ticked at Disney

[sailordude]

Hi Folks,

 

Well it looks like I screwed up. When I made my reservations (for our March cruise) back in October through the Disney web site, they of course ask you to list all the people going. So I listed my wife and my son "Alex".

 

In early January I called Disney as we were paying them to make the airline reservations and in checking the web site it showed no air reservations were yet made. I was informed by the DCL agent that I will get a call 1 month in advance of the cruise to work out our travel arrangements.

 

This week, With no call comming from DCL, I checked the web site and found my air reservations already made. I called DCL to inquire about why no phone call, and the agent immediately asked if my son's legal name was "Alex" which of course it's not, it's "Alexander". At which point the DCL agent informed me that I should have it changed, and the airlines would charge me $85 to fix this 'problem'. I asked him if this was going to be a problem for my 10 year old son, and his reply was "could be". He then informed me that -I- need to call the airlines and straighten it out, but at the same time told me that the airline would NOT fix this with me, as they would need the correction to be made by DCL, and that would require me to pay the $85 fee to DCL.

 

I was also told that I was called by the DCL agent on Jan 22nd over my son's name and a message left on my answering machine. Naturally since we were waiting for a call from Disney in early January we would have returned any call had we received it. Neither my wife nor I recall any DCL call on our answering machine.

 

I also asked the DCL rep if they would be willing to call the airlines and plead my case, and he refused, saying that the airlines depended on DCL to collect the $85 fee. I asked if they'd be willing to just eat the $85 fee to promote good will, and they again refused. I pointed out that Disney is going to be making lots of money off my upcoming cruise and that I have a variety of cruise options that I could book for in the future and the DCL agent said, "you have to pay."

 

I asked for a manager and was put on hold (while the manager was fully briefed by the agent). As soon as the manager came on the phone she told me in no uncertain terms, "pay the fee or not, that's up to you, but those are your choices."

 

So I got off the phone with DCL and called the airline. Talked to a very nice reservation agent who made a note in Alex's ticket information that his name was suppose to be Alexander. She did not think this was going to be a problem. Have a nice day. 10 minute phone call.

 

Since my son is only 10 and he's traveling with his Mom and Dad, I don't believe he will be required to even show ID for the flights.

 

The DCL agent and manager were polite but firm and un-yielding. They did change the name on the ship tickets and email me the airline information, but I was not happy with their level of support and assistance. I would have been much better served to make my own air line reservations. I'd have booked them when I wanted and been able to better deal directly with the airline then trying to work it through DCL.

 

I guess I'm just venting....

 

Sailordude

[jhannah]

Sorry for your mess. I don't think his name will be an issue, anyway ... but it seems like DCL should have been a bit more helpful in all this.

 

Such occasions are where a good travel agent is worth his/her weight in gold.

[GottaLuvCruising]

Such occasions are where a good travel agent is worth his/her weight in gold.

 

Yup, a good travel agent would have asked "Is 'Alex' your son's legal name?" and you would not have had a problem. This is yet another example of why people should use a travel professional.

[Steamboatin]

That is what you get for dealing with a Mickey Mouse operation.:D

[mikeythemars]

From this story and what I am seeing on other Disney related boards, reservation call center service at that company has definitely been slipping.

[Inspcramer]

I can't beleive what I'm reading here. Sailordude screws up and Disney is a bad company because they won't pay for his mistake. Disney will be charged by the airline for the name change, why in the world should they be out the fee when it was entirely Sailordude's fault? Try taking responsibility for your actions. I do hope you don't have a problem getting on the plane, but if you do remember it is your fault not Disney's that you didn't get the name changed on the tickets.

[mollyeilis]

I can't beleive what I'm reading here. Sailordude screws up and Disney is a bad company because they won't pay for his mistake. Disney will be charged by the airline for the name change, why in the world should they be out the fee when it was entirely Sailordude's fault? Try taking responsibility for your actions. I do hope you don't have a problem getting on the plane, but if you do remember it is your fault not Disney's that you didn't get the name changed on the tickets.

 

FWIW, I read that it was Disney's *attitude* that caused the hard feelings. I was in customer service, and I know that there are good ways and rotten ways to say the exact same thing. Even if the airline had made him pay for the change, if they felt that there would be a problem, a better customer service person could be nicer about it than it seems Disney was.

 

I didn't get the feeling the OP was saying that the original problem was Disney's fault, but their dealing with it left a whole lot to be desired!

[metrowon]

Excuse me, but you gave an innacurate name for your son. Since 911, no identification problems are going to be tolerated. Would you agree with that? Accept some responsibility for your own actions, and don't believe a good ta would have caught your error. Disney didn't make the 1st mistake, and while it seems as though a simple change order, is simple, it may not be. You have two differant means of transportation you are involved with, the cruise line, and the airline. I like an appropriate check in, where there are no id problems, and you might agree with that? While it might not be public knowledge, a security check has been done on you and your family members, by the cruise line and airline. So what seemed to be a simple change order, actually is a process that is not so simple, to insure your personal safety. If you insist it was someone else's fault about the mistake, than you'll probably have a lousy experiance, and that would have been with any cruise line. Get over it, go cruise and have a great time! Metrowon

[mollyeilis]

Am I crazy and seeing things that aren't there, or are people just missing that his first line is "Well it looks like I screwed up."?

[obmarcr]

I don't believe they check ID for children under 18. We have flown with our teenaged daughter about 6 times since 911 and she has never been checked for an ID. So I don't believe there will be a problem with the name. Sounds like Disney is trying to make an extra $85.00 off this.

[libertybelle41]

That is what you get for dealing with a Mickey Mouse operation.:D

 

 

 

Now that's funny!!

[metrowon]

Am I crazy and seeing things that aren't there, or are people just missing that his first line is "Well it looks like I screwed up."?

And I guess the answer is you might be crazy. Metrowon

[Shannon12]

nothing to see here lol.

[Pyrate13]

obmarcr,

 

The OP states the change is an airline fee ("the airlines would charge me $85 to fix this 'problem'") not Disney's. If Disney fixed the problem with the airline for the OP, they would be the collecting agent for the airline. So whether the OP does it himself or the DCL does it for him, he would still need to pay. Disney is not making money off it.

 

As for the original post...

 

I don't want to kick a guy when he's down and I feel for the OP but it's pretty much a common thing when traveling that you need to use correct names. The way they would appear on your ID. Could the DCL person been nicer in the way they said things? Maybe? But, we only get the conversation from one side and I wouldn't condemn DCL based on just that version of the story.

[lookingforward]

Sounds like you had some unfortunate customer service. Not the message but how the message was delivered. Spending thousands of dollars and more on the ship they could have been a little nicer to you and explained their protocols without being curt.

 

Hope you have a great cruise! And I agree, their call center customer service is declining fast, from my observation. Which is a shame because that is the hallmark of disney quality....great customer service.

[Miss Peepers]

Yikes, this has stirred up some controversy, hasn't it? You are totally right to vent here, this is the perfect place for it. Every bit of info garnered helps when planning the next cruise.

I travel quite a bit, the name difference would not have been a big issue at the check-in counter, esp since it's your 10 yr old son. In 2004, I went on a Princess cruise with my girl friend who had been married for over a year and never changed her driver's license to her married name-- but her ticket and cc were her married name (if only I knew ahead of time), they put up a big fuss and called a supervisor and argued about it for 20 mins then put her thru with a warning. That was with two totally different last names...(side note, we made it there but her luggage didn't- go figure).

As for Disney Cruise Line customer service, I just got back from my land/sea vacation and the DCL customer service call center reps were not the nicest people to deal with, BUT the Castaway Club call center reps were sweet as can be. We called several times to ask questions and such, only when we called the Castaway Club did we get definitive answers from nice reps, they even upgraded our cabin and it was wonderful.

Yes, you should have said 'Alexander', but what idiot doesn't know 'Alex' is short for 'Alexander'? C'mon people. As for the $85 charge-- that's a bunch of malarkey, I've changed traveling companions, flight times, even missed 5 flights in a row one weekend-- and I've never paid a dime extra. Always coach, always no insurance, yet no extra fees have been applied. Everything's computerized, it takes 2 secs for someone to update a name in the system. You're already paying more for the airfare booking thru Disney (we would have paid $100 more pp if they did our airfare), the least they could do is provide impeccable customer service. I would write to them directly, maybe with enough feedback they will give their call center a make over. Oh and, for goodness sakes, bring passports for everyone on this trip! One more thing-- when you disembark at the end of the cruise grab a porter and let him get your bags and escort you thru customs, we avoided a half hour wait and he put us right on our bus for the airport!! Call center aside, the crew and cast members on board the Wonder were the nicest I have ever dealt with. We actually cried when we left the ship, no one wanted to come home. You are in for a treat. Have fun!!!

[Host Mick]

Yes, you should have said 'Alexander', but what idiot doesn't know 'Alex' is short for 'Alexander'? C'mon people.

 

Not always. My Son, Alex is just that, Alex, not short for anything.

[Miss Peepers]

:D Thanks Mick, yes, of course. I was just trying to say that if I were a ticket agent and someone had a ticket that said 'Bob' and their passport said 'Robert' I probably wouldn't think twice about the name difference. It's the same thing with 'Alex'. Hey, I am all for heightened security protocols and keeping an eye for suspicious characters, but there is a line between doing an effective competent job and being over the top. Calling security in and wasting everyone's time for a 10 yr. old traveling with both of his parents because his father abbreviated his name seems a bit extreme. Then again, you can never be too careful, so everyone out there take heed and give current, accurate info regarding traveling documentation!

[Miss Peepers]

:D Thanks Mick, yes, of course.

[fshagan]

Minors aren't asked for ID at the airport when they are flying with an adult on domestic flights ... because minors don't have ID. So say your son's name is Alex, and you are A-OK.

 

It might be a problem if you are flying internationally and need to have a passport. It might be a problem if DCL needs their reservation to match his passport name. But it won't be a problem for domestic air travel.