DCL carry-on alcohol policy changing Sept. 30 2015

[Ofinn]

Powdered alcohol?!! Where has this been? Where do you get this??
No more vodka.. That stinks...
The reality of it all is this... how much do you REALLY drink IN your stateroom? 4 bottle of wine (between mom and dad) is PLENTY to get you to the next port.
I am sure the liquor got kicked bc they couldn't police it. How would anyone know if you have Sprite or Sprite w/vodka?? That really cuts in on their pool bar tabs. Not to mention the bartenders ability to know if someone has had too much!!

DCL never tried to police it. Why would you tell passengers bring as much alcohol as you want, but only drink it in your room. You would have to be an idiot to think that 10k+ people that get on Disney's ships every week are all going to abide by it. I don't think DCL ever cared if people followed the rules or not. They finally decided it was cutting into the profits too much and needed to end it.

 

[DMMarla07860]

Folks, I know a sure fire way to get the new policy revoked.......Get as many passengers as possible and willing to plain not by any alcoholic drinks on their cruise and tell the servers why they are not ordering drinks.......that would have Holt turning over in his bed and scared to death about his job.

How many are willing?


AKK

considering how many people here seem to not like this change I can't see people not ordering. Hey if people that don't like it did that I'd pay to see it though. With my martini's in hand

 

[cgolf]

Jimmy we do disagree sometimes, but I love the stories you tell! Excellently put Sir.


As to the boycott of buying alcohol onboard, it was only a idea I saw (not mine though I wish I could say it was mine) I threw out for discussion.

I think the reaction of senior dining staff would really be interesting.


AKK

We are in, on this, both on principal and reality of kid starting college. The latter gives me incentive to stick to it

 

[bumbershoot]

Has the arcade closure been confirmed?

In the thread posted by a moderator, I believe so.

 

[littleblackegg]

In the thread posted by a moderator, I believe so.

I can't find any official confirmation of this.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I can't find any official confirmation of this.

There's this thread:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/dcl-removing-arcades-from-ships.3442997/

 

[TestingH2O]

This. So much this.

I've read a lot of posts on here that go something to the tune of "just got back from my first cruise and we will never try another cruise line as Disney is really the best." Now there's nothing wrong with having a great experience and wanting to repeat it. But IMO you can't really claim one product is superior if it's the only one you've tried.

Japan puts customer service almost anywhere else to shame.

I agree that you can't compare if you've only experienced one thing. That being said, in another post, someone talked about Disney and its reputation in the U.S. for having outstanding service. Between my work schedule and the birth of my daughter, it had been 5 years since my last vacation. We also had some big milestones to celebrate. Traveling to Japan wasn't an option, and Disney seemed like a good bet for our money. We were right.

Now we are in the situation where we had an amazing experience, so do we risk those precious dollars and days on another line or do we play it safe?

While Disney is making policy changes that aren't popular, they are maintaining that reputation for service and enticing new customers as well as retaining the portion who are willing to pay extra for the security of knowing that their holiday dollars are going towards a good experience. Where it appears they are bleeding though is travelers who vacation enough to feel like the risk is worthwhile.

 

[Ofinn]

I'm not going to ruin a cruise by not enjoying a cocktail when I want when one. Not buying drinks may send a message, but it would ruin my cruise. I would rather just book with a different cruise line.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I agree that you can't compare if you've only experienced one thing. That being said, in another post, someone talked about Disney and its reputation in the U.S. for having outstanding service. Between my work schedule and the birth of my daughter, it had been 5 years since my last vacation. We also had some big milestones to celebrate. Traveling to Japan wasn't an option, and Disney seemed like a good bet for our money. We were right.

Now we are in the situation where we had an amazing experience, so do we risk those precious dollars and days on another line or do we play it safe?

While Disney is making policy changes that aren't popular, they are maintaining that reputation for service and enticing new customers as well as retaining the portion who are willing to pay extra for the security of knowing that their holiday dollars are going towards a good experience. Where it appears they are bleeding though is travelers who vacation enough to feel like the risk is worthwhile.

Japan was just an example. I don't think that within the U.S. Disney is even in the upper tiers of service (resorts and cruises included). I think a lot of people don't think that Disney is maintaining its reputation for service (or feel the reality no longer lives up to the reputation).

Disney first and foremost provides a brand and an IP and there are a lot of people that are comforted by the Disney brand.

I like Disney, I've taken cruises and stayed at the resorts. The resorts for me are only worth it for convenience and proximity to the parks. I will never be a person who would enjoy a stay at a WDW resort and skip the parks. I'd rather take my $700/night and go to a Four Seasons or a St. Regis where the rooms and the service are truly a cut above. The same goes for DCL, as much as I enjoy certain aspects of Disney the premium on the brand isn't worth it to me. I just don't find the service to stand out from the rest of the pack.

Maybe I've just had too many mediocre to bad service experiences with Disney to only see magic, pixie dust, and safety. For me it's a gamble just like any other mass market cruise line/hotel.

 

[TestingH2O]

I think a lot of people don't think that Disney is maintaining its reputation for service (or feel the reality no longer lives up to the reputation).

Our cruise was my first Disney vacation by land or sea. According to many on the Dis, I should be wailing about how Disney has gone downhill and doesn't know service anymore. Yet, that's not what I experienced. I had service on par with anything I've experienced at the Ritz or a Four Seasons. In fact, I appreciated that I was attended to just as much on DCL without the pretentiousness I experienced the last time I stayed at the Ritz.

I have no idea what everyone on here is complaining about nor do I agree with your assessment based on my experience.

 

[TestingH2O]

Another thought: could the magic just be wearing off frequent travelers? I think about the first time I saw The Usual Suspects. My mind was blown and I had to see it a second time. Then I went with a friend and saw it a third time. It was pretty good. These days, I have no interest in seeing it again.

If I've seen all the Disney tricks and special touches, are they really going to be special to me anymore? If I'm seeing my daughter get called princess for the third trip in a row and being made paper flowers, is that high service or just what I expect? Honestly, I'm trying to resolve the negativity I see from so many veteran Disney folks with my own experiences as a new user.

 

[funfam]

I have cruised DCL 7 times and while the service is good, the best dining room service I have ever had was on a Carnival cruise. They really went far above and beyond. For stateroom stewards, Disney excels. On land, the best hotel service I've had is at Intercontinental hotels. They are just amazing.

 

[bumbershoot]

While Disney is making policy changes that aren't popular, they are maintaining that reputation for service

I simply do not think they should have much of a reputation for service now. You're a new user, it seems. You haven't used other cruiselines, it seems. You don't know that other lines are JUST AS GOOD if not *better* than Disney is. You want your daughter to be called princess. That means something to you. But calling a kid "princess" is easy.

Now have a boy. They do very very little for boys. And you see how sad "princess" is, because they haven't put any effort into figuring out how to make boys feel awesome. 'cuz calling a boy a "pirate" isn't quite the same.

(sorry 'bout the boy/girl rant there...guess it had been building up)

Or once your DD doesn't want to be called that anymore, you'll see the void. Or when paper flowers aren't made for/with her, you'll see the void. I have never heard of a CM making a kid paper flowers. So imagine being one of the other parents whose kid never had paper flowers made for/with her.

*****
Them suddenly doing this new policy, without *enough* warning, and with condescending, junky phrases like "the magic is in the name", isn't service. This fights against ANY good stuff I feel they have done in the past.

 

[funfam]

The lack of boy centered programming and activities is very annoying. It would kill them to have a big Pixar or superhero meet and greet like they do with the princesses? Or how about having Olaf with Elsa and Anna? They have a princess tea, why not a Toy Story meal or a Marvel meal?

 

[gismo1554]

I'm not going to ruin a cruise by not enjoying a cocktail when I want when one. Not buying drinks may send a message, but it would ruin my cruise. I would rather just book with a different cruise line.

Its actually more the extra drinks I will not be buying. For example I would have a drink while getting ready for dinner and possibly if it wasn't finished take it to the show then buy one there once that one was finished. Now I will be making a trip to deck 9 before the show to get a soft drink as don't see the point in paying for 2 drinks if that makes sense?

 

[jpeppers]

You know Disney does have the Vacation club with all the same immensities. It has worked out great for us, but, we got in a long time ago

I have rented DVC and stayed at Saratoga springs, the Boardwalk twice and the Beach club by doing this and it was great but I definitely prefer off site now that my daughter is older because the condo gives us more room and still some great amenities plus we seldom do Disney parks anymore because they took away the non expiring tickets and we travel from the west coast. On our last trip where we stayed at the Beach Club we did one day at the Magic Kingdom and 0 days anywhere else and had a great time just hanging at the pool and the Boardwalk.

 

[TestingH2O]

I simply do not think they should have much of a reputation for service now. You're a new user, it seems. You haven't used other cruiselines, it seems. You don't know that other lines are JUST AS GOOD if not *better* than Disney is.

No argument. I've also never criticized other lines and am seriously investigating things like Alaska with a different company since Disney can't provide Glacier Bay. (Again, reputation as being the amazing thing to see and I don't see Alaska as a trip I'll repeat often if at all.) I'm saying that Disney has a reputation, and reputations don't deal with first hand experience, they deal with perceptions. You have experience that indicates they don't live up to that reputation. Or that there are other options that are equally good. I'm saying that there is a psychology to this and people want to feel like they are making a safe bet.

Because of its reputation, Disney continues to pull in new customers. The people who complain about Disney service are mostly long time users who feel they aren't getting as much as they once were. I can only speak as a new user and say that my expectations were more than met and therefore I will use their product again. While I haven't cruised nearly as much, I don't think that makes what experience I have invalid. It just is a different perspective.

In terms of the kid thing, I appreciate getting premium service and experiences where my daughter is accepted and treated equally well. I don't care about the actual princess bit. Heck, we try very hard to limit gender stereotyped play at home. I was using that as a counter example to many other higher priced options where she would not be treated as well. However, or maybe because of this, I view Disney as a temporary fit. She won't always be 3 and, as she gets older, new doors and choices are going to open for us.

I 100% agree with you on the boy thing.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

Another thought: could the magic just be wearing off frequent travelers? I think about the first time I saw The Usual Suspects. My mind was blown and I had to see it a second time. Then I went with a friend and saw it a third time. It was pretty good. These days, I have no interest in seeing it again.

If I've seen all the Disney tricks and special touches, are they really going to be special to me anymore? If I'm seeing my daughter get called princess for the third trip in a row and being made paper flowers, is that high service or just what I expect? Honestly, I'm trying to resolve the negativity I see from so many veteran Disney folks with my own experiences as a new user.

To me, the things you mentioned are part of the Disney brand and I don't necessarily equate those with good service. For some that "pixie dust" is enough.

You also said in a PP that DCL gave you the same level of experience as the Four Seasons so it may have gone beyond the things you mentioned.
Please note, I'm not attempting to argue your feelings just engage in discussion from my perspective.

I will give some tangible examples of things I've experienced with Disney that for me created a lack of belief in their unrivaled service.

On two separate cruises I had to call housekeeping because my supposed to be freshly changed bed had grease stains and blood stains. No apology and it took well over an hour to change the beds. To me that's shoddy service.

On my 2nd DCL cruise I got out of the shower and grabbed a towel off the rack and it's a good thing I looked because (I wish I were making this up or exaggerating) it had a poop smear on it (yep I could smell it). Again no apology or any ownership from housekeeping of this mistake. To me this was just horrific and again should have been caught by "impeccable service" or at least handled much differently IMO. Not a situation where "eh, here's another towel" is appropriate.

I've had other experiences with incorrect orders in the dining room, inability to order from a different dining room, having to haggle with guest services over incorrect charges. None of this holds up to service above anyone and certainly falls below some standards.

In contrast, I once had to call housekeeping at the Four Seasons because they had forgotten to leave clean hand towels. I got a visit from the housekeeping manager who delivered the towels in about 3 minutes, a call from the hotel manager and when I returned to my room after dinner found a lovely box of chocolates with a note.

You may have very different opinions based on your experiences, but I'm not just hating on Disney lol. I wouldn't even care if Disney flat out said "you're paying a premium for us to slap Disney on it", which I believe is accurate. It just bristles me as I continue to experience spotty service yet hear ad nauseam about Disney unmatched service.

For me this has nothing to do with offerings being taken away. This is strictly based on customer service, which has some basic tenants Disney or not.

 

[wcw57]

soooooo, as I'm reading this thread now, we are all agreed that DCL stinks by comparison in price and service. Their "magic" is mediocre as is their attentiveness. We are all going to cruise another line and these boards, in effect, can be DISbanded?

Have I got that right?

No autographs, no alcohol.....what's next? No salt water?

 

[JimmyV]

Now we are in the situation where we had an amazing experience, so do we risk those precious dollars and days on another line or do we play it safe?

That is certainly one way to look at it. Another way would be...for the price of your next DCL cruise, you could try one cruise each on two different cruise lines. For the same total cash outlay, you would then have three different cruises under your belt, and three different cruise lines to compare. Bottom line, if you select another mass market cruise line, your "risk" will be about half of what you will spend on DCL.

What we are seeing in a lot of these threads (such as the "Disney forced me over to NCL" thread) is that while the comparison between Disney and its competitors in the theme park wars is like...well...comparing WDW to Six Flags; the comparison of Disney and its competitors on the seas is like comparing Westin to Hilton. One might strongly prefer Westin. But if the Westin charges $400 and the Hilton is across the street charges $250, once in a while it bears considering trying the less expensive option. "Reputation" is a fuzzy thing. After all, what it really means is: "What do people think of something" and not "What does that thing actually deliver."