Maestro's Europe Trip - Newbie here.. Please be Patient
May 8, 2012, 8:53 pm
#391
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,967
I still very strongly do NOT recommend a cruise for the OP and his family at this stage/age in one of the European locations, however wanted to point out that Disney Cruise Lines today dropped prices for DVC members to almost unheard of prices for their newest ship. That is definitely an indication that the cruise industry may continue to reprice in the coming months (or just an indication that as I said earlier, Disney is out to rob people absolutely blind, and now has too much capacity to find enough gullible people to fill those ships)
May 9, 2012, 5:53 pm
#392
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,254
I still very strongly do NOT recommend a cruise for the OP and his family at this stage/age in one of the European locations, however wanted to point out that Disney Cruise Lines today dropped prices for DVC members to almost unheard of prices for their newest ship. That is definitely an indication that the cruise industry may continue to reprice in the coming months (or just an indication that as I said earlier, Disney is out to rob people absolutely blind, and now has too much capacity to find enough gullible people to fill those ships)
Disney is aggressive in trying to fill their remaining cabins.
May 10, 2012, 12:06 am
#393
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,967
Disney Cruise Lines fill a niche market. Not many people are willing to pay twice as much on average for lesser itineraries, product, service just to cruise with a rodent. (Yes, yes, I know, people are inhaling pixie dust and putting logic aside)
I do wonder if with four ships they now find that they have exceeded demand for such a specific product? Being such a small player in the market, they don't have the ability to create a variety of unique itineraries, which also seems to be an issue for many who would do a repeat cruise with Disney, if only the itinerary were different.
I do wonder if with four ships they now find that they have exceeded demand for such a specific product? Being such a small player in the market, they don't have the ability to create a variety of unique itineraries, which also seems to be an issue for many who would do a repeat cruise with Disney, if only the itinerary were different.
May 11, 2012, 11:05 pm
#394
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,967
Back on the subject of strollers being stolen at Disney parks, may I present rental stroller insurance:
http://www.magicstrollers.com/help/
http://www.babywheelsorlando.com/doublemini.html
Stroller theft (as well as theft from stroller) absolutely do occur, at least at the US Disney parks. I suspect that they are also occur at the non-US parks, even if strollers are not used as frequently.
As a disclaimer, I have no idea about the second company, but can definitely vouch for the integrity and honesty of the first, having a long relationship with their parent company and knowing the players personally. That isn't meant as a business advertisement, but rather as validation that they wouldn't be offering insurance unless it were potentially needed.
Then there is this comment which is just one of many, many online about stroller theft at Disney parks:
I agree with the quote; I think that too often people think that just because they are at a Disney park that everything is sprinkled with pixie dust and that they can let their guard down.
My advice to anyone will continue to be not to leave anything of any value and/or importance in a stroller, and to expect that there is some likelihood of a stroller being stolen, and hence to consider taking one of lesser value.
What happens if my stroller is stolen?
Under our terms and conditions, you are responsible for the loss of the stroller during your rental period. The replacement cost for a single stroller is $225 and the replacement cost for a double stroller is $350.
...
What is cost of the theft/damage insurance and what does it cover?
This insurance costs $25 for the length of your rental. It must be purchased prior to the delivery of your stroller. It will cover the cost of your stroller in the event that it is stolen or damaged during your rental.
Under our terms and conditions, you are responsible for the loss of the stroller during your rental period. The replacement cost for a single stroller is $225 and the replacement cost for a double stroller is $350.
...
What is cost of the theft/damage insurance and what does it cover?
This insurance costs $25 for the length of your rental. It must be purchased prior to the delivery of your stroller. It will cover the cost of your stroller in the event that it is stolen or damaged during your rental.
Optional Rental Insurance covers the replacement cost of the Stroller and Accessories, in the event they are stolen or damaged.
Stroller theft (as well as theft from stroller) absolutely do occur, at least at the US Disney parks. I suspect that they are also occur at the non-US parks, even if strollers are not used as frequently.
As a disclaimer, I have no idea about the second company, but can definitely vouch for the integrity and honesty of the first, having a long relationship with their parent company and knowing the players personally. That isn't meant as a business advertisement, but rather as validation that they wouldn't be offering insurance unless it were potentially needed.
Then there is this comment which is just one of many, many online about stroller theft at Disney parks:
Yep it got stolen on our 2nd day there. It was labeled with our last name too. Disney was really great and tried to help locate it and even gave us strollers for our kids until we got a replacement. I dont think people realize that things including strollers get stolen everywhere even at Disney. That day at AK we were the 5th stroller reported stolen according the person helping us
My advice to anyone will continue to be not to leave anything of any value and/or importance in a stroller, and to expect that there is some likelihood of a stroller being stolen, and hence to consider taking one of lesser value.
May 23, 2012, 11:32 pm
#395
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,967
Just curious if OP has updated plans to share. I am moving slightly east and moving earlier this summer which should hopefully be slightly less expensive and less crazy crowded than last summer. (But still just one street away from the water)
May 24, 2012, 7:31 am
#396
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,254
Disney Cruise Lines fill a niche market. Not many people are willing to pay twice as much on average for lesser itineraries, product, service just to cruise with a rodent. (Yes, yes, I know, people are inhaling pixie dust and putting logic aside)
I do wonder if with four ships they now find that they have exceeded demand for such a specific product? Being such a small player in the market, they don't have the ability to create a variety of unique itineraries, which also seems to be an issue for many who would do a repeat cruise with Disney, if only the itinerary were different.
I do wonder if with four ships they now find that they have exceeded demand for such a specific product? Being such a small player in the market, they don't have the ability to create a variety of unique itineraries, which also seems to be an issue for many who would do a repeat cruise with Disney, if only the itinerary were different.
A 2 day/2 night Disney party cruise out of NYC is currently selling for $2350 for 2 people in a balcony cabin. Have to give Disney credit, the cruise is almost sold out. For less money I can book 2 nights in a NYC hotel, Broadway tickets and dinner in a nice restaurant. Posters, on a different board, try to compare the cruise to 2 nights hotel at a 5* (Plaza) hotel, Broadway shows and dinners in a restaurant like le Cirque. Not only is the comparison absurd but you might be able to beat the price at those kinds of establishments. Consider a friends and family rate at a hotel like the Plaza. The tasting menu at a restaurant like le Cirque.
May 30, 2012, 6:18 am
#397
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,254
I'm not sure when the OP is back from his trip but this thread might be of interest.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/europ...rk-europe.html
The kind of family entertainment he's looking for.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/europ...rk-europe.html
The kind of family entertainment he's looking for.
May 30, 2012, 7:18 am
#398
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,967
I just shared my thoughts on why EuropaPark is better than his beloved Disney on that thread. Nobody giving me step by step instructions on what to do in the toilet is just one reason why I prefer the Mack park over the American Disney parks 
Oh, and now the DCL 2013 Med cruises are priced at about 2x-3x over their already overinflated 2011 prices! Somehow I suspect that once again they will be forced to change itineraries and drop prices as they will struggle to find enough fans blind enough to pay those prices for mediocre itineraries and product.
Oh, and now the DCL 2013 Med cruises are priced at about 2x-3x over their already overinflated 2011 prices! Somehow I suspect that once again they will be forced to change itineraries and drop prices as they will struggle to find enough fans blind enough to pay those prices for mediocre itineraries and product.
Last edited by exbayern; May 30, 2012 at 8:00 am
May 31, 2012, 11:30 am
#399
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 13,573
I always figured the hand washing things were health code requirements / suggestions - I know in some countries / parts of some countries, any washrooms used by employees must have hand washing instructions, or it is considered 'best practice' to do so. Because theme parks rarely have dedicated washrooms for their staff (the food servers etc. use the ones closest to them rather than go to a 'staffroom area'), they have the signs in them. I see them in similar places (theme parks, water parks, exhibitions, convention centres) around and about. You find the same signs in employee washrooms all over the place (but most customers don't see them in smaller operations).
May 31, 2012, 11:59 am
#400
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,967
I always figured the hand washing things were health code requirements / suggestions - I know in some countries / parts of some countries, any washrooms used by employees must have hand washing instructions, or it is considered 'best practice' to do so. Because theme parks rarely have dedicated washrooms for their staff (the food servers etc. use the ones closest to them rather than go to a 'staffroom area'), they have the signs in them. I see them in similar places (theme parks, water parks, exhibitions, convention centres) around and about. You find the same signs in employee washrooms all over the place (but most customers don't see them in smaller operations).
A major producer of toilet paper and paper towels 'sponsors' the inane signage telling people detailed step by step HOW to wash their hands.
Normal signage does not go into such detail, nor does anyone pay millions to put up those signs. It just looks like Disney thinks that its customers in the US are too ignorant to know how to wash their hands, and/or that Disney is in for the money grab yet again.
Jun 1, 2012, 7:32 am
#402
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,967
Again, I am NOT talking about signs such as 'wash your hands' or 'employees must wash hands before returning to work'. And I don't recall any company in the UK spending millions to sponsor these signs.
I'm talking about very specific instructions such as
How to wash your hands:
- wet hands thoroughly
- apply quarter size dollop of soap
- rub vigorously and thoroughly
- rinse hands with water
- dry hands thoroughly
These instructions brought to you by XYZ
My point is that the Paris Disney experience is still enjoyable. The OP has had many posts on various threads about how WDW is one of the best places in the world. Many people who have spent a lot of time in the parks over the last few decades disagree. The experience there has declined very markedly in the last 15 years, and there are many reasons why. (The economy is not part of it; the US Disney parks are making more money than ever before) The quality has declined, the service has declined, and the commercialisation has become more blatant.
And the guests have changed. Many of them are looking more and more how to cheat and to scam and to work around the rules. Strollers have grown in size and the number has grown substantially, making it difficult to navigate the parks. Guests demand more and more due to the internet. Most free unexpected pleasures have been removed over the years as a result. (Grown women having physical battles over the chance to wave a toy wand in the air and watch lights turn on in a room? The experience intended for children of waking Tinkerbell is gone as a result) The experience in 2012 at WDW or DL is nothing like it was in the 1990's.
I have no issue with sponsorship; Disney did that from the start, EuropaPark has sponsors, the Autobahn Sanifair toilets have advertising. What I do take issue with is treating customers as if they were stupid, and collecting millions for it. That is also my issue with Adventures by Disney: they charge much, much more than other companies ($40,000 for 5-6 days in Germany?!) and don't provide an authentic experience, and pander to prejudice and xenophobia.
And again, the non-American Disney parks are still somewhat immune to much of that negative experience.
I'm talking about very specific instructions such as
How to wash your hands:
- wet hands thoroughly
- apply quarter size dollop of soap
- rub vigorously and thoroughly
- rinse hands with water
- dry hands thoroughly
These instructions brought to you by XYZ
My point is that the Paris Disney experience is still enjoyable. The OP has had many posts on various threads about how WDW is one of the best places in the world. Many people who have spent a lot of time in the parks over the last few decades disagree. The experience there has declined very markedly in the last 15 years, and there are many reasons why. (The economy is not part of it; the US Disney parks are making more money than ever before) The quality has declined, the service has declined, and the commercialisation has become more blatant.
And the guests have changed. Many of them are looking more and more how to cheat and to scam and to work around the rules. Strollers have grown in size and the number has grown substantially, making it difficult to navigate the parks. Guests demand more and more due to the internet. Most free unexpected pleasures have been removed over the years as a result. (Grown women having physical battles over the chance to wave a toy wand in the air and watch lights turn on in a room? The experience intended for children of waking Tinkerbell is gone as a result) The experience in 2012 at WDW or DL is nothing like it was in the 1990's.
I have no issue with sponsorship; Disney did that from the start, EuropaPark has sponsors, the Autobahn Sanifair toilets have advertising. What I do take issue with is treating customers as if they were stupid, and collecting millions for it. That is also my issue with Adventures by Disney: they charge much, much more than other companies ($40,000 for 5-6 days in Germany?!) and don't provide an authentic experience, and pander to prejudice and xenophobia.
And again, the non-American Disney parks are still somewhat immune to much of that negative experience.
Last edited by exbayern; Jun 1, 2012 at 7:49 am
Jun 1, 2012, 5:11 pm
#403
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Cambridge, England
Programs: BA, VS, Le Club Accor Gold
Posts: 1,208
That was the type of sign i was referring to, i've seen them a lot in places where kids are likely to be using the washrooms, i've only been to WDW once and then only to the Magic Kingdom, i prefer DL California and DL Hong Kong, i'd like to visit the one in Tokyo as i've heard it's the best to visit, DL Paris was ok but i found the deals cater more to two parent families
Jun 1, 2012, 5:17 pm
#404
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador: World of Hyatt
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: NJ
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Fairmont Lifetime Plat, UA Silver, dirt elsewhere
Posts: 46,919
I can confirm that the signs you're talking about only appear in WDW, and fairly recently too. My first thought when I saw them was, ahhh... more advertising 
It's not a generic type of wash & dry your hands sign - it's clearly advertising.
It's not a generic type of wash & dry your hands sign - it's clearly advertising.