$14,000+ for family of 5 for Alaska 2018!?

[Jaybear]

The title of the post says it all. Disney cannot be freaking serious on the quote I just received from its website. There are so many other things I could do with that obscene amount of money.

Am I doing something wrong when trying to book through the website?

 

[mmouse37]

Try booking 2 staterooms instead of one that holds 5. Maybe two insides or two oceanviews that have a connecting door between. Twice the space and twice the bathrooms!!

One adult has to be booked into each room on paper but Disney does not care who sleeps in which stateroom.

MJ

 

[Geomom]

That is what they're charging for a verandah room for 5. Verandah rooms in Alaska go for $3,000+ more than oceanview rooms. As PP said, try for 2 connecting rooms in oceanview or inside. Look to see if the 'secret porthole' rooms on deck 5 are available 5022/5024 and 5522/5524 connect. For deck 2 oceanview, most of the connecting ones are in the 9B category, which sells quickly.

 

[aprincessatlast]

The title of the post says it all. Disney cannot be freaking serious on the quote I just received from its website. There are so many other things I could do with that obscene amount of money.

Am I doing something wrong when trying to book through the website?

I would not imagine you are doing anything wrong as prices to Alaska can be $$$$.

You can save about 3-4k by booking 2 inside staterooms as was stated and double your space but lose the view. You could also save half and book Princess for around 6k for the same inside staterooms. You lose connecting cabins though. A balcony on Princess will put you in the price range of DCL inside standard 11c.

Alaska is one of those pricey options where you have to usually decide what is most important to make it work in budget. What is the most important to you?
-Ship
-Itinerary
-Room (balcony vs inside)
-Excursions
-Kids Clubs

It is such a shame to see how high the prices have gotten. We (family of 5) almost did a dcl for Alaska and was only within 1k difference from Princess 3 years ago. (with and on board discount and gc discounts) We decided to jump ship for Alaska and use the savings on some pricey excursions. We had a fabulous time and did not miss DCL. I think the change in weather and scenery made it less noticeable. We did miss the kids clubs though but we were so busy it was fine and kids loved Princess pools (inside and big). I would go again in a heartbeat. Oh and I did miss the idea of getting a picture of Minnie in that cute outfit! We did see the Wonder in Skagway and I wanted to jump on it just to get the picture and head back to the Princess for dinner as the food on there is fantastic! lol

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

I've only cruised with DCL but we are jumping ship for Alaska 2018 and doing the Golden ship on Princess. We were able to get 3 inside staterooms on Princess for much less than 2 inside staterooms on DCL plus Princess goes to Glacier Bay (my dad's one request) so itinerary plus cost has pushed us to try something else. Hoping our choice is okay!

 

[aprincessatlast]

I've only cruised with DCL but we are jumping ship for Alaska 2018 and doing the Golden ship on Princess. We were able to get 3 inside staterooms on Princess for much less than 2 inside staterooms on DCL plus Princess goes to Glacier Bay (my dad's one request) so itinerary plus cost has pushed us to try something else. Hoping our choice is okay!

This is the ship we were on. Like you we were/are DCL travelers but this ship was fantastic! That understated elegance that DCL has I think princess has it too. We are a rather young family and were traveling with a 3-6-9 year olds and they had a blast. They still talk about it. The food is spectacular and they have great onboard narrators. Don't get me wrong I would go on DCL too for Alaska (those open all day clubs are a draw) but we did not feel like we were settling once we were on board the Golden Princess.

 

[Ravenne]

For one, DCL is always pricier than other cruise lines. Like, not even in the same neighborhood in terms of prices. As @mmouse37 said, play around with different room options. It's also been over a month since opening day prices, and prices have already gone up. If you have an OBB, that helps.

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

This is the ship we were on. Like you we were/are DCL travelers but this ship was fantastic! That understated elegance that DCL has I think princess has it too. We are a rather young family and were traveling with a 3-6-9 year olds and they had a blast. They still talk about it. The food is spectacular and they have great onboard narrators. Don't get me wrong I would go on DCL too for Alaska (those open all day clubs are a draw) but we did not feel like we were settling once we were on board the Golden Princess.

Thank you so much for your response! We are excited but it's so far away. I'm traveling with my parents who will be turning 60, my brother and sister-in-law in 3 inside rooms (side by side.) I've only had verandah rooms on DCL so that will be an adjustment too so we're hoping they have ample deck space to hang out! Looking forward to visiting somewhere besides the Bahamas...although I'll miss CC. If DCL had the Glacier Bay itinerary, we probably would have done DCL even with the increase in price!

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

The title of the post says it all. Disney cannot be freaking serious on the quote I just received from its website. There are so many other things I could do with that obscene amount of money.

Am I doing something wrong when trying to book through the website?

You may want to look into the brand new Norwegian Bliss for Alaska. We booked opening day for Alaska and are on the 6/11/18 sailing, for 4 of us in an 8A it's just under $9,000 so you're not doing anything wrong. The only reason I'm paying that kind of money is because it's our son's graduation trip.

 

[BruinEd03]

The title of the post says it all. Disney cannot be freaking serious on the quote I just received from its website. There are so many other things I could do with that obscene amount of money.

Am I doing something wrong when trying to book through the website?

Also depends on the time you want to cruise, length of cruise, and rooms.

Dates

For example, for 2 adults (no kids) for a 7 night cruise, prices are around $7k to $8.5k for a Verandah (June 4, 2018 to August 13, 2018). However, if you are flexible with your dates, they can also be had for $5k - $6k. May 21 (First cruise) is $5.3k, May 28 (Second cruise) is $6.2k. August 20 (Third to last cruise) is $6.1k, August 27 is $5.5k (Second to last cruise), and September 3 (Last Cruise) is $5.2k.

I just priced it out for August 20 (not the cheapest), and for 2A, 3C, it is $13k. For September 3 (cheapest), it is $11k.

Length

For a 9 night cruise, the prices jump up astronomically. The July 9 one is $10.6k for 2A. That is 100% more than the price of the lowest priced 7 day cruise for only a 29% increase in days. It is only an increase of 23% over the highest costing 7 day cruise.

Rooms

Using 2 rooms, but downgrade to ocean view rooms. For Ocean view rooms, for 3 people (2A, 1C) prices range from $5.1k to $7.5k. Obviously, you'll have less than 4A, 2C, so you'll save a little more. Thus, you may want to consider 2 Ocean view rooms.

 

[jujubiee4]

I could kick myself for not doing the Alaska trip when it was more affordable.
Every year we said maybe next year etc... Now the prices yikes!

 

[cruiser21]

I could buy my son a nice used car for his 16th birthday for 14k. I spend a lot every year traveling more then 14k most years, so I probably shouldn't talk, but 14k is a lot for one week. I'm amazed at what people are willing to pay to cruise on Disney. I've been on 14 Disney cruises, but I've have never paid that kind of money. I plan on booking a TA while on board next month. It will probably run about 4k. There are lots of cruiselines in Alaska that would cost less then half that and have they better itinerary's. If you got the money to cruise DCL in Alaska then go for it. It's not something I would do.

 

[Donna3271]

I paid $6800 for a Cat 4B in Aug. 2013 for my family of 5. Granted, it was discounted from a previous OBB, but I can't believe how much the prices for Alaska rose! Thank goodness we did that one already!

I am starting to look int RCCL.

 

[cruisehopeful]

While the price is high, the cruise will probably sell out. So, it isn't high for some people. You can reduce the cost quite a bit by sailing in May or September. You can also go on a different cruise line and save a lot of money.

 

[chaseg03]

The title of the post says it all. Disney cannot be freaking serious on the quote I just received from its website. There are so many other things I could do with that obscene amount of money.

Am I doing something wrong when trying to book through the website?

I know its crazy. Its disney after all! You would think with such a price they would have some deals on occasion like royal carribean. What sailing did you look at? We have June 4.

 

[bcwife76]

You must be looking at dates for June or July! Going at the very beginning or very end of the season is a bit more 'reasonable'. We are on the second to last sailing this August and for our family of 4 in a 5A verandah we are paying about half that.

 

[Shanti]

The title of the post says it all. Disney cannot be freaking serious on the quote I just received from its website. There are so many other things I could do with that obscene amount of money.

Am I doing something wrong when trying to book through the website?

What category stateroom? If you want a better deal, book an inside stateroom. The verandahs cost a major premium in Alaska, but insides are more reasonable. And since kids/3rd/4th/5th passengers don't get special discounts or sail free on DCL, that helps make the prices higher on DCL than on a competitor if you're traveling as a family of 5.

 

[sukhakuli]

We are a family of 6 and have to get 2 staterooms (plus we are traveling with my mother). We are booked on a fall cruise to Mexico and the it's costing us about $13,000 for 7 days - that's just the base price without tips, junk we buy the kids or excursions. Our last *2 week* trip to WDW was $15,000, and that includes airfare, food, dinner shows and all the crap we bought. I've got major sticker shock with this cruise and almost cancelled it about 1,000 times. We better love it. I could buy my teenager her first car with that kind of money.

I just wanted to commiserate. The cruises are *really* expensive, especially if you have more than 2 kids. To be fair, though, I'm being princessey about getting a verandah room because I'm claustrophobic and cannot imagine sleeping trapped in that underwater coffin. No way.

 

[MUN]

There are so many other things I could do with that obscene amount of money.

You should do those other things then. This cruise is not a necessity.

 

[MUN]

We are a family of 6 and have to get 2 staterooms (plus we are traveling with my mother). We are booked on a fall cruise to Mexico and the it's costing us about $13,000 for 7 days - that's just the base price without tips, junk we buy the kids or excursions. Our last *2 week* trip to WDW was $15,000, and that includes airfare, food, dinner shows and all the crap we bought. I've got major sticker shock with this cruise and almost cancelled it about 1,000 times. We better love it. I could buy my teenager her first car with that kind of money.

I just wanted to commiserate. The cruises are *really* expensive, especially if you have more than 2 kids. To be fair, though, I'm being princessey about getting a verandah room because I'm claustrophobic and cannot imagine sleeping trapped in that underwater coffin. No way.

None of the guest rooms are underwater and you're just as "trapped" in a room with a verandah. Sure, you can go out on the verandah, but I'm not sure you would want to sleep out there. Also, in the middle of the night during an anxiety attack, it's a long way down from the verandah.

MUN