1.5 Falling Through :(

[*NikkiBell*]

I am really sad to hear that things are not going well. This was the cruise that I would be able to go on because of my teaching schedule.

Pete, would you consider looking into a short Disney cruise during this time? There's so many educators and parents who were interested in 1.5 it'd be a shame to nix it because the company isn't working with you.

Just a thought.

 

[mainegal]

Oh, Nikki. I am so sorry. I know you really want / need a summer trip.

I know the December trip is happening because of lower cost.
Are there enough summer travellers (teachers and parents) that are willing to pay the high price for a summer DIS cruise on DCL? I hope so!

 

[Bornteach]

I am so sad too!

We were thinking about renewing our vows net July as it will be our ten year anniversary. With my DH and I both being educators it is vital we do this when we are on vacation.

Universal doesn't know what they are missing! But I would love to hear about the same possibility with DCL.

Thank you for trying so hard Pete!

 

[DisneyKevin]

One of the main reasons for thinking about a Universal / RCCL sailing was price.

DCL summer sail dates are among the most expensive of the entire year. They are in line with holiday sail dates.

The reasoning behind the choice of sail dates for the Podcast Cruises has also been price. Both sail dates were chosen because they offer some of the lowest pricing of the year.

Along with price....stateroom availablity is a concern.

The Disney Magic will be in the Mediterranean during summer 2010. This leaves the Disney Wonder sailing from Port Canaveral.

We find that when one of the ships is away from Port Canaveral, the other ship gets even busier. Business usually split between the two ships is focused on one.

DCL works with a tier pricing structure. This means that as the ship's available space fills, pricing increases. The busier the ship, the more you pay.

Cruising during summer 2010 might be cost prohibitive for many listeners.

Please understand that I am not saying that this cant happen.....I'm just explaining the reasons that this has not been previously planned.

 

[Bornteach]

Kevin, you are so sweet and I TOTALLY understand.....it just sounds like so much fun to be in such a large group of people who share the same passion. I am now looking forward to DAP so much more!

I hope some day we get to sail with all of you!

One of the main reasons for thinking about a Universal / RCCL sailing was price.

DCL summer sail dates are among the most expensive of the entire year. They are in line with holiday sail dates.

The reasoning behind the choice of sail dates for the Podcast Cruises has also been price. Both sail dates were chosen because they offer some of the lowest pricing of the year.

Along with price....stateroom availablity is a concern.

The Disney Magic will be in the Mediterranean during summer 2010. This leaves the Disney Wonder sailing from Port Canaveral.

We find that when one of the ships is away from Port Canaveral, the other ship gets even busier. Business usually split between the two ships is focused on one.

DCL works with a tier pricing structure. This means that as the ship's available space fills, pricing increases. The busier the ship, the more you pay.

Cruising during summer 2010 might be cost prohibitive for many listeners.

Please understand that I am not saying that this cant happen.....I'm just explaining the reasons that this has not been previously planned.

 

[NancyIL]

If the problem is coordinating Universal with Royal Caribbean, why not decide on a date and just book the cruise on your own? You can do a 3-night (Friday-Monday) or a 4-night (Monday-Friday) Bahamas cruise on Monarch of the Seas out of Port Canaveral:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/finda...tedCurrencyCode=USD&price=ANY&state=&x=59&y=3

 

[DisneyKevin]

If the problem is coordinating Universal with Royal Caribbean, why not decide on a date and just book the cruise on your own? You can do a 3-night (Friday-Monday) or a 4-night (Monday-Friday) Bahamas cruise on Monarch of the Seas out of Port Canaveral:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/finda...tedCurrencyCode=USD&price=ANY&state=&x=59&y=3

Royal Caribbean has been very difficult to work with when talking about a group as large as ours.

We arent just booking a cruise....we are looking at booking other activities while aboard ship and they have been non-responsive or even negative in regards to the things we've asked about doing.

There is more to this than just booking staterooms.

 

[NancyIL]

Royal Caribbean has been very difficult to work with when talking about a group as large as ours.

We arent just booking a cruise....we are looking at booking other activities while aboard ship and they have been non-responsive or even negative in regards to the things we've asked about doing.

There is more to this than just booking staterooms.

Maybe that's why the Magic Meets cruise in July 2010 on Grandeur of the Seas is limited to 100 people.

I wasn't thinking about a DIS-sponsored large group event, but a bunch of friends deciding to cruise at the same time and making their own fun.

 

[DVCJones]

BUMMER!!!! Count me in as one of the disappointed As disappointed as I am, I also understand that there is more to planning a DIS cruise than just reserving a room. So, I just wanted to say thanks to the Podcast Team for trying to make this happen for us. I know you tried hard to plan this. I will be keeping my fingers crossed that Universal/RCCL wakes up and is willing to work with you.

Thanks again!
Pam

 

[NancyIL]

I understand that booking a cruise for a large group isn't easy. Since it appears there will be NO group cruise, my suggestion is to pick a date and encourage a bunch of DIS friends to go on the same ship.

 

[DisneyKevin]

I understand that booking a cruise for a large group isn't easy. Since it appears there will be NO group cruise, my suggestion is to pick a date and encourage a bunch of DIS friends to go on the same ship.

There IS a Podcast group cruise...just not during the summer months (yet).

And while booking a party for 700 people can be logistically challemging, it's made even more so when the cruise line doesnt seem to want to work with you.

Needeless to say...The Dis and Dreams Unlimited Travel like to go BIG....or not attacjh our name to it.

 

[Decorated_Dust]

I was pretty bummed about this as well since the time and the cost were perfect for me. Also, with my job getting more stressful by the day, I will NEED a vacation by July.

I know the Podcast crew works so unbelievably hard on these things, so I am in no way blaming you guys. Suits in general are a pain, and a non-receptive company (especially one that's so deep in the hole) is ridiculous. However, I am pretty upset that I have again missed a chance to participate in the community. I mean, the boards are fine, but they can only go so far. Stupid RC/Universal.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

I too am disappointed with the recent turn of events with the july cruise. Before Pete left for Australia, he left the impression that is was a done deal with waiting for the contract. While I can't make it for Cruise 2.0, I do appreciate the effort you guys took in trying to provide an alternative option.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

I hope this thread did not cause people to think that I was being critical. I 100% realize how hard everyone has been working to make this happen. I'm sorry to hear that it is not working out well.

 

[MrandMissVacation]

We are sad to hear how this isn't working out as well. We had so much fun on PCC 1.0. We realize the fault isn't on DU/Podcast folks.
We were already planning this trip anyways..going with DU/Podcast people was just a bonus.

We are going either late June/Early July. We will probably do the parks first and cruise after.

The companies that will succeed after this economic storm will be the ones that offer great customer service..imho.

 

[schoen]

Sadly there are realities in life that sometimes prohibit us from doing the things we want to do. I would also like to go on the podcast cruise, but my job prohibits travel at that time (and I am not even a teacher).

It can be hard to hear about everyone else enjoying the party that you can't attend, so I feel your pain. Thanks to DU for putting so much effort into these events.

 

[aspen37]

Kevin, Do you think that we could just do the land portion? Having a party at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter would be AWESOME! Just a thought.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

Good thought, Anna. I was also thinking maybe we could do something at the parks (Disney or otherwise) instead.

 

[Dale-Not-Chip]

An off-Property Podcast Party.

With events at Universal, and Sea world. And we take over a resort.

 

[lugnut33]

Count me as one of the disappointed. The price and timing would have worked for us. I took the time to e-mail RCI about this. LOL

There is a huge Disney community forum called the Dis Forums that wanted to plan a land/sea package for the summer of 2010. It was to be done through Dreams Unlimited Travel (they are the forum owners) and involed a 4 night cruise and 3 days at Universal. Well, Dreams Unlimited is scrapping the RCI idea because you guys are unresponsive to the needs of a large group. They have been trying to put together the trip (part of the appeal is we Disney fans would be travelling together on a RCI cruise, doing group activities) and currently 3 e-mails have gone unresponded to. Thats a huge shame for your company.

For my family a trip like this would have been perfect because of the cost (Disney Cruise lines is very expensive) and the timing. My wife is a teacher.

Dreams Unlimited currently has a Disney Cruise Line date set for late 2010 with over 700 people signed up.

I'd like to know why in the current economic climate you would blowoff a group like the Dis Forums? Theres a huge potential there to gain a lot of customers.

I'd like an e-mail back responding to this because I'm disappointed RCI dropped the ball. You would be wise to contact Dreams Unlimited and talk to Kevin, John, or Pete and explaine yourself.

Here's a link to the forum. Poke around, you'll see it's huge.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2305099