Placeholder benefits expiration

[CTCruiser221]

FYI….. just off the phone with Costco to change my onboard booking placeholder (w/ discount and onboard credit) to a new Wonder cruise that was newly announced. I was originally booked on the Hawaii cruise, but knew we weren’t cruising, and wanted to wait out until early 2023 was announced.

Apparently, the placeholder benefits are only good until sailings by September 2022. I was under the impression everything was extended with their cruise date flexibility (like it was before) and we now had until May 2023 to sail, but Disney told the Costco travel agent otherwise. So, unfortunately, I had to cancel and lose a coveted old school placeholder.

Has anyone else experienced this yet?

Below is directly from Disney Cruise website. I still am confused as it says nothing about placeholder reservations, and I was able to change twice before retaining the benefits.


For any sailings on or before May 31, 2022, you can change your sail date up to 15 days prior to departure.

Important Details

• Guests scheduled to sail on or before May 31, 2022 may take advantage of this offer.
• Guests who wish to change their sail date must move their sail date to one that commences prior to May 31, 2023. Standard prevailing rates will apply. Future cruise credits cannot be applied to the Disney Wish maiden voyage.
• Guests cannot change their reservation back to the original sail date after taking advantage of this offer.
• Should you cancel your new sail date, cancellation fees will be the greater of: a) cancellation fees that would have been applicable to the original sail date; or b) cancellation fees applicable to the new sail date.
• Standard air cancellation fees apply for Guests who booked flights through Disney Cruise Line.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

I don’t remember when they made the announcement but it was that all Covid FCC and any placeholders that were created before returning to sail 8/21 all expire end of September (end of Fiscal year) of 2022.

Any placeholders created after 8/21 and Wish FCC expire beyond then.

Even cruisers on the cancelled Wish that had Covid FCC or a placeholder couldn’t get an extension.

Its definitely murky water with cancellations between now and end of Sept because they can fall under the Covid policies but then don’t..

 

[HiStitch626]

When did you make the original placeholder? Those are good for 24 months.
If it was to expire during the time that DCL was not sailing, that's where the extension came in.
The information you quoted does have more flexibility to change the date of the cruise but does not alter the parameters of the placeholder.

 

[happycamper47]

Did you select a "black out" date for the new cruise? Here's the terms and conditions.

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/guest-services/future-cruise-onboard-offer/

 

[n2mm]

I have several extended placeholders w/obc. I wanted to push them out past 9/2022 but dcl said no. I’ve not seen anyone successfully push it out any further. My daughter canceled her cruise last week and lost her old placeholder because she couldnt take it past 9/2022. they wouldn’t let her keep it for a new cruise, so she just canceled.

 

[lanejudy]

Apparently, the placeholder benefits are only good until sailings by September 2022.

This is true for placeholders purchased prior to the shutdown. They must be used by Sept. 2022.

The "flexibility" extension to May 2023 allows a reservation already within the penalty period to be pushed out and waive the penalty. It doesn't extend other benefits such as placeholders or FCC (and actually, it is quite restrictive in terms of future changes/cancellation).

 

[CTCruiser221]

I don’t remember when they made the announcement but it was that all Covid FCC and any placeholders that were created before returning to sail 8/21 all expire end of September (end of Fiscal year) of 2022.

Any placeholders created after 8/21 and Wish FCC expire beyond then.

Even cruisers on the cancelled Wish that had Covid FCC or a placeholder couldn’t get an extension.

Its definitely murky water with cancellations between now and end of Sept because they can fall under the Covid policies but then don’t..

I must have missed this announcement about the placeholders too.

My placeholder was originally purchased in August 2019 (before they changed the terms and benefits soon thereafter). I used it to book a cruise in 2021, and then changed that to the Hawaii cruise in 2022, retaining all benefits. I tried to change to April 2023 (based on the information I read on the website) but was told those benefits would expire in September 2022.

I don’t think it was a blackout date that I chose, but it doesn’t matter since I was mainly trying to retain the benefits of onboard booking which apparently expire September 2022.

 

[CTCruiser221]

This is true for placeholders purchased prior to the shutdown. They must be used by Sept. 2022.

The "flexibility" extension to May 2023 allows a reservation already within the penalty period to be pushed out and waive the penalty. It doesn't extend other benefits such as placeholders or FCC (and actually, it is quite restrictive in terms of future changes/cancellation).

Thank you for this explanation. I guess I was giving Disney more credit than they are worth.

 

[cvjw]

Yep. We used an old school placeholder in October and lost the other one since my kids didn’t want to sail DCL before the 9/22 expiration. I really wasn’t that bummed about it, it was only the $200 OBC that we lost. We have other placeholders that still get the 10%.