Booking Onboard Question

[CM Dad]

Thank you that is fair enough re the cut in OBC if they don't get as much commission.

If you look at the DU site (https://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/cruise/specials.htm) it shows the amount of OBC you get. They have a column for New Bookings Only, and another for Onboard bookings and transfers. The second column is 50% of the first, which reflects their reduced commission.

 

[Shanti]

I rebooked a cruise onboard last month and the cast member I dealt with wasn't willing to do much. Even though the original booking was through Disney, I was told I had to call to cancel, which I'd never had to do before. We also were not given any choice of room or deck, just category, again, never happened before. We were told any specifications had to be done once ashore. Just to add, we walked right up to the desk and there was no one waiting behind us, so I'm not sure why we were hurried through so much. So the person you have to deal with could determine what happens with how your booking goes.

I had a similar experience on the Magic this January. I wasn't able to look at any deck plans, just given quotes for general categories, quotes which seemed higher than what I'd researched previously, but I had no Internet to check (maybe I was just wrong- who knows?)

It was my first cruise & I didn't know about getting a generic placeholder, & she never volunteered the information, even though I was clearly interested in rebooking, but none of the exact offers she showed me seemed right (& the deposits were high), so I didn't re-book. A placeholder would have been the perfect solution. As it was, it was a lose-lose situation for both DCL and me.

She wasn't even particularly friendly or enthusiastic, just seemed to be phoning it in. And as in your case, there was no line at all (& I saw her sitting there alone multiple times during the cruise), so it wasn't due to her being pressed for time. Makes no sense for Disney not to train their rebooking CMs better- they could make a shiny penny off of some really good ones.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I had a similar experience on the Magic in January. I wasn't able to look at any deck plans, just given quotes for general categories, quotes which seemed higher than what I'd researched previously, but I had no Internet to check (maybe I was just wrong- who knows?)

It was my first cruise & I didn't know about getting a generic placeholder, & she never volunteered the information, even though I was clearly interested in rebooking, but none of the exact offers she showed me seemed right (& the deposits were high), so I didn't re-book. A placeholder would have been the perfect solution. As it was, it was a lose-lose situation for both DCL and me.

She wasn't even particularly friendly or enthusiastic, just seemed to be phoning it in. And as in your case, there was no line at all, so it wasn't due to her being pressed for time. Makes no sense for Disney not to train their rebooking CMs better- they could make a shiny penny off of some really good ones.

I wonder, does any one know - are the CMs who work the onboard booking desk, actual DCL CMs? As in, ones who are hired to work as crew onboard. Or are they reservation CMs? As in they really are the telephone reservation (land-based)CMs?

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

If you look at the DU site (https://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/cruise/specials.htm) it shows the amount of OBC you get. They have a column for New Bookings Only, and another for Onboard bookings and transfers. The second column is 50% of the first, which reflects their reduced commission.

Thank you that is useful.