There are so many little things... but I do have one story that to me says it all for
DCL and the kind of company they are. If you have heard this already, I apologize!
Our first cruise on the Magic for my little boy and I, we were lucky enough to have Ernie Sabella -- voice of Puumba -- sailing at the same time. He is *the* nicest man, by the way -- so down to earth. I love him on That's So Raven.
In the Oceaneer's Club, they were given little travel-size pillows to color at Goofy's Giggle Gala, and they just happened to have pictures of Timon & Puumba on them. My son spent a lot of time coloring it just right, and was very proud of it, and I thought it would be neat to bring it to the autograph session with Mr. Sabella the next day. He didn't even know they were giving out those pillows, and he thought it was the neatest thing... he was really excited. He happily signed it, and spoke to my little boy in his Puumba voice, and the pillow instantly became a treasured item for my son.
Come debarkation morning, that had to be the one item that was forgotten. I realized it at breakfast, and ran back to the stateroom, but they had already cleared everything out.
I was told to check back with lost & found in a week or so. I checked every week for a good while, then finally gave up, much to my little boy's dismay.
I decided to call DCL, just to see if they had a way for me to buy another pillow so my little boy could at least color a new one, the way you can order things you wished you had bought in the parks from Merchandising. She was very nice and told me she would see what she could do. She called back about a week later, saying that the children's program was sending a new pillow ashore when they next docked, and that she would mail it to me at no cost at all. I was flabbergasted and so grateful.
It turns out that right at that time, Mr. Sabella was sailing again, with his mother for Mother's Day. They actually brought him one of the pillows, explained the situation, and he graciously autographed it all over again in just the same way -- "To Tyler Dean, with love from Puumba." I opened that package and just cried, I couldn't believe it.
And that, along with about a million other reasons, is why I cruise Disney.
-gina-
