Uhm....Bahamas is now requiring vaccinations for all passengers over 12..

[Maggie'sMom]

Ugh! I was certain we'd have communication from DCL by now. I was thinking an email around 8am. Nope. Email by 10am? Nope.

I'm having trouble being productive this morning because I'm obsessively checking email and here for info. There's no excuse for DCL to not have provided some information to their customers by now, given the orders from the Bahamas were released on Thursday.

 

[Pooh93]

Ugh! I was certain we'd have communication from DCL by now. I was thinking an email around 8am. Nope. Email by 10am? Nope.

I'm having trouble being productive this morning because I'm obsessivle checking email and here for info. There's no excuse for DCL to not have provided some information to their customers by now, given the orders from the Bahamas were released on Thursday.

No there is not.

 

[epcotrulz]

The silence is crazy. Even an email saying “we are working through these new protocols, and will make final adjustments to our procedures by 8/24” or whatever. The silence is sort of ridiculous….

 

[Disneyland_emily]

I called just now and moved my Nov cruise to January as a placeholder as I’m refusing to have 2 PIF cruises with zero information (Nov PIF date was day we hopefully set sail in Sep)

Im not at the point of canceling and loosing FCC that’s been bubbling for over a year but I’m tired.

 

[kathi]

I called just now and moved my Nov cruise to January as a placeholder as I’m refusing to have 2 PIF cruises with zero information (Nov PIF date was day we hopefully set sail in Sep)

Im not at the point of canceling and loosing FCC that’s been bubbling for over a year but I’m tired.

We feel the same - right now I have five DCL cruises booked between September and June and 4 of them are in 2021. The complete absence of communications and seeming disregard for how much of our money they are holding is really upsetting. I had to PIF for our 7-night Christmas cruise and it's a B2B for New Year (and THAT cruise is super expensive and due by Friday so I can book activities). If they plan on making both of those 4-night sailings, we are out. But since we know NOTHING, it's impossible to make informed decisions. No business should operate like this - they clearly just don't care if some of us leave and never come back.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

We feel the same - right now I have five DCL cruises booked between September and June and 4 of them are in 2021. The complete absence of communications and seeming disregard for how much of our money they are holding is really upsetting. I had to PIF for our 7-night Christmas cruise and it's a B2B for New Year (and THAT cruise is super expensive and due by Friday so I can book activities). If they plan on making both of those 4-night sailings, we are out. But since we know NOTHING, it's impossible to make informed decisions. No business should operate like this - they clearly just don't care if some of us leave and never come back.

Exactly- its like I know brand loyalty is strong and they are banking on it but it’s beyond depressing at this point.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I know some have been critical of those of us who are critical of DCL's comms, but, hi, I actually have an MBA in corp comms and PR, and have worked with a variety of entities on crisis comms, including recalls, anti-trust lawsuits, SEC investigations... ya know, stuff.

And DCL is embracing becoming a case study of "how not to do a dang thing."

 

[cvjw]

We are in the same boat -multiple cruises on the fantasy, with the first being in October. I would love to have some info, but I will just add that it is so nice being on board right now. Low crowds, great service. The cast members are so thrilled to be back. Our server said he and his wife cried when they got the call from DCL to come back to the dream.

We are back to back on the dream and are so glad that we took the chance to sail. Yes, we were in limbo before our cruise also. And it all worked out!

 

[jrapps]

I know some have been critical of those of us who are critical of DCL's comms, but, hi, I actually have an MBA in corp comms and PR, and have worked with a variety of entities on crisis comms, including recalls, anti-trust lawsuits, SEC investigations... ya know, stuff.

And DCL is embracing becoming a case study of "how not to do a dang thing."

They are definitely a company that likes every communication to be perfectly manicured, proofread 16 times, and then held an extra day just to see if any of the executives feel like changing their mind.

I love Disney as a brand, but right now they are making it very hard to love them.

 

[lorimay]

We are in the same boat -multiple cruises on the fantasy, with the first being in October. I would love to have some info, but I will just add that it is so nice being on board right now. Low crowds, great service. The cast members are so thrilled to be back. Our server said he and his wife cried when they got the call from DCL to come back to the dream.

We are back to back on the dream and are so glad that we took the chance to sail. Yes, we were in limbo before our cruise also. And it all worked out!

Hi!
Quick question, are they having live entertainment in the bar areas? We love going to Keys in the evening for a drink and some music before dinner.
We just booked The Magic today for a 5 night on The Magic in November.

 

[DIS_MIKE]

I know some have been critical of those of us who are critical of DCL's comms, but, hi, I actually have an MBA in corp comms and PR, and have worked with a variety of entities on crisis comms, including recalls, anti-trust lawsuits, SEC investigations... ya know, stuff.

And DCL is embracing becoming a case study of "how not to do a dang thing."

It really blows your mind just how passive DCL has become. Can they be proactive at least once instead of sitting on the sidelines? When it comes to the parks and hospitality they do everything right because that is their business and they created the entire experience from the ground up.

Unfortunately, that is not the case with DCL. They joined the cruise game late and clearly have no idea how to run it.

 

[kathi]

It really blows your mind just how passive DCL has become. Can they be proactive at least once instead of sitting on the sidelines? When it comes to the parks and hospitality they do everything right because that is their business and they created the entire experience from the ground up.

Unfortunately, that is not the case with DCL. They joined the cruise game late and clearly have no idea how to run it.

They have been in the cruise business since 1998 - they are not new to this business sector.

 

[Freeman867]

It wasn't meant to be funny. Disney does cruises to Mexico that do not stop in the Bahamas, and Nassau is a public port. I personally find Castaway boring and I can't stand Nassau. Whether it's "worth it" is subjective. There are a lot of people that won't find cruising "worth it" for many months to come for a variety of reasons. A lot of people didn't think DCL was "worth it" prior to Covid. If you don't believe me do a thread search on here.

No one doubts you feel this way, people doubt the majority of people who would be taking a cruise feel this way. If Disney cancels Castaway Cay, you'd see mass cancellations. Would everyone? Of course not, but I can bet it would make it cost prohibitive to sail with the few remaining people.

 

[DCLMP]

No one doubts you feel this way, people doubt the majority of people who would be taking a cruise feel this way. If Disney cancels Castaway Cay, you'd see mass cancellations. Would everyone? Of course not, but I can bet it would make it cost prohibitive to sail with the few remaining people.

DCL has already seen mass cancellations.

 

[DIS_MIKE]

They have been in the cruise business since 1998 - they are not new to this business sector.

That's true...they have been around for a while but still have a lot to learn it seems.

I was comparing them to other cruise lines.

Carnival was established in '72
Royal Caribbean was founded in '68
MSC was in '89
Princess in '65

 

[DCLMP]

It really blows your mind just how passive DCL has become. Can they be proactive at least once instead of sitting on the sidelines? When it comes to the parks and hospitality they do everything right because that is their business and they created the entire experience from the ground up.

Unfortunately, that is not the case with DCL. They joined the cruise game late and clearly have no idea how to run it.

The majority of people booked probably aren't on these boards gnashing their teeth. The news just dropped a few days ago. I wonder if the people on here complaining about how awful DCL is will actually try other cruise lines or continue to complain. It would be great if they did because it might bring the prices down.

 

[Marrila]

The majority of people booked probably aren't on these boards gnashing their teeth. The news just dropped a few days ago. I wonder if the people on here complaining about how awful DCL is will actually try other cruise lines or continue to complain. It would be great if they did because it might bring the prices down.

It's reasonable to expect DCL to keep guests updated in a timely way. Most would consider this very important information.

 

[jrapps]

DCL has already seen mass cancellations.

Exactly. You think they'd be trying everything they can to prevent even more.

The majority of people booked probably aren't on these boards gnashing their teeth.

You are correct the majority of the people are not on this forum. That's not going to change how angry and upset they're going to be if something major changes with their cruise a week or so away from sailing. What's worse Disney hasn't shown strengthen communication so it's entirely possible they could change a policy in the majority of people won't know about it until they show up at the pier.

That's not a way to run a business.

 

[sethschroeder]

will actually try other cruise lines or continue to complain.

Actually have two cruises that I have possibly mapped out for next month (Celebrity and Royal). I would have never even looked at another cruise line as of Thursday morning last week. I even flipped from a 7 night Fantasy to a b2b on the Dream without even thinking last Monday.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

They are definitely a company that likes every communication to be perfectly manicured, proofread 16 times, and then held an extra day just to see if any of the executives feel like changing their mind.

I love Disney as a brand, but right now they are making it very hard to love them.

Most do, really, especially when it involves legal exposures (see also my references to SEC investigations and recalls). But that means you use a strong process and chain of possession. It doesn't mean you paralyze yourself and your staff.