That is my plan for our June DCL cruise in Italy. The currently stranded cruise off of California could be the final signal to us that now is not the time to cruise. I am not scared of the virus, just the consequences of being stuck in an uncomfortable situation, away from work.
We have already lost our deposit, but there is zero chance I will let it go up to the 50% loss come mid-April unless 1) there is a clear indication that the situation is resolving rapidly due to spring and/or 2) Disney changes its current m.o. by extending deadlines, and providing better information about its contingency plans via frequent communicating with currently booked customers.
Sure, I could let it ride and hope they will cancel the cruise if needed (thus giving me a full refund instead of losing my deposit), but their current response hasn't given me confidence they will do that if they stand any chance of cruising out of Italy, even if customers are less enthusiastic.
I used to think I would be ok if they repositioned the Magic to the Caribbean and gave us a substantial refund on the fair, but I don't even think that would be acceptable to us anymore now that a ships has had problems just from sailing to Mexico and Hawaii.
My plane tickets were very pricey Delta tickets, but at least Delta will push back the cancel without penalty date if Italy is still a mess. They have been much better to customers. So I will just let those tickets ride until the last minute, since I won't gain anything by canceling in April, but could avoid cancelation fees if I wait. That would also allow me to re-book the June cruise if things change (prices aren't much worse than when I booked, and they may come down when many "jump ship" before the next deadline). In other words, Disney is forcing customers like me to cancel cruises we would prefer to keep until we can better assess the situation closer to travel. They are also damaging their brand long term. Who makes these decisions at corporate? Are they that out of touch with the average customer's needs?
We are already talking about how we might not be booking cruises again for some time due to how many companies, including Disney, are handling this situation. At least with land trips, nearly everything is refundable when canceled shortly in advance. You have much more flexibility. On the other hand, if Disney steps up and handles this situation with adjustments to policies and frequent communications to booked passengers, we would be more inclined to take a chance and continue to book with them.
