New York Times travel writer trip report

[Seals 111]

A not very informative trip report by a New York Times travel writer who makes sure you know he far superior to the people who actually want to go on a DIsney cruise and the only reason he set foot on the ship, instead of traveling to some wonderful, secluded, exotic location,  is because of his young daughter.  And isn't he clever not to learn anything about the cruise ahead of time. 

A preview:

On a Disney Cruise, It’s a Stressful World (After All)

Can a cruise skeptic enjoy four days on the high seas with his family, Mickey and a bunch of princesses?

By Dan Saltzstein

March 5, 2018

Even before we left dock in Miami, I started to get the feeling that our “4-Night Bahamian Cruise” on the Disney Magic was not going to go as smoothly as I had expected.

The self-serve soft-serve machines near Goofy’s Pool had run out of ice cream.

I asked a uniformed crew member when we could expect the machines to be refilled. Slightly alarmed, she told me she would look into it. While sipping a horribly cloying margarita, I broke the bad news to Anna, my 5 ½-year-old daughter. We soon headed to our gathering spot for the prelaunch shipwide safety drill — ours was inside the Animator’s Palate, one of five restaurants on the boat. After that, it was back to our stateroom, on Deck 6 of 11, to order room service and watch one of the half-dozen or so channels entirely devoted to Disney-owned content.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/05/travel/disney-cruise-magic-bahamas.html

 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

But he knows how to use "cloying" in a sentence.  Doesn't that prove his superiority?  I had to look it up.  

[Specularius 102]

If he is so much superior, why did he not stay in the Concierge level? Having splurged on Concierge level once, That is the ultimate way to cruise Disney.  

[Beckers 1,136]

1 hour ago, DaveInTN said:

But he knows how to use "cloying" in a sentence.  Doesn't that prove his superiority?  I had to look it up.  

As did I. 

I read the article but the guy kinda annoyed me 😂

[Travisma 1,317]

1 hour ago, Specularius said:

If he is so much superior, why did he not stay in the Concierge level? Having splurged on Concierge level once, That is the ultimate way to cruise Disney.  

Since he probably submitted the entire trip as a business expense for the story.

[LONE-STAR 370]

The little bit I read above was enough to tell me I didn't care to read a negative report. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I read the whole article. For someone who feels so superior, this guy did some really dumb things. Like scheduling his daughter's BBB appointment for late morning on Castaway Cay day, and Palo for that evening. And he must have had too many of those cloying margaritas as he definitely got things out of sequence- like saying he took his daughter to see a magic show after watching the fireworks on pirate night. I don't think so Dan. They don't have shows that late. 

TCD 

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

I have never been on a DIS CRUISE that didn't have a CM hovering around the ice cream machines keeping them full and the area clean.

[Specularius 102]

7 minutes ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

I have never been on a DIS CRUISE that didn't have a CM hovering around the ice cream machines keeping them full and the area clean.

And the volume of ice cream those machines spit out is mind boggling. I did encounter a short period where they were out of cones, but it was a very short period and people were using cups to still get ice cream.

[Specularius 102]

I get the feeling that this "Reporter", cough, cough, has ties to a competing cruise line.

[Seals 111]

19 hours ago, DaveInTN said:

But he knows how to use "cloying" in a sentence.  Doesn't that prove his superiority?  I had to look it up.  

I wasn't familiar with using cloying to describe a drink. I think more of a person's behavior or personality. However, I just found this on the Miriam Webster site. So apparently using it to describe a drink is trendy and hip, like the cruise guy:

Recent Examples of cloying from the Web

• When done right, the cafecito will be sweet but not cloying, covered in a rich, creamy head that’ll stick to your hipster mustache — and your ribs.
  —Carlos Frías, miamiherald, "Cuban Coffee 101: Everything to know about ordering coffee in Miami | Miami Herald," 29 Mar. 2018
• One of the biggest being that jealousy — that cloying, pesky, sometimes omnipresent emotion that plagued me during decades of dating drama — would disappear.
  —Rachel Kramer Bussel, Redbook, "Why My Boyfriend of 5 Years and I Only Have 5 Photos of the Two of Us Together," 1 May 2017
• Buttered yam lattes—less cloying than the name suggests—are made with dairy-free oat milk, while a futuristic Mavam espresso machine dispenses shots from Coffee Manufactory beans.
  —Garrett Snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "This Tiny Echo Park Coffeehouse Is Serving Food With Big Flavor," 12 Mar. 2018

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

37 minutes ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

I have never been on a DIS CRUISE that didn't have a CM hovering around the ice cream machines keeping them full and the area clean.

Good point. And Dan claims they ran out of ice cream on embarkation day. I call BS. 

TCD 

[Seals 111]

13 hours ago, LONE-STAR said:

The little bit I read above was enough to tell me I didn't care to read a negative report. 

 

59 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

I read the whole article. For someone who feels so superior, this guy did some really dumb things. Like scheduling his daughter's BBB appointment for late morning on Castaway Cay day, and Palo for that evening. And he must have had too many of those cloying margaritas as he definitely got things out of sequence- like saying he took his daughter to see a magic show after watching the fireworks on pirate night. I don't think so Dan. They don't have shows that late. 

TCD 

Yes. Reading the whole article lets you discover all the dumb things this guy did that didn't make his cruise the special experience he would never admit it could be. And cluelessly scheduling the daughter's BBB appointment for CC day and then making her take off the dress and wipe off the makeup (and I assume ruin  the hairstyle) that they spent $200 on is the best part.  The other is how a travel writer randomly picked a restaurant off ship and then was disappointed. Twice.

[Beckers 1,136]

And how are you a travel writer and never been on a cruise? That strikes me as odd.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

1 minute ago, Seals said:

And cluelessly scheduling the daughter's BBB appointment for CC day and then making her take off the dress and wipe off the makeup (and I assume ruin  the hairstyle) that they spent $200 on is the best part.  

I can only assume that it wasn't his $200 that got lost- he must have been on the paper's expense account. What a waste, though. 

TCD 

[TN22.....Brady 22]

13 hours ago, LONE-STAR said:

The little bit I read above was enough to tell me I didn't care to read a negative report. 

x2

[DaveInTN 3,247]

This guy is a shining example of why people mistrust and dislike the media.  Not only reporting bad information but doing so in an elitist manner.  

[Travisma 1,317]

21 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

This guy is a shining example of why people mistrust and dislike the media.  Not only reporting bad information but doing so in an elitist manner.  

Be still you peasant!

You will be told what to like.

[Beckers 1,136]

3 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

I can only assume that it wasn't his $200 that got lost- he must have been on the paper's expense account. What a waste, though. 

TCD 

Not only is it a waste, but a crappy thing to do to your kid! I can’t imagine getting my kid all done up and then saying 2 mins later saying  “times up! Lets undo everything!” Poor girl.