Fantasy Itinerary Change - Advice Requested

[ransomm]

Hi,

I'm looking for some advice from you veteran Disney cruisers out there. I just completed my second Disney Cruise aboard the Fantasy for a 7 day trip to the Eastern Caribbean on May 27th. As expected, the on ship experience was amazing and the service excellent.

However, as many of you know, the Fantasy (just coming out of dry dock) had mechanical problems coming into port on the 20th and arrived several hours late. In addition, to deal with the mechanical problems, it didn't leave port until much later that night, maybe 10 or 11 pm.

As a result, Disney changed the itinerary for the cruise and instead of going to Tortola and St. Thomas as planned, it went to St. Thomas and then San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(Put aside for the moment the question of why the whole itinerary was changed for the mere 20 nautical miles that lie between Tortola and St Thomas, which can be navigated by a ferry in 1 hour. If you know why, I'd love to hear it.)

AFAIK, every passenger was given $25 OBC for the inconvenience.

I had arranged an excursion myself outside DCL on Tortola to do the dolphin experience (which was awesome, BTW). To make it happen with the ship making port in St Thomas, I had to take the ferry and incur a bunch of other expenses. This is in addition to not being able to go to Virgin Gorda from Tortola, which was one of the primary reasons for booking this itinerary in the first place.

I talked to the customer care people on the ship seeking some kind of additional compensation or concession from Disney given the change and additional expense, but they had to defer to the shore based team, and when word finally came back, Disney refused to do anything for me.

My question for the veterans out there is whether it's reasonable for me to expect something to be done?

I realize the cruise contract gives Disney the right to change whatever they want, but in the name of great customer service, I expected that they would do something more.

Has anyone else had similar experiences? What happened in your case?


Thanks very much!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hi,

I'm looking for some advice from you veteran Disney cruisers out there. I just completed my second Disney Cruise aboard the Fantasy for a 7 day trip to the Eastern Caribbean on May 27th. As expected, the on ship experience was amazing and the service excellent.

However, as many of you know, the Fantasy (just coming out of dry dock) had mechanical problems coming into port on the 20th and arrived several hours late. In addition, to deal with the mechanical problems, it didn't leave port until much later that night, maybe 10 or 11 pm.

As a result, Disney changed the itinerary for the cruise and instead of going to Tortola and St. Thomas as planned, it went to St. Thomas and then San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(Put aside for the moment the question of why the whole itinerary was changed for the mere 20 nautical miles that lie between Tortola and St Thomas, which can be navigated by a ferry in 1 hour. If you know why, I'd love to hear it.)

AFAIK, every passenger was given $25 OBC for the inconvenience.

I had arranged an excursion myself outside DCL on Tortola to do the dolphin experience (which was awesome, BTW). To make it happen with the ship making port in St Thomas, I had to take the ferry and incur a bunch of other expenses. This is in addition to not being able to go to Virgin Gorda from Tortola, which was one of the primary reasons for booking this itinerary in the first place.

I talked to the customer care people on the ship seeking some kind of additional compensation or concession from Disney given the change and additional expense, but they had to defer to the shore based team, and when word finally came back, Disney refused to do anything for me.

My question for the veterans out there is whether it's reasonable for me to expect something to be done?

I realize the cruise contract gives Disney the right to change whatever they want, but in the name of great customer service, I expected that they would do something more.

Has anyone else had similar experiences? What happened in your case?


Thanks very much!

Unfortunately, I don't think you have a case. As with all cruise lines, DCL can alter and/or cancel any ports of call as they deem necessary. For whatever reason. If you book excursions outside DCL, then you take the risk if the port is cancelled.

I haven't had any similar experiences, but I wouldn't expect any additional compensation for the changes.

 

[wilkeliza]

I don't think you have a case. The good customer service is the fact they gave people notice it was a possibility. When you book something with a 3rd party not through the cruise you take the risk that comes with it. Itinerary changes although rare are a risk.

Did you buy trip insurance not through DCL? If so maybe the insurance will cover the extra fees?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I believe the swap to San Juan is because they could continue maintenance if needed. It is a "home" dock for them part of the year.

Cannot do that in Tortola.

I don't think they will do anything for you, between the cruise contact, and your choice of a non-DCL excursion.

 

[jetskigrl]

I don't believe that Disney needs to provide anything in this case since it was a non-DCL excursion. As others have said, it is a chance you take when you book outside of DCL. Had it been a DCL excursion, you would have received a full refund.

Plus they did already provide the $25/person OBC, which was not required, but done as a courtesy for the inconvenience. That should have helped offset the price you paid for the ferry, at least a little bit.

We booked non-DCL excursions before in St. Martin and Alaska, but all the tour companies we used offered full refunds if the ship did not dock. That is one way to provide more protection against itinerary changes. Also, did you purchase insurance? The policy that I have for our upcoming trip offers reimbursement for Port of Call Change/Pre-Paid Excursion Reimbursement.

 

[SuperDry]

I believe the swap to San Juan is because they could continue maintenance if needed. It is a "home" dock for them part of the year.

Cannot do that in Tortola.

That's an interesting theory. I haven't heard of any official reason given, nor of another credible theory, considering that Tortola and St. Thomas are so close to each other.

I have my own theory: In addition to possible maintenance logistics, there's also the consideration of what might happen if they had to limp to port and could not depart for a few days, and had to cancel the cruise mid-way. To leave BVI for the US, either by airplane or ferry, requires a passport for all people. However, if the cruise got cancelled while the ship was at St. Thomas or Puerto Rico, all that is required for US citizens is a driver's license or gov't photo ID (for those 16 and above) to fly from either of those cities to the US mainland. Although there is Customs control between USVI (but not Puerto Rico) and the mainland US, it's still okay for US citizens to pass through it with just a DL. Consider what a cluster it would be to cancel the cruise in Tortola and have to deal with perhaps thousands of passengers (i.e. those that traveled with a birth certificate only) that would need emergency travel documents to get back to the US.

Plus they did already provide the $25/person OBC, which was not required, but done as a courtesy for the inconvenience. That should have helped offset the price you paid for the ferry, at least a little bit.

The stated reason for the $25 credit was to compensate for lunch that passengers had to provide for themselves on the first day, when it ordinarily would have been provided on board. Since I assume that almost everyone did in fact feed themselves an extra meal on land before boarding the ship, I'd consider that courtesy credit fully used at the time of boarding.

 

[Dug720]

I'm in the "no case" camp.

Bottom line, you chose to purchase an excursion outside of DCL and DCL exercised their rights to change the itinerary. That they gave any advance notice is a bonus.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The passport issue is another possibility, certainly, although even a wounded ship ought to be able to make it from Road Town to Havensight.

 

[NS8VN]

Firstly, I totally understand. I'm not judging you for being disappointed and angry at the situation, I absolutely would be too. But look at it this way: You signed a document essentially saying "I know things can happen and we might miss a port and I promise not to hold DCL responsible for any money I'm out of because of that." And they had to miss a port and you are coming back to DCL saying "I think you should be responsible for money I'm out of because we missed a port."

 

[Cackyschmackers]

I don't have an opinion re compensation, but for others who.may be reading, we never do DCL excursions *but* we always choose companies that either monitor the cruise ships arrival times (in case of tendering) or provide full refund (or don't charge your card) in case ship does not make scheduled port. Happened to us twice. Side note, I'm impressed you made your excursion anyhow! Also wondering if trip insurance would cover your added expenses. In your cruise contract with DCL you agree to port and itinerary changes . But we never use DCL trip insurance so we are able to add our excursions to our total vacation costs.

 

[gotomu212]

We've had cruises change their itinerary or not dock at all for a nUmber of reasons- high winds, city flooded before we arrived due to storm, hurricane, and political unrest (Tunisia). It's just one of those somewhat common things with cruise travel and cruise companies never reimburse you. It would open a flood of other compensation requests. We always make sure our private excursions have a no fault cancellation in the event the ship doesn't dock.

 

[CM Dad]

We've had cruises change their itinerary or not dock at all for a nUmber of reasons- high winds, city flooded before we arrived due to storm, hurricane, and political unrest (Tunisia). It's just one of those somewhat common things with cruise travel and cruise companies never reimburse you. It would open a flood of other compensation requests. We always make sure our private excursions have a no fault cancellation in the event the ship doesn't dock.

I wouldn't say that they never reimburse you when they change itineraries. We did the 12-night Mediterranean cruise on DCL last summer. When we we booked it, it included ports in Turkey, Greece and Malta. Well before the cruise, Disney decided to drop those and just do the Western Mediterranean. In that case, they gave a $1,000 stateroom credit.

December 15, 2015

Guest Name: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Reservation #: NNNNNNNNNNNNNN

Dear ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ,

Thank you for selecting a Disney Cruise Line vacation for your client. We are thrilled that they will be joining us aboard the Disney Magic next summer for a 12-night Mediterranean sailing from Barcelona.

We continually evaluate our cruise offerings and have recently decided to modify the August 1, 2016, sailing to include ports in the Western Mediterranean instead of those in Turkey, Greece and Malta. Your assistance in communicating this change to your client is appreciated. The revised itinerary is below:

August 1 Barcelona
August 2 Day at Sea
August 3 Olbia, Sardinia
August 4 Civitavecchia, Italy
August 5 Naples, Italy
August 6 Palermo, Sicily
August 7 Day at Sea
August 8 Livorno, Italy
August 9 Villefranche, France
August 10 Cannes, France
August 11 Day at Sea
August 12 Palma, Majorca
August 13 Barcelona

We realize this is a considerable change from the previously published itinerary and hope you and your client understand our desire to only provide the best possible experiences to our Guests.

In recognition of this change, each stateroom reservation that remains booked on this revised itinerary will receive a $1,000 credit per stateroom. This credit will appear on your client’s stateroom account and can be used towards the purchase of shipboard services, merchandise, food and beverages, or Port Adventures. We hope your client will enjoy this additional credit to use during this 12-night sailing.

Should you have questions or wish to make modifications to your client’s reservation, please contact us at 1-866-325-3905 or 407-566-7032 prior to January 5, 2016. We are confident this revised itinerary will provide for an amazing vacation that only Disney can provide and look forward to welcoming your client onboard next summer.

Sincerely,

The Cast and Crew
Disney Cruise Line

 

[Dug720]

I wouldn't say that they never reimburse you when they change itineraries. We did the 12-night Mediterranean cruise on DCL last summer. When we we booked it, it included ports in Turkey, Greece and Malta. Well before the cruise, Disney decided to drop those and just do the Western Mediterranean. In that case, they gave a $1,000 stateroom credit.

December 15, 2015

Guest Name: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Reservation #: NNNNNNNNNNNNNN

Dear ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ,

Thank you for selecting a Disney Cruise Line vacation for your client. We are thrilled that they will be joining us aboard the Disney Magic next summer for a 12-night Mediterranean sailing from Barcelona.

We continually evaluate our cruise offerings and have recently decided to modify the August 1, 2016, sailing to include ports in the Western Mediterranean instead of those in Turkey, Greece and Malta. Your assistance in communicating this change to your client is appreciated. The revised itinerary is below:

August 1 Barcelona
August 2 Day at Sea
August 3 Olbia, Sardinia
August 4 Civitavecchia, Italy
August 5 Naples, Italy
August 6 Palermo, Sicily
August 7 Day at Sea
August 8 Livorno, Italy
August 9 Villefranche, France
August 10 Cannes, France
August 11 Day at Sea
August 12 Palma, Majorca
August 13 Barcelona

We realize this is a considerable change from the previously published itinerary and hope you and your client understand our desire to only provide the best possible experiences to our Guests.

In recognition of this change, each stateroom reservation that remains booked on this revised itinerary will receive a $1,000 credit per stateroom. This credit will appear on your client’s stateroom account and can be used towards the purchase of shipboard services, merchandise, food and beverages, or Port Adventures. We hope your client will enjoy this additional credit to use during this 12-night sailing.

Should you have questions or wish to make modifications to your client’s reservation, please contact us at 1-866-325-3905 or 407-566-7032 prior to January 5, 2016. We are confident this revised itinerary will provide for an amazing vacation that only Disney can provide and look forward to welcoming your client onboard next summer.

Sincerely,

The Cast and Crew
Disney Cruise Line

That was also decided well before the cruise took place and people who might have booked independent excursions had plenty of time to cancel and readjust plans. It was also a MAJOR change.

This is a different situation all together and they were well within their rights to do what they did. I still don't see them reimbursing people who opted for private excursions without doing their due diligence to find out what would happen if there was a change.

 

[CM Dad]

That was also decided well before the cruise took place and people who might have booked independent excursions had plenty of time to cancel and readjust plans. It was also a MAJOR change.

This is a different situation all together and they were well within their rights to do what they did. I still don't see them reimbursing people who opted for private excursions without doing their due diligence to find out what would happen if there was a change.

I was just pointing out that Disney may do something when they change itineraries. Nothing to do with the excursions themselves. They were not required to offer any compensation, based on the cruise contract we all agree to.

 

[Dug720]

I was just pointing out that Disney may do something when they change itineraries. Nothing to do with the excursions themselves. They were not required to offer any compensation, based on the cruise contract we all agree to.

I hear you. That was also a MAJOR itinerary change you cited as I'm sure there were many people who booked specifically for the stops in Greece and perhaps the others (I know some people really want to visit Turkey) - but it essentially went from an Eastern Med to a Western Med whereas this one was still an Eastern Caribbean - just with different islands.

At any rate, it's a good reminder to communicate VERY well with a private tour operator if you want to go that route and find out what exactly their policies are regarding cruise ships and itinerary changes/delays/missed dockings as - as some have pointed out - the really good ones monitor these things themselves and will automatically refund if there is a change causing the ship to not be able to port. And get it in writing.

 

[mmouse37]

I also understand your frustration in having the itinerary changed but also agree that no further compensation is warranted. For many reasons an itinerary can be changed. You decided to still go on your excursion on a different island which incurred additional fees to get to. That decision was your choice so I don't think DCL needs to compensate you for those additional fees. I also think its great that you did still went on your excursion but don't think you can ask for additional compensation.

We had our complete itinerary changed in October on the Magic. Supposed to do an 8 day Bahamas cruise and wound up going to Canada due to a storm....that was frustrating!!! We were offered a refund if we chose not to cruise but we decided to go anyway since we already had the time off.

MJ

 

[ivanp91]

This is why it's so important to know what's in your cruise contract. The majority of people will scroll through it and tick the box just like they would with, say, an iTunes update, but the moment you tick the box and accept the terms you are giving DCL the permission to do exactly what they have. I'm another that doesn't believe OP is entitled to anything.

 

[RedSox68]

I'm in the "no case" camp.

Bottom line, you chose to purchase an excursion outside of DCL and DCL exercised their rights to change the itinerary. That they gave any advance notice is a bonus.

I agree with this. If it was additional costs incurred because of a Disney excursion that had to be rescheduled or costs more because of the delay, then you might have a case. But once you venture outside of the Disney umbrella to do things on your own, you don't really have a claim against them. Same thing that if you don't book your excursion through Disney and you are late returning to the ship, they are not obligated to wait for you.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Hell, they aren't obligated to wait for an excursion booked THROUGH them. They'll just try to get you caught up to the next port.

 

[gotomu212]

I was just pointing out that Disney may do something when they change itineraries. Nothing to do with the excursions themselves. They were not required to offer any compensation, based on the cruise contract we all agree to.

I think the big difference here was that you were still in your cancellation period so it was an incentive for people to keep the cruise booked and not compensation for missed ports which I think is very different than a last minute itinerary change.