Disney Cruise Line updated their Castaway Club benefit package this month which includes some changes and some new perks. Effective May 2017, Castaway Club members, including Silver may take advance booking of new itineraries through DCL’s call center before the general public. Previously, Gold & Platinum members could book a day early. The new benefit breaks out the early booking perk for each level starting with Platinum Castaway Club members who can now book 3 days, Gold two days prior, and for the first time Silver members can get the jump on first time Disney cruisers by booking 1 day before general booking.
Castaway Club Benefit Effective May 2017 (pdf)
The Gold & Platinum onboard reception will now only be offered on sailings of 8-nights or longer. The reception was previously offered on sailings of 4-nights or longer. The description was also changes from “a private party where Gold and Platinum Castaway members can meet and angle wish senior ship officers” to “a private reception where Gold and Platinum members will experience special entertainment.”
According to Disney, Platinum and Gold Castaway Club members, will receive information via email that will include the following exclusive advance booking opportunity.
Exclusive Platinum & Gold Castaway Club Member Advance Booking Opportunity
Platinum and Gold Castaway Club members can take advantage of an exclusive advance booking opportunity through May 15, 2017.
Booking Window: May 2 – 15, 2017
Sailing: July 22, 2017 Disney Fantasy 7-Night Western Caribbean Cruise
Save 20% on prevailing Verandah rates by booking a Verandah Stateroom with Restrictions, Category VGT, for sailing on Disney Fantasy July 22, 2017. Taxes, Fees and Port Expenses of approximately $123 per person not included.
Booking Information:
This offer can only be booked by calling the Disney Cruise Line Reservation Center. One Guest in stateroom must be a Platinum or Gold Castaway Club member.
Important Details:
Based on double occupancy. Valid for new bookings only. Full, nonrefundable payment and all Guest names required at time of booking. No name changes permitted. Specific stateroom assigned at later time. Rate does not include gratuities or Port Adventures. The number of staterooms allocated is limited. This offer cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts. Rates in U.S. dollars. Offer subject to Disney Cruise Line Terms and Conditions.
Scott… I’m confused. They took away the Onboard Reception if you are sailing less than 8 nights?
Based on the fine print, yes.
DCL should have left the Onboard Reception for cruises of SEVEN nights or longer. Most people take a week long cruise, but few take a longer one. Hmmmm, this seems like ‘declining my degrees’. DCL charges A LOT of money, they can at least leave in the small touches/perks. STOP PINCHING PENNIES Bob Iger, it will just cheapen the brand.
Agreed!
So according to the DCL website for 2018 (Jan-Sept currently available) there are only 6 cruises that qualify for the reception.
It is their program and they can do it any way that they like but it would be nice if total nights also could be used for levels. I have only been on 2 cruises, but for a total of 26 nights. Someone who lives in Florida could take a handful of 2-3 day cruises and be Platinum even though I spent much more money with DCL.
My wife and I have been on two Disney Cruises, and it will my kids first cruise this year. Are they grandfathered into the same level we are or no, they start at the bottom?
Castaway Club level is tracked per person, but some of the benefits can be shared at the stateroom level.
We had the same situation on our 3rd cruise. I’m pretty sure our daughter was automatically put into the silver level.
Our kids got their own Castaway Club number after their first cruise, the records show they are two cruises behind us, we are Platinum and they are Gold.
I think they start at the entry level. When we sailed last time as gold but my brother was silver in the same room, he still received silver lanyard. Maybe since it’s kids they will. Never know
I am so mad! We are sailing May 27, 2017 and this is my first gold cruise. I was looking forward to finally being able to join the reception and now just 3 weeks away, they no longer do that .Ridiculous.
AnnGreen, you are not going to be excluded from the reception. They simply just are not going to have them anymore for cruises under 8 days.
MUN
I hear you! That sucks!
It mentionnes 8 and more on the document 😉
typo, it should be “will now only” instead of “will not only”. So only on 8 nights or more
Thanks Rich.
I would like to know more about Gold members being able to choose their Preferred Embarkation Time.
I am curious about it as well. It makes it seem like anyone who is Gold and above doesn’t need to worry about getting an early PAT because they can just board whenever they get there.
Yes, i’m confused on what the difference between Port Arrival Time and Preferred Embarkation Time is.
I’d like to know when we are allowed to start picking these times. We have an upcoming cruise for which we have already done online check-in, and I’d like to know if we’ll be able to go back in and choose embarkation time.
Choosing your PAT (Port Arrival Time) is part of the online check-in process, so if you’re checked-in, you should have already done that.
Gold can now choose a Preferred Embarkation Time, which is something different than the regular PAT.
Not a fan of the reception at 8 nights. There are only 18 currently available cruises (out of 353) that qualify with this new restriction. There are 277 cruises 4 nights or longer, by comparison.
John,
I agree!!! This may have been a small perk, but my kids enjoyed getting the rice Krispy Mickeys. Our next cruise is a 4 night, then a 7 night after that. I may never get to a Castaway reception again!
I think it’s really smart to break up the days for booking new itineraries. This should help with the volume of calls and long wait times on opening days. However, I do wish Castaway Club members could just book online before the general public instead of having to call. Maybe someday.
So agree with you, Gina! You’d think Disney would have the best tech to do this but sadly they do not.
That would be awesome! Especially because you can then compare the prices and everything while you book.
It would nice if DCL added an extra Castaway Benefit for those over 20 cruise. lol Those are loyal customers. They deserve it.
Walt,
I agree. Maybe a “Diamond” Level.
Walt… It would be nice if they would get…say 20% off Merchandise (instead of the 10%), a bigger Onboard credit, and another idea is the rentals on CC are gratis.
Cruised 6 times and never knew about a reception. Can someone fill me in on that? We’re sailing again next year.
You would receive a letter in your stateroom providing the time and location of the reception. The reception itself was a mixer of sorts with officers. Free drinks, fruit, cheese, shrimp appetizers, and cookies .. and Mickey rice treats on the way out were regular offerings. The event would typically start with the cruise director welcoming everyone and there would be a photo op with Captain Mickey and sometimes First Mate Minnie. The officers would walk around the room talking to guests before the Captain said a few words. They would also play a promo video typically including a message from Karl Holz.
I’ve been on 10 Disney cruises and NONE of them have been 8 nights or longer. They might as well do away with the welcome reception!
I agree the 8 night or longer rule seems far too limiting. I find that the 7 night cruise is just the right length.
WOW – We’re finally Gold this cruise and I too was looking forward to the reception. I think I will add my 2 cents on the comment card.
Make sure you take extra paper to write that comment. The comment cards have very little space to write free text.
I’ve already started commenting. I called the Castaway Club and I posted on the DCL Facebook page and I’m not the only one. I think if we all voiced our concerns then maybe they would make a change. I also think that it would be better if when they make changes they let us know on the next intinerary that goes out. Like Fall 2018, but that’s my 2 cents
Hi April… I did the same as you and got the generic answers back to both complaints. I just e-mailed DCL back that they are just sending out the same generic response to EVERYONE – which are posted across numerous blogs and boards and that there’s nothing like “cut and paste”. I also asked what happened to the great customer service DCL used to provide. I don’t expect to get anything but another generic answer, but we’ll see if someone at least reads it (not holding my breath).
I think DCL needs to revamp their Castaway Club benefits by how much is spent per cruise. Our next cruise is 12 nights and counts the same as our last 3 day cruise. They should give you points by how much you spent on the entire cruise, including DCL excursions, drinks, fine dining, retail, spa, photos, etc. To have 10 three night cruises where likely little is spent on board earn Platinum status is absurd and not rewarding the people who are spending on the ship.
I would prefer the CC benefits correlate to number of days sailed instead of number of times sailed or how much money you spent – as some people enjoy Disney for the fact that you don’t necessarily have to spend extra to enjoy a fine cruise. But for those who tend to sail the longer cruises (7+ days), their cruise should equate to more than the the 3 day cruises that the locals are able to take on a regular basis.
I agree. They definitely need to fine tune the Castaway Club.
Agreed, atleast count status by nights, I’ve spent almost 6 months of my life loyal on DCL cruises and I get a bonus Palo dinner …. which is not even available on my upcoming 10 night cruise!!! (I’m going to write a letter and put it in the comments box!
How, in 10-nights is Palo dinner unavailable?
I agree! We’re on a TWO night cruise on Friday and we had both nights available in advance up until just last week. We’ve never been turned away at walkup either.
Carnival, Royal Caribean, Norwegian CL, give one point for day cruising, to reach diamond in Carnival you need 70 POINT, so if you take 10 of 7 days cruises you are platinum, so if you like a 3 or 4 day cruises yo need to take 19 cruises on 4 days, or 23 cruises on 3 night
Agreed! Another bad decision by Disney Cruise Line to due away with castaway reception. Only hope for a reversal is for all the gold and platinum members to complain. Disney does listen and I remember a while back when they started charging an insane price for a room service cheese platter that was previously free. Took Dinsey about 2 weeks to realize that was a bad decision. Maybe someone will realize when you offer something on only 5% of your sailings hard to advertise as a perk.
So the new “perk” is allowing members to give DCL their money even sooner? That’s pretty lame.
Finally Gold with a 5 day and 7 day coming this year and no Rice Krispie Mickey treats? Travesty!! (And the rest of the reception might have been interesting.)
Still so disappointed that it is per cruise and not per night. We have done the 12 night Med and now the 15 night TA and we only get credit for 2 cruises. NOT COOL.
Agree
How do we find out about the Exclusive Platinum & Gold Castaway Club Member Advance Booking Opportunity
I just counted how many cruises there are on the books (Now-2018) for 8+ nights and there are about 14 of them across all 4 ships.
Scott – has it always been that for Platinum members there is only one complimentary Palo meal “per stateroom”? We are both Platinum and we usually both get a complimentary meal at Palo. Has that perk changed too, or were we just lucky?
Never mind – I reread it and it’s the same as it always was, the wording threw me. I need more coffee. Apologies for bogging down the comments!
Basically, it give everyone over 18yrs old a free Palo dinner that is staying in the room. It has been this way, it is just the wording and it cleared up at the bottom of the pdf with ***.
and not surprised… I knew with the volume of comments, there would be some irritated about the reception and as am I. However, DCL does indeed pay attention to their customer comments, so definitely leave it in the feedback, I will also be emailing DCL guest services… this was indeed an enjoyable part of the cruise and not really sure as to why the drastic change… hopefully it will be changed to at least 7 days or longer…. Thanks Scott as always for the updates.
I agree with revamping how the cruises are counted toward the levels. We have been on 2 of the 3 day cruises and 3 of the longer (Panama canal and transatlantic) and the rest (6) of at least 7 days and they all counted the same. You should be credited by days, not cruises.
I’m still Silver and this news really diminishes my eagerness to get Gold. Most of the cruises I take/want to take are 7 nights.
It’s strange to me that a cruise line that is already criticized for its loyalty program would make one if its few perks so elusive.
I can understand the frustration with the number of cruises v. number of nights. We have the good fortune to live in SoCal and can take advantage of the short cruises out of San Diego to bump our status. Seeing how so many cruises are 5 nights I think it would make sense to normalize to 5 night cruises. So, silver after 5 nights, gold after 25, platinum after 50. I’m fairly certain that DCL has considered this since there have been surveys asking about changes to how status is calculated. I’m fairly sure that Scott has posted about that survey previously.
I get the comments regarding Silver/Gold/Platinum based on nights rather than number of cruises. No matter how DCL calculates it, someone is going to be mad. What makes me chuckle is the number of comments talking about the reception changes. We have been fortunate enough to go to a few receptions but they aren’t a big deal. A couple appetizers, a couple of drinks, a cheap dessert, and a photo op with the captain/Mickey. Is that really THAT important to everyone??? You can meet the captain quite a few times during any length cruise as well as Mickey. And the shrimp is the same shrimp they serve in Cabanas. It’s not like it’s a secret club that gets the inside scoop on anything. The loyalty program is designed so that those who show loyalty to DCL are awarded a couple of perks. If they aren’t enough for you or you are THAT angry, go somewhere else. But complaining and whining about the losing a rice krispy treat that costs $2 is petty. And making a decision about whether to cruise DCL or another cruise line based on the lack of a silly little reception is quite petty as well.
Mark I’m glad you’re chuckling because I’m certainly not! The reception was a very nice perk! We loved it because it allowed you to get a photo with the Captain and Mickey without a line or any wait which then freed up your time later to relax or do something fun. My son enjoyed talking to the Officers and feeling “special” because we were at a party only for die hard Disney cruisers! Yes, he also enjoyed his cheap rice krispie treat that cost $2.00! Disney just seems to get more and more stingy with everything (perks) and they are not rewarding their loyal customers! Shame on Disney!!
Mark….you are lucky you have gotten to take enough cruises to go to the reception. Obviously it is important to people. They finally made it to that category and it’s been taken away. It’s not a big deal so why take it away. It’s just something special to look forward to and I don’t think you should be so pompous to belittle anyone else that wishes they could go.
I agree with Hannah, in the words of Mary Poppins – some people can’t see past the end of their nose.
Hannah,
I agree with you. It made us feel special getting the letter for the reception. The petty person here is the one at Disney who decided to take it away. We’ve done so many 7 nights (including Alaska), and have a 7 night Med booked for Summer 2018. These are expensive cruises, and a little stroking from Disney would have been great. My kids liked going. They felt special.
I agree with Hannah, too…it’s the point that Disney appears to be rewarding only their more financially blessed cruisers….we have always done two rooms with as many of our children could join us- usually 6-8 people for 7 days and the prices are just getting too high especially now that we HAVE to go within two years (another scrappy decision by DCL creating a $$ issue for some of us) both of these changes were put into effect well after we had booked on our last cruises… May seem like a small thing but it was one more thing to look forward to…why so elitist, Disney??? While we have loved our time spent with DCL, it is time for us to look elsewhere, we aren’t rich enough to sail Disney any longer.. We sail our last Disney cruise this year in August (first as Gold members, doesn’t it figure?) and WILL NOT be booking our next cruise onboard for the first time ever.
-crappy decision…not scrappy!!!
It would be nice if DCL ever changes the way status is calculated that they grandfather everyone in at their current level then they can work toward the next level. We took a short cruise a couple years ago to get to our Platinum status as we were so close and thought they may change it any day. But Disney’s technology may have difficulty handling that. LOL.
Just going to throw this out there, but is there the chance that the officers had some say in this? Maybe they weren’t interested in doing this as much anymore and got it taken out of their contracts? Maybe the attendance was not high enough at these receptions?
I email DCL today about the changes and here is their reply.
Dear Lisa,
Thank you for your comments regarding the Castaway Club program.
We regularly evaluate our Castaway Club benefits and make updates from
time to time. Guest feedback and utilization play an important part in
these decisions. Our Officers and Crew enjoy meeting with our Castaway
Club Guests and continue to do so throughout each and every sailing.
We are always looking at ways to enhance our shipboard experiences and
will continue to do so into the future.
Again, thank you for your comments.
If you require further assistance with any other inquiries, please feel
free to contact us.
Sincerely,
Kaylee
Email Guest Services
Disney Cruise Line
So……….maybe if enough email they might add the reception or just ignore their loyal customers.
Lisa,
Can you post the email address you sent it to (or anyone else that has it)? I would like to send an email as well. These cruises are getting more and more expensive, and these little perks meant a lot.
I emailed as well, got the same “PC” response. Also hoping enough people email so they re-consider the change to the reception.
You know this Castaway Club “update” is not good because it is not featured on their website.
Beth,
Please see this page https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/castaway-club/. The pdf is linked on that page.
You are correct! I meant to say that it is not a front page on their website, like their “Marvel at Sea” advert or their “Waves of Awards” showcase but is instead somewhat burried.
Good afternoon all, I just called the Castaway Club line to discuss this. I took information from posts on this board (thanks to all previous posters) to highlight the fact that as of today, out of the 363 cruises available to book only 18 now qualify for the reception. I was not the first person to call and complain! We need to make our collective disgruntled voices heard and his supervisor kindly provided the email address of DCL.guest.communications@disneycruise.com If you have time please consider writing a short email to DCL at this address. I personally will be asking if this is a typo (i.e. it should read 8-days implying a 7-night cruise) as I cannot fathom why DCL would enact such a mean petty action against their most traveled and loyal customer base.
Paul,
Thanks. I just sent them an email.
Scott,
As always, thanks for keeping us abreast of what is going on!!! You are the best!
I emailed as well. Exact same reply as Lisa (not surprise). I particularly enjoy the line: “We are always looking at ways to enhance our shipboard experiences and will continue to do so into the future.” Ironic that it is actually a shipboard experience being taken away (not enhanced). Hmm…
Also Disney Cruise Castaway Benefits should include numbers of days than on how many cruise you take. For example, I can do 10 three nights cruise and be a Platinum. I don’t think this is fair to those that do longer cruise, like 7, 8, 10, 14 and etc. They contribute far more to DCL and should be rewarded for it. Just my thought of fairness.
I cannot believe how cheap DCL has become. Bob Iger make over 43+ million dollars plus bonus and perks annually. Are you telling me Disney cannot afford a few hundreds dollars for a reception and Mickey rice krispy bars? We have done 47 Disney cruises and booked number 48 and 49 After 50 cruises we are done with DCL. Hello Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.
50 cruises is quite impressive. I am at Emerald Level at RCCL. We have never had a bad cruise on RCCL. We have been on two DCL and our 3rd is scheduled for Halloween. You would think with the prices you pay on Disney that they would really want to take care of you.
I still cannot believe that they went from having one of these receptions a week to having only 14 in the next two years across 4 ships. Kind of a slap in the face.
This is what you get on RCCL:
http://royalcruisesonline.com/Crown_Anchor/Graph-1.gif
Bob, I agree with you. Don’t expect Scott to reply to your negative feeling. Like you we have given DCL all our time and money. DCL have forgot about those that are loyal to them. 18 years of during 1 and 2 cruise a years We are Platinum’s. Never did any other cruises in my life. We have future cruise booked too. We are true Disney’s fan, but we like you are getting tired of being a fool for the mouse. We did had many good years together as my kids and grandkids were growing up.
Walt, I am not sure what you want me to say in response to Bob. I do not get a check from Disney to promote or support each decision they make. In fact, DCL PR/media relations last responded to an email inquiry December 2015 (I just checked my email archive). My point being, we are not in bed with each other like other blogs and travel sites. If you’ve been a long time reader of the site you know I’ve called them out on a number of occasions in posts and more frequently on Twitter.
With regard to the changes this week, I am not angry about losing the reception. Frankly, I expected a bigger change to the Castaway Club and I think this just may be a minor change compared to what may be on the horizon. With the increasing number of Castaway Club members at the Gold & Platinum level something needs to change if DCL really wants to call it a loyalty program.
I think separating Gold and Platinum into separate early booking days as well as adding a day for Silver members before the general public is a step in the right direction. Finally, there is a true benefit to being at each level, especially when attempting to book those unique itineraries that can fill up and kick into tiered pricing within the opening week.
Scott… You have always been fair in your comments about DCL. I’ve seen times when you have thrashed them (Magic Reimagination Cruise). Please don’t let Bob’s comment turn you away from the great work you do.
That being said, I will miss not being able to try the Reception at least once (we just earned our “gold”). It just seems like DCL is trying to cut costs again (like getting rid of the Pirate Buffet after the fireworks). Did I need turkey legs and desserts at 10:30 at night? Probably not, but it was still a nice extra.
I was just on the dream for a 3 nite and the pirate buffet was intact… in cabanas
Scott. I did not mean to offend you. I love what you are doing for DCL lovers like me and my family. I read your posts everyday and enjoy them very much. Forgive me if I offended you. I will be more careful when I am replying to others that are dissatisfied. I would never do or say anything to hurt you. Take care and keep doing what you are doing for the good of people like me. Your blog is the best that I have ever read. Your info is accurate, even when it is a disadvantage to those that are hurt by DCL. Thank you again for everything my friend 🙂
Walt, nothing to worry about. I did not take any offense to the comment. I just wanted to set the record for anyone else reading through the comments.
Hi Everyone… I thought you’all might be interested in the response I received from DCL when I complained to them about the blanket response I received from them about the changes.
5/6/17
Hello Sharon,
Thank you for your response.
We appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with us. I was so sorry to read about your disappointment with my response. The feedback we receive from our Guests is very important to us as it lets us know what we are doing right and what we can do better. As we strive to improve the benefits and services we provide to our Guests we are constantly evaluating our operation. Though it may take time for the input we receive to be fully assessed and acted upon as a whole, please believe that we are seriously committed to, and diligently working toward, providing our guests the kind of magical vacation they have come to expect from Disney. We will continue to strive to provide our guests with the finest vacation and entertainment experiences, and we are very grateful for your valuable input to help us achieve that goal.
Thank you again for writing. We look forward to welcome you aboard again soon.
Best Regards,
Abi Love
Executive Guest Correspondent
Disney Cruise Line
Original Message Follows: ————————
This is the same generic e-mail that everyone who has complained has gotten (it’s posted all over blog sites)! Nothing like cut and paste. Where did DCL’s great customer service go?
—–Original Message—–
From: Disney Cruise Line
To: sharon Waugh
Sent: Sat, May 6, 2017 8:25 am
Subject: Email from Disney Cruise Line
5/6/17
Hello Sharon,
Thank you for your comments and thoughts related to the Castaway Club.
We regularly evaluate the program and make updates from time to time. Guest feedback plays an important part in these decisions. Please be assured that our Officers and Crew enjoy meeting Castaway Club Guests and will continue to do so throughout each and every sailing.
Thank you again for your comments. We are always evaluating our shipboard experiences and appreciate your feedback.
Best Regards,
Abi Love
Executive Guest Correspondent
Disney Cruise Line
Original Message Follows:
————————
My family and I are extremely disappointed at the changes in the Castaway Club – specifically the reception being changed to 8 nights or longer. As we only get to sail 4, 5, and 7 night cruises we will not ever be able to enjoy this perk. We just turned “gold” and this is the one thing we were really looking forward to. Booking one day early isn’t a perk we would use, especially if we are booking onboard. Please reconsider your decision and bring back the reception to all length cruises
Sharon Waugh
Sent from my iPad
Thanks for posting DCL’s reply. At least we know they are reading our e-mails and perhaps our feedback will make a difference!
I joined the “unhappy” bandwagon and sent an e-mail to DCL about the change to reception to eight days and longer. As expected, the response was a cut-and-paste with the same wording above.
I just send an email as well regarding days sailed as well as the 8 day for reception as well. I’m sure I’ll get the same boiler plate response.
Although I am a Gold member – just completed my first Gold cruise (through the Panama Canal) – I am very uneducated about all the ins and outs of Disney cruising (seems I was not aware of an email glitch and was not getting DCL/CC email and announcements all these years) – the CC perks, etc. ! I enjoyed being able to attend the Captain’s Reception, but it’d never be a deal breaker for me if I couldn’t go again ! What I’d much rather see would be the changes in how we progress to higher levels by calculating length of cruises, not number of cruises – and the perks of booking future cruises by those levels.. Three of our cruises have been 14 nights and we are anxiously waiting for new schedule to come out (and hoping it includes Hawaii again !) I put in a Place Holder on this last cruise and now am hoping that I get the news of the new schedule in time enough to book what I’d like ! As a West Coast resident, both my travel agent and I are hours behind being able to read the email announcements East Coast residents will see sooner ! Bummer !
Any helpful tips for helping me to better understand how to take best advantage of DCL travel planning ?
Still leaves me disappointed when we are embarking on our fifth Disney Cruise this year and yet despite having spent in excess of 30 days on the Magic we wont be a Gold member. How is that fair? Any thoughts? Friends of ours we met on previous cruises are now Platinum and yet are only a few days ahead of us in terms of time spent and indeed money spent!!!!! I sent a email to Disney to make this point and the response was hilarious to the point that they just didnt get it. What this means to us is that by the time we get to book our shore excursions most of our family choices will have been taken. This happened in 2015 when we got one out of four of our choices.