DCL website,Update: 12/15/09 Barcelona/August 2011Med trips changed to 7 nights

[indigodisney]

We are still considering what to do as we orig. booked August... Currently also on the July 20.... My DU TA is on the Magic this week and hasn't responded to me about what would happen with the deposits. Can I ask if you had the 1/2 deposit or did you pay the full deposit in the beginning? If you had the 1/2 dep. deal were you able to transfer it to the 7 night? I would only switch to a 7 n. if we could keep the 1/2 deposit. I am tempted to call DCL today & ask myself 'cuz it's a big part of our decision making process....TA won't be back until Sat & likely not working until Sun or Mon & now we're supposed to get a snowstorm in the mid-Atlanic Fri-Sat so she could be delayed getting home..... I just don't know what to do!!

Hi Annie, I did have the 1/2 off deposit and we kept that for this booking for 10 days when we transferred and then I just moved from the 10 day to the 7 day last night and no additional deposit was needed. So good news there.

The day to day cost was cheaper on the 7 day and the 3 ports we are missing I will get to some day. I think it is worth it to cut our costs so much. I am glad about the deposit too - that was part of the decision. Hope you can join us!

 

[indigodisney]

I really like HAL and have sailed with them six times. We did not travel with kids.

I was pleasantly surprised with our NCL cruise.

YMMV.

Woody

This is great to know that you liked NCL we are going to Hawaii with them in December - if you have a second let me know what you really liked about them? I love the anytime dining we just had on Carnival so I think that part of NCL will really appeal to me.

 

[sayhello]

The problem I see with that is that it wouldn't really be anything like an ABD trip. A big part of the ABD experience is bonding with your fellower travelers, especially for the kids. And you couldn't really get a feel for how great the guides are either, unless you spent a few days with them. Totally agree with you about the price though. I wondering if the only people they are going to draw in are people who have already been or planned to take ABD trips anyway and just want to combine it with a cruise.

Bobo912, you know I fall into that category. With the $999 ($1886 for a Single) Cat 12 GTY rate, this combo (11-night w/ABD) is actually cheaper, by $1400, than the 6-night London & Paris ABD I am currently planning on taking. I normally wouldn't go for an Inside cabin, but the opportunity to mix it with ABD, at this price, is very tempting to me. But that's from the point of view of someone who mainly does ABD's, and who thinks it would be a cool way to mix what I love about ABD with a cruise. They really are going for the whole ABD experience, with the day-to-day continuity of traveling with the same people, and the same Guides. That, to me, as someone who travels alone, is a BIG part of the appeal.

I'm not personally a huge fan of cruising just for it's own sake. For me, it's all about the ports of call, and the excursions. I generally find too many sea days start to drive me nuts (I just NEVER have been able to sit by the pool for hours. Even when I've been to the beach, I can't just sit by the ocean. I have to walk around, and SEE things. ) So for me, this is the IDEAL situation. I'd get to see more countries, more places than on a regular ABD (because we travel while we sleep. THAT's my favorite thing about cruising. That, and unpack once, pack once!) plus entertainment at night, and the other shipboard amenities/activities on sea days.

I can see that, from the point of view of someone who is looking to cruise, paying for the best they can afford cabin-wise, and looking for a few nice excursions in port, the whole ABD add-on option is probably too much, and too expensive. It's really an ABD at Sea, NOT a source of excursions for a cruise, except for people who can afford to pay whatever it costs for their excursions.

I am SERIOUSLY considering the May 15, 2010 11-day Cat 12 GTY, with the ABD tie-in.

Oh, and FYI for other folks, the cost for the ABD add-on is $2399 per adult, not $2800. Not a huge difference, I know, but still a difference.

Sayhello

ETA: OMG, this is my 1000th post! Wow!

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

I've been unwell so haven't been "dissing" for a couple of weeks - the first I knew of this was Tuesday evening when I received a blunt email from Disney telling me to call DCL (international call charges!) to choose a different date for my cruise! No more explanation than that, and no apology!! I am absolutely disgusted. I booked our cruise (20th Aug) on the first day available and was lucky enough to get a secret porthole room. Now I either have to book for a month earlier, which is not the date we want to travel on (and no doubt pay more now, two months after bookings opened!), or go on a shorter cruise which doesn't have three of the ports we wanted! And I bet I don't get a SPH as well!

Am I right in thinking if I cancel now I can have our deposit fully refunded (as Disney's email didn't bother touching upon this subject)? What happens if I change to the July date, and then decide to cancel after a while (As I'm not sure that will be convenient, but Disney's email told me I only have until tomorrow to decide what to do!!) - will I be able to still get a refund? Thanks!

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

I've been unwell so haven't been "dissing" for a couple of weeks - the first I knew of this was Tuesday evening when I received a blunt email from Disney telling me to call DCL (international call charges!) to choose a different date for my cruise! No more explanation than that, and no apology!! I am absolutely disgusted. I booked our cruise (20th Aug) on the first day available and was lucky enough to get a secret porthole room. Now I either have to book for a month earlier, which is not the date we want to travel on (and no doubt pay more now, two months after bookings opened!), or go on a shorter cruise which doesn't have three of the ports we wanted! And I bet I don't get a SPH as well!

Am I right in thinking if I cancel now I can have our deposit fully refunded (as Disney's email didn't bother touching upon this subject)? What happens if I change to the July date, and then decide to cancel after a while (As I'm not sure that will be convenient, but Disney's email told me I only have until tomorrow to decide what to do!!) - will I be able to still get a refund? Thanks!

Yes, you and I are the same and dissapointed, I am told my deposit is on its way back in a couple of billing cycles. But will loose on exchange rates.

Their communications and timescales are very poor.

 

[woody73]

This is great to know that you liked NCL we are going to Hawaii with them in December - if you have a second let me know what you really liked about them? I love the anytime dining we just had on Carnival so I think that part of NCL will really appeal to me.

First, let me put on my flame suit.

What I liked about our 14-night cruise on the Norwegian Pearl:

* Freestyle dining. We never waited more than five minutes for a table, and that only happened once or twice. (Tip: go early, go late, or make a reservation -- just like at home.)

* Overall food quality was fine. While some dishes on NCL are better than on DCL, the food overall on DCL is slightly better.

* Having so many dining choices. There are 13 different restaurants. Five are free, and you could spend an entire cruise at these restaurants alone. Eight are specialty restaurants, and we paid as little as $5 pp at the Italian and Tex-Mex restaurants. I find that on any ship, the food is better (the quality, preparation, presentation) when it's made to order in a small kitchen.

* The best buffet layout I have seen. It's large, open and spacious, and you can go right to any food station. So if you just want pasta, you don't have to stand in line cafeteria style.

* Four omlette stations at the breakfast buffet.

* A made-to-order dessert crepe station at the dinner buffet.

* Hand scooped ice cream (eight flavors, such as vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, coffee, cinnamon, butter pecan, pistachio, pineapple-coconut) with toppings, plus soft serve.

* Newness of the ship (2006). It has plenty of public areas, a rock climbing wall, bowling alley, 2-story Wii. There were few children on our cruise, so they let adults use the 720 degree waterslide.

* In the main theatre, good shows and entertainers each night. Live musicians instead of pre-recorded tracks. The production shows on Disney are better, unless you've seen them too many times.

* In our cabin, a refrigerator that actually kept things cold.

* A real library with floor to ceiling windows, a very good selection of books, comfy chairs, sofas, and tables.

* An excellent future cruise program. Pay $250 for a Future Cruise Reward Deposit, and immediately get a $100 SBC on your current cruise, so you can use it right away. Deposit is good for four years and is transferable. No need to pick a "dummy date."

* No rush to leave at disembarkation. The pools, whirlpools, bowling and Wii are open in the morning. We went for breakfast then returned to the cabin to relax. We were able to stay in the cabin until 10:30 AM.

YMMV

Woody

 

[smeecanada]

thanks, Woody. Nice to hear about the differences with other ships. Haven't heard too much about NCL. How many passengers on the Norwegian Pearl?

 

[smeecanada]

Thanks, also for the discussion about ABD. I think you really need to look at just what the ABD addition to the cruise is going to cover. It's an interesting addition, although they went about adding it to the MED cruises poorly. I look forward to seeing what they do for the Alaska cruises in the way of ABD. Seeing as we don't have airfare costs for that cruise - we could spend a bit extra on excursions.

 

[woody73]

thanks, Woody. Nice to hear about the differences with other ships. Haven't heard too much about NCL. How many passengers on the Norwegian Pearl?

On our sailing, there were 2,800 passengers and 1,070 crew. There were 1,300 repeat NCL cruisers, and 30 children, as it was during the school year.

Woody

 

[woody73]

. . . I fall into that category. With the $999 ($1886 for a Single) Cat 12 GTY rate, this combo (11-night w/ABD) is actually cheaper, by $1400, than the 6-night London & Paris ABD I am currently planning on taking.

sayhello, thank you for providing the ABD perspective.

Not having been on an ABD, I only see the "tie in" from the viewpoint of someone who cruises regularly and does a fair amount of independent travel throughout Europe.

Based on your calculations, for an ABD customer, the tie in is an attractive package.

But from a DCL customer's perspective, the tie in is a very expensive proposition. For many families, it's cost prohibitive -- especially in the current economy.

I wonder: Realistically, how many cruise+ABD packages will DCL sell?

Perhaps the tie in is the right move for the Walt Disney Company. But it's just a shame the way DCL handled it without any attempt to retain the loyal DCL customers. They just seemed indifferent to losing existing bookings.

Woody

 

[Anal Annie]

Hi Annie, I did have the 1/2 off deposit and we kept that for this booking for 10 days when we transferred and then I just moved from the 10 day to the 7 day last night and no additional deposit was needed. So good news there.

The day to day cost was cheaper on the 7 day and the 3 ports we are missing I will get to some day. I think it is worth it to cut our costs so much. I am glad about the deposit too - that was part of the decision. Hope you can join us!

Thanks! I'm glad the 1/2 dep. transfer as is. That would be a deal breaker. But we're still undecided. We DID manage to discuss it briefly tonight in the car on the way out somewhere... IT IS DEFINITELY a good way to save $2,000 and in our case that's a lot. That is enough to cover 3 n on land pre or post cruise OR 3 days worth of excursions! So WHICH Aug. cruise did you move to? I don't think you said which one you're doing. We were orig. on the Aug. 10, moved to July 20 and are now looking at Aug. 13 as that one is just a tad cheaper than the Aug 6 one. I also calculate it out to a per person / per night savings over the 10 nighter. Well, the orig. Aug. cruise we booked was about $400 cheaper than the July 20 (same cabin) so moving it back to August drops it back to just about exactly the same dollar amount per night per person as our orig. one.

I really wish I knew more about Tunis, Valletta, Ajeccio & Palma to make a fair comparison of the ports. I also liked having 2 sea days on the 10 night. IFFFF we switch to the 7 n cruise the savings will allow us to be able to afford the pre & post cruise options we wanted to do without going overboard on vacation time (and money). We'd likely add 3 nights each in Paris and Barcelona (not sure which first). With the 10 night cruise we may be stuck only adding 3 nights in one or the other.

I don't know if we're any closer to deciding today than we were on Tuesday!!

 

[indigodisney]

I've been unwell so haven't been "dissing" for a couple of weeks - the first I knew of this was Tuesday evening when I received a blunt email from Disney telling me to call DCL (international call charges!) to choose a different date for my cruise! No more explanation than that, and no apology!! I am absolutely disgusted. I booked our cruise (20th Aug) on the first day available and was lucky enough to get a secret porthole room. Now I either have to book for a month earlier, which is not the date we want to travel on (and no doubt pay more now, two months after bookings opened!), or go on a shorter cruise which doesn't have three of the ports we wanted! And I bet I don't get a SPH as well!

that sucks - what a way to find out - not professional and you should have been treated better. I hope they work this out for you.

First, let me put on my flame suit.

What I liked about our 14-night cruise on the Norwegian Pearl:

* Freestyle dining. We never waited more than five minutes for a table, and that only happened once or twice. (Tip: go early, go late, or make a reservation -- just like at home.)

* Overall food quality was fine. While some dishes on NCL are better than on DCL, the food overall on DCL is slightly better.

* Having so many dining choices. There are 13 different restaurants. Five are free, and you could spend an entire cruise at these restaurants alone. Eight are specialty restaurants, and we paid as little as $5 pp at the Italian and Tex-Mex restaurants. I find that on any ship, the food is better (the quality, preparation, presentation) when it's made to order in a small kitchen.

* The best buffet layout I have seen. It's large, open and spacious, and you can go right to any food station. So if you just want pasta, you don't have to stand in line cafeteria style.

* Four omlette stations at the breakfast buffet.

* A made-to-order dessert crepe station at the dinner buffet.

* Hand scooped ice cream (eight flavors, such as vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, coffee, cinnamon, butter pecan, pistachio, pineapple-coconut) with toppings, plus soft serve.

* Newness of the ship (2006). It has plenty of public areas, a rock climbing wall, bowling alley, 2-story Wii. There were few children on our cruise, so they let adults use the 720 degree waterslide.

* In the main theatre, good shows and entertainers each night. Live musicians instead of pre-recorded tracks. The production shows on Disney are better, unless you've seen them too many times.

* In our cabin, a refrigerator that actually kept things cold.

* A real library with floor to ceiling windows, a very good selection of books, comfy chairs, sofas, and tables.

* An excellent future cruise program. Pay $250 for a Future Cruise Reward Deposit, and immediately get a $100 SBC on your current cruise, so you can use it right away. Deposit is good for four years and is transferable. No need to pick a "dummy date."

* No rush to leave at disembarkation. The pools, whirlpools, bowling and Wii are open in the morning. We went for breakfast then returned to the cabin to relax. We were able to stay in the cabin until 10:30 AM.

YMMV

Woody

Thanks Woody! This is great, I appreciate you sharing this with me....we are excited to try new cruise lines. We were on Carnival last week and we enjoyed our cruise very much - I am just glad to spend time away with my family and not working. The Pearl sounds like a great ship. We will be on Pride of America. Thanks again!

Thanks! I'm glad the 1/2 dep. transfer as is. That would be a deal breaker. But we're still undecided. We DID manage to discuss it briefly tonight in the car on the way out somewhere... IT IS DEFINITELY a good way to save $2,000 and in our case that's a lot. That is enough to cover 3 n on land pre or post cruise OR 3 days worth of excursions! So WHICH Aug. cruise did you move to? I don't think you said which one you're doing. We were orig. on the Aug. 10, moved to July 20 and are now looking at Aug. 13 as that one is just a tad cheaper than the Aug 6 one. I also calculate it out to a per person / per night savings over the 10 nighter. Well, the orig. Aug. cruise we booked was about $400 cheaper than the July 20 (same cabin) so moving it back to August drops it back to just about exactly the same dollar amount per night per person as our orig. one.

I really wish I knew more about Tunis, Valletta, Ajeccio & Palma to make a fair comparison of the ports. I also liked having 2 sea days on the 10 night. IFFFF we switch to the 7 n cruise the savings will allow us to be able to afford the pre & post cruise options we wanted to do without going overboard on vacation time (and money). We'd likely add 3 nights each in Paris and Barcelona (not sure which first). With the 10 night cruise we may be stuck only adding 3 nights in one or the other.

I don't know if we're any closer to deciding today than we were on Tuesday!!

I agree about the savings - it was a lot for us too - and we will now be able to stay a week in Europe somewhere else which is pretty exciting. It is not an easy decision esp if you have a stateroom already reserved and you don't want to lose it. We are on the July 30th 7 night cruise now - not August, I was confused with all of these dates. We were originally on the July 20th and just switched to the next one in line. It was a bit cheaper than August and has Cannes. Good luck with your decision!!

 

[GumbyO]

The Cruise you're going on to Hawaii with NCL is to say the least much different than any of the other NCL ships.
The crew is largely U.S. citizens, although they have been permitted to use a smaller percentage than previoulsy it is still a majority. This is due to it being flagged American as it doesn't leave the U.S. waters. As such (Sorry but this is what I experienced) the crew had more of the Wal Mart attitude. We're here, we work our specified shift, and service is something you go to on your funeral day.
The ports are great, and it is a wonderful way to see the Hawaiian Islands, but don't expect great service nor great food.
I'm glad I took the Pride of America cruise, BUT I'd not do it again.

GumbyO

 

[indigodisney]

The Cruise you're going on to Hawaii with NCL is to say the least much different than any of the other NCL ships.
The crew is largely U.S. citizens, although they have been permitted to use a smaller percentage than previoulsy it is still a majority. This is due to it being flagged American as it doesn't leave the U.S. waters. As such (Sorry but this is what I experienced) the crew had more of the Wal Mart attitude. We're here, we work our specified shift, and service is something you go to on your funeral day.
The ports are great, and it is a wonderful way to see the Hawaiian Islands, but don't expect great service nor great food.
I'm glad I took the Pride of America cruise, BUT I'd not do it again.

GumbyO

Hi Gumby, thanks for your message - I have heard this before about Pride of America - I am hopeful that the islands will make up for the lack of service. Thanks for sharing....I appreciate it!

 

[sayhello]

Hi Gumby, thanks for your message - I have heard this before about Pride of America - I am hopeful that the islands will make up for the lack of service. Thanks for sharing....I appreciate it!

I'll be very interested to hear your experience. I've eyed those cruises on the Pride of America a few times, but got scared off by all the bad reports. I'd be really happy to hear that it didn't affect your enjoyment!

Sayhello

 

[GumbyO]

I looked at it as a neat hotel to see Hawaii with. The pricing was decent, the balcony we had was a good size. Make sure you check the deck plans as some are much larger depending on the location and no more money.
We rented cars in a couple of ports, took organized trips. We had never been to Hawaii before, so this was a great way to get a "taste" of the Islands. We will definitely go back there.
I guess we did do a lot of comparisons to Disney, and that perhaps set us up for a bit of a letdown, but the destinations more than made up for any shortcomings.
I don't know if I am explaining it properly, but despite the less than stellar service, it was enjoyable and Hawaii itself was phenomenal. I don't think you'll be disappointed one iota with taking this cruise.

GumbyO

 

[Anal Annie]

I looked at it as a neat hotel to see Hawaii with. The pricing was decent, the balcony we had was a good size. Make sure you check the deck plans as some are much larger depending on the location and no more money.
We rented cars in a couple of ports, took organized trips. We had never been to Hawaii before, so this was a great way to get a "taste" of the Islands. We will definitely go back there.
I guess we did do a lot of comparisons to Disney, and that perhaps set us up for a bit of a letdown, but the destinations more than made up for any shortcomings.
I don't know if I am explaining it properly, but despite the less than stellar service, it was enjoyable and Hawaii itself was phenomenal. I don't think you'll be disappointed one iota with taking this cruise.

GumbyO

We have been to Hawaii several times. We try to go at least every 5 years. Each island has its own "personality" and we like different ones for different reasons. We usually go for about 10 nights each time and island hop about every 3 or 4 days. Maui is our favorite and we usually go there for at least 4 nights (save the best for last thing). You can fly into Honolulu, island hop between and leave from Kahalui very easily. Whenever you DO go back make sure you allow enough time for each island. Especially for your first "real" trip. There is a lot to see and do on each island and they deserve more than a day trip from a cruise ship.

 

[GumbyO]

We have been to Hawaii several times. We try to go at least every 5 years. Each island has its own "personality" and we like different ones for different reasons. We usually go for about 10 nights each time and island hop about every 3 or 4 days. Maui is our favorite and we usually go there for at least 4 nights (save the best for last thing). You can fly into Honolulu, island hop between and leave from Kahalui very easily. Whenever you DO go back make sure you allow enough time for each island. Especially for your first "real" trip. There is a lot to see and do on each island and they deserve more than a day trip from a cruise ship.

That can be said of anywhere that a cruise ship goes. As I said, this gives you a taste for the islands, and from there you can decide for you next trip.

GumbyO

 

[indigodisney]

I looked at it as a neat hotel to see Hawaii with. The pricing was decent, the balcony we had was a good size. Make sure you check the deck plans as some are much larger depending on the location and no more money.
We rented cars in a couple of ports, took organized trips. We had never been to Hawaii before, so this was a great way to get a "taste" of the Islands. We will definitely go back there.
I guess we did do a lot of comparisons to Disney, and that perhaps set us up for a bit of a letdown, but the destinations more than made up for any shortcomings.
I don't know if I am explaining it properly, but despite the less than stellar service, it was enjoyable and Hawaii itself was phenomenal. I don't think you'll be disappointed one iota with taking this cruise.

GumbyO

Thanks GumbyO! We are looking forward to doing exactly what you did - just get a taste of the islands and then come back for more one day.

 

[4disneykids]

We are booked on the 7/30 Med cruise and had not heard of the changes until I read the disboards last night. I booked through Dreams Unlimited, so I emailed them this morning. My TA emailed back that she had been on vacation and just got back yesterday. She just acknowledged that she received my email, no info. It is just killing me knowing we are booked on a cruise and paid $3600.00 in deposits and have no idea the total cost of the cruise. Anyone know how the prices compare to the original 11 night cruise. I booked right away when the 11 nighter was released so thought I got a good deal.