Bad Verandah Experience...

[AnnMorin]

Thanks for such a quick reply Dave. Glad to know we will be ok! Ann

 

[KeenHo]

I appreciate all the support in our efforts to get this resolved. I wish there was a way to e-mail this thread to Mr. Joel Hayes. He would undoubtedly see how serious an issue this is.

Dave - If you get time, please post the photo I sent to you here. It will give everyone a better view (so to speak) of our situation.

I must admit, it is hard to see "the magic in the Disney name" when this is still unresolved.

Thanks again.

Howard

 

[wovenwonder]

Fax him a link to this thread! This is bad publicity for DCL and they need to do something about it.

It would be like charging someone for a porthole in the 'secret porthole rooms'. Its a great addition for no extra cost but I would have been FURIOUS to think I was getting a regular porthole and having the obstruction.

DCL ---- CHANGE THE CATEGORY OF THOSE CABINS!

 

[keenercam]

Jody--
I am soooo glad for your support as well as everyone else's. We have emailed the thread to Mr. Hayes and I hope to be in a position to report favorably on his response.

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Originally posted by KeenHo

Dave - If you get time, please post the photo I sent to you here. It will give everyone a better view (so to speak) of our situation.

Click <a href="http://www.dcltribute.com/images/6634_inside.jpg"><font color=blue>here</font></a>.

 

[Samsma]

I'm sorry this situation more or less ruined your trip. Maybe we do expect more out of Disney than other lines, resorts, etc. But we also pay more for that "Magical" feeling, and do so willingly. We will all be waiting for Disney to back up on this matter and give you the refund, and the apology you deserve. It's not just a matter of money, you didn't get what you paid for, and what you had been looking forward to for 10 months.

 

[Doctor P]

I'm really sorry that you were disappointed, and I hope that you get some satisfaction from DCL. That said, now that I have seen a picture of the view, I think they are justified in claiming that this is an unobstructed verandah. There is nothing obstructing a significant portion of the verandah, and there is certainly nothing obstructing a straight on view. Is the view worse than it could possibly be? Yes, of course it is. Is the view less than what you expected? Yes, it obviously was. Did someone give you misinformation saying that it was an unobstructed verandah? That I am less certain of. Obviously, if the veteran cruisers on this board, after seeing the picture, still agree that this is a seriously obstructed verandah for which you really deserve significant compensation, they have much more experience and I respect that knowledge. Again, I really am sorry that you had this experience and I hope you get the satisfaction you want.

 

[Jobro2]

Vonda..Just to let you know we had room 6110 last June when we cruised and LOVED IT! Loved it so much that we booked the same room, but on the other side of the ship( just for a change)..for our cruise in June 2003...no problems with 6110!!

 

[paulmc80]

I don't know, but its interesting to see what a definition of obstructed and unobstructed is. To me obstructed is anything at all that blocks the view even to the smallest degree. If there is bit old sheet of metal blocking off half a verandah then to me it is obstructed. But I guess it may not be so to others. Very interesting.

 

[taswira]

Well, after seeing the photo, I'm afraid I must agree with Doctor P. That picture primarily shows the right side of the verandah and does not show the full view which would show that the majority of the view is <I>not</I> obstructed (would need a wide angle lens to get that). It appears that a small portion of the top right of the verandah is "obstructed," and maybe <I>some</I> compensation could be expected since a totally unobstructed view was REQUESTED. But, having stayed in both a totally open regular verandah and an enclosed Navigator Verandah room, just MHO but I do not think this should be repriced as a Cat. 7. However, I know how much this meant to you, and I do wish you all the best in your dealings with DCL over the matter.

 

[paulmc80]

Am I missing something on the picture Dave posted? I cannot really tell how the obstruction is in relation to the actual deck of the verandah. I took it as Keener had mentioned that the obstruction was coming from the upper right down to the lower middle of the verandah. Middle being the center of the verandah's length then that's quite a bit. But I ain't ever been there to see so wouldn't have any clue.

 

[Hopkins]

Having paid all that money for a category 6, I'd expect NO obstruction in my view. Granted the picture doesn't show the full view, but what it does show is an obstruction. I wouldn't be happy. If I had my friends out there, the person on the right looking out would be looking at the obstruction. Wouldn't they? I would have expected a full view. Period.

Inside cabin cruiser.
Tina

 

[my3kids]

From the description I thought it sounded much more obstructed than the most recently linked photograph shows. Is the door 3 panels of glass and this photo shows the amount of the coverage by the obstruction? If that is the case it looks to me like maybe a third of one of the panels is obstructed when viewing from inside the cabin. I think I'd have been more irritated by having a smoker on the adjacent balcony keeping me from enjoying the view. I was mentally picturing a steel plate from the upper right corner(right when standing at the door looking outside) continuing down at an angel to the middle of the bottom of the verandah. I know you were disappointed, and I'm sorry that it made your trip less than expected. I think I would have been alot more disappointed to find myself on one of those steel bottomed verandahs when I was expecting plexiglass.

 

[Hopkins]

Aren't the steel bottom verandahs a different category than the plexi-glass?

I thought the obstruction was more, but having said that when you expect plexi-glass, you don't want to see steel, if it's a different category. If steel bottom verandahs are cheaper due to the fact they are obstructed from below, this room has an obstruction when you view standing up from the right side.

Are the steel bottom verandahs a different category? If they are not, then I take everything I said back.

Tina

 

[cumickey]

I also would be disappointed with ANY kind of obstruction to my view from the cat.6 verandah.

As I see it, it would be in DCL's interest to avoid lots of hassle from other misled families and class this as a navigator's verandah cat.7. That way people will think they have got a bargain instead, like in the 'secret' porthole situation, and not say a word!. But then again someone will be missing the benches and the privacy from the navigators!!, and say that is misleading too. And so it goes on!!

Where & how does DCL let the customers and TA's know when a cat.6 verandah view is obstructed?, how can a TA tell someone this info unless they are reading these boards too?.

I imagine that rooms 7120/7620 are even worse as Dave said, and has shown in his earlier photo/diagram.

I have dealt with Disney before and they have answers for everything!, the best marketing, but it would be great to save other families a great disappointment in the future with these rooms. Even more so if it is their holiday of a lifetime with no chance of repeat trips.

So I wish lots of luck to you on your endeavor with DCL and thanks for going to this trouble to straighten it out.

 

[atigeg]

I don't think that this is the type of thing that's exclusive to Disney. When we went to Alaska on Radiance of the Seas, our verandah stateroom was right over the lifeboats. Unlike Disney, where the lifeboats are recessed, they stick out on Radiance and totally obstruct the view straight down. This was terrible for me, as I love looking down at the water. I never would have booked that stateroom if I had know my view would be obstructed, but there was no indication. The cruise was full, so we were stuck there. I know that people have their personal preferences, but I tend to run a little opposite of the crowd...I know most people don't like the solid aft metal verandahs, but I love them. I've never seen one of the rooms with the curved side, but we will try to get photos when we're on our "three-peat" next month.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[my3kids]

Hopkins: No, the steel bottomed are the same category as the plexiglass verandahs. I would think a lot of people have not checked here first and must be astounded when they enter expecting plexiglass and they get the fully obscured bottom. Especially what a disappointment for children who can't see over the railing.,

 

[taswira]

The verandah in question appears to be <I>mostly</I> plexiglass bottom and open air, with only the partial metal "obstruction" on the far right. I think it would be inappropriate to reclass this as a Navigator Verandah. I actually <I>prefer</I> the Navigator to the regular verandah, having experienced both, because I enjoy the atmosphere (map, instruments), the slightly larger table, the cushioned bench and more comfortable chair (as opposed to the regular verandah). I also like it being partially enclosed (that's a BIG almost rectangular open air "porthole" on the Wonder) because even in high winds and inclement weather I can enjoy the verandah. I think DCL should just add a letter class, like "6M", for those with metal bottoms or obstructions. If they made them cheaper than a regular verandah, I don't think it should be by much. Just my opinion. But yes, I still agree that if someone is TOLD something is totally unobstructed, then that is what they should get.

 

[disney6]

Just adding my 2 cents. Having never been in a verandah cabin (too many kids!) I would be VERY disappointed with this verandah! IMHO it is definately an obstructed view and should be priced as such.

 

[Hopkins]

my3kids: oops!, I learned something, I much prefer the open railing with the plexi-glass to the metal bottom verandah. So, if the metal bottom verandahs (which in my opinion are obstructed from below) are the same price as the plexi-glass veradahs, then even though the stateroom in question has a little obstruction above and to the right, it still has an awesome view elsewhere. It is definitely "less obstructed" than the metal bottom verandahs. I'm switching my opinion, the staterooms in question should stay in the same category, then. They are definitely not navigotor veradahs. I thought the plexi-glass bottom was an upgrade to the metal bottom verandahs`and the obstruction was 1/3 of the top view. The inside cabin cruiser learned something. LOL!

Tina