Best Value for a DCL European cruise?

[bethy]

We are wanting to travel to Europe in Summer 2018 and are thinking of doing part of the trip on DCL. I've been doing my research but am wondering if there are any generally any trends regarding value.

For example: Are some itineraries/ports more popular than others?

Do you get a lot better value per person, per day on the longer cruises - especially when compared to eating "on land?"

Are repositioning cruises a better deal in Europe like they are elsewhere?

Our timeframe will be mid June through the end of July - we are tied to a high school schedule. So we can't do shoulder season.

Thanks!

 

[aggiedog]

I'm fairly certain DCL and the words "best value" are mutually exclusive.

You can look on their site and compare cost/person/day. I got the feeling there was a small difference with the longer cruises, but mostly it seemed like more days equaled more money pretty consistently. You will be paying a premium to sail that time frame as well.

Don't get me wrong, we had a great time on our DCL Baltic cruise last year. This year, however, we are sailing the Med on MSC for well less than half the cost (closer to 1/4 the cost), if you consider that we'll be concierge level with MSC which I could never afford on DCL. The comparison isn't exact, since DCL is a 600sq ft one bedroom suite, and we'll be in a 400 sq ft room w/o a separate bedroom, but it will have a private pool, private dining, a butler, unlimited drinks around the ship and stocked in our room, and other perks.

So, best value is a relative term. If you want to do DCL, I'd pick the cruise, stateroom, and cost you can live with. In that time frame, the med cruises are all longer, so will be more expensive. The 7 day med cruises are in August.

 

[tivo4me1]

We are wanting to travel to Europe in Summer 2018 and are thinking of doing part of the trip on DCL. I've been doing my research but am wondering if there are any generally any trends regarding value.

For example: Are some itineraries/ports more popular than others?

Do you get a lot better value per person, per day on the longer cruises - especially when compared to eating "on land?"

Are repositioning cruises a better deal in Europe like they are elsewhere?

Our timeframe will be mid June through the end of July - we are tied to a high school schedule. So we can't do shoulder season.

Thanks!

If it helps, for this year, the European cruises are some of the most expensive per day (similar to holiday cruises and Alaska), but the Eastbound transatlantic is probably one of the least expensive (when considered as a "per day" charge). I think you'll find that the longer repositioning cruises (Panama Canal, Transatlantic) are the closest DCL comes to "cost effective" these days (excluding the short West Coast repositioning cruises, which had daily rates, even on opening day, that appeared to me to border on the obscene)....

 

[Melissa S]

If it helps, for this year, the European cruises are some of the most expensive per day (similar to holiday cruises and Alaska), but the Eastbound transatlantic is probably one of the least expensive (when considered as a "per day" charge). I think you'll find that the longer repositioning cruises (Panama Canal, Transatlantic) are the closest DCL comes to "cost effective" these days (excluding the short West Coast repositioning cruises, which had daily rates, even on opening day, that appeared to me to border on the obscene)....

Yes! What we are paying for our 11 night Transatlantic this year is close to what we paid for our first cruise which was only a 3 night!

 

[MUN]

I'm fairly certain DCL and the words "best value" are mutually exclusive.

My neighbor likes to say "Price is what you pay and value is what you get."

That being said, we have a DCL Norwegian Fjord cruise planned for June. I priced this cruise with comparable cruises on competing lines, and I thought DCL was very competitive.

Other than that, I can't help OP with their question.

MUN

 

[cruiser21]

wrong thread

 

[aggiedog]

The TA is definitely cheaper by cost/day, but since it's happening in May, not an option for the OP.

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/MSC_SearchCruiseManagerRedirectCmd?storeId=12264&langId=-1004&catalogId=10001&monthsResult=&areaFilter=MED@NOR@&priceRangeFilter=false&embarkFilter=&lengthFilter=&departureFrom=06.01.2017&departureTo=06.30.2017&ships=&category=&onlyAvailableCruises=true&packageTrf=false&packageTpt=false&packageCrol=false&packageCrfl=false&dealsInput=false&tripSpecificationPanel=true&shipPreferencesPanel=false&dealsPanel=false

The June 17 7 night cruise to Norway, two adults and a teen, in a suite is $1600.

Hope that link works. In no way do I work for MSC, and I haven't even sailed them yet, but the cost difference is so huge that it's allowing us to spend an extra week in France and still stay under our budget. For that, even if it's not the most amazing cruise of my life, I think it will be "worth it." (Though the many reviews I've read have been predominantly positive.) FWIW, my vacation priority is travel as much/long as I can, for a set budget, staying in nice hotels, eating good food, learning about the places we're in. That's my "best value." With 4 kids, that can be a challenge. My kids are 11-17, so don't need the characters, naps, and kid activities that younger kids may want/need. Others have different priorities, and that's ok.

 

[Disneymadhouse]

The UK school holidays ( and there are usually a fair number on board from the UK due to Barcelona only being a two hour flight!) start around the third week in July. Our school finishes for the summer break this year on Friday 21st July, and next year its Friday 20th July. When I have looked at prices in the past that week to around the third week of August tend to be more costly.

Claire

 

[kiapepito]

We were hoping by to do the 11 day to Dublin if offered in 2018 but there is no way... $22,000 for a family of four in a verandah... plus airfare from California...!