Aug 24 2014 cruise canceled!

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Do air planes that change your flights on you make u pay the difference because they make you fly on a peak time ? I can't imagine any business doing so, I just can't. All they have to do is move her sailing for what she paid for. Its not too much to ask and its not ripping DC off. Its not her choice. As mentioned, no one HAS to take a cruise or cruise with them and tell all their friends and everyone they know... That would not be good for Disney? They should just swap it out , period. Its just lame..no other way to say it.

 

[cruisecrasher]

What would you do if no other time worked though? And you can't just try another itinerary? There should be something they can do for those people, just as ultimately you can be happy with another time/price tag.

If no other time truly worked between now and December 2014, I'd ask them to float it to a dummy date (for use in 2015) or refund it and vacation during my availability somewhere else or perhaps see what kind of deal they may give me to swap to WDW for those sail dates. Those are the only options then that exist. It's frustrating but kinda how it is.

 

[pixielizzie]

 

[CamColt]

I was booked on a 7 night Western in Oct 2005 (the holiday week) that got cancelled for dry dock. The only other time I could sail was that summer and after some complaining/fighting, DCL changed us to a 7 night Mexican Riviera Cruise that August, same room category, for the same price. To me that was fair fix and we were happy with that.

 

[NWmom]

Why would it have to be limited in any way? Carnival offered my sister any 7 night Carnival cruise, with availability in her originally booked stateroom category, between now and December 31, 2014, at the rate she was paying for the canceled cruise. They did not exclude any week or any itinerary or any port of departure.

Did they HAVE TO do that? No, of course not. I understand that. It sure was a nice thing to do though. That is top-notch customer service in my book.

ETA: I wanted to add...that's what Carnival offered and my sister's cruise was not even canceled. It was just a change of ship for that sailing.

First, I agree having the3 cruise cancelled and what is being offered is lousy. Chartered cruises should have to be booked before itineraries are announced.

That being said- I think the difference on this might be the big PR nightmare that Carnival has had in the past year or so. They are probably at a point where they have a greater need to avoid more bad publicity than DCL is.

I hope everyone is able to enjoy what they rebooked and is able to get it where they can afford it.

 

[bumbershoot]

Has this ever happened to others? Yes. Perhaps you saw a flurry of long threads about a whole BUNCH of cruises in Fall 2014 being moved around and changed? If not, you should look back about a month. They shuffled many, many cruises around during the time period just after yours. And we had to WAIT to call in to talk; unless we wanted to just change things, we weren't to call until certain dates.

My November cruise was moved to October; I got the same rate, but that was the only cruise that would work for. They moved each individual cruise to a different, SPECIFIC, date. If that worked for you, it was the same rate and room and everything (they moved everyone to the new sailing). If not you just had to cancel and change to something else.

I saw no posts about anyone getting ANY OBC whatsoever, and we certainly didn't.

Luckily the new date was perfectly fine for us so it was no big deal (again, for us), but that wasn't the case for everyone.

So, yeah, this kind of thing happens.

If this happened to me, on DCL or any other line, yes, I would leave them in a heartbeat. It hasn't happened to me, yet, so I stay with them. And if it did happen, I would complain and hope that they would make it right. But if they ever treated me this unjustly, yes, I would leave. ....

But if I were ever messed with in this way, you can be I'd be gone and unlikely to return.

But any and every line can do this and does do this. So just because you haven't had the luck of the draw, even though you are against it in theory, you're fine with it? Until it happens to you. That makes no sense. You're either entirely against it and won't cruise with a line that does it at all (which means you won't be cruising), or you don't like it but can accept it. But accepting it until it happens to you just makes no sense to me.

I would just apologize over and over to you and try to do my best to help. Even when I couldn't offer more (like say the OBC), I would say things to try to smooth it over like "This is a horrible inconvenience" or "You should be able to book at the same rate, right???....sorry I can't do that for you" or whatever. Aren't these people in CUSTOMER SERVICE???

I'm guessing you haven't actually worked in customer service, especially not on the phone. People can be absolutely, utterly evil when they call and talk to a CS rep. And it only takes a certain number of screaming, cussing, threatening calls before you either quit or develop a thicker skin.

With something like this, there were probably many CMs who started taking calls this morning before reading any updates they might have gotten, so the first CM the OP talked to might not have known about the OBC or the price-matching to when it was booked, etc. They were trying to get to work quickly, but in doing so they missed something.

CS is incredibly hard; I still think about some of the calls I took working for amazon between '99 and '02 and I'm not talking about thinking on them fondly. And eventually you learn that for many MANY people, over-apologizing does far more harm than good. It tells the person that YOU think the company did something wrong, and if YOU think that then obviously you will eventually provide compensation. Unfortunately, a CS rep generally has a relatively small number of things they can do for a person.

 

[jcemom]

That being said- I think the difference on this might be the big PR nightmare that Carnival has had in the past year or so. They are probably at a point where they have a greater need to avoid more bad publicity than DCL is.

That is a possibility.

 

[lilpooh108]

While some CSRs for DCL are not being personable in how they are handling some calls, it isn't their decision to make. I wouldn't expect DCL to ever offer someone a discounted cruise because their original cruise over a year in the future has been changed in some way, even all the cruises that were just switched around between the Magic & Wonder.

I agree with this opinion. Although I feel bad for the people who cannot get their cruises rebooked to their satisfaction, I'm not surprised that DCL isn't offering much.

When they "cancelled" the last Med cruise that matched up with the WBTA a few years ago like THREE MONTHS in advance, I thought that was rude and insane. People were flying internationally, had already arranged for vacation time, had pre-cruise Europe vacations planned, etc.

After that happened, I ceased being amazed at DCL cancelling cruises. Since this sailing was over 1 year in advance and airlines don't release schedules until 330 days in advance, I bet they really didn't care much about the repercussions of cancelling at all.

 

[MillauFr]

Since this sailing was over 1 year in advance and airlines don't release schedules until 330 days in advance, I bet they really didn't care much about the repercussions of cancelling at all.

That was my thought. I just wish they didn't stick me with a higher price when I had to move my 8/24/14 cruise to 8/17/14. Couldn't they just give me the same price? I don't mind paying extra for Disney but I expect better treatment and service from them.

 

[cwdefouw]

That being said- I think the difference on this might be the big PR nightmare that Carnival has had in the past year or so. They are probably at a point where they have a greater need to avoid more bad publicity than DCL is.

This is my thought exactly. Go back five years or so when Carnival was flying high and I am quite sure you will find many instances of poor customer service. However, right now, their reputation and their business has been damaged to a high degree by the amount of problems they have had over the last several years. One basic law of business is that when you have to try to rebuild your business, you have to offer customer service that is above and beyond your competitors. They are trying to draw customers back to their line and excellent customer service is a good way to do it, this thread is a perfect example, look at all the good word of mouth Carnival is getting.

Disney on the other hand, has no incentive to offer excellent customer service at this time. They know they will fill the ships regardless.

 

[tankin]

I run a business so I understand the people saying that DCL is a business. At the same time, I've been through a number of Disney Institute classes and know what the corporate line is. (One story that ultimately gets told in every Institute class I've been through is the CEO of a major company that as a child dropped the toy he just bought on a trip to Disneyland causing a meltdown. A cast member saw this and replaced the toy for free. This CEO now requires that all execs go through the the Disney Institute 5 day program and they stay at WDW for a week prior to their first day as an exec. He also pays for a 2 day pass annually to any Disney Park for anyone that works for him so they can experience the customer service. Replacing the one cheap toy has literally generated tens of millions of dollar in revenue). To put it a different way, there's a line I always remember from the 1 hour WDW infomercials that masquerade as travel shows on the ABC owned networks. "Disney gets held to a higher standard because they hold themselves to a higher standard." They also charge and receive a higher price because of these standards.

More bluntly... In this case Disney failed to achieve their own standards. Instead they acted like "every other cruise line." That's great, if they want to start charging like every other cruise line and I don't see that happening.

Disney owes it to these "guests" to do better.

 

[lbgraves]

Has this ever happened to others? Yes. Perhaps you saw a flurry of long threads about a whole BUNCH of cruises in Fall 2014 being moved around and changed? If not, you should look back about a month. ...I saw no posts about anyone getting ANY OBC whatsoever, and we certainly didn't.

I have included those in the list of cruises that have been cancelled or revamped on this thread http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3139130. Putting them all in one place shows how often this does happen -- and that list is incomplete because there aren't any cancelled cruises noted yet due to dry dock. Last month's mess seems to be the only time there hasn't been an OBC offered so far.

I know that when the Med charter happened it seemed that it was much closer, but according to the meet thread for that cruise it was actually in January, approximately 7 months before the cruise. It affected more people because of it leaving from a foreign port and most people had non-refundable international flights & hotels already booked, which you tend to do earlier for international travel.

 

[LizzieandLuke]

I have made up my mind to just completely cancel the cruise. I know Disney can legally cancel the cruise, I know I have full year to make other arrangements, I know I will get a full refund, I know I could find the additional money to go the week before, but refuse to stretch the family budget. We were planning on doing a land/sea but don't believe we will be heading to Florida at all.

In my original post I stated that I although I didn't post much, I stalked the boards on a regular basis. I have learned so many great tips and showed my 10 year old daughter all the great things we were going to do. She was super excited to see the shows, go to the edge (she'd be 11 at sailing) and to play at Castaway Cay. Now I don't know who is more disappointed, she or I. As a regular WDW attendees and as a Mom who loved watching her children love Disney - right now I never want to go back and don't know if I ever will. I am so sad and so angry

I know others are excited to go on their cruise and I hope you have fun. I want to thank those who said a kind word in support. To those of you who think Disney did nothing wrong because they are a business making money I think we all knew they were a business but believed ever so slightly that had their customers (that's all we are to them) best interest at heart.

 

[jcemom]

I have made up my mind to just completely cancel the cruise. I know Disney can legally cancel the cruise, I know I have full year to make other arrangements, I know I will get a full refund, I know I could find the additional money to go the week before, but refuse to stretch the family budget. We were planning on doing a land/sea but don't believe we will be heading to Florida at all.

In my original post I stated that I although I didn't post much, I stalked the boards on a regular basis. I have learned so many great tips and showed my 10 year old daughter all the great things we were going to do. She was super excited to see the shows, go to the edge (she'd be 11 at sailing) and to play at Castaway Cay. Now I don't know who is more disappointed, she or I. As a regular WDW attendees and as a Mom who loved watching her children love Disney - right now I never want to go back and don't know if I ever will. I am so sad and so angry

I know others are excited to go on their cruise and I hope you have fun. I want to thank those who said a kind word in support. To those of you who think Disney did nothing wrong because they are a business making money I think we all knew they were a business but believed ever so slightly that had their customers (that's all we are to them) best interest at heart.

I hope you find a vacation destination that makes your family happy!

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Hi Lizzie!



So I sent you another message. It may not help but if you have to call anyway, it might help to get someone who is actually a decent human being and she worked wonders for us and made our entire trip even possible. You can call her number and extension and get her specifically and email her personally so that you don't get a crappy rep who doesn't care anymore whether they dash your dreams to peices... if you still cancel, you cancel. But who knows? She went above and beyond for us. There is still a small glimmer of hope over here, for what it's worth...

 

[tankin]

Lizzie ... Before you can the whole trip, try contacting Chris Elliott (chris[at]elliott.org). He is a consumer advocate whose personal website I help moderate and may be able to help you. He's aided a number of companies in seeing the error of their ways in the past. Not sure if it will help or not but it couldn't hurt.

 

[mcd2745]

I guess I should never be surprised by the number of total Disney apologists you find here on the DIS, but somehow in this case I am. How DCL has handled this is shameful. We all know "they are a business and their goal is to make profits"....blah, blah, blah. This is a perfect example of the phrase "penny-wise and pound foolish". In their attempt to extract an additonal $800 from the OP, they are jeopardizing maybe 10-20x that - or maybe even more - in future business from the OP (whether on DCL, or at WDW, or even merchandise) and whoever else they turn off as a result of this heavy-handed approach.

They should be offering people who were on this cancelled cruise to move their reservation to any available date of the same exact itinerary, at the same price as the cancelled reservation (and in the same "general" stateroom category, of course - if they were booked in, say, an 8D and none were available on the new date...thye're obviously not going to give them a concierge suite, but an 8A or even something in the 7s would be reasonable.), plus some OBC.

 

[CamColt]

They should be offering people who were on this cancelled cruise to move their reservation to any available date of the same exact itinerary, at the same price as the cancelled reservation (and in the same "general" stateroom category, of course - if they were booked in, say, an 8D and none were available on the new date...thye're obviously not going to give them a concierge suite, but an 8A or even something in the 7s would be reasonable.), plus some OBC.

I would be very happy with this, even without the OBC.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I guess I should never be surprised by the number of total Disney apologists you find here on the DIS, but somehow in this case I am. How DCL has handled this is shameful. We all know "they are a business and their goal is to make profits"....blah, blah, blah. This is a perfect example of the phrase "penny-wise and pound foolish". In their attempt to extract an additonal $800 from the OP, they are jeopardizing maybe 10-20x that - or maybe even more - in future business from the OP (whether on DCL, or at WDW, or even merchandise) and whoever else they turn off as a result of this heavy-handed approach.

They should be offering people who were on this cancelled cruise to move their reservation to any available date of the same exact itinerary, at the same price as the cancelled reservation (and in the same "general" stateroom category, of course - if they were booked in, say, an 8D and none were available on the new date...thye're obviously not going to give them a concierge suite, but an 8A or even something in the 7s would be reasonable.), plus some OBC.

Well said. And they could even black out holiday sailings and that would still be acceptable, IMO.

 

[lbgraves]

Just because some people aren't joining the band wagon to boycott DCL if they don't give people who were on this cruise any other cruise for the same price, it doesn't meant that we think DCL should do whatever it wants. It simply means that we have seen this happen time and time again and know that DCL does what it wants. Every single time this happens there is an uproar, but nothing changes. If you look at the material published by DCL with the cruise dates you will see printed on the bottom of every page something along the lines of ITINERARY SUBJECT TO CHANGE. That statement clears them. They don't have to do anything to compensate anyone when an itinerary is changed, sometimes they do as they have offered in this case. Last month when they changed multiple cruises they didn't offer a cent in OBC.