Stolen FE\Pixie Dust Gifts

[dreamer17555]

So up until recently we heard occasionally about stolen FE and Pixie Dust gifts but on a B2B this January on the Dream it was particularly bad. On one sailing it was a group of teens, one another a group of younger kids but old enough to be free roaming. Bad to the point that stateroom hosts were reporting seeing the kids running down halls taking anything they saw in FE (often leaving stuff they didnt like, like cards, on the ground) and multiple witnesses.


From reports of other guests DCL did nothing about it... I am of two minds if DCL needs to do more about this (thefts on cruises aren't a good look, but on the other hand devoting man power to minors taking pixie dust and cheap FE gifts when they are left out in the hall also seems silly- its not like DCL is making money on those FE gifts)... And I was curious what other cruisers think- should DCL do more to stop this type of behavior? If so how much? And at what point is it not worth the headache to DCL to deal with and they should just stop the FE exchanges all together (like during covid)? Let me know what you think!

 

[minniebeth]

So up until recently we heard occasionally about stolen FE and Pixie Dust gifts but on a B2B this January on the Dream it was particularly bad. On one sailing it was a group of teens, one another a group of younger kids but old enough to be free roaming. Bad to the point that stateroom hosts were reporting seeing the kids running down halls taking anything they saw in FE (often leaving stuff they didnt like, like cards, on the ground) and multiple witnesses.


From reports of other guests DCL did nothing about it... I am of two minds if DCL needs to do more about this (thefts on cruises aren't a good look, but on the other hand devoting man power to minors taking pixie dust and cheap FE gifts when they are left out in the hall also seems silly- its not like DCL is making money on those FE gifts)... And I was curious what other cruisers think- should DCL do more to stop this type of behavior? If so how much? And at what point is it not worth the headache to DCL to deal with and they should just stop the FE exchanges all together (like during covid)? Let me know what you think!

So short and sweet~ why should guests be punished and have all FE and pixie dusting stopped because of the bad behavior of other guests? And also, why should DCL monitor this? It is not their job. Who should be doing the job is the parents of said kids. They are the ones who should be monitoring their kids and teaching them it's not ok to disrespect others' properties.

 

[dreamer17555]

So short and sweet~ why should guests be punished and have all FE and pixie dusting stopped because of the bad behavior of other guests? And also, why should DCL monitor this? It is not their job. Who should be doing the job is the parents of said kids. They are the ones who should be monitoring their kids and teaching them it's not ok to disrespect others' properties.

I agree with this... but it is clearly not happening. So either DCL forces the issue by confronting the parents of the minors stealing (and that means they have to monitor this, check camera footage, deal with parents who are upset about their child being accused) or they do nothing when things are stolen (like currently) but have to deal with guests who are angry their gifts were stolen.


EDITED to ADD- In a perfect world all minors (and adults) would respect each other and not engage in this behavior. I think most DCL minors (teens to tots) are overwhelmingly a good group and we have met so many kind and wonderful younger cruisers but a few obviously are not making great choices. This was not happening late at night so a curfew would even be unlikely to help so I am curious to what DCL should do (if anything) about this behavior.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So up until recently we heard occasionally about stolen FE and Pixie Dust gifts but on a B2B this January on the Dream it was particularly bad. On one sailing it was a group of teens, one another a group of younger kids but old enough to be free roaming. Bad to the point that stateroom hosts were reporting seeing the kids running down halls taking anything they saw in FE (often leaving stuff they didnt like, like cards, on the ground) and multiple witnesses.


From reports of other guests DCL did nothing about it... I am of two minds if DCL needs to do more about this (thefts on cruises aren't a good look, but on the other hand devoting man power to minors taking pixie dust and cheap FE gifts when they are left out in the hall also seems silly- its not like DCL is making money on those FE gifts)... And I was curious what other cruisers think- should DCL do more to stop this type of behavior? If so how much? And at what point is it not worth the headache to DCL to deal with and they should just stop the FE exchanges all together (like during covid)? Let me know what you think!

I think FEs shouldn't necessarily be banned. As to the little thieves, yes, if they can be identified, DCL should be proactive about notifying parents, and, possibly, removing them from the ship.

 

[RedHead0186]

I'm not quite sure what DCL can do here. Yes, they could monitor it, but that's a lot of manpower. And unless there's actual evidence of a specific person taking items, they can't really punish that person or do much about it. And yes, they'd have to deal with parents being upset their kids were accused. I know I'm making a huge generalization here, but the types of parents that raised kids who run up and down the halls stealing stuff are typically also the type of parents who will either be upset their kids are being accused and/or annoyed they have to 'deal with it.'

I don't disagree this needs to be stopped, but I'm not quite sure specifically what DCL can do to stop it (at least that's reasonable).

 

[Mle8308]

I know I'm going to be WAAYYY outnumbered in my opinion, but I think FE should be stopped. It will be much easier in the long run. DCL does not promote it and should not have to "police" it. Parents should, but you can see how that goes...

 

[dreamer17555]

I think FEs shouldn't necessarily be banned. As to the little thieves, yes, if they can be identified, DCL should be proactive about notifying parents, and, possibly, removing them from the ship.

Asking for more clarity (not disagreeing with you)- If it meant that DCL needed to devote more manpower to do that (watch the cameras, have extra staff to deal with thefts) would you be okay with your fare ever so slightly increasing to cover the cost of the extra manpower? Would you still be okay with it if you were not participating in FEs?

What point would you say a minor caught stealing should be removed from the ship? Should they be removed over any theft (maybe taking pixie dusted stickers)? or would it depend on how many rooms they stole from? or depend on the value of the item taken (most are very low value items)? Again just wanting more information on your thoughts

 

[RedHead0186]

Asking for more clarity (not disagreeing with you)- If it meant that DCL needed to devote more manpower to do that (watch the cameras, have extra staff to deal with thefts) would you be okay with your fare ever so slightly increasing to cover the cost of the extra manpower? Would you still be okay with it if you were not participating in FEs?

What point would you say a minor caught stealing should be removed from the ship? Should they be removed over any theft (maybe taking pixie dusted stickers? or would it depend on how many rooms they stole from? or depend on the value of the item taken (most are very low value items)? Again just wanting more information on your thoughts

I know I'm not who you directed this question to, but I wanted to weigh in. I personally wouldn't be okay with a fare increase to offset the increased resources to monitor for FEs. I don't participate in FEs (I don't have anything against them, just not my cup of tea) and lots of others don't either. I don't want to subsidize DCL's extra efforts for something totally optional.

Removing a minor from the ship seems harsh, but I guess it would depend on circumstances. If the minor is removed then the parent(s)/guardian(s) would have to be as well. If they were a repeat offender, they'd been warned, and clearly the parents weren't intervening, then okay, remove the minor and the parent(s)/guardian(s). I guess it could be dependent on value, but DCL would have to make that very clear up front.

 

[dreamer17555]

I know I'm not who you directed this question to, but I wanted to weigh in. I personally wouldn't be okay with a fare increase to offset the increased resources to monitor for FEs. I don't participate in FEs (I don't have anything against them, just not my cup of tea) and lots of others don't either. I don't want to subsidize DCL's extra efforts for something totally optional.

Removing a minor from the ship seems harsh, but I guess it would depend on circumstances. If the minor is removed then the parent(s)/guardian(s) would have to be as well. If they were a repeat offender, they'd been warned, and clearly the parents weren't intervening, then okay, remove the minor and the parent(s)/guardian(s). I guess it could be dependent on value, but DCL would have to make that very clear up front.

It was to @PrincessShmoo But I love hearing your thoughts.

I agree with the idea I would not want to pay more to make sure low value extra add on gifts left in halls are not stolen. (And I am someone who occasionally participates and loves picking out gifts for others when I do, and would be sad if the gifts I worked on did not make it home with their guest)

I cannot even imagine the headache of removing a family over theft of FE gifts (most are low value) but I know many, many cruisers were very upset on our last sailings over small items being stolen and did voice their anger to guest services. I do think that if thefts become more common place and it becomes a headache for DCL to deal with they very well might get rid of them- hopefully for those that enjoy them it doesn't happen but I can't say I would blame DCL for wanting to wash their hands of the whole thing. It doesn't bring them added revenue (gifts are purchased prior to boarding) so why would they want to deal with any of it?

 

[Dug720]

I know I'm going to be WAAYYY outnumbered in my opinion, but I think FE should be stopped. It will be much easier in the long run. DCL does not promote it and should not have to "police" it. Parents should, but you can see how that goes...

Agreed. But good luck enforcing it. People are still bringing those stupid ducks to hide even though Disney has banned the hiding of them.

 

[Dug720]

I do think that if thefts become more common place and it becomes a headache for DCL to deal with they very well might get rid of them- hopefully for those that enjoy them it doesn't happen but I can't say I would blame DCL for wanting to wash their hands of the whole thing. It doesn't bring them added revenue (gifts are purchased prior to boarding) so why would they want to deal with any of it?

Agreed.

What they could do is on the app with the daily schedule and/or announcements, include a reminder/disclaimer that fish extender hangers are NOT sponsored by Disney and Disney is NOT responsible for any missing items from things left outside the stateroom.

 

[dreamer17555]

Agreed. But good luck enforcing it. People are still bringing those stupid ducks to hide even though Disney has banned the hiding of them.

They managed to enforce it during Covid (FE's were banned then). People met up to swap gifts in person which DCL could not stop but meeting in person to exchange would cut down on theft of items from halls.

As for the ducks... DCL really fumbled that. They let Plan Disney share it, put it on the Hub for crew but did not come out on the official DCL information to announce they weren't allowed... and depending on what Guest service crew member you get you will hear that they are allowed (or not allowed)- I have heard both on the same sailing

 

[ladyofthetramp]

As Dug720 stated. It is not their activity, not sponsored by them. They won't police it. They may stop it. I know lots of people enjoy it. Not an activity that interests me and I don't participate. I don't mind it though, doesn't bother me at all. Do I want to be charged more so they can police it- no. When you leave something outside your cabin, no matter the value, you have a risk of someone taking it. Is that wrong- absolutely. Are they going to start throwing families off the ship because if it, unlikely.

 

[dreamer17555]

Agreed.

What they could do is on the app with the daily schedule and/or announcements, include a reminder/disclaimer that fish extender hangers are NOT sponsored by Disney and Disney is NOT responsible for any missing items from things left outside the stateroom.

So my first instinct was that I love this idea... because it makes it clear it is not DCL's job to deal with any issues from FE thefts but would the embolden more people to take stuff? I could see certain types of people taking this as in invitation that they could take any FE gifts they spot and know they will have zero consequences.

 

[Dug720]

So my first instinct was that I love this idea... because it makes it clear it is not DCL's job to deal with any issues from FE thefts but would the embolden more people to take stuff? I could see certain types of people taking this as in invitation that they could take any FE gifts they spot and know they will have zero consequences.

Agreed. I was just trying to think of an option rather than banning them since some people seem to love them for whatever reason.

 

[Sanchez]

It was to @PrincessShmoo But I love hearing your thoughts.

I agree with the idea I would not want to pay more to make sure low value extra add on gifts left in halls are not stolen. (And I am someone who occasionally participates and loves picking out gifts for others when I do, and would be sad if the gifts I worked on did not make it home with their guest)

I cannot even imagine the headache of removing a family over theft of FE gifts (most are low value) but I know many, many cruisers were very upset on our last sailings over small items being stolen and did voice their anger to guest services. I do think that if thefts become more common place and it becomes a headache for DCL to deal with they very well might get rid of them- hopefully for those that enjoy them it doesn't happen but I can't say I would blame DCL for wanting to wash their hands of the whole thing. It doesn't bring them added revenue (gifts are purchased prior to boarding) so why would they want to deal with any of it?

Putting aside my personal bias (I think that FE's and participation therein is just . . . strange behavior for adults), I take the position that guests should generally do whatever they wish as long it doesn't negatively impact others. And FE's don't take away from my experience though I guess one could argue that they negatively impact ship aesthetics. In any event, I don't wish to take away whatever brings joy to others.

But the highlighted language above changes my opinion. I get that people do not appreciate theft, but expecting DCL to enforce a public, unsanctioned and unsecure exchange is not appropriate. Voicing anger to staff crosses the line and any good employer should protect against that.

 

[dreamer17555]

Putting aside my personal bias (I think that FE's and participation therein is just . . . strange behavior for adults), I take the position that guests should generally do whatever they wish as long it doesn't negatively impact others. And FE's don't take away from my experience though I guess one could argue that they negatively impact ship aesthetics. In any event, I don't wish to take away whatever brings joy to others.

But the highlighted language above changes my opinion. I get that people do not appreciate theft, but expecting DCL to enforce a public, unsanctioned and unsecure exchange is not appropriate. Voicing anger to staff crosses the line and any good employer should protect against that.

I should clarify that no one was out and out shouting- just frustrated and making it very apparent because they were wanting DCL to do more (check security cameras, notify parents, have the items returned)- I am not sure that is a fair ask because it's not a DCL activity but it did happen on the ship. If it were a different or more valuable item (like a purse stolen) I think DCL would step in but it is hard to police gifts left purposely in halls.

 

[4 mickey]

My opinion for what’s its worth

Not that all kids are the same but shouldn’t it be a discussion with your kids / teen prior to the cruise that it’s not a thing to do and that it’s bad
That clearly it’s a bad thing to do

But nowadays a lot of parents don’t mind anything b their kids do and that is sad really sad


Some people went and bought little gifts for specific cabin and to have it stole by kids and teens really it’s sad

I so lots of pixie dust but prefer to give it randomly while at the pool
Sitting in the theater
Walking down the hallways

This way this will not happen to me and the pixie dust I intend to give

 

[cvjw]

We recently cruised on the fantasy - DCL cruise #15. We do not do FE, just seems like swapping a bunch of junk to us. But, we had never had our magnets stolen off our stateroom door either.

Until our last cruise in December. I have specialized magnets made to commemorate all our previous cruises. Someone stole one. I knew when it was stolen. Our stateroom host said to let guest services know as there was a camera pointing at our stateroom door.

Went to guest services. They basically blew me off. Said it wasn’t security’s job to monitor stolen magnets. Then an hour later, they sent me a message to come back to guest services. They had changed their tune. Guess they looked to see how often we sail on the fantasy (5 week long cruises in the past year). They were suddenly concerned and would have security look at the tapes. They also reimbursed me for the cost of the magnet.

 

[dreamer17555]

We recently cruised on the fantasy - DCL cruise #15. We do not do FE, just seems like swapping a bunch of junk to us. But, we had never had our magnets stolen off our stateroom door either.

Until our last cruise in December. I have specialized magnets made to commemorate all our previous cruises. Someone stole one. I knew when it was stolen. Our stateroom host said to let guest services know as there was a camera pointing at our stateroom door.

Went to guest services. They basically blew me off. Said it wasn’t security’s job to monitor stolen magnets. Then an hour later, they sent me a message to come back to guest services. They had changed their tune. Guess they looked to see how often we sail on the fantasy (5 week long cruises in the past year). They were suddenly concerned and would have security look at the tapes. They also reimbursed me for the cost of the magnet.

Interesting. Im not a fan of policy changes depending on how much you spend with DCL- either everyone should get help with missing magnets & FE gifts or they shouldn't (and I say that as a DCL cruiser who is about to go on sailing #16- all since 2020). Glad they helped you and you were reimbursed but they either need to offer this to everyone or no one