Problems with 1/15/05 Magic cruise

[dwkwootton]

MickeyB426, buy it, don't buy it, whatever works for you.

You really aren't Sherlock Holmes though, you haven't caught me, cornered me or exposed me as the Vacation Bandito. My picture isn't plastered all over vacation destinations warning them of this sly old dog.

I would think its difficult to vomit from a laying down position. I'd think that crouching or kneeling would be easier and safer. I don't think it was seasickness, but wasn't that what happened to Mama Cass from the Mamas and Papas?

 

[dwkwootton]

WebmasterRegina, applause on one of the most insightful posts made in days.

 

[MickeyB426]

Hey guys, we all know that a cruise itinerary can change at the drop of a hat.

Every single one of us who has missed a port/s is entitled to feel disappointed, and I have no problem with letting that be expressed. I never have and I never will.

I wish that when this happens that you'd step back and think "you know, they just got back, it didn't go the way they expected, let them vent a bit."

Why don't we just let them get it off their chest rather than turn this into an ongoing debate that's only going to create hard feelings?

That's all. I'm putting the soapbox back in storage. Please resume your regularly scheduled thread.

AndMickeyB426, they didn't vomit, they had "protein spills."

And what a protein spill it was!

Seriously, this isn't about venting. Venting is always OK. But almost two weeks after the fact, people still want "restitution". That irks me.

 

[cjsmith]

I'm older than dirt at this point and probably look worse, but in all these years this is the first time I feel that some type of restitution is in order, including 7 other Disney Cruises and 20 or 30 times at Disney World.

QUOTE]

dwkwootton, I'm not being mean, just asking a question as I may have missed a post from you. Most of the posts that I have read, including those from you, mentioned wanting compensation because of missing 2 ports Grand Cayman & Castaway Cay. I don't remember reading any posts from you complaining about service really, but then again, I may have missed them. Do you feel restitution is in order because you missed the ports?
Most of the threads really seem to focus in on missing the ports, there are few complaining about some CM's not being able to work due to the flu, but most of the disappointment seemed to be with the issue of the ports.

 

[Regina]

Just a thought, perhaps it wouldn't have gone on this long had it not turned into an argument. Let's face it, once a disagreement surfaces, it can go on ad nauseam (sorry to use a phrase associated with nausea.)

Some of you didn't have a problem with how the cruise turned out, some of you did. That's simply how it goes. Agreeing to disagree isn't the worst thing in the world and it's the only way that I know of to bring a difference of opinion to a friendly close.

Of course, there are always duels and walking the plank..........

 

[Ericandblueboy]

Seriously, this isn't about venting. Venting is always OK. But almost two weeks after the fact, people still want "restitution". That irks me.

Heaven forbid that you should open a thread without coercion and not like the contents.

 

[allears]

Allears, you stated something like "certainly this cruise didn't carry the challenges of the hurricane cruises" but two CM's I was chatting with found this cruise to be much worse than the hurricane cruises in terms of the challenges, weather, staffing, etc.

I'm older than dirt at this point and probably look worse, but in all these years this is the first time I feel that some type of restitution is in order, including 7 other Disney Cruises and 20 or 30 times at Disney World.

I thank you that you are being so much kinder today but its still really a downer to hear you almost lecturing us like we're just negative people for the sake of negativity and that we're looking for compensation just if the cruise didn't meet a particular expectation. You're not correct and you really shouldn't speak as though you know the inside scoop on another person's personality or character.

And I'm going to be quite blunt with you. I'm especially having trouble with your words when you have put yourself above them. You were sailing on a voucher issued to you for a problematic cruise. Had you opted to not cash in your voucher, even if I you and I remained in disagreement, I would be the first one to applaud and respect your deep principles.

I'm not really sure why you think my view of the cruise is any less valid than yours. The voucher did not pay for this trip, we paid for a 7 day cruise in September and got a 4 day cruise. So DCL gave us some of that back which we chose to spend on this cruise. If I had paid every cent, my experience would have been no less favorable. The cast members I spoke to didn't describe the same things as the ones you talked to. And my experience on the hurricane cruise was much more challenging than the challenges on this cruise, I think I'm entilted to that opinion. My point is we all have our experiences and not all of us agree that this was a miserable cruise worthy of compensation. And who was doing the lecturing this time?

Maybe now we've all gotten this to the point where the moderators will close this thread.

 

[MickeyB426]

MickeyB426, buy it, don't buy it, whatever works for you.

You really aren't Sherlock Holmes though, you haven't caught me, cornered me or exposed me as the Vacation Bandito. My picture isn't plastered all over vacation destinations warning them of this sly old dog.

I would think its difficult to vomit from a laying down position. I'd think that crouching or kneeling would be easier and safer. I don't think it was seasickness, but wasn't that what happened to Mama Cass from the Mamas and Papas?

Some people were laying down in the hallway. Others were vomiting in the hallway.

But that's alright. I'm just telling you what I think. And you're doing the same. That's fine by me.

 

[jazstar87]

Actually-- I'll start a new thread since this one has gone soooo long.

Sorry to get off topic.
What your thread? I tell you there my ok princess cruise.

 

[DancingBear]

dwkwootton, I'm not being mean, just asking a question as I may have missed a post from you. Most of the posts that I have read, including those from you, mentioned wanting compensation because of missing 2 ports Grand Cayman & Castaway Cay. I don't remember reading any posts from you complaining about service really, but then again, I may have missed them. Do you feel restitution is in order because you missed the ports?
Most of the threads really seem to focus in on missing the ports, there are few complaining about some CM's not being able to work due to the flu, but most of the disappointment seemed to be with the issue of the ports.

To be fair, dwkwootton has specifically mentioned (1) 2 of 6 activities CMs were down with the flu, which presumably impacted the activities schedule, and (2) not enough adult activities on the additional at sea days. At least one poster has argued that they are entitled to compensation solely for missing Castaway Cay, regardless of the reason.

 

[cjsmith]

To be fair, dwkwootton has specifically mentioned (1) 2 of 6 activities CMs were down with the flu, which presumably impacted the activities schedule, and (2) not enough adult activities on the additional at sea days. At least one poster has argued that they are entitled to compensation solely for missing Castaway Cay, regardless of the reason.

Thanks DancingBear, that's why I asked the question as I had missed the posts. Frankly I never think that there is enough adult activites on any of the sea day on Disney, it's one of my pet peeves with Disney. But as everyone points out to me, Disney seems to be more geared toward the children and family activities.

To be fair, there's also been so many cruises when CM's are down with the flu or a cold on cruises during the winters, remember when the Norwalk virus hit a few years ago, it was horrible. As my 16 daughter is home very sick with the flu with her 3rd missed day of school, (the dr did the flu test and it came back positive yesterday) I realize just how quickly and easily anyone can get the flu, no matter what precautions you take.

I think what it boils down to is everyone needs to have realistic expectation sanytime you take a cruise. When you cruise during hurricane season you run the risk of a hurricane altering your cruise plans and/or giving you rough seas. When you cruise during flu and cold season you run the risk of not only getting the flu yourself but the staff coming down with it as well and it altering your cruise plans. Unlike on land, when on a cruise they can't call in off-duty (shall we say) Cast Members to cover like Disney World can! You run the risk of cold weather and rough seas during the winter months, especially in Florida and the Bahamas. There really isn't a picture perfect time to cruise as they are way too many things that can alter the cruise picture. Some cruises get hit with more things than other and when they do it's a shame. But weather, illness, and the like are all beyond Disney's control. If CM's are sick, then they're sick and there is nothing that Disney can do. If Disney starts compensating for one thing then they have to compensate for them all.
I had 20 foot swells on one of our cruises and spent the last couple of days ill as did many other passengers and staff. I hated that my cruise ended this way, I really did. It ruined my brunch at Palo (coudn't really eat and lost what I did, yuk!!)and I had to leave during my dinner there as well but I never thought to ask for my money back as Disney couldn't help the seas! Service was a little off because some CM's were sick, but hey, they coudln't help feeling just like I did. Even though the cruise ended this way, I still loved it and wish I was on it again.
I know everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. But with that you have to take the good and the bad when you post in a public forum. Just like everyone should be entitled to post their complaints, people should be allowed to post their disagreements about the complaints. I guess the topic of asking for compensation hits a nerve with a lot of people, me included only because I'm realistic to know that if Disney starts paying out for things beyond their control prices will go up for us and hey, I want to keep cruising Disney just like the rest of you all!!!

 

[karebear1]

Allears- not to speak for dwkwootton, but perhaps she feels as though because you were given some portion of the cruise your feelings might be different. Let me ask you this- I missed all the posts about the hurricane cruises- how did you feel when you were finished with that cruise? Were you disappointed? Did you feel as though you deserved compensation? Either way- presumably (?) you used that compensation to pay for a portion of this cruise. IF I was given a 50% (and please don't blow any of this out of proportion, I do not know what your discount was for this trip- I'm just pulling this number out of thin air) of the regular cost for this cruise- and we only stopped at 2 ports- I don't think I'd be all that upset about the cruise either. I think that could be part of her point.

dwkwootoon- PLease correct me if I am wrong.

 

[musicgirl]

Wow!!! What a hot one!!!

I must say thanks to Regina for the lighter side with the "protein spill".


I know it is fun to have scheduled activities, but what is wrong with slowing down a bit. I think it was Mary who mentioned this way, way back in this thread.

I loved sitting in the blue chairs, sitting on aft deck 7, reading my book in the rainforest, chatting with anyone willing-talking with adults!!!-sorry I teach k-12-I really enjoyed this. People watching was fun too.

I never got to play ping pong, play a game or 2 in the new sports bar. There are so many little things to do that don't need to be scheduled.

Why not just stop and smell the roses instead of worrying about the thorns.

 

[allears]

Allears- not to speak for dwkwootton, but perhaps she feels as though because you were given some portion of the cruise your feelings might be different. Let me ask you this- I missed all the posts about the hurricane cruises- how did you feel when you were finished with that cruise? Were you disappointed? Did you feel as though you deserved compensation? Either way- presumably (?) you used that compensation to pay for a portion of this cruise. IF I was given a 50% (and please don't blow any of this out of proportion, I do not know what your discount was for this trip- I'm just pulling this number out of thin air) of the regular cost for this cruise- and we only stopped at 2 ports- I don't think I'd be all that upset about the cruise either. I think that could be part of her point.

dwkwootoon- PLease correct me if I am wrong.

So are opinions are only valid if we paid full fare? We were issued our 40% cash refund, which I could have used any way I wanted. Each one of our party of 5 was issued a 25% discount voucher, three of which we couldn't use. We also paid for things on the ship, so we didn't go for free. But we were thrilled to have the opportunity to be on the ship again so soon and to be with each other.

As for our hurrican cruise; we plannded it for a year and a half. We had given the trip to two of my wife's elderly Aunts and were so excited to share this experience with them. One of them became ill and couldn't go, she has since passed. We were able to bring our other Aunt's son as a traveling companion. We planned and planned and looked very much forward to 7 days on the Disney Magic. And a week or two before we left we found out that we were upgraded from a CAT 4 to a CAT 3, so we were really looking forward to a week in a suite and all of the perks that were coming along with it, like priority boarding. As it turned out we spent two and a half days in a hotel in Orlando hunkered down during Hurricane Jeanne. We didn't get on the the ship until 8:30 Monday evening.

But you know what, we had an awesome time. We made the most of our time together in the hotel, enjoying some really great family time without the distractions of the rest of our lives. Once on board we just had a blast. To top things off our best friends were moved from the Wonder to the Magic because of the changes. Their middle daughter had just successfully finished a year of battling cancer and was on a wish trip. So we got to spend those 4 days with them as well. Nope, things didn't go as planned and there were some dissapointmenst, but it was a great trip and we thought DCL did a phenominal job, in our humble opinion.


I have very high standards of what I expect as far as service goes. In our opinion Disney does things better than most anyone and our experiences on the ship have always exceeeded our expectations. I have never once said that people are not entitled to feel dissappointment over the changes in our cruise, I especially understand it for those who have never been to Castaway Cay and may never get there. So I would expect that those of us who had a great time and don't have significant service issues are enttiled to that opionas well, even if we didn't "pay" full fare. I only object to those who make it sound like everyone had a bad time and that their individual experiences were indiictive of all of our experiences. And yes I think the battle cry for compensation for missing ports and less than perfect weather is extreme.

 

[cjsmith]

Just because Allears used the voucher from the hurricane cruise doesn't mean that she should be willing to expect less. For all anyone knows the cruise actually ended up costing her more money because one of the posters could have been in a Cat 11 or 12 and Allears in a Cat 5 or above!

 

[allears]

Thanks cjsmith! And the voucher didn't entile us to a free trip, just a discount. We took the cash money DCL gave us and paid for this cruise. It was still money and you're right, our expectations were no lower because we had a discount voucher. In fact they might have been higher because we were looking forward to having the trip we didn't have in September, when we couldn't board in Port Canaveral, when we didn't go to Key West, Grand Cayman or Castwawy Cay. And since we were traveling without our kids, we were really looking forward to time on the adult beach. We simply chose to make the best of the situations we were delt, and I'm not sure why that's a bad thing.

 

[karebear1]

Allears- of course all views are valid- whether people pay a full fare or not. All I was trying to say is that you had come off a very disappointing cruise yourself and then used a credit (you lucky duck!) to take this cruise. Certainly this cruise was not as bad as your last. Plus, as you describe it, you had some wonderful events happen on this cruise for you. It's human nature to appreciate the extras you have ( your cash refund and voucher) and to not be so critical when those things are then benifiting you later. Do you get what I'm saying??? It's like going to an expensive steak house and having a really bad meal, so the restaurant comps your meal and then gives you a certificate for $25.00 your next meal. You want to take advantage of it, so you go back and try the place again. This time- the meal is good and to top it off- you got $25.00 off of that meal. You can appreciate it that meal for what it was. Your view of the cruise is no less valid as mine or dwk's. It's just coming from a different place then mine or hers. That's all.

cjsmith- I wasn't suggesting that she should expect less. Just goes to show ya how things can really be misinterpreted on a board when you don't know the person that is responding to you!

In any case- can I please say to everyone that whatever I write here is not meant to be mean spirited or make anyone feel bad. I am simply trying to close a gap that seems to be ever widening. But, I think I've had my run of this now! So- I'll see y'all again on onother DCL thread!

 

[cjsmith]

You know what, you are so right karebare1, it is so hard to really understand someone's tone without hearing it. I guess that's why putting things down in ink isn't always the best idea!!

 

[allears]

"Allears- of course all views are valid- whether people pay a full fare or not. All I was trying to say is that you had come off a very disappointing cruise yourself and then used a credit (you lucky duck!) to take this cruise. Certainly this cruise was not as bad as your last. Plus, as you describe it, you had some wonderful events happen on this cruise for you. It's human nature to appreciate the extras you have ( your cash refund and voucher) and to not be so critical when those things are then benifiting you later. Do you get what I'm saying???"

karebear1, I'm not sure I do understand what you're saying. And I don't want to come off agumentative with this, just trying to clarify. I never actually said I was disappointed in the September cruise, quite the contrary, it all worked out to be one of the biggest blessings of our lives. And we had a choice, to go then or re-schedule. DCL would have let us re-schedule with out a penalty, but we chose to go, also knowing that they were going to issue refunds. We came away from that cruise very happy indeed, and not because of the refund.

And while you might assume that we looked at this differently because we were on again thanks to the refund, I have to assure you that isn't the case. Again, that was cash we had to spend any where we wanted, we chose to spend in on the DCL. And the fact is we had an awesome time. We were disappointed at missing Grand Cayman and Castaway Cay. However, our experience with the cast and crew was nothing short of fantastic. We are just of the opinion that they did do a great job making changes. We personally never felt like there was a staffing shortage, though we know our head server took over some tables for one of his people who was down with the flu. We enjoyed our interactions with the cast members. We loved being in 70 degree weather verses the 15 degrees at home. And most of all my wife and I enjoyed being togehter, with out our children, with out our jobs and with out all of the things that compete for our time.

I understand the disappointment of my fellow passengers, but I do object to tones of some of the posts that make it sound like the whole week was miserable for everyone, except us because we had a voucher. I don't think there was a rampant breakdown of services or accross the board issues. I'm sure, as with every trip, someone may have had some truly significant issues, they should be handled appropirately by the company, as I expect they will be.

 

[dwkwootton]

You sure can miss alot when you don't have computer access for a few hours! Anyway, I'll try my best to answer all the questions. Please, if I miss yours, its not meant to be an oversight. And although I usually try to be name specific where called for, again I'm not trying to slight anyone.

To the people that spoke for me, I have no major corrections to make and in many cases you were really able to understand how I felt. Thank you.

To the one poster in particular who spoke for me, specifically about my disappointment with short staffing & adult activites being the kicker for me as opposed to missed ports and bad weather ... you and I have gone a couple rounds and I know that you and I disagree, disagree strongly actually ... I want you to know that I know that you did not have to do that and respect your integrity and honor. While we may continue to disagree, I admire your principles.

To the poster who called me bitter and sarcastic, we're one and one. I'm not bitter but I am sarcastic. I laugh alot, always have, and find sarcasm to be hilarious as well as sometimes useful in diffusing tempers. To me, a good laugh can be a good thing. My husband and I both cracked up during our wedding vows last spring when the minister made an error in the vows, alot of folks cracked up with us, some spoke with us afterward to explain that we should have been more solemn with our vows. Humor has always been the least subjective of the emotions. There will never be a right or wrong, just a personal preference.

To the poster who used a voucher this trip but felt that those of us who would like a voucher for a future cruise, I think your opinion of the 1-15 cruise is as valid as anyone's. Didn't mean that since you paid less, your opinion was worth less. I meant that I felt you could be more understanding in terms of the comparison of that you probably felt really good when you were treated to something special after your disappointment. I thought you'd be able to imagine how you would have felt if, after the disappointment, you were treated to no more than an attack on your character, yelled at that you should be happy you weren't in the path of the Tsunami, etc. I don't find you to be fair, in so far as, you felt righteous using a voucher but were downright vicious the other day toward those that felt a voucher was in order for them. As I said earlier today, I appreciate how much kinder you have been since but still find you arrogant by putting yourself in the role of judge. Maybe for you, the cruise was so good since it was (if I remember correctly) the first time you cruised alone with your spouse. Or maybe, you enjoy doing little more than sitting and relaxing all day ... and that is fine, but please stop telling those of us who are active people that 5 days with little more to do than eat and look at the water is the real meaning (or whatever) of a cruise. I'm an active person (and so is hubby) who doesn't overeat, after a couple days it got real old. Unrelated but important nonetheless, I offer my sympathy for the illnesses and losses you have experienced in the last year.

It was too windy for ping pong. Heaven knows we tried. Nope, not Disney's fault but Disney should have been in a position to offer an alternative. I do not feel that I should absorb the entire nut as far as illness on their staff. I expect them to absorb their portion. We still do not feel that an adult trivia match, a Texas Hold 'em tournament, a scrabble playoff (geez, anything!) or an adult matinee was too much to ask for. We remain firm in thinking that it is Disney's responsibility to have sufficent back up staffing.