Weather can affect Disney Dream Castaway

[bullelksd]

I think probably the most disappointing thing was that the Captain kept trying to dock even into the early afternoon hours. Knowing that it takes some time to prep the island, this would have only allowed for a very short time on the island, anyhow. And yes, knowing Disney, they most likely would have charged full rates for things like the Cabanas, etc. The weather definitely was less then ideal for most of this cruise and that was not Disney's fault. Unfortunately for Disney, the overall experience is what brings back repeat business, and this was not a very enjoyable overall experience.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

Op said they did cruise DCL before and loved CC so that is why they are so disappointed in miss it this cruise.

I missed that, thanks for pointing it out. I think I was stuck on my "first post" mindset, wondering if we had a troll or a legitimate complaint.

 

[stickeymouse]

I cannot fathom how someone can think he/she is entitled to compensation when the ship cannot dock at Castaway Cay. To me, that's like asking for a refund for a rainy day. I understand the OP's frustrations, but it is not right to suggest that Disney acted in a malevolent way. As others have said, Disney has no control over the weather and likely loses money by having an additional sea day. And let's face it, being "stuck" on a world-class vessel with tons of food, entertainment, and Mickey Mouse is a darn good consolation prize. Perhaps there is some sort of high-cost trip insurance that will guarantee all port stops for those expecting a perfect trip?

 

[quickcat]

I didn't read threw all the other responses but I have never heard of Disney docking any place else when missing Castaway.
We have been on many Disney cruises and missed Castaway twice. They usually add things to do around the ship and we always found something else to do. I am sorry you are so angry about it, it happens to all cruise lines though at some point. I have never seen any posts about people wanting compensation for missing a port....this is something that no one can control. Trust me, Disney wants to dock....its a lot of money they are missing out on!
I hope you enjoyed the rest of your vacation though

 

[jacksonsmom]

we are heading out on the Fantasy in about 2 weeks. If we can't dock at CC, sure we would be disappointed but it sure won't ruin our vacation. I will just be thankful we are able to take a cruise and be on the beautiful Fantasy

 

[Saamh]

I'm sorry you were disappointed. I would be too if we missed CC but I'm confused by your post title that says "Disney won't correct the problem". I'm sure they added lots of fun "sea day" activities to try to make sure everyone had fun. As previous posters have said, they can't just hop over to another island. I'm not sure what you expect them to do to correct the problem. I sure wouldn't want the captain to dock if he wasn't comfortable with the safety. As far as Disney wanting to maximize profits, I don't think that's the case. I read another post last week where DCL refunded cabana costs without being asked because the weather was horrible and they thought guests probably didn't enjoy the day. They definitely didn't need to do that especially because weather is out of their control.

Kids' reaction and attitude is usually picked up from parents. A quote we really like when dealing with unplanned, unfortunate situations when traveling is "The difference between an adventure and an ordeal is your attitude". An unexpected sea day on a Disney cruise sure beats sitting in a blizzard at home like lots of people were doing.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Is this a troll?

 

[perditax]

Is this a troll?

I don't think so. I think this same sailing has caused a couple of other complaint posts. I think people just dont quite know the full context and it sounds like there was a negative vibe on the ship, so people probably got themselves riled up to come try to "Yelp" the crise line online.

That said I think OP has probably been dog piled enough.

 

[livie1205]

Maybe taking a cruise is not for you? Living in Florida prepared me for things you can't control on a cruise. Would I love great weather and never miss a port? OF COURSE but I have to be able to tell myself that if it rains or we can't dock then there is a huge ship full of things to do. To us a vacation is simply being " gone" and relaxing together so if we got stuck in a disney room with room service then oh well... Nap time. Lol

 

[NerdyDad]

All very interesting comments. I appreciate all the insight that everyone has provided. mmouse37, I think you hit the nail on the head. Our first Cruise on the Magic last year was perfect and we had high expectations for this second cruise.
Before reading all the posts I didn't realize how difficult it is to dock at a different port and how much the weather changes down near Castaway Cay. I understand that Disney can't control the weather, the risk of missing the port is an accepted risk by most Disney Cruisers, and that docking at another port is difficult for Disney to do. These are all things I will consider if I want to go on another cruise. Thanks again....

 

[tinkerone]

i'm sorry you did not make it to cc however in reading your posts i doubt very much there is anything anyone can say to make you see. your not wanting to recognize the fact that this can and does happen and its not disneys fault. they do not plan it and they actually lose money when it does happen. it also will not effect their client bass. there have been several above posts that will attest to that fact. you said you looked at the Disney Cruise line mission statement, i wonder, did you look at your contract?

i do hope that you were not one of the angry people on board who took it out on the crew. those people, imo, just look stupid and the crew do not deserve that. its not their fault.

lastly, you said you have fond memories of your parents taking you to disney when you were young. i do hope you left your children with the same memories and not ones of anger and resentment. its very easy for a parent to change a disappointment into an extra magic moment. you make it a memory for your kids, not the brand disney. make it a good one cause they will have it forever.

it is what it is.

 

[MPS516]

Well thousands of passengers from all cruise lines were stranded in Ft Lauderdale and Miami on Sunday due to snow storms, shouldn't they be given extra sea days. All the people waiting to board should be given extra sea day or dropped at a beach for the day.

Travel reality is the company can not control the weather. We were on Carnival when they could not dock in Freeport, NCL when they could not tender to their beach and DCL when a hurricane off Mexico caused them to change itinerary to skip hit area. It's the risk of a cruise or air travel, and I found driving can be just as difficult, interstates and highways closed due to snow, winds and rock slides.

.

 

[perditax]

(OP has already come back and thanked people for insights, no need to keep kicking him. It pays to read the whole thread before responding.)

 

[ptcbass]

I saw a lot of really angry people who were making big scenes all over the ship and actually yelling at crew members so we decided it was best to lay low until the bad feelings settled down.

Wow, I can't imagine being a CM on one of these days. You know they hate it when the ship can't dock if the passengers actually yell at them.

 

[tinkerone]

(OP has already come back and thanked people for insights, no need to keep kicking him. It pays to read the whole thread before responding.)

i think the op posted the same time as me and probably the same time as the next poster as well. no one is 'kicking' him. i am glad the opp now understands this can happen.

 

[Prose]

A few questions/commentsI had though:
1) I read that instead of adding another day at sea, the boats sometimes will make one attempt at Castaway and then take the guests to a different island or port altogether.
2) Why didn't this happen on this cruise, was Disney trying to maximize the money spent on the cruise by either only trying Castaway Cay and then keeping the guest onboard? I assume that not being able to dock at Castaway Cay causes a loss to Disney and letting guests onto an island without excursions planned also costs Disney money. If this happened its sad that the guests would need to cover the costs of this loss in value to Disney.
3) Do the larger boats have less of a chance of getting into Castaway Cay because of their size? Did Disney update the dock/channel to allow the larger ships to get into Castaway Cay? Could this risk of missing Castaway be reduced if I choose the smaller ships?
4) I was told that Disney angled the dock at Port Canaveral so that people could see the ship as they drove onto Merritt Island. Did Disney do the same thing at Castaway, to allow the ship to be well photographed but inadvertently make it harder for the larger ships to dock because of exposure to the tides and winds.
5) Was there a backup system in place to allow the boat to dock and shuttle people to Castaway Cay.
6) Even though DCL says that weather can affect the schedule and planned ports, there were other options available to Disney to correct the situation/issue. From what I saw on the ship, a lot of families were upset and disappointed. This will probably cause a lot of people to have negative feelings towards Disney Cruise Lines and continuing this policy may affect their long term outlook.
7) Some cruisers going on Disney may be unaware of this possibility so I wanted to post and make sure that everybody has the correct expectation before going on a Disney Cruise.

OP - It is certainly understandable to be upset, and if you are a newcomer to cruising and the boards, you wouldn't be aware of some of the logistical details of Castaway Cay. For you, and anyone else who reads this in the future, a bit of info...

1 & 2. If Disney misses ANY port due to weather or safety issues, a day at sea will be substituted. Cast members will scramble to add activities, events, movies, etc. to make the day as fun as possible. Port berthings are booked months in advance, so it is generally not possible for a ship to simply go to another island. The only one close enough to Castaway anyway would be Nassau, and a fun day at sea would be preferable.
3. Disney did dredge the dock area considerably to allow the larger ships access. If it was windy enough to not allow docking, then any ship there that day would be in the same boat (see what I did there?).
4. Only the Disney engineers know this one, but I doubt it.
5. As someone earlier said, if it is windy enough to not allow docking, you don't want to be in a tender boat tossed by the wind and waves. However, even if they could tender you in, every bit of food, fresh water, alcohol, glassware, towels, etc. are offloaded from the ship on huge pallets each time they dock. You could get to the island, but there would be nothing to eat or drink when you got there. Also, several of the island staff (dock workers, tram drivers for instance) boat over from nearby islands and would not be able to get there.
6. See #1. The additional activities are what Disney does to correct the situation. If you have booked excursions on Castaway, you are not charged for them if the port is missed. You are still fed and entertained.

Unfortunately, it is a possibility to miss ANY port on a cruise due to weather conditions, dock damage from recent hurricanes, passenger safety/political unrest/denial of local authorities to allow docking, etc. In most cruise contracts, they guarantee you will get on and off the ship safely, but do not make any guarantee of any destination in between. Hope that helps - and hoe you'll try DCL again!.

 

[cgolf]

I don't think so. I think this same sailing has caused a couple of other complaint posts. I think people just dont quite know the full context and it sounds like there was a negative vibe on the ship, so people probably got themselves riled up to come try to "Yelp" the crise line online.

That said I think OP has probably been dog piled enough.

I think the two threads were started by trolls, if not I truly apologize, but it looks like both accounts were created the day these threads were started.

Missing CC has been talked about a lot on the boards. When we were on our last trip someone talked about having missed CC the last 2 cruises. We have been lucky and never missed it, but if we do we do oh well. This past cruise the sea conditions were too rough and we went into Montego Bay instead of Falmouth, so adjustments are made when possible.

These type of posts amaze me, would people rather them risk the ship just so that they can go swim on the beach? DCL makes the decision with the safety of the passengers, crew, and the ship in mind. They know that disappointed cruisers don't become repeat cruisers, but my goodness the pixie dust just can't be used to control mother nature

 

[perditax]

I think the two threads were started by trolls, if not I truly apologize, but it looks like both accounts were created the day these threads were started.

Missing CC has been talked about a lot on the boards. When we were on our last trip someone talked about having missed CC the last 2 cruises. We have been lucky and never missed it, but if we do we do oh well. This past cruise the sea conditions were too rough and we went into Montego Bay instead of Falmouth, so adjustments are made when possible.

These type of posts amaze me, would people rather them risk the ship just so that they can go swim on the beach? DCL makes the decision with the safety of the passengers, crew, and the ship in mind. They know that disappointed cruisers don't become repeat cruisers, but my goodness the pixie dust just can't be used to control mother nature

I get the sense they may have both been on the same disgruntled cruise, but maybe I am wrong.

If you want to see something that will REALLY confuse you as to whether it could possibly be real/troll, check out this review I found last night:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=219449

 

[Pens Fan]

I think probably the most disappointing thing was that the Captain kept trying to dock even into the early afternoon hours. Knowing that it takes some time to prep the island, this would have only allowed for a very short time on the island, anyhow. And yes, knowing Disney, they most likely would have charged full rates for things like the Cabanas, etc. The weather definitely was less then ideal for most of this cruise and that was not Disney's fault. Unfortunately for Disney, the overall experience is what brings back repeat business, and this was not a very enjoyable overall experience.

When our day at CC was cut in half, DCL gave us partial refunds for items that were originally scheduled to be rented for a full day. We weren't in a cabana, but I would imagine they did they same for those.

 

[cashe]

I get the sense they may have both been on the same disgruntled cruise, but maybe I am wrong.

If you want to see something that will REALLY confuse you as to whether it could possibly be real/troll, check out this review I found last night:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=219449

that's entirely too much complaining for me to read. geez.