Any rumor when 2014 dates come out?

[ruadisneyfan2]

Tell me the rumors of DCL not being in Alaska 2014 aren't true We booked a dummy date onboard because we REALLY wanted Alaska! How do we know when the dates are released? Should we just check this thread everyday or go to the DCL website everyday? Thanks for any insight

Please don't listen to rumors! We had a trip to Cali completely researched, planned & booked for July 2012, with the intention of sailing to Alaska in 2013, when we heard a "rumor" last fall that DCL would not be returning to Alaska after 2012.
We quickly booked the cruise portion but the only week we could cruise due to my work's limitations to 1 week of vacation in summer, we had to cruise the week leading into Labor Day weekend. That meant our kids' 1st day of school would be the day after we disembark & fly cross-country. Also once SWA released their calendar that included Labor Day, we realized their return flights from Seattle were awful. The earliest we could arrive in Philly would be after midnight.
Luckily I found better flights on another airline but had to find something to do with our SWA credits. Dh & kids are "parked out" and ready for something different so we booked a long weekend in late June in Houston/Galveston. (beach, Space Ctr, etc.)

Of course TS Debby hangs in the Gulf when it's time to go with all signs pointing toward Houston. Too late to change flights; all other destinations are like $400 each way with 1 day's notice. Houston is prepping for storm with shelters, etc. So we cancel. We use the days off work to paint our kids rooms which was long overdue anyway.

We then still need to do something with these credits that will expire in Nov. (when we 1st started booking our original Cali trip.) Our only other time off is over Jewish holidays in mid-Sept, less than 2 weeks after our Alaskan cruise. Since this is peak hurrican season, we are reluctant to go anywhere near any Gulf or Atlantic coast. Normally, we would go anywhere, anytime but normally we'd have a year to use our credits, not a mere 2 months.

So it evolves into a quickie version of our original Cali trip: 2 nts San Fran, 2 nts Yosemite, 1 nt near Sacramento airport.
So at a time when we had already spent so much on our Alaskan cruise, we also couldn't just waste approx $2k in SWA credits so we had to do yet another trip.

We came home from Seattle on a Monday night, kids started school Tues, that next Saturday I packed for Cali.

Both trips were go, go, go to see as much as possible in a short time.

For the 1st time in my life I am vacationed out!
Never in a million years did I think this could ever happen.

While we'd love to see the Fantasy & sail on her, we really just need to veg. I don't think we'll be doing anything on our upcoming cruise.

So you see what rumors do?

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

If it's any help, we started plans to book our Alaska 2012 cruise on 11/28/11. As of that time, DCL still hadn't released 2013 plans for the Wonder. I'm not sure when they released 2013 but by then we were excited for Alaska & didn't want to switch back again.
It's hard to have a cruise tentatively booked and then not start buying airfare, hotels, etc when you see it out there.

hth!

 

[COASTIEandMATE]

Tell me the rumors of DCL not being in Alaska 2014 aren't true We booked a dummy date onboard because we REALLY wanted Alaska! How do we know when the dates are released? Should we just check this thread everyday or go to the DCL website everyday? Thanks for any insight

Actually we went on the Inaugural Alaska cruise May 2011 and enjoyed it so much that we booked the first Alaska cruise available in 2013 as soon as the dates were released. One reason we jumped on it was the opinions expressed on the Dis that maybe this would be the last year Disney goes to Alaska. I would alert your disney travel agent to keep an eye out for you, and keep checking here as well! aloha, Karen

 

[dizkids]

I have a dummy cruise for 2013 looking to move to 2014. Will just keep checking like everyone else : )

 

[NancyIL]

I am happy that my 2 dummy cruises booked on the Dream in March 2011 will be fulfilled in December 2012 and May 2013. The only 2014 Disney cruise that might be of interest to me is a group cruise with a Disney fan site.

 

[RedSox68]

I have an onboard booking for next year that right now we advised our TA to switch to a Fantasy itinerary in 2014 in May or June if it includes San Juan. If not, to switch it for a Christmas 2014 cruise.

HOWEVER, my DH brought up the fact last week that wouldn't it be great if Disney REALLY tossed it up and did away with the Med schedules and did a cruise that included ports in England and Scotland like so many other cruise lines do! I would be sooooo onboard for that one. That would top any other choices!

We had a similar cruised booked on HAL in 2010 that included ports in England, Scotland and some Baltic ports, but we couldn't make it happen with work schedules.

 

[ACDSNY]

HOWEVER, my DH brought up the fact last week that wouldn't it be great if Disney REALLY tossed it up and did away with the Med schedules and did a cruise that included ports in England and Scotland like so many other cruise lines do! I would be sooooo onboard for that one. That would top any other choices!

I like your DH's idea too. Scotland/Ireland are on my bucket list and throw in Disney and I'd be all over that.

 

[RedSox68]

Our plans for 2014 were to go to England and Scotland anyway. We have to book the B&B in London by this January because it is so hard to get. So if Disney does a cruise over there, we could do London pre or post cruise and still see Scotland without having to rent a car. It would be a win win

 

[sammatt]

I did hear from some folks that the Baltic region has been trying to bring DCL back to the area. Perhaps a return to Northern Europe in 2014?

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I have an onboard booking for next year that right now we advised our TA to switch to a Fantasy itinerary in 2014 in May or June if it includes San Juan. If not, to switch it for a Christmas 2014 cruise.

HOWEVER, my DH brought up the fact last week that wouldn't it be great if Disney REALLY tossed it up and did away with the Med schedules and did a cruise that included ports in England and Scotland like so many other cruise lines do! I would be sooooo onboard for that one. That would top any other choices!

We had a similar cruised booked on HAL in 2010 that included ports in England, Scotland and some Baltic ports, but we couldn't make it happen with work schedules.

omg. My dh would LOVE that! I'd book that in heartbeat! We spent 12 nts in Ireland for our honeymooon and have been wanting to go back for so long.

 

[NancyIL]

Our plans for 2014 were to go to England and Scotland anyway. We have to book the B&B in London by this January because it is so hard to get. So if Disney does a cruise over there, we could do London pre or post cruise and still see Scotland without having to rent a car. It would be a win win

It would be great if DCL did British Isles cruises. But knowing Disney, it would be priced somewhere between the 12-night Med cruises in 2013 and the 2010 Baltic cruises! When it comes to interesting European itineraries, I have no interest in holding out for a Disney ship to do them, as I'm content to sail with RCI/Celebrity/HAL/Princess.

 

[tajz90]

We'd be on board for a new Euro destination. We really enjoyed The Baltic Cruise!

 

[KashasMom]

I'm just curious as to why it takes DCL so long to announce its itineraries when other cruise lines have itineraries out 2 years in advance.

 

[chinarider]

Soon??? any word as to how soon?

 

[ddixon1]

My favorite way to see Scotland is on the back of a horse. Can't be beat!
But looking forward to NYC again....

 

[cruisecrasher]

I'm just curious as to why it takes DCL so long to announce its itineraries when other cruise lines have itineraries out 2 years in advance.

Shortsightedness?
To better blend with the way park reservations are released?
Didn't they used to release earlier or not?

 

[mmouse37]

Ok...just checked the DCL website at 8:00 am and still nothing for 2014. Will keep checking during the day.

MJ

 

[CarolAnnC]

Ok...just checked the DCL website at 8:00 am and still nothing for 2014. Will keep checking during the day.

MJ

Rats! Thank you MJ....

 

[RedSox68]

I'm just curious as to why it takes DCL so long to announce its itineraries when other cruise lines have itineraries out 2 years in advance.

This is the question of the Century! And 14+ years into the business and they still drag their feet on issuing their itineraries. Personally, I'm beginning to think they like building up the hysteric frenzy that results

 

[chateau]

^^^^^we say 460 posts later!