 |
 |
Disney Magic Review: May 2010 Mediterranean
We were on the May 5th, 10 day cruise in the Mediterranean, visiting the ports of Malta, Tunisia, Naples, Civitavecchia, LaSpezia, Villefranche, Corsica and leaving and returning from Barcelona. We are HUGE Disney fans, visiting Walt Disney World at least once a year for the past 7 years as adults without children. So how did we end up cruising? Well, we always wanted to go to Europe and happened to find an amazing military rate for a Mediterranean cruise with Disney. It seemed like a no-brainer and turned out to be an amazing experience. Was it all perfect? No, but read on to find out what we thought.
Service- We were stunned by the service you receive on a ship just in general. Our cabin steward was perfect, making up our room twice a day with towel animals at night. The various servers around the ship were wonderful and unobtrusive, yet there when you needed them. We only saw the head waiter once throughout the cruise, so were somewhat taken aback by the suggested tipping amount of $1 a day per person. Our server was nice, but not over the top. I sometimes felt like I was putting him out a bit. He forgot to mention my birthday after being reminded only the day before, and after promising copies of the menus at the beginning of the cruise, was unable to produce them at the end. If I had known, I would have taken pictures of the menus. Our drink server was amazing and chatted easily with us, had our drinks waiting for us daily, and never let us run out of bread or drinks. After cruising this year with Carnival, I think the service is comparable.
Food- We went in very excited about the food, and were pretty disappointed. The welcome buffet really had little which appealled to me, and the things that did, tasted bland or bad. We thought that maybe it was an aberration, but that night's dinner was also bad. Overcooked steaks all around (terrible cuts) and boring desserts. Throughout the cruise, I had a creme brulee with no sugar crust on top, poorly cooked steaks, bland pasta, and unmemorable salads and soups. Pluto's Doghouse, which has the burgers and fast food, was actually pretty good as was the pizza. Some nights had decent food in the main dining room, especially the Captain's Gala night and the Disney Signature night. One exception to the mediocre food was Palo, the adults-only restaurant with an extra fee of $15 per person (now $20). Palo was amazing, especially the brunch. You start with free champagne, and like the main dining room, can have multiple items from each course. The flatbreads and pizzas are standouts. James said "this is how I thought all the cruise food would be." Wow, wouldn't that be something...
Entertainment- The main shows were mostly great with one or two exceptions. These are huge, well-produced shows with talented actors. Five of the shows had storylines. One was a singing revue, then there was a magician (over the top and took himself too seriously) a ventriloquist, and a comedian. Only two nights had nothing going on, and those were in the ports of Naples and Rome where the sailaway time was not until 9 pm. The social hosts throughout the ship were very good, and hosted great activities and game shows. David, in the nightclub Rockin Bar D's, was always on the mark with his humor and we enjoyed frequenting the activities there every night after dinner. After cruising Carnival, the only critique I have of Disney is that all the trivia is Disney themed and there isn't as much of it as on Carnival ships. It was also poorly attended, so maybe that is why.
The Boat- It is simply beautiful with well laid-out staterooms and a classy feel. The public spaces are nice, and the ship never felt crowded except for at the buffet. The waterslide is not really for adults, which were somewhat disappointed by, but I can't really find fault with anything else on the ship. The movie theatre and main theatre are great. Oh, I also avoided walking through deck 4 because the photo gallery and art gallery could get quite congested as well. Restaurants are interestingly themed and fun, especially Animator's Palate. We loved the classic lines and the nods to transatlantic ocean liners all over the vessel.
Service- We were stunned by the service you receive on a ship just in general. Our cabin steward was perfect, making up our room twice a day with towel animals at night. The various servers around the ship were wonderful and unobtrusive, yet there when you needed them. We only saw the head waiter once throughout the cruise, so were somewhat taken aback by the suggested tipping amount of $1 a day per person. Our server was nice, but not over the top. I sometimes felt like I was putting him out a bit. He forgot to mention my birthday after being reminded only the day before, and after promising copies of the menus at the beginning of the cruise, was unable to produce them at the end. If I had known, I would have taken pictures of the menus. Our drink server was amazing and chatted easily with us, had our drinks waiting for us daily, and never let us run out of bread or drinks. After cruising this year with Carnival, I think the service is comparable.
Food- We went in very excited about the food, and were pretty disappointed. The welcome buffet really had little which appealled to me, and the things that did, tasted bland or bad. We thought that maybe it was an aberration, but that night's dinner was also bad. Overcooked steaks all around (terrible cuts) and boring desserts. Throughout the cruise, I had a creme brulee with no sugar crust on top, poorly cooked steaks, bland pasta, and unmemorable salads and soups. Pluto's Doghouse, which has the burgers and fast food, was actually pretty good as was the pizza. Some nights had decent food in the main dining room, especially the Captain's Gala night and the Disney Signature night. One exception to the mediocre food was Palo, the adults-only restaurant with an extra fee of $15 per person (now $20). Palo was amazing, especially the brunch. You start with free champagne, and like the main dining room, can have multiple items from each course. The flatbreads and pizzas are standouts. James said "this is how I thought all the cruise food would be." Wow, wouldn't that be something...
Entertainment- The main shows were mostly great with one or two exceptions. These are huge, well-produced shows with talented actors. Five of the shows had storylines. One was a singing revue, then there was a magician (over the top and took himself too seriously) a ventriloquist, and a comedian. Only two nights had nothing going on, and those were in the ports of Naples and Rome where the sailaway time was not until 9 pm. The social hosts throughout the ship were very good, and hosted great activities and game shows. David, in the nightclub Rockin Bar D's, was always on the mark with his humor and we enjoyed frequenting the activities there every night after dinner. After cruising Carnival, the only critique I have of Disney is that all the trivia is Disney themed and there isn't as much of it as on Carnival ships. It was also poorly attended, so maybe that is why.
The Boat- It is simply beautiful with well laid-out staterooms and a classy feel. The public spaces are nice, and the ship never felt crowded except for at the buffet. The waterslide is not really for adults, which were somewhat disappointed by, but I can't really find fault with anything else on the ship. The movie theatre and main theatre are great. Oh, I also avoided walking through deck 4 because the photo gallery and art gallery could get quite congested as well. Restaurants are interestingly themed and fun, especially Animator's Palate. We loved the classic lines and the nods to transatlantic ocean liners all over the vessel.
