April 13-17 4 night Wonder

[sasser05]

Yes we too have been on 4 cruises and our 5th coming up next month we have missed CC 2 times and have had reattemps that were missed as well due to winds and seas.
It does stink and they should come up with a better dock at CC so its just easier to get in instead of the constant failures and come up with a solution to the problem. We are going on the May 11th Double Dip and with 2 tries we hope to dip once!

 

[DCL Repeaters]

While it's unfortunate to miss a port of call, it's not all that uncommon. Go ahead and write your letter to DCL to complain if it makes you feel better. DCL will write back and apologize that your experience was less than you expected and THAT'S IT. It's not DCL's fault the weather/sea conditions made it impossible for the ship to dock. You signed an agreement with DCL piror to sailing that you understood that you may not reach a port of call. Guess I find it hard to understand that people think DCL 'owes' them something. And, yes, we have missed CC and yes we were disappointed, but we graciously accepted the 'free adult beverages' and enjoyed a fantastic day at sea. We also found it quite entertaining to see people carry on like children who couldn't get what they wanted because the ship couldn't dock at CC.

 

[bsusanmb]

So, you docked at Nassau and then what? Spent the rest of the time at sea? What kind of announcements did they make about it? I am sure I would have done what I always do....EAT

 

[Dreamfinder2]

Metroliner, your ranking of shows - at least the top two - would be the same as mine. Toy Story was in rehearsals when we were on board. The third show was a self-billed "physical comedian," which was OK for what it was, but certainly not in the same league as a full-blown theatrical performance. I wonder if Toy Story will continue to be in a tweaking phase for a while?

Did I read/hear somewhere that Disney was going to dredge and rework the docking area at CC to handle larger ships? I'm sure someone has accurate intel on that.

 

[lovetoscrap]

I was on this cruise also as well as several other DISers that may chime in here.

Yes, I was extremely disappointed that we didn't make it into CC. My 8 year old was devistated. The entire cruise was very disappointing to me and my entire family. Especially when you spend a year planning and then have the weather turn out to be chilly and the seas extremely rough for the majority of the trip. Between my daughters and I we ended up spending a large amount of time seasick despite massive doses of Bonnine. I certainly missed out on a lot of the cruise activities and the FOOD because of the seasickness.

BUT, I am not blaming Disney. They can't control the weather plain and simple. I know for a fact that they tried their hardest to get to CC--my deck 2 room was directly above the Aft Thrusters they use to get in and it shook like an earthquake each time they tried. And I laid in my bed and tried not to ralph with all the motion.

When the power went out the elevators were not functioning for awhile so I was even more stuck. I use a scooter and can't climb stairs. I missed breakfast that morning since I couldn't use the elevator. I just made the best of it and ordered a BLT from room service and ate the bacon and bread--toast and bacon!

Sure, I wish I could write to Disney and have them compensate us in someway, but I read the contract. I got what I contracted for--a 4 day cruise on a ship. Sure it was the Cruise from Hell since the seas were so rough we were seasick most of the time, but even if they offer me a free cruise to compensate it wouldn't matter-- I am never getting on a boat again!!!

I have our navigators and the ones with changes I will try to post later. Basically they just made both days a Day at Sea and added in some activities. And for whoever asked: They push the Bingo because it costs money to play!

 

[lovetoscrap]

Oh and here is my take on Toy Story, The Musical. Very well done for what they wanted to accomplish. They have a great cast who act and sing wonderfully. The special effects were nice. I dont' know much about cruise shows and all so I don't know if they are all that revolutionary or not, but they really made the show.


But, (you could see a big BUT coming couldn't you?!)-- The show is just a condensed version of the Movie. With a lot of focus on Sid that some young kids will find disturbing. In fact there were quite a few little ones crying and some had to be taken out.

If you assume (as I do) that most of the people traveling on the Disney Cruise Line are already Disney Fans then you know they have all really already seen Toy Story and know the story. This made the show really "nothing new". In fact I thought it was more appropriate for the Theme Parks where they do Beauty and the Beast, and Voyage of the Little Mermaid and the new Nemo Show etc... --All basically just are condensed retellings of the original.

I had no idea what to expect from the show going in--I only knew the title. But I had hoped that it would be a NEW storyline. There is so much you could do with those characters. So much that could be written specifically with the cruise theme or just about anything else. Retelling the original story is, IMHO, just a cop out by the writers looking for a way to just tie together the effects they wanted to use. And I am certainly not humming any of the songs in my head now and I wasn't then.

I don't mean to sound negative. It is great for what it is. I just think that Disney can do so much better.

 

[Dreamfinder2]

A fair take, to be sure, LTS. Rereading all these posts, I guess I'm just sorta grieved that everyone on this particular cruise didn't have the absolutely stellar experience we did in March, with picture-perfect weather and all.

I took some time earlier this afternoon checking out some other non-Disney cruise boards. My obesrvation is that sometimes what cruisers experience is the luck of the draw, and when you're in a massive moving object that has to deal with the capriciousness of weather and seas, unpleasant things can happen. I know you can have a bad vacation anywhere, but perhaps with a cruise there is more of an assumed risk.

I have this big category in life called "just one of those things." That's where this particular cruise experience would be filed.

I do genuinely hate it for y'all. This is giving me something close to "survivor's guilt," if you've read my TR. Maybe my next cruise will be closer to yours, and I can be more empathetic.

 

[Disneywonderer]

We were on the Disney Wonder for the 4 day crusie to Bahamas. Weather was bad so we never docked in Castaway Cay. I agree with you that the Wonder's inability to dock due to poor weather is a design flaw in the layout or selection of this island as the island anchor for the cruise. It appears that many cruises never reach Castaway Cay.

Since this appears to be a normal occurrence, Disney should not be able to advertise Castaway Cay so prominently in its advertisement since the ship's failure occurs with such regularity. Disney should offer a partial refund for the cruise.

Disneywonderer

 

[patsal]

I was on this cruise as well and the big issue I had with the whole thing was the way they kind of strung us along about every forty five minutes or so--on the second day of attempt--telling us we'd be docking soon. The first day when things didn't go well, it was a disapointlment, but it was more matter of fact and activities were put into place rather quickly. It all came together except for the very confused manager of Palo who called saying we'd be dining in Palo that first afternoon, then called and said no we'd be doing it the next day afterall. Very confused and difficult to deal with knowing if we did dock at CC we wouldn't bother with the Palo reservation. Anyway, onto day two and like I stated, we felt very strung along, no activities to pass the time, clubs for the kids not all open, and Palo looming over our heads (we had an 11am) but we also had the first stingray feeding booked so I would have had a conflict. I could not get a straight answer from anyone and I was making phone calls like crazy to guest services and Palo (no answer and no return to my voicemail) to 1) see if the excursion would still be valid if we docked and 2) to see if I could cancel the excursion to go to Palo. I couldn't get an answer other than if we dock you will have your excursion. Since we were going to be docking at or near 11am and it was 10:50 I foolishly cancelled Palo so we missed out on that. Anyway, my fault because I cancelled, but it was based on poor information and lack of good communication. I knew going in that when dealing with nature there are things that are out of human control and that there was a risk in not being able to dock. It was the being strung along for so very long that really ticked me off. Plus I realize that bingo generates $$$, but there needs to be more activities because I certainly didn't pay big bucks to make paper airplanes--I'm a teacher, believe me I see enough of those!

 

[lovetoscrap]

Kayla and I also missed/canceled the Palo brunch for much of the same reasons. They made it seem so certain that we would be docking that we went ahead and canceled since we assumed that we would be either on CC or preparing to take the kids. And since my cabin was shaking so hard from the thrusters in the attempts I couldn't get out of bed and get in the shower and get dressed until the world stopped moving.

It was very frustrating and confusing and disappointing.

 

[hunnie05]

We, too were on the Wonder for the 4-night cruise on April 13th. Although I understand we signed at contract clearly stating there is no guarantee to reach CC, it was very disappointing, being our first cruise, let alone Disney cruise, ever. We are planning to write a letter as well, only because something, such as a credit, whether it be shipboard or toward a future cruise, be issued. It doesn't have to be anything astronomical, but something would be nice and up to Disney standards, in my opinion. Plus, the additional activities added for the second day at sea left us dumbfounded. Bingo, that you have to bring your own money to? No, thank you!

 

[MGM94]

Yes we too have been on 4 cruises and our 5th coming up next month we have missed CC 2 times and have had reattemps that were missed as well due to winds and seas.
It does stink and they should come up with a better dock at CC so its just easier to get in instead of the constant failures and come up with a solution to the problem. We are going on the May 11th Double Dip and with 2 tries we hope to dip once!

It's becoming more clear everyday that the problem is the location of the doc. Not the wind. Some thought it was the engines on the Magic. Now it happens repeatedly on the Wonder as well. It's a major undertaking to dredge under the water and make the slip larger and wider. It also costs a great deal of money. Disney needs to do this ASAP or take CC out of there advertising and itineraries. You can bet your *** they manage to always pull in a doc at Port Canaveral (Wind or no Wind) So they can get the next load of money, Oh sorry, "people" on board.

I encourage everyone including those who have not been effected by this to contact DCL and let them know that we all know it's about the slip, doc, and dredging. And that they need to cough up the bucks and do something about it.

 

[MGM94]

Metroliner, your ranking of shows - at least the top two - would be the same as mine. Toy Story was in rehearsals when we were on board. The third show was a self-billed "physical comedian," which was OK for what it was, but certainly not in the same league as a full-blown theatrical performance. I wonder if Toy Story will continue to be in a tweaking phase for a while?

Did I read/hear somewhere that Disney was going to dredge and rework the docking area at CC to handle larger ships? I'm sure someone has accurate intel on that.

Don't want to double post, but you are only the second person to bring up the whole dredge issue. Again, I believe that is the on going problem. And the new ships are going to be much larger. What are they going to do, wait till those ships can't fit as well, before the dredge? It's nice to see someone who sees beyond wind and compensation. Again, we should all let them know the cat is out of the bag. The just need to do it.

 

[Frankiesmom]

I've been on the Wonder 3 times; twice we made it and once we didn't. Very dissapointing- but every cruise line has this in their contract.We are also platinum members with RCCL and it's the same thing with them and their private island Coco Cay- sometimes we've made it there and other times we didn't. DH and I are doing a land/sea in Oct and hopefully we'll make it; if not I'll be drinking lots of pina colada's and thinking a bad day @ sea is better then a good day @ work! Sorry about your trip!

 

[MGM94]

I just posted my grass roots campaign LOL on the main board. I hope there are folks out there who think it's worth taking the time to send DCL a letter and question the slip / doc / dredging Vs wind and weather. I think it's a valid issue and possible more often then not cause to the problem.

Here is hoping everyone questions DCL and not me. LOL.

 

[Dreamfinder2]

Don't want to double post, but you are only the second person to bring up the whole dredge issue. Again, I believe that is the on going problem. And the new ships are going to be much larger. What are they going to do, wait till those ships can't fit as well, before the dredge? It's nice to see someone who sees beyond wind and compensation. Again, we should all let them know the cat is out of the bag. The just need to do it.

I can't recall if I actually heard more than a rumor about the potential dredging, or just dreamed that. I do remember that when Disney purchased Gorda Cay, it was because the island fit their strict criteria for a private island, one being able to dock right at the island without tendering. I think it was one of the first in the cruise industry.

It just appears to me - and I'm trying to keep it real here - that the inability to dock is a combination of several factors, and in those unfortunate times when a ship can't dock at CC, it's because all those factors have lined up with each other. It's sort of like that old line about "an airplane safely landing doesn't make the news"; the nature of the Disboards being what they are, there is only a tiny fraction of all cruisers who read and post, and an even tinier fraction of those who weren't able to enjoy all their planned-for ports.

I was one of the fortunate ones this year who was able to enjoy picture-perfect weather and flawless shore experiences (other than falling down in Nassau and twisting my ankle, but I don't think that was Disney's fault.) So I struggle mightily to put myself in the shoes of folks who were disappointed and be empathetic.

But - anyone so inclined has every right as a consumer to question the perceived value they received for cost paid, and that's perfectly proper, too. I paid for a 3-Day Wonder cruise, and left home anticipating just that. But if I'd ended up on another ship, in other ports, I still would have got what Disney contracted with me to provide.

My nature and temperment is such that I try to be realistic about what might happen, especially if it's been spelled out for me in advance. And when things go awry, I just adjust to the circumstances. Would I have been disappointed to miss CC or Nassau, our two anticipated ports? Of course. Would I still have a great time? You betcha, because the quality of my vacation and how much I enjoy it is up to me. There is another poster who's shared a trip report regarding this same cruise, and she stated that it was "their best cruise ever." So, I have to conclude this is an "eye of the beholder" issue and let it go at that.

 

[bsusanmb]

I have a friend who was on the RC cruise the same time in the Bahamas and they weren't able to tender into their private island because of the high waves. So it happens....

 

[OceanLvr]

Just some info on the bearthing area...

When DCL originally built CC it was indeed to be able to dock on the island itself. The original spot was much closer to the island...Now what you see is extensions to the original pier...This was in response to a very active hurricaine season years ago. The original channel was "redredged" and made deeper. I think it's actually over 400 feet deep. You can actually see the color change in the water when the depth changes.

If you have ever taken the "eco" tour on the jet skis, you would know that the average depth from Great Abaco Island to CC is only 12 feet. Now, I'm sure you can understand that a ship the size of the Wonder or the Magic certainly draft more that 12 feet of water...

So, should DCL or Disney redredge, perhaps. Would it make docking at CC any easier? I doubt it. There are so many factors that play into putting a ship that size into a bearth. A pp said that they have no problem docking in Port Canaveral. That is exactly true. For many reasons, #1 it is a protected harbor, #2 there are tugs available to move the ship into its bearth without having to use it's bow or stern thrusters.

Just some observations...I am truly sorry about people not being able to visit CC. It really is the highlight of any Disney Cruise. But, if there is any compensation, I would be very very surprised.

If you choose to not sail Disney again, well thats a personal choice. And, it just makes more room for those of us that will cruise again.

 

[dixiefriend]

I was also on this cruise. I am VERY upset not to get to Castaway Cay. That is why I picked DCL rather than RC! And all they offered us was Rum Punch! I am a DVC member and therefore expect alot of Disney and can't believe the way things were handled. My DH and I were traveling with no children and we had nothing to do!!! I don't want to play bingo! I wanted to go to the beach! He is going to write a letter to both DVc and DCL. We had better get something in return becuse this cruise was a huge disappointment for us. We should have just spent the week at WDW.

I agree as well...We were on the same cruise.....Amazing how well they pull into port canaveral though isn't it??? Believe me you didn't want to be at disney days following the cruise, we did and never again....We'll do the cruise again in april...but as far as disney ...we'll stick to our usual september...hot but no as crowded!!!

 

[Jordycat]

We too were on the Wonder for the 4 day cruise with no CC. My children talked us into the cruise and we did have a good time. My husband and I realize cruising is not for us (expecially for being stuck at sea for two days). I totally get the safety aspect of not going to CC, I get that it states all the mumbo jumbo in the contract, and I get that sometimes things happen (no you can't control the weather). What ticked us off was the fact expecially on the second day that made it seem certain that we would be going to pull into CC. Albeit a little late but that was ok, the whole boat was cheering when they anounced we were going in. Well we (as I sure most other passengers) wasted a good part of the day figuring out what to do, not to do, Palo, Oceaner Lab etc. That was what was so annoying!!!!!!! We managed to make the best of it. Disney need to figure out hoe to get on the island in these circustances and they really shouldn't get eveyones hopes up by making announcements "that yes we will be going to CC" and I bet the power issue was part of the problem too, not that they will ever admit to that.

I played the bigo they offered at 15$ a card. They needed to offer some compensation besides extra activites like bingo, paper airplane, drawing class. Maybe a shipbord credit?

I wrote/emailed Diney right away , the were apologetic and wrote back a vey nice and Disney like canned response. They said that they cannot and will not offer any compensation.

On a side note I think they can afford to have lifeguards at the over crowded pool (expecially when every child is stuck on board for two days.)

No we won't do it it again. Next year we'll just go directly to a nice carribean resort.