Cancelled Our Cruise -Going To Universal

[Pens Fan]

A kid in college and getting older makes you think differently when you spend money.

This ^^^^!!

Years ago, when our son was born, my husband and I made a plan that our son would graduate from college debt free. Now at the time (20 years ago) we didn't realize that college would cost more than our first house did (and it was a really nice house!). But you know what, we are doing it. Add to that the fact that my husband hopes to retire in 5 or 6 years, and all of a sudden spending twice as much just to sail with a Mouse isn't all that important to us. Honestly, I don't even want to think about what our son's 529 account would look like if we'd substituted a couple of Disney cruises in the past for another line and deposited the difference.

Don't get me wrong. We've loved all of our Disney vacations. But over the years we've taken far more non-Disney vacations than Disney ones. If someone asked me to rank all of our vacations, the only Disney one that would even crack the top five was our Iceland/Norway cruise. And that was because of the ports, not the ship. I think Disney is a great product and I understand that kids love it. Our son most definitely did, and he's currently studying mechanical engineering in the hopes for working for Disney some day. And yet when he graduated from high school we let him pick the summer vacation as his graduation trip. Much to our surprise he chose 2 weeks in Colorado. No Disney. No cruise. Go figure!! (It was a fabulous trip!!)

 

[mevelandry]

Disney is banking on the "inner child"/freedom of sorrows bubble concept that goes straight to our hearts. I see them like the Wizard of Oz: behind the "Disney Magic" there's a well-oiled machine/a business that knows exactly which chord to pull. Add all the colors everywhere... Positive reinforcement... The brain is sensitive to all of that.

And somehow, it makes you feel fine with the idea of spending more or less twice that what you'll pay on other lines and wanting it again and again. I have to give them that... They are good with marketing.

 

[FluteTuba]

Strange to see all the Disney grumpiness in the Disney Cruise Line forum. Seems like over half the posts on this topic are "I love Disney, but they aren't even close to being my favorite vacation or worth the cost" If that were my stance I wouldn't even be on this forum to put forth the opinion. Just seems a bit weird to me.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Strange to see all the Disney grumpiness in the Disney Cruise Line forum. Seems like over half the posts on this topic are "I love Disney, but they aren't even close to being my favorite vacation or worth the cost" If that were my stance I wouldn't even be on this forum to put forth the opinion. Just seems a bit weird to me.

One of the reasons I love this forum as opposed to Junkies on FB or whatever is that there are usually more balanced opinions here. I don't see anything wrong with saying that a DCL vacation hasn't been worth the cost for someone or maybe isn't worth the cost now that circumstances have changed (older kids, kids in college, one person is retired, etc.) I personally don't find it weird and in fact I don't find it to be "grumpiness" either. Many of us have cruised DCL and other lines and can offer a perspective that someone who has only cruised DCL doesn't have. A DCL diehard fan has a different perspective. That is okay. It should be okay to say I've cruised Disney and here is why I will likely not cruise them again, as much as it is okay to say I've cruised Disney and will never cruise another line.

This is a forum, not a fan page. The definition of a forum is a place to exchange ideas and views on particular issues.

 

[mousefan73]

Kinda sad - cancelled our 5 night cruise, but was having so much trouble justifying spending nearly $4500 (canadian) for 5 nights -cruise was $3650 cdn for 2 of us. Then Miami hotel - 300 cdn, tips - 155cdn, plus an excursion maybe, plus drinks (not big drinkers but would spend some), plus Palo, plus car rent to drive to Orlando afterwards, etc.... Before I knew it I was burning through about $4500 for FIVE DAYS! Also it will cost me about $250 more to fly into Miami than Orlando.

I love Disney - my heart is with Disney. We have sailed NCL, RCCL, Carnival and Princess and NO - nothing compares to a Disney Cruise, but I just can't justify it when other cruise lines are half or less than half.

We have never been to Universal and I managed to book 5 nights with park to park tix in the new Aventura hotel for $1350! Then we will head over for free dining at WDW for the week after.

I also noticed our sailing (which final payment due next week) is really empty. We have like 3 people in our dismeet group and soooooooo many cabins available. I forsee some GT rates come up. Who knows, if it lowers enough, maybe i will rebook, but for now -Universal is getting my money that week!

Anyone else feeling DCL is getting out of control with pricing?

We just got off the Dream and were spoiled with a VGT rate. When I compare what we booked to mid summer prices it’s double. 5000-6000 vs 3000. We did a place holder. So I checked out the european sailings. OMG! Is all I have to say. Yes we looooved DCL. But Norway or UK for 10,000-12,000! No way. We are doing the Oasis with balcony, med cruise for 4 and paying 4 grand. DCL is more than double.

So now I have a feeling our placeholder was for nothing. Not valid on GT rates and that is the only way I am willing to sail DCL. There is a Bernuda sailing that interests us and the price ok but dates dont work.

End of story: DCL for us are any GT sailings from PC.

 

[mousefan73]

I have to disagree with you:

The "best for families" maybe... but in other Categories, they rarely make it to Top 5 (Crystal, Seabourn, Viking & Azamara usually take all the spots).

One of my friends was a TA (he unfortunately passed last year) and he told me that DCL cruises departing from San Juan, Galveston and NYC were not selling out and they were pretty much filling up the ships with TA's (I'm not giving out the price but he had 7 nights cruises in a verandah cabin for less than what I paid for a 3 nights in an inside cabin)...

My last cruise was filled with Disney employees and DVC specials. Spoke intensly with one DCL employee. I also work in the industry so he opened up. The VP of DCL decided to open up rooms for employee rates to fill fill. He paid under 1000 for him and his wife. cat 4.

 

[All about me]

Strange to see all the Disney grumpiness in the Disney Cruise Line forum. Seems like over half the posts on this topic are "I love Disney, but they aren't even close to being my favorite vacation or worth the cost" If that were my stance I wouldn't even be on this forum to put forth the opinion. Just seems a bit weird to me.

Just because a person thinks A is better than B or B is no longer worth the cost doesn't mean they don't still love B. One does not have to be a fanatic to be a fan.

Personally I am really enjoying this board is because it is more than just a place to gather information, it is a place for discussion and debate. There are all types and levels of Disney fans here so you get a great cross section of thoughts and opinions.

 

[mousefan73]

A brand being part of your identity seems extreme.

And yet millions of Disney fans are. This is why DIS and other forums have MIllions of
Threads. Why grown men spend a week wearing Mickey Ears. Why a cruise line can charge double in offering the same as others that charge half. People want that magic and pixie dust

 

[mousefan73]

I actually gave some thought to how Disney builds the loyalty after hearing an anti smoking add.

Disney essentially uses there movies and characters to get the kids into Disney, which they then get mom and dad (if not already fans) to take them to a park or on a cruise. Then they essentially have a Disney fan and defender for life. Disney is very good at getting people to be pasionate about the product sometimes forgetting to think about their wallet.

This hit us on some level, while we aren’t Disney movie or character fans, man we loved those ships and I have a closet full of DCL hoodies to show for it that I still wear all the time. Towards the end though we did slow down our spending habits.

On RCCL, great cruises, but other than the shirt I got super cheap I don’t feel the need to buy RCCL gear.

Wanted to add that since DCL was our first cruise line that may be part of why we splurged on all the gear. It is possible if we had started with RCCL or Carnival we would have bought a lot of gear too. A kid in college and getting older makes you think differently when you spend money.

You make a valid point Incan identify with. Our Disney vacations are expensive because we buy a lot of Disney gear. We were in Dollywood and all I got was a magnet for our travel board. On our DCL cruise we spent hundreds on DCL stuff. Cannot see me spending a cent on a Our next cruise on gear ( Oasis Med cruise).

On a side note a CM on DCL and I were having a discusiion on the Asian markets. Tons of Chinese/Japanese on board. Her comment was for them it’s all about the disney look and logo they spend 100son anything with Disney logo

So yes part of why people spend the money on DCL is simply the name. My 100 $ Longchamp tote is lesser quality than my target tote.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Strange to see all the Disney grumpiness in the Disney Cruise Line forum. Seems like over half the posts on this topic are "I love Disney, but they aren't even close to being my favorite vacation or worth the cost" If that were my stance I wouldn't even be on this forum to put forth the opinion. Just seems a bit weird to me.

]
I cannot thank the people on this board enough for inspiring me to try other lines. I was a complete disney snob until about three years ago. I was a fool. I really thought nothing could compare to dcl and believed the "fake news" about other lines. I am still here because I still love dcl and we go to wdw and dl very often, but our lives have opened up so much by trying other lines. We were being taken for fools by dcl. 4k for a 3 night for 4 people in a cabin? INSANE. THANK YOU DISBOARDS.

 

[cgolf]

Strange to see all the Disney grumpiness in the Disney Cruise Line forum. Seems like over half the posts on this topic are "I love Disney, but they aren't even close to being my favorite vacation or worth the cost" If that were my stance I wouldn't even be on this forum to put forth the opinion. Just seems a bit weird to me.

Here is my families answer to your comment. Our first 12 cruises were all on DCL and during that time I was a DCL cheerleader on the boards here and helped coworkers plan their DCL cruises.

Once some of the changes started happening I was critical of the changes like many others. Then when the price increases started to happen, first with concierge and then the whole ship we decided to jump ship for awhile.

For us it was a value decision. Over the years we feel that DCL has lessened the product that they are providing. So the decision for us was simple, we didn’t want to pay more comparatively now and get a lesser product than we did in the past. We are a thrifty family and don’t like to overpay for anything, which allows us to take nice vacations.

For newer cruisers they don’t know about the past and love DCL and that is awesome

Just wanted to add that I jump on threads like this to let people know that life after DCL is pretty darn good. I don’t want others to be second guessing their decision to cruise another line and be questioning their decision right up to the time they sail and instead be excited about planning a new adventure. That was me and I made life miserable for my wife who was excited for our first RCCL cruise and all I would do was talk about DCL.

 

[KashasMom]

Here is my families answer to your comment. Our first 12 cruises were all on DCL and during that time I was a DCL cheerleader on the boards here and helped coworkers plan their DCL cruises.

Once some of the changes started happening I was critical of the changes like many others. Then when the price increases started to happen, first with concierge and then the whole ship we decided to jump ship for awhile.

For us it was a value decision. Over the years we feel that DCL has lessened the product that they are providing. So the decision for us was simple, we didn’t want to pay more comparatively now and get a lesser product than we did in the past. We are a thrifty family and don’t like to overpay for anything, which allows us to take nice vacations.

For newer cruisers they don’t know about the past and love DCL and that is awesome

Just wanted to add that I jump on threads like this to let people know that life after DCL is pretty darn good. I don’t want others to be second guessing their decision to cruise another line and be questioning their decision right up to the time they sail and instead be excited about planning a new adventure. That was me and I made life miserable for my wife who was excited for our first RCCL cruise and all I would do was talk about DCL.

I think the worst part is that people go into a cruise on a different line expecting to compare everything to DCL. Those that go in with an open mind are much more likely to enjoy cruising on other lines and may even find certain things that are better than they are on DCL!

 

[Pens Fan]

Strange to see all the Disney grumpiness in the Disney Cruise Line forum. Seems like over half the posts on this topic are "I love Disney, but they aren't even close to being my favorite vacation or worth the cost" If that were my stance I wouldn't even be on this forum to put forth the opinion. Just seems a bit weird to me.

If I'm understanding you correctly, in your opinion you should only be on this forum if you think Disney is your favorite vacation and always worth the cost. The rest of us should just move on. Hmmm.

This is a discussion forum. We are allowed to discuss things as long as it's in a civil manner. For us, we do enjoy Disney, but it's certainly not the be all - end all of our vacation experiences. I do, however, enjoy these boards because while we take many other types of vacations, we still choose Disney from time to time as well and it's a great source of information. We are heading to WDW in December, as a matter of fact. Also, as a past cruiser, I like to answer questions when I can to help out others. Sometimes that involves offering information about another cruise line coming from a Disney customer perspective. What's the harm in that???

The discussion upthread about people identifying with a brand is an interesting one. The whole "Disney person" thing is very, very real. Lots of people are passionate about their love for Disney far past a point that I can understand. It makes them happy, though, so who am I to judge? Besides, it doesn't do our Disney stock any harm!

What I will never understand, though, is why some people take it so personally that a random stranger on the internet doesn't share the same level of passion as they do about how they spend their vacation dollars. Honestly, why would anyone care? We travel to the Outer Banks of NC every summer. It's our home away from home. We love it dearly (keep the folks living along the Carolinas / Virginia coast in your prayers!!). At our recommendation, some close friends took a trip there several years ago. They hated it. While I felt bad that they didn't have a great vacation, it didn't change how I felt about our friends. It wasn't their thing. So be it. Different strokes and all that jazz. When I read on here some of the rather ugly remarks people make about other non Disney vacation options, I can't help but wonder how many of them are made by people who are Disney focussed travel agents. While I do understand the passion inspired by Disney, the cynical side of me wonders how much of it is driven by the all mighty dollar.

 

[mevelandry]

Strange to see all the Disney grumpiness in the Disney Cruise Line forum. Seems like over half the posts on this topic are "I love Disney, but they aren't even close to being my favorite vacation or worth the cost" If that were my stance I wouldn't even be on this forum to put forth the opinion. Just seems a bit weird to me.

With all due respect, I think you are mixing up "message boards" with "fan clubs".

However, I agree that the subject is becoming redundant and a special thread destined to that subject could be created.

 

[mevelandry]

We just got off the Dream and were spoiled with a VGT rate. When I compare what we booked to mid summer prices it’s double. 5000-6000 vs 3000. We did a place holder. So I checked out the european sailings. OMG! Is all I have to say. Yes we looooved DCL. But Norway or UK for 10,000-12,000! No way. We are doing the Oasis with balcony, med cruise for 4 and paying 4 grand. DCL is more than double.

So now I have a feeling our placeholder was for nothing. Not valid on GT rates and that is the only way I am willing to sail DCL. There is a Bernuda sailing that interests us and the price ok but dates dont work.

End of story: DCL for us are any GT sailings from PC.

You can't even use it for a short getaway (3 or 4 nights cruise or Land & Sea)? It would be sad to lose the money.

 

[Pens Fan]

You can't even use it for a short getaway (3 or 4 nights cruise or Land & Sea)? It would be sad to lose the money.

Fortunately the Disney placeholders are fully refundable. It's one of the good things about that program. We purchased one in 2016, but realized about a year later we weren't going to use it. We cancelled it and got our money back.

 

[mevelandry]

]
I cannot thank the people on this board enough for inspiring me to try other lines. I was a complete disney snob until about three years ago. I was a fool. I really thought nothing could compare to dcl and believed the "fake news" about other lines. I am still here because I still love dcl and we go to wdw and dl very often, but our lives have opened up so much by trying other lines. We were being taken for fools by dcl. 4k for a 3 night for 4 people in a cabin? INSANE. THANK YOU DISBOARDS.

Same here. I was so scared to try something different. DISers really reassured me and prepared me and I am very grateful because it opened "my horizons" a lot!

 

[cadien]

Strange to see all the Disney grumpiness in the Disney Cruise Line forum. Seems like over half the posts on this topic are "I love Disney, but they aren't even close to being my favorite vacation or worth the cost" If that were my stance I wouldn't even be on this forum to put forth the opinion. Just seems a bit weird to me.

Being ambivalent on Disney is all the more reason to be on a board like this. When you know you won't absolutely love everything unconditionally, you need to gather information on how to find what you will love.

 

[cruiser21]

And yet millions of Disney fans are. This is why DIS and other forums have MIllions of
Threads. Why grown men spend a week wearing Mickey Ears. Why a cruise line can charge double in offering the same as others that charge half. People want that magic and pixie dust

If someone else not liking Disney makes you angry then I think you(not you specifically) might be going a little overboard. That was my whole point.

 

[cruiser21]

Strange to see all the Disney grumpiness in the Disney Cruise Line forum. Seems like over half the posts on this topic are "I love Disney, but they aren't even close to being my favorite vacation or worth the cost" If that were my stance I wouldn't even be on this forum to put forth the opinion. Just seems a bit weird to me.

You've only been on this board for 2 weeks. This forum is not a cheerleading site for Disney. It's a place to gather information, plan, write reviews good or bad and discuss things Disney related good or bad.