so who knows if they have more to do or if that is also done.

I was offered a bottle of wine or a pass to the rainforest room (tomorrow is my last day) and an apology. Not really feeling the love.

I apologize if I'm being overly negative here and I don't want to get people freaked out about their upcoming trips. You will probably be fine, as it seems we have had pretty bad luck so far with our location.

This is just my first time on a Disney cruise, and after paying the Disney premium I expected much more. Based on my experiences this week, I certainly would never sail on the wonder again, and probably won't sail on any other Disney ships as well. I suppose that's a lesson learned.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Well there doesn't seem to be rattling construction today, but we are also tendered and not truly in port so that could be part of it.

As far the noise, apparently the work in the adult area is done now, or they have at least removed the tarps and aren't working on it. The upstairs of the cove cafe seems to still be closed off. The manager at guest services said the jack hammering outside my stateroom was them working on a lifeboat. Huh? They also told me they ordered that work to stop because of complaints so who knows if they have more to do or if that is also done.

I was offered a bottle of wine or a pass to the rainforest room (tomorrow is my last day) and an apology. Not really feeling the love.

I apologize if I'm being overly negative here and I don't want to get people freaked out about their upcoming trips. You will probably be fine, as it seems we have had pretty bad luck so far with our location.

This is just my first time on a Disney cruise, and after paying the Disney premium I expected much more. Based on my experiences this week, I certainly would never sail on the wonder again, and probably won't sail on any other Disney ships as well. I suppose that's a lesson learned.

It's not just Disney. All ships need repair from time to time, even in the middle of a cruise.

 

[Shanti]

I apologize if I'm being overly negative here...This is just my first time on a Disney cruise, and after paying the Disney premium I expected much more. Based on my experiences this week, I certainly would never sail on the wonder again, and probably won't sail on any other Disney ships as well.

Maybe you'll feel differently after having a few days to relax and really enjoy your vacation...Trips (everywhere & at every price point) are rarely perfect. DCL is a special line and I really hope you'll have fun.

 

[undertheradar]

Well there doesn't seem to be rattling construction today, but we are also tendered and not truly in port so that could be part of it.

As far the noise, apparently the work in the adult area is done now, or they have at least removed the tarps and aren't working on it. The upstairs of the cove cafe seems to still be closed off. The manager at guest services said the jack hammering outside my stateroom was them working on a lifeboat. Huh? They also told me they ordered that work to stop because of complaints so who knows if they have more to do or if that is also done.

I was offered a bottle of wine or a pass to the rainforest room (tomorrow is my last day) and an apology. Not really feeling the love.

I apologize if I'm being overly negative here and I don't want to get people freaked out about their upcoming trips. You will probably be fine, as it seems we have had pretty bad luck so far with our location.

This is just my first time on a Disney cruise, and after paying the Disney premium I expected much more. Based on my experiences this week, I certainly would never sail on the wonder again, and probably won't sail on any other Disney ships as well. I suppose that's a lesson learned.

The theme that keeps coming across is that You paid more for your cruise. No idea what You paid, but doubt that it is the high price you keep indicating. I stay in concierge, Royals most times, so not understanding your attempt at "paying for Disney." DCL has a premium price and yes, there are times when maintenance will be done. These ships sail 365 days per year, unless dry dock occurs. If you don't like that ship's maintenance is done daily, perhaps cruising is not for you.

 

[pepe3penelope]

We sail on October 15th, Deck 5 Aft, could you do me a huge favor and let us know if this is still a problem on your cruise?

We are on the same cruise!!! Deck 8 port side aft.

 

[SRQ57]

To the OP. I'm sorry you had to deal with this on your honeymoon. I can understand your disappointment. While Disney is nice, quite honestly unless we were bringing children (or these days grandchildren) along, there are other cruise lines that do it better. Just my opinion, and I say so with the utmost respect to those who may feel otherwise. I would not give up on cruising based on your experience. I do understand that you feel given that there is a "premium" to sail Disney you expected better. We also choose to sail concierge whenever we cruise. That being said, I would be quite upset if I was not able to enjoy the cabin of our choice no matter where it's location or size. An emergency situation is one thing, but daily maintenance that went on for hours over a couple of days is not acceptable.

 

[ivanp91]

We disembarked from the Wonder 2.5 weeks ago and had no problems, no different to the other 3 ships. It's a little unrealistic to expect Disney to have "down days" between cruises simply because they have the money, it's not how the business works. IMO don't write the ship itself off - I completely get why you're annoyed, but this sort of thing could occur on any ship, Disney or not. We were on a Princess cruise last year (I know, I know - we weren't exactly there by choice ) and on a sea day they decided to close off half of the pool deck to strip and repaint some of the framework. Guests that were even able to find a deck chair were having flakes of paint blown over them and then had to put up with the smell of half a deck's worth of fresh paint lingering around. I think in your situation, it wouldn't be unrealistic to expect a letter for staterooms they think will be affected, even with, say, a small bit of OBC, or a spa discount, drink voucher, etc - something for the guest to be able to use to relax elsewhere whilst the work is being undertaken. They've been in this business for years, whatever this 'maintenance' was has surely occurred before, and if it was that bad then I'm sure there would have been complaints in the past. Disney is all about making the customer happy, so the smart thing would be to have something in place for when they know there will likely be complaints.

I can't believe the upstairs section of Cove still isn't open yet though - they were replacing the carpets during our cruise (the last of the Alaska season). We were looking forward to hanging out in there on some of the cooler days... yep, obviously didn't happen

 

[KashasMom]

The theme that keeps coming across is that You paid more for your cruise. No idea what You paid, but doubt that it is the high price you keep indicating. I stay in concierge, Royals most times, so not understanding your attempt at "paying for Disney." DCL has a premium price and yes, there are times when maintenance will be done. These ships sail 365 days per year, unless dry dock occurs. If you don't like that ship's maintenance is done daily, perhaps cruising is not for you.

Whether you meant it or not, this came across as rather rude. How do you know what they could afford? This was their honeymoon. Maybe they saved for a long time to go on this cruise. YOU even said Disney has a premium price. How blessed you are to "stay in concierge, Royals most times" but you are definitely in the minority. Perhaps the reference to paying for Disney relates to not being satisfied with how Disney handled the situation after hearing all about Disney's exceptional service. I can relate to that after receiving a bottle of wine (don't even drink wine) after 7 almost sleepless nights on the Fantasy last month.

I've been on however many cruises (25-30?) and have never been disrupted by maintenance. Maybe I'm just lucky. Certainly some maintenance should be done on a port day when most passengers are not on the ship.

 

[Shanti]

No idea what You paid, but doubt that it is the high price you keep indicating. I stay in concierge, Royals most times, so not understanding your attempt at "paying for Disney."

Whether you meant it or not, this came across as rather rude.

"Gauche" is the word that came to my mind...

 

[mevelandry]

This is just my first time on a Disney cruise, and after paying the Disney premium I expected much more. Based on my experiences this week, I certainly would never sail on the wonder again, and probably won't sail on any other Disney ships as well. I suppose that's a lesson learned.

I am not shocked to read your conclusion. People expect perfection because of the premium they pay. Some people feel like they receive a good product for what they paid and some people just don't. When you have high expectations, you have more chances to be disappointed.

But while DCL is a good cruise line, it's not a "real" premium cruise line. They are very expensive because the trademark/the mouse...

It's like the Big Mac: you can get a sandwich with the exact same garnish except the slice of bread in the middle and you will pay half the price. Of course, I order "McDouble-Like-a-Mac" now...

 

[cyclenut]

Sorry to hear of your poor experience. Our very first time on DCL was also on the Wonder and our expectations were also very high. We were also very disappointed. There were numerous issues (fortunately not noise related). We cancelled our already booked DCL cruise for our 25th anniversary and had vowed never to sail DCL again. They finally enticed us back with on-board credits and a really good deal on an different cruise on the Wonder. We gave it another try and were sold on DCL.

We are now very careful about cruise pricing and try and avoid sailing when the prices are at their peak.

Hoping your experience improves as you have time to reflect and you give them another try. We are glad we did.

Congratulations on your wedding!!!

 

[dskib]

The theme that keeps coming across is that You paid more for your cruise. No idea what You paid, but doubt that it is the high price you keep indicating. I stay in concierge, Royals most times, so not understanding your attempt at "paying for Disney." DCL has a premium price and yes, there are times when maintenance will be done. These ships sail 365 days per year, unless dry dock occurs. If you don't like that ship's maintenance is done daily, perhaps cruising is not for you.

Wow. Is the better word Rude or is it pompous? Not everyone has the ability to pay what you clearly can. Some of us have to save for a long time to afford our standard rooms. Which are generally 2-3 times more expensive than other lines. Clearly, this is what she is referring to. When you take a nice vacation, it's not unrealistic to expect that your room won't be shaken by loud power tools. And if they plan to do so, notice given beforehand should be a given. Maybe even a perk for their trouble - a rainforest room pass during that time for example. Sheesh.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

Wow. Is the better word Rude or is it pompous? Not everyone has the ability to pay what you clearly can. Some of us have to save for a long time to afford our standard rooms. Which are generally 2-3 times more expensive than other lines. Clearly, this is what she is referring to. When you take a nice vacation, it's not unrealistic to expect that your room won't be shaken by loud power tools. And if they plan to do so, notice given beforehand should be a given. Maybe even a perk for their trouble - a rainforest room pass during that time for example. Sheesh.

Deb...????? Is that you???

 

[undertheradar]

Whether you meant it or not, this came across as rather rude. How do you know what they could afford? This was their honeymoon. Maybe they saved for a long time to go on this cruise. YOU even said Disney has a premium price. How blessed you are to "stay in concierge, Royals most times" but you are definitely in the minority. Perhaps the reference to paying for Disney relates to not being satisfied with how Disney handled the situation after hearing all about Disney's exceptional service. I can relate to that after receiving a bottle of wine (don't even drink wine) after 7 almost sleepless nights on the Fantasy last month.

I've been on however many cruises (25-30?) and have never been disrupted by maintenance. Maybe I'm just lucky. Certainly some maintenance should be done on a port day when most passengers are not on the ship.

Thread after thread that includes complaints, reference the "premium" paid for DCL. There is an air of entitlement that comes across when the statement of Disney's "exceptional service," is invoked. We had a recent thread involving the hurricane interrupted sailings and several that followed, with people referencing paying more for DCL and expecting a higher level of service. The reality is that due to social media, expectations are at an all-time high. As for calling my post rude, I just called like it reads. The OP has stated several times about the premium paid for DCL.

 

[undertheradar]

Wow. Is the better word Rude or is it pompous? Not everyone has the ability to pay what you clearly can. Some of us have to save for a long time to afford our standard rooms. Which are generally 2-3 times more expensive than other lines. Clearly, this is what she is referring to. When you take a nice vacation, it's not unrealistic to expect that your room won't be shaken by loud power tools. And if they plan to do so, notice given beforehand should be a given. Maybe even a perk for their trouble - a rainforest room pass during that time for example. Sheesh.

If you read through the thread, there are numerous suggestions of what posters think DCL should be doing for the OP. If the work being done is on a port day, this is standard operation for most cruise lines. The OP's hyperbole of staying away from this ship is a little too much.

 

[mandylovesdisney]

Upstairs of the Cove is being turned into more concierge lounge area.

 

[cruiser21]

The theme that keeps coming across is that You paid more for your cruise. No idea what You paid, but doubt that it is the high price you keep indicating. I stay in concierge, Royals most times, so not understanding your attempt at "paying for Disney." DCL has a premium price and yes, there are times when maintenance will be done. These ships sail 365 days per year, unless dry dock occurs. If you don't like that ship's maintenance is done daily, perhaps cruising is not for you.

I can't believe there are people that actually agree with this post? Pompous and rude to say the least.

 

[dcassetta]

Upstairs of the Cove is being turned into more concierge lounge area.

Are you saying that all of the upstairs Cove area will now be the concierge lounge?

 

[cruiser21]

Well there doesn't seem to be rattling construction today, but we are also tendered and not truly in port so that could be part of it.

As far the noise, apparently the work in the adult area is done now, or they have at least removed the tarps and aren't working on it. The upstairs of the cove cafe seems to still be closed off. The manager at guest services said the jack hammering outside my stateroom was them working on a lifeboat. Huh? They also told me they ordered that work to stop because of complaints so who knows if they have more to do or if that is also done.

I was offered a bottle of wine or a pass to the rainforest room (tomorrow is my last day) and an apology. Not really feeling the love.

I apologize if I'm being overly negative here and I don't want to get people freaked out about their upcoming trips. You will probably be fine, as it seems we have had pretty bad luck so far with our location.

This is just my first time on a Disney cruise, and after paying the Disney premium I expected much more. Based on my experiences this week, I certainly would never sail on the wonder again, and probably won't sail on any other Disney ships as well. I suppose that's a lesson learned.

I'm not sure if you have cruised other cruise lines or not. I would imagine anyone that has cruised on Royal, Carnival, or NCL and has liked them would be disappointed in DCL. DCL many be a great cruiseline, but if you go into it expecting it to be something exceptional because of the price you paid your going to walk away feeling really let down.
There are people on these boards that will tell you DCL cost more because it is a premium line and exceptional. When someone posts that they were disappointed in DCL and didn't feel it was worth the price. The same people will tell you your entitled and shouldn't expect a better experience because you paid more. You really can't win with some of the hardcore DCL defenders on here.
Sorry you were disappointed with your cruise. I've been on many cruises and have never had to deal with this kind of construction. I would write DCL guest services and tell them about your experience. I've never written DCL GS, but I have WDW, and I've always received a phone call.

Are you saying that all of the upstairs Cove area will now be the concierge lounge?

It was supposedly closed for construction during our Alaska cruise. I swear I walked by and saw a few people having drinks in there one night. I was very disappointed. It is one of the few places you can be warm and watch the scenery. My guess is that it will be just for concierge guests.

 

[Shanti]

Are you saying that all of the upstairs Cove area will now be the concierge lounge?

From what I've read in 2017 Alaska trip reports, it's already being roped off for exclusive concierge use at times. Glacier day being a prime example.

Sounds like the nasty construction they're doing now is a way to make it permanent. Probably to accommodate all of the passengers from the new concierge rooms that have been added as of October 1st.

The mouse has pockets to line...