DCL carry-on alcohol policy changing Sept. 30 2015

[Berger]

Nice first post, welcome.

Bingo. The attitude has permeated the parks for several years, since they have more business than they can handle so they have taken many steps to increase their park revenue. DCL seems to have the same situation, plenty of people (such as ourselves) willing to pay way more for what we think is a superior experience, so they can start adding ways to make more money. I still maintain, though, that what helped them choose this revenue generator (banning liquor, limiting wine and beer) was abuse of the old policies by guests. On this very board people are already talking around how to sneak spirits on board.

I've got a feeling that soon we'll see a "reasonable" charge for room service after midnight, and uncharges for specialty steaks or deserts in the MDRs. We'll continue to cruise with Disney, continue to have a blast, and continue to avoid their multitude of ways to separate us from our money on the cruise!

Thanks
We had a blast on our first cruise and have booked our 2nd cruise. We enjoyed having a drink on the verandah without having to go to the bar. It is the small perks that add up that makes Disney special. Now that is all changing. We didn't abuse the old policy either, we purchaced drinks on deck and in the clubs as well.

For those who state the policy is similar with the other cruise lines, why did you choose Disney? Did you choose DCL because they are like every other cruise line or did you choose Disney because they are special/different ? Just an honest question.
Cheers

 

[Bruiserknits]

Not sure why people keep saying this. This isn't the point. If it was just about drinking I'd just stay home where I can drink more efficiently. The point is that all the reasons you list for making Disney Cruises special are actually done by most of the other cruise lines (except for the Disney themed shows) for more than just a bit less. Disney sells itself (or used to) on the perks that it offers, but one by one all those little perks are being eliminated.

I disagree. I think that Disney offers a lot more than other cruise ships. Not only are the DCL ships so much more beautiful, they have a bit of elegance and charm that I don't see in other cruise lines. When we were in Nassau with ships on either side of us, I looked over and was so happy I wasn't on those ships. They weren't as beautiful as the Dream. They were far louder (both with very loud music blaring). They looked more like large shapeless barges and the entire vibe felt that way as well. I've talked to quite a few DCL crew members. Some of them have transferred from other cruise lines and say they will never go back. They say that the caliber of people on DCL is so much nicer and that they feel respected by both company and guests. That speaks volumes to me.

The way some people are carrying on, it is like their entire vacation is going to be ruined because they can't bring all the booze they want on the ship. People are canceling or threatening to because of this decision. It has very much the appearance of little children stomping their feet and threatening to take their ball home. The cries of "It's not fair" is quite childish.

 

[godde8ss]

Looking at all the different cruise line's alcohol policy, DCL is right in line with most of the other cruise lines with many not allowing any alcohol brought on board at all.

Haven't all of us on here booked our cruises, visited the parks and enjoyed the overall Disney Magic because Disney should not be the "standard." We, and Walt, expected Disney to be the above and beyond. I pay for and expect a product that is above and beyond, what the Disney brand used to be synonymous with. It is a sad day when Disney is considered in-line with the industry standard....


You're dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway.
Walt Disney

 

[closetmickey]

I'm frustrated by the posts stating that people should not be disappointed in the policy change, for whatever reason. I'd like to respond to each of these posts with the news that their favorite perk, or money saving strategy had been taken away. And then watch for their complaints to surface. Really people, are we not able to look beyond our own skin?

 

[tinkerone]

Thanks
We had a blast on our first cruise and have booked our 2nd cruise. We enjoyed having a drink on the verandah without having to go to the bar. It is the small perks that add up that makes Disney special. Now that is all changing. We didn't abuse the old policy either, we purchaced drinks on deck and in the clubs as well.

For those who state the policy is similar with the other cruise lines, why did you choose Disney? Did you choose DCL because they are like every other cruise line or did you choose Disney because they are special/different ? Just an honest question.
Cheers

i chose disney because my friends were going and they wanted me to come along. i had never cruised before, didn't ever want to, but once on board i was hooked. we continued to book disney because that is what we knew and i like the familiar. having said that we have now booked a sailing on the oasis and i can't wait to go. disney may very well be in our past.
i keep reading that disney offers more than other cruise lines and i must say i bought into this until i got serious about looking into other options. now, i just don't know what disney offers that other cruise lines don't. theres nothing. i keep hearing that other lines nickel and dime. i don't see that. having cruised the past 12 years with disney i'm pretty tired of the same shows. yes they are nice the first, maybe the second, but on third forth fifth, i'm tired of them.
so, we may abandon ship for good, maybe not but i think it is probably written in the stars. when i can save so much money and get new stuff i'm sold.
jmo

 

[Hamitchell]

First they came for the drinkers, then they came for the non-drinkers (some of you) . . .

 

[gotomu212]

The BYOB policy was one of the draws for our adult only family members when we did an extended family cruise. We have a little one so DCL was right up our alley but the adult only aunts/uncles didn't like paying SO MUCH more for a cruise where most of the perks were directed more towards children.

And it's not that the adult only families weren't Disney fans. They posed with the characters like the best of them and laughed at the shows and loved the dive in Disney movies BUTTTTTTTTT between the 3 adult only families they were paying $2000- $5000 more for that pleasure compared to our runner up NCL option (which had ropes courses, zip lines, amazing pool slides).

When we brought up the BYOB that sort of mollified them. No in monetary value they don't drink $2k worth but it was a concession to them as adults who didn't really think the kid centric benefits got them anything. This would have caused the family to go on NCL if it had happened last year.

There are so many choices in the marketplace right now and some of these newer ships really have bells and whistles on them so I'm really interested to see if DCLs branding and free soda (the only remaining benefits I see) can continue to command a 100% markup on the market.

 

[BooToYou7]

The way some people are carrying on, it is like their entire vacation is going to be ruined because they can't bring all the booze they want on the ship. People are canceling or threatening to because of this decision. It has very much the appearance of little children stomping their feet and threatening to take their ball home. The cries of "It's not fair" is quite childish.

A lot of people have budgeted for their cruise based on the policy that they could bring their own liquor. If they want to enjoy a drink on their vacation, the difference in price on what they now have to save will not be inconsequential. How would you react if Disney took away a perk you enjoyed that would now force you to save an extra $500-$1000 that you weren't expecting to spend? And no, it's not hard for two people to run up a bar tab of that amount over a week period at cruise line prices.

And maybe people are just tired of Disney slowly taking away everything that made them special without replacing it with anything or reducing the price.

 

[turtle27]

I was just kicked off the Disney Cruising Facebook Group because I questioned one of the Admins who was deleting every negative post concerning the policy change and even told the users in the group to "Move on" and they would delete any other topics on the policy change . After my reply quickly got 6 likes, it was deleted (not surprised), but then followed by my removal from the group. I was tactful and polite, but apparently struck a nerve with the admin.

Really? I posted and was not kicked off, nor was my comment deleted. If this is a trend that they are doing, we need to start print screening everything to show that they are deleting comments. Not cool Disney, not cool.

 

[lisadam]

I'm frustrated by the posts stating that people should not be disappointed in the policy change, for whatever reason. I'd like to respond to each of these posts with the news that their favorite perk, or money saving strategy had been taken away. And then watch for their complaints to surface. Really people, are we not able to look beyond our own skin?

Ditto - I wasn't planning on bringing more than one small bottle of an after-dinner liqueur to add to a cup of coffee and sit on my balcony - and my next cruise is before the cut-off. I come from a family of BIG drinkers - I'm often made fun of for drinking so little - so I'm not stamping my foot because I can't get my drunk on. It's simply another sign of taking little things away to increase the bottom line. I wasn't going to bring something for a character to sign ... that's gone now and it's sad. I wasn't going to order gifts to the cabin - but I can see people being disappointed that you can't use outside vendors. I haven't yet gone in a pool or hot-tub after 10:00pm - but there are people that do. ALL of this together is the nickle and dime-ing the little pleasures away. The same thing seems to have happened over the years at WDW.

People need to stop judging the disappointment of others. Most of us don't think this is the end of the world... it's just the end of a little bright light that made us happy.

 

[cwby22]

We have no cruises booked and don't have any planned for the foreseeable future so the policy change doesn't directly affect me. And I wouldn't not book because of this policy change. I do however, feel its unfair for those that are past their cancellation date. Granted, I wouldn't cancel for this reason alone, but would it really have been that big a deal for them to wait 75 days for the change to take effect? I think not. It really puts a blemish on their customer service. And this just may be the beginning, as others have stated, I can easliy see them doing away with free sodas and also free room service. I never had a problem with the inflated DCL prices due to the excellent service, clean ships and perks we received, but with those going away, we will compare prices and consider other cruise lines for our next voyage.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I disagree. I think that Disney offers a lot more than other cruise ships. Not only are the DCL ships so much more beautiful, they have a bit of elegance and charm that I don't see in other cruise lines. When we were in Nassau with ships on either side of us, I looked over and was so happy I wasn't on those ships. They weren't as beautiful as the Dream. They were far louder (both with very loud music blaring). They looked more like large shapeless barges and the entire vibe felt that way as well. I've talked to quite a few DCL crew members. Some of them have transferred from other cruise lines and say they will never go back. They say that the caliber of people on DCL is so much nicer and that they feel respected by both company and guests. That speaks volumes to me.

The way some people are carrying on, it is like their entire vacation is going to be ruined because they can't bring all the booze they want on the ship. People are canceling or threatening to because of this decision. It has very much the appearance of little children stomping their feet and threatening to take their ball home. The cries of "It's not fair" is quite childish.

I have to roll my eyes a little at these types of post. This seems to be a very common sentiment on the Dis that people who go to Disney and cruise DCL are just a cut above the unwashed masses of everybody else.

While I'll give you that the outside of the Disney ships have a style all their own, IMO they are just like every other ship once inside. Depending on the ship and the line, Disney seems lacking in elegance in comparison.

Have you been on many other ships?

I've been on many cruises on many lines and traveled land based as well. I get that the Disney brand offers a bit of magic, but I've never really thought of them as being a cut above. Just like in the parks, you get people from all walks of life. And while DCL is expensive it is not a luxury brand.

As for your comment about people who don't like the policy sounding like children, well there are a lot of people like yourself who buy into the idea that Disney is just better and Disney people are just better so stop complaining. The nice thing about being an adult is that you can decide where to spend your money. Many people just don't see Disney as holding the same value or "special" anymore. There's nothing childish about objectively looking at the value of something in line with your priorities. Your cruising priorities do not make you better than anybody else despite what your cruise waiter may have told you.

 

[steves100]

Being a platinum member I have NEVER seen anyone REALLY trashed!

I always enjoyed bringing a case on, basically for the savings and convenience. For anyone to say people abused the policy I do not agree. For people to justify the change saying people were leaving their cabins is ridicules!!! I cant bring a bottle of beer out to play shuffle board but I can go get a bottle from Disney, please!!!!!

NO ONE ever told me I couldn't have a bottle walking around, and I did it alot!!! If they did I would apologize and have probably poured it in a cup instead.

Just my 2 cents

 

[turtle27]

I also want to respond to anyone who thinks that this isn't going to effect some of us financially for what we already had planned. Now, not saying that we "have" to drink to have fun, but it is vacation and we like to have wine at dinner and probably a pre-dinner drink, maybe one during the day.

For 2 people, that would be 6 drinks a day (3 each over the span of 12 hours, are we alcoholics?), at approximately $10 a drink on a 14 night cruise, that is 840 bucks. That is not a small amount of money. Now, we would still have spent some of this, as we follow the rule of not leaving the cabin with the drink, but we are still talking about 300 - 500 bucks over the course of the cruise. If this is pocket change to you and you are ok with DCL essentially raising the cost of a cruise after your PIF date, please pm me, Ill send you my e-mail so you can send me your pocket change. I cannot cancel my cruise without losing my money, I am pretty sure that travel insurance does not cover this. I cannot cancel my hotel or flights. DCL essentially just charged me more than what I had contracted with them to do.

This is not a small issue, it is a pretty big deal, akin to suddenly charging more for the nursery after you had budgeted only x dollars, or suddenly, sodas are not free, but kids love sodas. What if the activities in the kids club were no longer free? You can send your kid, but want them to do that arts and crafts project, it's gonna cost ya. All AFTER your PIF date.

 

[steves100]

It saddens me that people might consider that some people assume that just because someone wants to cancel their cruise because a valuable benefit has been abrogated that that person is "dependent" on alcohol.

Its not DEPENDENT!!! Its Disney being difficult for no REAL reason. Their pricing has made many very mad and limiting their services!

 

[steves100]

I disagree. I think that Disney offers a lot more than other cruise ships. Not only are the DCL ships so much more beautiful, they have a bit of elegance and charm that I don't see in other cruise lines. When we were in Nassau with ships on either side of us, I looked over and was so happy I wasn't on those ships. They weren't as beautiful as the Dream. They were far louder (both with very loud music blaring). They looked more like large shapeless barges and the entire vibe felt that way as well. I've talked to quite a few DCL crew members. Some of them have transferred from other cruise lines and say they will never go back. They say that the caliber of people on DCL is so much nicer and that they feel respected by both company and guests. That speaks volumes to me.

The way some people are carrying on, it is like their entire vacation is going to be ruined because they can't bring all the booze they want on the ship. People are canceling or threatening to because of this decision. It has very much the appearance of little children stomping their feet and threatening to take their ball home. The cries of "It's not fair" is quite childish.

Let me guess you dont drink?????

 

[goofymom74]

Quick question - Has anyone actually heard from DCL about this? I have a cruise booked for November (less than 90 days). I haven't received anything from them about this policy change. I can only imagine what the check-in/security line at PC is going to look like with everyone having to empty out their carry-on alcohol stashes! Not everyone is aware of the DIS!

 

[JERME81]

Its not DEPENDENT!!! Its Disney being difficult for no REAL reason. Their pricing has made many very mad and limiting their services!

I've said it before too. Its not about getting fall down drunk, its about saving a little money when I can. Its no different than stopping at Walmart and getting soda/water to keep in your fridge in your Disney resort because nobody wants to pay over $2.50 at a vending machine or gift shop.

 

[turtle27]

Quick question - Has anyone actually heard from DCL about this? I have a cruise booked for November (less than 90 days). I haven't received anything from them about this policy change. I can only imagine what the check-in/security line at PC is going to look like with everyone having to empty out their carry-on alcohol stashes! Not everyone is aware of the DIS!

Thoughts are it will go out with cruise docs.

 

[apocalyps3]

I disagree. I think that Disney offers a lot more than other cruise ships. Not only are the DCL ships so much more beautiful, they have a bit of elegance and charm that I don't see in other cruise lines. When we were in Nassau with ships on either side of us, I looked over and was so happy I wasn't on those ships. They weren't as beautiful as the Dream. They were far louder (both with very loud music blaring). They looked more like large shapeless barges and the entire vibe felt that way as well. I've talked to quite a few DCL crew members. Some of them have transferred from other cruise lines and say they will never go back. They say that the caliber of people on DCL is so much nicer and that they feel respected by both company and guests. That speaks volumes to me.

Don't want to derail this thread, but this argument reminds me of the iPhone fanatics. You're paying for the polish of a Disney cruise, but if you really examine what you're getting for your money, its actually not much better than any other cruise and in some cases less fully featured. But we'll agree to disagree since its all opinion. There's no denying that Disney more than just a bit more expensive in most cases.

The way some people are carrying on, it is like their entire vacation is going to be ruined because they can't bring all the booze they want on the ship. People are canceling or threatening to because of this decision. It has very much the appearance of little children stomping their feet and threatening to take their ball home. The cries of "It's not fair" is quite childish.

I would argue that it definitely is not fair. I paid just as much as you or anyone else to go on a Disney cruise and up until 2 days ago, one of the selling points for the cruise, that Disney pointed out to me on several occasions (via phone and printed material) was their alcohol policy. Now after I've paid in full, suddenly this selling point is gone and I have no recourse other than to suck it up or cancel with a pretty hefty fee. I don't know about you, but I think that's kind of a jerk move. I get it though, because its not something you personally value, everyone else is a crybaby.

Your comment comes from a position where it seems like you think I owe Disney something (they very clearly don't think they owe ME anything). I'm their customer, not vice versa. If I want to take my ball and go home, that's the only power I have over Disney. Why in the world wouldn't I?

Again, I have to question why any Disney Cruiser, whether you drink or don't drink, wouldn't have concern about this and wouldn't support their fellow cruisers 100%.