$2000 more for same cruise next year?

[tinkerone]

I'm surprised at this. I am going in Novemeber '16, Novemeber 26th, because my son loves all things Christmas and once the second week of December hits I am absolutely slammed and can not be away..at least not enjoyably away lol. The price difference was @ $1200, for same category, but RCL does have more add ons, so it would narrow the gap.
Even at $2k I probably wouldn't have changed my mind on this cruise. But anything over a 2-$3k difference on a Med cruise I'd have a harder time justifying...especially compared to a newer more amenity filled ship.

$2K made me open my eyes. That's almost another cruise on RCL. I should have added to my post that the cruise we are doing is an 8 day and not the 7 day dcl is offering. that adds so much more value to it. as to the add ons, no one has yet to show me anything I would need to pay for other than pop that I would not have to pay for on dcl as well. if i'm saving two thousand i'm not going to complain about spending $150 on pop package that would be 'free' on dcl. in this case I think 'free' is a relative term.
i'm not trying to convince anyone rcl is better. I just have yet to have anyone convince me its not. time will tell. mean while if I can save $2000, i'm very happy.
p.s.-we are in the $100,000-$200,000 category so could easily afford dcl, just have decided not to. not enough value left in the product.

 

[Kimberly9701]

$2K made me open my eyes. That's almost another cruise on RCL. I should have added to my post that the cruise we are doing is an 8 day and not the 7 day dcl is offering. that adds so much more value to it. as to the add ons, no one has yet to show me anything I would need to pay for other than pop that I would not have to pay for on dcl as well. if i'm saving two thousand i'm not going to complain about spending $150 on pop package that would be 'free' on dcl. in this case I think 'free' is a relative term.
i'm not trying to convince anyone rcl is better. I just have yet to have anyone convince me its not. time will tell. mean while if I can save $2000, i'm very happy.
p.s.-we are in the $100,000-$200,000 category so could easily afford dcl, just have decided not to. not enough value left in the product.

Completely agree. It's not IF you can afford it. It's IF you see the value in it. There's certain things I'll spend money on and some that I won't. And the Oasis is a wonderful ship..had I cruised on DCL before I may have made a different decision. That's why I said earlier that yes- maybe once, twice, even 3 times someone may pay significantly more for DCL..but once their kids are out of the toddler/pre k/k stage.. No matter what your income level, the justification would be difficult.

 

[squirk]

This is interesting. Because I wonder how much is kid driven verses parent driven. We do not have cable and have not had it for over ten years, so our kids never asked us for stuff like dcl. I think parents have a lot of control over this.

I think you're right - it's parent-driven because Disney has successfully instilled this sense that if you don't do the "Disney vacation" option for your (little) kids, at least once, you've somehow failed.

 

[MissDaisyofTexas]

We are hoping to book Alaska 2017 any day now. Last year when the summer of 2016 prices were released, I made a spreadsheet of the cost of an Alaska cruise in many different cabin category configurations (we are a family of 5). I'll be interested to compare last year's opening prices to this year's. I hope the increase is not too much!

 

[darnheather]

I also think it matters if Disney is your only vacation for the year. I'm not talking about weekend trips. For example, myself and my son travel together. Disney will never be our only destination per year, there is too much that I want him to see and experience. Travel is a very important part of my life. So let's say I set a budget for our DW/DCL trip, and stick in it's ballpark, I can still comfortably and most importantly-justifiably-travel internationally that same year. .

You are very lucky to be able to afford all that. My family can only afford a vacation every other year. Even for that we must budget and work at it. I know that we too are lucky so I'm not complaining either, but just pointing out your family is probably not the norm.

 

[DnA2010]

Last year, for the 3 of us, a 7-night on the Magic for all 3 of us was about $400 more than the Oasis, and at that time, I could bring Rum on the DCL ship, so it was a no-brainer...

So our 3 cruises:
Our Oasis cruise was the week after new years so still a fairly busy time- It was $2,985 Canadian for 2 A and DD9- balcony (including grat)
Our Freedom cruise was booked last minute and was $1475 CAD so around $1150 US for 2 A- ocean view GT -not including gratuity- I wish I remember what the VGT was.
Our Fantasy cruise booked on veranda guarantee rate in the lowest season was $3588 US for 2 A, DD10- so over 5K Canadian with grat.

 

[Kimberly9701]

You are very lucky to be able to afford all that. My family can only afford a vacation every other year. Even for that we must budget and work at it. I know that we too are lucky so I'm not complaining either, but just pointing out your family is probably not the norm.

I'm not wealthy by any means..that may have come across wrong. I have a decent income, I have a few decent investments. I pick and choose what expenses are important to me, and I try to not spend frivolously. Could I have a bigger house or a flashy car instead of a Honda? Sure. But instead I'd rather spend the money on local experiences - museums, amusement parks, zoo, etc etc, and travel with my son.

I also have one child, not 2,3,4 to pay for education, travel, activities, etc. So in that regard it does make some things a little more easy/justifiable for me to do.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

For us the cost this year for 6 of us in a 7a and connecting 5(?) is $8300. For next year I priced 5 of us (oldest DD will be gone to college) all in one verandah room and the price is the same. For half the space and one less person!

 

[cyclenut]

Price comparisons between lines and across sailings is going to vary quite a bit. I've seen big price swings depending on sail dates. I really don't like Carnival, but I've never sailed their larger ships so I know I am not being fair. I feel RCCL is much closer to Disney in terms of quality of experience. When I compare prices I usually stick to RCCL vs. Disney for similar dates and destinations. The most "fair" comparison if you are just trying to compare prices is to compare the Freedom class ships to the Dream and Fantasy. The Wonder would compare to the smaller (and older) RCCL ships whereas the Magic would be some of the newer or refurbished RCCL ships just below the Freedom class. What ship you are on makes a huge difference in your cruise experience so it is only fair to choose the right ship when doing a price compare.

However, if it is really just about your vacation, then you choose what matters to you most and then compare. Maybe the ship doesn't matter so much to you. Maybe the ship is the key and the destination is not so important. Each is going to look at that differently. When someone says that their price for the RCCL cruise was $2,000 cheaper on the Oasis, it could be they found that one time period where DCL ships are sailing full and RCCL has capacity. It could be the stateroom category worked out better on RCCL this time. There really are a lot of factors that go into cruise pricing. It is really difficult to compare the same cruise year over year too. We know prices go up, but it could be that you got a really good deal this year and paid "list" the next year. The gap would be wider than the person who paid "list" both years or happened to get the deal this year.

Probably the only thing we can say for certain is that DCL is more expensive than most mainstream cruise lines but less expensive than luxury or all-inclusive lines. Cruises pricing on all lines is going to increase over time. Some will increase every year while some destinations may be priced a bit differently year over year. Prices are going up across the board though. That isn't unique to Disney. The older the ship, the less expensive the cruise will likely be.

 

[cyclenut]

Folks here have posted a few times about the additional costs that you have to add to an RCCL cruise to make it price comparative to a DCL cruise. Aside from the Soda card on RCCL (which really isn't that expensive), I can't think of other things that RCCL charges for that DCL doesn't. For those that have made those statements, please share. I've sailed both lines recently and unless my memory is worse than I thought (a distinct possibility), I can't recall anything else. I'm just talking about the price now, not whether or not one line has a better show, etc. What are the "extras" that you add to RCCL to compare to Disney?

 

[Kimberly9701]

Folks here have posted a few times about the additional costs that you have to add to an RCCL cruise to make it price comparative to a DCL cruise. Aside from the Soda card on RCCL (which really isn't that expensive), I can't think of other things that RCCL charges for that DCL doesn't. For those that have made those statements, please share. I've sailed both lines recently and unless my memory is worse than I thought (a distinct possibility), I can't recall anything else. I'm just talking about the price now, not whether or not one line has a better show, etc. What are the "extras" that you add to RCCL to compare to Disney?

Price comparisons between lines and across sailings is going to vary quite a bit. I've seen big price swings depending on sail dates. I really don't like Carnival, but I've never sailed their larger ships so I know I am not being fair. I feel RCCL is much closer to Disney in terms of quality of experience. When I compare prices I usually stick to RCCL vs. Disney for similar dates and destinations. The most "fair" comparison if you are just trying to compare prices is to compare the Freedom class ships to the Dream and Fantasy. The Wonder would compare to the smaller (and older) RCCL ships whereas the Magic would be some of the newer or refurbished RCCL ships just below the Freedom class. What ship you are on makes a huge difference in your cruise experience so it is only fair to choose the right ship when doing a price compare.

However, if it is really just about your vacation, then you choose what matters to you most and then compare. Maybe the ship doesn't matter so much to you. Maybe the ship is the key and the destination is not so important. Each is going to look at that differently. When someone says that their price for the RCCL cruise was $2,000 cheaper on the Oasis, it could be they found that one time period where DCL ships are sailing full and RCCL has capacity. It could be the stateroom category worked out better on RCCL this time. There really are a lot of factors that go into cruise pricing. It is really difficult to compare the same cruise year over year too. We know prices go up, but it could be that you got a really good deal this year and paid "list" the next year. The gap would be wider than the person who paid "list" both years or happened to get the deal this year.

Probably the only thing we can say for certain is that DCL is more expensive than most mainstream cruise lines but less expensive than luxury or all-inclusive lines. Cruises pricing on all lines is going to increase over time. Some will increase every year while some destinations may be priced a bit differently year over year. Prices are going up across the board though. That isn't unique to Disney. The older the ship, the less expensive the cruise will likely be.

I have not been on DCL yet, so I can't compare the onboard experience on both. I chose the Fantasy for the character experience and very Merrytime theme and events. I have been on Royal Caribbean, without my son, and the experience was great. Yes the ships you mentioned are (on paper) comparable to Disney..but RCCL has much newer/better ships than the ones you mentioned, which is why I'm impatiently wishing for the summer '17 itineraries to compare pricing. I'm confident without a doubt that we will love DCL... But if we sail them in the Med.. TBD.

To be fair when I consider "extras" I not only factor in drink packages, but the casino as well. Will I be in there everyday? No. But I do know that if my son is at the kid's club for a few hours one day.. I will be in the casino during that time. I mentioned in a previous post that I have a comped cruise in June on Carnival.. Last year I had a comped NCL but didn't use it., so knowing that I like to gamble on occasion, I factor that budget into a cruise. Who knows..maybe I'd win..but I budget to lose just in case lol. So for me personally I don't have to budget that same amount with DCL which narrows the gap.

 

[Bree]

The soda package is the only thing I can think of that you have to pay for on RCCL to make it "even" with DCL. Coffee, tea, lemonade and tap water are free all day long in Windjammer (buffet). You can buy a soda package. I don't bother with it, but I do buy bottled water on both lines. Cruise ship tap water makes me swell up. I can't be bothered to lug a case of water around so it's an expense I pay on either line. There are far more free food options available on RCCL and you can get it nearly 24 hours a day. Yes, there are some upcharge places, but nobody is forcing you to go there. DCL has Palo & Remy. RCCL has similar places, but other things like Johnny Rockets, Starbucks, Ben & Jerry's and one I'm looking forward to in April - Cupcake Cupboard!!! There are casinos on RCCL, but I'm just not a gambler. I go just to keep my shipmates happy LOL!!!

One thing I enjoy about RCCL is that they always have at least one pool and hot tub open 24 hours. DCL rolls up the sidewalks way too early for my liking. I find there are more things for adults to do on RCCL. I was bored stiff at times on the Magic last November. RCCL also has MUCH better perks for their suite class rooms. I refuse to pay for concierge on DCL. They also have a better loyalty program.

Don't get me wrong. I still enjoy the DCL product and can easily afford it, but I'm not sure I'll be booking with them after our trip next March. Honestly, I'm not sure I'm even going to keep the booking because it turned into a Star Wars cruise. Summer prices are just stupid on DCL. I don't know...maybe if their new ships have onboard activities like rope courses, rock walls, ice rinks, etc like RCCL. RCCL has some ridiculous prices too, but it's mostly on the brand spanking new ships. Harmony is double the price of Allure some weeks next year.

Disney has been and always will be an expensive vacation product whether you are looking at the parks or cruise line. It's always been a struggle for lots of families to vacation with them. I grew up poorer than poor. My 1st trip was when I was 25yo after I busted my butt to educate myself and have a good paying career. To say that they are only going after the 1% is kind of silly. My family today is the 1%, and believe me, they are not knocking down my door with any sort of enticement for my family to sail with them. If anything they are turning me off with the cuts they have made and as a result I have booked more cruises with RCCL.

 

[cyclenut]

At the risk of sharing too much information. I just looked up to confirm what I paid for my upcoming DCL cruise. 7 night Bahamas on the Disney Wonder with a Verandah. We paid $3,000 for two, including port fees and taxes. That's just $215 per night. That's really the number you need to look at if you want to compare different vacation types, cruise lines, etc. I realize I'm going to have to add tips to that, but if you stay in a nice hotel just about anywhere you are going to pay that, then you're going to have to add food and entertainment.

To be fair, I looked it up. The Marriott Beachside in Key West (the ship will sail to Key West so I figured that was a fair comparison) costs $340 per night for that same weekend in January we are sailing. I stay at the Marriott a lot for business travel so I am very familiar with their accommodations. The rooms are clearly larger (any hotel rooms are) but other than that I would say that is a fair comparison. I mean, that's likely the type of place I would stay in if I were doing a land only vacation.

Of course, the $215 is per person and Marriott doens't charge extra for each person, but it still makes DCL look like a bargain.

 

[Ofinn]

At the risk of sharing too much information. I just looked up to confirm what I paid for my upcoming DCL cruise. 7 night Bahamas on the Disney Wonder with a Verandah. We paid $3,000 for two, including port fees and taxes. That's just $215 per night. That's really the number you need to look at if you want to compare different vacation types, cruise lines, etc. I realize I'm going to have to add tips to that, but if you stay in a nice hotel just about anywhere you are going to pay that, then you're going to have to add food and entertainment.

To be fair, I looked it up. The Marriott Beachside in Key West (the ship will sail to Key West so I figured that was a fair comparison) costs $340 per night for that same weekend in January we are sailing. I stay at the Marriott a lot for business travel so I am very familiar with their accommodations. The rooms are clearly larger (any hotel rooms are) but other than that I would say that is a fair comparison. I mean, that's likely the type of place I would stay in if I were doing a land only vacation.

Of course, the $215 is per person and Marriott doens't charge extra for each person, but it still makes DCL look like a bargain.

Was that out of Galveston. Galveston cruises are cheap. You probably could have paid half that on another line. I don't consider 3k for two people cheap for a cruise. There was a time when you could sale on the Fantasy in a verandah with 4 people for close to 3k in the offseason. The cruise fare is just a part of the cost of cruise vacation. Gratuities, drinks, excursions, flights it all adds up.

 

[tinkerone]

At the risk of sharing too much information. I just looked up to confirm what I paid for my upcoming DCL cruise. 7 night Bahamas on the Disney Wonder with a Verandah. We paid $3,000 for two, including port fees and taxes. That's just $215 per night. That's really the number you need to look at if you want to compare different vacation types, cruise lines, etc. I realize I'm going to have to add tips to that, but if you stay in a nice hotel just about anywhere you are going to pay that, then you're going to have to add food and entertainment.

To be fair, I looked it up. The Marriott Beachside in Key West (the ship will sail to Key West so I figured that was a fair comparison) costs $340 per night for that same weekend in January we are sailing. I stay at the Marriott a lot for business travel so I am very familiar with their accommodations. The rooms are clearly larger (any hotel rooms are) but other than that I would say that is a fair comparison. I mean, that's likely the type of place I would stay in if I were doing a land only vacation.

Of course, the $215 is per person and Marriott doens't charge extra for each person, but it still makes DCL look like a bargain.

I never really thought about doing that for our upcoming cruise so I just pulled out our paper work for our November 2016 cruise. our cost is $2594 Canadian on the oasis and that is for a 8 night sailing. using your method (and I like it) we will pay $162 Canadian p.p. per night. that includes our gratuities as we have prepaid them. going one step further, if I convert my fee to u.s. using todays rate then we are only paying $120.09 p.p. per night. that's a really good deal in my books. now I hope I did the math right. i'm sure if I didn't someone will let me know.

@Kimberly9701, as to extras including the casino, I just don't see it. it may be extra to you but its not an extra that really should be considered when looking at the price differences. its pretty much like walking into an onboard shop and purchasing something. just because one person budgets for shopping doesn't mean everyone will. JMO

 

[squirk]

To say that they are only going after the 1% is kind of silly. My family today is the 1%, and believe me, they are not knocking down my door with any sort of enticement for my family to sail with them.

Like you, I also grew up in a low-income household. And like you, my economic status today is much different. But I don't think anyone, including me, ever said DCL was beating down the doors of the one-percenters, trying to entice them to sail DCL. I agree - they're not beating down my door, either.

Rather, the hypothesis is that the way pricing trends are going, who else will be able to afford a DCL cruise besides those higher-net-worth families? And, bonus - these families probably spend a lot more per-capita than middle- or lower-income households.

Even Len Testa - whose opinion on the economics of Disney pricing is far more informed than pretty much anyone on these boards - is on-record observing that Disney Parks/Resorts/Cruises are slowly becoming "playgrounds for the rich".

 

[cyclenut]

The $120 pp per night is a great rate. I've paid that before on DCL, but that was a few years ago and it was a repo cruise from Vancouver to LA. I suppose your perspective on cheap is relative. I found it pretty cheap considering we have a verandah at that price (albeit a white wall).

I looked a little closer at that Marriott by the way. That $340 per night was only two of the nights. I priced a three night stay and the third night was $415. Plus, I had to pay in full for all three nights, with no changes or refunds, at time of booking. In addition, that rate did not include any resort fees or taxes.

I do realize that RCCL would likely be cheaper and I'm certain Carnival would be, but for this trip, we wanted Disney so we are paying the price. We used to live just 15 minutes from Disneyland so we are having withdrawals here in North Dallas.

 

[Kimberly9701]

My favorite "Incidentals" in Key West-



Photo with a REAL mermaid. $20

Pay Phone. 35 cents (I think). My son had never seen one before and was completely in awe..had to call his grandparents from the "funny phone". Hand sanitizer was overly applied after..

Palm Leaf Fish (and rose that isn't pictured) $20

Parrot Photo Op. $20


Chicken Stalking- Free Event.

 

[Kimberly9701]

My favorite "Incidentals" in Key West-


View attachment 158848
Photo with a REAL mermaid. $20
View attachment 158851
Pay Phone. 35 cents (I think). My son had never seen one before and was completely in awe..had to call his grandparents from the "funny phone".
View attachment 158852
Palm Leaf Fish (and rose that isn't pictured) $20
View attachment 158853
Parrot Photo Op. $20

View attachment 158854
Chicken Stalking- Free Event.

At the risk of sharing too much information. I just looked up to confirm what I paid for my upcoming DCL cruise. 7 night Bahamas on the Disney Wonder with a Verandah. We paid $3,000 for two, including port fees and taxes. That's just $215 per night. That's really the number you need to look at if you want to compare different vacation types, cruise lines, etc. I realize I'm going to have to add tips to that, but if you stay in a nice hotel just about anywhere you are going to pay that, then you're going to have to add food and entertainment.

To be fair, I looked it up. The Marriott Beachside in Key West (the ship will sail to Key West so I figured that was a fair comparison) costs $340 per night for that same weekend in January we are sailing. I stay at the Marriott a lot for business travel so I am very familiar with their accommodations. The rooms are clearly larger (any hotel rooms are) but other than that I would say that is a fair comparison. I mean, that's likely the type of place I would stay in if I were doing a land only vacation.

Of course, the $215 is per person and Marriott doens't charge extra for each person, but it still makes DCL look like a bargain.

Oops. I was replying to this.

 

[Kimberly9701]

@Kimberly9701, as to extras including the casino, I just don't see it. it may be extra to you but its not an extra that really should be considered when looking at the price differences. its pretty much like walking into an onboard shop and purchasing something. just because one person budgets for shopping doesn't mean everyone will. JMO

I totally agree that one person's budget factors are not the same as another's..
But since it's my budget that is paying for the vacations that I'm comparing- Yes, I factor the casino, and what I know I would play, into the comparison. .
I don't want to over dramatize that.. I didn't make a spreadsheet and compare the 2, I knew after our September '15 Disney world trip that out next Disney vacay would be a cruise.
I'm an overscheduler..8 nights at DW on a 16 night vacation were too much..and I filled the days with too much.. I think this will be (a little) more relaxing Disney experience.
I casually looked at RCCL's rates for the same week..just to see a comparison.
It wasn't a major decision struggle. And in my mind I laughed and thought "add casino play and really not much of a price difference"
I've said a few times though- next year against a Quantum class ship.. It could be.