Glad we waited!! Prices not too bad.

[KSDisneyDad]

I made a comparison chart for myself last night for tomorrow's booking. The prices below are for RCCL's Freedom of the Seas out of Port Canaveral, Eastern itinerary, 7/3/11 (since their 2012 prices aren't out yet, I'm using 2011). 2 people per cabin. Based on what I've seen posted so far about the Fantasy prices, they seem to be pretty comparable to RCCL for about the same time of year.

Deck 2:
I - OV Stateroom 183 sq ft 2566.22
N - Inside 152 sq ft 2306.22
Total 4872.44

Deck 7:
F - Large OV 200 sq ft 2706.22
N - Inside 152 sq ft 2306.22
Total 5012.44

Deck 7:
D2 - Superior OV w/ver 214 sq 3066.22
N - Inside 152 sq ft 2306.22
Total 5372.44

Wow. Disney's staterooms are bigger than the Freedom's Verandah/inside combo. The Fantasy is 246/169 sq ft, respectively.

That itinerary is also nearly identical to the Fantasy's itinerary except you visit Coco Cay vs Castaway Cay.

For $228 more, I'd rather cruise on the Fantasy!! (Slightly bigger rooms, same itinerary, great private island and newer ship). It looks like Disney is trying to be a little more competitive in 2012.

 

[Page4]

I agree. There are some that continue to perpetuate the myth that Disney is 3 times more expensive than other cruise lines. Disney is often more expensive, but it's often less expensive than the new Oasis and Allure ships from Royal Caribbean. This is true in the summer of 2012.



Oasis Itinerary
Ft. Lauderdale
Nassau 7 - 2 pm
At Sea
St. Thomas 9-6 pm
St. Maarten 8-5 pm
At Sea
At Sea
Ft. Lauderdale

Fantasy Itinerary
Port Canaveral
At Sea
At Sea
St. Maarten 8 - 6:30
St. Thomas 7:45 - 4
At Sea
Castaway Cay
Port Canaveral

The two itineraries are nearly identical except that Disney stops at Castaway Cay and the Oasis stops at Nassau (no brainer to me which is better!!!).

Fortunately, the St. Maarten and St. Thomas days are swapped. I would hate to be in port the same day as the Oasis.

Again, the Oasis priced out to over $1,100 more for us to get two similar rooms (a balcony an inside room). And I gave Royal the benefit of the doubt by picking the two lowest priced rooms in each of those categories. I actually couldn't pick the two lowest priced rooms on Disney to make sure our rooms were right across from each other.

As an FYI - I could have actually booked connecting verandahs on Disney for the same price as a verandah/inside room combo on Royal Caribbean's Oasis on the same week in 2012.

I realize that we could probably cruise less expensively on RCCL if we went with one of their other ships or itineraries, but this was for the time and itinerary we really wanted and we prefer to try out the new Disney ships.

Wow!! Thanks for posting this KS.

 

[mousemom11]

Wow. Disney's staterooms are bigger than the Freedom's Verandah/inside combo. The Fantasy is 246/169 sq ft, respectively.

That itinerary is also nearly identical to the Fantasy's itinerary except you visit Coco Cay vs Castaway Cay.

For $228 more, I'd rather cruise on the Fantasy!! (Slightly bigger rooms, same itinerary, great private island and newer ship). It looks like Disney is trying to be a little more competitive in 2012.

The 246 includes the verandah, while the 214 on the Freedom does not. However, to get a room comparable in size to Disney's verandah rooms, you have to go the highest (read, more expensive) category on Freedom. I agree with you KS, Disney just isn't that much more expensive than the equivalent RCCL ship out of the same port. Therefore, we choose Disney!

 

[Silverfox97]

Was anyone else pleasantly surprised at the prices on the Fantasy?


A bit of history:
We booked two years ago on Day 1 with an OB booking discount for the 5-night Disney Wonder on May 30, 2010. It was just over $5,500 for the 5 of us in connecting Cat 8's. Yikes!!!! We ended up cancelling that cruise as we couldn't justify the cost for the # of days. We also decided that we wanted a longer cruise, but unfortunately DCL doesn't offer any 7-nights in the summer of 2011 unless you go to Alaska or Europe.


Today:
We booked a 7-night on the Fantasy leaving on 6/2/2012 for the five of us for about $5,600! We have two rooms (Cat 5C and 11B). Compared to the 5-night cruise this past summer, that's only $100 more for 2 extra nights, a new ship and an Eastern itinerary vs the Bahamas! Plus, our OBC is quite a bit more.

I was really expecting a bigger price difference. On next year's 5/7/2011 7-night Eastern on the Magic, the same Category rooms are just over $6,000. We are $400 less during a time we can go because the kids are truly out of school.

I also looked at the Oasis of the Seas leaving on an Eastern on the exact same day (6/2/2012). It would cost us $6,700 or $1,100 more for similar rooms (Cat D8 and M) compared to the Fantasy.

I am with you I posted my comparison on another thread, but thought I would put it here, too. This way, people can truly see the cost when they are thinking "sticker shock"....

For example - we did a 5 night DD this past Aug on the Wonder. Before we got FLR rates, it was $4900 for 2 adults 1 child in a Cat 7 (secret verandah) -- that is what we booked it as (FLR took it down to $2600!! Woo hoo!!).

The June 16, 2012 on the Fantasy 2012 for cat 5E (so a little higher category) is ~$4300. To me, $4300 for a 7 night Eastern on the Fantasy in 2012 is much better than a 5 night for $4900!!!

Now, our 7 night Western in Oct 2011 is $3622 for Cat 7A secret verandah (well, we paid 10% less because we booked on board, but it's still listed the same price now) - 2 adults, 1 child. That is off season, so cheaper. I would expect summer to be more, because in July/Aug 2012, it's even higher (like $5100).