Kicked off the ship!

[smjj]

I have been going to Disney for almost 30 years now and remember when Disney remembered who made them their money and treated us visitors as if they wanted us to come back and be repeat customers. DCL even in these hard times is making money hand over foot. Its ABC that Disney owns that is dragging down the bottom line and Disney is trying to make up for it through their other divisions. I still think that DCL needs to step back and remember that its the people who travel on their ships and buy the souviners onboard that makes it all work. I hope DCL does not become like the other cruise lines and start narrow mindedly thinking of only the bottom line. Then it will be "just another cruise line looking to make a profit" instead of realizing that if you make a good product people will buy it. This is why Disney is or was looked to as a model for other corporations to follow. Maybe DCL needs to send some of the own execs to the Disney Business Institute in Orlando. If they could trace back the money they recieve as a paycheck they would find it comes from people like us who spend hours on these boards and spend millions each year at their parks and on their ships...smjj

 

[cjduby]

I understand that Disney is a business and needs to make money, but just how long did Disney knew about this before they decided to tell me. Yes, I was able to reschedule my trip but it also came with alot of tears, heartache, headaches, lost time at work, and still more work ahead of me. I feel sorry for the ones who will not be able to reschedule and the heartbreak they will feel. I think if it wasn't for my TA, Disney may not have offer us a upgrade at all or paid the extra on on airlines tickets. Now that's sad!! I have to admitted, my feelings for Disney is not what it used to be. I feel that the average consumer like me is not as important to Disney like we used to be.

We will go on this trip and I'm sure we will have a great time. I would not cancel this vacation and break my daughters' hearts. They been there once and loved the place.

So far planning my first cruise has not been very fun!

 

[4nana]

cjduby {{{{{ hugs }}}}}

I hear you, can easily put my family in your place and feel your disappointment. Awaiting our first Disney cruise I too for some reason feel disheartened I hope you can put this behind you,
not let it damper your spirit and have a wonderful time with your family. Happy sailing and keep the faith ^i^

 

[nuts4sn00py]

I too understand how you must have felt when the TA advised you of "your forced change in plans". My DH & I are both Union members who have to plan our vacations WAY in advance. We have to coordinate when we can both be off & around school schedules for the kids. I have my 1st DCL cruise booked for this August, followed by 10 days @YC. I don't know what I would do if Disney just upped & told me...sorry, but you'll have to cruise on another date. I would certainly be on the phone with Disney to let them know how "disheartened" I was & how difficult it was going to be for me to change my plans! Have you spoke to anyone @Disney, or just your TA? I understand Disney is a business & needs to make money, but I wonder how hard they would work to accomodate "little ole me" if I couldn't readily change my plans. I hope after all this, your trip is "magical" & Disney "thanks you" for your inconvenience. Maybe they will suprise you once you are aboard the ship! I for one certainly sympathize. Kathy

 

[Chattyaholic]

If a company wants to charter a cruise, Disney should only allow them to charter one way far in advance. One that hasn't taken any bookings yet from "us regular folks!" Most people book in advance and have to work out their vacation schedules, kids' time off from school, etc. They shouldn't have to worry if they will be "kicked off the ship" just because some group steps up and wants to charter the cruise. Once a person plunks down their deposit, they enter into a "contract" with Disney and I don't think Disney should dishonor that contract by kicking the person off their cruise. I know I would be really, really upset if that happened to us!! I just can't imagine having to go through the hassles of rearranging time off from work, change flights, rental cars, etc. etc. What a pain in the...........

 

[Barnsquad]

I ditto Pete's comment on the negative impact of having a very large group cast a shadow on a cruise for those not part of that group.

Several years ago my husband and I were on our "annual" Bermuda week cruise on Celebrity out of N.Y. (which we cont. each year for about 5 years) There was a HUGE group of people from Mary Kay which was obviously part of a sales reward etc for most of them. Add their spouse and significant others to the mob of woman cruising the ship in glitzed out cruise wear and each trying to "out Mary Kay" the other and you have the ingredients for a very awkward existence on a 7 day cruise!!!!!!

Every buffet, pool deck, bar, even the damn elevators were monopolized by this group.

Needless to say my bar bill for the week was slightly higher than our average week long cruise!! ha ha


P.S. no disrespect really meant for any M.K. people jsut my observation as another passenger trying to enjoy my tiny part of the ship.

 

[SINK]

Agreed that DCL is a business and they are in it to make money. But by only upgrading 2 categories, that's pretty cheap. DCL should do more for the "bumped" cruisers. Upgrade and ship credits!!!!!

 

[NewCruiser'51]

My husband and I will be celebrating our 16th anniversary on the WONDER May 9th cruise. Sorry you got kicked off but does this mean you will be on the same ship? (our anniversary is May 3rd really so we will be a little late on the ship also)


Linda

 

[MickeyCanada]

I really couldn't imagine the frustrations you have had to endure in rescheduling your cruise. I am so glad to hear that you were successful, and I do hope that you will be able to enjoy your trip to its fullest.

I guess a lot of us didn't realise that Disney could do this and I must go home tonight and read my brochure over with a fine tooth comb.

I do think that they should have done more for you, afterall you already had the secret porthole room so the upgrade really isn't much of a difference, it also sounds like it wasn't offered to you, that your TA had to get it for you. They should have given you a verandah and some a shipboard credit for your inconvenience.

 

[DreamingofDisney]

I know that a certain "homebased business" has booked a 7 day cruise coming up sometime very soon (either late Jan. or Feb.) for their consultants who acheive certain sales goals. This trip was announced to their consultants a year ago and I'm sure that the planning with DCL had probably been several months prior to that. I would think that is probably the way that these types of large bookings go, several months in the making. I suppose in rare instances an opportunity might "suddenly" come up to offer a charter.

I'm with Dave, in that I wouldn't want to be on a ship full of sales people, dentists, accountants, etc., etc. I have read posts where these large groups "run" the ship.

I certainly wouldn't want my cruise dates changed either.

It seems that Disney is in a "____ if you do (making paying guests mad) and ____ if you don't" (potentially losing major clients to other lines) situation. I'm glad I'm not the one at Disney trying to make these decisions.

 

[mom2grace]

Do you have more info?! We cruise 1/26 and would like to be prepared!!

Do any of you others think that Disney wouldn't do it 1/26 because of the $99 offer?!

 

[Michelle]

Mom2grace, I would not worry about any large groups on the 1/26 sailing.

 

[CamColt]

I would rather be on the ship with a large group of people, than not be on the ship at all. That would be the case if my upcoming cruise was cancelled, since I would be unable to rebook. I dont care who else is there as long as Im there.

 

[markmyboy]

"before" I went on the cruise there would have been nothing that would have made me reschedule or change dates (short of family tragedy!! of course)....but after the experience we had, having to maneuver around them all week, I would have rescheduled in a heart beat IF I HAD KNOWN!!!

I know there is no way to know how you would be treated or how you would feel in that situation unless you experience it, but in MY experience it is extremely unpleasant....though I am sure having to do all the rescheduling is just as equally unpleasant. In the end I hope you have a wonderful vacation....better to have the good memories with a little hassle (ok a BIG hassle) before hand then to have your vacation ruined by being mistreated.

It is not that it was unbearable...it was just not the "same". It was uncomfortable & the "group" of people were rude & just always in a "group"!!

By the way I do not know of any cruise line that does not have that cancelling due to a charter thingie in their contract. It happened to my aunt on her last cruise. The cruise line she was going on offered NO incentive...so it happens all across the board...& Disney is ultimately a corporation...making money!! Sure they started out small, as did all large corporations...At least once you are THERE you are still treated like "someone special" even if you are just treated like $$$$ before hand!!

Like I said...I hope you & your family have an awesome vacation!! You are dealing with this whole situation VERY well!!

 

[inkkognito]

We have sailed with big groups twice. First time was an optical company, and they were drunk and disorderly at all times. Second time was the cruise we jut got home from...it was a convention of cruise line executives, and if I didn't know they were on board, I never would have guessed. It was the usual "wonder"ful trip. Normally I wouldn't want to sail with a group, I guess it depends on who they are. Our very first Disney cruise was a "Goosebumps" cruise, and I was worried about that, but we never ran into any disturbance from that event, either.
Barb
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