Changes to new reservations booked onboard Disney ships

[mkraemer]

Effective immediately...


New onboard bookings for cruises of six days or less get a $100 shipboard credit per stateroom. All new onboard bookings for cruises of seven days or more get a $200 shipboard credit per stateroom. In addition to the shipboard credit, you get a 10% discount. The amount of the shipboard credit is the same, no matter what your Castaway Club status.

Also effective today, date changing an existing onboard booking (such as moving a "placeholder"), makes the booking subject to the limits above, rather than the credit in effect prior to the date change being processed.

(I'm just sharing the info, please don't shoot the messenger...)

[momof three]

I 'm not going to shoot the messenger especially since you have worked so hard to make my DCL so great! However, I'm none too happy with the changes DCL!

I think it's pretty lame to take away perks to your repeat guest. This makes being a castaway club memeber sort of a let down.

I also hope this means that the rebooking desk onboard is prepared to sit with me for a very long time when I compare cruises to rebook on board. In the past the lines have been long and I didn't wish to hog the rebooking agents time. Plus on my last cruise (May 6th) it was clear I knew more then the rebooking agent did. I found myself frustrated with the onboard booking process. If I had access to a computer on board I would have done the research myself & then booked with the onboard agent. What I often do is hold something to lock in the 10% savings & OBC then get home, take a hour or so looking at dates that worked, cabin possiblities and prices. Once I figures out my choice I then contact Mary (TA) to change the dates.

I get that dummy date bookings are creating an issue with DCL inventory. Yet, a blanket no warning approach with no grandfathering in is not a good PR move in my opinion.

Mily

[Drince88]

Just because I have a curiosity 'problem' --- what were the discounts/on board credits prior to this going into effect? I know the on board booking was a pretty sweet deal, I just never was in a position to find out HOW sweet they were.

Could you do the research before sailing, Mily -- or are there other restrictions that you don't find out about until you get on board? (Which also takes away the 'impulse buy' that I thought DCL was kind of relying on with the discounts offered on board.)

[momof three]

I also wanted to add that I thought long and hard about rebooking onboard this time around. I almost didn't rebook. I was considering the possiblity of taking the wait and see approach becuase this spring/ summer there have been some wonderful last minute deals on The Fantasy and Magic. The bottom line for our family is current prices have us priced out of the 7 day market when our children are out of school. They are at the age when pulling them is not an option. If we do a 7 day now and we might in the next year or two it won't be with DCL unless we score a great deal. I really considered not booking the 4 day and waiting to see if a better rate on a 7 day pop up last minute next year like it did this year. We can leave fairly last minute as we live in Florida so we don't need airfare.

This new policy gives me a lot to consider. I'm not so sure it is in my best interest to book early now. With 4 ship, two that are in Florida at all times and a 3rd here often I'm wondering if I'm better off not rebooking and getting an awesome last minute deal.

Mily

[mkraemer]

I 'm not going to shoot the messenger especially since you have worked so hard to make my DCL so great! However, I'm none too happy with the changes DCL!

I think it's pretty lame to take away perks to your repeat guest. This makes being a castaway club memeber sort of a let down.

I also hope this means that the rebooking desk onboard is prepared to sit with me for a very long time when I compare cruises to rebook on board. In the past the lines have been long and I didn't wish to hog the rebooking agents time. Plus on my last cruise (May 6th) it was clear I knew more then the rebooking agent did. I found myself frustrated with the onboard booking process. If I had access to a computer on board I would have done the research myself & then booked with the onboard agent. What I often do is hold something to lock in the 10% savings & OBC then get home, take a hour or so looking at dates that worked, cabin possiblities and prices. Once I figures out my choice I then contact Mary (TA) to change the dates.

I get that dummy date bookings are creating an issue with DCL inventory. Yet, a blanket no warning approach with no grandfathering in is not a good PR move in my opinion.

Mily

Mily, thanks for all your kind words! (Aren't you glad we moved your reservation a few days ago?)

I agree, having *no* advance warning about these changes is not very magical. And I think that reservations that had been made onboard and not yet sailed should be 'grandfathered' into the benefits the guest expected at the time of booking. (I have a couple placeholder cruises through Disney, which I haven't yet decided on where/when to sail.)

In some respects, i understand the issue about inventory being a problem for DCL because of placeholders. Changing placeholders also requires time with the DCL reservation staff because it has to be called in, not changed online; it also requires TA time (and that can be considerable, especially when new itineraries are announced). Some people change their sail dates once; others change quite a few times, and each time, it requires DCL reservation staff time. Depending on the cruise, the deposit amount changes (now that we don't have flat-rate deposits any more), so the accounting becomes a little more complicated too.

I know I will sound like a Mousepad heretic, but I look at things on a more general cruise business perspective. *MAYBE* it would make sense for DCL to follow the onboard booking ideas used by other cruise lines, where a guest can make a future cruise booking without specifying a date and pay a nominal deposit to hold the onboard booking credits. (I have a couple of those too.) Notably, Royal Caribbean does this right: for future cruise bookings that aren't associated with a date, a nominal ($100) deposit is required, *and* you get vouchers for two other staterooms to be booked on the same sailing by family or friends *at the same discounted rate* as your own stateroom. No inventory is affected this way, guests get the discounts that can be shared; easy! (I believe my RCI vouchers expire in 2019, so I have plenty of time to figure out when I want to sail and where I want to go.)

Now, I understand the general sentiment on Mousepad about Disney being the ultimate in cruising, so please spare me the berating of even considering sailing on a different cruise line (I respect that, but will still do so since it's part of my job and I have enjoyed some great non-Disney ships); but I'm making a suggestion on how future cruise bookings could be handled differently.

[dlfansx4]

Yep, I wasn't very happy with the new policy either. I will be Gold after our September cruise, but with them taking away the benefits, that doesn't mean much any more. Luckily our 6th cruise is already booked for the date we want so I will still get the Gold OBC on that one. But it does make me rethink the decision for our 2014 cruise. I was going to book a dummy cruise in September in hopes of DCL returning to Alaska in 2014. Now I think it might be time to look at different cruise lines for that one.

[mkraemer]

Yep, I wasn't very happy with the new policy either. I will be Gold after our September cruise, but with them taking away the benefits, that doesn't mean much any more. Luckily our 6th cruise is already booked for the date we want so I will still get the Gold OBC on that one. But it does make me rethink the decision for our 2014 cruise. I was going to book a dummy cruise in September in hopes of DCL returning to Alaska in 2014. Now I think it might be time to look at different cruise lines for that one.

Well, given the new policy, it won't make much difference if you book a dummy date, moving forward, because your OBC will still be the same, regardless of when you decide to sail. The difference is really for those who already have reservations and will have their OBC changed when they move dates.

As far as Alaska goes, there are some great options, especially for time inland (a cruise tour), with cruise lines that have more presence and experience in that area. (Oh dear, I'm gonna get flamed for that...)

[AVP]

I know I will sound like a Mousepad heretic, but I look at things on a more general cruise business perspective. *MAYBE* it would make sense for DCL to follow the onboard booking ideas used by other cruise lines, where a guest can make a future cruise booking without specifying a date and pay a nominal deposit to hold the onboard booking credits. (I have a couple of those too.) Notably, Royal Caribbean does this right: for future cruise bookings that aren't associated with a date, a nominal ($100) deposit is required, *and* you get vouchers for two other staterooms to be booked on the same sailing by family or friends *at the same discounted rate* as your own stateroom. No inventory is affected this way, guests get the discounts that can be shared; easy! (I believe my RCI vouchers expire in 2019, so I have plenty of time to figure out when I want to sail and where I want to go.)

Now, I understand the general sentiment on Mousepad about Disney being the ultimate in cruising, so please spare me the berating of even considering sailing on a different cruise line (I respect that, but will still do so since it's part of my job and I have enjoyed some great non-Disney ships); but I'm making a suggestion on how future cruise bookings could be handled differently.

I don't think this is necessarily a fair statement; I'm sure MousePlanet readers can agree that Disney Cruise Line still has a lot of room for improvement.

We actually spoke with the future cruise desk manager while we were on the Fantasy about the voucher system, and he said it's something Disney has looked at, but there are logistical issues to be resolved before it can be rolled out. Vouchers are something we've asked Disney for and about repeatedly, and they need to figure it out given how their current process impacts their inventory control.

I agree with Mily - this policy change is going to make the already-busy FCD that much more crowded onboard ship, and it's going to dramatically increase wait times. Right now it takes us 15 minutes to book a placeholder cruise; if we'd actually had to book our *real* planned next cruise during the Hawaii trip (with slow/no internet access and the need to coordinate with other passengers to agree on dates/prices), it would have taken hours of their time.

And as a Platinum Castaway Club member, this officially sucks.

[dlfansx4]

Well, given the new policy, it won't make much difference if you book a dummy date, moving forward, because your OBC will still be the same, regardless of when you decide to sail. The difference is really for those who already have reservations and will have their OBC changed when they move dates.

As far as Alaska goes, there are some great options, especially for time inland (a cruise tour), with cruise lines that have more presence and experience in that area. (Oh dear, I'm gonna get flamed for that...)

Oh yes, I understand that it wouldn't make a difference in the OBC. I just mean that if they are going to start eliminating benefits for Gold/Platinum cruisers, it gives me less of a reason to stick with DCL over the other lines. I have been reading about other platinum benefits (such as the tour, checking in at the concierge desk, etc) being eliminated also.

I wonder if they are just seeing so many Gold and Platinum cruisers now that they need to rethink the levels. But the way they are going about it (by just reducing benefits) is going to cost them a lot of loyal customers (in my opinion).

As for the other lines, I would love to hear your recommendations (you can PM me if that is better).

[Tony]

As for the other lines, I would love to hear your recommendations (you can PM me if that is better).

No need to PM this information.

We've sailed Princess and Carnival. Neither came up to the Disney standards in either service or quality.

We did have the opportunity to tour a Silver Sea ship a couple of years ago, and came away very impressed. Our itineraries have never synced up with them, but if/when it does, I would happily sail with them. But, they are not a particularly good choice for families.

I am actually really annoyed with Disney about this change. The dramatic reduction to the benefits they give to upper tier guests over the past six months is actually starting to sour me a bit. Especially since most cruise lines are enhancing their repeat cruiser benefits.

[mkraemer]

No need to PM this information.

We've sailed Princess and Carnival. Neither came up to the Disney standards in either service or quality.

We did have the opportunity to tour a Silver Sea ship a couple of years ago, and came away very impressed. Our itineraries have never synced up with them, but if/when it does, I would happily sail with them. But, they are not a particularly good choice for families.

I am actually really annoyed with Disney about this change. The dramatic reduction to the benefits they give to upper tier guests over the past six months is actually starting to sour me a bit. Especially since most cruise lines are enhancing their repeat cruiser benefits.

Tony, I mean this respectfully because I adore you, but I think lumping Carnival and Princess into the same bag does Princess a disservice. And with both Princess and Carnival's fleets, there are different ships of varying levels of quality.

I think that some of the amenities found on newer Carnival ships are quite good but I tend to steer clear of many options in their fleet when I discuss choices with clients. But let's face it, when somebody wants the three-day booze cruise out of LA, they're not expecting a Disney experience.

I think that some of the Princess ships, particularly the larger ones sailing the Alaska itineraries, are great. The fact that Princess has been sailing to Alaska for many years, has built their own inland lodges and has extensive offerings for cruise tours, offers a lot more options than Disney does for that market. Am I thrilled by the ship sailing 10-day itineraries out of San Francisco? No, but I am really excited that we'll have a newer ship here in 2013.

I am trying to be fair here, because I do love Disney ships, but I have had my share of less-than-extraordinary service. Tony, do you remember me in tears after my family's first sailing because of our server's arrogant behavior? We got to the point where we avoided going to the dining room for dinner. Thank goodness I got past that bad experience. If I was basing my opinion on that one cruise, I would not have complimentary things to say.

I found service on the Star Princess to be fine several years ago; I'm sailing on that ship again in September for a week with my dad and cousins. Will we have pirate night? No. Will we have characters onboard? No. And that's OK, because that's not the experience we want on this itinerary.

I'm a big believer in finding the right ship for the client. If it's someone who wants nothing but Disney, that's an excellent choice, regardless of the destination. But I do not find it to be a one-size-fits-all solution. That's why I'm not just a Disney travel agent, I'm an accredited cruise counselor.

There are some wonderful options available, Regent being one of them, and when you factor their all-inclusive pricing compared with having to pay for shore excursions, alcohol, transfers, etc, on other cruise lines, it's really a very good choice. As you say, though, Tony, not for families, but that's where finding the right fit comes into play.

[AVP]

Tony, I mean this respectfully because I adore you, but I think lumping Carnival and Princess into the same bag does Princess a disservice. And with both Princess and Carnival's fleets, there are different ships of varying levels of quality.

Carnival and Princess both belong in the bag containing those cruise lines we've personally sailed where the service and quality did not meet what we expect from Disney. There are definitely vast differences between the two lines, but both rank below Disney in our experience.

I know a lot of people probably see how many Disney cruises we've taken and assume that we're the folks who will only ever sail Disney regardless of other options, but that's definitely not the case. We cancelled our Med cruise with Disney and rebooked on Princess several years ago because we found a better itinerary and price, and we're currently debating another cruise line for a possible trip to Australia / New Zealand because Disney doesn't offer any sailings there.

We prefer to sail Disney because of many factors, and honestly the benefits previously offered to Platinum members have played into that decision. Now that Disney is cutting back on those benefits (the only difference between Platinum and Gold right now is the ability to use the concierge check-in line at the port and the free dinner at Palo, everything else has been removed from the program), we're casting a wider net when planning our next cruise.

AVP

[Karin]

As a new Platinum member, I am not happy with this new change either.

[Mermaid]

What was the old discount/credit for booking onboard?

[AVP]

What was the old discount/credit for booking onboard?

It depended in the cruise, but we got $350 on our Hawaii cruise as Platinum members. Under the new policy, that would have been $200.

But there were other benefits for Platinum guests that have recently been discontinued, including behind-the-scenes tours that we really enjoyed. Through that offering we were invited to tour the Walt Disney Theater, including a trip beneath the stage to see the lifts. We got to meet with the creative team on the ship, and see the costumes from the stage productions. We've not only toured the galley, but were also taken below-decks to the Deck A galley area, with food storage and prep kitchens. Those are all areas normally strictly off-limits to passengers, and it was a great treat to tour them.

These are minor, silly things, but we very much enjoyed them and were looking forward to additional experiences on future cruises. I get why, with some cruises attracting up to 1000 Platinum cruisers per sailing, Disney had to cut back on these extra experiences purely for logistical reasons. But reducing or eliminating other benefits at the same time - that becomes less a matter of operational impact on a ship at sea, and more a cost-saving measure. I guess they figure if we've already sailed 10 times, they can better spend their budget on attracting new passengers.

AVP

[Karin]

Minor, silly things I'll never get to do now. *sigh* I think the only 2 things left for Platinum are 1) get to make reservations 5 days (or is 15) before Gold Level and 2) a shorter, dedicated check-in line at the port. Oh, ok, so there's a different Welcome Aboard gift and a black lanyard instead of the gold one, but really, what incentive is there now, with the perks they've taken away, to take enough cruises to reach Platinum? *double sigh*

[Andrew]

Minor, silly things I'll never get to do now.

I can't even express how much I was looking forward to the Deck A and other "backstage" tours. We just made Gold last year (on the inaugural Alaska cruise) and figured to hit Platinum in a few years.

Now, meh. Combined with the AP price hikes, I'm looking for other vacations including non-Disney cruises. We cruised on Celebrity several years ago and loved it. I wouldn't mind trying them again.