Disney Just Changed Onboard Bookings!

[Disneyfalcon]

Here are the new benefits:

• 10% off prevailing rates (as quoted on disneycruise.com)
• Up to US $200 onboard credit per stateroom
• Reduced deposit on sailings 7-nights or longer

The booking can be moved but travel must be completed within 18 months.

Bookings that have already been made will be under the same restrictions but will have an additional 6 months to move their cruise and will need to sail by November 30, 2015 to keep the booking benefit.

 

[Mkmommy]

Not surprised and I bet the 10% discount will be the next change, as 10% discount and on board credit is generous compared to other cruise lines.

Not happy with it though. We usually sail in March so I would make a booking with the intention of moving it with the next round of opening dates, but that will now take me past 18 months .

I really need to start taking the kids out of school , Spring Break us getting too expensive.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Oh my. I need to go look at all my dummies and make a list of cut-off dates.

Can't say I'm surprised on the reduced deposit restriction being moved to 7+ night cruises. I can definitely see where $86 for a placeholder is on the low end. (I think that's what we recently paid.) Even if you double that out, it's only $176. Not a bank-breaker.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

I'm not shocked by this, but boy is it a pain. I have a lot of people with dummies I need to notify!

 

[flynnibus]

was there a 'use by' horizon previously?

 

[DisneyJoe]

was there a 'use by' horizon previously?

No, people would move and move and move their onboard bookings....

 

[sweetpee_1993]

No, people would move and move and move their onboard bookings....

....guilty.

 

[flynnibus]

No, people would move and move and move their onboard bookings....

that's what I thought... a limit is reasonable. For my own personal benefit, I wish it was more like 25months.. but I can see the motivation.

We also got bit by the limit of only being able to add one additional room under the full promo. We are adding two additional rooms on our next cruise but could only do one additional with the 10% off and stateroom credits.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Honestly, I'm not at all surprised. Tracey & I were just discussing this. On our recent Fantasy cruise we made a fresh dummy booking. While we waited 20 minutes for our turn at the desk we saw no less than 4 other families also book placeholders. It's become quite common. The problem is, if you have so many people booking dummies it creates false booking numbers on specific sailings. When you think about it, it's no wonder they throw huge discounts out after the paid-in-full date of off-season sailings. By the time the paid-in-full date passes they might see a ship that was sitting at 75% full drop down to 50% full. Or LESS.

**disclaimer** I have no insider info or stats that I'm quoting here. It just seems logical when you think about it.

So, yeah, puting time limits on placeholders could be another step. Limiting how many times a booking can be moved might help as does applying the reduced deposit to more expensive sailings.

Interestingly, I've looked into RCI's onboard booking practices a little just to see what they do. Did you know they offer a "placeholder" option (I think it's onboard credits, not sure if it's also reduced deposit, don't think it was discount off the prevailing rates) that you can buy into that does NOT assign a cruise date. I think it's just a cruise-by date. That's probably a smart thing. That way, they don't see their ships' booking numbers thrown by simple placeholders.

 

[durangojim]

So does this mean if you sail in Jan 2014 and want to sail again in August of 2015 you won't be able to get any kind of on board credit or benefits if the August itineraries aren't out by January?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

So does this mean if you sail in Jan 2014 and want to sail again in August of 2015 you won't be able to get any kind of on board credit or benefits if the August itineraries aren't out by January?

Oh my. The mental gymnastics....not just you, Jim....hurts my brain. I just went thru my list of 6 bookings. Yes, 6. It hurt my poor little brain.

 

[durangojim]

Oh my. The mental gymnastics....not just you, Jim....hurts my brain. I just went thru my list of 6 bookings. Yes, 6. It hurt my poor little brain.

That stinks!

 

[flynnibus]

So does this mean if you sail in Jan 2014 and want to sail again in August of 2015 you won't be able to get any kind of on board credit or benefits if the August itineraries aren't out by January?

That's my interpretation... and why I wish the boundary was a bit further out

 

[durangojim]

That's my interpretation... and why I wish the boundary was a bit further out

You'd think they would at least allow you do do an on board booking for the next calendar year. We're going on the Magic in January 2014 and then were hoping to do a Med cruise in Aug 2015. Looking at cruisefish.com it's unlikely that the Med cruises will be released by the time we're on the Magic in January. Was really counting on that 10% discount! It's not fair!

 

[janoimagine]

Not to sound like a dummy ... but what is a dummy booking?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Not to sound like a dummy ... but what is a dummy booking?

It's basically a placeholder booking. If your on a Disney cruise & want to book another cruise for the future but you don't know when you will sail again you can tell the booking agent you want a "placeholder" or "dummy" booking. They'll book you on an inexpensive short cruise way out in the future for the smallest deposit they can find. Then after you get home and decide when you will really sail next you have your "dummy" moved to that cruise keeping your onboard booking perks.

 

[flynnibus]

Not to sound like a dummy ... but what is a dummy booking?

You get a discount, reduced deposit requirements, and money back (credits) if you make your next booking while still on board. But the reservation is fully refundable (up till like the last 75 days), and fully modifiable... including changing people, dates, everything. Your onboard booking perks followed the reservations through all changes...

So what people would do is create a booking while on board no matter what.. you just get a spot 'in the system' so you have a discounted cruise for sometime in the future. And you just keep moving the cruise forward in time until you know when exactly you want to cruise. So your placeholder... or 'dummy' is just holding a discounted cruise in the system for you.

The new changes prevent you from doing this perpetually.

 

[GMRO]

The new changes prevent you from doing this perpetually.

Place holder/Dummies, whatever you want to call it. Yes abused by some…not by the majority of return cruisers but likely enough to cause DCL booking nightmares for capacity forecasts as people continue to MOVE and MOVE out their dates. We’ve never done it that way. Just booked onboard for the following year, so OK – out 12 months till our next DCL voyage. And we’ve never moved it.

BUT for folks who want a place holder – why don’t DCL allow an onboard booking with a DIFFERENT discount, not as much than say the 12 to 18 month bounce back bookings, and provide the customer a “card/confirmation” place holder cruise. A “phantom” cruise that has say a 25 month expiration date. You can move it out within the 25 month window – based on stateroom availabity – ship itinerary - but if you don’t take it you lose it. You pay a discount; get a place holder cruise that you can modify and DCL can get a better forecast of WHO’s actually going to cruise or move out their cruise and press the limits based on what type of CRUISE you booked.

For us – returning the next year is a done deal. We don’t modify. We pick our next cruise and date(s) before we cruise so while onboard we have options as the agent shows us what is available.

For those who constantly tweak and press rules right from the booking…well there you go. You still get a discount, just not as much. If you want the higher discount book the bounce back with the new tighter restrictions.

DCL is a money maker. But no business can afford to hemorrhage money based on customer abuse. Just like the RFID cups now at the resorts…everyone thinks SODA is free and it costs nothing. Know what costs nothing? NOTHING! If it’s a service; item; food or beverage is has a cost. To me it’s a about time WDW/DL/DCL controls costs. Everything goes up in price. I have no issues paying them for what I get in return. Don't like it? Pick another cruise line or amusement park. There are many!

Tell the truth, I’m more put out with the new no-smoking on the verandah policy than this booking change.

Have at it...

 

[FlyTriPacer]

...BUT for folks who want a place holder – why don’t DCL allow an onboard booking with a DIFFERENT discount, not as much than say the 12 to 18 month bounce back bookings, and provide the customer a “card/confirmation” place holder cruise. A “phantom” cruise that has say a 25 month expiration date. You can move it out within the 25 month window – based on stateroom availabity – ship itinerary - but if you don’t take it you lose it. You pay a discount; get a place holder cruise that you can modify and DCL can get a better forecast of WHO’s actually going to cruise or move out their cruise and press the limits based on what type of CRUISE you booked...

We're the family who needs a place-holder since I won't spend the money a cruise costs every 18 months. Give me 25 months (when kids go, we go late August and when it's just me and the wife, we go in September) and I'll move it once...when they open the dates for August/September 2 years out. All they've done from my point of view is to miss some cruises from us since we'll no longer get the discount and won't go every 2 years. September 2015 will be our 3rd cruise in 6 years and I was good on that schedule. WDW will be losing some business from us too since we did nights in the parks after our cruises.

I reckon I don't blame DCL since they're in it to make money. People taking advantage of the system (any system) end up hurting those who don't.

What are the reasons DCL doesn't open the dates for 24 months at a time? Then they could give you 24 months to use it with 1 move...

Chad

 

[DisneyJoe]

What are the reasons DCL doesn't open the dates for 24 months at a time? Then they could give you 24 months to use it with 1 move...

My guess is that contracts and other arrangements aren't finalized yet