Priced out

[keaster]

It's okay to say you are priced out, it doesn't mean you don't love DCL or the DCL cruise experience! It just means you have reached the limit of what you are willing to pay.

We are the same...we are gold cruisers, I have done nothing but rave about every DCL cruise we've been on. But prices have gone up substantially since our first cruise in 2009.

Things are even worse for us because of our current exchange rate. A PP above mentioned an inside cabin for three in September on the fantasy is listed at $3997. Well for us that comes out to $5258 Canadian. The OP says a balcony cabin in August is $7557. That is a grand total of $9922 Canadian! I would never pay that kind of money for a Caribbean cruise. We still keep an eye out for the GT rates (and there were some Canadian specials on cruises this July but it was too short notice for us as we already had our vacations booked).

 

[FigmentSpark]

There are also some Canadian specials in October, if you can swing it.

 

[Zeppelin]

we booked our cruise this August (middle of the month) on last year's cruise: 7 nights, 2 adults, 1 (13YO counts as an adult) = $5800...this was also a 5A verandah room...its all about timing

 

[Shanti]

At this point I'm not even sure it's a better ship experience. The Magic is getting old.

We were on the Magic this past January and it was lovely. In perfect shape, shiny, clean. We had the cheapest inside stateroom, and even that was very nice. To each his own.

 

[Shanti]

I just priced a 7 night Fantasy for 2 adults and 1 child in a balcony mid-ship for 2 adults and 1 child the first week of August 2017. $7,557.00 and that is with out airfare. Sorry but I will buy more DVC points for that kind of money. I am all for paying a premium for Disney but that is outlandish. IMHO

Summer seems to be the most expensive time (not to mention the hottest), so you should look at other times to go if you really have an interest. Even a winter vacation 7-night December 2016 Merrytime cruise on the Fantasy costs significantly less than what you quoted.

So many people pack the parks at Christmas, & spurn the parks in summer as being "too hot". I don't get why everyone wants to cruise to the hot Caribbean during an already-hot summer, rather than go there to warm up in winter.

You could always do a 4 day rather than 7 day cruise, or an oceanview aft rather than a balcony mid-ship, for example. Also, the Magic and Wonder are both a lot cheaper than the Fantasy. We sailed the Magic over New Year's and loved it.

You're not really "priced out" of the entire cruise line if all you'll consider is the line's most expensive regular cabin type on the line's most expensive ship, during the line's most expensive time of year.

That's like someone saying, "I can't afford the Grand Floridian anymore, so I've therefore been priced out of Disney World."

 

[cgolf]

I know that DCL is trying to maximize profits right now and shareholders are happy with that. I by no means do I think DCL should charge Carnival level prices just so that every family can cruise with the mouse. There is a happy medium in there somewhere.

Saying that I think that DCL is really starting to run the risk of alianating their core group of supporters, that while we may not buy as much gear onboard, we have been part of talking others in to trying out DCL by sharing our experiences.

They also will get into a different clientele based on the price they are charging that may expect to see better food quality and even better service. I joked at one time to add Crystal to our mix of lines to price out and they actually came in with a comparable price to the Fantasy, granted it was with a sale, but still we could have sailed a higher end line, which might have been neat.

For all those that blindly say DCL knows exactly what they are doing and that they will thrive into the future because they have smart people. Remember back to the Golden Arches that for the longest time like they could do no wrong, well they have been struggling for a while now to refind their way. There are numerous examples out there of cooperations making one or two bad decisions that tanked their companies either for good or it took them years to recover from.

I truly hope this doesn't happen to DCL, but in my opinion cutting perks and raising prices at the same time seems like an odd strategy. My first and last post on this thread, I am trying my best to stay away from these and instead help out the newer cruisers on the boards.

 

[DCLDVC1]

At this point I'm not even sure it's a better ship experience. The Magic is getting old.

I agree. The Magic is definitely showing her age. I am looking forward to the new DCL ships in 2021 & 2023. Hopefully they will have caught up to the new ships from RCL, NCL and Carnival by then.

 

[River Country]

OP here

nice to see all the comments on this one. Sometimes when you talk price and Disney everyone says "well its Disney" yea but that's getting old too. I know what to expect when I go to "The World" I love it and will continue to vacation there. but DCL is not the only game in town when it comes to cruising

 

[LSUfan4444]

DCL is not the only game in town when it comes to cruising

I agree there. Disney is not always the obvious choice even for Disney lovers.

 

[ldo]

we just sailed Magic to Norway, and it was awesome. Ship was in great shape and the experience was over the top for us. But, we got an OV for 4 for about $6K, which was about the same as other cruiselines. However, for other European sailings, the price difference was quite a bit, thousands more. For the Med and Baltics, we were off the ship all day, almost everyday and the cruiseship was really just a floating hotel. We have done Princess, Carnival, NCL and RCCL and all were fine for Europe, not the DCL experience and some entertainment was a bit boring, but we were usually so tired that we didn't care and just relaxed in the room. We would have rather sailed on DCL, but the cost difference paid for 10 days DIY on land post cruise. For the Carib., we did RCCL this spring and found it perfectly fine, but our teens really like DCL and aren't beach people, so the port were not very enticing for them. We have decided it's worth it to us to pay for DCL every few years, even if we need to do a 4 or 5 day vs. week-long.

 

[Vijoge]

OP here

nice to see all the comments on this one. Sometimes when you talk price and Disney everyone says "well its Disney" yea but that's getting old too. I know what to expect when I go to "The World" I love it and will continue to vacation there. but DCL is not the only game in town when it comes to cruising

So true. We love WDW but refuse to cruise DCL due to what I consider to be exorbitant pricing. We've cruised CCL (2), NCL (2), RCCI (3), Princess (1), and MSC (1). The only cruises I've spent more than $100 pp/night was our Alaskan cruise (we had a suite) and Hawaii. There's no way in hades I'd spend upwards of $5000 to cruise on anybody's ship to the Bahamas.

 

[ldo]

our Norway cruise was $2-3K less than the 2017 summer Fantasy cruises. That is crazy. $5K is my limit unless it is super duper special or Europe.

 

[cheermom2four]

Why pay so much extra for a slightly better ship experience when your main focus is land?

This is actually an interesting point and why I need to stop figuring out how I was going to take my dh and all our kids (including the one spouse of one of the kids) on a cruise next year. I was going to try DCL but it was astronomical IMHO for 2 rooms even and I'm such a port person (and so are all but one kid - the youngest) that I think we will just suck it up and go another route to see the same dang ports but just on a different cruise line. I dont even know how long the "magic" will last with youngest dd but right now its the perfect time as she's alllllll about Disney princesses etc.

 

[River Country]

I just priced a similar cruise on Royal Carribean and it was 50% less

 

[LSUfan4444]

I just priced a similar cruise on Royal Carribean and it was 50% less

We sailed on a 7 day western caribbean cruise (cozumel, grand cayman and jamaica) last March on Liberty of the Seas and including the premium drink package for my wife and I our total was about $2500 for an interior stateroom (daughter is terrified of a room with a balcony).

I would put the ship itself above The Disney Fantasy without question. The service was far below Disney, but the food was comparable and the price was almost half. We're going back the DCL next year but can only afford a 4 night because of the cost.

 

[tinkerone]

We sailed on a 7 day western caribbean cruise (cozumel, grand cayman and jamaica) last March on Liberty of the Seas and including the premium drink package for my wife and I our total was about $2500 for an interior stateroom (daughter is terrified of a room with a balcony).

I would put the ship itself above The Disney Fantasy without question. The service was far below Disney, but the food was comparable and the price was almost half. We're going back the DCL next year but can only afford a 4 night because of the cost.

I enjoyed your video, thanks. I'm having a little laugh at your 'magic'. That looked fun.

 

[tinkerone]

OP here

nice to see all the comments on this one. Sometimes when you talk price and Disney everyone says "well its Disney" yea but that's getting old too. I know what to expect when I go to "The World" I love it and will continue to vacation there. but DCL is not the only game in town when it comes to cruising

And while I to enjoy going to "The World" we are finding it also is not the only game in town. For the first time ever we are splitting our stay between WDW and Universal, totally unheard of. We would have never done this a few years ago but the competition is barking at their heels.
This morning I booked another split stay between WDW and Universal for next August so looks like it may become a regular thing. This family has gone from DCL to Royal, and WDW to Universal. Only one family but I would bet there are a few like us out there. I wonder when or if they will notice.

 

[Ofinn]

Summer seems to be the most expensive time (not to mention the hottest), so you should look at other times to go if you really have an interest. Even a winter vacation 7-night December 2016 Merrytime cruise on the Fantasy costs significantly less than what you quoted.

So many people pack the parks at Christmas, & spurn the parks in summer as being "too hot". I don't get why everyone wants to cruise to the hot Caribbean during an already-hot summer, rather than go there to warm up in winter.

You could always do a 4 day rather than 7 day cruise, or an oceanview aft rather than a balcony mid-ship, for example. Also, the Magic and Wonder are both a lot cheaper than the Fantasy. We sailed the Magic over New Year's and loved it.

You're not really "priced out" of the entire cruise line if all you'll consider is the line's most expensive regular cabin type on the line's most expensive ship, during the line's most expensive time of year.

That's like someone saying, "I can't afford the Grand Floridian anymore, so I've therefore been priced out of Disney World."

If you cant afford the itinerary you want, the time of year you want, and the type room you want then I consider that to be priced out. I wouldnt spend 3k on a 3 day cruise just to sail on Disney nor would I stay in a value resort just to stay on Disney property. I want a certain level of comfort wnen I vacation, and Im not willing to sacrafice that for the Disney name. You may be happy downgrading your room and shortening your vacation to sail on dcl, but not everyone is.

 

[Love2Cruz]

If you cant afford the itinerary you want, the time of year you want, and the type room you want then I consider that to be priced out. I wouldnt spend 3k on a 3 day cruise just to sail on Disney nor would I stay in a value resort just to stay on Disney property. I want a certain level of comfort wnen I vacation, and Im not willing to sacrafice that for the Disney name. You may be happy downgrading your room and shortening your vacation to sail on dcl, but not everyone is.

I agree....I also prefer cruising in a balcony...though I will do OV occasionally..never Inside. And this is why I can't afford the Fantasy right now...I'll cruise other companies and get my 7 night balcony cabin in the meantime. I am going to sail on the Dream as it's easy for me to drive to the port for a getaway weekend and it actually works out the same money wise as staying for a weekend in WDW in a deluxe hotel..so that is why I will pay DCL prices on the Dream....but until I can get a good price on a week long cruise, I won't be sailing on Fantasy any time soon. Even 7 nights on Magic and Wonder are too high for my tastes. I take multiple vacations per year...so I need to space out my travel dollars.

 

[Shanti]

I want a certain level of comfort wnen I vacation, and Im not willing to sacrafice that for the Disney name. You may be happy downgrading your room and shortening your vacation to sail on dcl, but not everyone is.

Who says it's downgrading or sacrificing? An oceanview room with a massive porthole that has its own built-in seating is awesome. So are the beautiful Disney classic ships, with their classy ocean liner style, plethora of activities and excellent service. I also don't happen to be interested in a long Caribbean cruise, as the ports are relatively repetitive. In Europe I'd happily sail for a week, given the variety of ports, but there's only so much sandy beach I want to lay on during a trip, especially if I'm combining the cruise with a WDW visit.

The people "downgrading" are the ones switching to lines that offer lesser service, fewer family activities/entertainment and less attractive ships, to save money. Nothing wrong with downgrading to save money, of course- it's a logical response when money is tight. I just thought I'd clarify since the term was used towards me in a negative way.

If a person complains about being "priced out" of DCL's most overpriced offering: a 7-day cruise in a mid-ship balcony stateroom on the Fantasy in summer season, yet could afford many other great DCL options but chooses not to, then they're throwing a pity party that I'll choose not to attend.