DCL Onboard Restricted Items Policy Updates: Decorations, Ducks and Ashes and More

[soniam]

I think people wil still hide ducks that they were given. DCL needs to ban them from getting onto the ship and post it on their site.

People will just start hiding something else. They just need to let it be more widely known that they can’t be hidden/placed around the ship.

 

[AZMermaid]

View attachment 824221View attachment 824222
The top is the generic response I received, and the bottom is my reply.

Does it mention the ducks when you hit that link?

 

[AZMermaid]

Does it mention the ducks when you hit that link?

Quoting myself, I dont see it. Still clear as mud, lol. Thanks for trying!

 

[Chirple]

Does it mention the ducks when you hit that link?

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/faq/prohibited-items/
Just what is out there now, which is why I pushed back. It's part of my nature because my job requires precision. One missing piece of information can have complicated results.

 

[CinderALLIE]

My partner had printed labels a couple weeks ago for our upcoming cruise. Upon reading about the changes, he has now replaced these labels for randomly placing ducks in fish extenders.

It’s clear that these changes have been made (it’s come from cast members and from
DCL via plan disney and the person above who has emails). We are aware of the implementation and are not going to play dumb and break the rules.

I don’t see the point in making the cast members lives harder. They already suffer more than enough having to put up with us guests (props to them cause I wouldn’t be able to handle it).

 

[motherdaughtercruisers]

View attachment 824221View attachment 824222
The top is the generic response I received, and the bottom is my reply.

How did you get the top generic message? And how were you able to send in your reply? I would like to send in a reply like yours.

 

[Chirple]

How did you get the top generic message? And how were you able to send in your reply? I would like to send in a reply like yours.

At the bottom of the DCL home page, I clicked on this hyperlink. When I replied, it went to a DCL Communications address.

 

[Alicatt]

I agree that anyone who knows that you are not supposed to hide anything should not. I think that one concern is that it is only a small portion of cruisers that are on these boards. I would have never known if I hadn't hapoened to click this post. Between that and it being vague, it makes it seem like it's not realy important or more than heresay. I trust this group but I don't know if I would believe it if I had just heard about it in passing.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

My partner had printed labels a couple weeks ago for our upcoming cruise. Upon reading about the changes, he has now replaced these labels for randomly placing ducks in fish extenders.

It’s clear that these changes have been made (it’s come from cast members and from
DCL via plan disney and the person above who has emails). We are aware of the implementation and are not going to play dumb and break the rules.

I don’t see the point in making the cast members lives harder. They already suffer more than enough having to put up with us guests (props to them cause I wouldn’t be able to handle it).

^^^ this. Like, if you know, then you know. I think random "pixie dust" ducks is the way to go. The little duck in the wreath was adorable. Or hand them to kids in the elevator or whatever. But I am the "less is more girl"-few magnets on the door helps with identifying it etc. I have to travel by plane to cruise, so not much luggage space. Keep in mind those cast members that make your vacation relaxing, happy and fun. Make their lives and jobs a bit easier by just following the rules.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

I agree that anyone who knows that you are not supposed to hide anything should not. I think that one concern is that it is only a small portion of cruisers that are on these boards. I would have never known if I hadn't hapoened to click this post. Between that and it being vague, it makes it seem like it's not realy important or more than heresay. I trust this group but I don't know if I would believe it if I had just heard about it in passing.

Also some cruise groups on other places are not going to give the information to their members as it will have a negative financial implication for them. Many of them dont allow links to Disboards or any blogs or Youtube vlogs, so the members of some cruise groups will be deliberately kept in the dark about this update.

 

[RedHead0186]

I agree that anyone who knows that you are not supposed to hide anything should not. I think that one concern is that it is only a small portion of cruisers that are on these boards. I would have never known if I hadn't hapoened to click this post. Between that and it being vague, it makes it seem like it's not realy important or more than heresay. I trust this group but I don't know if I would believe it if I had just heard about it in passing.

Totally agree. I heard about it here first (through this post), and it's now 'trickled' to some of the social media groups I belong to. But, they're hearing it mostly from some of the Disney 'news' sites, and don't get the angle of a CM (or multiple CMs) actually telling/showing us what they're being told (as we had the benefit of on this thread). So those other groups mostly say "it's a rumor," which, to be fair, it is. There's been no definitive statement/source from DCL on this, which is the problem (closest we've gotten is a PlanDisney post last week).

Until I see a statement/change of written policy from DCL, I still take it with a (small) grain of salt. That's not anything against the CMs here or elsewhere, and please know I'm not out to start trouble (I don't hide ducks, so that wouldn't be an issue anyway). But I work in accreditation so I have a bit of a mindset of "if it's not in the rules, then it's not a rule." I 100% agree that DCL needs to change their policies ASAP to reflect this, as it's causing a lot of heartburn for a lot of people. I don't get why they didn't change the written policies first and then starting putting all this notification out to CMs.

 

[lanejudy]

While I understand folks wanting DCL to put out official notification -- this "prohibited ducks" thing really kind of falls into a category by itself. Other items on the Prohibited List are either illegal or dangerous/potentially dangerous. The problem with ducks is more behavioral rather than the ducks themselves. It gets to be a slippery slope when posting rules about actual behavior. Some level of behavior should be expected without stating it. DCL doesn't officially send out rules or post on their website rules that say don't climb on railings, don't climb on furniture, don't slide down the bannister, don't open doors marked "staff only" or "authorized personnel only", don't run in the halls, don't sing in the stateroom hallways at 2am, no fighting/hitting/etc., don't exit the ship without clothing, etc. Some of those things, particularly safety-related, may be posted once onboard. But not everything. I don't think any of us want to receive a laundry list of "don't do..."

I fully agree that DCL needs to take a strong stance and back up their own CMs enforcing any rules. That is a widespread "Disney" issue.

 

[RedHead0186]

While I understand folks wanting DCL to put out official notification -- this "prohibited ducks" thing really kind of falls into a category by itself. Other items on the Prohibited List are either illegal or dangerous/potentially dangerous. The problem with ducks is more behavioral rather than the ducks themselves. It gets to be a slippery slope when posting rules about actual behavior. Some level of behavior should be expected without stating it. DCL doesn't officially send out rules or post on their website rules that say don't climb on railings, don't climb on furniture, don't slide down the bannister, don't open doors marked "staff only" or "authorized personnel only", don't run in the halls, don't sing in the stateroom hallways at 2am, no fighting/hitting/etc., don't exit the ship without clothing, etc. Some of those things, particularly safety-related, may be posted once onboard. But not everything. I don't think any of us want to receive a laundry list of "don't do..."

I fully agree that DCL needs to take a strong stance and back up their own CMs enforcing any rules. That is a widespread "Disney" issue.

Fair point. But since this is an 'ingrained' behavior by so many guests, I think they have to do something to let everyone know of this change.

I also think they could add something to the written policy (or post signs onboard) that just says that nothing should be hidden/placed/etc. in public areas. Then it's not specific to ducks (but does cover ducks), and doesn't add a whole ton of 'don't dos' to the list. And that does kind of fall in the 'safety' category, since hiding anything in public areas could (potentially) be dangerous.

 

[Shikedants]

I’m firmly in the camp that (in this case ducks) should not be randomly placed in public areas of the ship. I see comments on how much fun it is for the young to find these things and I’m not arguing that it isn’t.

I am one of those families that visits WDW often. I’m DVC, Platinum DCL, etc. I’ve raised two kids and we continue to enjoy our trips and cruises. One of the things that was implied, then expressly said to them that at Disney (and life in general), you can’t have everything.

We’d go on a cruise and I tried to impress on them that we are very lucky and blessed to be able to go on such adventures. I suppose I could have had a gift package in the stateroom when we arrived, they could have whatever they wanted at Vanellope’s, and we could have signed up for excursions at every port, but you know, there has to be a limit, even if you can afford it. A ship has to have a rudder. They knew that the trip itself was the privilege and the treat. Not that plus five other things. Further, it made them appreciate any extra that did come along.

I think a youngster can have an awesome experience on a Disney cruise without the ducks. In the name of common sense, safety and respect for others, please don't assume it's okay to leave things in public spaces and common areas, not just on a ship, but anywhere.

 

[lanejudy]

since this is an 'ingrained' behavior by so many guests,

Sorry but this is a relatively new behavior, it's not so deeply ingrained that it can't be unlearned. It's not decades old tradition. Today's adults didn't grow up hiding ducks. I'm tired of folks having to see rules posted to change their inappropriate behavior. If someone is told not to do something, respect that and don't argue back that it isn't posted so it must not be a rule. If someone is unaware their behavior is inappropriate, a simple "oops, sorry, I didn't realize" and full stop. No more discussion necessary. I disagree that everything in life must be spelled out explicitly for people to know right from wrong. And it's OK to have different rules on different cruise lines -- my household has different rules from the neighbor or DD's best friend. That's life.

 

[RedHead0186]

Sorry but this is a relatively new behavior, it's not so deeply ingrained that it can't be unlearned. It's not decades old tradition. Today's adults didn't grow up hiding ducks. I'm tired of folks having to see rules posted to change their inappropriate behavior. If someone is told not to do something, respect that and don't argue back that it isn't posted so it must not be a rule. If someone is unaware their behavior is inappropriate, a simple "oops, sorry, I didn't realize" and full stop. No more discussion necessary.

Sorry, maybe "ingrained" wasn't the right word. I certainly wasn't trying to suggest it can't be unlearned. I just meant that for so many people it's just a part of cruising that they might not even think that it could be problematic. I just thought maybe a written policy would help save CMs from a bit of heartburn (since some people would see from the policy and not even bring ducks onboard in the first place). I do agree that once told about it they shouldn't argue back.

 

[motherdaughtercruisers]

I’m firmly in the camp that (in this case ducks) should not be randomly placed in public areas of the ship. I see comments on how much fun it is for the young to find these things and I’m not arguing that it isn’t.

I am one of those families that visits WDW often. I’m DVC, Platinum DCL, etc. I’ve raised two kids and we continue to enjoy our trips and cruises. One of the things that was implied, then expressly said to them that at Disney (and life in general), you can’t have everything.

We’d go on a cruise and I tried to impress on them that we are very lucky and blessed to be able to go on such adventures. I suppose I could have had a gift package in the stateroom when we arrived, they could have whatever they wanted at Vanellope’s, and we could have signed up for excursions at every port, but you know, there has to be a limit, even if you can afford it. A ship has to have a rudder. They knew that the trip itself was the privilege and the treat. Not that plus five other things. Further, it made them appreciate any extra that did come along.

I think a youngster can have an awesome experience on a Disney cruise without the ducks. In the name of common sense, safety and respect for others, please don't assume it's okay to leave things in public spaces and common areas, not just on a ship, but anywhere.

this is it exactly!!

 

[Marrila]

Sorry, maybe "ingrained" wasn't the right word. I certainly wasn't trying to suggest it can't be unlearned. I just meant that for so many people it's just a part of cruising that they might not even think that it could be problematic. I just thought maybe a written policy would help save CMs from a bit of heartburn (since some people would see from the policy and not even bring ducks onboard in the first place). I do agree that once told about it they shouldn't argue back.

Being thoughtful about leaving public areas the tidy way we found them seems pretty normal to me. Maybe a good solution would be to gift the ducks in the fish extenders.

 

[RedHead0186]

Being thoughtful about leaving public areas the tidy way we found them seems pretty normal to me.

I agree. Though I guess it's not 'normal' to everyone since it's such a popular activity. My point merely being that what one person finds normal/courteous may look completely different to another person. So relying on common sense/courtesy isn't always the best strategy (not talking just specifically about ducks, but behavior in general).

 

[DCL Repeaters]

While I understand folks wanting DCL to put out official notification -- this "prohibited ducks" thing really kind of falls into a category by itself. Other items on the Prohibited List are either illegal or dangerous/potentially dangerous. The problem with ducks is more behavioral rather than the ducks themselves. It gets to be a slippery slope when posting rules about actual behavior. Some level of behavior should be expected without stating it. DCL doesn't officially send out rules or post on their website rules that say don't climb on railings, don't climb on furniture, don't slide down the bannister, don't open doors marked "staff only" or "authorized personnel only", don't run in the halls, don't sing in the stateroom hallways at 2am, no fighting/hitting/etc., don't exit the ship without clothing, etc. Some of those things, particularly safety-related, may be posted once onboard. But not everything. I don't think any of us want to receive a laundry list of "don't do..."

I fully agree that DCL needs to take a strong stance and back up their own CMs enforcing any rules. That is a widespread "Disney" issue.

These ducks can be dangerous for someone who has very limited vision like my family member who tripped on one that was on the floor in an elevator. Thankfully family was able to prevent the fall.