Haven't cruised since 2009, help me understand...

[pixiedustaholic]

Hi, everyone! I have not posted on this board in a long time. Our first and only Disney Cruise was in June of 2009. We had snagged a great deal on a 7 Day Western in June for only $2800.00 for our family of 4. I understand that we will probably never see rates like that again for DCL ever. We just got lucky that I happened to be pricing cruises for the first time ever and it popped up so I knew I had better jump on it right away. That was back when there were Category 12 GTY cabins. We ended up getting upgraded to a cabin with a porthole window. From my understanding, DCL used to offer lower rates for their inside cabins to get people on the ship. I have been looking at rates off and on since then since we would LOVE to cruise again. However, the prices seem way out of whack for inside staterooms. We will certainly not be able to afford them. It seems that from browsing the boards that DCL offers "discounts" if you can wait and book closer to the cruise, pay in full, etc and other rules. My question is how good of a deal have folks been able to get by doing this? $6000 isn't a good deal to me. Can anyone please share what kind of prices they have been able to get and what month you sailed? We are pretty much stuck sailing during June and July due to school and sports. It would be my family of 4.
At this point, it looks like we will be sailing on another cruise line since DCL and even WDW prices seem to be skyrocketing. We used to go to WDW every year but it has gotten out of reach for us.
Thanks for any info.

 

[lbgraves]

There is a sticky notes at the top of the forum with opening day pricing threads for 2012 & 2013. This will give you an idea of what you can expect.

 

[pixiedustaholic]

So opening day pricing is the best deal you can get even if you wait until very close to the sail date? I thought I read that there were deals available if you booked last minute, paid in full, etc. with other restrictions. That is the pricing I was hoping someone could share. I think we all agree that these opening day prices aren't a good deal. Can anyone share what kind of price you paid if you waited to try to book last minute? Thanks!

 

[Floridagram]

Either opening day or you can wait late and see if there is a GTY (guarantee cabin rate). That is taking a chance, obviously they only offer those rates if a cruise is not selling well and I do not know that would happen in the summer.

We went on the Fantasy this year and I was looking to go again next year. I have done quite a bit of research. I was looking at the Oasis and Allure of the Seas. For us DCL turned out to be cheaper because to get a room the same size as a DCl balcony we would have had to get a suite on RCCL. But if you are looking for an inside cabin they are much cheaper on RCCL. DCL does not seem to have very many compared to the other lines. There also seems to be a lot more ocean view rooms on other lines. I am not sure why DCL designs there ships to have so few of the supposedly less expensive cabins, but that is why their prices are so much higher. Supply VS demand

RCCL is not DCL, but they have a lot of satisfied cruisers so if you cannot do DCL you might want to try there. The summer is going to be more expensive on every line though, supply vs demand again!

We go in off season, 1st week of May last year and last week of April next year, and we got our OV GTY last year for just under $5K. But I doubt that would be available in June or July.

I hope you are able to find a cruise, I think it is a great vacation for a family.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So opening day pricing is the best deal you can get even if you wait until very close to the sail date? I thought I read that there were deals available if you booked last minute, paid in full, etc. with other restrictions. That is the pricing I was hoping someone could share. I think we all agree that these opening day prices aren't a good deal. Can anyone share what kind of price you paid if you waited to try to book last minute? Thanks!

Generally, opening day prices are the lowest price that will be offered on a cruise. The last-minute, restricted fares (IGT, OGT, VGT) that may be offered on those cruises that aren't selling well, while lower than the going rate at the time, are usually higher than the opening day rate was for the same room. There were a few (rare) cruises where this wasn't true, but for the most part, it is.

 

[lbgraves]

That is also the case for many of the KSF deals that are posted. The recent ones out of Galveston seem to be great prices when you look at the current prices; however, if you look at what was originally charged for those cruises they aren't all that great.

 

[MissDaisyofTexas]

It seems like summer prices have increased the most from 2012 to 2013/2014. We sailed this past June on a 5-nighter on the Dream for $3700 (5 people, category 8 Oceanview). We booked that back in 2010. That same date, same room, same people, but for only 4 nights in 2014 is $800 more. For one less night!

The off-season times don't seem to have as big of an increase.

 

[kriswin1]

I booked an 8 day cruise out of Galveston about 60 days out. We sail on Jan 18, 2013. I got a 5A with veranda for a family of 4 for $3400. I did take advantage of the KFO offer. I thought this was a good deal?