Disney Cruise Line Ups Policy on Door Decorations

[LauraS]

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Disney Cruise Line Ups Policy on Door Decorations

[truck1]

Im not surprised, and not upset. When we were on the Magic in 2010, we noticed on our door, outlines where other people had placed different things on the door that apparently was damaging the painted surface. Looking at the other doors we noticed the same thing. I can see for Disney where the cost of constantly repainting the doors can get expensive over time. In reality, using magnets really isnt that much of an

inconvenience.

[coldflame]

Check out the latest Disney Cruise Line news from Cruise Critic:

 

Disney Cruise Line Ups Policy on Door Decorations

 

Makes complete sense to me. The last couple trips I thought there were some families that were abusing the privilege, if you will. One thing is to let kids "personalize" their staterooms, a whole different thing is to decorate them like a parade float. And I do not blame disney for new rules.

[truck1]

Makes complete sense to me. The last couple trips I thought there were some families that were abusing the privilege, if you will. One thing is to let kids "personalize" their staterooms, a whole different thing is to decorate them like a parade float. And I do not blame disney for new rules.

 

I dont blame them either. At some point, DCL is going to have to make a rule(s) that is in their best interest, or in the best interest of their customers. Like it or not, they are a business.

[wildcatlh]

I thought the rule already required magnetic decorations. Seems like something obvious for them to do, at any rate.

[Tina0922]

I have been doing door decorations on cruises for many years on several lines. I even made a sm picture frame with elaborate decorations including parents wedding day picture with current picture for their 40th Anniversary. We had several cabins on deck 10, down from the bridge and during the 13 nights the staff coming & going from the bridge knew our family from the door décor! It was great to be walking around and having staff captain, hotel manager, director of security, etc giving well wishes to my parents. They never said anything negative about doors being decorated with the frames.

I have found it is always easier to use magnets anyway. I just hot glue it to the back of whatever I have & not worry about forgetting tape or tacking stuff to hang items.....I did it last year on Dream(and saved it) & have made an exact duplicate for my brothers cabin this year since he was not with us last year. Our cabin décor will match and nephews will know what cabins are ours....

I'm glad Disney trying to keep up on the upkeep of their ships. That is one thing I noticed last year on out first Disney cruise.

 

Tina

[OceanLiner]

The door decorations are really interesting, and it makes me wonder how they got started. It is like the virtual world of a Facebook page brought to a real world application, but I can't press "hide".

 

Volumes of threads talk about the beauty and design of the Disney ships and then somehow the halls get redecorated like a craft fair.

 

We tend to use the number plaques to identify our stateroom and the staterooms of our friends/guests. Interestingly, the staff knows us by name, not by door.

[CC Help Jenn]

I find the decorations interesting. I think each door that is decorated tells a story of some type. To me it adds to the fun and magic of the cruise :)

[Charlie Cruise]

What size and how many decorations do you consider fun and not too much. I hate to ask this question, but do they sometime disappear???

First time Disney cruisers with 3 boys, so any advice would be great?

Charlie:)

[moki'smommy]

We are not heavily into decorating the door, but on some occasions have been given magnets as gifts and do display those on the cruise. On one, we found that the magnet was not strong enough to support the weight of the thing. We found that one on several different doors--it would fall off when the door was closed and someone would pick it up and assume it belonged across the hall.

 

The "magnet only" policy has been in effect for several years. The new thing to note is no over the door holders for items as these can scratch the bathroom doors.

 

As to should you or should you not decorate your door--life is too short for me to worry about what others do. If decorating your door gives you joy, go for it. If that is more effort than you wish to use or just silly to you, don't do it. Either way, it won't make or break your cruise. We did find that with little kids, a single magnet helps them to identify the room. We had one cruise where an extended family had 4 cabins across the hall and failed to supervise their children on at least some occasions. Kids ran up and down the 4 rooms looking for cousins, etc. and on several occasions banged on our door claiming to have the wrong room. I felt like attaching a sign that said "This is not your room," but if they couldn't figure out that cousin didn't have a magnet, they probably couldn't read the sign either.

[CC Help Jenn]

What size and how many decorations do you consider fun and not too much. I hate to ask this question, but do they sometime disappear???

First time Disney cruisers with 3 boys, so any advice would be great?

Charlie:)

 

In the past a few magnets per kid. If there was a special occasion, I would put a magnet for that as well. Our Fantasy cruise we had quite a few - as members on the sailing gave us some as well :) Edited to add, my magnets have never disappeared

 

This was our last Dream cruise and my son's birthday

 

 

Edited May 14, 2013 by Help@

[Charlie Cruise]

Thank you! We appreciate the quick response and have a some good ideas now:)

Charlie

[deafed]

Hi! Can you share how you were able to make these magnets? I am looking for templates to add words to...I can laminate with magnet sheet on the back. We are going on the Fantasy in a week and celebrating my daughter's Bat Mitzvah.

 

Thank you!!!!

[CC Help Jenn]

Hi! Can you share how you were able to make these magnets? I am looking for templates to add words to...I can laminate with magnet sheet on the back. We are going on the Fantasy in a week and celebrating my daughter's Bat Mitzvah.

 

Thank you!!!!

 

I personally just searched for images through google then used Photoshop to add words and/or change the image to fit what I was looking for. You can use any editing tool though, even Word or Paint to add some words to any image.

[tutumomickey]

Can anyone tell me the size of the center panels between the rivets? I am making a custom magnet and failed to measure on our last cruise.Specifically the Wonder if it matters. Thank You :)

[Shmoo here]

Can anyone tell me the size of the center panels between the rivets? I am making a custom magnet and failed to measure on our last cruise.Specifically the Wonder if it matters. Thank You :)

 

I don't have an exact measurement, but in looking at my photos, I'm estimating the inside measurement of the inset is around 14".

[PopFla]

I just measured one of our door decorations; the widest part of Goofy's orange shirt (the space between the two blue arrows) is 10 and a quarter inches, so 14" would seem to be a pretty good estimation.

[EJanss]

Makes complete sense to me. The last couple trips I thought there were some families that were abusing the privilege, if you will. One thing is to let kids "personalize" their staterooms, a whole different thing is to decorate them like a parade float. And I do not blame disney for new rules.

 

I'd be just as excited and Disneyfied about a land park-hotel vacation, but if I decorated my Contemporary Resort door like a 10-yo's bedroom door, I'd hear from the front desk before the day was out.

With some kids allowed to go their own way on a ship during the day, I can see the value of trying to create some identification to find a near-identical cabin door in the corridors again, but just because you're "settled in" for a comfy stay doesn't mean you literally have the place to yourself.

Edited January 30, 2017 by EJanss

[PopFla]

....but just because you're "settled in" for a comfy stay doesn't mean you literally have the place to yourself.

 

Sheesh. Was that necessary ? :(

[Ex techie]

I'd be just as excited and Disneyfied about a land park-hotel vacation, but if I decorated my Contemporary Resort door like a 10-yo's bedroom door, I'd hear from the front desk before the day was out.

With some kids allowed to go their own way on a ship during the day, I can see the value of trying to create some identification to find a near-identical cabin door in the corridors again, but just because you're "settled in" for a comfy stay doesn't mean you literally have the place to yourself.

 

I absolutely agree with you Eric on this!

 

Yes a discrete magnet I do not find distateful, like this:

 

 

But when they end up like this due to some people having no control, I do find them distasteful, gaudy, and tacky. They detract from the overall ambience and decor of the ships.

 

 

Unfortunately DCL allow them as long as they are adhered to the doors within the rules however.

 

ex techie

[moki'smommy]

I love the ones that are too large or heavy for their magnetic portion so that they are constantly falling off the door into the hall. And the room hosts put them back on the nearest door, not always where they are supposed to live.

 

True confession--I know this because we received one of these as a gift. It was a real pain.

[EJanss]

Sheesh. Was that necessary ? :(

 

Well, given XT's second photo, yes:

 

When you're staying at a hotel, you see guests checking in and out every day, so you're conscious of the fact that you're just checking in and out as well, and have to leave the room as you found it for the next person.

But when you're on a week-long cruise, out in the middle of the sea, with the same people on board for the whole trip--and whether or not it has anything to do with the fact that if feels like all your itineraries are coming to you, rather than vice versa--it can feel like there's a mindset that "This is my own private space!" for you and your family, all to yourselves, until you reach home port again.

 

Again, if you need identification for young ones, a discreet and particular Mickey-magnet they would know helps them find it, but if you're going to go all-out and completely redecorate the door in Early Disney-Fan, it's still the ship's door.

Edited January 30, 2017 by EJanss

[Ex techie]

Well, given XT's second photo,

I'm not an XTraterestial I promise! 😂

 

Some people do not know when to stop overstepping their boundaries.

You rent the Stateroom, the inside part, not the common areas.

And isn't it sad so many people abused this unofficial and turn a blind eye perk, with using adhesives that marked or removed the paint so often, that DCL had to clamp down on it and impose a charge for redecorating the doors?

 

I'm all for anyone decorating the inside of your Stateroom, but I believe common areas should not be decorated by Guests.

And if your kids are too young to remember the Stateroom number, or see a discreet magnet, then they shouldn't be unaccompanied going there.

 

Ex techie

[Cafedumonde]

People's door decorations do not bother us at all. I do think people who go overboard are goofy, and our family has a good time laughing at them when we go by (not laughing to their faces of course), but they do not offend us or bother us any more than other people do generally.

[moki'smommy]

I'm not an XTraterestial I promise! 😂

 

Some people do not know when to stop overstepping their boundaries.

You rent the Stateroom, the inside part, not the common areas.

And isn't it sad so many people abused this unofficial and turn a blind eye perk, with using adhesives that marked or removed the paint so often, that DCL had to clamp down on it and impose a charge for redecorating the doors?

 

I'm all for anyone decorating the inside of your Stateroom, but I believe common areas should not be decorated by Guests.

And if your kids are too young to remember the Stateroom number, or see a discreet magnet, then they shouldn't be unaccompanied going there.

 

Ex techie

The charge from DCL was because people were damaging the paint on the doors with various types of "Sticky-tack" or tapes. The DCL policy became "If you break our magnet-only rule, you'll get to pay for it." The same policy applies to the interior surfaces of your stateroom--magnets only.

 

I think the "Welcome Home" magnet from DVC or a magnet from a TA is a nice touch. Of course, it is also a form of advertising for them. And something does make your door stand out, whether for kids or adults. We were on a cruise where an extended family had 4 or more cabins across the hall from us. The kids would routinely run up and down the hall to knock on a cousin's door. I can't tell you how many times we were disturbed by a knock from the "under 5" set. On the second day, I put a magnet on my door just to discourage them--it didn't work. On the one hand, it wasn't that big a deal. On the other, if the kids couldn't determine which doors belonged to family, they should have been supervised.

 

I agree that you have rented a cabin, and I honestly see this as a "less can be more" situation. However, a fully magnet covered door is far less offensive than a massive stroller or other personal items left in the hall! There are specific places to park a wheelchair or scooter if you didn't get an HA cabin. Personal items left in the halls are awful for the stateroom hosts and anyone with a mobility problem!