Upcoming port/itinerary changes HERE

[godde8ss]

I called yesterday about rescheduling and let me tell you what CRAP that is. They are not rescheduling you at day of booking prices, i booked almost Day 1. They are rescheduling you at prevailing rates. I would have to pay more than I am now, which now, I have a western for the price of an eastern. Is anyone else this frustrated? I have already written emails to everyone I can find. They are not treating us accordingly. Sure, they couldn't help mother nature, but they could act like they care. They know their product, they know an eastern is more expensive, that sea days are NOT equivalent to staying on board at port and they know mother nature is not OUR fault either. I"m VERY frustrated with Disney at this point...

 

[T & R]

We sail Saturday and fly down tomorrow

Good thing you're going down tomorrow. We're flying there Friday. Looks like Orlando will have tropical storm force winds by lunchtime Saturday. Also looks like the gulf side of Florida will get hit with another hurricane on Sunday morning.

 

[Ray4Fun]

A 5 year old will really not understand the change. However a 6 year old, who went on two Western's over 2 consecutive years did tell me PAPA can we go to different places. LOL. As the story went, 3rd time was just as much a charm and the first.

 

[wombat_5606]

A 5 year old will really not understand the change

I disagree with that. My 5 year old will.

 

[KdKyA]

I called yesterday about rescheduling and let me tell you what CRAP that is. They are not rescheduling you at day of booking prices, i booked almost Day 1. They are rescheduling you at prevailing rates. I would have to pay more than I am now, which now, I have a western for the price of an eastern. Is anyone else this frustrated? I have already written emails to everyone I can find. They are not treating us accordingly. Sure, they couldn't help mother nature, but they could act like they care. They know their product, they know an eastern is more expensive, that sea days are NOT equivalent to staying on board at port and they know mother nature is not OUR fault either. I"m VERY frustrated with Disney at this point...

Exactly. This says it all. When I called about the whole situation I was on the phone with one CM for an hour who couldn't even help me. She didn't even know how to transfer me to a supervisor. Then said she will have one call me back immediately. 30 minutes later she called. The issue is that we would end up having to pay even more than we paid now as next years cruises are more expensive than this year. Onboard booking would time out as well, so those benefits would would be lost. We would end up paying almost $2,000 more for the same cruise and having to push it back yet another year. That's not going to work. She said we could always just do a 4 day. Wow, that's so helpful. If they would have even at least TRIED and shown some compassion for our frustrations it would be an easier pill to swallow. We were also told we couldn't just cancel. We would then have to pay the cancelation fee. To top it off, for our cruise Monday is Cozumel day (was supposed to be a sea day), they moved everyones sea day activities to Costa Maya day. They said they would give the guest the option to choose if they wanted to switch. Nope, everyone is logging in to find they had no choice. It was switched. Many of them wanted to stay on the ship for Cozumel and get off in Costa Maya. So we are totally stuck unless we want to pay a lot more or travel less dates. At the very least they should offer the changed itinerary at the same price we already paid, or at least the price it was at the dates of booking. This is not as simple as "if you are so upset just switch" it's not that easy. As far as insurance, they are saying that since DCL is offering up a 3rd port, that they have made the price the "same" worth as an Eastern so it's not able to be claimed. At the same time the whole missing a port doesn't;t apply because the change happened so far out we can't claim it as a missed port.
The worst part is that none of the CMs seem to be reading from a different script than each other. While some supervisors are making exceptions, the very next supervisor isn't. It's total bull and the guests are having to eat the cost, not Disney. They don't lose anything out of this.

 

[fredandkell]

I would have a hard time telling my 5 year old granddaughter that the cruise we have been planning for more than a year is not going to happen, especially since this is part of her Christmas present.

I don't buy "cancel for any reason" insurance and I don't think most people do. It's not necessary unless you have a major reason that it's possible you would have to cancel. It's much more expensive and you should be weighing your odds before it would be worth it. In all of my traveling since the 1970's, I have only purchased it twice, when I was out of the country for trips lasting several months.

So my scenarios are:

"I rescheduled it for next spring, having to wait another 5-6 months and it's not going to be a Christmas cruise."

"I rescheduled for next Christmas, having to wait another year and you will have to miss some school."

I can sympathize with @KdKyA. If I don't get the Meet and Greets for my granddaughter, I'm going to have a pretty stern conversation with Guest Services.

But, I think some people need to calm down on the criticism. This was an extraordinary event. People have a right to vent, on this forum especially. Do I think Disney could have done a better job? Yes. Why did they turn a 2 port cruise, into a 3? Why is the 3rd port not long enough to do anything? Why are they opening the rescheduling to everyone instead of staggering the days or even time of the day? Why not offer some OBC if you are unable to reschedule your onboard fun?

If you think Disney is doing the best they can, then, in my opinion, you are sadly mistaken. They've probably done the minimum the contract and maritime law require.

I had to do just that with my 7-year old. The "Um, well, the cruise you thought we were going on next week...ah hahaha...actually we're not, in fact, we're not going for 10 months. And you don't get to swim with the dolphins or use that snorkeling equipment we just bought." He did sulk for a bit but has gotten over it and is now excited about Europe. The 10 year old is actually thrilled that we're doing Europe instead of the Caribbean, although she too is disappointed about the lack-o-dolphins. I did tell her that many, many places in the world let you swim with them so we will make it a priority in a couple years to go somewhere again that offers that choice. (First world problems, I know, right!?)

 

[godde8ss]

This is not as simple as "if you are so upset just switch" it's not that easy. As far as insurance, they are saying that since DCL is offering up a 3rd port, that they have made the price the "same" worth as an Eastern so it's not able to be claimed.

It is NOT an option to switch for us, or many people, and it still defeats the point. We are inconvenienced because Disney can't be bothered to part with a little OBC or honor day of pricing or even a rebate on a future booking. THe western's already contain 3 ports, so, that's a moot point as well.

 

[eva]

I think you have me confused with someone else. I would only be upset if I had to reschedule. I'm not going to disappoint my granddaughter at this date, unless I have to. We will make the best of the cruise as we can. The only place I'm going to flip my lid is the day we have Frozen meet and greet. I think Disney should reschedule that because it is now a port day, instead of the sea day originally.

I was responding to a post blasting @KdKyA, but it looks like it has since been altered.

Sorry.

 

[Quellman]

Exactly. This says it all. When I called about the whole situation I was on the phone with one CM for an hour who couldn't even help me. She didn't even know how to transfer me to a supervisor. Then said she will have one call me back immediately. 30 minutes later she called. The issue is that we would end up having to pay even more than we paid now as next years cruises are more expensive than this year. Onboard booking would time out as well, so those benefits would would be lost. We would end up paying almost $2,000 more for the same cruise and having to push it back yet another year. That's not going to work. She said we could always just do a 4 day. Wow, that's so helpful. If they would have even at least TRIED and shown some compassion for our frustrations it would be an easier pill to swallow. We were also told we couldn't just cancel. We would then have to pay the cancelation fee. To top it off, for our cruise Monday is Cozumel day (was supposed to be a sea day), they moved everyones sea day activities to Costa Maya day. They said they would give the guest the option to choose if they wanted to switch. Nope, everyone is logging in to find they had no choice. It was switched. Many of them wanted to stay on the ship for Cozumel and get off in Costa Maya. So we are totally stuck unless we want to pay a lot more or travel less dates. At the very least they should offer the changed itinerary at the same price we already paid, or at least the price it was at the dates of booking. This is not as simple as "if you are so upset just switch" it's not that easy. As far as insurance, they are saying that since DCL is offering up a 3rd port, that they have made the price the "same" worth as an Eastern so it's not able to be claimed. At the same time the whole missing a port doesn't;t apply because the change happened so far out we can't claim it as a missed port.
The worst part is that none of the CMs seem to be reading from a different script than each other. While some supervisors are making exceptions, the very next supervisor isn't. It's total bull and the guests are having to eat the cost, not Disney. They don't lose anything out of this.

Couldn't you move the date out far enough that you could then call back tomorrow and cancel it and get back your money? Assuming your aren't bound by concierge restrictions? I know it doesn't help with your missed vacation, but it might help you have another one.

 

[godde8ss]

Couldn't you move the date out far enough that you could then call back tomorrow and cancel it and get back your money? Assuming your aren't bound by concierge restrictions? I know it doesn't help with your missed vacation, but it might help you have another one.

just speaking for all of us, we are past PIF...there is no get your money back options

 

[FigmentSpark]

In case anyone cares to analyze the data, here's a sample of the pricing for a year... Fantasy, opening day, 4A and 8A for Western and Eastern:

 

[Betsypup]

Like many of us, I'm a Disney fanatic. I think their customer service is tops. I know DCL isn't a part of Disneyworld per se. I know DCL isn't obligated to do anything. I know what my contract says. I do think DCL has mishandled a great deal of the Irma situatuon especially as pertains to communication. If it were possible I would offer OBC to these guests. A minimal one. Just my opinion. I know they aren't legally required to but from a business perspective, it makes sense to me.

 

[KdKyA]

Couldn't you move the date out far enough that you could then call back tomorrow and cancel it and get back your money? Assuming your aren't bound by concierge restrictions? I know it doesn't help with your missed vacation, but it might help you have another one.

No because the original reservation number stays the same and any penalties would come out if canceling. There is some type of "hold" on the reservation number that recognizes if you try to cancel after rebooking it later. On top of that, we would lose our onboard booking discount for the next cruise. There is no way around this

 

[dcassetta]

Good thing you're going down tomorrow. We're flying there Friday. Looks like Orlando will have tropical storm force winds by lunchtime Saturday. Also looks like the gulf side of Florida will get hit with another hurricane on Sunday morning.

If you're referencing storm number 16, the path is shifted significantly west.

 

[Jen B.]

I've been following http://puertoriconow.seepuertorico.com/ to check airport/port/hotel status. This was posted today. "San Juan Harbor is open and expected to resume homeporting operations by Saturday, October 7, with the departure of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Adventure of the Seas."

 

[FSSHEELS]

Just got notified that 7 day Eastern Merrytime on 12/16 itinerary changed to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Castaway Cay.

Little surprised at this change, so basically changed to Western and took away a stop? Happy to be cruising, but feel a little ripped off....

 

[phinz]

Just got notified that 7 day Eastern Merrytime on 12/16 itinerary changed to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Castaway Cay.

Little surprised at this change, so basically changed to Western and took away a stop? Happy to be cruising, but feel a little ripped off....

Why? You get the extra sea day that so many cruise Easterns for. I'd *happily* give up Falmouth to get an extra sea day.

 

[Cmeller]

Just got notified that 7 day Eastern Merrytime on 12/16 itinerary changed to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Castaway Cay.

Little surprised at this change, so basically changed to Western and took away a stop? Happy to be cruising, but feel a little ripped off....

I’m on that cruise and actually am glad we got one less port. Jamaica is our least favorite, especially with young kids, and days at sea are really more fun for us. It’s not the same as staying on the boat in port with the extra activities planned.

Plus it saves us money on excursions and food off the ship.

 

[FSSHEELS]

I guess I didn't look at it that way. I would just assume that everyone has the option to stay on the boat whenever they choose on a less crowded boat, which is appealing. Extra activities is an offset I guess.

 

[Dug720]

I woke up this morning to an email from DCL and thought they might have already changed the 2/18 Wonder. But no, just a drop in port taxes and fees which dropped the price a little.