DW and I are putting our love affair with DCL "on hold"

[DisneyConvert]

Over the past 15+ years, as our son has grown,
Our best family vacations have been on DCL
. . . Europe, Alaska and even some little old Bahamas visits with family.
We even had a pre-pandemic HotHSeas cruise 5-nighter out of NYC to/from Bermuda . . . easy and fun!

So many great stories and memories.
It was a great love affair and from the Disney Premier Visa to cashing in multiple "Bravo" awards at work in the form of D$'s,
We are/were all-in with DCL as the vacation of choice.
I've even calculated our retirements savings as, "Honey, we're up to 3 DCL cruises a year!" (Florida rate of course).

But, as Covid doesn't seem to want to go away . . . even as it morphs into something we think that is much less deadly, hopefully even innocuous.
The hoops and gauntlet that one has to jump and run through to do the kinds of cruises we like . . . long and distant . . have made us decide:
We are moving DCL from a serious committed relationship to a sometimes weekend "date". There are other fish in the vacation sea.

It took us a lot of work and quite a bit of Deposit$'s to book the Vancouver-Hawaii cruises for April - May . . . and with all the testing along the way (we are both 3-Vaxxed' and generally quite healthy and careful), we realize it's just not going to happen.
The flight to Vancouver, immigration into Canada, embarkation onto the Wonder, arrival in Hawaii . . .repeat, repeat . . . is filled with chances to be sent into a room for 5 days (even if our symptoms are like a cold . . .)
And what about false positives? Something is very likely to happen.
Even if we pay $500 for trip insurance to cover all those different circumstances, it's just not worth it.
Long (and oh yes, expensive) cruises are supposed to be fun and relaxing yes?
So we plan to cancel almost $20k of cruise tickets pre-PiF day.
Of course, that doesn't include flights, hotels, gratuities, Cove Cafe, etc.

Even more sadly, for the foreseeable future, we won't be thinking of DCL as our vacation of choice . . . not to Europe, not on the Wish, not thru the Panama Canal.
(Maybe out of nearby NYCity, where we do one-test and don't have to worry about flights).

Meanwhile, we are planning a late-spring two-week "cruise" on AmTrak to western US cities and national parks.
Seven 16~30 hour train rides interspersed with seven 1~2 day stays in Salt Lake City, Portland, Glacier Park, etc.
Our own room and a chance to see new sights, but no shows or "magic" (sigh).
We loved our DCL, but that is over for now, for a while.

Covid and how the CDC, cruise industry and DCL has dealt with it (and I don't know how they could have done things differently) has turned what we thought was a life-time love affair into a modestly, useful "vacation buddy".

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Over the past 15+ years, as our son has grown,
Our best family vacations have been on DCL
. . . Europe, Alaska and even some little old Bahamas visits with family.
We even had a pre-pandemic HotHSeas cruise 5-nighter out of NYC to/from Bermuda . . . easy and fun!

So many great stories and memories.
It was a great love affair and from the Disney Premier Visa to cashing in multiple "Bravo" awards at work in the form of D$'s,
We are/were all-in with DCL as the vacation of choice.
I've even calculated our retirements savings as, "Honey, we're up to 3 DCL cruises a year!" (Florida rate of course).

But, as Covid doesn't seem to want to go away . . . even as it morphs into something we think that is much less deadly, hopefully even innocuous.
The hoops and gauntlet that one has to jump and run through to do the kinds of cruises we like . . . long and distant . . have made us decide:
We are moving DCL from a serious committed relationship to a sometimes weekend "date". There are other fish in the vacation sea.

It took us a lot of work and quite a bit of Deposit$'s to book the Vancouver-Hawaii cruises for April - May . . . and with all the testing along the way (we are both 3-Vaxxed' and generally quite healthy and careful), we realize it's just not going to happen.
The flight to Vancouver, immigration into Canada, embarkation onto the Wonder, arrival in Hawaii . . .repeat, repeat . . . is filled with chances to be sent into a room for 5 days (even if our symptoms are like a cold . . .)
And what about false positives? Something is very likely to happen.
Even if we pay $500 for trip insurance to cover all those different circumstances, it's just not worth it.
Long (and oh yes, expensive) cruises are supposed to be fun and relaxing yes?
So we plan to cancel almost $20k of cruise tickets pre-PiF day.
Of course, that doesn't include flights, hotels, gratuities, Cove Cafe, etc.

Even more sadly, for the foreseeable future, we won't be thinking of DCL as our vacation of choice . . . not to Europe, not on the Wish, not thru the Panama Canal.
(Maybe out of nearby NYCity, where we do one-test and don't have to worry about flights).

Meanwhile, we are planning a late-spring two-week "cruise" on AmTrak to western US cities and national parks.
Seven 16~30 hour train rides interspersed with seven 1~2 day stays in Salt Lake City, Portland, Glacier Park, etc.
Our own room and a chance to see new sights, but no shows or "magic" (sigh).
We loved our DCL, but that is over for now, for a while.

Covid and how the CDC, cruise industry and DCL has dealt with it (and I don't know how they could have done things differently) has turned what we thought was a life-time love affair into a modestly, useful "vacation buddy".

I'm trying to read between the lines, but it's hard to tell... have you experienced a "COVID cruise" and not enjoyed it, or have the hoops and hurdles prevented you from sailing since the pandemic began? Interestingly, COVID has had the exact opposite effect on my family, especially within the bubble of "Disney vacations." While a COVID cruise certainly isn't quite the same as a non-COVID cruise, sailing on the Magic in December was the closest I've felt to normal in a very long time. When I look at what the pandemic has done to the level of service at Walt Disney World and Aulani, and compare it to the consistently high level of service that is still being offered on DCL, I'm actually much *more* likely to choose a Disney cruise over a different Disney vacation than I otherwise would have been.

Said another way... Maybe it feels like DCL is only 75% magical right now, which sucks when you compare it to 100% magical. But when you consider that Walt Disney World might only be 50% magical right now, I still consider it a great option.

 

[mousefan73]

I totally get it and it just makes me so frustrated seeing how cruisers are held at a different standard than those on land. That’s what’s the most frustrating. You can do your Amtrak thing and nobody cares, (BTW over here in Europe rail transportation is considered one of the most probable way of spreading Covid since you don’t have air filtration system and you have different groups of people getting in an off increasing your possible contacts) But nobody tests you to ride a train- God forbid you set foot on a boat.

 

[mousefan73]

I'm trying to read between the lines, but it's hard to tell... have you experienced a "COVID cruise" and not enjoyed it, or have the hoops and hurdles prevented you from sailing since the pandemic began? Interestingly, COVID has had the exact opposite effect on my family, especially within the bubble of "Disney vacations." While a COVID cruise certainly isn't quite the same as a non-COVID cruise, sailing on the Magic in December was the closest I've felt to normal in a very long time. When I look at what the pandemic has done to the level of service at Walt Disney World and Aulani, and compare it to the consistently high level of service that is still being offered on DCL, I'm actually much *more* likely to choose a Disney cruise over a different Disney vacation than I otherwise would have been.

I can give you my opinion on this. I actually love sailing during Covid. My mom and I flew in from Germany beginning of December and was on the five night magic out of Miami. I personally enjoyed a ship that was not full to capacity, the masking and knowing that people were tested and majority vaxxed (But there were tons of kids under 12 which meant they most were not Vaxxed ). This was right before the Omicron wave. Like literally a week before. I have posted here before that if I were a Florida resident close to a port I’d be on a boat right now every two weeks. Especially with the deals to be had

This though was an easy trip to do even though we were intl. Yes we had to have an antigen just before we flew over, no big deal had
It been positive we would’ve been able to get a refund from DCL and I’m lucky that I work for an airline, so though I fly standby which can suck often( I’ve been left behind) I can refund my tickets with no penalty.

Had we been tested positive at Port, we were in Florida we’re no one checks and of course we would have found a hotel and stay put for a few days and then just simply flown home. We would’ve tested and most likely been negative and that’s it.In some countries you’re forced to go in the government housing for 14 days basically like prison. I fear Canada has something like that and to be honest I need to do some more research

yes with OP The whole hoops one has with Covid and testing gets more complicated if you have a longer itinerary and leaving a port not from the US. I don’t wanna speak for OP, but those that are still booked on the Hawaii Sailings for example are aware disney’s restrictions and requirements while on board. The issue is what happens if you can’t get on board. I also just learned flying in from the EU Canada requires that international traveler submit an actual piece of paper with our “quarantine plan”. What the fudge?? Does that mean that I need to book 14 days just in case before my sailing? It’s things like that that are making me now seriously reconsider if this is the right booking for us at this moment.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I can give you my opinion on this. I actually love sailing during Covid. My mom and I flew in from Germany beginning of December and was on the five night magic out of Miami. I personally enjoyed a ship that was not full to capacity, the masking and knowing that people were tested and majority vaxxed (But there were tons of kids under 12 which meant they most were not Vaxxed ). This was right before the Omicron wave. Like literally a week before. I have posted here before that if I were a Florida resident close to a port I’d be on a boat right now every two weeks. Especially with the deals to be had

This though was an easy trip to do even though we were intl. Yes we had to have an antigen just before we flew over, no big deal had
It been positive we would’ve been able to get a refund from DCL and I’m lucky that I work for an airline, so though I fly standby which can suck often( I’ve been left behind) I can refund my tickets with no penalty.

Had we been tested positive at Port, we were in Florida we’re no one checks and of course we would have found a hotel and stay put for a few days and then just simply flown home. We would’ve tested and most likely been negative and that’s it.In some countries you’re forced to go in the government housing for 14 days basically like prison. I fear Canada has something like that and to be honest I need to do some more research

yes with OP The whole hoops one has with Covid and testing gets more complicated if you have a longer itinerary and leaving a port not from the US. I don’t wanna speak for OP, but those that are still booked on the Hawaii Sailings for example are aware disney’s restrictions and requirements while on board. The issue is what happens if you can’t get on board. I also just learned flying in from the EU Canada requires that international traveler submit an actual piece of paper with our “quarantine plan”. What the fudge?? Does that mean that I need to book 14 days just in case before my sailing? It’s things like that that are making me now seriously reconsider if this is the right booking for us at this moment.

That's fair. Some of those longer, unique, and/or one-way itineraries seem impossibly complicated to plan right now. But for "chill out, do nothing, lay on a beach, and eat good food for five days," nothing beats that five night double-dip on the Magic.

 

[mousefan73]

That's fair. Some of those longer, unique, and/or one-way itineraries seem impossibly complicated to plan right now. But for "chill out, do nothing, lay on a beach, and eat good food for five days," nothing beats that five night double-dip on the Magic.

Exactly . That was ours. Eyeing a Marvel cruise in the near future

 

[mousefan73]

Let me also just comment that if I did not work for an airline and was not able to have fully refundable flexible tickets we would’ve canceled along time ago. If I had to lock in expensive airfare, that’s most likely not refundable for a family I would be making different choices.

I am curious though if you book your airfare through Disney when you book a cruise and you cancel is this also refundable with their current flexibility

 

[cvjw]

I have sailed 3 times since DCL reopened. Each cruise was wonderful. But, we can drive to the port, so if we tested positive, we could drive home. If I had the cruises booked that you do, I would also cancel. Too much risk these days, and I would not want to be stuck in another country and not be able to get home.

But, I would also be very leery of that long on a train. I doubt they have all the covid protocols that DCL has.

 

[DLgal]

I totally get it and it just makes me so frustrated seeing how cruisers are held at a different standard than those on land. That’s what’s the most frustrating. You can do your Amtrak thing and nobody cares, (BTW over here in Europe rail transportation is considered one of the most probable way of spreading Covid since you don’t have air filtration system and you have different groups of people getting in an off increasing your possible contacts) But nobody tests you to ride a train- God forbid you set foot on a boat.

Do you not understand how a cruise ship is literally a self contained floating city with minimal medical care on board? If you get sick on a train, you aren't stuck on that train for days on end. You can get off and go to a local hospital. An outbreak on a train is of little consequence.

 

[MomOTwins]

Let me also just comment that if I did not work for an airline and was not able to have fully refundable flexible tickets we would’ve canceled along time ago. If I had to lock in expensive airfare, that’s most likely not refundable for a family I would be making different choices.

I am curious though if you book your airfare through Disney when you book a cruise and you cancel is this also refundable with their current flexibility

No, the flexible policy specifically states that airfare and insurance booked through disney are not subject to the flexible policy.

That's fair. Some of those longer, unique, and/or one-way itineraries seem impossibly complicated to plan right now. But for "chill out, do nothing, lay on a beach, and eat good food for five days," nothing beats that five night double-dip on the Magic.

I agree—we don’t even know yet if any of the Vancouver sailings (Alaska or Hawaii) will happen. Even our Eastern on the Fantasy seemed a bit of a gamble given the recent port cancellations so we switched to a 5-night CC double dip. I’m surprised more people are not switching to be honest. Our Fantasy cruise was super popular (room categories in GTY, no GT rates, activities sold out at Gold booking level, second dining only, hundreds in our social media group) and our 5-night double dip also in spring break had our choice of any room, main dining, Palo brunch all time slots and 20 people in our social media group). I feel so much better having made the switch. Hope it stays nice and quiet so we don’t have crowds or long waits on board.

 

[DisneyConvert]

I am not against the Covid protocols on the ship. I think DCL is doing the best they can.
And we have booked a DCL out of NYC (that we can drive/train to/from).

It's the hoops getting to / thru Canada . . . and what might happen in Hawaii if we "magically" get Covid on the ship and then are denied re-boarding back on the Wonder. Uggh.

 

[freshmanjs]

It's the hoops getting to / thru Canada . . . and what might happen in Hawaii if we "magically" get Covid on the ship and then are denied re-boarding back on the Wonder. Uggh.

What would be magical about it? Do you just mean if you get Covid on the ship? Or are you implying that it wouldn't be real or something?

 

[DCLMP]

I'm trying to read between the lines, but it's hard to tell... have you experienced a "COVID cruise" and not enjoyed it, or have the hoops and hurdles prevented you from sailing since the pandemic began? Interestingly, COVID has had the exact opposite effect on my family, especially within the bubble of "Disney vacations." While a COVID cruise certainly isn't quite the same as a non-COVID cruise, sailing on the Magic in December was the closest I've felt to normal in a very long time. When I look at what the pandemic has done to the level of service at Walt Disney World and Aulani, and compare it to the consistently high level of service that is still being offered on DCL, I'm actually much *more* likely to choose a Disney cruise over a different Disney vacation than I otherwise would have been.

Said another way... Maybe it feels like DCL is only 75% magical right now, which sucks when you compare it to 100% magical. But when you consider that Walt Disney World might only be 50% magical right now, I still consider it a great option.

If you read carefully they were booked on a cruise from an international port. There is nothing magical about traveling internationally right now. They were correct about all the hoops you have to jump through. It's not worth it for many people.

 

[DLgal]

Sorry to hear you decided to cancel, but I think you made the right decision. I would have done the same. Honestly, I've been going back and forth about whether to book a DCL cruise for either spring or summer break this year, and I am not even willing to take the chance and fly from CA to FL with a possibility of being denied boarding. It would absolutely devastate my kids, who are already sensitive to changes in plans due to autism. I just can't do it. I think we may just book a cottage in Margaritaville for a week or 10 days and hit up some water parks and visit my parents who live nearby. At least that way, if we end up infected, we can still have a nice time in a house with a pool.

Cruising is just too much of a gamble right now and the prices DCL is charging don't reflect the onboard experience being offered.

 

[MomOTwins]

What would be magical about it? Do you just mean if you get Covid on the ship? Or are you implying that it wouldn't be real or something?

I'm pretty sure the quotation marks were meant to denote sarcasm, as in, a Disney cruise is supposed to be magical, but nothing could be more un-magical than getting Covid on a ship.

 

[Freeman867]

What exactly do you want DCL to do here? Why are you so angry at DCL for a global pandemic and how other countries are handling it?

 

[MomOTwins]

If you read carefully they were booked on a cruise from an international port. There is nothing magical about traveling internationally right now. They were correct about all the hoops you have to jump through. It's not worth it for many people.

That's so true. Partly why Disney World is so out of control crowded and expensive right now. The demand for domestic vacations is through the roof. I feel like that is one thing that gets a bit lost in the anti-DCL rants. Other options if you want to avoid international travel aren't the greatest either. We took our kids to do an airbnb/state parks trip last summer for fourth of july weekend with some friends. Cheapest aribnb we could get was about $700 a night and very rustic accommodations (my son got a massive splinter from some old floorboards midway through the trip, necessitating a $1,000 trip to a local hospital, and resulting in him and I spending the rest of the trip doing board games at the cabin while the others went out). Before that, when we did go to the park, the parking lot was full so we had to park on the side of the road a half mile back from the park entrance and "hike" to the parking lot. Then when we actually got on the hiking trails, we were crawling along at a snails pace with thousands of people in front of us. Waited 30 minutes in line to get a picture of my family in front of a waterfall. Waited 70 minutes for some ice cream at a local country store. Sound familiar? Yes, my relaxing, low-key, national parks visit was basically as expensive, crowded, and stressful as Disney World, but not nearly as fun.

I haven't even started to plan a replacement for our Alaska DCL cruise this summer... even though I know I really ought to. I am just too fatigued by how hard it was to try to plan another USA-based vacation last summer. OP's amtrak vacation sounds interesting, but doesn't really work for us since that kind of thing would require far too much time off work.

Cruising is just too much of a gamble right now and the prices DCL is charging don't reflect the onboard experience being offered.

Totally agree with the first half of your sentence--it is definitely a gamble, and that is stressful. That said, once on the ship, we still felt "the onboard experience" was worth every penny and did not really feel diminished compared to our pre-Covid cruises (to the contrary, the lower guest attendance and lack of a muster drill were big improvements). I am somewhat surprised that they are not offering any general public discounts other than VGT (which we can't use because staterooms for 5 are not eligible) and we are not eligible for special rates either (FL/military). So we did have to pay pre-pandemic prices. However, in a way that is an improvement also compared to most land vacations in the USA now that are considerably MORE expensive than they were pre-pandemic.

 

[DisneyConvert]

What exactly do you want DCL to do here? Why are you so angry at DCL for a global pandemic and how other countries are handling it?

Not angry. Certainly not at DCL or the Canadian Govt.
Just frustrated, disappointed, sad . . . adjusting to what a foreign cruise experience {which we've done before} might be under the new realities.

 

[DLgal]

Totally agree with the first half of your sentence--it is definitely a gamble, and that is stressful. That said, once on the ship, we still felt "the onboard experience" was worth every penny and did not really feel diminished compared to our pre-Covid cruises (to the contrary, the lower guest attendance and lack of a muster drill were big improvements). I am somewhat surprised that they are not offering any general public discounts other than VGT (which we can't use because staterooms for 5 are not eligible) and we are not eligible for special rates either (FL/military). So we did have to pay pre-pandemic prices. However, in a way that is an improvement also compared to most land vacations in the USA now that are considerably MORE expensive than they were pre-pandemic.

I'm sorry, but there have been numerous reports of limited kids club slots, completely closed teen clubs or a lack of activities when they do open, physical lines to get in pools, cancelled shows, inability to watch a movie in the theater if you show up "too late", lines to get in the gift shops, limited merchandise, masks required for onboard photos, no deck parties for Pirate Night and sail away, etc. How can you say the onboard experience hasn't been diminished?

 

[freshmanjs]

I'm sorry, but there have been numerous reports of limited kids club slots, completely closed teen clubs or a lack of activities when they do open, physical lines to get in pools, cancelled shows, inability to watch a movie in the theater if you show up "too late", lines to get in the gift shops, limited merchandise, masks required for onboard photos, no deck parties for Pirate Night and sail away, etc. How can you say the onboard experience hasn't been diminished?

For us, those things were offset by a massive benefit - low crowds. It was great.