family of six....no kids' fare??

[GenieDana]

CheapMom - it was a joke...

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by tkrules
ok guys, I've been reading the posts and can see both sides. Here's my "problem"....
I have 3 kids , so a family of 5. We booked DCL and stayed in a cat 4 deluxe stateroom. It cost us a small fortune, but at the time I didn't know about the "connecting rooms idea". Would have considered that. I am NOT complaining...it was so very worth the $$$$. DCL blew me away! The service, the condition of the ship, the activities, the ports of call..everything. My "problem" is that my husband is a teacher and can ONLY go on vacation when the kids are out of school....Christmas, Easter and Summer when the rates are the highest. He took the Friday before we left off and got docked a days pay for that. I would love to go again, or on anyother vacation for that matter, but we blew our vacation budget for the next several years due to the fact that we are a family of 5 and he is a teacher/travel restrictions. It was our choice, and I do not regret it for a minute, I just wish it were easier for us to travel......It was my first cruise, and my first experience with Disney and I'm afraid I've become "addicted".........I wanna go back!!!!!
Oh, and for those of you who think he gets Christmas, Easter and summer "off"..he doesn't. He is the youth director at our church and also runs camps and teaches Drivers Education in his "off" time. He is a busy guy, but it allows me to be home with the kids, where I want to be, so I figure I'm blessed to be able to do that. And I had a Disney Cruise!!!!! Does it get any better?????

A very nice post and I'm with you. That's why researching can be a very good idea for any major purchase. IMO, the two lower cat cabins are actually preferable to the larger cabin as you get more total space and bathroom options, plus more privacy. Also, the times you get off may not all be the same price. Many years spring break is cheaper than summer. And early summer is less than mid summer. The week before Xmas may also be less and might work out for some in your situation. So check around and see what is workable when the time comes.

 

[tkrules]

Dean...
The week before Christmas is a possibility, summer isn't because he teaches summer school.....but I wanna go NOW!!!!! It was that great! I want to live on the boat, as a guest, not an employee. Any ideas????
In all seriousness, this board has been a great help in planning the trip. I gathered alot of information that proved to be invaluable. Kudos to all the posters! I really appreciated it!

 

[makaylee]

Originally posted by CheapMom
I don't want a break or discount just because I have a large family but I would like to be able to pay the same per person rate as a family of 2, 3, or 4.

Please don't be angry with my statement, I'm not trying to be snotty, but you do take up two staterooms. DCL wants adult fare for two people in each room because if you werent using it another couple would be and they WOULD be paying for 2 adults. So really DCL would be loosing money on your family if they didnt charge for 2 adults in each room. Again please don't be angry Im just posting DCL's point of view.

Edited to add: Sorry I just realized you want a cat 4. You should consider 2 lower cat's though. From what I have read it's usually quite a bit cheaper.

 

[CheapMom]

Makaylee- I wouldn't get angry at you-
I am not saying the cay 4s should be cheaper nor am suggesting that they give me an extra stateroom for the cost of my 1 extra child- (wouldn't that be nice)It would be absurd for anyone to expect Disney to offer such a money losing proposition.
I was saying that considering Disney is the big family cruiseline that it would be great if they had more options for larger families, for example and inside stateroom that sleeps 5, (They can sleep 5 - you just can't book it that way.)
But as Dean said- it is Disney's ship and they make the rules.
The price takes such a dramatic leap from a family of 4 to a family of 5 that it makes it very difficult for many to afford.
For example (10/23/04 western) a fam of 4 can cruise 7 nights @$2810
If you have 1 more child you have no choice but to pay a min of $4462
(assuming you need connecting)
It such a huge difference-
Anyway, all that said, we are getting a cat 4 for the 4 night
I am really tired of this subject- I just didn't want anybody to think I expect special treatment because I have 3 kids. I think alot of people reading this just think I am a big whiner about the prices of DCL but I never said "unfair" or "I deserve"
It is a shame that there are so many families out there that this will be simply out of their financial reach because of the pricing structure.

 

[makaylee]

Originally posted by CheapMom


For example (10/23/04 western) a fam of 4 can cruise 7 nights @$2810
If you have 1 more child you have no choice but to pay a min of $4462
(assuming you need connecting)

Wow, where did you get that quote? It is WAY cheaper than the DCL site.

 

[lbgraves]

I know that we paid 2600 with DU for our 12/4 Western back in late December but it is now showing 3846.60 on DCL. That is for our family of 4.

 

[CheapMom]

Wow, where did you get that quote? It is WAY cheaper than the DCL site.

allseatravel.com

I know that we paid 2600 with DU for our 12/4 Western back in late December but it is now showing 3846.60 on DCL. That is for our family of 4.

I get a cheap thrill out of stuff like that

 

[lbgraves]

LOL! I thrive on saving money like that.

 

[hometech99]

I hear ya cheapmom.

we have a fam of 5, and it was cheaper to get a cat6 for me and DW, plus a cat 11 across the hall for my DM and my 3 DS THAN to get a cat 4 for just me, DW, and 3 DS!

same thing with DVC.

by the rules, we would have to spend points for a 2-br for the 5 of us all the time, instead of less points in a 1-br or studio.

 

[my3kids]

When you book, just make sure your oldest 2 children are listed second on each room reservation. That way a teen who would already pay more than a tot as a third passenger gets billed as the full fare. If you provide that as the third name, then you pay more because a toddler who would be less as a third gets charged as an adult. I think I'm being incoherent, but it makes sense with a calculator and pencil!

 

[tink5]

We have 5 in our family. We wanted to get the deluxe family stateroom w/verhanda but it was so expensive. We looked into the connecting rooms w/verhanda and that was also expensive. We decided to get the deluxe stateroom w/verhanda (cat. 6) and a room across the hall (cat 11). This way we still have the one verhanda. It saved us about $2400 off our original price.

 

[reses4]

I truly understand what everyone is saying. I am traveling as a Single Parent with 4 kids of my own and a niece and nephew that I take care of. My oldest is a 20 year old that DCL will not allow to be registered alone in a room with his 15/10 YO brothers. So what I did was book a cat 6 and 11 on deck 6 and added a friend of the family that is 21. I split the cost of the room in four and it worked out great for everyone. Try looking at the prices of the room itself not per person and splitting to make it more convenient for a extra travling companion. Also Allseastravel.com is great on the prices.

Good Luck TO Family of 6.

You dont have to be wealthy to enjoy a DCL Cruise