Disney Cruise Line Updates Castaway Club Membership Requirements

[CarolynU]

My grandkids sailed DCL and one is silver and the other would be gold on the next cruise. We are in the Uk and we sailed out of Barcelona, Southampton ( cruises to nowhere just after the pandemic) and Dover.
The Med cruises are amazing but now DCL has switched itineraries so they no longer offer those in the Uk school holidays. Our options are Northern Europe only which we tried last year, but the weather was gloomy, wet and windy.
So unless we pay a fortune to fly them across the Atlantic ( $5000) for flights plus cruise approx I can’t see them sailing within the next five years. So it’s a shame they will revert to zero cc status but I think it might be the time to switch back to me sailing DCL in Fall/Spring time and moving them onto a new cruise line that sails in the Mediterranean in the Summer.

 

[FastPasser.]

It’s very easy to become pearl without breaking the bank( relatively speaking,). Just move to Central Florida or Miami.

Even easier, be a current CM or Disney Company retiree.

 

[jerry557]

You mean no more lanyards and free bags unless you cruise every 5 years?
That's pretty much the extent of their loyalty program. Possibly one of the worst in the industry. And every move they make waters it down even more.

You know most companies focus on developing ways to make a customer experience better. This company seems to do nothing but look for ways to make it worse.

 

[mousefan73]

Even easier, be a current CM or Disney Company retiree.

are they allowed to get credit for those? That is very interesting as all other industries ( airline hotel ) if you use employee rates you cant collect points, miles etc...

 

[FastPasser.]

are they allowed to get credit for those? That is very interesting as all other industries ( airline hotel ) if you use employee rates you cant collect points, miles etc...

I don’t know what other industries offer but Disney CM perks are really good.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Even easier, be a current CM or Disney Company retiree.

Oh that’s cute- you think cast rate still exists for cruises from Florida it’s been basically non existent since everything returned to “normal operations” because the ships are sailing so full

 

[Disneyland_emily]

are they allowed to get credit for those? That is very interesting as all other industries ( airline hotel ) if you use employee rates you cant collect points, miles etc...

Depends on the booking.. if you book standard cast/crew rate (basically GT rates) they count. If you sail as a working CM, crew family or preview etc they do not.

My friend is DCL shoreside and the 5 cruises he’s taken only 1 has counted for castaway club.

 

[EveV]

I don’t know what other industries offer but Disney CM perks are really good.

Yes, they are Most of the time we pay what guests pay because of the itinerary, timing, or cabin type is important for us for one reason or another. We've recently done few CM rate cruises out of PC and received points. Some months I feel like, maybe Disney should hold our paycheck, we give it right back All in good fun!

 

[disneyholic family]

My grandkids sailed DCL and one is silver and the other would be gold on the next cruise. We are in the Uk and we sailed out of Barcelona, Southampton ( cruises to nowhere just after the pandemic) and Dover.
The Med cruises are amazing but now DCL has switched itineraries so they no longer offer those in the Uk school holidays. Our options are Northern Europe only which we tried last year, but the weather was gloomy, wet and windy.
So unless we pay a fortune to fly them across the Atlantic ( $5000) for flights plus cruise approx I can’t see them sailing within the next five years. So it’s a shame they will revert to zero cc status but I think it might be the time to switch back to me sailing DCL in Fall/Spring time and moving them onto a new cruise line that sails in the Mediterranean in the Summer.

i offered our (adult) kids a disney cruise in europe next summer, but they opted for the Oasis of the Seas out of barcelona instead.
They were pretty unhappy on their last two disney cruises (4 night wish and 7 night alaska), so they figured why repeat disappointing experiences.

 

[71 Truck]

Oh that’s cute- you think cast rate still exists for cruises from Florida it’s been basically non existent since everything returned to “normal operations” because the ships are sailing so full

A friend who is a retired Cast Member has sailed twice since November 2022 on a cast member rate.
There are certain times of the year especially when the kids are in school they offer discounts to either cast or the general public.
My wife and I were with them in November on a Guaranteed rate for an ocean view and ended up in a veranda.

 

[Halfbrit]

I think for the most part this change is fair, although it does disadvantage people who have to travel a long way to cruise. I lived in the UK for a while and was able to do two cruises (2016 and 2018) but had to build it into a Florida holiday to make it viable so it was even more expensive but helped by the relative strength of the pound. I moved back to Australia in 2019 and the only reason I'm able to afford another DCL cruise in the timeframe is because they commenced operations in Sydney, so I don't have flights, accommodation etc to factor in. It's still expensive as the US dollar is stronger than the Aussie dollar, but hey, we're sailing in few a weeks time and maintain our silver status for now. Let's hope the Aussie market is strong enough for them to stay. They'll need some better itineraries though.

 

[DCLMP]

You mean no more lanyards and free bags unless you cruise every 5 years?
That's pretty much the extent of their loyalty program. Possibly one of the worst in the industry. And every move they make waters it down even more.

You know most companies focus on developing ways to make a customer experience better. This company seems to do nothing but look for ways to make it worse.

Their loyality program is very weak so why make it worse is the question. It’s certainly not the industry standard to take away status. I know they love to use that excuse when they make changes. I’m really not sure what their motivation is behind this one.

 

[DCLMP]

Even easier, be a current CM or Disney Company retiree.

Meh all cruise lines have the same type discounts.. A travel agent can easily earn status on multiple lines. Only one seems to have a five year rule.

It is going to be easier for some people based on where they live, or who they work for. If you’re military or a TA you’re still paying more on DCL than you would on any other cruise lines with the same discounts.

 

[awrites]

I’ve been sick and only just now heard about this. This does perhaps explain why I had trouble booking a 2025 cruise on my Silver date back in November. (I hadn’t sailed DCL since 2013.) I called and the CM was able to verify my CC status and number and book for me, and I had been able to view my status as Silver on the DCL site, so I guess I hadn’t been purged yet.

My itinerary still shows my activity booking date as the Silver date, so I guess I’ll see what happens then, on my check-in date, and then finally if they say post-cruise that I’ve sailed with them 3x or just 1.

I do think it was poor form not to attempt to alert CC members of this change before enacting it. As others have said, give people the option of trying to book a new cruise to maintain status if they want, rather than waking up one day to discover they’ve lost their status with no communication other than a quiet update to the T&C.

 

[rhit2004]

Has anybody personally actually lost status yet (or know somebody who has)? Not being told by a phone operator that they will lose status (as realistically they are likely as clueless about the actual implementation of the policy as we all are), but actually logging into Castaway Club and seeing they have been removed. I have not seen a single case anywhere of anybody confirming they have actually lost status yet.

I ask because we all tend to assume the worse case scenario but as far as I can tell nobody has actually seen their status taken away even if they have not sailed in many years. Has anybody seen any anecdotes on a blog/message board/etc where anybody has actually seen their status revoked yet?

 

[insureman]

I first read about this in Scott's Disney Cruise Line Blog but what I don't get is how did someone find about this now since it was changed back in March. Did someone find out they were already booted out of the Castaway Club? I mean it's not likely that someone was going over the terms and conditions and stumbled upon the changes. Maybe a cast member leaked it to a blogger? The whole thing seems like a strange thing to do.

 

[lanejudy]

what I don't get is how did someone find about this now since it was changed back in March

I think an FAQ answer got either posted new or updated on the DCL site.

 

[DCLMP]

Us too. For us, it is the fantasy. We don’t care where she sails - it can be the same itinerary over and over. Never gets old.

We started sailing with DCL in late 2017. In a few weeks, we will take our 9th cruise on the fantasy. With a couple more cruises on her this year.

Interesting. Do you travel to other places? I could see doing the same cruise over and over strictly for relaxation purposes, but taking the same vacation over and over??? I don't know. I like cruising because it's the easiest way to see a lot of different destinations. Someday I'll take a European vacation and do the whole train thing, but with kids, the cruises have been easier.

Then again you haven't been sailing with DCL very long. Our first few years were just the Bahamas and the Fantasy eventually we got bored.

 

[CarolynU]

i offered our (adult) kids a disney cruise in europe next summer, but they opted for the Oasis of the Seas out of barcelona instead.
They were pretty unhappy on their last two disney cruises (4 night wish and 7 night alaska), so they figured why repeat disappointing experiences.

I hate to say it but on the Northern European they were bored. They aren’t really old enough to want to walk around Copenhagen, etc and they said that there was little going on that was organised in the Oceaneers Club. It was the first time they would have been old enough to go and they were excited but I’m not sure what went wrong but they said their seemed to just be colouring which according to my granddaughter had old felt tips that wouldn’t work. They liked the little slide but it was shut as there was no CM to monitor it!
Who knows if that’s true but my daughter was called constantly to come and pick them up. They weren’t crying just disinterested in being there.
However, once they were out there was little for them to do but trivia which they were too young for or the pool which of course was freezing or it was pouring with rain so they were shivering. They met all the characters before going to the club so in the end I organised things to do like photo treasure hunts around the ship just as I organised activities for all the children in the club during open houses. Pre retirement I was an experienced teacher so it was easy for me to do, but it was a strange thing for me to have to do on top of paying in excess of $8000 for the week lol!
They were six and four so an inbetween age I guess!
Anyway after that sailing DCL with them just to preserve their cc status seems mad. I’m open to suggestions for Med cruises though in August with different cruise lines with ships with more stuff to do like climbing walls, mini golf etc.

 

[Cheburashka]

I like cruising because it's the easiest way to see a lot of different destinations.

That's fine, but maybe it means that DCL just isn't the right fit for you. I know some people who go to the same country cabin every year for vacation. It's their vacation home away from home. The Disney ships and Castaway Cay serve the same purpose for many of us. A comfortable, enjoyable, familiar and reliable getaway from the stressors of life.

If that isn't something that appeals to you, and instead you see cruising mainly as a method of transportation to a variety of destinations, then there are certainly other lines that can better suit that preference.