Where are these discounts you speak of?Exactly! I agree with you.
My beef is that, for those of us who don't think DCL prices are appropriate, the DCL zealots come back with, get off these boards or, sorry, you can't afford them any more.
I can afford them today, just as I did 10 years ago when I took my first.
My opinion and the reason that I think their pricing is excessive is that there have been an ever increasing number of changes where the hard value is no longer there.
I'm amazed people think their food is so great. It's good. It's not great, IMO
They diluted(lol) the alcohol policy.
Their cleanliness isn't up to their standards when I first started.
Then, don't get me started on the same old shows, activities and ports of call that are repeated every cruise. Sure, there have been some updates and new things. Just not enough, IMO.
I've thought that I was going to start a thread with snippets of posts from DCL cruisers that have complaints. I would say these things were found on another cruise line. The Disney-ites would be overjoyed. Then I would reveal that these things really happened on DCL. The level that people defend this cruise line is mind boggling.
Yes. I will cruise when I find the value in it. I already have a booking for 2017.
But, I'm also going to make my opinion known and I'm going to commiserate when they can't justify the cost.
Bottom line, their pricing is out of line. Bottom line, they fill their ships with discounted prices and the average joe isn't invited to take advantage of that perk.
My last cruise- I only met one other person that paid full price.
Military, Florida resident, Canadian, travel agents, Disney employee are the ones I know. There are probably ones I don't know about.Where are these discounts you speak of?
I don't think it's being shamed. Disappointed because you don't see value because either one can no longer afford it or because such and such a cruise line is x amount less. That's not what these boards are for I believe.I'm the author of the "dark side" thread. I've made that thread because I'm a DCL fan and I was curious to try another cruiseline and compare.
I also created a Victory VS Dream review because they offer a similar itinerary and though it would be nice to compare both ships and cruiselines and see if it the experience would be just as good for people who are not able (or willing!) to pay the DCL rates.
I believe that people who have been outpriced have a right to express their disappointment and should not be shamed.
These forums are for research of DCL and the knowledge we share with each other about Disney Cruising only. Just my thoughts.
JW
I don't complain about it here except when someone tells me DCL sails full and their high prices are justified.I don't qualify for a senior discount either at Denny's. yet you don't see me complaining on every yelp page about it either.
Its funny because they are offering interline rates out of Galveston in dec. I called to get a price just for fun and it was the same as the GT rate I booked the same week last year, and almost as much as my Carnival Vista cruise the end of May so even the industry rates are getting high. I am keeping an eye on the Jan 20 repo cruise to see if the price drops. I have the WBTA booked in Sept which I thought was a pretty good price. Now that Ive sailed on the Vista it will be very hard for me to find value in any of the dcl caribbean cruises. I also like the fact that I can book the Vista months in advance and get a good price.I don't complain about it here except when someone tells me DCL sails full and their high prices are justified.
It doesn't bother me.Again why dont you start a thread why you find dcl worth the premium if this one bothers you so much.
Then if it's not DCL. Maybe the forums need to be adjusted to say. Other DCL options if DCL is. It within your budget.
I agree completely. Eventually, though, I do think it's going to catch up with Disney.That's logical thinking and makes complete sense. However, when it comes to a lot of people's affinity for DCL (and all other things Disney), logic rarely, if ever, enters the equation. It'a all emotional attachment. That's how you can raise prices in the neighborhood of 10-20% every single year for what is essentially the same exact experiences since they seldom change itineraries.
I agree. I gather a few quotes and decide. One thing that really swayed my loyalty was the change in alcohol policy on Disney right before our Panama trip. They didn't grandfather all booked cruises in and it left a bad taste in my mouth. I don't like the rules being changed after I've paid for certain terms and conditions.Same here. We can afford DCL's prices. It is just hard to justify it. I consider the prices to cruise on other lines - RCCL, NCL, Carnival, and soon MSC (which generally will be very closes to each other) - as the "baseline", if you will. If they are all in the $3500 range for a 7-nt cruise (and we - 2A, 2C - generally only look at the newer "mega" ships with all the bells & whistles), we may be willing to go $4500-$5000 for DCL as we do love DCL and think they are, on the whole, but not in every area, better than the others. However, we are not going to spend $7000-$8000 for a week on the Fantasy - which is where the prices are now. They are only slightly better than the others, so the price would need to be only slightly higher than the others to justify it.
We asked for a "jumping ship" category to compare prices and value between other cruise lines and DCL outside of the DCL category and the request was not granted.
You might not like seeing those threads appear but they have been tolerated by the mods so far so I guess they are not as bad as you might think.
Most of us won't go troll in other threads to tell people what they should do or not do with their money. We stay on our comparisons threads. We don't bother people.
If you are not interested, don't read it. It's as simple as that. Everybody stays happy.
I know this will irritate certain people on this board, but I really watch the prices and discounts.The last couple of years they have offered a lot of discounts in a May.Yes, I noticed the lower 2018 May prices. The same goes for the New york cruises next year. They are actually lower then this year. This years New york cruises didnt sell very well. So sometimes DCl will adjust prices lower. What befuddled me for next year was the rise in European prices.. On several cruises this year they had to offer GT rates that were well below opening day prices so I really thought prices might come down. A lot of airlines are cutting capacity to Europe due to decreased traffic. I have no plans to travel to Europe during peak season, but nonetheless it will be intersting to see how these sell. My two trips to Europe this year left me with the impression that the economy's not that great over there.I'm actually confused. Just looked at Fantasy for April/May 2018 (our usual months) and the prices are $700 to $1000 less than what we are paying for 2017. Less than 2015. I don't think it's worth waiting for the OBD. Time to book now.
Maybe people think they will have a welfare system setup? If half the people that complained on these boards about the prices. It does get old after awhile.
We all value money in a certain way. I value my time with family and away from work more than anything. If others are willing to pay. Disney will always hike the prices. Soon we will have minimum wages increase to $15 an hour here in California. The cost of living is going to go up. Yet. That's life if I choose to remain in this state. If you can't afford Disney. Why complain on a Disney board. Go to RCCL and complain. I agree with you.
Whenever DCL announces new cruise dates, we always see this. That's a matter of fact.
I'm priced out. We jumped ship. I get x cruise for x amount less.
Maybe it should be discussed in the budget boards. I feel that if you want to sail DCL then this is one of the best forums. It's all about the experience, the mouse and gang along with the class A Disney service.
For an informed decision. That's where a travel agent or google come into play. Research.
These forums are for research of DCL and the knowledge we share with each other about Disney Cruising only. Just my thoughts.
JW