So about this Hurricane - 10/7 Dream cancelled, 10/7 Magic Canadian, 10/8 now 10/9 Fantasy 6-night

[gotomu212]

Truly, I have given DCL or Disney my last penny. I just spoke with them, asked them to allow me to rebook on another DCL cruise (instead of traveling to FL and maneuvering through a hurricane). Nope. They are monitoring the situation and don't expect to make any updates until the day of departure. FUBAR. I'm platinum and have sailed with them tons of times. I will lose my money on this cruise - I'm not putting my family at best in a very anxious and inconvenient situation and at worse in harms way because the greedy idiots at Magical Cruise Company won't do the prudent and responsible thing. It is totally irresponsible to be advising anyone to travel into Central Florida for discretionary reasons right now.

You basically want the benefits that trip insurance provides without having bought it then.

I get that it's frustrating but they still have potential options to port in southern Florida (as they've done before) and they aren't going to cancel an entire cruise this far out based on unpredictable data. The Dream is in the Gulf now and depending when Matthew makes his turn in they aren't sailing through a hurricane to get to southern Florida.

 

[disneyholic family]

I am on the Dream Friday. Supposed to fly BOS-MCO at 7A on Wednesday AM. I spoke with DCL tonight, and they are not providing any new info. I really don't want to fly to FL for a 2-night or 1-night cruise.

I am an airline captain, and I get transportation, weather, you never really know what the storm is gonna do, yada yada, but - what YOU do, is take the safe, conservative approach, and err on the side of caution for the safety and customer satisfaction. No Disney doesn't control the weather, but they sure do control how they react to it, and what options they make available to their customers.

DCL is telling me that they do not yet know for sure how the storm will track (and nobody ever will know until the storm has passed). I don't argue as that is pretty much fact, but I would prefer DCL take a more pragmatic approach and rely on the official forecasts and models offered by NHC/NOAA. Regardless of where the actual track falls, any path within the cone (that has generally remained consistent for several days) spells major problems for a ship trying to make its way through the Florida straights returning to Port Canaveral - Read that, impossible.

Castaway Cay has been evacuated. A ship returning to Port Canaveral on Friday would be sailing through a hurricane which is not going to happen. Come on Disney, step-up and do the right thing. I know you don't want people cancelling, but this is a major, strengthening storm that will have devastating effects and unfortunately take many lives. Allow passengers booked on this cruise to make changes free of penalty. Don't wait for people to have to travel to Florida before you tell them what we already know now - That there is an extremely low probability that the Dream will depart PC on Friday as scheduled. Come on Disney, do you really need the money that bad?

i totally agree with you - in situations like the current one, DCL should give passengers the opportunity to cancel/change their cruise date without penalty..

in fact, several other cruise lines have permitted their passengers to do exactly that...

most people fly in at least a day early, sometimes two or three (coming from overseas, we always fly in 3 days early)..
given mathew, i would have wanted to change my cruise date to something in the future and not fly all that way (and into a hurricane) for nothing..

..

 

[North of Mouse]

Truly, I have given DCL or Disney my last penny. I just spoke with them, asked them to allow me to rebook on another DCL cruise (instead of traveling to FL and maneuvering through a hurricane). Nope. They are monitoring the situation and don't expect to make any updates until the day of departure. FUBAR. I'm platinum and have sailed with them tons of times. I will lose my money on this cruise - I'm not putting my family at best in a very anxious and inconvenient situation and at worse in harms way because the greedy idiots at Magical Cruise Company won't do the prudent and responsible thing. It is totally irresponsible to be advising anyone to travel into Central Florida for discretionary reasons right now.

Hear! Hear! Someone with some sense!!
As I was reading some of these posts, was just wondering just what are some people thinking? If Disney sails (against your (general) better judgement, safety) will people go anyway putting themselves in 'potential' harms way for 'money'?? Safety first with me, then work out the money terms later. JMO

I've seen cruise ships in distress during storms on video - not pretty by any means - no, thank you. I'm a southern girl that highly respects weather having been through several storms and in the 'cone' of uncertainty with this one. Stay safe everyone. Warnings in advance are for a reason, 'no' one knows exactly what will happen.

 

[PoopDeckPappy]

To expect DCL to allow people to cancel a cruise on Tuesday am for a Friday departure is unreasonable. I work in a hospital and we cancelled all elective OR cases once due to a huge snowstorm that was a guarantee hit...as of the morning before! Well guess what, it didn't happen. As of 6 am of the "devastating" storm my street hadn't even been plowed yet. We gave up a LOT of revenue that day. And it wasn't all made up at a later date (not even close). There is no harm in waiting until Wed to announce anything, even Thursday morning is understandable.
I don't blame anyone for assuming you're not traveling to PC for Friday. I wouldn't. For those who don't have trip ins (I never get it) check with your credit card co to see if they will do something if you wind up not going. Maybe they offer something.

 

[undertheradar]

Should the entire State of Florida "close" every time there is a forecast of a hurricane that may approach land? Trip insurance is available and it is a calculated risk if someone purchases it or not. Seeing as the airlines are some of the least willing entities to allow change, it is interesting that an airline employee is so upset that DCL is not allowing complementary changes at this time.

 

[Tim Heaslip]

Should the entire State of Florida "close" every time there is a forecast of a hurricane that may approach land? Trip insurance is available and it is a calculated risk if someone purchases it or not. Seeing as the airlines are some of the least willing entities to allow change, it is interesting that an airline employee is so upset that DCL is not allowing complementary changes at this time.[/

 

[carolina_yankee]

Hear! Hear! Someone with some sense!!
As I was reading some of these posts, was just wondering just what are some people thinking? If Disney sails (against your (general) better judgement, safety) will people go anyway putting themselves in 'potential' harms way for 'money'?? Safety first with me, then work out the money terms later. JMO

I've seen cruise ships in distress during storms on video - not pretty by any means - no, thank you. I'm a southern girl that highly respects weather having been through several storms and in the 'cone' of uncertainty with this one. Stay safe everyone. Warnings in advance are for a reason, 'no' one knows exactly what will happen.

What on earth would anyone expect DCL to do when there are no watches or warnings in place for the designated date of the sailing? The only way to 100% avoid a hurricane is to not sail during hurricane season.

Given the cost and inherit risks in cruise ship travel, trip insurance is a must. If conditions warrant a change, your policy will kick and you will be reimbursed. Moreso, if conditions warrant a change to the cruise affecting departure or itinerary, DCL will offer cancellations and rebooking in all likelihood. It just hasn't hit that point of decision making yet.

DCL is responsible for giving you a safe cruise to the extent they have control over factors affecting the cruise. They aren't responsible for planning your total vacation for you to cover all risks.

Dirk

 

[undertheradar]

Meanwhile, back in reality, the state of Florida is about to close.

The governor signed a state of emergency covering the entire state, not closing the state. Again, people have the option of purchasing insurance to protect from these kind of events.

 

[apmccartee]

Setting sail on Friday Disney Dream as well and wishing something would come out on what our options are. We are flying in from PVD on Thursday and as of now everything is a GO- Flight, Cruise. I'm starting to panic as it's a lot of money to lose if we cancel right now. Trying to hold out until DCL makes a decision on Friday's cruise. I'm assuming the cruise that is out there now is going to have a hard time getting back to PC on Friday which would delay our departure, if we even go. I Wish I could just cancel or rebook another cruise (not in hurricane season). We are DVC members and used out points for this and paid cash for the kids. There is a lot of money to lose if we cancel ourselves, but it certainly would put my mind at ease... Maybe something from DCL will come out later today but as of now, we have NO options other then taking the hit to our wallets ourselves. :-(

 

[hubbard53]

people have the option of purchasing insurance to protect from these kind of events.

people keep saying this but unless a cruise is cancelled altogether, the insurance wouldnt kick in, right? Even if the cruise simply sailed in a circle for three days, teh trip wasnt necessarily interrupted, right? And if the cruise IS cancelled, DCL will refund. I'm just not so sure insurance is the answer to the issues at hand as the "cancel for any reason" coverage seems to onyl cover 50% of the cost (at least the ones i've been researching)

 

[NS8VN]

Out of curiosity have any of the other major cruise lines canceled any of their sailings at this time? There seems to be a lot of "I will never sail Disney again" mentality going on but if they are not doing anything differently than other cruise lines then it seems you should be pointing a finger at the entire industry and not calling out a single line just because they are the ones you happened to be booked with when a hurricane formed.

 

[Tim Heaslip]

w

 

[wombat_5606]

There is a video on www.disneycruiselineblog.com that is from the National Hurricane Center. It seems to say that some additional information is going to be presented at 11am today. Those of you impacted may want to check into this.

 

[undertheradar]

people keep saying this but unless a cruise is cancelled altogether, the insurance wouldnt kick in, right? Even if the cruise simply sailed in a circle for three days, teh trip wasnt necessarily interrupted, right? And if the cruise IS cancelled, DCL will refund. I'm just not so sure insurance is the answer to the issues at hand as the "cancel for any reason" coverage seems to onyl cover 50% of the cost (at least the ones i've been researching)

I don't have all of the answers involving insurance, as there are too many options out there. Is 50% better than a total loss, that is up to each individual to decide. In my own experience, we lost almost $2500 last year when we had to cancel the second half of a back to back. Our primary employer was sold and the changeover took place on the Friday our 3 night cruise sailed. We took that but had to get back home without sailing on the 4 night. DCL allowed nothing!

 

[PoopDeckPappy]

Setting sail on Friday Disney Dream as well and wishing something would come out on what our options are. We are flying in from PVD on Thursday and as of now everything is a GO- Flight, Cruise. I'm starting to panic as it's a lot of money to lose if we cancel right now. Trying to hold out until DCL makes a decision on Friday's cruise. I'm assuming the cruise that is out there now is going to have a hard time getting back to PC on Friday which would delay our departure, if we even go. I Wish I could just cancel or rebook another cruise (not in hurricane season). We are DVC members and used out points for this and paid cash for the kids. There is a lot of money to lose if we cancel ourselves, but it certainly would put my mind at ease... Maybe something from DCL will come out later today but as of now, we have NO options other then taking the hit to our wallets ourselves. :-(

Don't cancel on your own whatever you do. You would be entitled to nothing if DCL had to cancel after you did. If they or the airline cancel on you you'd get a refund (maybe a credit at the worst, not sure of the terms). If you don't want to fly on Thurs than maybe move the flight to Friday. If you won't go either way maybe the airline will cancel on you and you'll get a refund. Also wait until the last possible minute before making any decision. It's only Tuesday and two days is a lot of time for the cruise/airline industry to make decisions. I hope your Thursday flight is later int he day as it gives you time to get info from the carriers.

 

[Jessirip]

people keep saying this but unless a cruise is cancelled altogether, the insurance wouldnt kick in, right? Even if the cruise simply sailed in a circle for three days, teh trip wasnt necessarily interrupted, right? And if the cruise IS cancelled, DCL will refund. I'm just not so sure insurance is the answer to the issues at hand as the "cancel for any reason" coverage seems to onyl cover 50% of the cost (at least the ones i've been researching)

I checked our plan purchased through Disney when booking (covered by Transamerica) and see that it covers up to 75% for a future cruise credit for the cancel for any reason. I'd rather gamble on spending an extra $250 for nothing then not to get thousands back for a future cruise. Of course I did this also because I have a 2 year old and 4 year old... not sure I would have if it was just us adults. Airfare is another story, but can be changed with some penalties depending on the type of ticket.

Just hoping that all in the path are OK at this point. In the grand scheme of things focusing on blessings that we only have to worry about our vacation rather than our livelihood or even our lives. It's scary.

 

[Ofinn]

Would trip insurance cover something like this? I would think unless you had "cancel for any reason insurance" it would not cover weather unless you were unable to fly to your destination. I always buy insurance, but I don't remember anything about being able to cancel due to bad weather.

 

[apmccartee]

Don't cancel on your own whatever you do. You would be entitled to nothing if DCL had to cancel after you did. If they or the airline cancel on you you'd get a refund (maybe a credit at the worst, not sure of the terms). If you don't want to fly on Thurs than maybe move the flight to Friday. If you won't go either way maybe the airline will cancel on you and you'll get a refund. Also wait until the last possible minute before making any decision. It's only Tuesday and two days is a lot of time for the cruise/airline industry to make decisions. I hope your Thursday flight is later int he day as it gives you time to get info from the carriers.

Thank You... I'm trying to hold out as long as I can. Our flight is later on Thursday so I will wait this one out as long as I can... Fingers crossed it works out for all.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

Out of curiosity have any of the other major cruise lines canceled any of their sailings at this time? There seems to be a lot of "I will never sail Disney again" mentality going on but if they are not doing anything differently than other cruise lines then it seems you should be pointing a finger at the entire industry and not calling out a single line just because they are the ones you happened to be booked with when a hurricane formed.

Royal and Carnival have similar posts. Sounds like decisions will be made tonight and tomorrow. Such an unfortunate situation. Wishing everyone the best.

"At this time, all of our ships are sailing as scheduled and are not impacted by the storm’s path. Our nautical operations team has identified alternate routes for ships that are scheduled to sail near where the storm may pass later this week and into the weekend, in the event that itineraries need to be adjusted to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all of our guests and crew.

Should there be any updates, guests will be advised and updated information will be posted on www.ncl.com."

 

[Ofinn]

Setting sail on Friday Disney Dream as well and wishing something would come out on what our options are. We are flying in from PVD on Thursday and as of now everything is a GO- Flight, Cruise. I'm starting to panic as it's a lot of money to lose if we cancel right now. Trying to hold out until DCL makes a decision on Friday's cruise. I'm assuming the cruise that is out there now is going to have a hard time getting back to PC on Friday which would delay our departure, if we even go. I Wish I could just cancel or rebook another cruise (not in hurricane season). We are DVC members and used out points for this and paid cash for the kids. There is a lot of money to lose if we cancel ourselves, but it certainly would put my mind at ease... Maybe something from DCL will come out later today but as of now, we have NO options other then taking the hit to our wallets ourselves. :-(

I would hold out. If your airline cancels flights into MCO you should get some kind of refund or compensation. If you cancel now you won't get anything from the airline or DCL.