Been keeping tabs on all of this, as we were on the Fantasy 2/23-3/2, apparently the last cruise before the changes to the Personal Navigators, plastic shopping bags, and toiletries.
I'm pretty upset about the first two, but can live with the toiletry deal. My opinions:
- On the Navigators, like many have said, I want to be on my phone as little as possible while on vacation. We did use the app on the ship, and it was convenient, but it did not replace the Navigator.
- I'm not against "reusable bags"; I just think that retailers should provide customers with a bag if they make a purchase, on principle. If that's one of these reusable bags, then I'm fine with it. Just price it in. I hate feeling nickel and dimed, and charging $1 for reusable bags does exactly that. It's not about the $1. As for the environmental impact of this switch, I've read research that indicates the number of times that the reusable bags need to be used compared to a plastic bag to have an 'equal' environmental impact is quite a bit more. How often are these reusable bags actually reused? They certainly aren't built to last forever. Who is going to remember to bring their reusable bags on their next cruise? Aren't customers just going to buy new ones? For us, personally, plastic bags are far more useful and live many more lives at home than the cheap $1 reusable ones. And a few extra plastic bags are especially useful when packing. I do realize that I can just bring items back to my stateroom (although it's not all that close if we're Deck 9 Aft, like this last cruise), and/or bring our drawstring bag/backpack to throw merchandise in. But the whole thing just rubs me the wrong way, and clearly makes Disney more money.
- I think the toiletries are far and away the most wasteful of all, so I can see a legitimate case for the large dispensers.
I wrote to
DCL expressing my concern about the Personal Navigators and the shopping bag deal. Even though it didn't impact our last cruise, we are booked for next March and I want them to know that hearing about these little cuts/changes dims our view of DCL. Here was (the important part of) their response (emphasis added by me):
"At Disney Cruise Line, we are dedicated to providing our Guests with a world-class experience, as well as minimizing our impact on the environment. Our Guests have overwhelmingly shared that they prefer the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app to view all of the available cruise activities. As a result, we have launched a test in which we will temporarily suspend delivery of printed Personal Navigators in Guest staterooms. Printed Personal Navigators will be available at Guest Services.
At this time, we are still providing Guests with paper maps of Disney's Castaway Cay. Additionally, as the information provided in the Port Shopping Maps is not currently available on the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app, these paper items will still be delivered to Guest staterooms. Please note that the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app will only work while onboard a Disney Cruise Line ship or at Disney Castaway Cay.
Additionally, in an effort to reduce the amount of single-use plastic items on board our ships, we are launching a new reusable shopping bag program that eliminates plastic bags on our ships and at Disney Castaway Cay. Guests now have the option to purchase reusable shopping bags for $1.
We apologize for your disappointment with these changes, and we appreciate the time you have taken to share your comments with us. Your feedback will certainly be taken into consideration. Not all of the ideas we explore become a part of our operation. The feedback we receive from our Guests is very important to us as it lets us know what we are doing right, as well as how we can improve. We will continue to strive to provide our Guests with the finest vacation and entertainment experiences, and are grateful for your valuable input to help us achieve that goal."
Pretty much what I would expect, though I was surprised to hear them claim that guests "overwhelmingly" prefer the app... Again, I *like* the app. But I use it in concert with the Navigator. I don't believe it's a replacement. The Navigators need to be provided or easily accessible, period.
Glad that my "feedback will be taken into consideration"...