Disappointed with cruise & Disney's "customer service"

[tinkerbellminnie]

We sailed on the Disney Wonder in February. This was our first cruise and we were celebrating my sons 5th birthday. For months leading up to our trip we showed DS pics of the Mickey pool and the slide which was just the right size for kids his age.
Unfortunately things went bad quickly-we boarded the ship and took the advice of many here to pack our swimsuits as the first day tended to be less busy. We boarded and by 1pm the pool was closed as someone had used it as a toilet. I know there are a lot of little kids, kids who are excited about their own trip, etc, but this wouldn't be the first time this would happen. Literally every day of our cruise, the pool was closed--sometimes twice and if one pool was still open, by the time you got back, it was closed too. We even tried coming back from port days early to try to make the most of it, hoping again their would be less people so the issue wouldn't happen. No luck. We were never able to use the pools at all during our 5 day trip.
On board Disney told us their was nothing that they could do for us as that was handle by a team after we returned. I've tried calling Disney twice and have spent at least an hour on hold or being transferred around, or just flat out being told no one could help us, wasn't Disney's fault. They won't even give you a phone number for the team which handles post cruise problems.
I probably would have let it go, but many people told me how wonderful Disney's customer service was and that they'd want to make it right. Based upon my experience, I'm more annoyed now with the way this has been handled. Its sad when you spend thousands of dollars on a trip, a cruise which is supposed to be top of the line and when there is a problem, you can't even speak to anyone about it.

 

[Terapin]

I can see why you are disappointed. Were the pools closed 100% of the time?

What resolution would you like? You can't go back and use the pools, so are you looking for money or a discount on a future cruise?

It might be helpful to suggest what action Disney could take in the future to prevent such problems. In this case, I can't imagine that they would open pools sooner after someone defecates in them as that would be an infection control risk and there are protocols for how long the pool has to be shocked after an accident. I can't see any screening that could be done to identify potential poopers. So in the absence of there being another way to prevent it from happening again, how is Disney responsible for compensation? Perhaps it's just the risk of using a public pool?

We go to a water park fairly often and every single time at least of of the six slides or more becomes closed due to a pooper. It has never occurred to me to ask them for resolution because they weren't responsible for the person pooping, and they did their job in cleaning the area afterwards, and keeping me and my family as safe as possible from stool-based pathogens.

 

[kamik86]

On one hand I agree with the above poster that this really isn't disney's fault. Assuming they were cleaning it right away so that the pool could reopen as soon as legally possible.

However there is a part of me that also feels that guests paid for access to a ship that includes pools and that it is partially disney's responsibility to control how much certain guests can negatively impact others vacations.

I don't know about disney but I have heard MANY cases on other cruise threads of children being allowed in pools in swim diapers without any crew stopping them even though it is against the written policy of the ship. If this was part of the issue (although its really hard to determine if it was) then I would think Disney would be partially at fault for not properly enforcing its own policies. However since it seems the OP never really saw the pools open it would be really hard to determine if this was part of the issue.

 

[tinkerbellminnie]

The pools weren't closed 100% of the time but darn near it--at least every time we went to check, which was often, it was closed.
I agree to an extent that it isn't Disney's fault, however, due to the high frequency of it occurring on the cruise we were on, there clearly was an issue of kids being in the pool who were not potty trained. They are only supposed to be allowed in the splash area. And kamik is right on my issue. I paid for the cruise and use of the amenities just like everyone else--my child was excited to use the pool & he never got to. I think Disney at least owes me some compensation for the bad experience which leads to my other issue. You can't even contact Disney to resolve it. The team which handles issues post cruise only has an email. They won't give you a phone number or let someone on the regular customer service line handle it & the person I spoke with yesterday was extremely rude.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I wouldn't think that DCL could do anything about it. They did the right thing by closing the area until it was free from health hazards. If they hadn't closed it, I'd be going after them. It's really the parents fault for the issues, not Disney's.

 

[2DisPrincesses]

I would definitely be disappointed as well, but the only alternative was for DCL to let you swim in it. If Disney compensated me every time another guest did something that had the potential to interfere with the enjoyment of our vacation, I would never pay for Park tickets either.

For the pool to be closed that much, it does seem like there may be a problem with children in the pool who shouldn't be there...guess I'll find out in about a month!

 

[Jess_S]

I am frustrated on the OP's behalf. When we took my non-potty trained DS on the Magic, he was very disappointed that he couldn't go in the pools. But we explained why the rules existed and he had to accept it. Apparently other parents believe their non-potty trained kids are special and are willing to ruin other people's enjoyment of the pools to avoid disappointing their own kids.

There's no way for Disney to 100% prevent this issue and it does fall to the parents to a large extent. However, the number of accidents in the pool on the OP's cruise suggests to me that the CMs weren't really doing anything to prevent non-potty-trained kids from using the pool. Something as simple as confirming that young children in the pool are actually potty-trained would likely disuade some parents from breaking the rules. It is one thing to ignore a sign and another to brazenly lie to an actual human.

It's sad because I don't think there's anything that can be done to help the OP now that the cruise is over. If it were me, I wouldn't spend any more time on the phone and would instead put my complaint in writing.

 

[luvpooh]

Thank GOODNESS my son never 'went' in a swim diaper, but I thought that if a child was wearing one, that would prevent 'leakage' of that variety (but I guess it depends on the 'texture')? Sorry, kinda gross.

I agree that Disney should watch for kids in swim diapers and ask that the children are removed, but if the parents aren't putting the swim diapers on and there is a need, or if there are kids that are already potty trained and they're having accidents, I don't see how CM's could police that.

To the OP, sorry you were disappointed, I'm sure my son would be too, as he loves to swim, but I think the responsibility lies moreso with the other adults who allowed their kids to go in the pool when they should not have (again, assuming this was as a result of non-potty trained kids).

Is it wrong that I kinda hope the pools are closed when we go, cause I don't want to have to get in with my DS?

 

[lorimay]

Here's the problem sadly, people are upset when they are told their non-potty trained child can't go in the pool. The parent then removes the swim diaper, so the lifeguard doesn't know the kid isn't trained and then there's an accident.
There is just no way DCL know's who is trained and who isn't. It all goes back to people and their entitlements, they paid for the cruise and their kid is getting in that pool regardless who else may be affected the outcome.

I have seen it on a cruise when parents are annoyed when they are told their child can't go in the pool, they are down right rude.

 

[PixieDustandEeyore]

Unfortunatley if there is no swim diaper its assumed they are potty trained. The lifeguards are watching for drowning etc they cant be asking "well your child is in a certain demographic are they potty trained or you're pretending" least they could of thrown you some free swag lord knows they have enough. Even as a former cm if I complained at the park Id at least get a fastpass or sticker or lanyard or something!

 

[Shanti]

We sailed on the Disney Wonder in February. This was our first cruise and we were celebrating my sons 5th birthday. For months leading up to our trip we showed DS pics of the Mickey pool and the slide which was just the right size for kids his age.
Unfortunately things went bad quickly-we boarded the ship and took the advice of many here to pack our swimsuits as the first day tended to be less busy. We boarded and by 1pm the pool was closed as someone had used it as a toilet. I know there are a lot of little kids, kids who are excited about their own trip, etc, but this wouldn't be the first time this would happen. Literally every day of our cruise, the pool was closed--sometimes twice and if one pool was still open, by the time you got back, it was closed too. We even tried coming back from port days early to try to make the most of it, hoping again their would be less people so the issue wouldn't happen. No luck. We were never able to use the pools at all during our 5 day trip.
On board Disney told us their was nothing that they could do for us as that was handle by a team after we returned. I've tried calling Disney twice and have spent at least an hour on hold or being transferred around, or just flat out being told no one could help us, wasn't Disney's fault. They won't even give you a phone number for the team which handles post cruise problems.
I probably would have let it go, but many people told me how wonderful Disney's customer service was and that they'd want to make it right. Based upon my experience, I'm more annoyed now with the way this has been handled. Its sad when you spend thousands of dollars on a trip, a cruise which is supposed to be top of the line and when there is a problem, you can't even speak to anyone about it.

Sorry this happened. Did he at least get to use the slide?

 

[tisdellfamily]

This is our first Disney Cruise and hope we don't get a "pooper" I hope that parents who have children that aren't potty trained yet realize the impact they have on other guests & I hope that Disney does their part to enforce their policies. Fingers crossed! Wishing for a Magical Vacation next month =)

 

[tisdellfamily]

Here's the problem sadly, people are upset when they are told their non-potty trained child can't go in the pool. The parent then removes the swim diaper, so the lifeguard doesn't know the kid isn't trained and then there's an accident.
There is just no way DCL know's who is trained and who isn't. It all goes back to people and their entitlements, they paid for the cruise and their kid is getting in that pool regardless who else may be affected the outcome.

I have seen it on a cruise when parents are annoyed when they are told their child can't go in the pool, they are down right rude.

Our first cruise is coming up next month so we're doing LOTS of pre-planning, preparing and researching online. I have not yet come across this "rule" of non-toilet trained children not being able to go in the pools yet (then again, I'm not really looking for it, my kids are 9 & 11) but I would think it would be to the benefit of everyone for Disney to include this info their pre-planning literature & websites since it seems to have an impact on every guest who plans to enjoy the pool. I think if parents of younger children understand this before cruising, maybe they won't be so rude or "wreckless" and remove those swim diapers ?

 

[ImDMous]

This is 100% not Disney's fault and I'm not sure what you want them to do. Kids in swim diapers are not allowed in cruise ship pools, that's a hard and fast CDC rule. Because of it, parents with kids who need diapers and think that their little Timmy DESERVES to go in the pool just take them off to get around the rule. And next thing you know, there's something floating in the pool. It happens all the time, we saw the pool closed a lot on our 15 night cruise and there were't that many kids on it. It takes several hours to clean the pool if this happens. There just isn't anything they can do.

Swim diapers are like poop tea bags. They do absolutely nothing to keep germs from spreading to the whole pool.

http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/protection/swim-diapers-swim-pants.html

 

[TestingH2O]

Our first cruise is coming up next month so we're doing LOTS of pre-planning, preparing and researching online. I have not yet come across this "rule" of non-toilet trained children not being able to go in the pools yet (then again, I'm not really looking for it, my kids are 9 & 11) but I would think it would be to the benefit of everyone for Disney to include this info their pre-planning literature & websites since it seems to have an impact on every guest who plans to enjoy the pool. I think if parents of younger children understand this before cruising, maybe they won't be so rude or "wreckless" and remove those swim diapers ?

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/onboard-activities/mickeys-pool/

It's right there under "Know Before You Go."

 

[tisdellfamily]

That makes sense to include it there, as a parent of older kids I don't think about that anymore so I wasn't really looking for it. I would think Disney would make this message almost as important as the "required documents" info or at least customize the info for families sailing with small children in the info they mail before sailing. That pool being shut down impacts all families with kids age 14 and younger, so it would be nice for Disney to get that message out better before departure. (Of course that's just my wishful thinking that passengers will be thoroughly informed before hand and will actually adhere to the policies while on board)
I can see where that small section on the website can be easily over looked by parents of younger children.

 

[bcwife76]

On our first cruise the pool was closed once and it sucked as the middle pool had EVERYONE in it (ick) so I feel for you, especially since your pool was closed SO MANY times!! Ridiculous!
At the end of the day I'm not sure what DCL could offer you though, it's not like you're 'forced' to use the pools - there are kids clubs to send your kids to and there are plenty of adult only areas so really, they are probably just thinking 'too bad, we've got other stuff for you to do.'

It does stink (literally) that one poopy kid and their equally poopy-parent can ruin the fun for so many others because they think the rules don't apply to them regarding the pools.

 

[KristiMc]

I'm sorry, but you should be complaining about the parents that let their non-potty trained kids in the pools not DCL. These parents are why your trip was not magical.

 

[andrencau]

I guess I have expectations of my cruise experience, but pools on any of the ships are disappointing to begin with. The size of the pools for the number of the cruisers is grossly insufficient. Our children wore their suits onto the ship and we were in boarding group 1. They swam, almost alone, for an hour and we never stepped foot into the pools the rest of the cruise. As far as customer service, I believe Disney has some of the finest. I believe you are asking them to "fix" something out of their control.

 

[ielusivemusei]

On our last cruise there was a pooper whose parents allowed her to soil the pool three times that we saw. When we then saw the parents take the child to the adult hot tub we were able to get a cast member to speak with them. After that the pooping incidents stopped. I am sorry the OP and her son didn't get to enjoy the pool, but it really isn't anything Disney can control, and since it wasn't a problem they created, compensation probably wont be offered. However if this happens to you, and you have children who want to use the pool, a watchful eye can help keep the pools open. Especially if you know who the offender is. I personally am working super hard to make sure my Grandbaby is fully potty trained by the time our next cruise rolls around, so you can bet I will be calling out any poopers I see!