May 10, 2008 Ship of Thieves! Stealing the Magic..AGAIN!!! Panama Canal FL to CA!!! Part 5

[HollyTyler]

I often compare Disney's customer service with Nordstrom. We have always been treated professionally and with great care with Disney. The extra charge has had us scratching our head. I want to think that Disney just goofed. It happens! The only difference now is, if it was Nordstrom, they would absorb the cost. Quite honestly, if they did this, and made a media announcement about it, they would have only secured their loyal Disney customers. Think about the "wow" factor and the warm fuzzies that individuals would have felt had they done this correctly. Perhaps they would have lost a little bit of revenue up front, but it would have kept folks coming back and booking in the future. Not that we won't, we just wouldn't give it a second thought. Smother consumers with customer service and they will be with you for a lifetime. Most of us are obviously already sold on the DCL product, imagine what this would have done for them. An example would be what Dreams Unlimited did for their customers - we previously were not DU customer's, but I guarantee you, we will be transferring our next cruise to them just because of what they did. They just get it!

Absolutely! DU sure did a great thing. They had no obligation to do what they did, but they're definitely going to earn customers from that move. I already plan on using DU next time because I see how much they value their customers.

 

[lillygator]

Yummy! I'll be right over, so I hope you have enough to share! I wish I could work up the motivation (and find the time) to make a good meal like that, but it's just not worth the effort for just me. Tyler would never eat something like that.

I could use some adult company!! John doesn't get home until 10 or so. My girls love shrimp...one time we were out to eat and ordered a shrimp cocktail and Samantha wolfed the whole thing down before anyone else got any! Granted it's usually about 7 shrimp...but wow!

 

[lillygator]

and Samantha is really starting to swim now. She decided to just take off the floaties and she can swim the width of the pool without touching....and dive down and touch the bottom. We've been working on it every night this week. She can't wait to show Sophie!

Haley is too funny....she is so tiny the floaties are almost as big as her...but you can see her head and the floaties and she always has a huge grin on her face and then if you look under water her little legs are moving a mile a minute underneath....it really cracks me up!

Kaylee how is the house coming along? Are you guys all settled?

 

[lillygator]

all this cruise talk, while not about something great, has me excited and wishing we were closer to travel time!! I think we are going to have such a blast!

 

[Ginamarie]

all this cruise talk, while not about something great, has me excited and wishing we were closer to travel time!! I think we are going to have such a blast!

Me too!! We're in dire need of a vacation and can't wait for May! I'm thinking about starting on making my fish extender this weekend.

 

[lillygator]

I would love to make a princess one...but I think I am going to have to order the Mickey one if they are still available.

 

[HollyTyler]

I could use some adult company!! John doesn't get home until 10 or so. My girls love shrimp...one time we were out to eat and ordered a shrimp cocktail and Samantha wolfed the whole thing down before anyone else got any! Granted it's usually about 7 shrimp...but wow!

That's too funny! Tyler did something similar with my dad's shrimp scampi at Red Lobster one time when he was 2, but now he wouldn't touch shrimp with a 10-foot pole. But I could eat shrimp every day for a year!

 

[HollyTyler]

Speaking of Red Lobster, that's going to be our outing for "girls' night out" this Friday! Yum! Fill up our bellies and then go have a drink while flirting with the employees at my favorite Mexican restaurant (my favorite activity for many months)!

 

[lillygator]

love those cheese rolls at Red Lobster!! Yum!

 

[lillygator]

my girls nights out are with a 4 and 2 year old....so no wild times for us!

 

[Ginamarie]

That's too funny! Tyler did something similar with my dad's shrimp scampi at Red Lobster one time when he was 2, but now he wouldn't touch shrimp with a 10-foot pole. But I could eat shrimp every day for a year!

I wonder if we ate shrimp every day if we'd start to turn pink like flamingos do!

I love shrimp too, and those cheesy biscuts. I have the recipe for the cheesy biscuts and make them sometimes at home.

 

[pjpoohbear]

well we just got out of the pool...I am cooking up some snow peas, shredded carrots, shredded zucchini, broccoli, shrimp and scallops and tossing it with bow ties....yum!!

Yum! is Right

 

[HollyTyler]

I wonder if we ate shrimp every day if we'd start to turn pink like flamingos do!

I love shrimp too, and those cheesy biscuts. I have the recipe for the cheesy biscuts and make them sometimes at home.

I'd be very pink for sure!

My stepmom makes those biscuits too. Mmmmmm......I can taste them already! Friday, hurry up and get here! I sure won't be saying that 4 weeks from now. Next semester I'll have classes from 1 - 9 on Fridays. YUCK!

 

[HollyTyler]

I'm supposed to be studying for final exams, but can't get motivated. I do this every semester. I know I should study, then I beat myself up because I'm not studying, then I get stressed out because I wasted time worrying about not studying, then I panic for a day. THEN about a week before my first exam, I crack down and study almost non-stop, except (of course) when I'm working and with Tyler, and usually end up begging my employer for the last 3 days off work before finals and study all day and night. I think I need an intervention.

 

[woody73]

We saw the musical Jersey Boys last night, which was wonderful. It's the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It won the 2006 Tony award for best musical.

They performed many hits, including "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man," "Oh, What a Night," "My Eyes Adored You," "Dawn (Go Away)," "Let's Hang On (To What We've Got)," "C'mon Marianne," "Working My Way Back to You," and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." Do you remember any of these?

It was a great show and a nice diversion from worrying about the $100 tax.

Woody

 

[EllaEnchanted]

See, if this was the case and DCL explained this in advance, I think about 90% of cruisers would have been satified. It is the brush-off of the inquires that is making many cruisers upset.

I often compare Disney's customer service with Nordstrom. We have always been treated professionally and with great care with Disney. The extra charge has had us scratching our head. I want to think that Disney just goofed. It happens! The only difference now is, if it was Nordstrom, they would absorb the cost. Quite honestly, if they did this, and made a media announcement about it, they would have only secured their loyal Disney customers. Think about the "wow" factor and the warm fuzzies that individuals would have felt had they done this correctly. Perhaps they would have lost a little bit of revenue up front, but it would have kept folks coming back and booking in the future. Not that we won't, we just wouldn't give it a second thought. Smother consumers with customer service and they will be with you for a lifetime. Most of us are obviously already sold on the DCL product, imagine what this would have done for them. An example would be what Dreams Unlimited did for their customers - we previously were not DU customer's, but I guarantee you, we will be transferring our next cruise to them just because of what they did. They just get it!

In September of 2004 in the Mike Eisner days....John and I were on a 7 night Eastern DCL cruise....we did six full days and nights on the cruise, beautiful days....on the seventh day, the hurricane was on our tail.....in order to stay ahead of it, we didn't stop at CC and just headed for Port Canaveral at full top speed of 23.5 knots....we were booking and the seas were rough the whole day....half of all the workers were even getting sick....but me, John and our friends Marty and Cindy did not....we had a blast....the pools had to be emptied from the splashing water......and what did Disney do for us? The most incredible thing....all drinks were free for the rest of the ride, they put us up in the Dolphin hotel on the seventh night with complimentary breakfeast the following morning....and the best part....our next cruise, if within a year, was half off. We took full advantage of this. That's Walt's Disney, that was Mike Eisner's Disney. Who is in charge now? It's not Walt's Disney anymore. We would have never, ever been treated this way in the past. I'm sad about the future.

 

[EllaEnchanted]

I used DU to make this reservation....after what they have done for us....I will always use them from now on. Can I book on the boat and transfer it to them for credit? Does anybody know?

 

[EllaEnchanted]

We saw the musical Jersey Boys last night, which was wonderful. It's the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It won the 2006 Tony award for best musical.

They performed many hits, including "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man," "Oh, What a Night," "My Eyes Adored You," "Dawn (Go Away)," "Let's Hang On (To What We've Got)," "C'mon Marianne," "Working My Way Back to You," and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." Do you remember any of these?

It was a great show and a nice diversion from worrying about the $100 tax.

Woody

Sounds like fun and very upbeat.....I know all the lyrics to all the songs. I definitely need to see this show.....it's nice to see you have good live theatre in LA, Mr. Woody. Maybe I'll get to see it during my five days in LA in May. DH and I would really like that.....thanks for the recommendation!

 

[EllaEnchanted]

THANK YOU ALL for your kind words and prayers and thoughts and hugs and support for me and John and family right now. You're all the best!!!!! There's so many of you, I was amazed and very touched. If I tried to list you all, it would take way too long...

Today was mom's first viewing and it turned out great.....a full page of signatures in the sign in book and a room full of flowers and cards and donations....she was greatly loved.

Tomorrow is second viewing and we're expecting many more people from out of town, mostly from home on Long Island. Today the locals were there. Friday morning is her service with a gathering after at her house. My brother and his sons are staying there this week. They got here just four hours after she passed over. I feel so bad for them....it's harder. I was there for her entire journey with John and her husband Ray and we're able to accept it better.....it's easier for us.

Everyone says she looks natural and beautiful....better than how she looked while she was so sick.

 

[fourmcds]

John...thanks for that link. That actually looks like a cool idea for a doorbell so you never get sick of one.

V...life is still very crazy here. We are living amongst boxes, piles of things and a big mess. The house is almost ready to move in...and we will be spending our first night there on Friday We are so excited. We are moving in this weekend.

Hopefully over the next few weeks I can come back and DIS again from my new home.

Shrimp....love them....love RL cheese biscuits.... but I am more of a lobster fan. Jaide always chooses RL for her bday dinner! We had mexican tonight although the talk of seafood has me craving that now. I don't think we have eaten at home in a few weeks and probably won't until august 10 when all the new appliances get delivered!

have a great night/weekend everyone.