Is 125% really fair? Not a pot-stirring post, btw.

[DIS_MIKE]

You mentioned the exception of being slow. I will add a second exception. The cruise experience. I am certain that at this point, even if they don't know 100% what will and will not be available on the cruise, some decisions have been made. They may have some ideas that they are leaning toward.

That will be a crucial announcement when it comes. Will those cruising in August (or whenever cruising resumes) be guinea pigs so to speak with these new cruising restrictions in place? I agree that a leak of sorts would be nice at this point to just give us "something" to either look forward to or be prepared for... i.e. those relying on the kids' clubs being open may not want to cruise and will need to cancel.

If they require masks I would much rather be on a ship wearing one vs 12+ hours at WDW in the summer heat. If you watch the podcast, Craig was at the Universal reopening and he said the mask is brutal in the heat and he is a Floridian.

We all spend a lot of time on the ships both indoors and on the pool deck so it won't be too bad. Everyone has a concern when it comes to these "soon to be announced" guidelines and protocols DCL will enforce or put in place. The biggest one for me being the pool situation as it's nearly impossible to socially distance without drastically cutting down on capacity. So will we have to wait in line for the pool or jacuzzi? And how long will we be permitted to swim if others are waiting?

I will still sail regardless at this point. I have faith in DCL that they will make the experience as pleasant and enjoyable as possible.

 

[bbel]

**it doesnt effect me because I have no cruises booked**

But, I see it as though they didnt have to give anything, but at the same time, they did have to give something.

I think the 25% was to make up for the rise in prices, and for the special/rare itineraries, to keep you with DCL. That way Disney have your money and know they'll be getting more of it once eventually on board. Disney don't seem to be losing as much money that way.

If they only gave 100% credit a lot more people would just take the refund and I would guess a number of those would then look elsewhere for vacation, maybe on land or with a different company of they have their heart set on a certain itinerary.

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

This is not a complaint post. This is not an entitlement post. Just want to put that out there from the jump.

It's more a logic post.

Theoretically, doesn't 125% put people who bought early, opening day, opening week actually at a disadvantage over those people who waited and booked 9 months into things? The people who booked later would actually be getting more of a credit vis a vis the 25% extra bonus. Those that got in at the low prices get less. Plus, they won't be able to get opening day prices for any cruise they move to (unless they wait until the next round of cruises come out/2022)

Now that I think about it, I wonder if that's why we have not heard anything on August and beyond cruises yet. They want to wait for Fall 2021 to be released so that the people with a 125% credit can't use it on opening day prices?

I don’t have a cruise booked so no foot in the game.

But I think the fact is you are loaning Disney a very significant chunk of actual money for potentially a year or so, in exchange for onboard credit overages.

Some people say Disney was generous to give the 25%. I have always said the loyal DCL fans who rebooked deserve the credit for being generous.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I don’t have a cruise booked so no foot in the game.

But I think the fact is you are loaning Disney a very significant chunk of actual money for potentially a year or so, in exchange for onboard credit overages.

Some people say Disney was generous to give the 25%. I have always said the loyal DCL fans who rebooked deserve the credit for being generous.

Let's be honest... this isn't 1985 when banks were paying interest of 14% on your savings account. And the stock market, except for those who are savvy, isn't that great right now. "loaning" Disney the money when it would be sitting in my bank account doing next to nothing is not a huge problem.

**it doesnt effect me because I have no cruises booked**

But, I see it as though they didnt have to give anything, but at the same time, they did have to give something.

I think the 25% was to make up for the rise in prices, and for the special/rare itineraries, to keep you with DCL. That way Disney have your money and know they'll be getting more of it once eventually on board. Disney don't seem to be losing as much money that way.

If they only gave 100% credit a lot more people would just take the refund and I would guess a number of those would then look elsewhere for vacation, maybe on land or with a different company of they have their heart set on a certain itinerary.

@bbel - you are absolutely correct. If I hadn't gotten the incentive, I would have taken the cash, because our family dynamic is changing, as well (teen going off to university). But with the incentive, well, why not book and see where it goes. I can still cancel before the new cruise's PIF and get a refund.

 

[brianvdb]

125% is fair. The cancellations were outside of DCL’s control. You can always take the cash refund and rebook on opening day when additional cruises are released.

 

[havaneselover]

I'm too old (43) to expect things to be fair in life. I win some, I lose some and I try to take things in stride. Comparison really is the thief of joy.

I was thankful for the extra 25%. Helped make it possible to rebook on a much more expensive cruise (we're doing Dover to Copenhagen instead of Alaska).

 

[BritneyBelle]

But the people who booked early still theoretically had that money in their pocket still. Also they in theory could hold onto their 125% FCC until the next round of openings.

This is what I would do if we were in the situation. They’re not making you use your FCC right away, so why not hold onto it for the next round and then you get opening day prices and the extra 25%. I honestly think they did a great job of guest recovery on this one, and applaud them since they could have easily said it was an act of god and done nothing.

 

[RysMomma]

We were booked since opening day for an August cruise this year. We already had to change and sadly, it was supposed to be a family cruise and we lost my dad two months ago. We couldn't pay in full right after paying for a funeral, so we pulled out. I wish we could get some sort of small discount for booking for next year, but I get that we can't. We lost our placeholder which really hurt too. But it is what it is. I'd rather have my dad back, so we'll deal if we don't go this year.

 

[mmouse37]

So, again, I know they didn't have to do anything. That wasn't my point.

My point was just.....aren't some people getting a better deal than others? And technically, those people who booked early, during platinum, gold, silver.....their most loyal customers in theory receive less.

I know they didn't have to do anything. But, since they ARE making a generous deal for people, wouldn't there be a way to structure or prorate it so that those who book early and those who don't are on an equal playing field going forward.

Possibly. Just like airline seats. Some are paying way less than others. DCL can’t help that some people may come out More ahead than others. Just the nature of the game

MJ

 

[BritneyBelle]

We were booked since opening day for an August cruise this year. We already had to change and sadly, it was supposed to be a family cruise and we lost my dad two months ago. We couldn't pay in full right after paying for a funeral, so we pulled out. I wish we could get some sort of small discount for booking for next year, but I get that we can't. We lost our placeholder which really hurt too. But it is what it is. I'd rather have my dad back, so we'll deal if we don't go this year.

I’m so sorry for your loss. *hugs*

 

[CM Dad]

No what I am saying is....if DCL is waiting on rolling out cancellations so that these people CAN'T use it on Fall 2021 releases, that's kind of a stinky thing to do. If that's what they are doing.

Can't you go ahead and book the Fall 2021 release? If your original cruise isn't cancelled, cancel the new one. If the original cruise is cancelled, can't you apply the FCC to the Fall 2021 cruise? I know that you will need to be out of pocket for the deposit on the new cruise, but you would get that back if you cancel

 

[Doofenshmirtz513]

This narrative is getting so old and tired. If you really hate giving Disney "Your Money" then don't sail with DCL. I have heard not one complaint on here of getting push back from DCL regarding getting a refund if it is requested. They know a lot of people are still chomping at the bit to travel and adding the extra 25% incentive is beneficial to a lot of people.

You may think this narrative is "old and tired", but it's correct and needs to be repeated from time to time when anyone presumes otherwise. Disney doesn't want to refund the money for the cruises they cancelled because that would be a hit to cash on hand, so they've offered a benefit in exchange for keeping the cash (and also ensuring some measure of loyalty and fill up cruises for next year). We all get to decide, individually, if we want to accept the offer or not. I was happy to leave my money in the Bank of DCL at a 25% interest rate for one cancelled cruise and plan to take the refund when my next one is cancelled.

I think some people interpret pointing this out to be anti-Disney somehow, but it's not. DCL is trying to offer customers a compelling enough incentive to keep their money at DCL. It's a good deal for many, and I was happy to take Disney up on it. There's an element of doing right by their customers as well, but I think the fact that we haven't seen similar offers at the parks as far as I know (where most money wouldn't have been paid yet) shows that this is not their main priority. I also think they like giving people an incentive to cruise next year (thus the requirement to use the benefit within X months) because they expect demand to be a little softer coming out of the virus.

So the point is just that we shouldn't be naive about why the offer exists and how the implicates or doesn't implicate notions of what is "fair".

 

[Chemist]

You may think this narrative is "old and tired", but it's correct and needs to be repeated from time to time when anyone presumes otherwise. Disney doesn't want to refund the money for the cruises they cancelled because that would be a hit to cash on hand, so they've offered a benefit in exchange for keeping the cash (and also ensuring some measure of loyalty and fill up cruises for next year). We all get to decide, individually, if we want to accept the offer or not. I was happy to leave my money in the Bank of DCL at a 25% interest rate for one cancelled cruise and plan to take the refund when my next one is cancelled.

I think some people interpret pointing this out to be anti-Disney somehow, but it's not. DCL is trying to offer customers a compelling enough incentive to keep their money at DCL. It's a good deal for many, and I was happy to take Disney up on it. There's an element of doing right by their customers as well, but I think the fact that we haven't seen similar offers at the parks as far as I know (where most money wouldn't have been paid yet) shows that this is not their main priority. I also think they like giving people an incentive to cruise next year (thus the requirement to use the benefit within X months) because they expect demand to be a little softer coming out of the virus.

So the point is just that we shouldn't be naive about why the offer exists and how the implicates or doesn't implicate notions of what is "fair".

Thank you!

My post wasn't anti-Disney. I'm happy to give them my money and was heartbroken when my long awaited Alaska cruise was cancelled.

However, its realistic. Disney, all the other cruise lines, all my children's camps (I have about 12k invested in camps this summer) are ALL offering a bonus for not asking for refunds. They don't do it to be nice. They do it to maintain their cash flow.

 

[monkeydawn]

I guess what I am trying to say is.....I'm just gonna break down the numbers. Let's say a platinum member gets a 3 night cruise for September 2020 on day 1 for 2000 dollars (I am picking random amount that will be easy to do the math on in my pea brain, lol) Going forward, I get 2,500, essentially $500 extra. Now John Doe booked in February. For the same room, same category, he paid 3000 dollars. He gets a credit of 3750...so $750 extra. So, a loyal guest who booked on Day 1 gets lesser than someone who booked 6 months ahead of time.

Personally I would not rather be out an extra $1000 in cash so that I could get an extra $250 in credit. But there is no reason that the early booker couldnt have booked later, that person choose to book early and if that person is truly loyal tobooking early theyve saved well over the extra $250 in credit they "lost" here over the years. It would only be unfair if the early booker did not have the option of booking later. I cant see a more fair way for DCL to do this that wouldnt be a logistical nightmare.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

Thank you!

My post wasn't anti-Disney. I'm happy to give them my money and was heartbroken when my long awaited Alaska cruise was cancelled.

However, its realistic. Disney, all the other cruise lines, all my children's camps (I have about 12k invested in camps this summer) are ALL offering a bonus for not asking for refunds. They don't do it to be nice. They do it to maintain their cash flow.

All of this is true. I do not disagree with any of the statements that you made. However, the original post is something that I see a lot on these Boards of "Disney just wants to keep my money" in a one sentence gut shot. They are a business, cash flow keeps the lights on.

The 25% Credit is actually a huge benefit to a lot of travelers and provides an enormous value. On the other hand, I have heard absolutely no reports of the DCL cast trying to talk people out of refunds or refusing refunds for cancelled sailings unlike the airlines (that is a whole different topic) which was the point I was trying to make.

Overall, I think they have done an incredible job with this whole situation. Sorry if I ruffled feathers.

 

[mmmears]

I think it's fair. Disney didn't cause the situation and it's nice that they are trying to help people who have to move cruises, especially since now we can't book on opening day so have to pay more for a later cruise. Having said that, I didn't want to park all that money with DCL for who knows how long and just cancelled when PIF day hit. The 25% off would be nice, but I don't want to book another cruise which may or may not be able to set sail.

 

[NancyIL]

The people who can book first (Platinum, Gold, Silver) are able to do so because they have cruised with DCL multiple times. Presumably, they spent less money on their cruises than those who booked later - for comparable cabins. Since those early bookers are now receiving a future cruise credit in a lower amount than those who paid more - it isn't unfair at all. This is an unprecedented situation that no one could've anticipated, and hopefully it won't be repeated!

 

[SL6827]

Ok, does this in any way effect me with a 3-day booked for May 2021?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Ok, does this in any way effect me with a 3-day booked for May 2021?

No way of knowing how long before cruises are back to "normal".

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Huh. That’s a new argument to me. It’s kinda true for anything though.

If I go to buy a new iPad and it’s listed for 20% off and costs $1000, I get $200 off.

so the iPad sells well and Apple raises the price the $1500 but keeps the 20% off sale, it’s your contention that got gimped because those people are getting $300 off?

But didn’t they still pay $1200 for the same iPad I paid $800 for?

If you lock it to $200 no matter the cost, that’s not fair either?

or for that matter, we are both buying a car and there is a 10% discount. You pay $20,000 for it and get $2000 off. I negotiate a better price and only pay 18,000, but I only get $1800 off then. Did I get screwed? not by my math.

How are you thinking discounts should be handled in a sliding cost economy? Cause that’s not Disney... that’s basic economics.