HOW MUCH more are you willing to pay for DCL?

[Lisa Lisa]

Many of us here, myself included, are willing to pay more for a DCL cruise. But how much more? We really, really want to go to the Med next summer and had been pricing 11 and 12-night itineraries on other lines in preparation for DCL's release. I wasn't even sure DCL would offer a longer Med itinerary, so we wanted to know what our options are. I was really excited to learn that DCL would be offering one 12-night Med cruise, but of course I was nervous about the pricing. I expected them to be higher, but HOLY COW! Now we need to figure out just how much more we're willing to pay.

Just for illustration, here are the DCL and RCI 12-night Med w/Greece itineraries with pricing. Traveling will be myself, DH, and DD (who will be 13 at the time). On DCL we'd be in a cat 9C ocean view room on deck 2, while on RCI we'd be in a cat D1 balcony room (roughly equivalent to a cat 5 on DCL) on deck 7.

So... just how much more are you willing to spend for the DCL experience??

 

[Bill B.]

I was just checking on the DCL Alaskan cruises next year. The exact same DCL cruise we are going on this year will cost you $1,515 more in 2016. If we go back to Alaska after this it will not be on DCL. Just can't afford them anymore.

 

[kstaack]

It seems like the exotic locations are more on Disney....not that I would not always consider them. I really want to go to Alaska...I just can't commit to the trip....it is so far away from FL and seems much more complicated to plan. However, when we do it will probably be on Celebrity. We have tried RCCL Allure of the Seas in the past and enjoyed it but still like Disney more. When the Oasis of the Seas is in Port Canaveral we will probably go on more RCCL cruises.

 

[KalamityJane]

So, the Panama Canal cruise is about the same price as the October one. It hasn't changed much.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

We did the Med on DCL in 2010, but when it came time to do another European cruise, we ended up doing a Baltic with RCCL. It was an amazing cruise, the service was just as great, the food was as well, and the crew was a ton of fun. Our room was smaller, but we were ready for that going in. I'd recommend using Royal to do your cruise if it's hitting the ports you want. That's a $4,000 different in price!

 

[scrapshappen]

I'm willing to pay more up to $100 more for my family of four per day, but not thousands more. Sorry.

 

[98slowbra]

I just checked the cruises for 2016 also. For a family of 4 that always stay in a cat 4a the prices have gone out of the roof if you ask me, after our next cruise we paid for I do not know if we will keep our 430 points a year or get rid of them since the cruises cost just way to much compared to a different cruise line.

 

[kaseyC]

The $4000 saved will pay for some amazing private tours and experiences. With port intensive cruises such as Europe and Alaska, the Disney experience is not worth the premium to me. Those are cruises with minimal sea days and very long port days where you are off the ship from morning until night. The ship is literally a floating hotel. The important thing for our family for those types of cruises is our port time. We do only private tours so we can get the most out of our time, that's where we would rather spend the money.

 

[alldiz]

Well an 11 night Baltic in regal princess in a mini suite was about $13,000 for 3 adult 1 child (14)

I looked at the 12 night DCL Baltic and saw 16,800 I think for what I thought was reg balcony room.
I was willing to pay almost $4000 more.
BUT then I realized that price was for the lowest INSIDE...
Balcony was over $24,000!!!
That's never going to happen!!
I am doing a 7 night land tour of Italy then A 7 night MED cruise on NCL epic this summer including airfare for about 20,000. And that is with 2 cabins!
Yes DCL you have way out priced me!

I feel lucky to have grabbed a 7 night fantasy on 4/23/2016 for $5400 3 ad, 1 child((14) navigator balcony.
My daughter has a wierd break next year Passover week so I lucked out cause most kids aren't out of school.
Kerri

 

[Cousin Orville]

I paid 14,300 for the Med/Greece 12 day in 2013 (2A 3C in a 4B). Same cruise is now 23,600 (3A 2C in a 4B). Maybe someone smarter can tell me if the (Adult vs Child) make up of those rooms are comparable. If so, that's a 65% jump.

I love DCL in Europe. This summer will be my 5th (to Norway). I didn't book anything for 2016. I'll do an ABD (not cheap either I grant you) or go on my own. Maybe I'll miss it and get back on board in 2017. That Med Cruise to Greece is a wonderful cruise. Great ports. I highly recommend it. But at 23k, I don't know.

 

[lbgraves]

This is exactly how a lot of us felt when the 2015 rates were first released. I guess DCL has pushed past the spending limit for even more guests now.

 

[Buzzsawelp]

Unfortunately this is supply and demand at its finest. Disney knows they have a dedicated following and knows they can virtually sell out or at least get to an occupancy level they desire. Until enough customer choose to go to other directions, they will continue to get away with constant price hikes. No different in the parks. Price hike every single year, yet record attendance occurring. It's painful, but they obviously know what they are doing to ,animist profits, which is their job.

 

[KashasMom]

Nothing. I was planning one last cruise on Disney (daughter is outgrowing princesses/characters and does not like their kids club) and have a placeholder cruise that I booked last month on the Fantasy. Seeing the absolutely ridiculous prices that came out yesterday has completely turned me off. Sorry, but IMO, Disney is just NOT worth that much more. I'd rather go to WDW!

 

[momof2n2]

I'd be will to pay 10-15% more than competitors for Disney experience. Not two times...

 

[KashasMom]

We did the Med on DCL in 2010, but when it came time to do another European cruise, we ended up doing a Baltic with RCCL. It was an amazing cruise, the service was just as great, the food was as well, and the crew was a ton of fun. Our room was smaller, but we were ready for that going in. I'd recommend using Royal to do your cruise if it's hitting the ports you want. That's a $4,000 different in price!

SO happy to read this!! When Disney's prices came out on Tuesday I started shopping around. We booked an amazing cruise with RCCL (8 countries/3 days in St. Petersburg!!! compared to Disney's 1) for summer of 2016. Honestly I think it's a waste of money to book Disney for ANY port intensive cruise (and that includes Alaska). We'll be eating breakfast/dinner and sleeping in our room. That's really about as much time as we'll be on the ship. And as far as the eating part, I was not impressed with Disney's food. So I am one happy cruiser today!!

 

[lsmith311]

I truly LOVE DCL, but I am getting to the point I can't afford them anymore. I have a 7 day on the Fantasy this Aug. Booking on board and purchasing the gift cards from target. Our out of pocket cost for cat 05B is $4465.I can book a similar itinerary through RCCI on Allure of the seas in cat E1 ( Deluxe Ocean View with Balcony) for $3325. I believe this is close to the same room quality. It is crazy to think DCL is over 25 percent higher after the 10% discount for booking on board and purchasing gift cards at target for another 5% discount.

We may be giving Them a try in 2016.

 

[alldiz]

SO happy to read this!! When Disney's prices came out on Tuesday I started shopping around. We booked an amazing cruise with RCCL (8 countries/3 days in St. Petersburg!!! compared to Disney's 1) for summer of 2016. Honestly I think it's a waste of money to book Disney for ANY port intensive cruise (and that includes Alaska). We'll be eating breakfast/dinner and sleeping in our room. That's really about as much time as we'll be on the ship. And as far as the eating part, I was not impressed with Disney's food. So I am one happy cruiser today!!

Is this on serenade?

 

[KashasMom]

Unfortunately this is supply and demand at its finest. Disney knows they have a dedicated following and knows they can virtually sell out or at least get to an occupancy level they desire. Until enough customer choose to go to other directions, they will continue to get away with constant price hikes.

I don't quite agree with this. Disney creates the feeding frenzy. People wait around for months, posting on all the forums wondering when the itineraries are being released, waiting, waiting, waiting for the "new" itineraries. As if Disney's itineraries are something amazing and never done before. People are so crazed that they almost feel they have to book something. And that's what irks me almost as much.....people book, causing prices to rise for people that can't book the same day....and then after prices have reached the stratosphere, they cancel.

 

[ptcbass]

I would pay a extra 10 to 20% more than other cruise lines (comparing apples to apples). But in a lot of situations DCL is 50% more and I am sorry but I just won't pay that! They can keep increasing the prices 15 to 35% per year if they would like but at some point people are going to say enough is enough. Plus all the cruise news this year said that with more ships than ever the cruise industry will be competing with some really great deals. If I had endless supply of money maybe....but sadly I don't. Time to check out the other cruise lines.

 

[KashasMom]

Is this on serenade?

Yes.