Vibration on Disney Fantasy

[DMickey]

I would be interested to know how many were on the eastern and had problems or the western?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I would be interested to know how many were on the eastern and had problems or the western?

Our first cruise was a Western, that's the one we had the worst vibration on.
Second cruise was an Eastern, much milder vibration, but still there, all the time.
Third cruise was a Southern , same vibration, but more obvious than the Eastern one.

 

[Madame]

Eastern. Bad vibration problems. Our only Western was on the Wonder. No vibration problems.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

We just got off the Eastern. According to guest services, it's all about the speed they are going. If they are in a hurry to get somewhere they have to go faster, causing the vibration.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We just got off the Eastern. According to guest services, it's all about the speed they are going. If they are in a hurry to get somewhere they have to go faster, causing the vibration.

And, sadly, because they say "that's the way it is" it seems that nothing is being done to fix it.

 

[Ravenne]

And, sadly, because they say "that's the way it is" it seems that nothing is being done to fix it.

Sure sounds that way. But Disney's M.O. has always been hush about things like that, no? Saying they're going to work on it means admitting there's an issue, and that ruins the magic and illusion. Would they say anything about it even if it was scheduled to be fixed? (Which I don't think it is.)

 

[RAD]

We've been on all four ships and except for the thruster vibration in port the ONLY ship we notice a vibration issue was on the Fantasy. We were in cabin 9610 on an eastern and things were fine except for the two days running a high speed from St. Thomas back to CC. The towel animals on the bed were shaking, there were ceiling panels in the BVT that were rattling during the movie, the light fixtures in the aft elevator lobby were shaking, the TV screens in the back of the Tube were shaking.

Here’s a short video,

 

[truck1]

Really? You might want to show "Roy" this letter. As I mentioned we were aft-facing - could almost reach out and touch Dumbo... Unfortunately, we never had the opp to use the discount. Just for info...we were on an Eastern Itinerary DVC Member cruise - and I NEVER complain but between the smell and noise, it was really a rough cruise.

9/14/17

Hello Donna,

Thank you for sailing with us and for sharing you letter with our onboard Guests Services team. They have asked that I reach out to you regarding your experience during your sailing.

Your feedback is very important to us and we truly appreciate that you took the time to let the team know your thoughts and comments about your cruise. It is through feedback, like yours, that we learn what we must do to ensure the Disney magic is preserved for everyone.

I was so sorry to learn about the disruption of your rest in your stateroom and I truly apologize for any inconvenience this caused. It’s certainly possible on any ship, including a new one, to at times hear some noises, such as the wind and ocean outside the hull, some creaking or vibrations, especially when the thrusters are in use. The vibrations can be felt all the way up to the top decks while we’re docking. Of course, we recognize that after a busy day aboard our cruise ships, at one of our many ports of call, or at Disney Castaway Cay, our guests look forward to returning to the peacefulness of their accommodations, followed by a good night's sleep. Our Guest Services team stands ready to investigate and correct any issues, and if necessary, relocate guests to alternate staterooms when availability permits. Your concerns not only about the noise but also the odor were taken seriously when they were brought to our attention during the cruise.

As a further gesture of our concern, I would like to extend a 15% discount voucher for a future cruise with us. This offer is valid for most Disney Cruise Line vacations commencing prior to October 1, 2019. While some restrictions apply, such as holiday and charter sailings, the vouchers will be combinable with most discount packages. If you could provide me with the best mailing address for you, I will be glad to mail them out to you.

If you have any additional questions or would like to speak with me, you may reach me by phone or reply to this email with your contact number and best time to call. I am usually available Tuesday through Saturday between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. EST at XXX-XXX-XXXX.

Again, thank you for sharing your experiences with us. Please be assured that at Disney Cruise Line, our continuous goal is to exceed our Guests' expectations. For this reason, we welcome your suggestions and observations regarding areas of our operation that may warrant more attention. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you and your family aboard again soon.

Best Regards,

XXXXXXX

Executive Guest Correspondent

Disney Cruise Line

Wouldnt be Rebekkah by any chance would it that sent this?

 

[elle21]

I’m so glad people are posting about this problem. We have booked our first cruise on the fantasy for next May. I want to cancel it now. We are about as far forward as you can be in the Mid section. But feeling a constant vibration will drive me crazy and ruin my trip. I can’t imagine eating dinner or lounging on the deck and feeling like you are vibrating. Let alone trying to sleep.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I’m so glad people are posting about this problem. We have booked our first cruise on the fantasy for next May. I want to cancel it now. We are about as far forward as you can be in the Mid section. But feeling a constant vibration will drive me crazy and ruin my trip. I can’t imagine eating dinner or lounging on the deck and feeling like you are vibrating. Let alone trying to sleep.

The vibration problem is in the aft of the ship. And not all rooms feel it the same. If you're in a forward room, I would say you're not going to have too much trouble with it when sleeping

Now, dining could be an issue as 2 of the MDRs are in the aft, well 3, if you count Cabanas.

Please don't cancel your cruise based on this. Now that you're aware, you may actually not be as bothered by it as those who have no prior knowledge of it all.

Plus, there are people the vibration doesn't seem to bother, you could be one of them.

 

[Ravenne]

Call me cynical, but why would they do anything about it? DCL doesn't seem to have trouble filling those aft cabins. They have too many first time cruisers who don't know better, and people willing to let DCL choose the stateroom for them via GTY or *GT rates for it to really impact them. And repeat cruisers know to avoid aft, so the loyal clientele aren't defecting as a result. I just don't see them having any kind of motivation to deal with this any time soon, especially when they have three new ships on the way where, presumably, this won't be an issue, and maybe then they'll re-allocate the Fantasy to a set of itineraries with slower speeds.

It certainly seems that way to me too, and not just with DCL, but with the parks, and even their movies as well. Even with their movies, they're just cranking out live action remakes rather than new materials, and with people paying (Lion King opened with $180 mil) they don't have an incentive to do better. Whatever they're doing is working, and I'm sad to see it spilling over into DCL as well, because to me, for the longest time, DCL was one of the last remnants of old fashioned Disney service and quality. I realized on my last cruise, after talking with CMs, and personal experiences, that the Disney/Thanos snap blip has hit DCL as well. CMs who had been with DCL for over a decade, who loved their jobs, spoke so highly of what DCL used to be are now jaded, unhappy, and wanting to quit to go back home and figure some other option out for money to support their families. That's sad.

So you would be totally fine spending 10k+ on the cruise portion of your vacation, and basically losing 2 days of your vacation? Our room was virtually unusable. I would be happy to text you the video I took and see how you would handle 2 days of it. I had read about the vibration but honestly, I did not at all expect what I experienced.

I agree, I don't think Disney cares, which is strange because they are known for their amazing service and customer experience. It is appalling that they are taking A LOT of peoples money, knowing what people will experience.

They know it's a problem, they should fix it or not place people in those cabins.

Then like I said, they should FIX the problem. The normal reviews of thruster vibrations would have been 100% fine and it is what the majority of people staying in the aft cabins have reported. This was not fine and not normal and it only seems to be specific to the Fantasy. 2 days straight of everything in the rooms, including the bed shaking is simply unacceptable.

I agree with you. I do think DCL should fix the problem. I also agree with the comment that there should be some sort of appreciation for loyal, repeat customers, but sadly, Disney now operates under the mantra of having the cow, they don't want the milk. People are still throwing money at them despite price hikes, and decreased quality. They don't seem to be the premium product they used to be, but still charge a premium price. Supply and demand. Not an excuse, imho, because I've always seen Disney as being a better, trailblazing product, not necessarily a follower. I'd also been doing some thinking on how they would even fix it if they wanted to. Cruises book at least 18 months in advance. Based on what @truck1 said, it's not a quick and easy fix. It's not like they're just going to yank the ship out of service to fix it. Companies just don't do that unless there are serious repercussions, reasons, or public outcry that would affect their revenue for it. Think about the Boeing 737 Max. Even after 2 crashes, and hundreds of deaths, airlines were still reluctant to pull the planes from service. The vibrations on the Fantasy has been going on for years, so it's not necessarily a safety issue, with any risk to guests, so Disney sees no reason to yank it out of service to fix something that's just an inconvenience to guests. Throwing a discount at a guest who does complain enough still costs the company less than taking the ship out of service to fix what they probably think is a minor nuisance that only a few guests complain about. Besides, the guest would have to spend money to use the discount anyway, so it's a win for them.

 

[KashasMom]

Wouldnt be Rebekkah by any chance would it that sent this?

No, it wasn't.

 

[cvjw]

I’m so glad people are posting about this problem. We have booked our first cruise on the fantasy for next May. I want to cancel it now. We are about as far forward as you can be in the Mid section. But feeling a constant vibration will drive me crazy and ruin my trip. I can’t imagine eating dinner or lounging on the deck and feeling like you are vibrating. Let alone trying to sleep.

Don’t cancel your cruise over this. We’ve been on the fantasy twice now, and only felt the vibration one time at dinner in cabanas. We never felt it anywhere else and it did not bother us or stop us from doing anything.

We’ve had the same cabin both sailings, 5032, so we did not have an aft cabin. We are in an aft cabin on the 8 night southern in October. We are not worried enough to move to another cabin.

 

[Bonnie1222]

We have been on 7 cruises on the Fantasy. We always choose forward cabins, and don't recall any adverse vibrations. Same in with the dining rooms.

 

[Jdawson9807]

We are set to cruise in February in stateroom 6680, before booking the cruise I read the room reviews and they seemed mixed one loved the room in 2017 and in 2013 others said it vibrated. Everyone's tolerance for things vary but I am now getting more and more concerned. Im not sure if I should move rooms, or give it a try and if it is something we can not tolerate we can request a room transfer. This is our first cruise so I guess any and all advice on what we should do would be soooo helpful!!

 

[MomOTwins]

We are set to cruise in February in stateroom 6680, before booking the cruise I read the room reviews and they seemed mixed one loved the room in 2017 and in 2013 others said it vibrated. Everyone's tolerance for things vary but I am now getting more and more concerned. Im not sure if I should move rooms, or give it a try and if it is something we can not tolerate we can request a room transfer. This is our first cruise so I guess any and all advice on what we should do would be soooo helpful!!

You should move. If the cruise is sold out, transferring on the ship will not be an option.

 

[MomOTwins]

They don't seem to be the premium product they used to be, but still charge a premium price. Supply and demand.

Disney Cruise Line just won a slew of cruise critic awards in 2018, so customers by and large are very happy with them and think the quality is there. I think that cruisers who sailed with them a long time ago may notice a decline, but that's like saying that air travel now is not as comfortable and luxurious as it was decades ago. True, but the relevant comparison for most people is not DCL now versus DCL 10 years ago, but DCL now versus other cruise lines now, and on the latter metric, DCL seems to be knocking it out of the park.

I do wonder if they might do something once they have the new cruise ships. That will spread demand for Disney cruises around more ships, so the fantasy won't always be sailing full as it is now--while now, a lengthy dry dock is a lot of opportunity cost, that might not be as true when there are more ships to run 7-night itineraries.

 

[daisyx3]

I am booked on the Fantasy in May room 10166, aft dead center under Cabana's. We had an aft room on the Dream in June (8684) and there was some vibration but my husband actually liked it. There are so many repeat cruisers who keep getting Aft rooms I am thinking it can't be all bad. I want to do a 7 night this time and I really enjoy the aft location/view, so I'll take a chance and keep it.

 

[truck1]

No, it wasn't.

Just curious. I've gotten emails back from her that were outright lies I called her out on

 

[KashasMom]

Just curious. I've gotten emails back from her that were outright lies I called her out on

Oh...I didn't really see any lies in the email I received. They acknowledged the issues we had.