2/13 Magic -So Annoyed At Disney !

[kcashner]

We went on a 3 night cruise in November and there were a ton of people on there that were given a $99 bounceback offer from a previous 4 day Feb cruise(that was just fine, no problems) just an incentive to fill the November ship. Shame they didnt' offer you something like that. I am so glad that we were not on your cruise, I take my kids alone to disney and cruising and cannot imagine all you went thru, I would have been thoroughly exhausted before ever boarding. Hugs to you.... and I hope you found some time to make some memories.

They were offered 20% off on a future cruise as well as a 20% refund on that cruise, onboard credit, etc.

 

[Morty Fieldmouse]

They were offered 20% off on a future cruise as well as a 20% refund on that cruise, onboard credit, etc.

For ME this would be an awesome compensation for a loss of one day at sea. I'd look at it as 30% off this cruise + the standard 10% off the next one that I was going to book anyway.

I suspect the OP didn't take advantage of the rebooking discount, since they were already upset about their current situation. Everyone who took advantage of the rebooking discount is probably very happy; everyone who passed on the offer probably doesn't even think of it as an extra compensation.

 

[TisBit]

It sounds more that the OP would be upset about anything and nothing Disney would do would have made it right. As for the rental car, did they ask the Disney cast members about options for the luggage, I doubt everyone from the cruise were wandering around Epcot with their luggage. Seems that the food compensation was more that they didn't get what they wanted or a blank check for food. They appeared to be put in a decent hotel as well.

As for being forced to Epcot, they have a customer service number I would just bug them on and do my own thing, if that is what I wanted. I also find it interesting that they were upset they got to go to Epcot for free, regardless of the crowds.

I am sure if the OP must have never been bumped from a flight and dealt with airline compensations . While I understand the frustration with some of the advance communications, etc....I can also see that the OP probably would have been irritated regardless of the situation. Seems that Disney tried to help in a bad situation.....

 

[tvguy]

Keep us posted on how your Travel Insurance company handles your claim.

The vast majority of folks who have travel insurance and had to file a claim seem happy with the outcome.
But boy, there are some folks who have really horrible experiences with the insurance companies, so much so, my Travel Agent doesn't even sell travel insurance anymore, her Agency just gives you a list of websites for travel insurance companies with a disclaiming that they do not endorse any of these companies.
I guess she had a client buy travel insurance. The guy's boss canceled his vacation 2 weeks before the cruise. Guy files claim, which is promptly paid. And the insurance company promptly sued the guys's company for creating a situation that required them to have pay a claim. It went to court, and the company had to reimburse the insurance company for the claim, plus the cost of their lawyers, court costs and of course their own legal fees. Wow, that would have to be an awkward working situation afterwards!!!

 

[SkyKnight]

I was on that cruise and I apreciate the OP expressing his/her opinions. I'm not going to throw stones as many here have done. I was fortunate in that I was already staying at the Grand Floridian and ended up just getting another night

when Disney does there after action report on how this was all handled they need to primarily fix the lack of communication. A company like Disney can take all of the passengers phone numbers and call them with a recorded message. They could also email everyone or text the cell numbers They didn't reach out to anyone. The very nice but uninformed DCL rep at the desk at the Grand Floridian just knew that there was a delay the concierge googles it and told me what was happening

The DCL staff helping the passengers didn't have the info as well as the passengers

other than the lacking proactive communication they could have worked to cut the line waiting down. As I said we were lucky having already been staying on property. The Grand Floridian manager gave us compted park tickets and we were told to go to epcot. We got off the monorail to see hundreds of cruise passengers in line. They could have added a staff or two to ease the line but they didn't.

At the pavilian the line barely moved but this line had just about all the people from the ship. The line was for hotel assignments. Thank god I asked because some people waited 3 hours in line. Once i learned what it was for we took off to the parks.

From my lucky'er than most stand point I would say that the lack if communication was the biggest disaster. They could have definately improved that. Second they could and should have worked to relieve the waiting times in line. Lots of management in huddles chatting away at the pavilion at epcot. Had they been working the waiting line who knows how much faster itcoukd have moved.

Thanks OP for sharing your feelings on the mess You are entitled!!!

 

[jessica52877]

I am sorry that this happened and it seems that the communication is the biggest issue, but for anyone out there, how do you propose that DCL communicate with everyone. I am not being sarcastic, either. Unless you have everyone in a common area, like the pavillion, I am not sure there is a way to get everyone on the same page. Granted it is not what you wnated, and when you plan for several years for each cruise, I would defivitely be upset too, but not real sure what else could be done, sure things could have been different, but would they have necessarily been better. Does DCL have a way to communicate to everyone? I would think you can get the DCL transportation and resort people, but what about those driving in or living in the area? Short of making 2,500 phone calls to a number that may be ringing at the house. Anybody know?

I wanted to comment on the communication. I was ON the ship stuck at Castaway Cay and the lack of communication was unreal! We were all on the ship and easily enough could have made an announcement about several different things but we were left to fend for ourselves.

I think Disney handled it as best they could besides the communication until the morning. That was just total chaos and unsafe.

OP, hope your cruise went better once onboard. It was frustrating to have no communication so I can only imagine how you felt.

We were told that we would keep trying to pull away, etc. I am talking about once we were told that we would be staying on the ship overnight again. All communication stopped at that point it seemed.

 

[caslass]

So your private insurance won't pay because DCL threw you a bone? Not even your incidentals for the day?

What I don't understand is why your travel insurance will not pay you for the delay in trip.

I know when our flight was delayed a few years ago for 24 hours we were given food vouchers for the airport, evening meal at the hotel and again breakfast at the hotel. We were even given transport back and forth to the airport. However, the travel insurance STILL payed us the compensation we were entitled to because it was a 24 hour delay in the trip!

So, I think I would be pushing my travel insurance on this one OR the travel insurance you bought isn't worth the paper it is written on and DO NOT use them again.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Nobody labeled the OP....IrishKevin said he heard other passengers that day whining....he never mentioned the OP. Both sides are entitled to their opinions on how they viewed that day and their experiences.

We don't want this thread turning into a he said/she said.

MJ

You refer to post no 3. As this was a very early response to the OP, on this thread, when I read it I took it to be a direct response, however I agree, the statement could be taken either way as not directly quoted.

I agree that both sides are entitled to their opinions on that day and felt my post, showed empathy for both sides.

I will take your view that IRISHKEVIN was not specifically referring to the OP, however, as previously mentioned an early response did imply that.

I continue to feel the OP showed the impact on her and her family, and painted a good picture, I was 'taken there' with her when I read it.

I also mentioned DCL did a lot, for balance, but large corporations efforts do not always fulfill the individuals circumstances.

Thank you for taking the time to bring this to my notice.

 

[MassDisLovers]

Like the OP, I was on this cruise. We had a markedly different experience on Saturday, and consequently I have no real problem with how we were treated before the cruise actually left. I do, however, agree that communication seemed to be lacking. I have a current TR in progress (We're Going on a Disney Cruise! But Wait.... Where's the Ship?) that chronicles our adventures before boarding, so I won't go over it all again.

What is frustrating to me now, is the inability to get any hard and fast answers from Disney about what the supposed 20% refund is actually going to look like, (13%? 14%? ) . We booked 3 of our party on DVC points, and 1 on cash (all in the same cabin, so she paid the "lower 4th passenger rate"), yet they gave us one lump sum credit and can't /won't explain how they determined the amount. What I want/need from them is a breakdown of how they calculated the refund. The person who paid cash was a friend traveling with our family and I want to make sure she gets her fair refund, but I have no idea which portion is truly hers. We obviously know what she originally paid, but what we don't know is what portion of that is actually refundable. The mystery of port charges (we missed St. Maarten), taxes, etc. makes figuring it all out nearly impossible.

I was on another line many years ago and we were "stuck" at sea for several days due to a hurricane. They gave us absolutely nothing (and we expected nothing). I think Disney did try hard to make things right as best they could, but this final "refund" issue is annoying.

 

[HappyPeach]

I was on this cruise.

In support of the OP, I will share some of my experiences. I am actually fine with how things were handled other than communication. But I can't believe how some of you are attacking the OP and I'd like to provide a little support for her story.

There was an immense lack of communication. I think they should have called us. When I did my online registration, I provided my cell phone number. We could have stayed at our ILs home a couple of hours away. When we first got to the port, we spoke with one of the port employees who was way more honest than any of the Disney folks. We couldn't get answers and were given an 800 number (which, good luck speaking to a human!) Our situation was unique in that my FIL was pre-approved to leave the cruise in St. Thomas due to business. We couldn't get any information on the planned itinerary changes and Disney seemed unprepared for anyone to even ask the question. Ultimately, we did not go to St. Maarten on this cruise (so for those of you defending Disney with "you went to all the ports" -- no, we did not and the St. Maarten port fees are supposed to be refunded.)

We had our own car which cut down on the luggage hassle that many experienced. Those people on the Disney buses had to check and recheck their bags and they DID have to take them into Epcot. I didn't have to do that since I was in my personal car.

We didn't get to Epcot, however, until 4:30. The park was packed due to the holiday weekend. Some of the employees had no idea what we were talking about when we said we were sent over by the Magic (remember, we're in a car not a Diseny bus) and one employee even unnecessarily told us that DCL is a different company. Sort of the ultimate "not my job" attitude.

The pavilion was a nice effort but overwhelmingly loud and crowded for my now-tired and confused 4 y/o. The line for check in and hotel assignment is HOURS long. So we headed out into the park and checked out Nemo. Everything else had over an hour waits and there were no restaurant seatings available... none of it was surprising since it was late afternoon on a holiday. But for those of you that are giving the OP a hard time, this is the truth of what we experienced. When we swung by the pavillion again later, the immense line had gone down and we were able to check in and get our hotel assignment. We also were assigned the Rosen; it was a typical business conference hotel and was fine. We also ate there and we also found our dinner bill to exceed the Disney "allowance".

The next day when we got to the port, it was a madhouse. The lines were really long and we stood outside in the cold while TV crews filmed us. We didn't have the photos and introduction aboard... I now know that some people did but it wasn't offered to us. We boarded at deck 1 and employees directed us to go up to the buffet on the top deck or to go to our rooms.

Okay... all of that to say that I'm actually fine with how they handled everything other than the lack of honest communication. If airlines can call passengers, then so can Disney CL in my opinion. Once I got on the ship, I put the previous day behind me and we had a great time. I'm fine with the 20% off just the base fare, the onboard credits, the attempt they made in Epcot... they don't control the weather and I think they responded well. I hope that the next time, they'll have a better plan in place beforehand. If the port employees are telling you that it's 13 hours between CC and PC, then Disney knows it too... so be honest and upfront with your customers!

I don't see why someone who wasn't there would hide behind their computer to berate the OP as being ungrateful. It's insulting to tell the OP to buck up because this is no tragedy compared to a natural disaster. This is an expensive vacation provided by a company that markets itself as going beyond. If she's still disappointed, that is her right. virtual hugs to OP...

I just booked a 4-night Wonder as a girl's trip with a friend for this spring, so you can see that I'm as big a fan of DCL as ever.

 

[mmouse37]

You refer to post no 3. As this was a very early response to the OP, on this thread, when I read it I took it to be a direct response, however I agree, the statement could be taken either way as not directly quoted.

I agree that both sides are entitled to their opinions on that day and felt my post, showed empathy for both sides.

I will take your view that IRISHKEVIN was not specifically referring to the OP, however, as previously mentioned an early response did imply that.

I continue to feel the OP showed the impact on her and her family, and painted a good picture, I was 'taken there' with her when I read it.

I also mentioned DCL did a lot, for balance, but large corporations efforts do not always fulfill the individuals circumstances.

Thank you for taking the time to bring this to my notice.

You are welcome, but his post was pretty clear he was NOT implying that the OP was whining but other passengers around him were. I agree that the OP had a rough day and has every right to voice her frustrations from that day.

MJ

 

[walloon]

I was on this cruise as well. The other six days were great.

Judy's (and my) problem is that Disney is famed for its above and beyond customer service. We were all told multiple times that we would be refunded 20% of our cruise price. Not 20% of some phantom subtotal that we had never seen before.

Also the lack of notification is a very sore point. In my case I wouldn't have received any notification because I don't check email on vacation and DCL only had my home phone# not my cell.

But by the time I was listening to the recorded message they should have been able to tell me, 'The Magic is still at Castaway Cay, there will be no boarding today. The earliest boarding will take place is 11am Sunday morning'. Instead of a 'go to Epcot, we'll get you some type of hotel room'.

Since I was already in Cape Canaveral we elected to not travel to Epcot and we got our own room for the night.

We didn't have any travel insurance and I know Disney doesn't have to give us any more than they already have. I'll write them a letter being as courteous as possible.

I totally agree with this post. Our other 6 days were great.

Disney's math or what they conceive of 20% I don't get...

Also, they could of emailed us with regards to this. I checked my email at 9:30 that morning and nothing....They managed to email me many other items regarding my cruise...remember your passports, book your excursions etc. An email about this was not worthy?!?
Also, my message I received at home on our machine was at 11:30 am.

 

[son3disfan]

Just a couple things to say..

I was on the Feb. 6th sailing that lasted 8 days.
We were thinking about you all, and everytime I got frustrated with how Disney was handling our situation,communication especially, I would think about you guys, and how it was probably much more difficult for you and your families. We were being feed, and entertained, and our trip was EXTENDED, and yours was, well, not going to be as magical as you hoped. For that, I really am sorry that your trip was so chaotic.

What I found out at the airport on Sunday, was that Disney was not only dealing with the Eastern getting out, and the Western coming in, but the Wonder was also going out that day. AND it was Presidents week. I don't think this could have helped the situation at all.

Not saying that it couldn't have been handled better. I know the gentleman I dealt with at the Magic Express counter- A manager of some sort ( trying to get a room for us for the night as our airline couldn't get us out until the next day) said Disney will be having MANY meetings about how things were handled, and how to improve on what happened. Comments to Disney will also help them understand what we as passengers went through.

 

[SkyKnight]

Here is a copy of the letter they gave us on the cruise. It says 20% off of the voyage fair. There are no disclaimers on what that means on the letter.

So 20% off should be 20% off.

 

[MassDisLovers]

I forgot to add this in my original post - when we left the ship on the 20th, we were taken aside by a DCL employee and asked if we would consider sending our thoughts to DCL on how the whole crazy thing was handled. I said I would do that and was given a business card with the information Here is the address to write to - they asked that we be AS SPECIFIC as possible to so they can learn from this incident:

Disney Cruise Vacations
Guest Communications
PO Box 10238
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0238

or e-mail @ DCL.Guest.Communications@disneycruise.com

As we have seen on this thread, the experiences we all had were very varied, and all are valid. I am beginning to wonder if the ultimate compensation will be varied as well ( I hope not!)

 

[Kay1]

I think it must have been really hard for parents of young children. My son is 18 but severely autistic. I'm not sure how he would have coped with all the confusion.

 

[IrishKevin]

You are welcome, but his post was pretty clear he was NOT implying that the OP was whining but other passengers around him were. I agree that the OP had a rough day and has every right to voice her frustrations from that day.

MJ

Thank you MMOUSE37!!! I never implied that the OP was whining and for that I apologize if it was taken out of context...with that said the behavior of some of my fellow passengers was just inexcusable. For instance the free snacks at the "Command Post" were great except people were cutting into lines and grabbing more than their fair share. I can only describe it as "Looting".

 

[PURTYPAT1]

I forgot to add this in my original post - when we left the ship on the 20th, we were taken aside by a DCL employee and asked if we would consider sending our thoughts to DCL on how the whole crazy thing was handled. I said I would do that and was given a business card with the information Here is the address to write to - they asked that we be AS SPECIFIC as possible to so they can learn from this incident:

Disney Cruise Vacations
Guest Communications
PO Box 10238
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0238

or e-mail @ DCL.Guest.Communications@disneycruise.com

As we have seen on this thread, the experiences we all had were very varied, and all are valid. I am beginning to wonder if the ultimate compensation will be varied as well ( I hope not!)

I was also on the this cruise, and I'm in the middle of the report.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2403413

I am a 1 year cancer survivor, my outlook thru out the first day, was to show my family, that sometimes in life, things don't work out the way you planned, and try to turn it around & make it a adventure. Our first day, alot had happend, we made the best.

I did rebook, Alaska received 20% off and I thought it wa 275.00 OBC. Will call Disney and find out when things settle down.

I received some refunds on my visa, I just can't get any of the Disney Cruise line people to explain the breakdown on it.

 

[poeticdiabetic]

I have a question concerning the story:

Is the original poster trying to get compensated by Disney for the inconvenience rendered to her on the trip or is she trying to get compensation from the insurance company? The reason why I ask is because Disney isn't under any obligation to compensate anyone under these circumstances, but it will be up to the traveler to file a claim with the insurance company.

I've read a bit about the experiences concerning EPCOT, hotel stays, lack of communication, etc. It sounds like a good attempt to accommodate the traveller but they could have done better. But those attempts to accommodate the traveller is customer service but Disney isn't under any obligation to do any of that. Their obligation is to inform the traveller of the change and tell them to come back tomorrow. It is up to the traveller to find their own lodging, transportation, and other accommodations- keep their receipts, and later file a claim with their insurance company at the conclusion of their trip.

But I have another question: Where you not able to find out if the ship was at port? Did the ship get to the port the day that you left the hotel that was accommodated by Disney? The reason why is that if the ship was delayed but came, you cannot sue for that inconvenience. That would be like going to the airport only to find out that your plane was delayed. And as a result of that, you try to sue Delta Airlines for the cab fare and the price of the burger that you ate while waiting at the airport.

In other words, I think you have a great lawsuit with the travel insurance company. You should be able to be compensated for any and all costs for transportation, lodging, food, etc. during your hold over. But you can't sue for time and inconvenience unfortunately. Let me take that back... you can sue, but you won't win.

The only way to really get payback if you felt harmed is to tell others of your ordeal and decide whether or not you will patronize the company. You vote with your feet.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Thank you MMOUSE37!!! I never implied that the OP was whining and for that I apologize if it was taken out of context...with that said the behavior of some of my fellow passengers was just inexcusable. For instance the free snacks at the "Command Post" were great except people were cutting into lines and grabbing more than their fair share. I can only describe it as "Looting".

Thank you for the clarification, coming as post 3, I read that slightly differently, it could be taken to ways.

I do agree when things are offered sometimes it can only be described as looting, most people have respect for others. Seen it in Cove Cafe, as the snacks come out, they are sometimes all gone with one person.

My son was watching the TV clips of the people in the queues today, it was interesting.