Aug 21st Wonder Cruise Info! See Page 2!

[druidia]

There is a message on the DCL website.

Tropical Weather Update


As of August 20, 2008

We are currently monitoring Tropical Storm Fay very closely.

Tropical Storm Fay has stalled along the eastern portion of Florida near our homeport of Port Canaveral and its path is uncertain.

For this reason, Port Canaveral has been closed to vessel traffic by the Port Authority and the August 21, 2008 sailing of the Disney Wonder will set sail on its 3-night itinerary from Fort Lauderdale, Florida — Port Everglades.

Other than the departure port change, we do not anticipate any additional changes in the upcoming Disney Wonder itinerary. Transportation will be provided for guests with transfers and those arriving by private vehicle at Port Canaveral. It is important that guests still park at our terminal in Port Canaveral as the ship will be returning there on Sunday, August 24, 2008.

The Disney Magic is currently on a 15-night Panama Canal voyage and is scheduled to return to Port Canaveral on Monday, September 1, 2008.

The safety and security of our guests and crew members is always our top priority, and we monitor the weather very closely. If necessary, our Captains are always prepared to alter the ships' courses or itinerary to navigate away from inclement weather.

 

[WebmasterJohn]

Directly from Disney......



Florida-Based Disney Destinations
Tropical Weather Update

Wednesday, August 20, 2008



Disney Cruise Line

The Disney Cruise Line® continues to monitor Tropical Storm Fay very closely.

Tropical Storm Fay has stalled along the eastern coast of Florida near our homeport of Port Canaveral, and its path is uncertain at this point.

For this reason, Port Canaveral has been closed by the Port Authority and the Aug. 21, 2008 sailing of the Disney Wonder® will set sail on its 3-night itinerary from Port Everglades, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Other than the departure port change, we do not anticipate any additional changes in the upcoming Disney Wonder itinerary. Transportation will be provided for Guests with transfers and those arriving by private vehicle at Port Canaveral. It is important that departing Guests park at our terminal in Port Canaveral as the ship is scheduled to return there on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008.

The Disney Magic® is currently on a 15-night Panama Canal voyage and is scheduled to return to Port Canaveral on Monday, Sept. 1, 2008.

The safety and security of our Guests and Crew Members are always our top priority, and we monitor the weather very closely. If necessary, our Captains are always prepared to alter the ships' courses or itineraries to navigate away from inclement weather.

Walt Disney World Resort

The Walt Disney World® Resort safely withstood the wind and rain associated with Tropical Storm Fay. We have returned to normal operations in all areas.



©Disney

 

[msteddom]

Sorry for the repeat, mods please delete!


Florida-Based Disney Destinations
Tropical Weather Update

Wednesday, August 20, 2008



Disney Cruise Line

The Disney Cruise Line® continues to monitor Tropical Storm Fay very closely.

Tropical Storm Fay has stalled along the eastern coast of Florida near our homeport of Port Canaveral, and its path is uncertain at this point.

For this reason, Port Canaveral has been closed by the Port Authority and the Aug. 21, 2008 sailing of the Disney Wonder® will set sail on its 3-night itinerary from Port Everglades, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Other than the departure port change, we do not anticipate any additional changes in the upcoming Disney Wonder itinerary. Transportation will be provided for Guests with transfers and those arriving by private vehicle at Port Canaveral. It is important that departing Guests park at our terminal in Port Canaveral as the ship is scheduled to return there on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008.

The Disney Magic® is currently on a 15-night Panama Canal voyage and is scheduled to return to Port Canaveral on Monday, Sept. 1, 2008.

The safety and security of our Guests and Crew Members are always our top priority, and we monitor the weather very closely. If necessary, our Captains are always prepared to alter the ships' courses or itineraries to navigate away from inclement weather.


©Disney

 

[mommasita]

What I am going to do is merge this with an already existing thread on Thursday's sailing, to make it easier for everyone to find.

 

[Donna3271]

Ugh!! This is my worst nightmare! We are going in Nov, which is still hurricane season. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you all!!

 

[MarkRG]

I've also edited the thread title so hopefully nobody misses it. Sorry to hear.

However:

We did this for a cruise two years ago now. It wasn't horrible. They bring the entire port staff including porters down to Port Everglades. They use the same buses as they do the transfers, and others from Mears that are very similar. They also did a stop halfway at a very nice rest area to give the kids a chance to get out for a little bit. It just took a little extra time and I'd imagine they'll be late sailing out making sure they got everyone.

 

[KMovies]

If I recall from the posts back then, they also provided bottled water and/or snacks on the bus trip as well.
They sailed around 8 PM.

 

[booger73]

DCL when I spoke to them did back up what you say:

Wonder will sail at 8pm.. from PE. [as a side note, that's when our Palo reservations are.. hmm]

Last bus from PC down to PE evidently leaves at/or around 4pm, per the person I was talking to..

Expected boarding to start around 2pm

Park/show up at PC as usual...

They were bus'ing everyone of their normal staff down to PE today.. it was kinda funny, how she said, 'yeah, things are kindof a mess here too at DCL'

 

[two-foxes]

We ran into this in 2004 with Hurricane Jeanne and we had to leave out of Port Everglades on a shortened 7 night. My only advice is to BE PATIENT and understand that DCL will do everything they can to get you out safely and quickly, but it doesn't always go picture perfect! We ran into alot of ugliness from very upset passengers who were just MAD , but just remember to keep your eye on the prize...you will make it on the ship and have a wonderful cruise just the same

Good luck!

 

[TCB in FLA]

We ran into this in 2004 with Hurricane Jeanne and we had to leave out of Port Everglades on a shortened 7 night. My only advice is to BE PATIENT and understand that DCL will do everything they can to get you out safely and quickly, but it doesn't always go picture perfect! We ran into alot of ugliness from very upset passengers who were just MAD , but just remember to keep your eye on the prize...you will make it on the ship and have a wonderful cruise just the same

Good luck!

Just wondering: Did DCL do anything special for everyone due to the changes? (stateroom credit? extra discount off next cruise? etc.?) Not that there was anything they could do about it -- but I was just curious.

 

[Miss Poppins]

Just wondering: Did DCL do anything special for everyone due to the changes? (stateroom credit? extra discount off next cruise? etc.?) Not that there was anything they could do about it -- but I was just curious.

Why would they have to?

 

[eeyoregon]

Just wondering: Did DCL do anything special for everyone due to the changes? (stateroom credit? extra discount off next cruise? etc.?) Not that there was anything they could do about it -- but I was just curious.

YES! They are providing thousands of dollars worth of transportation for everyone.

 

[Anal Annie]

Cheer up and just think about all those people on the ship right now who booked return flights home earlier than recommended thinking that previous posters advised they'd have plenty of time to just sit around the airport if they went ahead & booked an 11:00 am flight!! THEY'RE not gonna be happy campers and I'm sure some will be blaming DCL even tho it was the Port Authority that closed the port...

 

[mmouse37]

Just wondering: Did DCL do anything special for everyone due to the changes? (stateroom credit? extra discount off next cruise? etc.?) Not that there was anything they could do about it -- but I was just curious.

It's an honest question and I will give an honest answer. Yes...DCL offered passengers a 40% refund plus an onboard credit (I forget how much but over $100) and a 25% discount on a future cruise). Now that is not to say that they will again. I am just saying that is what was offered in 2004.

We were on the same cruise as Two-Foxes who posted above and it was nightmare. Our bus broke down enroute to Ft. Lauderdale and we spent an extra hour in the hot sun waiting for a another bus. The terminal in Ft. Lauderdale was complete chaos...endless lines and confusion and it was very frustrating to see so many people screaming at DCL workers....they were out of sorts as well. They were doing the best they could but it was still a mess.

This time things may be a bit smoother at Ft. Lauderdale. I personally think DCL did the right thing by offering guests the refund, discount and OBC. It placated a lot of raw nerves.......the refund was offered to us before we even encountered all the chaos at Ft. lauderdale. DCL was being proactive in offering the discounts, refunds.......many people cancelled that cruise and were given full refunds and the 25% future discount. If you decided to still cruise with them, but out of Ft. Lauderdale they offered the discounts, refunds and onboard credit. We felt it was fair since our cruise was only 4.5 days instead of 7.

 

[two-foxes]

Just wondering: Did DCL do anything special for everyone due to the changes? (stateroom credit? extra discount off next cruise? etc.?) Not that there was anything they could do about it -- but I was just curious.

40% off our cruise and a $300 stateroom credit and 25% off a future cruise (which had alot of restrictions). But please keep in mind, we were stuck in a hotel ball room for HOURS at port everglades, then at the actual for port another hour or two at least. It was not a pretty sight. Our cruise was also shortened from a 7 night to a 5 night (we actually left after midnight, so 4 3/4 night ) The port was double booked, literally. We had to wait for the Wonder to go through their processes unloaded passengers (that cruise was extended if I am not mistaken) before the Magic could even dock to let us on. The Magic had been set out to sea with no passengers, just crew, for a couple of days. I believe we experienced the worst of the worst, as did DCL, and DCL reimbursed us above and beyond my expectations. I was just happy we had trip insurance and it was cool to see the Wonder and Magic at the same time!

I would not use this experience as any frame of reference for what DCL may or will do for future situations, as we had a severely delayed cruise, (by days, not hours) and a mess at Port Everglades.

 

[mmouse37]

Why would they have to?

because they are good at customer service and we were given a 4.5 day cruise instead of a 7 day cruise and we had to ride out a hurricane in a hotel room for two days.

They were proactive and wanted to keep their guests happy.

 

[two-foxes]

because they are good at customer service and we were given a 4.5 day cruise instead of a 7 day cruise and we had to ride out a hurricane in a hotel room for two days.

They were proactive and wanted to keep their guests happy.

Hi, MJ!! We all still had a blast!!!!!

 

[eeyoregon]

Cheer up and just think about all those people on the ship right now who booked return flights home earlier than recommended thinking that previous posters advised they'd have plenty of time to just sit around the port if they went ahead & booked an 11:00 am flight!! THEY'RE not gonna be happy campers and I'm sure some will be blaming DCL even tho it was the Port Authority that closed the port...

Guess times likes these answer the age old question: "Is trip insurance important/worth it for my cruise?"

Yes, I am worried that I won't make it into MCO on Friday for our vacation BUT I sleep a lot better knowing that the extra $40 I spent to insure my trip will cover me for whatever may go wrong.

Sending prayers and pixie dust to all of you that are trying to get to the Wonder tomorrow. Safe travels and happy cruising!

 

[dursin]

Looks like the Wonder will be arriving and departing from Port Everglades:

From DCL site:

"Tropical Weather Update

As of August 21, 2008

We are currently monitoring Tropical Storm Fay very closely.

Tropical Storm Fay has stalled along the eastern portion of Florida near our homeport of Port Canaveral and its path is uncertain.

For this reason, Port Canaveral has been closed to vessel traffic by the Port Authority and the August 21, 2008 sailing of the Disney Wonder will set sail on its 3-night itinerary from Fort Lauderdale, Florida — Port Everglades.

Other than the departure port change, we do not anticipate any additional changes in the upcoming Disney Wonder itinerary. Transportation will be provided for guests with transfers and those arriving by private vehicle at Port Canaveral. It is important that guests still park at our terminal in Port Canaveral as the ship will be returning there on Sunday, August 24, 2008.

The Disney Magic is currently on a 15-night Panama Canal voyage and is scheduled to return to Port Canaveral on Monday, September 1, 2008.

The safety and security of our guests and crew members is always our top priority, and we monitor the weather very closely. If necessary, our Captains are always prepared to alter the ships' courses or itinerary to navigate away from inclement weather."

 

[dursin]

Oops...sorry, didn't see the other thread since it's last post was yesterday....