Okay, I am sure that I will be called a big meanie for what I am about to say and they might even close this thread (which, in my opinion would be a good thing) or delete this, but I can't help saying it.
I am sorry. There is a risk in everything that we do. Every time you send your kids to school, you are risking that they will get sick. Every time you interact with anyone you are risking an illness. Who do you blame then? Do you go to the school and demand compensation? Do you sue your friends who might be carrying a virus unknowingly?
No, of course not. So why do people seem to expect compensation from
DCL because they didn't feel good on their vacation?
I am sure that the fire cruise was pretty eventful and I can only imagine the 'Titanic' thoughts that were rolling through people's heads when they heard that siren and had to get to their muster stations. I'll bet it was pretty darn scary. The point is, though, that you took a RISK when you decided to go on that boat and from what I've read and seen, Disney handled the event with great skill and everyone was safe. Inconvenienced? Sure, but there was a risk that an emergency situation could arise and anyone who sails agrees to take that risk. Disney's quick action kept the situation from going further than it did, and THAT is what they are responsible for doing. They did their job. They made an agreement with you to keep the ship as safe as their ability allows and they did that. The trip didn't have to be cut short and all anyone lost was a little sleep over it. Why then should further compensation be expected? They did what you paid them to do. If ANYONE deserves anything out of that, it is a letter from each and every family on that boat thanking the crew for their quick and safe response to the situation. The fact that Disney offered a stateroom credit was above and beyond the call, in my opinion. Someone mentioned that they also said they'd handle any medical bills that the fire caused their daughter, this too was the right thing to do and they did it. They did what they should have done and to think that you are entitled to more is just silly.
As far as the posts here where people are reporting that a few people were sick on their cruise and they are lamenting the fact that THEY were not compensated, I just want to say that there is probably someone sick on EVERY cruise from something. I can tell you for sure that there was someone sick on a three-day cruise in April of 2000, because that someone was me. It was my honeymoon and I came down with a NASTY bug. Was this Disney's fault? Of course not! We were not compensated, even though I didn't get to do everything on the ship I'd like to because of how I felt. Getting sick is just something that happens.
I'm sorry to be the big meanie here, but excepting the 200+ cruisers on last week's ship that got sick, I hardly believe that Disney 'owes' something to everyone who gets sick on the cruise. It just happens sometimes. Were Disney at fault (I.E. bad food or general lack of cleanliness) then yes, the situation would be different. This thread just seems like some people lamenting that they didn't get something for nothing. This thread, and other posts elsewhere, is a prime example of exactly why Disney, and any major company for that matter, is hesitant to do too much in the way of compensation when things go wrong. Now that they have compensated these people, it seems that people are coming out of the woodwork wondering why THEY were not compensated as well.
Think that I am being mean if you'd like but I have heard of very few situations where I believe that DCL had a responsibility to compensate people for unforeseen and uncontrollable circumstances that developed on their cruise vacations.
Kathy
Lucky for us it is okay to have different opinions!
