Castaway Club Credit ... Paid but did not go ...

[jdg345]

We were booked on a 3-Night Bahamas Cruise, paid in full. Unfortunately, due to work, I was unable to go (boo,hiss) but the rest of my party went. No credit was requested, none given.

I checked my Castaway club account and I did not receive credit for the cruise. Sure, I didn't go, but I paid for it. Is there anyway around this?

 

[dclpluto]

We were booked on a 3-Night Bahamas Cruise, paid in full. Unfortunately, due to work, I was unable to go (boo,hiss) but the rest of my party went. No credit was requested, none given.

I checked my Castaway club account and I did not receive credit for the cruise. Sure, I didn't go, but I paid for it. Is there anyway around this?

So sorry you couldn't go. But if you don't go on the cruise you don't get credit for going. I seen this posted here before.

 

[jdg345]

So sorry you couldn't go. But if you don't go on the cruise you don't get credit for going. I seen this posted here before.

Thank you; was a last minute issue. Wish I could have gone, those that did said it was fantastic.

Bummer on the credit. Sort of seems stingy on Disney's part, but their Castaway Club program doesn't make a whole lot of sense anyways.

 

[squirk]

Doesn't DCL say you get CC credit after you complete a cruise?

It does seem weird to not give you credit after you ate your fare. I wonder if that has something to do with the revenue DCL earns beyond the fare, like alcohol, specialty dining, souvenirs, etc. Like, they don't want people booking zombie fares to boost their CC level without actually sailing?

I mean, if DCL gave you CC credit for untaken but fully paid-for cruises, couldn't you do this:

Book and then insure five short 3-day cruises, each with a different trip insurance carrier (Disney, Allianz, etc.). Then, claim you had a (covered) crisis pop up at the last minute for every single cruise. Either you have a "cancel for any reason" policy or you can gin up some kind of documentation to support your claim. DCL keeps the fare, gives you the CC credit, and your insurer gives you your fare back (less the insurance premium). You could shoot yourself straight up to Gold (and then Platinum) in relatively short order at a relatively small cost.

?

I'm not saying CC Gold or Platinum is worth that kind of hassle, and I am certainly not endorsing insurance fraud, but I wonder if that is along the lines of abuse that DCL wants to discourage. If for no other reason, they miss out on all that ancillary on-board revenue.

 

[Expatriat]

Castaway Club status is earned based on the number of completed cruises on DCL. It is entirely about repeated cruising with DCL, not about repeated bookings, number of days sailed or the amount of money spent. I may be one of the minority who thinks this makes sense, since to me cruiser "loyalty" means choosing to experience repeated vacations on the same line. DCL must take the same view. While longer cruises are great and are my preference, DCL would not want people to stop booking their shorter sailings. They want to keep the Castaway Club program honest. That surely also includes needing to actually sail on a cruise to get credit for it.