We need to vent - no flames please.

[maria-fan-22]

Upgrades are made by when you booked and what cabins they want to fill... The first time cruisers probably book earlier than you and book a cabin DCL would like to fill. So they move the earlier bookings by upgrading them and then fill that cabin.

We have been on 5 DCL cruises and the first two we booked when they were first released, we were upgraded both times. These were also special cruises, in 2005 to Mexico, and in 2007 to Med. Then on our second cruise we booked a third while on board for less than a year out on the Wonder to the Bahamas, no upgrade because the cabins were selling by themselves. Then we booked the Dream fairly early on and guess what, no upgrade that ship was sold out...

My point it, DCL will only upgrade if it makes FINANCIAL scene to upgrade and fill a cabin that would not have sold...

 

[BrettW]

A couple of thoughts.

One is to never begrudge someone else getting a good deal. It happens, be happy for them. It isn't unfair if DCL chooses to do something special for someone and not someone else. It happens.

Second is that Disney's Castaway Club seems really weak. Early boarding? Whatever. Free dinner at Palo? A $15 dinner after 10 cruises and many thousands of dollars? Whatever. Early booking of excursions? My cruise experience isn't lessened because I don't get one of the overpriced rub a dolphin tours (granted many people happily pay for that). Different color lanyard? Huh?

Third, though, is that the real world is a bit different, and many people have come to expect perks and special treatment from business they frequent. Businesses recognize that and capitalize on that need for people to feel special by making them feel special. Disney, surprisingly, is not doing that very well. On our 50th visit to WDW we told the reservationist that was our occasion, thinking perhaps we'd get something (flowers in the room, desert at a restaurant, something) but nothing. We, of course, should not have expected something special, but we were surprised they didn't even seem to care. I've spent tens of thousand of dollars cruising, got everything I paid for, but Disney should make an attempt to recognize the general public's need for getting more than they paid for after spending so much hard earned money.

Disney is doing fine, and their parks are crowded and the ships are full. As a business, they don't need to increase their spending to reward loyal guests, or even things that don't cost them a penny (such as an upgraded room). But I think they should, out of common courtesy if nothing else. 30 cruises? Disney should bend over backwards to treat you with special consideration.

I couldn't have said it better.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[jlwhitney]

Dh and I have done 9 cruises, and 10 for me and we have always been upgraded when booked GTY. And our last two cruises were GTY. So I don't buy you saying DCL has a policy against upgrading frequent cruisers. There really does appear to be no pattern. They do what they do to fill the ship in a way to maxime profits.

 

[Green Tea]

No comment on whether someone should be upgraded or not....but you were DOWNGRADED which does not seem to be allowed. If you booked a 9A guarantee then you get that category at minimum. Whether it is the first cruise or the 30th cruise, if they state that a category guarantee in fact guarantees that category or better, then by golly you should get that category or better.

 

[Summerl30]

Its all about loot. If they need your room for someone else, they will upgrade you. If you never reserve a room that is not needed by anyone else, then you never get upgraded. There really is no pixie dust (though we like to think there is)

 

[darkwing818]

Thank you all for your kind comments and great insight. First I must say that I think it is great that other people get upgrades, it is great for them and truly I am not jealous of them for getting them. My point is that DCL has a corporate policy of not upgrading guests who are frequent cruisers. I myself, and this is just my two cents is that by upgrading people who have cruised say 15 or 20 times it would be a great "thank you" for being a dedicated DCL cruiser. It would cost them nothing and would make a lot of people happy. I also think of the other angle that they feel that if they gave some cruisers the upgrade it would end up on our Disboards and they would have to entertain all the Platinum plus cruisers who chose to call and ask why they did not get the upgrade so and so got. I guess they cannot win whatever they do. We are real happy to be on the ship and my DW and I are the only people in the stateroom. From what everyone is saying it is a very large stateroom so we will be happy with the extra space. I for one will pay a lot more attention when making my reservations. We always rebook on the ship and enjoy the onboard credit and 10%--although I could get a much better deal if I would have booked it last week. I know that I will not get any kind of upgrade on this cruise since I made some noise. Disney does not reward people for speaking out and making waves. You get nothing from them when you demand something--which I never did. Just wanted to let them know that people would like to be recognized as loyal DCL sailors--and the supervisor made sure to make me aware many people have complained about this and he claims it will be addressed. Guess we will see.

I'm getting confused here, but I thought the OP original issue was getting assigned a lower room than what they signed up for, based on this post it sounds like it still hasn't been resolved. I apologize if I missed a previous post, hopefully it's been resolved to the OPs satisfaction.

Now it seems we've really moved to 2nd part of the initial post; "How does DCL do their upgrades & why I haven't gotten one". After 8 cruises, we are more concerned about booking the stateroom we want & if I remember, telling DCL "no upgrade". I've read numerous posts where folks were very unhappy with the free upgrade DCL gave them. If we want an upgrade, we check at the upgrade desk at the time we check-in. This way if there is an upgrade we like, we get it at a reduced price.

Bottom line, can DCL do more/perks for the "Uber Cruisers" absolutely. When someone cruises 20 or 30 times with the same cruise line, recognition of some sort, would be a nice touch and certainly long overdue. What that should be, sounds like a topic for another thread.

 

[tinkerone]

i'm not calling the op a liar so DO NOT read that into this, however.......i would love to see the original request. it doesn't make sense to me that dcl would do this and then refuse to make it right. There not going to down grade a customer, any customer, and not fix the problem if it truly is there error. i'm sure there are still plenty of cabins to move them to. we can all, read and it has been printed on this thread multiple times, that if you book a 9a gt thats what you will at least get. and two employees have looked at this issue.
it just all seems off to me. something wrong.
again, NOT calling op a liar, just curious as to why.

 

[jahber]

i'm not calling the op a liar so DO NOT read that into this, however.......i would love to see the original request. it doesn't make sense to me that dcl would do this and then refuse to make it right. There not going to down grade a customer, any customer, and not fix the problem if it truly is there error. i'm sure there are still plenty of cabins to move them to. we can all, read and it has been printed on this thread multiple times, that if you book a 9a gt thats what you will at least get. and two employees have looked at this issue.
it just all seems off to me. something wrong.
again, NOT calling op a liar, just curious as to why.

I would have to agree. I had a similar case a couple of months ago. My TA sent me confirmation of two 4D GTY rooms and then DCL assigned me a 4D and a 5A. I'm pretty sure the TA messed up the reservation (based on the booking experience, a wrong cruise date showing on the Web site ressie briefly, and my suspicion that there was only actually one 4D left at that rate), but DCL made it right. The TA tried to convince me that DCL could assign me another category. But not a lower category!

The good people of the DIS encouraged me to insist it be made right...and it was! We were actually upgraded to two connecting 4Bs. So who knows how the upgrades work, really? Because Disney made very little profit from us on that cruise! But surely DCL would make it right with a least a partial refund if it's their mistake.

 

[kcashner]

DCL can assign you to a different category than what you booked, but not a lower (cheaper) category. They have to give you at least what you paid for OR better.

 

[reimero]

I haven't read the whole thread...but this is the way it reads on the website and every other small print. So seriously it's just a category 9? Then why do 9As cost more.

total bait and switch no matter what the small print says.

Typically, the number refers to a combination of size (in total square footage) and whether it's got a verandah, porthole or is inside. The letter refers to desirability within the specific category. My personal experience is with category 8, not 9, but basically, the "A" gives you one or more of the following: more desirable location, more desirable deck, slightly more space (a function of the ship's layout - some staterooms pick up a few extra square feet), possibly an extra porthole (this is one of the distinguishing features of 8A vs. the other 8s).

So, there is a qualitative difference among the same number. Just because staterooms have the same square footage doesn't mean they all have the same desirability.

 

[lorenni]

i'm not calling the op a liar so DO NOT read that into this, however.......i would love to see the original request. it doesn't make sense to me that dcl would do this and then refuse to make it right. There not going to down grade a customer, any customer, and not fix the problem if it truly is there error. i'm sure there are still plenty of cabins to move them to. we can all, read and it has been printed on this thread multiple times, that if you book a 9a gt thats what you will at least get. and two employees have looked at this issue.
it just all seems off to me. something wrong.
again, NOT calling op a liar, just curious as to why.

The more likely issue here, in my mind, is that DCL mistakenly booked the wrong category and then OP had the misfortune to speak to a dumb or poorly trained CM. I've had CMs very recently tell me unequivocally that a) I cannot request a wait list for a different dinner seating and b) they can't put a "no upgrade" note on my reservation, and if they do, they dont ever look at notes when assigning staterooms. We all know these statements to be false, so I hung up, called back and got someone who actually knew what they were talking about.

Hoping OP was able to do the same and get this resolved.

 

[Green Tea]

OP, did you get reassigned to the category for which you paid?

 

[CarolAnnC]

Did you book with a travel agent or DCL direct? Just wondering if you have spoken to the travel agent, if so?

Did I miss an answer from the OP on this?

Could explain some of the confusion, if he is dealing with both a TA and DCL direct at once....

 

[All Things Simba]

OP, did you get reassigned to the category for which you paid?

Did this get resolved yet??

I would be VERY upset by this. I just looked up the difference between a Cat. 9A and a Cat. 9D on our upcoming October, 2013 cruise. The price difference is $70. But more importantly than that…. Cat. 9D has an obstructed porthole!

If you are booked as a GTY Cat. 9A then I would call and call to make sure that is the very least that you receive. I’d call every day if I had to. Remind them each time how many cruises you’ve taken with DCL, how much money you've spent over the years, and tell them it would be nice if they even upgraded you (finally!) beyond a Cat. 9A for all of your frustration. If you are nice, but firm, I’m sure you’ll get somewhere with them. I’d be asking for a Cat. 8!! “One Large Porthole Window with Seating”.

Best of luck to you.

 

[bumbershoot]

Did this get resolved yet??

I would be VERY upset by this. I just looked up the difference between a Cat. 9A and a Cat. 9D on our upcoming October, 2013 cruise. The price difference is $70. But more importantly than that…. Cat. 9D has an obstructed porthole!

I've only been lurking, but I want the OP to get it resolved, too!

It looks like it's not just the category that is obstructed, but specifically the cabin they were assigned.

I have stayed in that stateroom 7006 and didn't like it at all because the porthole has an obstructed view and that matters to me. ( It is a huge room and some people will love the space)

I really hope the OP contacts them again and hones in on the REAL problem here, that they've been downgraded.

 

[All Things Simba]

Totally agree! A downgrade doesn't seem like something Disney would do...aren't they in the "Have a Magical Day" business after all?

 

[Dznypal]

we had this room on the dream last yr (7006) it was 9A at the time we booked as 9A GTY this was before they reclassified some rooms and while we liked the bigger room the window was a total disappointment

we could see in the room next door 7008 and while the room was smaller the window was as big (or it seemed this way) as the one we had this yr on the famtasy which was an 8C GTY

I hope you havent given up the fight it sounds like you booked a 9A GTY and got a 9D which is a down grade--a rather small one but never the less a down grade

I wouldnt be happy either any new developments

 

[OKraysLoveDisney]

Looking at the website for Disney Cruise Line there are category 9A available so I wonder why you have not been given this room type? I would call DCL and tell them you can see they have these cabins available for the 12/1/12 cruise. This just doesn't add up to me!

 

[lilpooh108]

I haven't read through all 6 pages (sorry cooking dinner ) but 7006 WAS considered a 9A before the recategorization earlier this year. I know because we booked 7006 deliberately as it is a larger corner OV room simply for the space (and I hate Aft).

DCL recategorized some rooms earlier this year. After the recategorization, our 9A room (which was 7006) was NOT BUMPED UP TO A TRUE 9A. We booked on DVC points and were refunded 2 points for the 9A to 9D downgrade.

You should call and ask for a refund for the difference between a 9A and a 9D. This was in an email sent by DCL a while ago. If you don't have the email, PM me and I can find mine for you to see if I can email it to you as a PDF (redacted as to private info like name/address, etc).

My parents are in 7006 as we speak (11/24 sailing). You will literally be in this room right after they get off!

Hope you have a nice sailing, and maybe they can refund you the difference between a 9A and a 9D.

 

[TChrist05]

DCL claims they can assign us any stateroom in a category 9--went round and round with them about it and they don't seem to want to budge. I am not disappointed that we are in 7006--from what I hear it is a great large stateroom. I will attempt to deal with a supervisor at the port only to clarify what I believe. My main objection with DCL is they do not take care of the people who have sailed with them so often. They have made a business decision to never upgrade anyone that does not benefit them. If they need your stateroom for someone else they will give you an upgrade. Supervisor told me as well as my wife that they do not upgrade unless you pay for it.

Bottom line is we sail next Saturday and I want to focus on having a good time and not the difference between a category 9 stateroom. Next week at this time we will have knocked off a dozen shrimp or so.

Thanks for all the kind suggestions and insight. I will from now on pay a lot more attention when we book things. In addition, a letter to the president of the cruise line may be in order.

Thanks again.