Just when I was so excited about our Baltic Cruise....

[Rogillio]

To a lot of folks in the world, we (cruisers) must look like suckers as well! We spend more on a cruise than they spend in a year.

I used to shake my head towards folks who buy $100,000 luxury cars, own a piece of a Gulfstream, own 4 and 5 multi-million dollar homes, etc. You know - CEO's, dot.com execs, investment bankers, etc. But when you compare their salary to mine, and that it may easily be 10X - 20X what I make, the cost of their "toys" will easily be 10X - 20X more than what mine cost. They look to me like I look to the other 80% of the world - spending excessively on things that don't matter. So, to each his own on what they buy. Hopefully their charitable giving also increases proportionately as well!

Well said!!

 

[NancyIL]

You want to see the land of your heritage and that is very cool! A few years ago I fell in love....with the food on the Norweigan buffet at EPCOT! From that we decided to take a vacation in Norway! We flew to Oslo, got a rental car and spent a couple of weeks driving around Noway and Swedan. Very cool trip and much, much cheaper than a cruise.

~Mike

I'm going on a British Isles cruise with my two daughters this summer, and I've done everything I can to keep our 20-day trip at or below $10K. I would also like to stay on the ship (solo) and do the following 12-night Norway cruise, which would cost an additional $3K if I'm careful with excursions. Just think - one person's DCL excursion out of Warnemunde would pay for my cruise + tips! I'll see if the trip of a lifetime excuse works on my husband. Or maybe Ill show him this thread and he'll realize my trips are a bargain!

 

[abdmom]

I'm going on a Med cruise on the Magic in May. I always knew that excursions were going to be expensive. Originally I was going to cruise on a different line. When Disney brought out its kids sail free deals, I looked back and forth to try and decide between the two lines. It was actually Disney's shore excursions that made me decide to go with DCL.

On the other cruise line, the shore excursions were not very exciting, and cost on average about $230 pp. This was just for an average excursion. Disney at least has choices. Some excursions can be as low as about $70 pp. Certainly, there was one the kids were interested in that was going to be $2.5K.

All in all, we'll be spending about $3K for shore excursions for 4 people. That's with two private tours with driver and guides. I also know that there will be other expenses - things like the spa, souvenirs, video arcade, meals off ship, bingo.

 

[Rogillio]

I'm going on a British Isles cruise with my two daughters this summer, and I've done everything I can to keep our 20-day trip at or below $10K. I would also like to stay on the ship (solo) and do the following 12-night Norway cruise, which would cost an additional $3K if I'm careful with excursions. Just think - one person's DCL excursion out of Warnemunde would pay for my cruise + tips! I'll see if the trip of a lifetime excuse works on my husband. Or maybe Ill show him this thread and he'll realize my trips are a bargain!

There are about 1 billion Chinese people who could live for 20 years off what you are spending on a 20 day cruise.

BTW, I think the Germany excursions are way out of line since 1/2 of the time will be sitting on a bus or train to/from Berlin. We're are DIY in every port except St Pete...but we like the challange and adventure of DIY.

 

[NancyIL]

Otherwise, by March 15th I'll have to rebook something else. Looking at the Southern Carribean Holiday Cruise or a Mexican Rivieria, with Disneyland. We might also do a cruise out of Baltimore up through New England. No AIRFARE!!!

Anwyay, thanks again everyone. Any other suggestions on keeping costs down and making this trip would be appreciated!!

I would hate to see anyone give up their dream of going on a Baltic cruise just because DCL costs so much. To substitute a Disney Caribbean or Mexican Riviera cruise instead of a Baltic cruise on another cruise line is nowhere near an equal exchange. Your daughters will not be scarred for life if they can't go to the Princess Ball at Catherine's Palace. The ports aren't any different when visited on a non-Disney ship - plus other cruise lines spend more time in St. Petersburg. Either cut back on the Magic's Baltic cruise some how, or choose a different cruise line, but DON'T give up the Baltic!

 

[NancyIL]

There are about 1 billion Chinese people who could live for 20 years off what you are spending on a 20 day cruise.

BTW, I think the Germany excursions are way out of line since 1/2 of the time will be sitting on a bus or train to/from Berlin. We're are DIY in every port except St Pete...but we like the challange and adventure of DIY.

I imagine the Haitians could live for quite awhile, as well!

It's a 12-night cruise, with 3 nights each spent in Paris and London pre-cruise. I'll gladly take three $10K trips to one $30K one.

Going to Berlin for a day is like going to Paris for the day from Le Havre: you spend half the time in transit. But since so many people are on the trip of a lifetime - I guess they have to see Berlin now or never.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

I would hate to see anyone give up their dream of going on a Baltic cruise just because DCL costs so much. To substitute a Disney Caribbean or Mexican Riviera cruise instead of a Baltic cruise on another cruise line is nowhere near an equal exchange. Your daughters will not be scarred for life if they can't go to the Princess Ball at Catherine's Palace. The ports aren't any different when visited on a non-Disney ship - plus other cruise lines spend more time in St. Petersburg. Either cut back on the Magic's Baltic cruise some how, or choose a different cruise line, but DON'T give up the Baltic!

Yes, I agree, we are looking at 12 nights here, that's 3x4 night cruises, 4 x 3 night cruises,. or a 7 night and a 5 night, so needs to be put in context. Next the Carribean, is easy to go DIY, and hasn't so many places of interest.

The Carribean is the place to go for a nice relaxing cruise with hot sun and beaches, the Baltic is a completely different cruise, historical past, fantastic scenery, dramatic coast lines, Palaces, Tzars, different cultures.

Its always going to be expensive as there is always one or two must do's in each port.

I went in eyes open knowing I would have to throw quite a bit of money at it, as an alternative, in Oslo, Copenhagen, Tallin and Stockholm, you can cut costs and do it yourself you are close to everything, and even can go out am, get back for lunch on ship to save costs and go back out again pm.

 

[Rogillio]

I imagine the Haitians could live for quite awhile, as well!

It's a 12-night cruise, with 3 nights each spent in Paris and London pre-cruise. I'll gladly take three $10K trips to one $30K one.

Going to Berlin for a day is like going to Paris for the day from Le Havre: you spend half the time in transit. But since so many people are on the trip of a lifetime - I guess they have to see Berlin now or never.

And there are many people who would rather take 10 $3k trips than 3 $10k trips. Personally, I'd like to take 10 $30k trips...but don't have the vacation time or the money.

I have to admit the 'trip of a lifetime' thing is a cliche. We said the same thing when we went to China...and we said the same thing when we sailed on the DCL Med cruise...and we said the same thing when we cruised Hawaii...and the same thing in Alaska...and Norway...and Scotland....etc.

I agree you can't very well experience Paris in a day. Our original plans were gonna be to fly into London and back out of Paris and spend a day or two in Paris. We decided to save Paris for a different 'trip of a lifetime'.


~Mike

 

[NancyIL]

I went in eyes open knowing I would have to throw quite a bit of money at it, as an alternative, in Oslo, Copenhagen, Tallin and Stockholm, you can cut costs and do it yourself you are close to everything, and even can go out am, get back for lunch on ship to save costs and go back out again pm.

DCL has already sucked an excessive amount of money from its passengers just to board the ship! If I had to choose, I'd rather "throw quite a bit of money" at the excursions than on my cruise ship and/or cabin.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

DCL has already sucked an excessive amount of money from its passengers just to board the ship! If I had to choose, I'd rather "throw quite a bit of money" at the excursions than on my cruise ship and/or cabin.

Done both, Cat 3 12 nights is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, and shore trips, Berlin $2.2k, Other DCL, $2.5K, and Private two days in StP, circa $1.5k.

There are only these four cruises, and I bet even with these prices, there will be a last minute scramble to get on, as no repeat in 2011.

Now, in context however my Flights to/from UK to USA are gone, saving at least £5k, if I had upgraded as usual, thats £8k saved.

 

[aurorafan65]

We booked this cruise with the 10% discount (got my OBC from Dreams unlimited too) when we cruised last April - even then I wasn't too sure about doing it. Ever since then I've had buyers remorse - dh laughs at me because I'm always worried about $. I looked at other cruise lines & saw we could go cheaper, but dh pointed out the quality is going to be what you pay for - he LOVES the DCL ships. Anyway, my job is basically paying for the trip. I too freaked out a little when I saw the shore excursions, but there really are a fair amount that are reasonable - a lot of the city walking tours are pretty good. Then after reading the boards I thought about years ago when dh & I went to Europe & did everything ourselves from travel books (pre-internet days) & we did fine. So I think other than St Pete we will be on our own. I love to get a feel of local culture.

As a side note, my dh's job is kind of shaky right now & I thought we should cancel, but we're not going to because this really is a chance of a lifetime. I have a friend who beat cancer & since her scare she's done all kinds of things, a couple weeks ago she was in Egypt. She's in the LIVE LIVE LIVE mode & I think about how the kids are growing & we need to take advantage of this time we have.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

We booked this cruise with the 10% discount (got my OBC from Dreams unlimited too) when we cruised last April - even then I wasn't too sure about doing it. Ever since then I've had buyers remorse - dh laughs at me because I'm always worried about $. I looked at other cruise lines & saw we could go cheaper, but dh pointed out the quality is going to be what you pay for - he LOVES the DCL ships. Anyway, my job is basically paying for the trip. I too freaked out a little when I saw the shore excursions, but there really are a fair amount that are reasonable - a lot of the city walking tours are pretty good. Then after reading the boards I thought about years ago when dh & I went to Europe & did everything ourselves from travel books (pre-internet days) & we did fine. So I think other than St Pete we will be on our own. I love to get a feel of local culture.

As a side note, my dh's job is kind of shaky right now & I thought we should cancel, but we're not going to because this really is a chance of a lifetime. I have a friend who beat cancer & since her scare she's done all kinds of things, a couple weeks ago she was in Egypt. She's in the LIVE LIVE LIVE mode & I think about how the kids are growing & we need to take advantage of this time we have.

Yes, there are cheaper versions of trips there a lot of the walking ones are good value, and you can do a lot by yourself.

I agree, on the motto, live live live, we are all just passing through, hopefully we all will have good luck, but you do not want regrets in the future.

Life throws the odd bad card up, and therefore enjoy it as much as you can.

However not an excuse for DCL it is expensive, you can do it on other lines.

 

[aurorafan65]

I agree you can't very well experience Paris in a day. Our original plans were gonna be to fly into London and back out of Paris and spend a day or two in Paris. We decided to save Paris for a different 'trip of a lifetime'.


~Mike

Hey Mike - totally agree with everything you said!

Also we have 3 days pre-cruise & thought about taking the chunnel to Paris, but then realized it was way toooooo much to try & accomplish. So we're saving it too. Although first we want Alaska, Italy, Hawaii, Japan ......
we have a big list on our bulletin board in the kitchen listing all the places we want to visit. The baltic trip will get a few of them off!

 

[NancyIL]

And there are many people who would rather take 10 $3k trips than 3 $10k trips. Personally, I'd like to take 10 $30k trips...but don't have the vacation time or the money.

I have to admit the 'trip of a lifetime' thing is a cliche. We said the same thing when we went to China...and we said the same thing when we sailed on the DCL Med cruise...and we said the same thing when we cruised Hawaii...and the same thing in Alaska...and Norway...and Scotland....etc.

I agree you can't very well experience Paris in a day. Our original plans were gonna be to fly into London and back out of Paris and spend a day or two in Paris. We decided to save Paris for a different 'trip of a lifetime'.


~Mike

I would be perfectly happy with ten $3K trips, and I have a few of those planned in the next 12 months. I have never taken a $10K trip - so this will be my first!

Saying something is the trip of a lifetime is usually an excuse to justify spending a lot of money on a trip.

 

[Rogillio]

DCL has already sucked an excessive amount of money from its passengers just to board the ship! If I had to choose, I'd rather "throw quite a bit of money" at the excursions than on my cruise ship and/or cabin.

I can certainly see how people can and do feel this way about the ship. But you can say that about any resort/hotel/restaurant that is in high demand.

You can stay at nice hotel in Kissimmee for about $49 a night. Or you can stay at the Pop Century for $89. Or you can stay at the Grand Floridian for $500+ a night.

 

[carolmb]

Cruisin the Baltic has always been a trip that DH has wanted to do and when DCL offered this trip he jumped on it. This will be our 4th Disney cruise and our kids are very comfortable on the ships. I even mentioned that we could do the cruise less expensive on another cruise line but he said he would rather pay a little more because he really likes how much Disney is family oriented. We are being very creative with this trip by using frequent flyer miles and our Hilton points for our stay in London. We also used our DVC points. The only tours we are paying for is the private tours in St.P and Berlin everything else will be DIY. I am looking forward to the adventure. Well that is my 2 cents. Happy planning everyone!

 

[Rogillio]

I would be perfectly happy with ten $3K trips, and I have a few of those planned in the next 12 months. I have never taken a $10K trip - so this will be my first!

Saying something is the trip of a lifetime is usually an excuse to justify spending a lot of money on a trip.

You are right, 'trip of a lifetime' is an excuse to justify spending money. But then again, if next year you get diagnosed with a terminal disease, maybe it would be the last trip you ever took??

My kids will be 19 and 17 on this trip and the era of Grand Rogillio Family Vacations is coming to a close as the kids will soon be starting their own families. So yeah, we're kinda 'going for broke' (literally) on this trip.

~Mike

 

[NancyIL]

You are right, 'trip of a lifetime' is an excuse to justify spending money. But then again, if next year you get diagnosed with a terminal disease, maybe it would be the last trip you ever took??

My kids will be 19 and 17 on this trip and the era of Grand Rogillio Family Vacations is coming to a close as the kids will soon be starting their own families. So yeah, we're kinda 'going for broke' (literally) on this trip.

i~Mike

I believe in enjoying life while living it, rather than scrimping and saving for the "golden years" that might never materialize. That's why travel is a priority for me now. However, I also need the money to last until my golden years, in case I should be blessed with a long life!

Now - if I felt the DCL cruise experience was twice as good as on other cruise lines, I might be willing to justify paying twice as much for their Baltic cruise. But my DCL experience on two Wonder cruises was not superior to my non-Disney cruises, so I would not pay more for a DCL Baltic cruise. I DO think DCL's April/May 2010 Med cruises are an excellent value, and I would love to book it - were it not for the fact that I am already cruising in May and in Europe this summer.

 

[Rogillio]

I believe in enjoying life while living it, rather than scrimping and saving for the "golden years" that might never materialize. That's why travel is a priority for me now. However, I also need the money to last until my golden years, in case I should be blessed with a long life!

Now - if I felt the DCL cruise experience was twice as good as on other cruise lines, I might be willing to justify paying twice as much for their Baltic cruise. But my DCL experience on two Wonder cruises was not superior to my non-Disney cruises, so I would not pay more for a DCL Baltic cruise. I DO think DCL's April/May 2010 Med cruises are an excellent value, and I would love to book it - were it not for the fact that I am already cruising in May and in Europe this summer.

This is probably the most frequent debate on the board. That is "Is DCL worth the extra money?" Trying to answer that question is like trying to put a price/value on art! We all have our opinions.

I think the reason I value DCL so much is familiarity. I feel good on the ship. I'm 47 years old but I see kids lining up to meet Mickey Mouse in the atrium and it just brings back so many memories. As a kid I lived in FL in the 70s and remember the MK being built and remember visiting the park when I was just a kid...and then as teen...and then as a college student...then as a new parent....then as an old parent... Boarding the Disney ship is like 'coming home'....it is impossibe to put a price on it.....it's like....like....Magic. ;-)

~Sappy ole sentimental Mike

 

[NancyIL]

This is one probably the most frequent debate on the board here. That is "Is DCL worth the extra money?" Trying to answer that question is like evaluating art! We all have our opinions.

I think the reason I value DCL so much is familiarity. I feel good on the ship. I'm 47 years old but I see kids lining up to meet Mickey Mouse in the atrium, it just brings back so many memories. As a kid I lived in FL in the 70s and remember the MK being built and remember visiting the park when I was just a kid...and then as teen...and then as a college student...then as a new parent....then as an old parent... Boarding the Disney ship is like 'coming home'....it is impossibe to put a price on it.....it's like....like....Magic. ;-)

~Sappy ole sentimental Mike

I am a tad older than you, and I loved watching The Wonderful World of Color on TV, going to Disney movies, riding It's A Small World at the NY World's Fair in 1965, then visiting Disneyland in 1966 and 1971 and WDW beginning in 1974. I have always loved all things Disney, and really wanted to cruise with the Mouse. But DCL's higher prices, even in the Caribbean, had me choosing a Royal Caribbean ship instead (Splendour of the Seas), and I loved it.

After my previous post - I took a look at the final payment date for the July 6 DCL Baltic cruise. It's due in early March, but the penalty period begins 89 days before the cruise - so that's early April. IF by some odd stroke of luck DCL were to drastically drop the price of a cat 12 after final payment, as they did for the April Transatlantic, to anywhere near what my single cabin on the Princess Norway cruise costs - I might "jump ship"! I think it's a possibility, because cat. 7-12 cabin categories are still available for that cruise.