Premise
Disney Cruise Line, one of the major cruise lines, announced the suspension of all departures through at least December 6, 2020. This does not bode well for the other cruise lines, who tend to follow suite. Once one starts to cancel, the others quickly follow, as not to be left behind. They are waiting on CDC guidance which they expect at the end of September, but Disney proactively cancelled through December 6, 2020. I had a fantastic experience on my first cruise last year, on the NCL Bliss to Alaska with several dear friends, and can’t wait to go on my next one. While I did book some, they (most likely) will be cancelled due to COVID-19, so I’m waiting for those cancellations to come through on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. This Disney Cruise Line cancellation is the first shot in a salvo I hopefully hear from the other cruise lines within the next couple days.
Affected Sailings
Due to Coronavirus (like many things this year, sailings were cancelled for the four ships below:
- Disney Dream – through December 11, Friday
- Disney Fantasy – through December 6, Sunday
- Disney Magic – through December 12, Saturday
- Disney Wonder – through December 11, Friday
Automatic refunds for those who haven’t paid in full, and affected travelers should expect an email from DCL. Very prompt and responsible, but to be expected in this environment. They do not note any bonus cruise credit, whereas places like Norwegian and Royal Caribbean are offering a 125% future cruise credit, or a 100% refund. For me, I’m down to take a 25% bonus in cruise credit, which I can use for on board gaming, eating, or shore excursions.
Conclusion
I have heard of nightmare stories on the Facebook cruise groups that people have been waiting months and months to get their full refund from the cancelled cruises, but there are also others who receive them quickly, so your mileage may vary. This is of particular interest to me since I am hoping that my cruises booked in November are cancelled, so I can replace them with a socially-distant Las Vegas trip and take advantage of the wonderful Hilton Elara timeshare presentation and comped rooms from Park MGM. Perhaps I’ll splurge on some fancy food at Best Friend or La La Noodle, two places I adore.
In the meanwhile, check out what to expect at a cruise ship art auction – while I have never attended one, on a ship or on land, the concept is interesting. I prefer the very minimalist designs in my house, to be functional rather than aesthetic, but the point about anchoring the audience with an extremely expensive piece and then bringing on (still expensive) pieces to seem more reasonable by comparison is quite fascinating.
Featured Image is a stock image of Disney Dream from Unsplash. Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links which, should you click through and/or make a purchase, grant me a commission. Also, I only post in the best interest of my readers. Lastly, thank you for supporting my blog and my travels.
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