Cancelled Our Cruise -Going To Universal

[PrincessTrisha]

I always find endlessly confusing on a board dedicated to DCL that so many people want to pipe up and say "other cruise lines are better and cheaper." I for one, don't want people to try to sell me on Carnival. I like DCL. It's like going to a steak restaurant and ordering a steak, only for another guest to lean over and argue with me for 15 minutes about how the steak is wayyyy overpriced and the salmon is just as good if not better and half the cost. This happens so often on this board, and I really don't get it.

And some of us like both Steak and Salmon and don't appreciate when to make themselves feel better about ordering the steak have to tell us that the salmon isn't any good.

 

[RedSox68]

For facts about all cruise lines and illnesses, accidents, etc., check out www.cruisejunkie.com.

Interesting that it shows zero overboards for RCCL, when I thought sure there have been several reports over the years of people overboard on that ship and other ships saving them

 

[mevelandry]

Well, we were talking about how DCL was expensive and I mentioned that part of the reason it's so expensive is that they maintain a very good health record. Someone questioned that and tried to say that Carnival's health record is just as good as DCL's.

That would not be true (as indicated by several news reports that I linked).

I maintain: DCL is expensive. yes. That's true. Will DCL's priced go down? Not likely. Not while they believe they provide a higher quality service and various news agencies agree with them and not while their customers are willing to pay what they charge.

See: You are twisting the story again!!

My quote was:

"Also, regarding the alleged "perfect score" in CDC vessel sanitation program, not all of them scored 100:

Disney Dream Disney Cruise Lines 4/9/2018 - 100
Disney Fantasy Disney Cruise Lines 7/22/2017 - 99
Disney Magic Disney Cruise Lines 10/21/2017 - 100
Disney Wonder Disney Cruise Lines 2/4/2018 - 97

Yes. Those are (indeed) excellent scores. But the Dream and the Magic are not the only ships who received a 100 score recently:

https://wwwn.cdc.gov/InspectionQueryTool/InspectionWith100Score.aspx

As you can see, 3 RCCL ships scored 100. And with very few exceptions, Carnival, Norwegian and RCCL usually score over 90 points anyway."

I have never said that Carnival was a good as DCL regarding cleanliness: I have said that the other cruise lines (in that case Carnival, Norwegian and RCCL) also have 100 sometimes and they usually score very high, which makes them very satisfactory healthwise.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

And some of us like both Steak and Salmon and don't appreciate when to make themselves feel better about ordering the steak have to tell us that the salmon isn't any good.

See, I have no problem with people who like Steak and Salmon.

The problem I have is that I go to a steakhouse, order a steak, and the table next to me says "You really should be at the salmon house across the street. They are much better". And I say "but I am here at the steak house because I feel like steak" and the salmon person goes "But the steak here sucks. Leave here and go to the salmon house".

No. If you don't want to be here, that's fine. Go away.
If you want to be here to talk about what you like or don't like about the steak, that's fine too.

But leave the salmon out of it.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

I said "fake news" because you twist facts and only accept what fits your narrative. You ignored every single fact or suggestion that I presented to you (like actually googling DCL and other cruise line to realize that incidents are also quite frequent on other cruise lines) that contradicted or could have nuanced your "views" and bring them closer to "reality".

FYI: I like both cruise lines equally and I plan on sailing on many different cruise lines in the future (Carnival, RCCL, NCL, etc.)

Actually, I looked at your CDC post and even agreed with it. I gave you my perspective on why usnews gave then a 5 when the CDC ratings were not exactly perfect and suggested usnews could have been more accurate in their reporting.

I also said (if you go back and look) that a line with more ships would have a more difficult time scoring as high as a line with fewer ships giving DCL the advantage.

However - and this may be a life lesson for you. EVERY NEWS SITE IN EXISTANCE is biased. EVERY ONE. Guess how many are truly objective? NONE. NOT ONE. ANYWHERE. EVER.

This is because EVERY HUMAN IS BIASED. PERIOD. No matter what you may think or say or do to try to be objective (and you can give it a good shot), YOU CAN'T. What a reporter or editor chooses to report on is in itself a bias. The only truly unbiased source would be robotic.

I admit that I am biased toward DCL. I even said early on that I was biased against Carnival. However, I believe it's reasonable to be biased about DCL ON A DCL BOARD.

If you really want to have a more objective discussion about cruise lines don't have it on a DCL board. Go to Cruise Critic.

 

[mevelandry]

Honestly, I'm done with this argument.

Let's go back to Universal, please.

 

[RedSox68]

Honestly, I'm done with this argument.

Let's go back to Universal, please.

Agreed.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

For facts about all cruise lines and illnesses, accidents, etc., check out www.cruisejunkie.com.

Interesting that it shows zero overboards for RCCL, when I thought sure there have been several reports over the years of people overboard on that ship and other ships saving them

They reported RCCL under RCI. If you read the details it helps. RCI posted 44.

Since this is a DCL board, of interest they reported 2. One was a man overboard on the dream who was picked up by the automatic detection system and rescued within the hour. He lived (I can't believe that he survived that fall).

The other was a youth consoler cast member who went missing and they suspect went overboard (unconfirmed). I guess the automated sensors missed that one.

Sadly it looks like the rest of the site hasn't been undated in the last 4 years.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Honestly, I'm done with this argument.

Let's go back to Universal, please.

Actually, again this is not a universal board. They are elsewhere on the forums. This is a DCL board.

The topic was more or less "I cancelled my Disney cruise because it was so expensive compared to the value I am getting. For example, I can get this package at Universal for almost the same price or cheaper. Do you think DCL is out of control on their pricing?"

We can certainly go back to that topic. Is DCL pricing out of control?

To which I (again) give my answer: DCL is priced against what they believe they can sell the ships at. Since they are making a profit, there would seem to be some basis supporting that. I do not foresee them lowering their pricing as long as they are able to sell the ships at the price they are asking.

Adding 3 new ships with doubtfully lower the price. I agree with other posters that I would suspect the prices will continue to go up (especially because they will want to recoup the cost of the new ships).

I hear a few reports of people on here who believe their ships are not full or have lower than usual attendance. I can't speak to subjective terms since I am not privy to any accurate information, but I do know that DCL continue to outperform the other divisions in Parks and Resorts (this is available in the Annual Report), so I assume the sailings are booked enough to be worthwhile.

Yes - DCL is expensive, but I do not see them lowering the prices as long as they have enough following to fill the ships at the price they set.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

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

Yes I do. My 13 night Carnival Sunshine cruise is $1000 less than my 7 night DCL Fantasy cruise.

We were originally going to do the Fantasy and Magic side by side (get off the SWDAS cruise on the Fantasy and then pop down to Miami to get on the Magic for the MDAS) but I have cancelled the Magic because I just couldn't get over the price versus value comparison.

We're also doing a 5 night Celebrity cruise with free drink package and $300 OBC which is costing us $1200 less than the price of the 5 night Disney Magic cruise. Meeting Groot just didn't end up being worth that much money for me

 

[jimmymc]

Uh, yeah -- that would be a high probable no. The very same thing was said oh so many years ago about prices going down or leveling off when the Dream and Fantasy came on line. Pricing only got worse! I am not resting any future hope for affordability on a Disney cruise based on three more ships coming. They are known now in the industry for being top dollar for very little (in the way of amenities, extras, etc.). The only thing they really have that other cruise lines don't is the free soda.

And I also agree that they are not the best cruise line on the water by any means. In the past four years, we've had better experiences on Carnival -- and that includes much better room stewards.

I think demand has steadily been increasing because the economy is good. Imagine what prices would be like if there were still only 2 ships? Adding the Dream and Fantasy has kept prices lower than they would've been.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Yes I do. My 13 night Carnival Sunshine cruise is $1000 less than my 7 night DCL Fantasy cruise.

We were originally going to do the Fantasy and Magic side by side (get off the SWDAS cruise on the Fantasy and then pop down to Miami to get on the Magic for the MDAS) but I have cancelled the Magic because I just couldn't get over the price versus value comparison.

We're also doing a 5 night Celebrity cruise with free drink package and $300 OBC which is costing us $1200 less than the price of the 5 night Disney Magic cruise. Meeting Groot just didn't end up being worth that much money for me

I agree the prices of the "specialty" cruises (SWDAS, MDAS, FDAS, etc) are insane. We did one SWDAS and although we had fun - it was really just one day of special activities and cost almost $1000 more. We have never been able to justify that price for taking another one, so we just avoid those specialty cruises now.

If they want to continue to charge that kind of price, they need to offer me more than 1 day of a few characters wondering the decks for us to bite.

 

[RedSox68]

I think demand has steadily been increasing because the economy is good. Imagine what prices would be like if there were still only 2 ships? Adding the Dream and Fantasy has kept prices lower than they would've been.

I'll believe it when I see it, but I do hope that is the case. They've priced us out of being able to book as platinum, so I'm still holding out hope for a future DCL cruise that won't break our budget.

 

[jimmymc]

I'll believe it when I see it, but I do hope that is the case. They've priced us out of being able to book as platinum, so I'm still holding out hope for a future DCL cruise that won't break our budget.

I guess I can't say for sure prices will drop when they come out, but I think the prices would increase much more if they only have 4 ships 5 years from now.

 

[cruiser21]

I always find endlessly confusing on a board dedicated to DCL that so many people want to pipe up and say "other cruise lines are better and cheaper." I for one, don't want people to try to sell me on Carnival. I like DCL. It's like going to a steak restaurant and ordering a steak, only for another guest to lean over and argue with me for 15 minutes about how the steak is wayyyy overpriced and the salmon is just as good if not better and half the cost. This happens so often on this board, and I really don't get it.

It's also a board where the participants enjoy travel. DCL only goes to a limited amount of destinations. As someone who likes to cruise to destinations not always offered by DCL or DCL is just not within my budget for that itinerary. I enjoy the reviews of other cruise lines.
I think someone mentioned cruise critic. Posters on cruise critic are just as biased and loyal to their favorite cruise line. It's not always the best place to get an objective opinion. I really don't get the psychology behind the extreme loyalty to a certain brand. I understand liking or even loving a product, but getting defensive about it has always been odd to me. We like what we like.

There's always going to threads on here started by people looking for alternatives to DCL. Above all else people want a vacation they can afford.

 

[All about me]

And some of us like both Steak and Salmon and don't appreciate when to make themselves feel better about ordering the steak have to tell us that the salmon isn't any good.

Uh, oh. I believe I have been guilty of doing this when it comes to Disney Cruise Line vs Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. I am sorry if I made anyone feel like I was telling them they have bad or plebeian taste by enjoying Royal Caribbean cruises. That was not my intention and I do not think that. Nor was I was trying to make myself feel better about paying the outrageous price of a Disney cruise (I can live with the cost at this time; we will see if I get enough bang for buck for me to live with it after). I was just trying to warn others of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines' negative aspects as I wish someone had done that for me so I could have made a different choice or, at least, been better prepared for them.

I really don't get the psychology behind the extreme loyalty to a certain brand.

As near as I can tell, it is a combination of emotional, financial and time investment.

I understand liking or even loving a product, but getting defensive about it has always been odd to me. We like what we like.

Once someone becomes highly invested in a brand, it becomes a part of their self-identity (if I had a nickle for every time I read 'I am a Disney person' on the internet... ), criticism of the brand becomes criticism of them and most people react defensively when being criticized.

 

[3monkeys4me]

I do feel DCL pricing is high for the value. We prefer other lines for the most part, for both price and itinerary. We will still likely cruise on DCL in the future though, hoping to make a late 2020 date work with our extended family.

To the OP - have a wonderful time at Universal! We love Universal (my daughter LOVES roller coasters!). She has just gotten into HP and we'll be going to Universal (Japan) next year.

We love Universal too. We are headed to Universal Japan next month. Only for 1 day but we are doing 4 days at Tokyo Disney earlier in the trip. We were hoping to do the 1.5 day tickets for Universal but we ended up getting tickets to a Sumo match and so we don't have time for the half day anymore.

 

[cgolf]

I always find endlessly confusing on a board dedicated to DCL that so many people want to pipe up and say "other cruise lines are better and cheaper." I for one, don't want people to try to sell me on Carnival. I like DCL. It's like going to a steak restaurant and ordering a steak, only for another guest to lean over and argue with me for 15 minutes about how the steak is wayyyy overpriced and the salmon is just as good if not better and half the cost. This happens so often on this board, and I really don't get it.

There are some of us that have been loyal to only DCL in the past and were stunned by their very sudden price hikes. For example 2014 to 2015 the Cat V room on the Fantasy almost doubled in price. Our last cruise on the Magic was the last time we saw where DCL was inline with other lines.

For us while painful at the time was a blessing in disguise because we have really enjoyed our RCCL cruises and our really looking forward to our first Celebrity cruise.

Perhaps we burned out on DCL, 12 cruises in around 9 years, where it seemed all that changed was the amount of perks received. The shows and trivia questions seemed to remain the same. We are also not big Disney people so the characters mean nothing to us.

For us it is a value thing and right now that is with other lines, and price isn’t the only consideration. We have found so far that DCL isn’t the only line that can give top notch experiences and service. This is our opinion, I know others disagree.

My 2 cents on the price, sure there is a market and people will pay it, but at some point they will have to up their game to match the price. Seeing some threads of some of the recent changes show they may still be lessening the experience not adding to it.

 

[RedSox68]

There are some of us that have been loyal to only DCL in the past and were stunned by their very sudden price hikes. For example 2014 to 2015 the Cat V room on the Fantasy almost doubled in price. Our last cruise on the Magic was the last time we saw where DCL was inline with other lines.

For us while painful at the time was a blessing in disguise because we have really enjoyed our RCCL cruises and our really looking forward to our first Celebrity cruise.

Perhaps we burned out on DCL, 12 cruises in around 9 years, where it seemed all that changed was the amount of perks received. The shows and trivia questions seemed to remain the same. We are also not big Disney people so the characters mean nothing to us.

For us it is a value thing and right now that is with other lines, and price isn’t the only consideration. We have found so far that DCL isn’t the only line that can give top notch experiences and service. This is our opinion, I know others disagree.

My 2 cents on the price, sure there is a market and people will pay it, but at some point they will have to up their game to match the price. Seeing some threads of some of the recent changes show they may still be lessening the experience not adding to it.

This is such a good point. On our last cruise on the Fantasy, we felt less than a "magical" experience. And i know why -- we had experienced several other cruise lines for half the price of Disney and realized we no longer felt like we were getting our money's worth to make it feasible to just sail on Disney. Granted, many will be able to go and pay for it because they love the family experience.

There have been exceptions with Disney, but for the most part, over the years, their pricing is way above other lines with the same itineraries. We could get a suite for 3 on Princess for the British Isles cruise for the same price Disney was charging for an inside room for two! AND, Princess gave us FREE shuttle service and free specialty dining in two of their restaurants. NCL offers a choice of 2 amenities, including free WiFi or shore excursions, with their bookings. Disney's gold and platinum "gifts" just don't cut it for us anymore. They don't even offer onboard credit for bookings like so many other lines do. The only way to get that is through a travel agent!

Disney relies on loyalty and on those who don't feel they will get a better cruise anywhere else. Once we broke away and saw what we could save, we were very happy with our decision. By doing other lines over the past four years, we have been able to take two vacations a year.

Everyone has to make their own decisions, and what they are comfortable with and what will make them and their family the most happy.

 

[mevelandry]

Uh, oh. I believe I have been guilty of doing this when it comes to Disney Cruise Line vs Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. I am sorry if I made anyone feel like I was telling them they have bad or plebeian taste by enjoying Royal Caribbean cruises. That was not my intention and I do not think that. Nor was I was trying to make myself feel better about paying the outrageous price of a Disney cruise (I can live with the cost at this time; we will see if I get enough bang for buck for me to live with it after). I was just trying to warn others of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines' negative aspects as I wish someone had done that for me so I could have made a different choice or, at least, been better prepared for them. (...)

I strongly believe that comparisons between DCL and other cruise lines are extremely important for someone who loves DCL but plans to sail on another cruise line.

And I noticed that sometimes, what is considered as a negative aspect by someone can be a positive aspect for someone else (best example I could give is casinos: a lot of people here despise them, but my DH loves them!) which is why, IMO, the reviews, no matter if they are positive or negative, are always interesting. I always say that I love negative reviews because they lower my expectations, leaving more room for good surprises.

It's the main reason why I created the Carnival vs DCL and the RCCL vs DCL threads... To know/to let people know what to expect when their cruising experience is based on DCL. I find that it's easier to find ways to compensate for the things we like less:

Ex: Doing more excursions instead of staying on the ship. Bring more games (ex: I prepared a "Cruise Bingo" for my DH and I for our next cruise). Save more money in order to play Bingo/do a special activity/do specialty dining one night instead of going to a show that is not your cup of tea. If you love rotational dining: booking specialty dining in order to have a different experience every night instead of going to the same dining room night after night, etc.