What is the craziest DCL policy you've encountered?

[MomOTwins]

Midnight is when you CAN book activities and check in. It's not when you NEED to book activities and check in. Most people can and do wait until a reasonable hour the next morning, or even a few days later, and are fine.

Perhaps it won’t be much if an issue for us now as we just turned “gold” but as silver you absolutely had to do activities at midnight or miss out. By morning after silver midnight day on a cruise we booked activities for, all drink tastings, brunches (palo and remy), excursions to the baths on tortola day, BBB and princess tea were gone. People in our facebook group were very disappointed they didn’t get these things.

As for check in, I agree that is less important, but it does matter if you want the first PAT, for example if you want to try for an at port upgrade or going to GS first thing to waitlist

 

[LiZaArd]

Not that it's a "policy" per se but I find that they don't put your dining rotation on your key cards anymore kinda silly.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Not that it's a "policy" per se but I find that they don't put your dining rotation on your key cards anymore kinda silly.

Some of the policies that have changed recently seem like such obvious upgrades to me, having never cruised DCL under the "old ways." Dining rotation in the app? Makes obvious sense. If someone handed me a paper itinerary I'd look at them like they had nine heads. The lack of paper MENUS, however, is horrible.

 

[cwis]

Some of the policies that have changed recently seem like such obvious upgrades to me, having never cruised DCL under the "old ways." Dining rotation in the app? Makes obvious sense. If someone handed me a paper itinerary I'd look at them like they had nine heads. The lack of paper MENUS, however, is horrible.

Dining rotation in the app is obviously a win. What's kind of silly is them removing the information on the key card. Why?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Dining rotation in the app is obviously a win. What's kind of silly is them removing the information on the key card. Why?

People request changes pretty frequently. Digital platforms can be updated in real time.

 

[tvguy]

DCL's alcohol policy for 18+ on european cruises. Not only stupid seeing the drinking age there is 16-18 depending on country, but I question the legality of it IF I understand it completly. Passengers 18-21 need to have parents sign a waiver. Ok- but unless said parents have a legal conservatorship over said adult- how is this even legal? Asking another adult to sign persmission for another adult?
From my understanding US laws on alcohol don't even play a role here. US citizens who are under 21 and travel overseas are under local laws. DCL flys under Bahama flag and there drinking age is 18.

And what if two guests who book and have no parents with them, but are under 21 how does this work?

I can't check every cruise line, but I can't find a cruise line in a quick check that has a drinking age lower than 21. So industry standard. I suspect some lines may have experiments with lower ages and it didn't end well.

 

[tvguy]

The craziest thing was when they tried to charge people for the “all hands on deck“ fruit and cheese plate from room service. That policy change didn’t last long!

Yup. And people complained about having to pay for soda, so they made an included item. And if enough people complain about the lack of paper Navigators on the comment cards, they'll be back. Disney Cruise Line tends to be pretty responsive to customer complaints.

 

[LiZaArd]

Some of the policies that have changed recently seem like such obvious upgrades to me, having never cruised DCL under the "old ways." Dining rotation in the app? Makes obvious sense. If someone handed me a paper itinerary I'd look at them like they had nine heads. The lack of paper MENUS, however, is horrible.

You didn’t get a paper “itinerary” for your meals, it was a few letters printed on the key card. Key point to these- forcing me to carry around my phone on vacation. Land based vacation is one thing but a sea vessel? Silly and a bit annoying.

The navigator on the app is fine but a pain to have to keep scrolling and figuring out how to look for stuff. I’m old fashioned, pen and paper in hand please.

I did read on another post that paper menus are back??

 

[CaptainAmerica]

You didn’t get a paper “itinerary” for your meals, it was a few letters printed on the key card. Key point to these- forcing me to carry around my phone on vacation. Land based vacation is one thing but a sea vessel? Silly and a bit annoying.

I mean...

Animator Animator Rapunzel Rapunzel Lumiere is pretty easy to remember, with or without a phone, with or without a paper Navigator.

I did read on another post that paper menus are back??

Big win if true.

 

[LiZaArd]

I mean...

Animator Animator Rapunzel Rapunzel Lumiere is pretty easy to remember, with or without a phone, with or without a paper Navigator.

I mean..... My memory was never part of the reason for the post - I find it silly that it was removed from the KTTW cards and I'll stand firm by that.

 

[SnowWhite2]

I can see a valid reason this policy is not stupid. Pretty smart as far as I am concerned.

Imagine the restaurant is the only place on the ship where you can take pictures unmasked. Parties who want to have “official” pictures of themselves might want to gather for this opportunity, even if not seated at the same table. This would create a mess in the small restaurants and would pose a threat as far as Covid is concerned.

I'm not sure what a small dining room is, as all of the dining rooms are the same size/hold the same amount of people/have the same amount of tables. If you're traveling with people, you usually eat dinner with them. My last cruise without masks at dinner for pictures didn't have any one else gathering for pictures.

 

[dreamer17555]

Policy that doesn’t make any sense- 90 day COVID recovery policy. This made a ton of sense when they were doing PCR test and you could get an accidental positive when you were still shedding virus dead particles but now they have switched to antigen testing and in my opinion there should be no 90 day recovery letters. Just test everyone.

If you test positive on an antigen test, you are positive and you should not be getting on that ship. I don’t care that you had Covid less than 90 days ago. If you’re testing positive on an antigen test you currently have the ability to spread it.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I mean...

Animator Animator Rapunzel Rapunzel Lumiere is pretty easy to remember, with or without a phone, with or without a paper Navigator.


Big win if true.

However, if you're on a 14 night cruise remembering the sequence can be difficult. More so, if you do B2B(2B) cruises. After about day 4, you can't really recall what day it is.

It's nice to have a "handy" reference for it, not have to find it on the phone.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

However, if you're on a 14 night cruise remembering the sequence can be difficult. More so, if you do B2B(2B) cruises. After about day 4, you can't really recall what day it is.

It's nice to have a "handy" reference for it, not have to find it on the phone.

Suppose so. I guess never worry much about the rotation, just where I'm eating that night on a particular day. That information is always front and center.

 

[HeatherLassell]

However, if you're on a 14 night cruise remembering the sequence can be difficult. More so, if you do B2B(2B) cruises. After about day 4, you can't really recall what day it is.

It's nice to have a "handy" reference for it, not have to find it on the phone.

heehee I'm bringing a sharpie! I'll just write it on myself!

 

[squirk]

Perhaps it won’t be much if an issue for us now as we just turned “gold” but as silver you absolutely had to do activities at midnight or miss out. By morning after silver midnight day on a cruise we booked activities for, all drink tastings, brunches (palo and remy), excursions to the baths on tortola day, BBB and princess tea were gone. People in our facebook group were very disappointed they didn’t get these things.

As for check in, I agree that is less important, but it does matter if you want the first PAT, for example if you want to try for an at port upgrade or going to GS first thing to waitlist

Agreed 100%. If you are a first-time cruiser or a Silver, you really do need to try booking right at midnight if you want a decent crack at the more popular activities.

Heck, even if you’re a Gold, if you want a cabana, you better be logging in at midnight on the off-chance Platinum/Concierge didn’t scoop them all up.

 

[Jim Libasci]

Policy that doesn’t make any sense- 90 day COVID recovery policy. This made a ton of sense when they were doing PCR test and you could get an accidental positive when you were still shedding virus dead particles but now they have switched to antigen testing and in my opinion there should be no 90 day recovery letters. Just test everyone.

If you test positive on an antigen test, you are positive and you should not be getting on that ship. I don’t care that you had Covid less than 90 days ago. If you’re testing positive on an antigen test you currently have the ability to spread it.

I am so glad they are doing this. Anyone know about any hotels in the Melbourne/port Canaveral area that is following any covid safety proceedures? I know I'll be exposed at least at 1 point during the cruise I have in Sept, but if I keep from being exposed the day or 2 BEFORE the trip that would be great. We're already driving down and sticking to clean rest stops to minimize risk.

 

[DCLMP]

I think the silliest thing is how they do system updates starting at midnight EST, which is exactly when folks need to book activities and check in. Have had to wait up until 1 or 2am sometimes waiting for them to finish the update abd bring the system back online. Why wouldn't they just do the update at 3am instead?

I can’t believe people actually stay up to midnight to do this. Maybe DCL is just thinking the same thing.

 

[DCLMP]

Some of the policies that have changed recently seem like such obvious upgrades to me, having never cruised DCL under the "old ways." Dining rotation in the app? Makes obvious sense. If someone handed me a paper itinerary I'd look at them like they had nine heads. The lack of paper MENUS, however, is horrible.

Just ask. They’ll give you a paper menu.

 

[cwis]

I'm not sure what a small dining room is, as all of the dining rooms are the same size/hold the same amount of people/have the same amount of tables. If you're traveling with people, you usually eat dinner with them. My last cruise without masks at dinner for pictures didn't have any one else gathering for pictures.

Then you meet some other party on your cruise and you think about taking a picture of your group together and without masks, and someone who thinks is smart goes “I have an idea let's do it at dinner”.
If you don't see how this could be a bad idea given current times, then maybe we should stop arguing about this.