DCL to get rid of Placeholder Booking Perks?

[Garyjames220]

I will wait to see what prices come out next week. If they have gone way up again I’m out. Not losing 200 OBC plus hundreds more in increases. Enough is enough. I am going on a one week cruise here not putting a deposit down on a house, getting stupid now

 

[CarolynU]

Not a huge issue for us. With what we already pay for our Disney cruises, the loss of $200 will not push us towards another cruise line. If we wanted to save money on cruises, we would already be sailing on a different cruise line.

I certainly won’t be saving money by cruising with other lines, because having found out that Princess for example came very very close to DCL in most aspects and exceeded them in some it’s opened my eyes to whole new world of experiences.
Yes the cruise itself might be less expensive but I’m now seriously considering Australia and Japan and Vietnam with Princess to expand my knowledge of other cultures. Factoring in air fair makes an amazing cultural experience on a par with a routine Caribbean or Med all of which I’ve done numerous times before with DCL.
I was shocked to be honest with how much I enjoyed Princess and really being judgemental expected it to be sub par. It wasn’t.
Whereas DCL is bit by bit removing the loyalty rewards that it offers its frequent cruisers. Perhaps Princess doesn’t. I’ve no idea, Maybe in the future if I’m travelling without my children and grandchildren to distant lands I’ll find out.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I did compose and sent a letter to DCL and I complained about the loss of OBC when you book onboard. I do hope that those who don’t like it tell DCL!

Next year, DH and I are doing Princess for Australia, DCL for EBTA, Celebrity for Rome and Israel! With a DGF, I am doing Princess for Alaska from Seattle.

I will stay with DCL when the itinerary suits me. DH and I much prefer the ambiance and activities that DCL offers over RCCL on the three or four night Bahamas cruises. However Coco Cay is a whole new level of private island experience, and DH and I also do have a Perfect Day at Coco Cay cruise booked in next July.

We are retired, so we do spend a fair amount of time cruising WHILE WE CAN ! No regrets, and there are many places we want to go to that DCL does not go. RCCL and Celebrity give us a fair number of free alcoholic drinks, Princess gives us free internet, and DCL gives us a delicious dinner at Palo. I appreciate Princess and DCL the most. However on our SA cruise around the Horn this past March, we had free laundry done for us, twice on Celebrity, and that was very much appreciated!!

 

[grantclaire]

Too bad about the change! It was a nice perk. We almost always used it for excursions so we might not do any or use cheaper private operators. I will say as repeat cruisers I do now spend less money on board ie bring beer or wine onboard, just enjoy the ships without signing up for pay activities and of course we now have grown up kids so it is just the two of us!

 

[mevelandry]

By the way what's been posted so far is this: (can't link - it's social media - by a TA)

PSA

Effective Saturday September 28 on the Fantasy and Monday September 30th on the Dream, Wonder and Magic.

Placeholders and Onboard bookings will no longer receive an OBC from DCL. All other aspects benefits remain.

*Concierge and Friends and Family bookings will still receive the OBC

Oof... Ok. That sucks.

 

[bakerworld]

The loss of the OBC made me finally look into BJs Wholesale Club Travel. I think we'll be doing this in the future. We tend to book the 3 and 4 day cruises for family-driven reasons and the BJs GC is the same as the current 10% + OBC so it should be a break even for us. I wonder if I could use the BJ's GC to buy Disney GCs?

 

[Lisa F]

single mom here so a Disney cruise is a real luxury for me. I'm only CC gold because I took 5 cruises prior to 2005 with my ex - we did both eastern and western for about $1299 for both of of us, we did another eastern after 9/11 and it was even cheaper - maybe $999 or something with a certificate for a $99 per person hurricane season 3 night cruise so that is 3 and 4 and then we did the 2nd panama canal cruise on the return side which was, if I recall, about the same price for 2 in a verandah cabin for a 14 night cruise as I am paying now for 2 in a verandah cabin on a 7 night cruise (with rebooking discount off of a 4 night dream I took with my parents/son in 2018 so I did get the OBC).

The kid has been told that this is a special thing and not to expect a repeat. There are so many wonderful places to see and visit. I am proud of myself for being able to save up for and pay for this for my son but it's not something that the average family can do on a regular basis. People who CAN do it on a regular basis area above average financially, and don't need that $200 OBC - yes it would be nice to have it but realistically if you are only $200 away from not being able to afford a cruise then you are too close to the financial edge and should cut back on luxuries.

You may not like how it feels and choose not to cruise DCL again but Disney knows this isn't going to price anyone out who is devoted.

 

[cgolf]

. People who CAN do it on a regular basis area above average financially, and don't need that $200 OBC - yes it would be nice to have it but realistically if you are only $200 away from not being able to afford a cruise then you are too close to the financial edge and should cut back on luxuries.

I really take issue with this comment. We are a middle class family with one kid in college that sacrifices a lot so we can vacation how we want and retire comfortably some day. We could still afford to cruise DCL at least once a year but choose not too since 2016.

I think some see the perks like this being taken away and the rising prices as a decrease in value for a DCL cruise. We realized in 2017 we would be paying significantly more for a DCL cruise than we have in the past, and with the removal of perks and some activities we were getting less than we got in the past. For us paying more for less was a non starter, and I think others are getting to that point as well.

 

[Bonnie1222]

I really take issue with this comment. We are a middle class family with one kid in college that sacrifices a lot so we can vacation how we want and retire comfortably some day. We could still afford to cruise DCL at least once a year but choose not too since 2016.

I think some see the perks like this being taken away and the rising prices as a decrease in value for a DCL cruise. We realized in 2017 we would be paying significantly more for a DCL cruise than we have in the past, and with the removal of perks and some activities we were getting less than we got in the past. For us paying more for less was a non starter, and I think others are getting to that point as well.

This. It is the perks being taken away.

And we all miss the $1299 cruise for 2, balcony, 7 day with Disney... but that was a LONG LONG time ago. triple or quadruple that price now. Which again... just reinforces it is about the perk being taken away. That $200 went right back into Disney's pocket (for the most part) and was used for Drinks, retail, tastings etc. If you really think about it, that $200 credit didn't cost Disney that...the true cost to Disney is much lower.

 

[DCLDVC1]

People who CAN do it on a regular basis area above average financially, and don't need that $200 OBC - yes it would be nice to have it but realistically if you are only $200 away from not being able to afford a cruise then you are too close to the financial edge and should cut back on luxuries.

You may not like how it feels and choose not to cruise DCL again but Disney knows this isn't going to price anyone out who is devoted.

I agree. Losing the OBC sucks but you are right on the money.

 

[cgolf]

I agree. Losing the OBC sucks but you are right on the money.

I really don’t think many that are moving on are that close on being able to afford it, but I could be wrong.

Curious what you and others would have done in our scenario that caused us to decide to leave.

We did a 4 and 5 night B2B on the Magic in 2016 and it was a nice trip with good ports. When we priced out a 3 and 3 night B2B on the Magic out of the same port, with all the same ports, but it was short one because it was 3 less nights in 2017 at the exact same time of year and it was more than we paid in 2016. So how many would have booked knowing you are paying more for 3 less nights and 1 less port?

We have a number per person we like to keep our cruises under when we book. It isn’t a hard and fast rule, but the ship or itinerary need to be special enough for us to break it.

 

[tinkerone]

I really don’t think many that are moving on are that close on being able to afford it, but I could be wrong.

Curious what you and others would have done in our scenario that caused us to decide to leave.

We did a 4 and 5 night B2B on the Magic in 2016 and it was a nice trip with good ports. When we priced out a 3 and 3 night B2B on the Magic out of the same port, with all the same ports, but it was short one because it was 3 less nights in 2017 at the exact same time of year and it was more than we paid in 2016. So how many would have booked knowing you are paying more for 3 less nights and 1 less port?

We have a number per person we like to keep our cruises under when we book. It isn’t a hard and fast rule, but the ship or itinerary need to be special enough for us to break it.

We're certainly in that category.
We can easily afford to cruise DCL, B2B or B2B2B or B2B2B2B, no issues at all. We choose not to. There's a point where we have to look and ask ourselves if the value is still there and it's just not. This OBC is just one of a number of things that have disappeared over the years so the argument that this one thing shouldn't be a deal breaker is silly. It's not one thing, its everything. I am assuming that some of the people who think it shouldn't be an issue are people who have not been cruising DCL for long and don't know what has been on offer and then taken away.
I think you have it right.

 

[Magical_Suitcase]

I will miss sailing Disney but it may be time for us to cut the apron strings and try other lines. Just a few days ago our travel agent sent out an email telling us the 2021 sailing dates were about to be released and I replied, sign us up for the WB-Panama Canal cruise. The next day, I sent another email telling her to cancel our request. Cancelling makes me sad but Disney is not going to stop nickeling and diming everyone until folks stop giving them their money. We have already stopped going to the parks due the the crazy cost of tickets, now I guess we will need to find another way to satisfy our cruise desires.

 

[CM Dad]

People who CAN do it on a regular basis area above average financially, and don't need that $200 OBC - yes it would be nice to have it but realistically if you are only $200 away from not being able to afford a cruise then you are too close to the financial edge and should cut back on luxuries.

Since it is only $200 OBC couldn't you also argue that it won't make much difference to DCL, so why not keep the guests happy?

 

[Donna3271]

Hi All,
I have to call DCL in the AM, and I realize $200 bucks is a microcosm, but it was nice. I have to move a cruise booked for July one week later. Will I lose the $200 OBC since I am switching? TIA! and sorry if it was discussed.

 

[DisUniversal]

Hi All,
I have to call DCL in the AM, and I realize $200 bucks is a microcosm, but it was nice. I have to move a cruise booked for July one week later. Will I lose the $200 OBC since I am switching? TIA! and sorry if it was discussed.

No, you will be able to keep your $200 OBC.

 

[Lisa F]

I really don’t think many that are moving on are that close on being able to afford it, but I could be wrong.

Curious what you and others would have done in our scenario that caused us to decide to leave.

We did a 4 and 5 night B2B on the Magic in 2016 and it was a nice trip with good ports. When we priced out a 3 and 3 night B2B on the Magic out of the same port, with all the same ports, but it was short one because it was 3 less nights in 2017 at the exact same time of year and it was more than we paid in 2016. So how many would have booked knowing you are paying more for 3 less nights and 1 less port?

We have a number per person we like to keep our cruises under when we book. It isn’t a hard and fast rule, but the ship or itinerary need to be special enough for us to break it.

I don't think they are either. I can't "not afford" a more expensive vacation (within reason) - it just takes me longer to save up for it. But without singling anyone out - several people have said that Disney is becoming "unaffordable" for various reasons. It's not really except if you choose to not spend your money in that way. To people for whom it is truly "unaffordable" even if it was $200 cheaper... still not within reach. I spent a few years post divorce where vacations were not affordable - there was just no extra for it. Then I started having a little extra and putting it away but it still took me close to 3 years to save for a vacation. Now I can afford a vacation a year but not a DCL vacation a year - that one took me two years to save up for. If I wanted to do something more expensive badly enough I could just take longer to save up for it, but I am making the choice to take vacations less frequently to do something more expensive.

I had never planned to do repeat cruising with my son because there are many many other experiences I CAN afford to do with him and I'd love to have those over saving for the more expensive trip less frequently. But he is 11 right now and the SWDAS is something I really wanted to do for/with him. I saved up enough to not feel pinched and to do whatever extras I want to do. Did it take a little longer? yes. But that is how I like to vacation, I'm not going to spend $5k on getting there and a 7 night cruise and then deny myself a few hundred worth of extras when on board. I just make sure that my vacation account has the money in it to pay for that.

I always just figure out what I want to do with my vacation $$ - if there is something else I can do that i want to do as much or more with the money, I'll do it. If cruising was what made me happiest in the world (it is awesome but there are a lot of other experiences I want my son to have) I'd just take the time to save to make it happen. Vacation is a luxury item I am very grateful to be able to afford... I don't care much about the "principle" of it... things cost what they cost and then it's up to me to evaluate my priorities.

 

[Donna3271]

No, you will be able to keep your $200 OBC.

TUSM!!!

 

[FigmentSpark]

The value of a place holder is diminishing. It's as simple as that. It was a no-brainer to buy a placeholder (or book a cruise) before, because the perks were so enticing. And 10% is still enticing, as long as it's not a blacked out sailing. But the point is now it's less enticing.

So here's the thing about the placeholders. You might not be sure you're going to use it, but you buy it in case you will want to use it. Then its coming up a year since you're last cruise and you're still not sure you'll use it. If you hadn't had it, you wouldn't, but since you do, why not make that your vacation destination. But now, it might be less enticing to buy one to 'have around just in case' than it was before. And if it's not around, then maybe I won't make that extra booking.

 

[smmco]

single mom here so a Disney cruise is a real luxury for me. I'm only CC gold because I took 5 cruises prior to 2005 with my ex - we did both eastern and western for about $1299 for both of of us, we did another eastern after 9/11 and it was even cheaper - maybe $999 or something with a certificate for a $99 per person hurricane season 3 night cruise so that is 3 and 4 and then we did the 2nd panama canal cruise on the return side which was, if I recall, about the same price for 2 in a verandah cabin for a 14 night cruise as I am paying now for 2 in a verandah cabin on a 7 night cruise (with rebooking discount off of a 4 night dream I took with my parents/son in 2018 so I did get the OBC).

The kid has been told that this is a special thing and not to expect a repeat. There are so many wonderful places to see and visit. I am proud of myself for being able to save up for and pay for this for my son but it's not something that the average family can do on a regular basis. People who CAN do it on a regular basis area above average financially, and don't need that $200 OBC - yes it would be nice to have it but realistically if you are only $200 away from not being able to afford a cruise then you are too close to the financial edge and should cut back on luxuries.

You may not like how it feels and choose not to cruise DCL again but Disney knows this isn't going to price anyone out who is devoted.

It’s just one more thing DCL is taking away- As someone that can afford to cruise multiple times a year I do not feel valued as a DCL customer. If I have x amount of cruise money to spend every year I’m going to go with the best deal and that’s just not Disney anymore.
Honestly you probably wouldn’t have to scrimp and save if you cruised on another cruise line and you might even find you you enjoy it more. It can be very liberating to branch out.