oct cruise cancelled

[herrbeeb]

disney is a media conglomerate. the resorts/dcl represent less than 25% of ther total revenues. i know our perspective is that of loyal disney customers but from a business viewpoint the damage caused by this decision is only a drop in the bucket.

i don't suggest that their action is justified but apart from the impact on those actually affected the consequences are probably minimal. disney's poor efforts to accomodate or compensate the oct sailers is evidence of their lack of concern.

just my opinion.

herrbeeb

 

[Cara]

P.S. WDWguru, I just wanted to say that you are handling this entire fiasco with true grace. I hope you have a magical vacation!

 

[suwoogie]

Here's the update. DCL offered to pay the change fee in our airline tickets, but I asked them instead to put us up at a hotel the night before the cruise and get us to the port the next day. That way I didn't have to mess around with changing airline ressies. I got airline tickets with frequent flyer points and there is no way to get flights this late. They agreed. He got us a room at the Hyatt Airport and the shuttle will get us to the port the next morning.

I also had to juggle the reservations at the Beach Club Villa dates because now our cruise is at the front end of the trip instead of the back end. I just got confirmation that they got the Boardwalk for us instead of the Beach Club. That is fine with me.

All in all it worked out ok. I guess tonight I will sleep because last night I did not. And I'm exhausted from this!

 

[Greysword]

I am grateful to everyone that they have these boards to vent on, as I am sure it helps to let the stress out and know that others are behind you.

With that, I am curious what the bottom line for everyone is?

1) Are you truely going to boycott Disney (the whole shooting match) for the rest of your days? Will your children grow up hearing how pittiful this company is and how poorly it treats their customers, never to experience the magic that is produced by the myriad of CMs across the world?

2) Are you going to mail the execs at DCL a letter expressing your dis-satisfaction with their decision in this matter? In the letter will you be poignant or simply threatening? What would you expect as an outcome from this action?

3) Will you simply boycott DCL only and enjoy the other products this corporation offers, never to sail on the Magic and Wonder again? Will you miss watch your children slide down the Mickey Pool and instead choose another line that has a casino, cigar bars, and other things that Disney omits to create a safe feeling for their parental customers? How much impact do you think this will have on their business decisions?

4) Will you be back on the board in a week (or even a few days) forgetting this ever happened untilt he next time, when we can mention this event as a war story for the next group of DCL DISers?

Just curious what everyone's bottom line actions will be.

Thanks for listeneing!

 

[siily047]

well I can tell you what my bottom line is , although we live in fl very close to disney we wont be going , we have gone in the past and really over the years its just not what it use to be as for the cruise part we havent been on one yet we were planning on going with my family for our first cruise and theirs on the cruise that got cancelled , so instead of going disney cruise we will be taking either a RCL or one of the other nice cruises that are out there. disney is not the end all be all that it use to be there are many fine theme parks out there now not like when it started all those many years ago. back then disny was the only one now there are many. I feel that given this situation my money is better spend on someplace that promise a lot but has fail to deliver in our case. and since we havent yet been on a disney cruise we wont know what were missing and neither will the kids. even my daughter who has been to many theme parks all over the country wasnt that impressed with the disney one's here in florida she like busch gardens better. just goes to show you , disney used to be great but not so much anymore . others will maybe not like what I've said and that fine for them but I do enjoy these boards for the useful information I get on everything . thanks for listening to me

 

[WDWguru]

Thanks, Cara, for the kind words. We are usually "go with the flow" types, so while it was a huge shock, we do have some perspective on the situation and things have worked out okay.

As for my bottom line, I do plan to write professional letters to DVC and DCL simply outlining my viewpoint and how I think things were handled. If they choose to do anything with that, it is in their hands. We are AP holders, we own 700 DVC points and we own stock.

Will I be hesitant to book a cruise in the future? Probably. Will I do it anyway? That will depend on how well we like the experience in October compared with what we had to go through. Do I have a little more cynical view of Disney because of this? Absolutely. Have I told everyone I know, the same people who come to me for advice when they want to make a Disney trip, about this? You bet. Will I stop going to WDW and sell my DVC points? No. Despite this hiccup, the magic is still there for me, at least where the parks are concerned.

I've been on cruises before but not DCL, so I have no preconceived notion of what it should be like, aside from assuming it may be similar to experiences at the resorts and parks. My experience on the trip itself will determine my view of the cruise line, and they've got some making up to do. I also believe that a company's character is proven not by whether they make mistakes, but by how they handle those mistakes when they inevitably happen. Thus far, while the move itself was classless, the cast members we have dealt with have done a terrific job of advocating for us.

 

[aprilgail2]

I have also written a letter to Disney about the cancelled cruise...got back the same type form letter as everyone else but I felt better writing it. I feel sorry for all you guys that had your cruise cancelled!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Originally posted by WDWguru
I also believe that a company's character is proven not by whether they make mistakes, but by how they handle those mistakes when they inevitably happen. Thus far, while the move itself was classless, the cast members we have dealt with have done a terrific job of advocating for us.

Your attitude is to be commended. Good for you!

 

[jiminyC_fan]

A friend of mine called DCL about the situation and was told by DCL that the cruise was not cancelled just chartered and that they were calling people to encourage them to switch. I would love for Suwoogle and WDWGuru to address this issue with DCL. From what I read here, that was not an option. I think that is Disney playing with words and skirting around the truth. Were you given an option to keep the same ressies????

 

[traycie2201]

HA not cancelled , right technically the cruise is still going ahead and isn't cancelled however as you rightly point out this is skirting the issue, thousands of people have had their long awaited holiday plans cancelled , never mind calling people and encouraging them to switch , that implies that they have a choice and they don't , come on disney sort it out !

 

[gonna go cruising]

I wrote but have not received a reply as of yet. As I understood it from the posters who were cancelled, they were not given the option of staying on. I did address that issue that DCL should at least give the option but chances are no one would want to be on a chartered cruise and feel left out of everything.

I wonder when this will hit the press? Or will it at all?

 

[WDWguru]

Nope, we were not given the option to stay on the cruise. I wouldn't have wanted to anyway, judging by the experiences of some I've read here and elsewhere. Apparently when there is a large group on the ship, they tend to act like they own it.

When DH spoke to the cast member, he told her he had heard about the cruise being chartered online. She told him it had indeed been "chartered" -- using that word -- then proceeded to go through rebooking options. Staying on the same ship was not even mentioned.

 

[suwoogie]

CANCELLED was what I was told. The CM on the phone said my October 28th cruise was cancelled. I asked how can Disney do that? He said someone booked the entire ship.

 

[marley]

For those of you who were booked on this cruise, I would like to say how sorry I am that DCL did this.

I am the next sailing after this cruise, October 31st, and would have been BEYOND livid if our cruise was cancelled. I have had this cruise planned for 765 days and have spent months coordinating 3 different sets of family members from all over the country to join us. My kids have been counting down since day one and they would have been crushed not to celebrate Halloween on DCL.

For those of us who truly love all things Disney, we excitedly plan and countdown months for these trips and we look forward to sharing our love of Disney with our friends and family. When something like this happens, it is very disappointing and it causes me personally to lose a little of the "magic".

Marley

 

[BriarRosie]

Originally posted by two-foxes

If this was my cruise that was cancelled, after the screaming and picking up the pieces of what was left of my phone and or computer (whatever the messenger was!), I would be taking advantage of whatever offers DCL was offering, running to my boss to put in another vacation request or see where RCCL was sailing for that same date. I would be damned if it would ruin a good time that I had planned....be it DCL or not, sunshine and beaches would be in order! (Easier said than done, I know, but a vacation would be happening!)

That's exactly what I did when I had my cruise canceled. It wasn't a Disney cruise. I had booked on RCCL, and I ended up on Carnival.

On my only Disney cruise, Castaway Cay was aborted as a cruise port due to inclement weather creating monster waves!
Yes, I was disappointed as it was the only port I had never been to already, but I still enjoyed the unscheduled extra day at sea.

I still love to cruise, but I will think twice before booking another one in January.

 

[cjsmith]

I hope this does hit the press. I find it atrocious that Disney cancelled the cruise on those who had already booked. Expecting people to be gracious in light of the fact that they probably already arranged vacation from work, airfare, etc. was ridiculous on their part. I understand that DCL is a business. However, if the cruise is already partially booked, then it is already partially booked. If they choose to kick people off their booked cruise, then DCL should do something incredibly special for these customer. Cancelling due to inclement weather, national tragedy, norwalk virus or anything along these lines are one thing, they have no choice. This time Disney had a choice and choose to put $ and this company that booked over the loyal guests who return again and again.
To me it's just one more way that Disney is going down hill. We spend a lot of time at Disney World, about 25 nights per year and we're taking a break. I notice more cuts, less attention paid to cleanliness, and less of the "specialness" that was Disney.
It's time that Eisner left!

 

[HooKooDooKu]

I don't even see how DCL's decision could even be a good business decision.

For the decision to even make good business scense, the company that chartered the whole ship would have to:

1. ...pay at least as much as the paying public was going to pay.

2. ...pay for all of the additional costs DCL will incur (paying for bumped passengers expenses).

3. ...pay extra beyond all that to justify the bad publicity they will have to over-come (and they will over-come it in the long run).

Any company willing to spend that much money to charter a Disney Ship sounds like a company that isn't being a good steward of their company to their share-holders.

So I wonder if there isn't something more than just money that is greesing the wheels of this deal? (Example, is the boat being chartered by a cronie of Eisner who's daughter wants a huge private wedding on a Disney Boat?)

 

[WDWguru]

As a professional courtesy (I work for a newspaper myself), I just dropped a note to the guy who covers WDW at the Orlando Sentinel. We'll see what happens.

 

[cjsmith]

Let us know if you find out anything.

 

[jmminarik]

Originally posted by ducklite
I TOTALLY disagree with this. If it were my family, we all have AP's. When we cruised on DCL, it was in Cat 3, and there's no way that a room at the All Stars could even begin to compare. It would be an insult! The closest thing that WDW would have to a Cat 3 on DCL would be a one bedroom suite at the YC/BC/BWI.

In addition, we go to WDW three, four, even five times a year, so if our cruise was cancelled, a stay at WDW in an All Star resort wouldn't exactly be an equitable solution.

I'd want a full refund, including all airfare, pre-paid hotel rooms, etc., and a coupon for a free cruise in the same category with up to three years to use it.

Anne

Well, I totally disagree with your position, but I didn't mean to insult you by giving you a free room at walt disney world. A free room, free passes on property and your money back is IMNSHO a fair option for people who can not otherwise change their vacations. Other than food, transportation and discretionary spending, it's a free vacation to WDW. Will Royal Carribean offer that? Is it a catagory 3 cruise? No. Is it more feasible from a financial viewpoint of management, probably. With so many screaming bloody murder and how everyone who's bumped is now entitled to something, I was just offering one possible, practical solution to the problem.

-Joe