Any intel on Itinerary Change? --> 12-Night Mediterranean Cruise from Barcelona

[wpenber]

Greetings -

Two days ago we received word that Disney had changed the itinerary for the 12-Night Mediterranean Cruise from Barcelona (Aug '16). The changes are listed below. For those with booked staterooms who keep their reservations, DCL is offering a $1000 per stateroom on-board credit.

Port(s) in Turkey and Greece have most notably been replaced.

Two questions:

1. Anybody heard anything official or unofficial as to why the itinerary change? Everyone will naturally assume safety concerns but I'm wondering if Disney has or will acknowledge the same?

2. If you're booked, does it change your plan(s)? For us (party of 8) it does not because it's just one city that's really disappointing to us, Athens. Losing Athens is tough but the way i'm choosing to look at it it's like Disney is paying us $1000 per cabin to NOT see it. (no offense intended to the other ports)

Cheers!
-Bill

Changes:
August 2, 2016: Villefranche-sur-Mer, France has been replaced with a call to Day at Sea
August 3, 2016: La Spezia, Italy has been replaced with a call to Olbia, Sardinia
August 5, 2016: Day at Sea has been replaced with a call to Naples, Italy
August 6, 2016: Day at Sea has been replaced with a call to Palermo, Sicily
August 7, 2016: Athens/Piraeus, Greece has been replaced with a call to Day at Sea
August 8, 2016: Kusadasi, Turkey has been replaced with a call to Livorno, Italy
August 9, 2016: Mykonos, Greece has been replaced with a call to Villefranche, France
August 10, 2016: Day at Sea has been replaced with a call to Cannes, France
August 11, 2016: Valletta, Malta has been replaced with a call to Day at Sea
August 12, 2016: Day at Sea has been replaced with a call to Palma, Majorca

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Greetings -

Two days ago we received word that Disney had changed the itinerary for the 12-Night Mediterranean Cruise from Barcelona (Aug '16). The changes are listed below. For those with booked staterooms who keep their reservations, DCL is offering a $1000 per stateroom on-board credit.

Port(s) in Turkey and Greece have most notably been replaced.

Two questions:

1. Anybody heard anything official or unofficial as to why the itinerary change? Everyone will naturally assume safety concerns but I'm wondering if Disney has or will acknowledge the same?

2. If you're booked, does it change your plan(s)? For us (party of 8) it does not because it's just one city that's really disappointing to us, Athens. Losing Athens is tough but the way i'm choosing to look at it it's like Disney is paying us $1000 per cabin to NOT see it. (no offense intended to the other ports)

Cheers!
-Bill

Changes:
August 2, 2016: Villefranche-sur-Mer, France has been replaced with a call to Day at Sea
August 3, 2016: La Spezia, Italy has been replaced with a call to Olbia, Sardinia
August 5, 2016: Day at Sea has been replaced with a call to Naples, Italy
August 6, 2016: Day at Sea has been replaced with a call to Palermo, Sicily
August 7, 2016: Athens/Piraeus, Greece has been replaced with a call to Day at Sea
August 8, 2016: Kusadasi, Turkey has been replaced with a call to Livorno, Italy
August 9, 2016: Mykonos, Greece has been replaced with a call to Villefranche, France
August 10, 2016: Day at Sea has been replaced with a call to Cannes, France
August 11, 2016: Valletta, Malta has been replaced with a call to Day at Sea
August 12, 2016: Day at Sea has been replaced with a call to Palma, Majorca

Sadly, cruiselines don't have to tell you why they changed an itinerary. They can change/remove any ports that they want. In fact, they don't even have to call at any ports. It's in the contract that you agreed to by booking your cruise.

It seems that the original itinerary covers a large distance of travel - maybe there were fuel costs or port costs above what DCL was comfortable with paying.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Fuel is currently the cheapest it has ever been for a long time, ( Since 2009) port fees have not changed. With extra ports of call the port fees would increase, on the new trip.

They had run this Greek and Turkish cruise in 2014 and before, I was on it in 2014, so DCL know exactly the fuel and other associated costs,-Before it was released.

 

[wpenber]

Sadly, cruiselines don't have to tell you why they changed an itinerary. They can change/remove any ports that they want. In fact, they don't even have to call at any ports. It's in the contract that you agreed to by booking your cruise.

It seems that the original itinerary covers a large distance of travel - maybe there were fuel costs or port costs above what DCL was comfortable with paying.

Thanks but just for the record, i've no quarrel with Disney, the contract I agreed to, or their right to change the itinerary...or even them having to tell me. We could speculate all day long as to the reason(s) why....yours might be fuel, mine's security. My curiosity is whether or not anyone knows anything specific.

 

[Bree]

Considering Turkey shares borders with Syria, Iraq and Iran and the fact that Turkey shot down a Russian military plane could be a reason why there was an itinerary change for that port.

*ETA* There is also evidence of Turkey assisting ISIS

 

[ctnurse]

Greetings -

Two days ago we received word that Disney had changed the itinerary for the 12-Night Mediterranean Cruise from Barcelona (Aug '16). The changes are listed below. For those with booked staterooms who keep their reservations, DCL is offering a $1000 per stateroom on-board credit.

Port(s) in Turkey and Greece have most notably been replaced.

Two questions:

1. Anybody heard anything official or unofficial as to why the itinerary change? Everyone will naturally assume safety concerns but I'm wondering if Disney has or will acknowledge the same?

2. If you're booked, does it change your plan(s)? For us (party of 8) it does not because it's just one city that's really disappointing to us, Athens. Losing Athens is tough but the way i'm choosing to look at it it's like Disney is paying us $1000 per cabin to NOT see it. (no offense intended to the other ports)

Cheers!
-Bill

Changes:
August 2, 2016: Villefranche-sur-Mer, France has been replaced with a call to Day at Sea
August 3, 2016: La Spezia, Italy has been replaced with a call to Olbia, Sardinia
August 5, 2016: Day at Sea has been replaced with a call to Naples, Italy
August 6, 2016: Day at Sea has been replaced with a call to Palermo, Sicily
August 7, 2016: Athens/Piraeus, Greece has been replaced with a call to Day at Sea
August 8, 2016: Kusadasi, Turkey has been replaced with a call to Livorno, Italy
August 9, 2016: Mykonos, Greece has been replaced with a call to Villefranche, France
August 10, 2016: Day at Sea has been replaced with a call to Cannes, France
August 11, 2016: Valletta, Malta has been replaced with a call to Day at Sea
August 12, 2016: Day at Sea has been replaced with a call to Palma, Majorca

We are also on this cruise.

Here are my answers to your questions.

1. No one know why DCL changed the itinerary, but rumors are everything from fears of terrorism to fuel costs. I believe DCL is being cautious so they have made the changes, but I don't think we will ever find out why DCL changed the itinerary.

2. We are disappointed that the itinerary has changed, but we are 99% sure that we are keeping the booking. The OBC from DCL, in addition to the OBB from our TA and our OBB isn't something to sneeze at, plus we have already booked and prepaid our hotel in Barcelona for 3 nights. Now I am figure out a way to see the Greek Isles, and the other ports.

 

[modisneychick]

We did that cruise in 2014. It was amazing, and I have to say, I would be disappointed with those changes. However, Athens was probably my least favorite port and Turkey was one of the best. We hope to be able to do that original itinerary again one day, but it may not happen. :-(

 

[Cousin Orville]

Sorry to hear about the changes. We did that exact itinerary in 2013 and the Venice to Barcelona that focuses heavily on Greece and Turkey in 2014. All signs point to increased threat levels to cruise ships in the region. What a shame as all the Eastern Med ports are so great. Even Malta got crossed off the itinerary. It was on the 12 day Western Med in 2011. I guess it's considered too risky as well.

I probably wouldn't change. The remaining ports are still worthwhile. Livorno is arguably better than La Spezia if you want to go to Florence or elsewhere in Tuscany. Naples itself is dull, but it's the port for either Pompeii or the Amalfi coast which is magnificent. We did Palermo in 2011 and that was lovely. Olbia I would imagine is less interesting, because DCL originally went there in 2007 and never returned again until now.

There's no doubt DCL is looking at this in their consideration for 2017 itineraries. I wouldn't be surprised if they refocus on Baltic, Norwegian Fjord and UK cruises over med cruises for a while. I wish they'd take the opportunity to try South American cruises or Asian Cruises, but I know that's wishful thinking.

 

[bats]

DCL are already booked into Rome for the summer of 2017 so Med cruises are still on the agenda!

I would say that Villefranche is really pretty, but it's only a few miles between there and Cannes, so not sure on 2 days in the same place. If you get off in Naples, either got to Herculaneum, or Sorrento. Herc is the better option between it and Pompeii, although Pompeii is bigger .. it's not better! Herc is much better preserved, smaller, more 'doable' and just a nicer experience. Sorrento is beautiful and it's the home of limoncello .. all the stores have free samples!

Palma, Majorca is great and has been one of our favourite ports.
Enjoy the cruise

 

[ctnurse]

DCL are already booked into Rome for the summer of 2017 so Med cruises are still on the agenda!

I would say that Villefranche is really pretty, but it's only a few miles between there and Cannes, so not sure on 2 days in the same place. If you get off in Naples, either got to Herculaneum, or Sorrento. Herc is the better option between it and Pompeii, although Pompeii is bigger .. it's not better! Herc is much better preserved, smaller, more 'doable' and just a nicer experience. Sorrento is beautiful and it's the home of limoncello .. all the stores have free samples!

Palma, Majorca is great and has been one of our favourite ports.
Enjoy the cruise

I haven't time to look, but thanks for sharing. When are they in Rome? Any other ports for Europe?

 

[gwmort]

We were booked on this cruise originally. My daughter is a huge Percy Jackson fan and we were really looking forward to the Eastern Mediterranean ports. We decided it was too much money for too small of an area with the revised itinerary.

We decided to switch to the 7 day cruise departing on the 13th instead, goes to the same general area at a fraction of the cost, and we are using the other week to travel a bit around Mainland Europe on our own. By "other week" I mean I only have the ability to take a 2 week vacation, by switching to a one week cruise we gained a week for other travel. We are actually adding a couple of days at Disneyland Paris now (and some other sites).

We lost the stateroom credit, but Disney did gives us a credit equal to the fees charged by our airline to push the travel dates back a week (for my family of 4 that was $1400).

 

[Danni75]

I hope Disneyland Paris explained to you that the resort is having a major refurbishment this summer and therefore will be very disrupted.

 

[gwmort]

I hope Disneyland Paris explained to you that the resort is having a major refurbishment this summer and therefore will be very disrupted.

Yes, we saw that, looks like the main big ticket item that will be closed is Big Thunder Mountain, but lots of smaller closings too. We go to WDW in Orlando every other year, so it will still be interesting for the family to compare it to what we are used to.

I've been planning on doing this trip at this time in my kids lives (11 and 12) practically since they were born. It was important to me to do a family trip to Europe while the kids were old enough to remember some of it and young enough to still want to spend time with mom and dad. By far it is the most expensive vacation we have ever attempted, and while I travel a lot I have never spent so much time planning and preparing. One of the main draws of the original itinerary for us was getting to see so many different countries and cultures without a lot of intense planning for us. We saw the revised itinerary as effectively doubling up on the western part and wanted to use our time to visit other places (this will be the first time I have had 2 weeks off in a row in over 12 years.

As it stands we are flying into Paris for 2 nights, then taking the train to London for 2 nights, renting a car and driving to Cardiff, wales for one night, then taking a ferry into Ireland for 2 nights before flying into Barcelona for the 7 day cruise. This also worked out because we originally wanted to do the 12 day British island cruise but we couldn't make the dates work with our schedules so we ended up with something that would at least give us a taste of the area as well.

 

[Anisum]

Ouch. I'd be a bit upset if I booked this cruise mostly because I'm all about seeing new places and I've already seen Italy extensively. Curious if people think Malta was replaced simply because the new ports made it an 'out of the way stop' or if there was some issue there too.

Anyway, whether you decide to stay on or skip the cruise I hope you have a wonderful time.

 

[Garrie the Unicorn]

It may also be due to the current migrant/refugee crisis in Europe. Many migrants/refugees are arriving daily in Turkey and Greece and they may wish to stay out of the area both to avoid the many small boats trying to make the crossing (many aid efforts are taking place as these boats are very unsafe) and to avoid any potential of stowaways on the journey.

 

[jburge12000]

Yes, we saw that, looks like the main big ticket item that will be closed is Big Thunder Mountain, but lots of smaller closings too. We go to WDW in Orlando every other year, so it will still be interesting for the family to compare it to what we are used to.

I've been planning on doing this trip at this time in my kids lives (11 and 12) practically since they were born. It was important to me to do a family trip to Europe while the kids were old enough to remember some of it and young enough to still want to spend time with mom and dad. By far it is the most expensive vacation we have ever attempted, and while I travel a lot I have never spent so much time planning and preparing. One of the main draws of the original itinerary for us was getting to see so many different countries and cultures without a lot of intense planning for us. We saw the revised itinerary as effectively doubling up on the western part and wanted to use our time to visit other places (this will be the first time I have had 2 weeks off in a row in over 12 years.

As it stands we are flying into Paris for 2 nights, then taking the train to London for 2 nights, renting a car and driving to Cardiff, wales for one night, then taking a ferry into Ireland for 2 nights before flying into Barcelona for the 7 day cruise. This also worked out because we originally wanted to do the 12 day British island cruise but we couldn't make the dates work with our schedules so we ended up with something that would at least give us a taste of the area as well.

This past summer we did a similar itinerary to what you are now doing, 3 days in London then 3 in Paris before heading down to Bacelona for the week long cruise. My kids were 12 and 10 and they had a blast. The one regret we had was not spending more time in Barcelona. We took the train from Paris arriving just before lunch and spent the remainder of the day in Barcelona. Once we arrived and started going around, we realized we had made a mistake and would have really enjoyed a few days their. If you have the time after your cruise, I would recommend doing one of the half day trips in Barcelona that drops you off at the airport to at least get a look at the city.

 

[gwmort]

This past summer we did a similar itinerary to what you are now doing, 3 days in London then 3 in Paris before heading down to Bacelona for the week long cruise. My kids were 12 and 10 and they had a blast. The one regret we had was not spending more time in Barcelona. We took the train from Paris arriving just before lunch and spent the remainder of the day in Barcelona. Once we arrived and started going around, we realized we had made a mistake and would have really enjoyed a few days their. If you have the time after your cruise, I would recommend doing one of the half day trips in Barcelona that drops you off at the airport to at least get a look at the city.

Thank you, we'll look into it.

Did you happen to do a trip report?

 

[RedSox68]

This past summer we did a similar itinerary to what you are now doing, 3 days in London then 3 in Paris before heading down to Bacelona for the week long cruise. My kids were 12 and 10 and they had a blast. The one regret we had was not spending more time in Barcelona. We took the train from Paris arriving just before lunch and spent the remainder of the day in Barcelona. Once we arrived and started going around, we realized we had made a mistake and would have really enjoyed a few days their. If you have the time after your cruise, I would recommend doing one of the half day trips in Barcelona that drops you off at the airport to at least get a look at the city.

That's why I want to book the WBTA from Barcelona. When we did it in 2007 we had one day pre-cruise and then just the day in port between cruises (we did a b2b). I loved that city and want to see more!

 

[abja09]

This past summer we did a similar itinerary to what you are now doing, 3 days in London then 3 in Paris before heading down to Bacelona for the week long cruise. My kids were 12 and 10 and they had a blast. The one regret we had was not spending more time in Barcelona. We took the train from Paris arriving just before lunch and spent the remainder of the day in Barcelona. Once we arrived and started going around, we realized we had made a mistake and would have really enjoyed a few days their. If you have the time after your cruise, I would recommend doing one of the half day trips in Barcelona that drops you off at the airport to at least get a look at the city.

This may be a little off the subject but if you don't mind me asking - where did you stay in Barcelona? I am doing the 7 night Med in August 2017 so I'm in the planning stages.

 

[jburge12000]

This may be a little off the subject but if you don't mind me asking - where did you stay in Barcelona? I am doing the 7 night Med in August 2017 so I'm in the planning stages.

We stayed at the Hotel Alexandra, its a Hilton DoubleTree and we wanted to use Hilton Points. Location was very good, around the corner from the main shopping area and restaurants and some of the Gaude buildings you should see. The hop on hop off bus had a stop a few blocks away.