Disney Wonder Hawaii Sept. 2015

[ACDSNY]

Actually, WDW has offered free dining plans and/or greatly reduced dining plans many times over the years for package bookings, so I am going to respectfully disagree with the point that Disney has never offered free breakfast for a hotel stay.

I don't think Aulani's sales are where DVC would like them to be, but as a 21 year DVC member, it seems that DVC's pricing has slowed sales for other locations as well. The economy is still tough. Until Aulani's DVC portion is sold out, I think we will continue to see occasional great deals. And for folks that are not DVC Members, it's a great time to scoop up a deal, and stay at what I consider to be the best resort Disney has ever built.

I agree completely! The Villas at the Grand Californian would be my second favorite.

 

[denise]

After all these pages, maybe we should try to recap of our wish list- just in case our DCL friends are listening (reading)...
DCL, please do a roundtrip west coast to Hawaii cruise in 2015, or better yet do a roundtrip to Hawaii cruise and also some one way cruises to and from Hawaii, to make everyone happy! And please cruise by the Na Pali coast, and schedule a cruise-by of active volcanos at night (Is that right?). And please announce the cruises soon. And we'd love an advance booking day for gold and platinum members (OK- silver members say no to that one). And don't black out the cruise from onboard booking discounts and credits!

Hope to see all of you on the cruise someday... and we wait.......!!

sounds good to me!!! I second your request...
We were in Hawaii in January for a week and went to the pro bowl...stayed at Marriott which is just two lagoons from Aulani. Stayed in Aulani (DVC) and Marriott last September...Two weeks..now that was heaven...
would love the ship to go there and stay a few days...or better yet leave from there and do the islands and back to Calif.(with the trip to Mexico on the way to meet requirements) Just wish we could combine the cruise with a stay....

 

[PrincessShmoo]

sounds good to me!!! I second your request...
We were in Hawaii in January for a week and went to the pro bowl...stayed at Marriott which is just two lagoons from Aulani. Stayed in Aulani (DVC) and Marriott last September...Two weeks..now that was heaven...
would love the ship to go there and stay a few days...or better yet leave from there and do the islands and back to Calif.(with the trip to Mexico on the way to meet requirements) Just wish we could combine the cruise with a stay....

If you're saying leave from Hawaii to California with a stop in Mexico - it can't be done. The PVSA states that a foreign-flagged ship cannot transport passengers from one US port (Hawaii) to a different US port (any port in California) without a stop in a distant foreign port.

A distant foreign port is port that is not "in North America, Central America, the Bermuda Islands, or the West Indies (including the Bahama Islands, but not including the Leeward Islands of the Netherlands Antilles, i.e., Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao)." 19 CFR § 4.80a(a)(2)" Mexico is not a distant foreign port.

 

[luv2sleep]

If you're saying leave from Hawaii to California with a stop in Mexico - it can't be done. The PVSA states that a foreign-flagged ship cannot transport passengers from one US port (Hawaii) to a different US port (any port in California) without a stop in a distant foreign port. A distant foreign port is port that is not "in North America, Central America, the Bermuda Islands, or the West Indies (including the Bahama Islands, but not including the Leeward Islands of the Netherlands Antilles, i.e., Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao)." 19 CFR § 4.80a(a)(2)" Mexico is not a distant foreign port.

So how is it that Ensenada is a distant foreign port on the RT Hawaii trip out of LA? Is it the return distance from Hawaii to Ensenada?

 

[ksucats]

So how is it that Ensenada is a distant foreign port on the RT Hawaii trip out of LA? Is it the return distance from Hawaii to Ensenada?

Round trip doesn't require the foreign port to be distant. If that were the case, the Bahamas would not be distant either for all of those cruises.

 

[luv2sleep]

Round trip doesn't require the foreign port to be distant. If that were the case, the Bahamas would not be distant either for all of those cruises.

Ah. Got it! Thank you! I've been confused about that for a couple of years.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Round trip doesn't require the foreign port to be distant. If that were the case, the Bahamas would not be distant either for all of those cruises.

Correct, round trip cruises only require a foreign port (any foreign port, near or distant doesn't matter).

 

[NWmom]

I booked the very last cruise available in April 2015, so I won't have any issues.
The future cruise desk person knew exactly what I was doing in booking this dummy.
On opening day for the rest of 2015 I will be switching the cruise.

I'm not worried, if there are any date issues with switching the dummy we will just use the OBC for another cruise we will be taking before Hawaii.

I thought, as in I am asking a question-- that you had 18 months from when the OBB was made on the ship.

Ex. Jan 1 you make an OBB for a future cruise you would have until July of the next year to take the cruise using the benefits.

What I am hearing is that you were told you had 18 months from the date of the cruise booked.

To clarify, date cruise booked (on board booking date) + 18 months vs. The date of the cruise booked (farther down the road date) + 18 months

This difference could be very crucial in how we plan.

 

[lorimay]

I thought, as in I am asking a question-- that you had 18 months from when the OBB was made on the ship.

Ex. Jan 1 you make an OBB for a future cruise you would have until July of the next year to take the cruise using the benefits.

What I am hearing is that you were told you had 18 months from the date of the cruise booked.

To clarify, date cruise booked (on board booking date) + 18 months vs. The date of the cruise booked (farther down the road date) + 18 months

This difference could be very crucial in how we plan.

I booked the end of February, 18 months from that date will be Sept. 2015.
That is what the dates are looking like for Hawaii...

 

[dsnydaddy]

Great point. But I think that the answer will be 18 mos from first booked.

 

[lorimay]

Great point. But I think that the answer will be 18 mos from first booked.

I really don't know the answer because the man said to me we will book the farthest cruise out. So we booked the very last one offered in April 2015. In fact he gave us that date.
He didn't say to me "You know you have to sail 18 months from today for this to be valid".
He knew I was going to change to a Hawaii sailing if one became available.

 

[luv2sleep]

I booked an OBB in January of this year. I was told by my TA and the OBB agent that in order to use the benefit I'd have to sail by the end of July 2015.

 

[lorimay]

OK, I pulled out the onboard rebooking offer page from the brochure.

It say as follows " Guests making a booking onboard must sail within 18 months after the date the original booking was made onboard".

So I am taking that as I have 18 months from April 2015.

 

[lorimay]

I booked an OBB in January of this year. I was told by my TA and the OBB agent that in order to use the benefit I'd have to sail by the end of July 2015.

Do you still have the brochure they give onboard?
On the page that starts with Book onboard and save 10%.

The bottom of the page states what I typed in the above post.

 

[NWmom]

Okay, Feb 2014 plus 18 months would be August 2015
19 months out would put you in Sept 2015 range

April 2015 plus 18 months would get you there.

Our OBB (made in Jan 2014), the question still remains for me. Because our Dummy is for Jan 2015 as we knew we would be moving it.
The question becomes if it has to be used by end of July 2015 or 2016?
I suspect 2015.

 

[NWmom]

OK, I pulled out the onboard rebooking offer page from the brochure.

It say as follows " Guests making a booking onboard must sail within 18 months after the date the original booking was made onboard".

So I am taking that as I have 18 months from April 2015.

That wording-- I see how it could be taken both ways. I so hope that it is the more favorable of 18 months from the cruise date.

However, since Disney also grandfathered in until Nov 2015 as 2 years from the announcement date, I took it the other way, I so hope I am wrong.

Actually, I would be thrilled if this meant from the cruise date as it would give so much more time for changes, the other felt way too restrictive.

 

[luv2sleep]

" Guests making a booking onboard must sail within 18 months after the date the original booking was made onboard".

To me this says that if you were onboard on X date you have 18 mos from X date to sail and receive the benefit. Is that how you read it too?

 

[NWmom]

To me this says that if you were onboard on X date you have 18 mos from X date to sail and receive the benefit. Is that how you read it too?

Yes, that is how I read it. Mostly because at the same time they released it they included that any older OBB had to be used by Nov 2015. They were giving us 24 months for grandfathered reservation instead of 18 months for all new reservations.

New info-
I have an older OBB made in Dec 2012 as a dummy then changed for a cruise Sept 2014. Due to a family wedding (and not having more vacation time), we had to change, when I spoke with DCL to move it back to a placeholder I asked these questions. This was last month by phone. and I know phone info varies by CM.

The agent through CC confirmed it had to be used by Nov 2015. Again that is for my older OBB.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

To me this says that if you were onboard on X date you have 18 mos from X date to sail and receive the benefit. Is that how you read it too?

That's how I read it. Say you're on a cruise in Feb 2014 and book a cruise on Feb 17th for April 2015 (furthest out available). You have to take the cruise by August 17th 2015 (18 months after booking date). However, any cruises that were already booked before the change to the policy have up to 24 months to take the cruise (17 Feb 2016).

 

[lorimay]

To me this says that if you were onboard on X date you have 18 mos from X date to sail and receive the benefit. Is that how you read it too?

I have read it 50 times and I am thinking it is 18 months from Feb. 2014 now.

I guess I need to call to now verify it for sure.
If the darn itineraries would just come out already.