Just back from 2/28 Wonder

[susanf31]

No, Disney cannot control the weather. But Disney plugs Cataway Cay as the absolute HIGHLIGHT of the 3 and 4 day cruise. If they can't deliver on the one thing they advertise the most, then I believe a discount on a future cruise is in order.

I was on the 4/28/01 7-day Magic cruise. We did not get to dock at Castaway Cay due to winds. When you look a the small, narrow channel that the captain tries to BACK the ship into, it's a wonder they get there at all.

A former poster was correct...Disney shouldn't offer refunds for bad weather. They can't control it. But they can control their access to Castaway Cay. And right now, that access isn't up to snuff! If they can't deliver Castaway Cay because they can't dock the boat in high winds, because they built such a tiny channel in the first place, then, yes, they do owe something and they SHOULD give something to keep their disappointed customers coming back.

If I hadn't been on the 7-day and gotten my fill of beachs in St. Martin and St. John, I would have been DEVESTATED to miss Castaway Cay. Even though I did get 2 beach days prior to Castaway Cay, I was still very disappointed in missing it because of all of the advertising they do...telling us that it's basically the best part of the cruise.

On our day, it was sunny but windy. If they had tenders or a bigger channel or better docking facilities, we would have made it to CC...and I consider that the fault of Disney, not the weather.

 

[redpants]

Posted by susanf31: "A former poster was correct...Disney shouldn't offer refunds for bad weather. They can't control it. But they can control their access to Castaway Cay. And right now, that access isn't up to snuff!"

When Disney was building the dock to Castaway Cay, they went to GREAT lengths to make it enviironmentally friendly. I can't remember the specific details, but there was something about it not being made any bigger, longer, wider, etc, so as to not disturb the surrounding water. As soon as I find the specific link (as I'm sure there's a news article about it somewhere on-line), I'll post it.

 

[susanf31]

Environmental issues concerning the dock has nothing to do with the fact that they don't have tenders. There are other options than a big dock.

But having worked at Disney during college, I can tell you they only concerned about their environment as far as their wallet goes. If they don't want to spend a lot of money on a bigger dock, they'll produce environmental studies showing that there should be a small dock. However, if they wanted a bigger dock, you have bet they would have numerous environmental studies showing that a bigger dock wouldn't impact the environment.

Let's face it...WDW sits on 27,000 of sensitive Florida wetlands. They have no problem brining in the bulldozers when it comes time to build something new.

Many environmentally sensitive cruise ship ports use tenders. DCL should have a couple at WDW for use on days when docking is unlikely...given that the dock is so small for whatever reasons.

 

[redpants]

I believe the reason that DCL did not choose to go with tenders is that there are MORE problems with them than a standard dock. If it is too windy, seas too rough, weather too rainy, then the tenders can't be used at all.

I too was going to suggest that they use tenders on the days they can't dock, but then there's that whole logistical nightmare of how to get the truckloads of supplies (food, drinks, towels, etc) from the ship to the island.

So--there is no good solution...Although, according to the Captains of the ships, they are able to dock 95% of the time at CC. Unfortunately, you experienced one of the unlucky 5%!

 

[Goofyrules]

Finally someone else who really enjoys the Disney evvironment but hasn't been brain washed into thinking that Disney can do no wrong.

susanf31, I think that we are on the same page.

I just checked this tread to get an update and I agree with all of your comments. When Disney promotes CC so much in the advertising of DCL they owe compensation to their guests when they are unable to deliver on the expected and over advertised CC.

As for the logistics of getting supplies to CC in the event tenders are used. surely they could keep enough supplies on hand to allow say 2 or 3 visits using tenders before they can restock the next time the cruise ship is able to dock at CC.

Cheers,

 

[redpants]

I think it's a matter of opinion--subjective at that--that CC is over advertised. I would not agree with that statement.

Also--if you read the fine print in the contract (as we all do!) DCL is allowed to "deviate from or change the advertised or intended route at any stage of the voyage and may proceed to and stay in any place whatsoever..."

 

[scottf]

I, too, was on the Feb 28 Disney Wonder cruise with my family of four and four other adults in the party. So I thought I would try to add something to this thread. Bear with me--this is my first post and I'm afraid it might be a bit long.

I am right there with susanf31 and goofyrules . . . watch the TV commercials . . . order the vacation planning video . . . talk to anybody who has ever gone on a Disney cruise and they will tell you that Castaway Cay is the highlight of the trip. In fact, on a 3- or 4-night cruise, I'd say it's more than 25% of the vacation . . . it's more like 75% with everything else just leading up to it. Missing out on CC was beyond disappointing, beyond just bad luck. How can you not be knocked out by it? Like I said, watch the vacation planning video and see how much emphasis Disney puts on that CC experience. How can a cruiser, especially first timers like us, not come away with a bad feeling?

The Cruise Director made a few attempts to keep us busy that day. There was a juggling workshop, an additional bingo session, perhaps an additional dueling pianos show, and of course the aforementioned aborted screening of "Return to Neverland." Can anyone honestly, deep down inside of their Disney-loving hearts, convince themselves that these relatively feeble attempts to lift our spirits could in any way substitute for a day at CC? Let's face it--this was a bunt instead of a home run.

If that's not enough, let me painfully describe for you the scene at breakfast as I watched CC get alternately near and then farther away as we tried our approaches. Little did I really know what was going on at the time. I went out on the aft deck to get a nice panoramic camera shot of the island in between Mickey waffles, and a crew member out there said, "Hope you've got a great zoom." At the time I took that as his advice to wait until we got closer . . in retrospect maybe he was just being a smartypants. Eventually I jokingly said to our party, "Gee, the video sure made it seem like we would stay longer at Castaway Cay." I promise you less than 30 seconds later the Captain made his fateful announcement. You should have heard the gasps from the people in that room. I never got even a single picture of the island.

When I got home, I sent an e-mail to Guest Communications at the Disney Cruise Line describing our disappointment, and just basically telling them that we felt our cruise was incomplete. I never mentioned compensation of any kind. Even remotely. Their response several days later gave the standard explanation of why they chose not to dock, etc., etc. That alone might have helped, but much to their discredit they also included what I have to believe to be a legal pre-emptive strike against me by referring me to the cruise contract and flatly saying they do not compensate for "completed sailings."

No warm fuzzy did I receive from that reply.

The more I think about it the more I think Disney really ought to provide some incentive for us to sail again. It's been a busy week but I'm going to get around to following up their reply to me, and they're going to get two mouse ears full from me. Mainly because I think their attitude of "you should have read the contract" smacks of bad, bad salesmanship. I didn't ask for compensation, so why I should I be insulted like that? Show me the Magic!

I've probably already broken the record for longest post, but here's more. I have read with amusement as several of the posters in this thread lined up behind Disney on this "they can't control the weather" tack. Bless your hearts, you do have a point there. Do any of you happen to moonlight with Disney Cruise Line Guest Communications?

I'm a long-time Disney stockholder (remember the good old days, investors?) and I've been to WDW umpteen times. Shoot, my wife and I could make a decent living if we got commissions for every WDW vacation we help plan for our friends and the people they refer to us. So don't think I'm just some spoild brat who came out of nowhere. I know what to expect from Disney. And PLEASE, before I bring down the server with an even longer post, don't get me started on the phrase "entitlement mentality."

Just thought I would add to the interesting thread here with another first hand point of view . . .

 

[wdwobsessed]

Well I can't speak for the other posters .. but I can assure you that I do not work for DCL.

My hubby and I in fact .. make a modest living, I own my own business and know all too well about unreasonable customers. I also know all too well about being scolded for things beyond my control ... and I know all to well about the phrase" give and inch and they will take a mile" ... as well as the phase "if you do if for one, be prepared to do it for all."

DH and I work VERY hard for our vacations. We do without a lot of things in order to go to Disney ... and soon the DCL cruise. However, when I told dear hubby about this thread .. he rolled his eyes and shook his head. I can assure you that hubby is not a Disney fanatic and I am only allowed a certain amount of time to talk about Disney each week.

So .. he does not think Disney walks on water .. and he still thinks the idea of compensation is not warranted.

I have several questions I would like you to ponder.

#1 - What if there were thunderstorms all day ... so bad that you could not go to the beach at CC?

Is that the same thing?? ... I'm sure if you were on THAT cruise and heard that ANOTHER cruise got a special incentive due to rough seas & missing CC .. you may think you were entitled as well??

#2 - What if you had a Western Carribean cruise booked .. heck let's say you have been on the Eastern Cruise twice and are by no means interested in that ... ..and due to a tropical storm ... you have to alter your route and take the Easten one??? (This happened to my Father by the way , on another cruise line .. they had a 100% changed intenerary.)

Well..... that's not missing 25% or 75% or whatever you call CC .. that is missing the whole darn shebang that you singed up for....

If you were on that cruise would you expect some type of incentive to cruise again?

Do you see how this would NEVER END for DCL??

Also .. here is a little information for you on the CC wharf
from the MCG ..

*Dredging of the ship channel and construction of the wharf on which the Disney ships berth costs six million dollars.

* The harbor is dredged to 45 feet out of solid limestone.

* The ships bring in 80.000 gallons of water at a time. There is no potable water on Castaway cay.

* The fuel for electricity is brought in by the ships. There is no electrical service to the island.

* The sand on the beaches was all dredged and deposited there at great expense for your enjoyment.

SO .. I'd say DCL .. has done quite a bit to make CC a nice place to visit.

I still stand by the fact that sometimes Mother nature does not cooperate .. and that is greatly out of anyones control. Too many things can happen where weather is concerened for DCL to start dishing out special incintives .. if they do it in one case .. they will have to do it in ALL cases where the weather interferes with the intenerary.

Sorry in everyones dissapointment .. and maybe the weather gods will punish me .. on my cruise in 3 weeks. IF they do... I will make the best of it.

wdwo

 

[JSG]

Here's my 2 cents.

DH and I went on our first DCL cruise two weeks ago but we have been fairly regular WDW visitors over the years. Everything else aside, I love traveling to WDW so much because in my experience the level of customer service is so far and beyond regular/typical customer care almost anywhere else in the world. I always feel safe and well cared for, regardless of how much I'm spending or how "important" I am.

I think a large part of Disney's rep as a vacation destination/powerhouse comes from this "customer is always right" level of care. So ,YES, stuff happens and business is business and owners must watch out for their bottom line. And, true, Disney doesn't owe anyone anything if they don't dock at CC 5% of the time (we DID dock, btw). But if something stinky has happened to detract from the cruise (even if it's no fault of theirs) you expect Disney to put your enjoyment #1. Not all companies, not all cruise lines would bother, but the plus of Disney, the rep of Disney, is all about making sure you're happy. So give a credit, or even something as simple as free drinks for the afternoon or some cool bonus SOMETHING, but give folks a treat once they've been let down. Send them home thinking, "Gee CC would have been so great, but it was almost better when . . . " So, I don't think it's at all pushy or selfish to think that DISNEY (not just any company) would/should have tried to perk up the spirits of the disappointed crusiers. Makes good business sense anyway to have happy customers.

Along these same lines, we cruised on the Wonder 3/10. There were ups and downs, good and bad (including some chilly/rainy weather) but I took it all in stride. But what saddened me was what felt to me like a lot of lackluster customer service (at least compared with WDW at its best). Guest services was surly and full of misinformation. I constantly felt like they didn't want to be bothered. They were really quite bad much of the time.

On a related note - the insistence that all the surveys be filled out with "excellent" by the waiters and cruise director got rather tiring . . . as did the weather reports that declined to include any facts such as temp or fair/cloudy/rain in favor or "beautiful" (and beautiful was a major stretch some of the time). Not really helpful for dressing/packing appropriately.

 

[lydia]

BrinsonBunch: Our trip 3/10/02 was a memorable one from beginning to end ( posted trip report recently). My family would have been as disappointed as yours if we had your weather experience. Let me congradulate you for your last post where you "tell it like it is". You did try the diplomatic approach on your first post, but some people didn't appreciate it. Other people don't have to like what you post. If they are too sensitive about your views/experience (and they are not in any way extreme ) , they don't have to visit the trip reports. People come here to get a broad overview of the entire experience ( from weather to activities to attitudes of Disney etc.) Each persons experience adds to this vast info pool that we all tap into.

 

[lydia]

JSG: Although most of the time I felt informed by the announcements and the cruise directors efforts, you are absolutely right about the survey pushing and the weather reports.

 

[BrinsonBunch]

Wow...I'm amazed at how many have continued to participate in this thread! In a crazy way, it makes me feel a little better about my whole DCL experience because at least others have had the chance to learn from this discussion.

I also have to laugh because over the Easter holiday weekend, we visited my in-laws, and they asked my two DD's about the Disney Cruise. Both of my daughters raved on and on about how great it was, and, they said their favorite part was swimming in the pool during the "storm"! Just goes to show you, what causes misery for one person can be exciting for another (that, and they didn't realize how much fun they missed at CC)!

Scottf and lydia, I appreciate your supportive comments, and Scott, I hope you have some success getting Disney to hear your point of view. We're right to feel shortchanged, and they know it. They're just hoping we'll get tired of complaining, and go away. Please let me know who you've contacted (web address or phone number) and I'll contact them as well. Also, there is another person from our sailing who posted negative comments about her experience as well. Maybe if we all complain to the right people at Disney, they'll listen.

And to wdwobsessed...I can't wait to read your trip report after you get back from your trip! Here's hoping you make it to CC, because if you don't, you may feel differently about what we're saying when you get back!!

 

[wdwobsessed]

If I don't make it to CC .. I will be very, vewy, vewwwy sad.

But, I will not blame DCL.

I did tell my DH that the weather gods were going to punish me for my posts ... by having rough seas that day. I would like to at least see CC .. and maybe snorkel. Plus the kids are looking foward to it.

BrinsonBrunch - I hope you don't feel as if I don't sympathize with you. I do ... it sucks that you were not able to get to CC ..... and pehaps it WOULD have been nice to have Disney do something for all thier dissapointed passengers. It would have been a nice gesture on thier part. But not something I feel they have to do since rough seas are not within thier control.... sorry .. it's not.

Another person posted about a foul smell that made thier Verandah unbearable to use ... Now in that case .. I posted back that they should get at least an upgrade on thier next cruise from a reg room .. to a verandah room .. The smell WAS thier fault .. came from somewhere on the ship ...

So I don't think Disney does no wrong and when someones vacation is dissapointing due to something within Disney's or DCL's or whomevers control ... they should be compensated.

I'm not sure if it was you ... but someone who was upset about not being able to dock at CC .. left out of the original post that they could not dock at Freeport either ....???

SO .. the seas must have been REALLY rough and no one was docking much of anywhere in that area??

I also say .. if you do it for one .... you have to do it for all....

Maybe you ... were really looking foward to CC .. and that was the highlight for you ... but what if someone is looking foward to Nassau the most ..... or a specific Island the most ... that can not be gotten to because of a storm or something .....??

We will probably have to agree to disagree.

As I stated before .. it is not that I disagree with being upset, or sad, or dissapointed....

It's the expectation that DCL should provide some type of reinbursment for mother natures folly.........
that I do not agree with.

wdwo

 

[iluvorlando]

I, too, would have been very disappointed about not docking at CC. But, there were many highlights to our trip. One of the not so great things was the "beautiful" sand that is dredged up on CC. Doesn't any one else find that it was rocky? My feet were killing me after walking on it all day! Just wondering what anyone else thought.

 

[Sawyer]

We went on our cruise last May. Before we went, I had seen numerous trip reports where people had been so disappointed by not being able to stop at CC. Before the trip I just told my family that we may or may not stop at CC because I was afraid to get my hopes up! The weather was rainy, but we did dock and some of us got off. The sun broke through a few times, but right after lunch the flood gates opened and we all had to return to the ship. We actually kindof enjoyed spending the rest of the day lazing around the ship while the kids went to the clubs. I guess my approach was to hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

As for the seasickness, I literally got seasick right after we walked on the ship!! Before we even set sail, the not-even-noticeable movement of the ship got me sick!!! I took a Bonine and within half an hour I was 100% better. I kept taking it the whole trip and never felt seasick again. Again, prepare for the worst!

Sorry you had a bad trip. It all amounts to luck, I'm afraid. Hope you'll try again!

P.S. And I think it would be a fabulous gesture if DCL sent you a coupon for SOMETHING, like a category upgrade for your next cruise or something like that. But, it's up to them.

 

[DisneyDadFaNaTic]

We were on the Wonder in June of 2000 and the weather the day we were at CC was chilly and overcast. It didn't stop us from making the most of the situation and enjoying ourselves. We have been on many vacations and have had good and bad experiences. And even though we pay a lot of money I don't really expect to be compensated for the disappointments. When we went to MK in June of 2000 the Winnie the Pooh ride was closed and that was something we really wanted to do. We haven't complained about it. My DW fell at WDW and tore the meniscus in her knee in March of 2001, we asked if we could use a wheelchair (which they supplied for free!) and we enjoyed the final three days of our vacation as well as we could (and let me tell you it was something to behold seeing me pushing my DW in a wheelchair while she pushed our DS (3, at the time) in a stroller, geez the hills were killing me, ha).

My point is, as hard as they try to make it a "Magical" experience, it isn't going to succeed every time. If you let it ruin the whole experience then you bring nothing away with you. When you choose to enjoy it all, taking the bad with the good, then you take something away that is positive.

As a former cruiser you are now a registered Castaway Club member, that allows you certain discounts on your next cruise (if taken with a year and a half). My suggestion would be to try the experience again and after booking your next trip explain what happened on the last one and see if they won't offer you an upgrade or something for the trouble with your last cruise. Disney personel have been nothing but helpful to us everytime we have had a problem.

I, too, am truly sorry that your trip wasn't as you expected and I hope that it doesn't sour you on the whole experience. Our own experience was one of the greatest of my life (even with the disappointments). Don't give up and miss some of the best experiences ever.

 

[TnRobin]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This topic has gone WAY off its orignal question. Plus it no longer has anything to do with a trip report. If you wish to continue this debate, please go to the debate board.

To reply to the original question, I truely sorry that you were unable to visit Castaway Cay on your cruise. It truely is a beautiful place. I do understand your disappointment, we missed Castaway Cay on our first cruise too (due to a hurricane). In addition, we were not able to visit Nassau for the entire time posted in the itinerary. Many excursions were cancelled. No refunds or incentives were given to the cruisers.