DCL character autograph "Mickey Mail" being discontinued in August

[C6PT7]

Why?

Why are you asking why?

 

[undertheradar]

Why are you asking why?

Why not?

 

[C6PT7]

Why not?

Because it creates a larger divide between the have's and have not's.
two ships already have exclusive concierge lounges and areas to keep those other pax away. And a third is soon to have another concierge lounge added. along with the mdr dining in your cabin, and some concierge perks of Palo dining in your cabin, inclusive cove cafe coffees.
dcl should not create an environment where everyone is so closely housed and eats and then make more boundaries to separate each other by how much they paid.
It just isn't right IMO for such a small environment.

If you want exclusivity and the world at you fingertips, there are places to be extravagant and treated as such.
Disney isn't about that. Everyone should be treated as an equal as far as possible, and those that paid more already get a lot of perks. I disagree with the private character s meeting especially for them.

 

[undertheradar]

Yet, the concierge guests pay more. This allows lower cruise fare for those at the "bottom" of the booking categories. Now again, how is this not fair?

 

[undertheradar]

Because it creates a larger divide between the have's and have not's.
two ships already have exclusive concierge lounges and areas to keep those other pax away. And a third is soon to have another concierge lounge added. along with the mdr dining in your cabin, and some concierge perks of Palo dining in your cabin, inclusive cove cafe coffees.
dcl should not create an environment where everyone is so closely housed and eats and then make more boundaries to separate each other by how much they paid.
It just isn't right IMO for such a small environment.

If you want exclusivity and the world at you fingertips, there are places to be extravagant and treated as such.
Disney isn't about that. Everyone should be treated as an equal as far as possible, and those that paid more already get a lot of perks. I disagree with the private character s meeting especially for them.

Perhaps the gates should be put back up?

 

[undertheradar]

Because it creates a larger divide between the have's and have not's.
two ships already have exclusive concierge lounges and areas to keep those other pax away. And a third is soon to have another concierge lounge added. along with the mdr dining in your cabin, and some concierge perks of Palo dining in your cabin, inclusive cove cafe coffees.
dcl should not create an environment where everyone is so closely housed and eats and then make more boundaries to separate each other by how much they paid.
It just isn't right IMO for such a small environment.

If you want exclusivity and the world at you fingertips, there are places to be extravagant and treated as such.
Disney isn't about that. Everyone should be treated as an equal as far as possible, and those that paid more already get a lot of perks. I disagree with the private character s meeting especially for them.

Where does it exclude you from paying for the same concierge benefits?

 

[Plaid Princess]

Hopping on the Unpopular Opinion train... I admittedly never understood how it ate so much of the "Tips and secrets DCL doesn't tell you" thread, but it seems like actual adults go for the signatures too, and that's usually where my mind goes 'whaaa?' since it's just some poor CM back there with their hand cramping up.

This. Exactly! I've never understood the idea behind Autographs in general (characters or famous persons). The CM's are pretty psyched for this change though, they've been blowing up Facebook with the news.

 

[Dave2425]

Because it creates a larger divide between the have's and have not's.
two ships already have exclusive concierge lounges and areas to keep those other pax away. And a third is soon to have another concierge lounge added. along with the mdr dining in your cabin, and some concierge perks of Palo dining in your cabin, inclusive cove cafe coffees.
dcl should not create an environment where everyone is so closely housed and eats and then make more boundaries to separate each other by how much they paid.
It just isn't right IMO for such a small environment.

If you want exclusivity and the world at you fingertips, there are places to be extravagant and treated as such.
Disney isn't about that. Everyone should be treated as an equal as far as possible, and those that paid more already get a lot of perks. I disagree with the private character s meeting especially for them.

Everybody has the opportunity to sail concierge. The fares are available to everyone.

 

[wombat_5606]

I see the cruise industry circling back to the old days when some of our relatives may have sailed from Europe to the new country and there was first class and so on down to steerage (remember Titanic). But when I sailed on my first cruise in 1981, I took the advice of my parents, who had cruised quite a lot and booked the room I was comfortable staying in. They told me that it didn't matter what I paid for my cabin because every passenger had access to the exact same things. Unfortunately the industry is heading away from that now. I, for one, am saddened by this trend.

 

[perditax]

Because it creates a larger divide between the have's and have not's.
two ships already have exclusive concierge lounges and areas to keep those other pax away. And a third is soon to have another concierge lounge added. along with the mdr dining in your cabin, and some concierge perks of Palo dining in your cabin, inclusive cove cafe coffees.
dcl should not create an environment where everyone is so closely housed and eats and then make more boundaries to separate each other by how much they paid.
It just isn't right IMO for such a small environment.

If you want exclusivity and the world at you fingertips, there are places to be extravagant and treated as such.
Disney isn't about that. Everyone should be treated as an equal as far as possible, and those that paid more already get a lot of perks. I disagree with the private character s meeting especially for them.

Yes, Disney is about that. That's why there are deluxe resorts and club-level rooms. Most normal middle class families can't afford to go to WDW or DCL in the first place these days. It's pretty freaking exclusive already.

That said, it's not just Disney--all the mass market lines find ways to upcharge for things. When you cram thousands of people onto a ship, being treated slightly less like cattle is something people are willing to pay for. All lines have suites and tiered degrees of "perks".

It's important not to confuse a first-world problem with a human rights violation.

 

[C6PT7]

Yet, the concierge guests pay more. This allows lower cruise fare for those at the "bottom" of the booking categories. Now again, how is this not fair?

Perhaps the gates should be put back up?

Where does it exclude you from paying for the same concierge benefits?

To start with, how does having a concierge team at your personal disposal mean that those in a lower class of cabin have a cheaper fare?
How does your more spacious cabin that could accommodate more lower class cabins mean a cheaper fare?

regarding the gates, I believe they do have them on the dream concierge lounge and cabin area ?
If I'm not mistaken they chose to not have them not he Fantasy. For some reason?

It doesn't exclude anyone from booking a concierge cabin. apart from those that may work equally if not harder than you to earn a wage, but thankfully you can afford the price. Others may not be able to and only afford to be able to stay in a deck 2 inside.
that doesn't mean they are a lesser person than you. they still paid to see and experience the same advertized disney cruise you did.
you paid more for your concierge team, your more spacious cabin, your verandah. not to be a superior person to anyone else.
Just my opinion.

 

[TestingH2O]

Why?

Because there is a stated policy that they won't offer the signatures any more. If I've been explicitly told something isn't possible any more, I don't think it's appropriate to keep trying to convince anyone that I am above the rules. If the announcement said it would only be allowed in concierge, then sure, bring your stuff! But that's not what the announcement says. It's not fair to the DCL employees to put them in a position where they either have to tell you that you aren't the greatest thing since sliced bread or bend/break the rules on your behalf.

 

[C6PT7]

Everybody has the opportunity to sail concierge. The fares are available to everyone.

Just re-read that Dave.

 

[Bee2u]

you are half correct...i have rhetorically asked (it turns out) what people do with all that stuff many times...i also stated that i will never give gifts to adults in a FE. However, why drag up the past unless there is a new highlight to be added?
You have, as of right now, been the only person to answer my query regarding FE stuff. While I realize there is a tone of sarcasm in your response, you haven't responded to my implied inquisitiveness as to what to do with ALL those bottle openers, key rings, etc. It doesn't really matter and I'm not asking you to answer. Just trying to be clear.

I only mentioned it in response to an earlier poster with feelings similar to mine.
Nice to hear from you again!

There really isn't as much of an overabundance as you think. I've done fe exchange on 3 cruises - never received a bottle opener; used all the magnets I received, some for that cruise only, others displayed on my fridge at home; use the key chains I like the best, gave the others to friends; put ornaments received on my Christmas tree; ate the candy I like, gave the ones I don't like to my students as treats; used the paintbrushes and baby powder to remove sand when at the beach, and take one on each cruise to use; enjoyed using the personalized cups, on-ship and at home; I wear the jewelry; I haven't put pictures in the picture frames I received yet, but eventually will; highlights and pens are useful on ship and off; etc.
There really hasn't been anything given that I didn't appreciate, and I never thought 'not another ______.'

 

[Saamh]

It doesn't exclude anyone from booking a concierge cabin. apart from those that may work equally if not harder than you to earn a wage, but thankfully you can afford the price. Others may not be able to and only afford to be able to stay in a deck 2 inside.
that doesn't mean they are a lesser person than you. they still paid to see and experience the same advertized disney cruise you did.
you paid more for your concierge team, your more spacious cabin, your verandah. not to be a superior person to anyone else.
Just my opinion.

Rather than the segregated concierge areas having the purpose of keeping the "low class" out of the "premium areas" maybe they're in place to save the rest of the passengers from having to deal with some entitled attitudes and behaviors in the regular areas

 

[rkwier]

While I am disappointed, I can see where it could have gotten out of hand. Since I had planned to have some things signed on our upcoming cruise, I am glad to already be aware of the situation instead of being unpleasantly surprised once I get on the ship. I am sure that the Cast Members will get a lot of grief from people expecting to take advantage of the service and finding that it has been discontinued.

 

[Happy100]

This is sad to hear. I know my son and I cherish the pillow case we had signed.

 

[gismo1554]

My understanding from your posts is that adults according to you shouldn't enjoy certain small things if they don't have children or that their children are adults. It feels to me that you feel that anything Disney is for children's enjoyment only and adults are happy that their kids are happy. I feel that adults can have as much enjoyment of Disney as children and Disney does cater to that. The FE and even getting some things signed add to that feeling and adults like that. I feel as if you are saying that once you are an adult you shouldn't like Disney and only that is acceptable. I feel that Disney can be enjoyed by everybody, adult or child.

Just to agree as a solo adult I was quite upset at the thought that someone would actively decide not to give gifts to an adult only stateroom participating in an FE exchange. Personally I have loved every gift I have had. Its a gift and even those clearly aimed at younger children I have found uses for by giving them to kids I've seen around the ship or to relatives at home. I would never think of excluding a room based on whether or not they had kids. I love FE gifts and at no point would I expect someone to adjust their FE gifts just because I am an adult but nor would I appreciate being excluded because of it. If I have gone to the effort of supplying gifts to all FE participants I would expect others to do the same and not doing it I think is quite rude!

 

[lanejudy]

Let's not re-hash the adult/child FE debate here... this thread is discussing the discontinuation of autographs on items turned in at Guest Services. Thank you.

 

[declansdad]

This is sad to hear. I know my son and I cherish the pillow case we had signed.

I am genuinely curious as to why? It not like it was signed by the actual Snow White but rather someone who plays Snow White (or whatever character it was) on-board a cruise ship.