Well then, thank you for helping us make that night even more celebratory.
It DID take a while for the ice to melt, but kudos to the Remy pastry chef that figured out a way to get a ring into an ice cube undamaged.
The pictures came out great!!!!!
October 20, 2012, Disney Fantasy, Eastern Caribbean-Who's with us?
- Thread starter sunshine1259
- Start date
Well then, thank you for helping us make that night even more celebratory.
It DID take a while for the ice to melt, but kudos to the Remy pastry chef that figured out a way to get a ring into an ice cube undamaged.
The pictures came out great!!!!!
motroc
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2010
Hope everyone is unscathed for the most part after our topsy-turvy (understatement) of a voyage. It was great meeting some new friends on board. Thanks to Ricky and Family and the rest of the Beer Tasting Crew for sharing their extras with us, they were some tasty brews. Got to meet some great people all around.
We just made it back home on 11/3. This was 17 days after we left and a week later than we had planned or budgeted for and we arrived home at the Jersey Shore to no power, heat or water, entire towns wiped out, and no word from some friends and family. Power finally returned to us on 11/5, only to have to go through a nor'easter yesterday and today where we got 4-6" of snow. DH can't get to his job in NYC due to mass transit being suspended from home and carpooling limits on cars. This trip and the after-effects feel like Twilight Zone/Groundhog Day/The Perfect Storm/The Day After Tommorrow combined, but we will continue to get through it.
Some thoughts...
* Cruise was amazing for the first 5 days. Ship is gorgeous, even better than the Dream. Loved St. Maarten, wish we had more time to explore St. Thomas/St. John (too short of a stay). Naturally missing CC was a downer, would've loved to have actually had two sunny days at sea like PR Shill Rebecca Peddie claimed. The spin control on this is insulting to anyone that went through it.
* Felt that DCL and/or Captain Tom erred by sailing us directly into the SW bands of the hurricane. It was a Cat 2 on Thurs and a Cat 1 on Friday. Yes we know we all took a risk sailing in Hurricane season, but they don't just magically form around the boat. Just because the ship can handle a hurricane, doesn't mean it should be sailed directly into one. All other cruise lines either went east of the storm, stayed in port, never left port, or found the first safe port to ride it out. We've been through high seas, but never to that extent, and would not want to do it again. The mess in our cabin was shocking as well as the damage to the common areas of the ship. The free falls and slamming as we went over the swells (being deck 10 aft) were truly frightening. We were in Skyline when the first rogue wave hit as all the bottles off the bar came flying forward as the bar staff used their bodies as a barrier to prevent any others from falling. When we returned, our cabin looked like it was turned upside down and shaken with broken glass, destroyed personal effects, etc. Good thing we weren't there at the time, or we would've been cut up. Captain Tom's shaky voice in the middle of the night did nothing to instill any confidence in us. "E-eh-eh-everything is ah okay...." It spoke to the fact he knew he made a mistake but could do nothing but continue forward. The decision was made and to turn around at that point would have run the risk of more damage and even capsizing the ship. This was definitely a monetary consideration in our opinion. There's no other reason to race back to try and make it back to port on time. With passenger safety such a hot-button issue this year with Concordia, ships adrift at sea requiring airdrops, passengers being mugged while on excursions, and the 100th anniversary of the Titantic, you would think the cruise industry as a whole would err on the side of caution, especially DCL. The fact that they risked a $1 billion ship, it's passengers, and it's crew is disturbing and has really left a bad taste for cruising in general.
* Even as Gold members we are seriously considering never cruising with DCL again, which is unfortunate because we love it so much. The 25% off, is a slap in the face considering Canadian residents are getting that right now online and we can already get 10% when onboard. Does that mean the premium is only 15% additional, or do we get the 10% + the 25%? We saw previous posts stating this, but have yet to get confirmation from DCL. Even with 35% off, it will still be a difficult decision for us to make because of the handling of the situation, the lack of communication throughout and especially during debarkation, and our unscheduled and unbudgeted post stay.
* Speaking of post stays, DCL put us up at Caribbean beach for one night as we missed our flight, but when we had to extend our stay due to more flight cancellations, it was all on our dime. The resort did give us a Fantasy/Hurricane rate as well as over $700 in park hopper passes, but food is certainly not cheap. We inquired about swapping the PH passes for a meal plan, but the Resort kept passing the buck to DCL, and DCL basically left us high and dry stating to put it through insurance, you already got what we offered. The travel delay benefit through insurance is limited to $150 pp/pd up to $500 pp/per incident. Totaling up our post-cruise stay expenses which included hotel, food, medicine warmer clothing as it was dropping into the 40s at night, plus additional transportation costs, netted out at just under $2000. As everyone knows, eating even quick service food at the resort or parks is not cheap. They had no problem giving our PH passes like it was free candy, but when inquiring about a basic meal plan, they didn't even offer it up at a discount. All we got were fake plastic smiles and a sorry, our hands are tied, contact the cruise line. We can't even tell you the attitude we received from DCL as we tried to work our way up the food chain. We were basically told that we made it back safely, and that's it.
* Have already filed two insurance claims, 1 for the DCL part, the other for the air carrier, hopefully we'll get most of the extended trip expenses back, but that could take a while.
* Have already written a scathing letter to both Guest Comms departments at both DCL and WDW for their handling of the situation.
* To all the Monday Morning Quarterbacks out there that we saw post comments about how not so bad it was, please shut up. We certainly appreciate those who have come forward with words of empathy and encouragement. But unless you were there, you have NO right to say how it was or to say what we deserve or don't deserve as compensation.
BTW... Love the T-Shirts, but we're thinking of doing one as well, using our photo of Captain Tom from formal night, photoshopped with devil horns, tail, pitchfork and sinister grin.
Just glad there were no serious injuries, although we've read reports that crew members were.
Tommy & Corinne
We just made it back home on 11/3. This was 17 days after we left and a week later than we had planned or budgeted for and we arrived home at the Jersey Shore to no power, heat or water, entire towns wiped out, and no word from some friends and family. Power finally returned to us on 11/5, only to have to go through a nor'easter yesterday and today where we got 4-6" of snow. DH can't get to his job in NYC due to mass transit being suspended from home and carpooling limits on cars. This trip and the after-effects feel like Twilight Zone/Groundhog Day/The Perfect Storm/The Day After Tommorrow combined, but we will continue to get through it.
Some thoughts...
* Cruise was amazing for the first 5 days. Ship is gorgeous, even better than the Dream. Loved St. Maarten, wish we had more time to explore St. Thomas/St. John (too short of a stay). Naturally missing CC was a downer, would've loved to have actually had two sunny days at sea like PR Shill Rebecca Peddie claimed. The spin control on this is insulting to anyone that went through it.
* Felt that DCL and/or Captain Tom erred by sailing us directly into the SW bands of the hurricane. It was a Cat 2 on Thurs and a Cat 1 on Friday. Yes we know we all took a risk sailing in Hurricane season, but they don't just magically form around the boat. Just because the ship can handle a hurricane, doesn't mean it should be sailed directly into one. All other cruise lines either went east of the storm, stayed in port, never left port, or found the first safe port to ride it out. We've been through high seas, but never to that extent, and would not want to do it again. The mess in our cabin was shocking as well as the damage to the common areas of the ship. The free falls and slamming as we went over the swells (being deck 10 aft) were truly frightening. We were in Skyline when the first rogue wave hit as all the bottles off the bar came flying forward as the bar staff used their bodies as a barrier to prevent any others from falling. When we returned, our cabin looked like it was turned upside down and shaken with broken glass, destroyed personal effects, etc. Good thing we weren't there at the time, or we would've been cut up. Captain Tom's shaky voice in the middle of the night did nothing to instill any confidence in us. "E-eh-eh-everything is ah okay...." It spoke to the fact he knew he made a mistake but could do nothing but continue forward. The decision was made and to turn around at that point would have run the risk of more damage and even capsizing the ship. This was definitely a monetary consideration in our opinion. There's no other reason to race back to try and make it back to port on time. With passenger safety such a hot-button issue this year with Concordia, ships adrift at sea requiring airdrops, passengers being mugged while on excursions, and the 100th anniversary of the Titantic, you would think the cruise industry as a whole would err on the side of caution, especially DCL. The fact that they risked a $1 billion ship, it's passengers, and it's crew is disturbing and has really left a bad taste for cruising in general.
* Even as Gold members we are seriously considering never cruising with DCL again, which is unfortunate because we love it so much. The 25% off, is a slap in the face considering Canadian residents are getting that right now online and we can already get 10% when onboard. Does that mean the premium is only 15% additional, or do we get the 10% + the 25%? We saw previous posts stating this, but have yet to get confirmation from DCL. Even with 35% off, it will still be a difficult decision for us to make because of the handling of the situation, the lack of communication throughout and especially during debarkation, and our unscheduled and unbudgeted post stay.
* Speaking of post stays, DCL put us up at Caribbean beach for one night as we missed our flight, but when we had to extend our stay due to more flight cancellations, it was all on our dime. The resort did give us a Fantasy/Hurricane rate as well as over $700 in park hopper passes, but food is certainly not cheap. We inquired about swapping the PH passes for a meal plan, but the Resort kept passing the buck to DCL, and DCL basically left us high and dry stating to put it through insurance, you already got what we offered. The travel delay benefit through insurance is limited to $150 pp/pd up to $500 pp/per incident. Totaling up our post-cruise stay expenses which included hotel, food, medicine warmer clothing as it was dropping into the 40s at night, plus additional transportation costs, netted out at just under $2000. As everyone knows, eating even quick service food at the resort or parks is not cheap. They had no problem giving our PH passes like it was free candy, but when inquiring about a basic meal plan, they didn't even offer it up at a discount. All we got were fake plastic smiles and a sorry, our hands are tied, contact the cruise line. We can't even tell you the attitude we received from DCL as we tried to work our way up the food chain. We were basically told that we made it back safely, and that's it.
* Have already filed two insurance claims, 1 for the DCL part, the other for the air carrier, hopefully we'll get most of the extended trip expenses back, but that could take a while.
* Have already written a scathing letter to both Guest Comms departments at both DCL and WDW for their handling of the situation.
* To all the Monday Morning Quarterbacks out there that we saw post comments about how not so bad it was, please shut up. We certainly appreciate those who have come forward with words of empathy and encouragement. But unless you were there, you have NO right to say how it was or to say what we deserve or don't deserve as compensation.
BTW... Love the T-Shirts, but we're thinking of doing one as well, using our photo of Captain Tom from formal night, photoshopped with devil horns, tail, pitchfork and sinister grin.
Just glad there were no serious injuries, although we've read reports that crew members were.
Tommy & Corinne
Bear3412
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2011
Thanks for the report.
You just got back 11/3.
Sorry it hasn't ended for you. I read similiar reports about DCL's good will.
We lucked out with our flight at 7pm Sat 10/27.
Like I continue to state, folks would be surprised to learn the true sea conditions we sailed through. And you are correct, once in those seas, there can't be any turns.
Can't imagine what it's like in NJ and NY. Glad you are not injured. Glad you made it home, I think.
Our thoughts are with you all.
Please keep us informed, if possible, about the insurance claims.
Tshirt idea
However having DCL's most experienced and well respected Catain at the helm gave me some peace of mind.
You just got back 11/3.
Sorry it hasn't ended for you. I read similiar reports about DCL's good will.
We lucked out with our flight at 7pm Sat 10/27.
Like I continue to state, folks would be surprised to learn the true sea conditions we sailed through. And you are correct, once in those seas, there can't be any turns.
Can't imagine what it's like in NJ and NY. Glad you are not injured. Glad you made it home, I think.
Our thoughts are with you all.
Please keep us informed, if possible, about the insurance claims.
Tshirt idea
However having DCL's most experienced and well respected Catain at the helm gave me some peace of mind.
ethanash1
A little bit of Pixie Dust can fix almost anything
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2009
motroc said:
Hi there! Cyndi here..... AKA Mrs Ricky! It was great meeting you and we have thought of you as during our conversations hanging out AFT you mentioned you were from Jersey. We're really glad you're OK, and won't insult you by saying you're great. LOL
Sorry for all your troubles, and can't imagine going over budget that much. Ouch! I hope your insurance comes through, but all of the posts on FB and the Disboards, it looks like no one has gotten anything but a canned response from Disney.
I've done my homework, so for the record, here is the offer. Yes, you can stack the 25% on top of the 10% OBB discount. It's good for your entire cabin, even if you add other cruisers. The DCL Cast Member read the offer while I was on the phone and it stated that at least 1 Adult passenger in the cabin needed to be on the 10/20 sailing. Also, it was speculated that it could not be used for concierge, but that is incorrect. We personally booked a concierge room and got an amazing deal.
Not that you're cruising anytime soon, but I just thought I'd offer you that info.
Again, I hope things get better for you and life can get back to some sort if routine for everyone affected on the EC by Hurricane Sandy. Keep us posted.
linco711
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2004
So sorry you had to go that far over budget. We were also on the cruise, but drove down so didn't have all the extra costs.
It's sad that Disney could not do more for you, and their passing the buck to DCL does not make it any more palatable. The whole thing was totally Avoidable. We personally thought DCL should have offered a discount on the October 20 cruise, not on a future cruise that only benefits their bottom line again. We feel the same as you do about sailing with DCL again. I just don't believe we will sail with them again, at least not anytime soon. The way the incident was handled was really poor. Glad your family is back safe and ready to enjoy the coming holidays
motroc
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2010
We are hanging in there. It's going to be a long road to recovery for our beloved Jersey Shore, much of it will never be the same as we remember it and some people and towns have lost everything. Thanks for all the support and wishes!
@Bear... believe us if we had the money and the time off, we'd probably still be in Florida, or probably would've hopped a plane back to St. Maarten. Also thinking of another T-Shirt with Captain Tom riding the bow of the ship like a bull with a cowboy hat in his hand yelling YEEEEEHAAAAAA!
@Cindi... you guys were great too. So sorry you've missed CC two trips in a row. Thanks for confirming the 25%/10% question, we just got confirmation as well. It makes it somewhat more palatable to consider cruising again. It probably won't be for at least a year though.
@Linco... totally agree that it was avoidable. They really dropped the ball in so many ways. Hoping that while they may never admit wrongdoing in public, they are putting protocols in place to prevent things like this from ever happening again, from sailing directly into the storm to the lack of communication on debarkation day to the utter lack of service and goodwill.
@Bear... believe us if we had the money and the time off, we'd probably still be in Florida, or probably would've hopped a plane back to St. Maarten. Also thinking of another T-Shirt with Captain Tom riding the bow of the ship like a bull with a cowboy hat in his hand yelling YEEEEEHAAAAAA!
@Cindi... you guys were great too. So sorry you've missed CC two trips in a row. Thanks for confirming the 25%/10% question, we just got confirmation as well. It makes it somewhat more palatable to consider cruising again. It probably won't be for at least a year though.
@Linco... totally agree that it was avoidable. They really dropped the ball in so many ways. Hoping that while they may never admit wrongdoing in public, they are putting protocols in place to prevent things like this from ever happening again, from sailing directly into the storm to the lack of communication on debarkation day to the utter lack of service and goodwill.
danandnan
Disney Nut's
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2005
Cindi - What is the 25%/10% answer? I've been meaning to call since we booked a dummy cruise as well.
N
onecoolpilot
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2010
Here's what Cindi (Mrs. Ricky, Love that!) found out:
We're in the process of figuring out how we want to use it to our advantage, who know's, me may show up on the 10/20/13 5-night
ethanash1
A little bit of Pixie Dust can fix almost anything
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2009
danandnan said:
Nancy, you CAN STACK the discounts. So if you re-booked on board, you get the OBB 10% disc, the OBC, AND the 25% off on top of that. The only limit that my DCL CM could see was the Holiday Sailings.
Also, the discount applies to the room. When they put the coding in, it discounts the room as long as 1 adult was on the 10/20/12 Fantasy sailing. So if me and Ricky were to book separate cabins and split up the kids and add extra family members, we could do that and they would also get the discount.
Lastly, you CAN book Concierge and get 25% off! It was said on the boards that you couldn't, but we did. We are booked for Cat T on the Magic in a 1 BD Suite! And with the 25% off, it makes it totally worth trying out Concierge. Now, the only thing you CAN'T do with Concierge is the 10 % OBB since that has never been allowed anyways....
So what we did was kept our Dummy booking and OBC for 2014, and booked a whole new cruise with DU. We got their $150 OBC, and DCL $25 OBC, and 25% off of our Concierge suite.... We are super happy with that!
Don't let anyone tell you different. I have an AMAZING CM at DCL that I can refer you to if you need to ask questions.
Cyndi
ethanash1
A little bit of Pixie Dust can fix almost anything
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2009
onecoolpilot said:
Jeff, I can refer you all to my CM at DCL. PM me if you want her info. I gave Kristie some info as well on FB..... The kids would LOVE to see Sam again, and we could finally get that Cabana at CC!!
motroc
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2010
Follow up to the 25%/10% stacking situation from what we found out from the booking agent we spoke with...
If you booked while you were onboard, or at the very least, filled out a booking card, you get the 10% off, 10% down, and OBC based on the length of your cruise. The 10% off/10% down cannot be used for Concierge level.
The 25% off that DCL gave us as a good-will gesture, can be used with the above 10% off, except holiday sailings and anything over 7 nights which means the re-positioning cruises, Hawaii, and the 12 night European cruises are out. Note, if you wanted to book Concierge, you could use the 25% off, still get the OBC, but could not also stack the 10% off/10% down.
The best bang for the buck is to book a non-concierge level that is not a holiday to get the 35% off, 10% down, and OBC based on your length of cruise ($100 <6 nights, $200 >7nights).
If you booked while you were onboard, or at the very least, filled out a booking card, you get the 10% off, 10% down, and OBC based on the length of your cruise. The 10% off/10% down cannot be used for Concierge level.
The 25% off that DCL gave us as a good-will gesture, can be used with the above 10% off, except holiday sailings and anything over 7 nights which means the re-positioning cruises, Hawaii, and the 12 night European cruises are out. Note, if you wanted to book Concierge, you could use the 25% off, still get the OBC, but could not also stack the 10% off/10% down.
The best bang for the buck is to book a non-concierge level that is not a holiday to get the 35% off, 10% down, and OBC based on your length of cruise ($100 <6 nights, $200 >7nights).
Just got a stacking discount today because we did leave our information at the re-booking desk while on board. We did NOT book while on board, but because we had inquired and they had our information in the system, they gave us the additional 10% off. Just FYI
ethanash1
A little bit of Pixie Dust can fix almost anything
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2009
Mattscott said:
Awesome! I know people who are still upset (rightfully so) about the discount offer, and are being mislead by the Canadian offer of 25% off. This is NOT the same as what we were offered. There are many restrictions for them and they seem to be very lenient when we are redeeming our goodwill offer. Even more so when we don't go in with guns blazing. LOL
Anyhow, here's another example.
I called DVC to ask about the point value for a future cruise. When I mentioned that I may be interested in booking cash instead because if the discount, DVC offered me 25% off of the point price if I chose to sail on point. That was very cool of them, and their way of trying to smooth the waters with those of us that sailed on the 10/20/12 on points as well. I was 1/2 and 1/2 cash, but that was insignificant. He offered it to my whole sailing party, any date, any category. Just thought I'd share...
glenpreece
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2008
Just reading this thread is making me ill. Lol don't know when I'll sail again. Just hated the end of my trip so much. Have fun booking everyone
Bear3412
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2011
Counter point.
Prior to the cruise I read all I could find. All indicated the last day was the most difficult. Getting off the ship is sad. It can be especially difficult seeing the new set of cruisers all excited to board. Some even reported crying while disembarking. Well....
My family was fortunate not to experience this. We had no issues what so ever disembarking. In fact we debated a B2B, and were thrilled we had not booked one this time.
I was not looking forward to the feelings many have on the final morning. I'm glad we were able to skip this depressing moment most experience.
Thank you DCL and Captain Tom.
Prior to the cruise I read all I could find. All indicated the last day was the most difficult. Getting off the ship is sad. It can be especially difficult seeing the new set of cruisers all excited to board. Some even reported crying while disembarking. Well....
My family was fortunate not to experience this. We had no issues what so ever disembarking. In fact we debated a B2B, and were thrilled we had not booked one this time.
I was not looking forward to the feelings many have on the final morning. I'm glad we were able to skip this depressing moment most experience.
Thank you DCL and Captain Tom.
motroc
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2010
Counter point.
Prior to the cruise I read all I could find. All indicated the last day was the most difficult. Getting off the ship is sad. It can be especially difficult seeing the new set of cruisers all excited to board. Some even reported crying while disembarking. Well....
My family was fortunate not to experience this. We had no issues what so ever disembarking. In fact we debated a B2B, and were thrilled we had not booked one this time.
I was not looking forward to the feelings many have on the final morning. I'm glad we were able to skip this depressing moment most experience.
Thank you DCL and Captain Tom.
Totally hear you Bear.
There was only one feeling that morning and it was "get me the hell off this ship."
EvaSue
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2012
We are booked for the famous 10-20-13 sailing, and this will be our first time in concierge! We are very excited! Thank you all for your congratulations, I wish Von would propose every cruise, haha. I am sorry for those whose experience was soured by that last night. We were very lucky that Southwest worked with us free of charge, our home was far from harms way, and our discount was more than enough to lift our spirits and get us excited about cruising again. I know that wasn't the case for everyone, and it's a shame to see that so many people ended up losing out on so much time, money and energy. As far as letting people off the morning after, I saw a lot of effort by the crew to attempt to control the chaos. People were told to stay in their rooms and await instruction. Had this direction been followed, I'm sure the crew would have been able to direct traffic and get the guests off in a more orderly way, but there was no controlling that crowd, I don't really think there was anything they could do at that point other than open the flood gates. I hope things have smoothed over somewhat for those who were impacted most, and that everyone is able to remember fondly the good times that were had. Can't wait to sail with so many of you again so soon!
ethanash1
A little bit of Pixie Dust can fix almost anything
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2009
EvaSue said:
I think it was a losing situation from the get go. People just wanted off that ship, and no amount of "stay in your cabins" was going to keep people put. Especially since they were not giving out any consistent information to everyone, it was bound to be chaos. I've never walked into the Atrium on debarkation day and seen what I saw this time. I am one who is usually sad and starting my countdown until I sail again.....
That being said, I'm sorry that everyone had a bad time Friday night. I was soooo sick, I couldn't stand. I hope that those of you who experienced extended stays, distress from Friday, or any other unpleasant consequences can get back to some normalcy soon.
Although we will be sailing again on 10/20/13 ( in Concierge thanks to the discount we were given) I know that a lot of you do not want to give Disney any more if your hard earned money, and I respect that. It's a complete personal choice, and I hope you all continue to make memories with your families on other vacations! ☺
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