Stealth Final Payment Date

[Down Island John]

We received a notice of our reservation and down payment for a cruise a couple of months ago. So far so good.

Received an e-mail from Disney (along with about 100 other e-mails that were spam and legit on that specific day) about a month before the final payment due reminding us that if payment was not received by June 3 our down payment would be forfeited and reservation cancelled.

That was it...So guess what... go to pay the final bill today and we were cancelled. No other warning...nothing not a phone call...nothing.... DIS just took the money and ran.

One would think that DIS would magically at least pick up the phone and call or try to remind us before they cancelled a key event like this. Their marketing people would be all over us is they were trying to sell some more DVC points!!!

This was our very first Disney Cruise and a major anniversary for us. Not very magical to say the least.

My wife was in tears and so upset that Disney she could not talk to they any longer and I had to finish the call.

Way to ruin what should have been a memorable vacation Disney!!!

One would think that a cruise line like Disney that alleges to be a cut above the rest would provide more that a single e-mail warning and no other follow up (after they already received a very substantial down payment indicating our intention to go on the cruse)!!! Sure buried in the other Disney cruise e-mails that we received in the fine print they stated this policy.

Not wanting to upset my wife any more than she already was, I rebooked a lesser room at a higher price.

I am extremely disappointed in Disney customer service and this just ruins what should have been a joyous occasion for us.

 

[dbramer]

Not to add insult to injury, but Disney has always held firm and fast to payment deadlines. They did give you thirty days notice and clearly spelled out June 3 as the deadline. Today is June 14, a full eleven days after the final due date. If you are a DVC owner, then you would know how strict they are about deadlines. There is no way they can give each individual that books a vacation a call to remind them of their due date. Think about how many people visit Disney or cruise with them in a year and multiply that by a thousand and that is how many people book, thinking they will take a vacation. As this is your first post, I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you are not trolling or trying to stir up an argument. I just want to point out that it was your own undoing that caused your problems.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

go to pay the final bill today

Yeah, well "today" is after the Paid in Full date that DCL already notified you of. Personal responsibility is important.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Sorry but I have to agree with previous posters, when given a date to have something paid in full, it is your responsibility to get it done. It's no different than any other financial liability. And for the record, the other cruise lines operate the same way. So do travel agencies that book land and air vacations.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

We received a notice of our reservation and down payment for a cruise a couple of months ago. So far so good.

Received an e-mail from Disney (along with about 100 other e-mails that were spam and legit on that specific day) about a month before the final payment due reminding us that if payment was not received by June 3 our down payment would be forfeited and reservation cancelled.

That was it...So guess what... go to pay the final bill today and we were cancelled. No other warning...nothing not a phone call...nothing.... DIS just took the money and ran.

One would think that DIS would magically at least pick up the phone and call or try to remind us before they cancelled a key event like this. Their marketing people would be all over us is they were trying to sell some more DVC points!!!

This was our very first Disney Cruise and a major anniversary for us. Not very magical to say the least.

My wife was in tears and so upset that Disney she could not talk to they any longer and I had to finish the call.

Way to ruin what should have been a memorable vacation Disney!!!

One would think that a cruise line like Disney that alleges to be a cut above the rest would provide more that a single e-mail warning and no other follow up (after they already received a very substantial down payment indicating our intention to go on the cruse)!!! Sure buried in the other Disney cruise e-mails that we received in the fine print they stated this policy.

Not wanting to upset my wife any more than she already was, I rebooked a lesser room at a higher price.

I am extremely disappointed in Disney customer service and this just ruins what should have been a joyous occasion for us.

So if DCL informed you payment was due by June 3rd, how is it their fault that you failed to make your final payment by that date?

 

[GatorMomInNC]

Seriously, I understand that you are upset, but it should be with yourself, not DCL. When you book a hotel, cruise, car, excursion, dinner or anything where you give a DEPOSIT, it behooves you to know and note the cancellation policy and deadline. And, perhaps I am too cynical, but I find it a little odd that you joined the boards TODAY, with all you just have on your plate with this situation, and this is your one and only post.

 

[Jk125]

Sorry Disney has 100s of thousand of cruisers clearly they told you when the final payment was due. Missing the deadline is not Disney's fault.

If had wanted a personalized service I would have suggested a TA to advise and call you about these important dates.

 

[MelSpees]

It all comes down to personal responsibility. I know we want someone else to blame our problems on, but most often it is we, ourselves, that are at fault.

 

[Saamh]

That's one of the reasons we use a travel agent. She sends us reminders and calls to make sure we are aware of final payment due date. If you book yourself then you take that responsibility on yourself.

(It might also be a good idea to unsubscribe from all those spam emails since you said you receive a ton each day making it hard for you to keep track of the important ones. That was my resolution this year and it made a big difference in the amount of junk email I receive. Almost all emails have an unsubscribe link in them.)

 

[Seriously?]

Since this is your first Disney cruise I will point out that if all aboard time is 5:00pm and you are not there at 5:00 nobody is going to call you and tell you the boat is leaving. And if you come running up at 5:11pm expecting to still get on the boat you will be sadly disappointed. But please take the time to look up as my family and I will be waving goodbye to you from deck 4. #accountability #setyourownreminder

 

[Minniesgal]

I really don't understand why you are upset with Disney. You knew the payment deadline and missed it by almost 2 weeks. I don't know of any travel company that would not have cancelled on you.

I'd be upset too but I'd be upset with myself if I made a mistake like this.

 

[DisneySisters]

I am so sorry this happened to you. We are all busy, and sometimes things just get by us. I hope you end up having a fabulous cruise, and a happy anniversary.

 

[jpeppers]

As already shown above I doubt you get much sympathy on here, you knew the date and you didn't pay on time. I'm sure it sucks but you came onto a site where we all know the policy and admitted you were in the wrong. Hopefully a lesson learned. That being said, I hope you have a great cruise!

 

[AngelDisney]

I feel sorry for your situation and understand your frustration, but missing the deadline for two weeks, I can also understand why DCL cannot do any magic to help you out. Hope you have a magical time on the cruise! Don't miss any of the "All Aboard" time. People do get left behind if they fail to return to the ship on time. Happy Anniversary!

 

[oam]

S

We received a notice of our reservation and down payment for a cruise a couple of months ago. So far so good.

Received an e-mail from Disney (along with about 100 other e-mails that were spam and legit on that specific day) about a month before the final payment due reminding us that if payment was not received by June 3 our down payment would be forfeited and reservation cancelled.

That was it...So guess what... go to pay the final bill today and we were cancelled. No other warning...nothing not a phone call...nothing.... DIS just took the money and ran.

One would think that DIS would magically at least pick up the phone and call or try to remind us before they cancelled a key event like this. Their marketing people would be all over us is they were trying to sell some more DVC points!!!

This was our very first Disney Cruise and a major anniversary for us. Not very magical to say the least.

My wife was in tears and so upset that Disney she could not talk to they any longer and I had to finish the call.

Way to ruin what should have been a memorable vacation Disney!!!

One would think that a cruise line like Disney that alleges to be a cut above the rest would provide more that a single e-mail warning and no other follow up (after they already received a very substantial down payment indicating our intention to go on the cruse)!!! Sure buried in the other Disney cruise e-mails that we received in the fine print they stated this policy.

Not wanting to upset my wife any more than she already was, I rebooked a lesser room at a higher price.

I am extremely disappointed in Disney customer service and this just ruins what should have been a joyous occasion for us.

Stealth?Disney was very clear on when my final payment was .

 

[clten]

When you make a reservation with DCL, they make you specifically mark off that you read the terms and conditions. In those terms and conditions, it spells out when final payment is due (not the exact date but tells you # of days before sailing). If you are like a lot of people and sign a contract (which is what you did when you gave DCL your deposit and checked off that box) without reading the fine print, the burden of knowing those conditions is on you -- nothing stealth about it. DCL was being courteous by sending the reminder e-mail -- which you obviously saw. They cannot possibly follow up on every outstanding final payment with a phone call to tell you "hey that e-mail we sent you, we were serious."

If you needed some guidance on your first cruise, that's what travel agents are for -- they give you more personalized service and are paid by the cruise line, not you. It's a lesson, it cost you a bit of money which can be a bitter pill to swallow, but direct your anger to the right place because if you are going to hold animosity toward DCL, you may be throwing good money after bad by rebooking your cruise. I hope you do end up enjoying your anniversary vacation.

 

[disfam3mi]

The fear of something like that happening is why important deadlines get written on the calendar on our fridge. Hard lesson learned for you on this one, but how lucky for you that there were still rooms available. Have a great trip!

 

[mmouse37]

It is your first cruise and maybe did not know all the ins and outs of a booking and payment but I have to agree with others that this is just like any other contract and any other business that demands payment when due. Just because it is Disney does not mean that they should be more lenient on when final payment is or to make exceptions for people who miss the deadline (by almost 2 weeks). It is a business after all. Fine print is fine print and should be read

It should also note on your paperwork somewhere about how many days before your cruise final payment is due. If nothing else a lesson has been learned. I am glad you rebooked and hope you enjoy your cruise and try not to let this experience ruin your vacation.

Please stay around the board and read and learn all you can so you can surprise your wife with all the "inside" knowledge you learned on here!! Enjoy your cruise.

MJ

 

[Donna3271]

DCL is a business. They need to make sure their ships are full... Hence the required paid in full date enforcement.

 

[mom4fun]

We all make bad business mistakes. If this is the worst one you ever make then you are doing good. Live and learn.