Wow! Our itinerary totally changed for April 26, 13!

[sullins5]

I called again, told the new cm that I had a few questions. She looked up my ressie, and then I told her I wanted a little more info, and I wanted to know why ALL the ports had been changed. She then said "Well, I see where you called earlier and they explained to you why we changed"... Does it matter that I called before? I had different questions, like where else could we take the Magic? Sorry, but this came across rude, telling me that I had called before. I understand they probably got tons of calls this morning, but I was just calling for more information as we've never gone through this kind of decision making and didn't know how to search. No, we don't want the bigger ships, just really wanted the Magic.

 

[Gina]

To say my DS & I are over the moon about this doesn't EVEN begin to cover it. O.M.G. we are excited!!!! Being able to sail from less than 30 minutes on our favorite ship in the whole world away was awesome enough... the only drawback was not being able to go to CC. And now we get to go to Castaway Cay, AND get to spend a day at WDW?!? Are you kidding me??? There are no words. I would totally dance on my desk right now if these people didn't already think I was nuts enough as it is.


I really do feel for the people who are flying in and now have to deal with changing all that... I know what a hassle that is, not to mention expensive. I hope DCL is able to offer a shipboard credit or something to those people to help make up the difference!

 

[sullins5]

To say my DS & I are over the moon about this doesn't EVEN begin to cover it. O.M.G. we are excited!!!! Being able to sail from less than 30 minutes on our favorite ship in the whole world away was awesome enough... the only drawback was not being able to go to CC. And now we get to go to Castaway Cay, AND get to spend a day at WDW?!? Are you kidding me??? There are no words. I would totally dance on my desk right now if these people didn't already think I was nuts enough as it is.


I really do feel for the people who are flying in and now have to deal with changing all that... I know what a hassle that is, not to mention expensive. I hope DCL is able to offer a shipboard credit or something to those people to help make up the difference!

Your excitement got me tickled! Glad this one is perfect for you! Enjoy!

 

[carpenta]

Personally, I like the second itinerary.

....me too........

 

[sullins5]

Well...since I started this post, hope it's helped future cruisers, made some happy for CC, and gotten helps for those who needed it on previous booked flights and hotel stays.

For us? We've just got lots to talk about. Love Disney, the mouse, all the ambience, the Magic, all of it. Thankful to be ABLE to cruise again. Yes, disappointed in our original ports, but not by any means devastated. Just have decisions to make. We are thankful for the privilege to GET to vacation, so this is just a decision on when and where. Life is too short to stress over things, much less a vacation. Hope it all works out for everyone!

 

[MedicGoofy]

To say my DS & I are over the moon about this doesn't EVEN begin to cover it. O.M.G. we are excited!!!! Being able to sail from less than 30 minutes on our favorite ship in the whole world away was awesome enough... the only drawback was not being able to go to CC. And now we get to go to Castaway Cay, AND get to spend a day at WDW?!? Are you kidding me??? There are no words. I would totally dance on my desk right now if these people didn't already think I was nuts enough as it is.


I really do feel for the people who are flying in and now have to deal with changing all that... I know what a hassle that is, not to mention expensive. I hope DCL is able to offer a shipboard credit or something to those people to help make up the difference!

Hey Gina!!!!! Im getting excited about this as well I was reallllly looking forward to Grand Cayman but thinking that maybe my mom and I will do the Western in 2014. Am getting exciting at the thoughts of going to Disney for a day

What cruise date are you thinking of taking?? Im booked on the January 18th.

 

[mareed]

I've been planning to book the March 1 8 day cruise for my Mom and I. Family and I are doing the 7 night over Thanksgiving, and I wasn't sure how I felt about repeating much of the same itinerary but knew it would be different with my Mom instead of immediate family.

I was very glad to see this information to get a heads-up about the change, and I think I'll stick with the new 8 day. I've been to WDW many times, as recently with my Mom as Feb 2012, so the WDW day isn't a huge draw, but I see that it is the day before the official start of the Flower & Garden festival at Epcot. I know that all the extra decorations would already be up that day, so that is a neat opportunity as my Mom is an avid gardener and it's been over 5 years since she got to see the F&G Festival.

All of that is my long way of saying that I think I'm in the "positive" group for this change!

 

[Gina]

Hey Gina!!!!! Im getting excited about this as well I was reallllly looking forward to Grand Cayman but thinking that maybe my mom and I will do the Western in 2014. Am getting exciting at the thoughts of going to Disney for a day

What cruise date are you thinking of taking?? Im booked on the January 18th.

I'm hoping upon hope for the February 15th sailing!! I'm just waiting to hear from my DU agent who is trying to get all the specifics. The 15th is what I originally wanted, because it's closer to my son's birthday on the 24th plus he wouldn't have to miss a big band competition on the 2nd, but it was $500 for no apparent reason. If it's still more now, I'm not sure what I'll switch to. I also want the same stateroom, or one of the other secret verandah rooms. There's a reason I book over a year out!!

I don't think I could switch to a January date... For one, I need that tax refund! And two, there are still too many band competitions going on. Ugh, I wish my agent would email me back... It is making me NUTS to not be able to just call DCL and take care of this myself!!!

 

[sullins5]

Have a great cruise whatever you decide to do!


AKK

Thanks! As long as I GET to cruise, I'll be happy! And I do LOVE CC, look forward to Key West, and Love WDW (albeit a little tired from our trip in May), so now just to make the decision.

As long as I'm on and with the Magic to somewhere... this chik won't care!

 

[Elfinjojo]

Ok so our update:

Our original plans
Fly from uk 28th march into galveston
Sail 8 night western original itinerary
Sail 6 night western again
Fly home

New options
Fly 28th in Galveston
Sail 8 night on new itinerary that doesn't appeal
Sail 6 night western
Fly home

OR

Cancel 8 night, loose money on flight into Galveston, rebook flight in time for 6 night (loose £1500 for flight cancellation and rebook)

OR
Cancel both cruises, and flights (loose £1500)

OR
Cancel flight (£1500) rebook to fly to PC get on fantasy western, but can't do b2b because Fantasy is fully booked for second week, and no chance of getting from PC to Galveston to get the second cruise on same day!

OR
Cancel flight rebook to fly PC do western on fantasy then drive to Miami and get on 5 night on wonder, this may be doable

Lots to think about.
We did try to get a deal on med cruise(so much easier for us) but they wouldn't budge on price...would cost us a few thousand pounds more to do the med??? Not in our budget. We have been given an email address to contact to see if we can get any help with the losses we would make on our flights.

So we still do not have a firm plan for that cruise.

All I can say is Thanks to the dis board we are aware of these changes, as yet DH still has not had the email, but because of this board we are on the ball!

 

[lbgraves]

I'm wondering if DCL was not able to secure vendor contracts for resupplying the ship in Galveston. By stopping in PC they will be able to use their current vendors to resupply the ship just as they have done for the NYC cruise this year.

That would make sense, though they should have arranged everything before offering the cruises.

We were booked on the 8-Day Galveston itinerary for March 2013. Talked to Disney (had to call the special phone number on the email), the team I talked to was dedicated to dealing with these itinerary changes.

We were offered an additional $250 onboard credit per stateroom. Also, they allowed us to rebook for any date in 2013 (sorry, not for 2012) and they used the "old rates" that were in effect on the original date our reservation was made.

We were able to keep our 10% onboard booking discount and $200 onboard credit.

.... Effectively, we got $250 onboard credit only as we just booked this cruise last week and there are not really any "old rates" to go back to in our case.

This would make a big difference for those who booked closer to opening day, however. It sounds like DCL is trying to compensate.

When I voiced my concerns of my cruise changing, he stated that, they would cover the penalties and change fees for my flights (which is awesome!), and also, they were giving ppl an OBC for the inconvenience.

Excellent! That is what they should do. Glad that it all worked out for you.

 

[sullins5]

Ok so our update:

Our original plans
Fly from uk 28th march into galveston
Sail 8 night western original itinerary
Sail 6 night western again
Fly home

New options
Fly 28th in Galveston
Sail 8 night on new itinerary that doesn't appeal
Sail 6 night western
Fly home

OR

Cancel 8 night, loose money on flight into Galveston, rebook flight in time for 6 night (loose £1500 for flight cancellation and rebook)

OR
Cancel both cruises, and flights (loose £1500)

OR
Cancel flight (£1500) rebook to fly to PC get on fantasy western, but can't do b2b because Fantasy is fully booked for second week, and no chance of getting from PC to Galveston to get the second cruise on same day!

OR
Cancel flight rebook to fly PC do western on fantasy then drive to Miami and get on 5 night on wonder, this may be doable

Lots to think about.
We did try to get a deal on med cruise(so much easier for us) but they wouldn't budge on price...would cost us a few thousand pounds more to do the med??? Not in our budget. We have been given an email address to contact to see if we can get any help with the losses we would make on our flights.

So we still do not have a firm plan for that cruise.

All I can say is Thanks to the dis board we are aware of these changes, as yet DH still has not had the email, but because of this board we are on the ball!

Oh...I'm sooo sorry you have so much to decide! And here we just have to decide whether to keep this particular cruise or not. I do think weighing your options might be a better bet. Live with the one cruise that you're NOT impressed with (but you know you'll enjoy the ship, still have fun, and still have the 'Mickey Magic' (ambience) and NOT lose monies, or contact Disney to see if they can help with whatever losses that you might incurr with all your flight dilemmas. Glad you saw this to get a head start!

We just had no idea that a whole itinerary would/could be changed so it's thrown our little trip a curve. Knowing this, we wouldn't have hit WDW this year, and/or wouldn't have booked this particular cruise. However, we did fall in love with the Magic, really wanted a Magic longer cruise, and wanted to see some place different. Well, maybe we can't have all 3..lol.

Good luck and here's hoping pixiedust abounds!

 

[tajz90]

Maybe it's not supplier issues, but the fact that Carnival, Princess and Royal are all basically sailing the same trip for cheaper so Disney wants to offer an alternative to sell the Magic better.

Who knows?! Just a thought.

 

[Silverfox97]

Fly 28th in Galveston
Sail 8 night on new itinerary that doesn't appeal
Sail 6 night western
Fly home

I would choose this option, but I love days on the ship Also, you certainly don't have to go to WDW; you could have a nice day in Port Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, or even Orlando!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[ilovetexas]

Ok so our update:

Our original plans
Fly from uk 28th march into galveston
Sail 8 night western original itinerary
Sail 6 night western again
Fly home

New options
Fly 28th in Galveston
Sail 8 night on new itinerary that doesn't appeal
Sail 6 night western
Fly home

OR

Cancel 8 night, loose money on flight into Galveston, rebook flight in time for 6 night (loose £1500 for flight cancellation and rebook)

OR
Cancel both cruises, and flights (loose £1500)

OR
Cancel flight (£1500) rebook to fly to PC get on fantasy western, but can't do b2b because Fantasy is fully booked for second week, and no chance of getting from PC to Galveston to get the second cruise on same day!

OR
Cancel flight rebook to fly PC do western on fantasy then drive to Miami and get on 5 night on wonder, this may be doable

Lots to think about.
We did try to get a deal on med cruise(so much easier for us) but they wouldn't budge on price...would cost us a few thousand pounds more to do the med??? Not in our budget. We have been given an email address to contact to see if we can get any help with the losses we would make on our flights.

So we still do not have a firm plan for that cruise.

All I can say is Thanks to the dis board we are aware of these changes, as yet DH still has not had the email, but because of this board we are on the ball!

1. It's still pretty far out, so maybe rooms will free up on that second Fantasy cruise out of PC.

2. You could still fly to Galveston on the 28th, book the 7 day Crown Princess out of Galveston on March 30 (Roatan, Belize City, and Cozumel) then come back and the same day get on the 6 day Disney Magic (Grand Cayman and Cozumel). Balcony cabin for 4 is $3836.00 and OV and inside are significantly less than that. There is plenty to do in Cozumel for two visits. There is enough to do in Galveston to keep you occupied for a day as well.

Hope it works out for you.

 

[lbgraves]

I would choose this option, but I love days on the ship Also, you certainly don't have to go to WDW; you could have a nice day in Port Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, or even Orlando!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Given the options, I have to agree with you. At least you still get to see the ports on the 6-night cruise. Also, you have the bonus of going to WDW for a day and CC that you weren't expecting. If you didn't have the B2B, I would be disappointed in the change.

 

[JohnsPrincess]

I'm soooo sad!! Someone may have already said but our 8 night out of Galveston on Feb 1 was changed to a 4 night that only goes to Cozumel, too. Not happy. The 8 night was perfect...leaving on my sons 1st birthday and coming back on our anniversary. Price was good. Good time. We don't want a 4 night and we don't want Cozumel. I also wouldn't want one of the ones that go to PC. We are from Tampa and live in Houston. So we can go to PC and/or Disney...we were happy to get a Different experience being here. Ugh.

 

[MousseauMob]

To say my DS & I are over the moon about this doesn't EVEN begin to cover it. O.M.G. we are excited!!!! Being able to sail from less than 30 minutes on our favorite ship in the whole world away was awesome enough... the only drawback was not being able to go to CC. And now we get to go to Castaway Cay, AND get to spend a day at WDW?!? Are you kidding me??? There are no words. I would totally dance on my desk right now if these people didn't already think I was nuts enough as it is.

I'm right with you in excitement! We can do a Western Caribbean anytime and on any ship, but to be able to go to WDW and CC with no flights - that ROCKS!

 

[Gina]

Okay, now I'm even happier. Just got off the phone with a SUPER nice lady at that special phone number who gave me all my options. I know my poor TA is as swamped as every other TA right now, and even though I knew that I wouldn't be able to actually change anything on the booking myself I wanted to at least be able to go over everything.

My TA had emailed me this morning and told me to switch to the 2/15 cruise would be $622 more. Okay, the $500 difference back in January was bad enough, and the whole reason I had to go with 2/1. But in talking with this CM, she ran it a few different ways and figured out the issue was the computer automatically trying to do me a favor and use the "protected date" of when I originally booked back in January, under the assumption that would be cheaper. Turns out when she used today's date instead, it only comes out to a $400 difference -- and we'd still get the $250 OBC. For a day at Castaway Cay and a day at WDW, I can handle that!!

Funny thing... She said my name again like she was musing something over, and then said, "I have a silly question for you. Are you on the DIS boards?" I laughed and said yes, or course, and she said, "I thought I recognized your name! I saw you posting about the changes this morning, about how excited you are. We have been reading the DIS boards to see what people's reactions to the changes are." I thought that was very interesting!

So if you're reading this too, HI TANYA, and thanks for all the help!!

 

[Elfinjojo]

It looks like we will be cancelling everything....DH has spoken to another person at DCL and they can't guarantee covering our losses! DH is less than happy at these changes...if people are really desperate to go to CC why do they not just book a cruise that is already going there? Why change something that's already selling, disappointing people to offer something that is duplicated else ? I think DCL may have just lost a customer....platinum at that!