Done with DCL

[Rogillio]

Well many can be happy because a frequent DCL cruiser is opening up some spots for others by jumping ship

Thanks! Happy sailing!

I have found that when sailing off-peak times DCL are very reasonable.....almost even competitive. Evidently the demand for the cruises during periods when kids are out of school remains high or maybe is even growing.

It would be interesting to compare cruise prices for say a June DCL cruise with other cruise lines and then compare a Sept DCL cruise with other cruise lines. My experience is you won't see anywhere near the disparity in prices for the Sept cruise like you see for June

 

[Joel0917]

i just made the jump to Royal for Easter 2017. Can't justify the prices.

 

[NancyIL]

Fortunately, I never got sucked in by DCL early on, as it was the 4th cruise line I sailed. My two Disney Transatlantic cruises were my favorites and the best value. I have a placeholder that will be moved to either the spring 2017 Panama Canal or Transatlantic cruise. Other than those longer repositioning cruises - I'm not willing to pay what DCL charges.

 

[Rogillio]

Fortunately, I never got sucked in by DCL early on, as it was the 4th cruise line I sailed. My two Disney Transatlantic cruises were my favorites and the best value. I have a placeholder that will be moved to either the spring 2017 Panama Canal or Transatlantic cruise. Other than those longer repositioning cruises - I'm not willing to pay what DCL charges.

Confirms what I wrote above.

 

[aprincessatlast]

Come back to let us know how Celebrity was. We were docked next to it in Falmouth and the shipped looked lovely. I would love to hear a comparison as that is one line that is not mentioned too much on here. We have sailed other lines and always enjoyed ourselves. I have a breaking point with DCL and will only sail when I see the deal I like because I personally never enjoy a vacation where I feel I paid too much no matter how much "magic" there is. So I understand.

As far as loyalty, I honestly don't think Disney as a company gives 2 hoots about repeat visitors to their parks or cruise line. They seem to be a company that lives in the moment and wants top dollar for those who will spend it right now. We will see if that comes back to bite them. Probably not though.

Happy travels!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Thanks! Happy sailing!

I have found that when sailing off-peak times DCL are very reasonable.....almost even competitive. Evidently the demand for the cruises during periods when kids are out of school remains high or maybe is even growing.

It would be interesting to compare cruise prices for say a June DCL cruise with other cruise lines and then compare a Sept DCL cruise with other cruise lines. My experience is you won't see anywhere near the disparity in prices for the Sept cruise like you see for June

I just sailed the NCL Getaway on a 7-night Eastern in a balcony room with an adult beverage package for less than I could've done a 3-night on the Dream. I compared the prices at the time of booking (just over a month out) and even factored an OBB for Disney. That was a sailing last month. In September.

 

[NancyIL]

Confirms what I wrote above.

Those are the ONLY Disney cruises with what I consider to be reasonable rates! Other cruise lines' Transatlantic and Panama Canal cruises tend to have better itineraries than DCL, and often lower prices, too. However, I'm willing to do a long DCL cruise every few years because they do a nice job onboard.

 

[NancyIL]

Come back to let us know how Celebrity was. We were docked next to it in Falmouth and the shipped looked lovely. I would love to hear a comparison as that is one line that is not mentioned too much on here. We have sailed other lines and always enjoyed ourselves. I have a breaking point with DCL and will only sail when I see the deal I like because I personally never enjoy a vacation where I feel I paid too much no matter how much "magic" there is. So I understand.

As far as loyalty, I honestly don't think Disney as a company gives 2 hoots about repeat visitors to their parks or cruise line. They seem to be a company that lives in the moment and wants top dollar for those who will spend it right now. We will see if that comes back to bite them. Probably not though.

Happy travels!

The powers that be at Disney will be kicking themselves during the next economic downturn for alienating so many potential customers - especially Florida residents and former annual passholders.

 

[Rogillio]

I just sailed the NCL Getaway on a 7-night Eastern in a balcony room with an adult beverage package for less than I could've done a 3-night on the Dream. I compared the prices at the time of booking (just over a month out) and even factored an OBB for Disney. That was a sailing last month. In September.

I cruised on the Dream 3-day cruise in Sept for about $700 per adult for a veranda room. If you found a 7 day cruise for that in a verandah room for less than that then you got a bargain. I'm not a fan of NCL.

 

[G.Tyler]

I too have cruised many times with Disney, all of them Concierge. For the vast majority of our cruises, the value has always been appropriate when matched to the experience. DCL has made some changes lately that some here are frustrated with. After all it is Their Company and They have the right to change policy to best meet the needs of the Company as well as its clients who sail with them. What I find kind of funny is that some people truly think that they are doing someone a favor by changing cruise lines, and what is truly amazing is the awards that DCL is receiving for value, service, food, staff, etc. from the top cruise critics in the country. From reading these post (for quite sometime now) one would think that DCL has little to offer and is a second rate cruise Company. Not so my friend.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Those are the ONLY Disney cruises with what I consider to be reasonable rates! Other cruise lines' Transatlantic and Panama Canal cruises tend to have better itineraries than DCL, and often lower prices, too. However, I'm willing to do a long DCL cruise every few years because they do a nice job onboard.

That sounds about right for us now. Maybe. I dunno. I'm still struggling to wrap my brain around assigned dinner times/restaurants again. I am not kidding when I say I'm madly in love with Freestyle dining. Eat what you want when you feel like. And oodles of choices. <3

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I cruised on the Dream 3-day cruise in Sept for about $700 per adult for a veranda room. If you found a 7 day cruise for that in a verandah room for less than that then you got a bargain. I'm not a fan of NCL.

I booked at about $700/person in an inside room. Upgraded to a balcony for $400 more. In a balcony room with beverage package for under $2k. Pretty good.

 

[TestingH2O]

As far as loyalty, I honestly don't think Disney as a company gives 2 hoots about repeat visitors to their parks or cruise line. They seem to be a company that lives in the moment and wants top dollar for those who will spend it right now. We will see if that comes back to bite them. Probably not though.

But do they need loyalty? When I think about Disney, I think about a product geared to families with young kids. Honestly, if DD still likes Disney at 12 or 13, I will be happy to support her. However, I suspect that her eagerness to hunt characters will wane sooner rather than later. I have viewed my time in the Disney bubble as finite from the beginning. I suspect corporate sees it that way too.

 

[Rogillio]

As far as loyalty, I honestly don't think Disney as a company gives 2 hoots about repeat visitors to their parks or cruise line. They seem to be a company that lives in the moment and wants top dollar for those who will spend it right now. We will see if that comes back to bite them. Probably not though.

Happy travels!

I somewhat agree....but that is as it should be. I cruise becasue I like a cruise line and I like the itinerary not because I get a token gift in my stateroom or because I get to book excursions early.

As long as there is a contiuing growing market of new cruisers (and there certainly is) repeat cruises is a not that big of a deal. Same with airlines and FF accounts. I fly based on price, scedule and availabilty. Only IF all things being exactly equal will I go with an airline becuase they have the best FF program. Now hotels are a little different......I am (or was) Hilton Honors Diamond and got some really nice perks with Hilton family hotel.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I too have cruised many times with Disney, all of them Concierge. For the vast majority of our cruises, the value has always been appropriate when matched to the experience. DCL has made some changes lately that some here are frustrated with. After all it is Their Company and They have the right to change policy to best meet the needs of the Company as well as its clients who sail with them. What I find kind of funny is that some people truly think that they are doing someone a favor by changing cruise lines, and what is truly amazing is the awards that DCL is receiving for value, service, food, staff, etc. from the top cruise critics in the country. From reading these post (for quite sometime now) one would think that DCL has little to offer and is a second rate cruise Company. Not so my friend.

They aren't the best fit for everyone, that's for sure.

DCL isn't bad but they aren't that much better than others to ask such a higher fare. I've enjoyed my DCL cruises. No regrets. I've had just as good service on Royal and NCL.

BTW, DCL wasn't on the recent Cruise Critic Editor's Picks Awards at all. I know that's subjective, tho. Cruiser's picks tend to hold more water for me.

Disney is definitely not a second rate cruise line. They have a lot to offer. But, they aren't the only cruise line with a quality product that has value. As a Disney shareholder I think everyone should give Disney a try if they can. It's by getting out there and trying things that one can truly know if something is right for them.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

But do they need loyalty? When I think about Disney, I think about a product geared to families with young kids. Honestly, if DD still likes Disney at 12 or 13, I will be happy to support her. However, I suspect that her eagerness to hunt characters will wane sooner rather than later. I have viewed my time in the Disney bubble as finite from the beginning. I suspect corporate sees it that way too.

Yes and no. The way Disney pushes DVC, the multi-generational tactic, shows they expect to keep a captive audience at least somewhere.

 

[Rogillio]

But do they need loyalty? When I think about Disney, I think about a product geared to families with young kids. Honestly, if DD still likes Disney at 12 or 13, I will be happy to support her. However, I suspect that her eagerness to hunt characters will wane sooner rather than later. I have viewed my time in the Disney bubble as finite from the beginning. I suspect corporate sees it that way too.

Very well put!! While our kids are grown and we have moved on to other cruise lines, I would not change a thing about the numerous DCL we took when they were gorwing up. When it comes to young kids, NOTHING evern comes close to the DCL cruise experience. As they grow into teens and young adults then yeah, rock wall climbing and wave pool surfing on the RCCL is actually cooler than the Golden Mickey Awards and having Tiger come visit us at dinner.

 

[Pens Fan]

That sounds about right for us now. Maybe. I dunno. I'm still struggling to wrap my brain around assigned dinner times/restaurants again. I am not kidding when I say I'm madly in love with Freestyle dining. Eat what you want when you feel like. And oodles of choices. <3

In addition to the huge price difference, I admit that the anytime dining is a huge draw to us. We are looking to jump ship in 2017 on a European cruise and the anytime dining on NCL looks so appealing. I'm curious what your experience was like. Did you make reservations ahead of time or could you simply show up when you got hungry? If the latter, how long was your wait for a table, especially if you didn't want to share. Did it make a difference if you were eating in the MDR vs a specialty restaurant? I've done some lurking on CC, but honestly most of the folks on the NCL forum fall into one of two camps - total NCL cheerleader vs "NCL is the worst cruise line in the world and it's my responsibility to make sure everyone knows it". I'd love to hear an objective opinion

TIA

 

[JW9DVC]

And... I really don't understand why people go on here telling us they are jumping ship. If it's during holidays and spring break. Of course the price will go up. Others will pay the difference. Just because you won't. Are you looking for us to tell you, no please stay?

JW

 

[sweetpee_1993]

And... I really don't understand why people go on here telling us they are jumping ship. If it's during holidays and spring break. Of course the price will go up. Others will pay the difference. Just because you won't. Are you looking for us to tell you, no please stay?

JW

I think it's just venting/sharing. People come here to share excitement. Share the good times. Why not share the disappointments? Why not the less-than happy?