Castaway Club Status Can Now Be Revoked?

[jme]

So, DCL has quietly changed the policy to the Castaway Club Membership Terms and Conditions.
As spotted on their FAQ page

To remain in the program, Castaway Club Members must book or sail on at least one eligible cruise within 5 years of their last Disney voyage.

Further clarification is provided on the Terms and Conditions page

Membership in the Program will automatically terminate without notice if Member does not book or complete an eligible DCL cruise within the “Activity Period.” The Activity Period shall mean the five (5) year period after debarkation day of the Member’s last eligible DCL Cruise. However, DCL may (but is not required to) extend the Activity Period and/or continue making Program Benefits available to Member if Member does not book or complete an eligible DCL cruise within their Activity Period; such decisions shall be in DCL’s sole discretion.

So, theoretically, if you've sailed 25 times and attained Pearl status - then circumstances arise in which you don't take another cruise for 5 years - you're back down to the same status as a first time cruiser? Am I understanding this correctly? What kind of loyalty program threatens it's members with removal if they can't afford to vacation as frequently as the company would like?

 

[KeithVH]

Oh crap. I'm guessing they're not going to allow for the enforced break in time due to Covid.

 

[ChuckElias]

So, DCL has quietly changed the policy to the Castaway Club Membership Terms and Conditions.

So, theoretically, if you've sailed 25 times and attained Pearl status - then circumstances arise in which you don't take another cruise for 5 years - you're back down to the same status as a first time cruiser? Am I understanding this correctly?

Yes, you're understanding it correctly. This mirrors MSC's policy. As far as I know, no other cruise company has made this change. Yet.

I think the largest demographic that will be affected by this is KIDS. Their parents take them on multiple family cruises. They have 5 or 6 cruises by the time they're 18. But then they're in college, they graduate, they can't afford a cruise until they've been working for a few years, and they have to build their status back up from scratch. (This is my daughter's situation. So just to keep her active, I'm taking her on a 4-night next month )

But it's actually not a recent change. A fellow travel agent told me that the change was actually part of the cruise contract back in March or April, but only now was added to the FAQ. (I haven't verified that, but it doesn't surprise me at all.)

 

[HauntedPirate]

Yes, you're understanding it correctly. This mirrors MSC's policy. As far as I know, no other cruise company has made this change. Yet.

I think the largest demographic that will be affected by this is KIDS. Their parents take them on multiple family cruises. They have 5 or 6 cruises by the time they're 18. But then they're in college, they graduate, they can't afford a cruise until they've been working for a few years, and they have to build their status back up from scratch. (This is my daughter's situation. So just to keep her active, I'm taking her on a 4-night next month )

But it's actually not a recent change. A fellow travel agent told me that the change was actually part of the cruise contract back in March or April, but only now was added to the FAQ. (I haven't verified that, but it doesn't surprise me at all.)

Such a great way to maintain customer loyalty.

 

[CJR]

This will work two ways:
1. People will work to cruise every five years in order to keep their status.
2. People will lose their status, get upset and vow to never cruise with Disney again.

Either way, it's not a good look. I don’t imagine that inactive cruisers are very costly to the company so this just makes them look mean for no reason. "You will cruise with us every half decade, or else!".

Definitely lacking the Disney difference, magic and quality.

 

[KeithVH]

So, going back to the Terms and Conditions:

Membership in the Program will automatically terminate without notice if Member does not book or complete an eligible DCL cruise within the “Activity Period.” The Activity Period shall mean the five (5) year period after debarkation day of the Member’s last eligible DCL Cruise. However, DCL may (but is not required to) extend the Activity Period and/or continue making Program Benefits available to Member if Member does not book or complete an eligible DCL cruise within their Activity Period; such decisions shall be in DCL’s sole discretion.​

I'm really stuck on book or complete phrasing. Technically you could book within the time frame with the cruise not starting until after the 5 year period. Then what?

 

[HauntedPirate]

So, going back to the Terms and Conditions:

Membership in the Program will automatically terminate without notice if Member does not book or complete an eligible DCL cruise within the “Activity Period.” The Activity Period shall mean the five (5) year period after debarkation day of the Member’s last eligible DCL Cruise. However, DCL may (but is not required to) extend the Activity Period and/or continue making Program Benefits available to Member if Member does not book or complete an eligible DCL cruise within their Activity Period; such decisions shall be in DCL’s sole discretion.​

I'm really stuck on book or complete phrasing. Technically you could book within the time frame with the cruise not starting until after the 5 year period. Then what?

To me, it sounds like if you book a cruise 4 years and 360 days from the debarkation day of your last cruise, your status is kept. And your 5-year clock will start again once you debark from that cruise.

 

[HauntedPirate]

"You will cruise with us every half decade, or else!".

I think the response for a lot of people to that will be:

Is there really a tangible benefit, outside of a bag when you get to your stateroom, and a Palo dinner once you hit 10 cruises?

 

[KeithVH]

I think the response for a lot of people to that will be:



Is there really a tangible benefit, outside of a bag when you get to your stateroom, and a Palo dinner once you hit 10 cruises?

Yes, priority booking privileges if nothing else. For high demand ShoreEx, cabanas, and certain cruises, this can be crucial.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Yes, priority booking privileges if nothing else. For high demand ShoreEx, cabanas, and certain cruises, this can be crucial.

I get that, and it may just be me, but being first in line to pay for more things isn’t really a benefit. And I say that a Gold CC member.

 

[ChuckElias]

Yes, priority booking privileges if nothing else. For high demand ShoreEx, cabanas, and certain cruises, this can be crucial.

For cabanas, you pretty much have to be Concierge to get one. And I say that as a Platinum.

 

[Sans Souci]

I think the response for a lot of people to that will be:

Is there really a tangible benefit, outside of a bag when you get to your stateroom, and a Palo dinner once you hit 10 cruises?

My last cruise was Sept. 2019. I am one cruise away from being platinum. I am not booked on a DCL cruise, nor do I have plans to book one in the near future. I am going to lose my status? Oh, noes, I am so upset. Get me a Xanax.

 

[John park hopper]

Disney has never been one to reward customer loyalty for people who stay repeatedly at Disney resorts like major hotel chains do. I'm surprised they had this DCL castaway perk, won't be long before they do way with it completely.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

This is not a change.

It has always been present in the T&C, the only change is that they put it in the FAQs now so people are noticing for the first time.

 

[HauntedPirate]

This is not a change.

It has always been present in the T&C, the only change is that they put it in the FAQs now so people are noticing for the first time.

Is that how we got a silver lanyard on our second Disney cruise, 15 years after taking our first one? Something doesn’t add up there. If it was always in the T&C, my wife and I should not be Gold CC right now. But we are. 2002, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

For cabanas, you pretty much have to be Concierge to get one. And I say that as a Platinum.

I was able to get a cabana on Serenity Bay for my third cruise. I was shocked! On the day my booking for that stuff opened I forgot about it until about 7pm that night and there was one cabana available for my mid-June cruise. We were going on the cruise to celebrate my 40th so I figured it was a sign that I should book the cabana and it was the best time.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Is that how we got a silver lanyard on our second Disney cruise, 15 years after taking our first one? Something doesn’t add up there. If it was always in the T&C, my wife and I should not be Gold CC right now. But we are. 2002, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022.

"DCL may (but is not required to) extend the Activity Period and/or continue making Program Benefits available to Member if Member does not book or complete an eligible DCL cruise within their Activity Period; such decisions shall be in DCL’s sole discretion."

 

[monothingie]

I had a great time on two Royal Caribbean cruises. Probably going to do another one!

 

[Maelstrom Troll]

Modeling off of MSC is never a good idea…. Pretty disappointing DCL.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Modeling off of MSC is never a good idea…. Pretty disappointing DCL.

Emily has taken her whole family on a Disney cruise every other year for the past 8 years, spending tens of thousands of dollars.

Jenny went on 5 Disney cruises between 2002 an 2004 when she was in preschool. She's sailing for the first time in 20 years.

I have absolutely no problem saying that Emily should have higher status than Jenny.

THAT'S the difference. MSC doesn't have ships full of children racking up status without having actually spent a dime.