Disney Fantasy and How Disney handles cancelling a cruise

[iamporch]

I don't see a cruise line helping you with forward plans, whether during a hurricane or not, as being a service they can or should provide.

The only thing I think DCL should have done was provide free wifi, so people could have firmed up their contingency plans.

I do think that travelers that left their home with the knowledge that there was a hurricane that could, or would most likely, impact their cruise or travel, one way or the other, and did not make ANY contigency plans other than 'DCL will take care of us', are not very wise travelers.

I don't know how anyone could have had a contingency plan ahead of time for this. You may know it's possible your cruise can be cut short but it is not feasible to have a hotel and car rental booked just in case. Disney aside I just was bothered by your comment about not being a wise traveler. Even knowing it could happen would still mean scrambling to make arrangements.

 

[BruinEd03]

Availability for September has been dire for months, if you review queries over on the Resorts board. F&W started a month earlier this year.

In general, low season tends to still focus on filling rooms on campus and moving demand from off-site lodging on-site, including conventions.

And you never accounted for evacuees from downstate getting the jump on reservations, or rooms for the RRest de Out crews.

Yup, you're right. Food and Wine Festival did start earlier this year. However, events were canceled for the Food and Wine festival during the hurricane. They make a focus (with discounts, free dining, etc.) to make all of the slower months busy. But last year, the occupancy rate was 86% for July, August, and September in 2016. I mean, you do the math. There's 3 months, July, August, and September. What do you think are going to be the busy months? It is the slowest 3 month period for all of Disney World. We can say it's super busy, and they fill it up with conventions, but the fact is that it is still just 86%.

As for evacuees downstate booking slots, that's why you have DCL put a hold in the WDW hotel bookings and let DCL guests get a shot at those reservations. Again, matching system would work. Alternatively, give free Wi-Fi/Cellular at Sea for a period of time.

 

[cruiser21]

Sorry if you felt that was insulting and condescending. I certainly didn't mean it that way. It's just my take on what seems to have happened.

I don't understand why it's "bad customer service" if the CMs onboard are unable to assist people with plans. Certainly only a few onboard are trained to do such things. So, of course, if someone had to wait for one of the, say, 20 CMs trained to do that sort of work, that would be bad customer service, too?

And why should DCL eat the cost of free wifi/phone service? I guess that's bad customer service, also?

What's funny to me is the people criticizing op weren't on the cruise. Have never been on a cruise that cancelled halfway through. Yet since they are such savvy, skilled travels it would have all been easy peasy, lemon squeezy trying to change flights and find hotels on a cruise ship with no phone service. Of course spending a day of your cruise standing in line for a phone is fantastically fun. Lets not expect any help from the cruiseline that we just handed over thousands of dollars to, and barely got any compensation from. I'm sorry I would expect more from Disney a company that charges a premium price and boasts about it's customer service. It really seams to the lag behind other cruiselines when it comes to this situations. I don't know if you ever worked in customer service. I'm guessing not, but sometimes you have to bend over backwards, and jump through hoops especially in an emergency situation.

Providing free wi-fi....I hope your joking My question is when first responders are risking their lives to save people during hurricane. Is it really asking too much for DCL to provide free wi-fi so people can get out of harms way. A lot of companies and people sacrifice in natural disasters. You have cruse ships and airlines delivering supplies to San Juan as we speak, and probably not making any money off it. You do also realize airlines waived change fees. Cell phone companies waived international fees. Then list goes on and on.

 

[wombat_5606]

I don't know how anyone could have had a contingency plan ahead of time for this. You may know it's possible your cruise can be cut short but it is not feasible to have a hotel and car rental booked just in case. Disney aside I just was bothered by your comment about not being a wise traveler. Even knowing it could happen would still mean scrambling to make arrangements.

You most certainly could have had plans and known exactly what you needed to do and who you needed to call. Therefore, no scrambling, in my mind.

Did you envision that your cruise would be cancelled at the last minute?

Did you envision that your cruise would be completed?

Did you envision that your cruise may be cut short? Then what were you going to do?

I think the people who didn't make any plans, whether actual reservations or just a game plan, and then had to wait till someone helped them, are the ones that are most upset.

There's no way I would have left my home without a clear idea of what I needed to do in the above situations. I can't tell you that they would have all worked out, but I would have had a plan. The one thing I can most adamantly tell you is that I wouldn't be angry at DCL because they didn't get me a hotel, car or airline ticket.

 

[cruiser21]

Carnival docked in San Juan today. They are giving people the option to disembark, stay on the ship until Wednesday to work on travel plans or sail on the ship back to Miami. They are giving their customers options and no they are not charging them to sail back to Miami or stay on the ship until Wednesday. They are also working with their airline partners to waive change fees and get people on flights if they want to leave from San Juan. It sounds like they are doing everything they can to help their customers in a bad situation.

 

[bbel]

What's funny to me is the people criticizing op weren't on the cruise.

You seem to be doing a pretty good job at criticising everyone else....were you on the cruise?

I'm sorry I would expect more from Disney a company that charges a premium price and boasts about it's customer service.

As I said last time - they charge a premium because they can, doesn't mean they have to do anything about it. Don/t like it? Don't cruise with them!
Also as I said last time, Disney themselves don't boast about its customer service, sure maybe they hint at it but they're not stupid enough to actually state it. It's everyone else that comments on the customer service. Yes, maybe the servers twist it, sorry they want to do a good job by you, but its like going to somewhere like Starbucks and the barista stating that the coffee is the best in the world and then you go somewhere else and find out that its really not...

I don't know if you ever worked in customer service. I'm guessing not, but sometimes you have to bend over backwards, and jump through hoops especially in an emergency situation.

How do you know that they weren't bending over backwards and jumping though just to get two ships back in port on an unexpected day? You think everyone needed to get a ship in and disembark it just sit at the port and wait for the ship when its not there and has nothing else to do? I mean, Im only asking because your obviously an expert, so you must know what went on in all the communication and planning there. Remind me of the horrific number of guests that DCL abandoned and left at the port the ride out the hurricane there?
Im sure next time disney have to go through anything like this next time, they will call you up so you can organise it all!

Providing free wi-fi....

In the past you've been vocal about DCL wifi, so you know its bad at the best of times. Ive been on a dead head cruise where they gave crew free wifi, it crashed within minutes and didn't get going again for a few hours, and not everyone was using it. So maybe the were avoiding the possibility of that, so they could actually have easy access to communicate with the people they need to talk to get get everyone off.

As is said in my first post there DCL or any cruise line could have done everything that everyone has suggested here and done it perfectly, but there would still be those that run to the internet at say it wasn't good enough, say they should have done better and use the 'customer service' card for their reasoning.

 

[bbel]

That's why you can go with a matching system (list your top 3 or 4 preferences).

You do realise they would have had hours to sort this out, not weeks.
And a minimum of CM actually have the training in booking rooms? Where would you pull the CMs from to do the matching system? housekeeping, and not have your room cleaned? Dining and have the guests skip dinner? Cruise staff, MainStage and characters, and not have any entertainment?

Also, your numbers would be off as the resorts had a lot of the CM working there stay there too, they didn't get to go home and check on their homes, they worked pretty much the whole time.

 

[iamporch]

You most certainly could have had plans and known exactly what you needed to do and who you needed to call. Therefore, no scrambling, in my mind.

Did you envision that your cruise would be cancelled at the last minute?

Did you envision that your cruise would be completed?

Did you envision that your cruise may be cut short? Then what were you going to do?

I think the people who didn't make any plans, whether actual reservations or just a game plan, and then had to wait till someone helped them, are the ones that are most upset.

There's no way I would have left my home without a clear idea of what I needed to do in the above situations. I can't tell you that they would have all worked out, but I would have had a plan. The one thing I can most adamantly tell you is that I wouldn't be angry at DCL because they didn't get me a hotel, car or airline ticket.

Yes I envisioned all those things could happen. But unless you had something already booked and were willing to pay just in case you you got dicked early you were scrambling. By the time we found out we were docking early many hotels and car rentals were gone. So I'm guessing most people's plans if they had them were out the window.

I am not upset with Disney. I am just saying that I am tired of hearing how the customers weren't prepared. There was no way to prepare for all the different things that could have happened. We all had to do our best with what we had.

Again not blaming Disney for anything.

 

[cruiser21]

You seem to be doing a pretty good job at criticising everyone else....were you on the cruise?


As I said last time - they charge a premium because they can, doesn't mean they have to do anything about it. Don/t like it? Don't cruise with them!
Also as I said last time, Disney themselves don't boast about its customer service, sure maybe they hint at it but they're not stupid enough to actually state it. It's everyone else that comments on the customer service. Yes, maybe the servers twist it, sorry they want to do a good job by you, but its like going to somewhere like Starbucks and the barista stating that the coffee is the best in the world and then you go somewhere else and find out that its really not...


How do you know that they weren't bending over backwards and jumping though just to get two ships back in port on an unexpected day? You think everyone needed to get a ship in and disembark it just sit at the port and wait for the ship when its not there and has nothing else to do? I mean, Im only asking because your obviously an expert, so you must know what went on in all the communication and planning there. Remind me of the horrific number of guests that DCL abandoned and left at the port the ride out the hurricane there?
Im sure next time disney have to go through anything like this next time, they will call you up so you can organise it all!


In the past you've been vocal about DCL wifi, so you know its bad at the best of times. Ive been on a dead head cruise where they gave crew free wifi, it crashed within minutes and didn't get going again for a few hours, and not everyone was using it. So maybe the were avoiding the possibility of that, so they could actually have easy access to communicate with the people they need to talk to get get everyone off.

As is said in my first post there DCL or any cruise line could have done everything that everyone has suggested here and done it perfectly, but there would still be those that run to the internet at say it wasn't good enough, say they should have done better and use the 'customer service' card for their reasoning.

1. I haven't criticized anyone except DCL. It wasn't their fault. I just think they could do a better job. They also could have given people the option to stay on the ship. Or better yet never sailed.
2. I've been given the excellent speech enough times and been asked for an excellent rating enough to know that this is the company's expectations.
3. I haven't had a problem with dcls wifi except they charge to much.
4. I realize your very defensive about DCL because you worked for them, but You don't need to be sarcastic. I'm just giving my thoughts and opinions like everyone else
5. I do get annoyed with the people saying that the customer should have been prepared for this. DCl wasn't prepared yet the customer was supposed to be prepared for the cruise to cancelled half way through? Then implying that people aren't experienced travelers, or travel savvy enough to figure out what to do. If the customer should have known this was this was going to happen then I guess dcl should have too and just cancelled the cruise before it left.

 

[cyclenut]

It's all about expectations. Those that have an expectation that Disney will go above and beyond to make the guest experience magical are always going to be disappointed when a crisis like this hits. Disney is prepared to make the ordinary extraordinary, but they do not seem to be well prepared to handle a crisis well. I've seen it over and over again. Whether it be at the parks, resorts or the cruise line, every time it's like they are reinventing the wheel. I do know they have plans but a crisis has a tendency to introduce factors that are not in those plans. Someone turns to page 2 and there is no scenario listed and they become lost.

I believe this happens because of the leadership style at Disney. I have some experience with this having kids who worked for Disney and many adult friends who have spent a great deal of time working for Disney, both at corporate and at DLR. I used to live in SoCal until about two years ago. Disney appears to have a very top down management style. Everything is highly structured with rigid rules. There are certain people who are allowed to go outside those boundaries. That list is short and even they have fairly narrow boundaries. This approach works very well when everything is going as expected. It's a well oiled machine and the guest experience remains very high all while managing costs. Every business must manage costs. It costs more to give an excellent guest experience and that cost is built into the price you pay, but it does not account for the unusual.

Irma was unusual. The leaders on the ship were left to figure things out on their own. It seems from all accounts they worked very hard by using the known processes and going through their list methodically and purposefully. Guests that could figure things out on their own were in the best position since they did not have to rely on the quickly overburdened DCL team.

It's quite clear that Disney missed meeting expectations for a large number of guests. It's also clear to me that this condition will likely remain the same for the foreseeable future.

As for free WiFi. That is the least they could have done. Personally, I would have just purchased the WiFi and asked for a refund later.

Lesson in leadership. Empower your people at times of crisis. You and your company will fair much better if you do.

 

[mjh2901]

It legitimately never occurred to me that anyone other than me would make arrangements for my family (not even my husband, hahaha)
As I pointed out previously, I'm not a DCL apologist and think there were a couple of areas of opportunity for improvement, but I don't really understand this thread.

The primary issue is making arrangement for your family was a lottery. Some people got through others spent an entire day waiting in line, waiting for phones waiting on hold then getting disconnected and starting over again. If Passengers could simply pick up a computer and make a call or a reservation, this would not be an issue. But they could not, ships limited communications removes the "take care of your family" part. That's why they should be doing more than they do.

 

[Amy7979]

The primary issue is making arrangement for your family was a lottery. Some people got through others spent an entire day waiting in line, waiting for phones waiting on hold then getting disconnected and starting over again. If Passengers could simply pick up a computer and make a call or a reservation, this would not be an issue. But they could not, ships limited communications removes the "take care of your family" part. That's why they should be doing more than they do.

We're just going to have to agree to disagree on this point. I've literally spent longer reading this thread than I did purchasing the wifi, looking up resort availability, and booking what we needed. There was nothing even approximating a lottery until Southwest added another flight on Friday morning and I was lucky enough to check when there were still seats open that we could grab.

I can see some people needing Guest Services if, for example, they didn't have a smartphone in their party (my late parents probably wouldn't have) but the length of those lines was otherwise pretty baffling to me.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I can see some people needing Guest Services if, for example, they didn't have a smartphone in their party

True. There are groups that don't have a phone anywhere in the group. But, why couldn't they use the phone in their room onboard? Instead of lining up at Guest Services?

Wait, it's a satellite phone, takes forever to connect (if ever). And, you know what, the phone at Guest Services is the same. I doubt that they can make a quicker phone contact than a guest could.

As for the free wifi - when a boatload of people (OK, maybe, only half a boatload) are trying to access the internet at the same time the connections are miserable. And it also affects the ship's own internet connection. I would think the ship's internet may be more important than me trying to make a plane reservation.