DCL Policy Changed With out Notice

[canadiandisneyfamof4]

What kind of notification were you expecting. I heard about this change a while back. Disney didnt keep it secret, if you have booked a cruise why would Disney assume you were going to move your booking. I think the change makes sense from their Disney wants people who book with a a TA to do it up front, I combine my TA discount and the 10%, I named my TA when I booked on board.

 

[AmyAnne]

In my mind, the question isn't what policy Disney should have about transfers--the question is whether they should honor the policy that was in effect when a booking was made.

We can debate about whether the old or new policy makes better financial sense for Disney, but that is not the point. The old policy might have persuaded some people to book on board--encouraging impulse booking for people who might have been tempted to wait and contact a TA later. Obviously, Disney decided that the better policy for them is to not allow transfers after 30 days. I am totally fine with that, for bookings made after that change in policy was announced. But when I made my reservation, Disney said that I could transfer it to a TA so long as the final payment had not been made. Is Disney legally bound to honor that? Apparently not. But it still feels wrong to me that they are not honoring it.

 

[TDC Nala]

Do I have a cruise contract? Where would I find such a thing? DCL isn't denying what the policy was when I booked, so it's not like I have to prove anything to them. The problem as I see it is that they make a change that retroactively and negatively effects my reservation by limiting my options for who I'd like to handle the reservation through. It DOES directly effect my reservation.

I don't expect Disney to send out an email notifying people of each individual change. I do however expect them to notify reservation holders that changes are being made, especially when deadlines are involved, so that reservation holders can review those changes and adapt their plans accordingly. I don't think thats unreasonable, and in fact there are a lot of service companies that do just that all of the time. DCL choose not to do that, and based on my circumstance I feel like this was dishonest.

Most discount offers, when written, contain language stating they are "subject to change without notice." I don't know where the rules for onboard booking are written, but if they are, and that phrase appears, then you have no recourse.

 

[EPCOTatNight]

Most discount offers, when written, contain language stating they are "subject to change without notice." I don't know where the rules for onboard booking are written, but if they are, and that phrase appears, then you have no recourse.

Exactly! Even though that doesn't apply here because DCL did indeed announce the change. The OP just didn't hear about it.

 

[ThinkTink1]

I booked a dummy in Sept and named Costco travel as my agent, was that enough or was I supposed to transfer the reservation? I would have looked into that sooner but was waiting for all of 2014 to be announced to see if Hawaii was an option. It would suck if I lost out on the Costco credit, but now I'm not sure who to call to move my reservation now that we want to book.

You would have to call Costco to call DCL and move your sail date. Once you have booked with a travel agent anything dealing with money like moving a cruise, transfers, pre paying grats need to be done through them. When you booked your dummy cruise they would have placed Costco name in there when creating your reservation so you should be fine.

 

[luv2sleep]

I hate to be a stickler, but did they actually 'agree' to this rule, meaning was the transfer ability in writing in the cruise contract?
If it is then they definitely needed to have notified you and honored what was agreed when you made your reservation.

if not, then your reservation was not directly affected, your cruise and everything that comes with it are the same. The credit is through Costco and has nothing to do with Disney. So unfortunately it was a gamble to wait it out 7 months after your reservation was made assuming nothing would change. Since it's nothing that directly affects your reservation, while I understand the frustration, I don't feel it was negligence on Disney's part, or a scam, etc,for them to not send out a general email to everyone who has a reservation just in case they may or may not want to transfer it somewhere along the line, even if your intention was explained when you booked it. Because at that time you would have been able to do it.

Companies change their policies all the time, so if the credit was that much of a priority definitely would've booked it that way from the start and worried about the room placement issue after. If the credit was through Disney and they all of a sudden taken away, then once again definitely that would be an issue. But it's in a gray area where nothing between you and Disney has changed, just the way to deal with third-parties.

If it IS in writing somewhere, then definitely fight it! Sorry this has dampened things for you. And don't mean to stir things up, just giving another point of view. Hope you still go and have a wonderful cruise!

I agree with this. And, yes, we all have cruise contracts if we are booked. When you get your confirmation from DCL, scroll to the very bottom of that email. It's all listed there. All of the restrictions and limitations, etc. Everything else is subject to change. When they changed their dummy cruise booking policy people were upset. They completely canceled my Christmas 2012 cruise and didn't automatically put me on the ship for a cruise for the same dates. They moved the ship to an entirely new port and destination. Very upsetting but what could I do? It's their right to make these changes at will. When I look at booking an unpopular itinerary/cruise/date I wonder if this could happen again. It has a few times to different cruises since. Sorry this messed up your plans. Hope you still manage to have a nice trip.

 

[Yokelridesagain]

Do I have a cruise contract? Where would I find such a thing?

There isn't going to be anything like that in any of their legal documents--the things that they legally promise to do are impressively vague (basically, show up at the dock with a boat--not even the "Disney Fantasy", necessarily--and make a good faith attempt to sail that boat somewhere).

Even if there were, however, you wouldn't have legal recourse because they will give all your money back if you ask for it as long as you're not 75 days out.

 

[nickcapp]

It is amazing what is actually in that cruise contract. My wife and I read through it once just for kicks. They can pretty much change anything and everything with no notice whatsoever for any reason whatsoever. We joked about a dingy, waffles, and soup dinners.

While that may not be good business, we all agree to it when we plop down our hard earned dough!

Frankly, I sympathize with the OP, but the only way to voice your displeasure is to cancel.

Furthermore, this is the risk we all take floating these dummy cruises and transferring to maximize promotions. Its great while the getting is good, but as soon as Disney and these TA's catch on and start to feel these perks are effecting the bottom line they will be limited (as we see here) and perhaps eventually eliminated. I think fortunately, we repeat cruisers are small in number as compared to the general public. But judging by the recent changes, we are clearly growing.

 

[mygr8kdz]

This is certainly a frustrating situation, but Disney has covered their bases, no doubt. Between the 'subject to change' line as already pointed out, and the fact that we have to click to accept terms and conditions when booking, they are within their rights.

I think this points out an important difference between a traditional travel agency and a warehouse like Costco. I know many agents who advised their clients of this change in policy before it went into effect, but that is not the type of service you will get from a warehouse agency.

 

[justmestace]

I was caught in the same thing but I actually have no issue with it. How can Disney pay their employees to do all the booking and any other work/changes and then pay a commission to a 3rd party to do the same thing? What business would prosper doing this?
I will reshop my 2014 Alaska cruise when I am onboard next month and choose TA then if worth it- but I'll probably just leave it.

I agree with you. People seem to forget that first and foremost, Disney is a BUSINESS, and as such, they are in business to make money.
They saw what people were doing and decided to put a stop to it. I don't see anything wrong with that at all. If it were my business, I'd do the same thing, and I have a feeling so would everyone else who's complaining right now.

 

[IrenicMom]

I agree with you. People seem to forget that first and foremost, Disney is a BUSINESS, and as such, they are in business to make money.
They saw what people were doing and decided to put a stop to it.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

And as others have pointed out - the "contract", if you will, was with the TAs, not the guests sailing. So notifying the guests sailing was an unnecessary step (though they did announce the change). Ultimately, the problem the OP seems to have is that she can't get a Costco card. That's Costco's policy, not DCLs.

 

[GromMom]

@Grommom: If you named Costco as your travel agent at the time of booking, this does not affect you. You will call Costco Travel to make any changes to your reservation.

@OP: Sorry you have to deal with this stressful situation. The best thing to do when booking onboard is to name Costco as travel agent at that time. That way, Costco will have your reservation (and you get the Costco card), and you wouldn't have to deal with the transfer later on.

Thanks! I am almost ready to book, so this is very helpful!

 

[GromMom]

You would have to call Costco to call DCL and move your sail date. Once you have booked with a travel agent anything dealing with money like moving a cruise, transfers, pre paying grats need to be done through them. When you booked your dummy cruise they would have placed Costco name in there when creating your reservation so you should be fine.

Thanks! My sister booked our last cruise via Disney but we transferred to Costco thanks to recommendations in this board.since we didn't change anything Disney really did all the work and I'm guessing this is why they are changing their policy. I was even telling my sister that I couldn't believe they would let us transfer but they did, so it doesn't surprise me that this policy is changing.

 

[AmyAnne]

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Ultimately, the problem the OP seems to have is that she can't get a Costco card. That's Costco's policy, not DCLs.

Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but it would be nice if that opinion were based on fact not conjecture. The problem is Disney's policy of not allowing the transfer of the reservation, not Costco's policy.

 

[justmestace]

Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but it would be nice if that opinion were based on fact not conjecture. The problem is Disney's policy of not allowing the transfer of the reservation, not Costco's policy.

And again, why should they? Why would they pay their reservation agents, just so someone could turn around and give their business to someone else?
If you want to use a TA, do it from the start.

 

[TLSnell1981]

My goodness. The OP was expressing her frustration and disappoint in a change, that she was unaware of...(and didn't receive prior notification). The policy was in effect when she booked her cruise. It's not unreasonable to assume, prior bookings would be unaffected.

Disney is really good at last minute changes with little or no warning. This isn't just in regards to the cruise line. It is a bit aggravating when we plan a year (or years) out. Disney covers their behind legally and doesn't care beyond that. Sadly, this is the new norm.. I'm constantly checking for changes and updates, but some still slip past and I'm NOT the average customer. Most have no idea.

 

[maria-fan-22]

I'm frustrated today because I just found out that DCL changed their policy on moving bookings with out notifying me.

I booked a cruise on Disney Fantasy back in May with the understanding that I could move the booking to Costco after. I did it this way because we are traveling with family and we wanted to get rooms close to our family, but not everyone in the family is a Costco member. The idea was to move the booking to Costco after we got our tax refund and then just pay the remainder of the trip. We got our refund yesterday and called today to get details on moving the booking, but DCL told me that their policy has changed, and now you have to move your booking with in 30 days of booking the trip. This policy was made in February and we were not notified. So now DCL is refusing to allow us to move our reservation.

I feel like this is dishonest at best and I'm really frustrated about it. DCL is unwilling to bend on this even though we explained what we intended to do when we booked the trip. Do anyone have any tips to get around this?

I don't understand how this is DCL's fault, they were not secretive about this policy change, it was made in February and was posted vigorously here... This change doesn't actually affect your reservation, you made a reservation with DCL and there is no reason for them to believe that you would switch it to a TA...

 

[AmyAnne]

And again, why should they? Why would they pay their reservation agents, just so someone could turn around and give their business to someone else?
If you want to use a TA, do it from the start.

Because at the time that the booking was made, DCL said that they would. The question is whether DCL should honor the policy that was in effect at the time of the booking, not what the policy going forward should be.

 

[Meghatron]

Why would they pay their reservation agents, just so someone could turn around and give their business to someone else?
If you want to use a TA, do it from the start.

THIS. People were working the system in a way it was not intended to be used. It finally cut into profits in a way DCL noticed, so they closed the loophole. If people want an OBC, they need to book with a TA from the beginning. It's a privilege that has to be earned, not a right.

 

[TLSnell1981]

THIS. People were working the system in a way it was not intended to be used. It finally cut into profits in a way DCL noticed, so they closed the loophole. If people want an OBC, they need to book with a TA from the beginning. It's a privilege that has to be earned, not a right.

I'm not arguing this point and have always booked this way. But, DCL allowed the transfers when OP booked. How could she guess, this would change and be retroactive? Not everyone is as...uh, um, er "dedicated" crazy2 to the DIS and privy to Disney's day to day policy rumors/changes/updates, as some of us.