Response from DCL about the CG problems

[toadman]

I received a phone call this morning from the person in charge of youth activities on both ships. She told me they had followed the entire thread in the DISBoards -- which, contrary so some opinion, did contain about 8 cases of people who had experienced the same sort of cruise that we experienced -- and had followed up with a thorough investigation. This is the result:

1) The Dating game is a planned DCL activity for 15-17 year olds and is fully scripted. The current staff on the Wonder was not following the script and had asked ad-lib questions inappropriate to Disney standards. This has been corrected.

2) The younger kids were supposed to have had a separate activity which was not held and they were NOT supposed to be allowed to remain in the room. This has been corrected. Actually, it is the older teens who are supposed to leave CG and go to another room for the Dating Game leaving the CG for the yonger kids.

3) The issue with smoking rules has been reinforced with the CG staff. The Disney rules were not, apparently, clearly laid out on some of the cruises.

So, to those of you who claimed I was imagining or exhagerating or that I was alone in my complaints, I consider this my parting volley to you all. I had legitimate beefs about real issues, they were validated on this board numerous times, they have been researched and validated by DCL, and I certainly believe the DCL representative when she me told that it would not happen again.

As I said in earlier posts, I believe we were dealing with an issolated group of CMs who were not strictly following the guidelines and the issue has been resolved. I would not hesitate to take my dd back on the Wonder following this morning's conversation. I would, however, take my laptop and get some work done from my stateroom while overlooking the ocean.

 

[peg2001]

Toadman,

Thank you for your original post and your complete follow-up, both with DCL and by posting your results. I hated to see posts suggesting that your DD probably just made it up or that you were blowing it out of proportion. Thank you for sticking to your guns and following up to let us know the true story.

Peggy

 

[kendall]

Thanks for posting the resolution to this issue. I think the DCL investigation as reported by the rep was thorough and the problems identified and hopefully remedied. If DCL isn't informed of the problems, they can't fix them. I applaud DCL for sharing the results of their investigation. I too am glad you followed through toadman!

 

[KaitlinsMom]

kudos to you toadman - thanks for making us aware of a situation and for following through to make sure DCL was aware as well - Thank you for sharing information about the phone conversation you had with them today -

Karen

 

[SC Minnie]

Thanks for the update. As I stated in your original post DCL can't fix a problem if they don't know about it.

It looks like you went through the correct channels and they did investigate and came back with the same conclusion. The activites were not sanctioned by DCL. I am glad they are correcting the problem and/or reinforcing the guidelines originally set up for CG.

 

[mmouse37]

Thank you for posting your response from DCL. I am glad is was not "normal" behavior for the Wonder and I am very glad that DCL is following up.

Thanks again.

MJ

 

[toadman]

Originally posted by kendall
Thanks for posting the resolution to this issue. I think the DCL investigation as reported by the rep was thorough and the problems identified and hopefully remedied. If DCL isn't informed of the problems, they can't fix them. I applaud DCL for sharing the results of their investigation. I too am glad you followed through toadman!

I, for one, was surprised by the reponse. I deal with third-party vendors all the time and problems are generally dealt with by denial or blamed on the user (us) or they get lost in the bureaucracy entirely. In this case, DCL acknowledged that they found some problems and were very adamant that the problems had been addressed.

They so impressed me, I've already booked on the April 26 Western Cruise on the Magic for my dd's bday. Yes, I'll hate it again -- this time for 7 days -- but I'll take my work with me and sit on the veranda with my laptop.

 

[PammyK]

Well of course you'll hate it if you already plan to do so!

Might I suggest that instead of planning to have a miserable time, you see if anyone else from the DIS is going to be on the cruise so you can possibly get to know them before the trip and then have some adults to do things with? It definitely helps to know other adults on the ship before you go. It might make the trip more enjoyable for you that way.

Honestly, I hope that you enjoy your next cruise and find some activities that fit your life choices.

 

[toadman]

Originally posted by PammyK
Well of course you'll hate it if you already plan to do so!

Honestly, I hope that you enjoy your next cruise and find some activities that fit your life choices.

You're probably right. Plus, on the 7 day cruise, with the lengths of time in port at Key West and Cozumel, I'll probably be able to find fishing excursions in addition to the one at Castaway Cay. Fishing is a nice do-it-by-yourself activity.

It would be nice if DCL planned nightly singles events that didn't always involve dancing. Charades, group pictionary, a family feud type game, group Trivial Pursuit, etc. Such events dont really require people knowing each other that well. I realize that finding space to do this on the boat would be an issue. Just a thought for those sailing alone.

 

[Michelle]

Thank you for the update, toadman, as I told you privately I was quite confident that DCL was investigating this and would respond. I'm glad they contacted you and the issue has been resolved. I hope you enjoy your future cruise. We found PLENTY of adult activities on our cruise and even if I was traveling alone I would have felt comfortable enjoying them. There are LOTS of adult games and activites that don't involve dancing on the 7-night cruise.

 

[toadman]

Originally posted by WebmasterMichelle
Thank you for the update, toadman, as I told you privately I was quite confident that DCL was investigating this and would respond. I'm glad they contacted you and the issue has been resolved. I hope you enjoy your future cruise. We found PLENTY of adult activities on our cruise and even if I was traveling alone I would have felt comfortable enjoying them. There are LOTS of adult games and activites that don't involve dancing on the 7-night cruise.

Yes, I'm convinced by the phone call that the matter has been resolved.

I'll take your word for it since you've been there and done that. Are the Navigators published in advance? Are they the same for all 7 day cruises? Can I get them in advance?

I've been looking over the excursions for the 7 day cruise and they are MUCH more extensive than the 3 day in Nassau (what a tourist pit). Moreover, there are actually things we like to do together such as horse-back riding and dolphin swims. I think this one will go much better, thank you. I like the submarine excursions but the dd wont go on them.

 

[peagreenid]

I just had clients return from Cozumel on a cruise and they booked with 3 Hermanos fishing charter, and absolutely raved about it. I searched for their website and I am attaching the link....

http://www.cozumelfishing.com/


smiles Patty

 

[toadman]

Originally posted by peagreenid
I just had clients return from Cozumel on a cruise and they booked with 3 Hermanos fishing charter, and absolutely raved about it. I searched for their website and I am attaching the link....

http://www.cozumelfishing.com/


smiles Patty

Wow! And they are inexpensive too. Half a day for all three of us for 300? I think even the kids would enjoy a change to pull in a Marlin or Sailfish. If not, I'd still do it alone or try to find someone on board to split the boat fee.

I was limiting my choices to the offshore excursions, it's great to get other resources.

 

[wovenwonder]

The Navigators do not change too much from week to week. Dave has some sample Navigators posted on his website at
www.dcltribute.com

another good one to get info is
www.castawayclub.com

Enjoy your 7 day cruise in April!

 

[Gillian]

I'm glad this worked out to your satisfaction Now you can relax & have a great time planning your cruise. Even my plan-it-as-you're-doing-it DH loved reading the Navigators ahead of time

 

[BenStone]

How in the heck did I miss this?

So, to those of you who claimed I was imagining or exhagerating or that I was alone in my complaints, I consider this my parting volley to you all. I had legitimate beefs about real issues, they were validated on this board numerous times, they have been researched and validated by DCL, and I certainly believe the DCL representative when she me told that it would not happen again.

Telling the truth, eh Toadman? Who woulda thunk it. Now I remember a whole lotta people on the debate board that called you all sorts of names while impugning your character. One would think they could have the common decency to at least apologize for their error. Don't hold your breath.

Thanks for the update!

BenStone

 

[toadman]

Originally posted by BenStone
How in the heck did I miss this? Telling the truth, eh Toadman? Who woulda thunk it. Now I remember a whole lotta people on the debate board that called you all sorts of names while impugning your character. One would think they could have the common decency to at least apologize for their error. Don't hold your breath.

Yeah, and I have about as much chance of that as finding a set of keys to a black/tan Z8 in my stocking this year!

Thanks for the update!

You are most welcome.

 

[SC Minnie]

Do join in on a thread of DISers for your Western cruise and go to any meets. We met a few people we still keep in contact with. There may be another single parent DISer going that you may have similar interest with. On the October cruise we had 3 sets of DISers at our table. We had our reservations linked ahead of time. It helped the conversation flow better because we already kind of knew each other. Keep an open mind and don't let the negative comments you received on your original post put a bad taste in your mouth about the people on this board.

 

[toadman]

Originally posted by SC Minnie
Do join in on a thread of DISers for your Western cruise and go to any meets. We met a few people we still keep in contact with. There may be another single parent DISer going that you may have similar interest with. On the October cruise we had 3 sets of DISers at our table. We had our reservations linked ahead of time. It helped the conversation flow better because we already kind of knew each other. Keep an open mind and don't let the negative comments you received on your original post put a bad taste in your mouth about the people on this board.

You can do that? Ask to be seated with specific people? On our last cruise, I couldn't even get dinner changed from 8:30 to 6:30 but that was ON the cruise, not beforehand.

Oh, I've already heard from a few other people who are going to be on that cruise. Including a couple and a single mom.

Thanks!

 

[SC Minnie]

Yes, you have to have their reservation numbers and all be in same seating. You can link those reservations and be seated with people you already know. Closer to your cruise date you can see if anyone is interested in linking dinner #'s and go from there.

Good luck. Hopefully this upcoming cruise will be much better.