chictravel227

Except for making sure everyone has the same tour time, it would not matter. Unless DCL does Alaska different, your tour ticket will be for 8:30am departure Best of Juneau. Not 8:30am departure group A Best of Juneau. You (and everyone else taking that tour) will go to a designated meet up room and as long as you stay together there, you will be on the same bus. If you want to give your family the slip and head off on your own, then fall behind, lol. I kid. I kid. So, the important part is making sure you are all on same excursion at same time. But, it does not matter when it was booked.

We have done Alaska (Land and cruise) on Princess. As much I as dislike princess, I would have to say them or HAL are probably your best options for the land/sea portions. But, I have not tried Celebrity. If Alaska is a once in a lifetime trip, you have to see Glacier Bay. There are just no words. Alaska is just amazing and gorgeous, and really one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Plus, the wildlife that thrives there. Not to mention us humans.

We started out our tour in Fairbanks and worked southward towards Anchorage/Whittier. So we were able to see Denali, ride the train, etc. Then we did the 7 nights on the ship from Whittier to Vancouver. It was amazing. DM and I are really wanting to go again, but my sister's partner does not like the cold and with limited vacation time, heat has won out. So far, we are wearing her down. However, due to no Glacier Bay on DCL, Disney is out for us. Plus, I am not sure how DCL is combining land options, or if they are outside of ABD. I love Disney, but some of those ABD prices...

DCL = Disney Cruise Line, I am paying the overpriced version of the tour I want to take.

I had a similar experience trying to arrange a private tour for a group from the NCL Star in September 2014. A company finally responded and I arranged for a great Path of Trolls tour for 40 persons on a bus. Sorry, I don't have the company name, since I have a new computer and lost the information.

 

I had a lesser problem with a tour for Bergen, but still had the same problem there. As it turned out due to a hurricane, our stop at Alesund was cancelled, so I had to call and cancel the tour in Alesund.

 

One issue that I had was that in order to keep the price down, I had to go with a bus, not a smaller vehicle. Also, the tour company would not let others pay directly. I had to collect all the cash in Norwegian currency and pay them on the dock at the start of the cruise. Still, the price was about $60 pp, about 1/3 the NCL price.

 

I was a royal pain collecting the cash and then having to return.

Thanks for the information! It appears it is not going to matter, because after 1 e-mail a week for the past 6 weeks, I have given up any hope of ever being contacted. I just went with the ship's tour, as I do not want to drive that myself! I am used to long, flat, straight roads and get very anxious driving in the mountains. I can do it, but not the way I want to spend my vacation!

I have still yet to hear back. Guess I offended them or they do not need my business. :( I have booked through DCL and will go with that unless a miracle happens and someone finally responds to my multiple e-mails.

Thank you so much! This is very much appreciated.

Chives, can I ask how much? I have no idea what the cost is and that is what most people are wanting to know before signing up. Sigh. I have still heard nothing. :( I will keep trying. Anyone think 1 e-mail a week is too much?

Thank you! I wish they had an out of office or closed for winter notice!

I emailed them back in January, again in February and just did again today. Lol. They are going to be like this crazy lady has e-mailed us 5 times!

I will keep trying, I would sure like to have a smaller group than what DCL puts together!

Thank you!

I am having the same issues, have you had any luck?

Lars - Thank you a million times over for this super informative thread and your willingness to answer so many questions!

I am just wondering if anyone else has been having issues getting responses back from private tour companies out of Alesund? I have been attempting to set up a private tour/bus to see Troll Road and have yet to receive a single response from any of the companies I have e-mailed/ and or filled out forms on-line. I am not sure if they are sold out, or if the offices are closed.

Thanks for any insights!

We too were on the EBPC on the Wonder this last October. It was a blast! There is plenty to do, between tastings, sleeping, walking, delivering FE's, and the many many many activities that are on-board, unless you don't like anything, you won't be bored. Download some books on your kindle and have a blast catching up on reading. Some activities were cooking demos, napkin folding, dance lessons, I am probably forgetting a ton! The ship is older, but is kept up nicely. I did notice that the hallway floors were starting to buckle more, but other than that, it is still a nice ship.

My DM would tip way way way more if the added gratuity was not on there. I would probably be about the same, if not a little less (I tend to tip $1 a drink UNLESS I am there all night/afternoon and have a tab open). But, my drink consists of ice, gin, tonic, lime. No mixing, nothing special. Get glass, pour, wedge of lime, done. If I was ordering some of the mixed drinks that take 5 minutes to make or something special I would feel the need to tip more.

We have only had, what I would term, poor service, in the MDR's once. The other times, we have had wonderful servers.

I also know that many of the servers we have had, did or were getting highly advanced degrees. So, the money has to be pretty good, otherwise, I am assuming that all else being equal, educated individuals would not be a server. I don't think it is a glamorous job, but it may offer some of the servers a chance to travel, spread their wings, send money back home, etc. DCL is not forcing anyone on the ship.

The servers (long term) strive to get to Palo or Remy, as these jobs are apparently much easier and much less demanding. I don't think the Remy waiters work any other shifts, besides Remy (this may have changed from 3 years ago).

Bottom line, tipping the suggested is great and nothing to feel bad about. They do get paid on top of tips. If you feel someone has made your trip especially magical, feel free to add more. But doing the minimum is just fine. Also, if that is what you can afford to give and you cannot give more, don't feel obligated to give more. It is appreciated, but not expected. :)

I cannot have bell peppers, so the servers are always more than helpful with that (sometimes I see the next night's menu the night before so the chef can prepare my plate sans bell pepper). We have never had a problem requesting an item. I think I wanted calamari a second night and they were out, they still had it at Palo, but not in the MDR's, but really, that was an off menu item. I think the servers will go out of their way to get you what you need. There may be exceptions to this on show nights or other events, just to get everyone out of the dining rooms.

We do request a cheese plate to start dinner many times. Of course, once you have requested something once, it tends to show up night after night after night. Not a bad thing, just sooo much food.

my .02. Go with itinerary, then price. I don't think you can go wrong on any of the ships.

My one item, and this is my opinion. DCL is not worth it for Alaska. They are not allowed to sail through Glacier Bay. If you can only get to Alaska once, then I would choose a cruise line that has the permits to go through Glacier Bay. It was a most magnificent experience and one I would not want to miss on a trip of a lifetime.

We also had movies in Spanish playing during our Wonder out of Miami cruise. It was a bit annoying since I would have loved to have seen the movie in English. That being said, hopefully they made some people happy.

I don't think DCL made anyone make (or accept) a reservation with them. And anyone who booked a cruise purely based on being able to bring unlimited alcohol onboard? Personally, that's not why I cruise.

 

Since DCL attempted to change this perk about 3 years ago, it's obvious they were working on it.

 

And the contract allowing "changes at any time" is basically what all cruiselines say in their contract.

 

You make a reservation with any cruiseline agreeing to the policies (and any future changes). Yes, it's gambling that things are going to remain the same, but if you're not comfortable with the "changes at anytime" policy, maybe you shouldn't book any cruises.

It may not be why you booked, does not mean it wasn't for someone else, or that it was not a factor... My budget for this upcoming cruise is now higher than what it was, thanks to the new policy. No judgments either way, right?

And, just to let you know, I had NO idea they had tried to change the policy years earlier, so no, it was not "obvious" that they were going to be doing something about it. Maybe it was to you, kudos for being in the know, but please don't assume that everyone has all your information and therefore should "know" about "obvious" issues....

And, to me, yes they did "make" me accept something other than what I had already paid for. "Making" someone pay more for something that has already been purchased, or making them pay the same amount for a lessor quality item. By your definition, no company should be held liable for a "bait and switch" as NO person was MADE to purchase the item that was advertised....

I was past my paid in full date. At that point, to me, the contract, should be in place, irregardless of whether they have the "right to change" an item. Just because they have put that in the adhesion contract (which I accept for what it is) still does NOT make it right for them to do this. This is my opinion only, doesn't have to be yours.

Oh, and the FTC is going after other business for pulling this type of thing, I think one AG stated something along the lines of, terms may change at any time, was not really that strong of a defense to the bait and switch, kind of a you'll know it when you see it type of thing. Now, in that case, it was a much more blatant bait and switch. Just when you look at the broad definition of what a bait and switch is, what DCL did fits into the definition.

I am probably (notice I don't rule it out, they can still make this right with me) not going to be sailing with DCL much longer because of how their customer service has handled this issue. It is time for me to move on. In all honesty, if DCL were to allow me to cancel this cruise, plus refund any expenditures spent on it that are non-refundable, I would take them up on that offer, but they are not willing to do that. Hence why I am so upset, either let me have the cruise that I paid for at the terms when payment in full was due, or make me whole contractually speaking.

Going forward, I now know the new rules, so will make a FULLY informed decision on which line to sail with, I would not be nearly so upset if I had not paid in full and been outside the cancellation window. That is what has me crying foul. In this case, DCL did not give me that choice.

Making you accept something different than what originally attracted you.

Anyone notice any similarities to the broad definition of bait and switch and what DCL did? EVEN when it is disclosed they can change policy at any time (by the way, the FTC frowns on this practice too).

Even with basic contract law. Did I detrimentally rely on the stated policy of DCL when making my decision and at the PIF date? Well, yes, I relied on their stated alcohol policy in that, I was planning on saving money by having a drink in my room, on the veranda. Not purchasing from the bar.

Any offer made to refund the cruise cost is hollow (I said it before and will again), if it does not include ALL monies out of pocket for the PIF guests cruises. I know very few people who 60ish days before they are traveling do not have air, hotels, other transportation, heck private tours, etc., already booked. Which DCL knows, so makes the offer with very little risk. It is more insulting than the policy change at the late date.

My biggest beef with DCL is this, they knew when they were dropping this policy a long time ago. This was not a decision made last week and announced within 7 days. For this reason, I think the policy should not be implemented until AFTER all PIF cruises. I am upset by this new policy, I did some math and on a longer cruise, we are looking at an additional cost of about 1,000 (3-4 drinks per day, 2 people). This is why I am upset, it is well past my PIF date and I cannot cancel the cruise without losing the monies I paid to DCL not to mention airfare and hotel.

Even my DM, who is not quite as, shall we say, animated about issues, was like, well, we can go stay in San Diego for 2 weeks!

And DCL is NOT a luxury line. I will be looking at switching my next 2 DCL cruises to a luxury line for around the same cost now. It may not happen, as this is not a 100% deal breaker for me, I had just started looking around anyhow. DCL does not provide a luxury service in line with their prices, imho. It is better than Princess and Carnival, but again, that is my opinion.

most cruise lines MAY hold back the HA rooms for a period or not allow you to book them on the internet, you may have to call. But this being the last room in the category, DCL has released the room for anyone to book so you would not be moved, unless, as stated above, a whole host of events occur. I thought most HA rooms were first come, first serve.

Saleeb - welcome! Excited that y'all will be joining us crazies for this trip (crazy in a good way)!

Check out the cruise meets here and elsewhere to find out everything that is going on.

I am on the EBPC coming up this October, and we have a fabulous group going. There are at least a few parents who are taking their kids out of school and have it approved because it is a learning experience.

It is a great value right now! 14 days of Disney taking care of me. How could this possibly be bad?

Missed that HUGE detail, lol. Thanks for correcting me. :o

I can add to the opinion that the "sofa bed" is pretty comfy. Disney likes to keep their guests comfortable :)

Also, we generally stay in Cat 5's (it ranges and depends on price difference between A and C) and are quite happy with the size of the room. We have never had an obstructed view, but depending on what you want the balcony for, I don't think it would be a game changer.

A TA may also help you book nearer to your friends, even if in different categories. And they may also know which rooms have which types of beds, or have the resources to find out.

Which October date? Just asking because I sail in October and our PIF date has passed already. I sail towards the end of October and there are less than 90 days out for my cruise.

@flowerlady - here is a link to the terms and conditions, the cancellation tables are down a bit, but you can check for your specific dates this way. http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/terms-and-conditions/?country=us

You should still receive some $$ back, it just may not be the whole amount.

You will also be able to request water/cans of soda and other items in your room. At least we were. I did only ask for tonic water and ginger ale, but it along with all the bottled water we needed was provided when asked.

I wish I could go concierge every cruise. Maybe one day.

Your host will take of things before you know they need taking care of for the most part, ours would seek us out and make sure we knew where we needed to be at what time, it was awesome. NO checking schedules as someone else did that for us! Then it was back to real life. LOL.

Have a great time!