Concierge service??

[outahere]

Wow, that's unfortunate. We booked a 4-day for later this month, not long ago (fall 2008) and it's $4k. Are you talking just for the Baltics/Med? Or the 5-night Wonder? Know those prices are crazy. We priced out a 7-night in the fall of this year, and it was $7.9K. My guestimate was for 2A, no kids. Does your pricing include children?

At $1.5-1.7K/day -- I cannot imagine -- for the life of me -- $10.5 to 11.9K for a 7-night cruise. DCL would be cuckoo for cocoa puffs for a standard 7-night caribbean at those prices for just 2A.

My pricing example does include one 14 year old. However, I think the price difference between just 2 A and adding our DS was around $1400. Here's an example..... we booked a cat 3 on a 7 night Eastern, for this August, on the day reservations opened up in December, 2007. The price for the 3 of us was over $11k. Even if you take off the $1400 for our DS, it would still be around $10k. We had to change our cruise to this month and when I changed it there were still seven cat 3 cabins available and the price they quoted me was well over $12k. None of those prices include transfers or insurance.

I can only guess how crazy the prices will be for suites on the new ships!

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Wonder if the waitlists will subside a bit once the Wonder moves out west and Dream begins her rotation.

We love Disney cruises, but we also love suites. I can't see paying 2x/2.5x more on Disney than for Celebrity, Princess, Holland being only 2 adults. We've been pricing out Crystal lately. That is becoming to look like a bargain.

I think the waitlists will go back up again, there is a lull, for your standard cruises this year, a bit of repeat itineraries, and the economy, but with new ships, and the Wonder going to West coast opening up demand on a new front, they will go up.

If there is gaps it will be at off peak times.

 

[kaseyC]

Wow, that's unfortunate. We booked a 4-day for later this month, not long ago (fall 2008) and it's $4k. Are you talking just for the Baltics/Med? Or the 5-night Wonder? Know those prices are crazy. We priced out a 7-night in the fall of this year, and it was $7.9K. My guestimate was for 2A, no kids. Does your pricing include children?

At $1.5-1.7K/day -- I cannot imagine -- for the life of me -- $10.5 to 11.9K for a 7-night cruise. DCL would be cuckoo for cocoa puffs for a standard 7-night caribbean at those prices for just 2A.

Nope, not just for the special itineraries. These crazy increases are even happening during "off peak" season.

Direct from my notes, In December of 2007, when the 2009 cruises were released we booked a Cat. 3 Suite for a Sept. 2009 sailing (opening day on board) for our family of 5 for $7972.90. We were waitlisted for a Cat. 1 or. A few weeks later a Cat. 2 became available for $11K, about a week after our Cat. 1 waitlist came through for $11.9K.

In the fall of 2008, we transferred that booking to one of the 2010 Med cruises. Planning to skip a cruise in 2009, since the Med will be quite expensive.

Now, this is where you see the outrageous price increase. Winter 2009, we decided to we wanted to cruise in the fall of 2009 again. I call DCL, to see if any suites are available for the same Sept. date we had originally. Cat.1, 2 and 3 were available, I was shocked! (not so much after hearing the prices)
Family of 5, Cat. 3 - $12k , Cat. 2 $15K and Cat. 1 $17K. That's quite an increase.

We didn't book it, I enjoy DCL's suites but I feel those prices are outrageous. We are booked in a 2 Bedroom suite on RCCL Liberty of Seas in September instead for less than DCL wanted for the Cat. 3.

 

[HappyGrumpy]

You Guys ROCK!!! What awesome info!

I was quoted in August of 08 for 6 adults one child(1.5) in a cat 1 $21k for a Dec 09 4 night! We were doing the land and sea. So I am aware of the sticker shock but could not figure out how they came up with that $$. Before I went for the wait list again I was just curious what you all had to say before even going down that road again and to use $1.5 as a rule of thumb is quite helpful!

This will be our 10 year Anniversary and I was thinking what the heck! However,we are also doing an ABD in August so I have to keep thinking "everything in moderation" I just had no idea how addicted to DCL I was going to be when we first cruised in 07 but they got me and there is no turning back

 

[Subi WRX]

I suppose I will see what some Category 3s are pricing at when we go later on this month. But it looks like we are getting ready to kiss Disney cruises goodbye. Those prices are really insane. I thought $7.9K was bad for a week. I can do 2 weeks on Princess in a suite for less than that. That makes me sad. But not stupid.

 

[only1mouse]

Wow, that's unfortunate. We booked a 4-day for later this month, not long ago (fall 2008) and it's $4k. Are you talking just for the Baltics/Med? Or the 5-night Wonder? Know those prices are crazy. We priced out a 7-night in the fall of this year, and it was $7.9K. My guestimate was for 2A, no kids. Does your pricing include children?

At $1.5-1.7K/day -- I cannot imagine -- for the life of me -- $10.5 to 11.9K for a 7-night cruise. DCL would be cuckoo for cocoa puffs for a standard 7-night caribbean at those prices for just 2A.

We are paying $1.7K per night for a 7 night with 4 people in a Cat 3; however we are cruising during Thanksgiving and expect the cost to be higher. The Cat 4 for the same cruise is currently going for $1.6K. We booked these a year ago February, so i cant' say what the price would like like now - and yep's its like a second mortgage; however I cannot wait and neither can my family.

 

[Tonyspad]

We sailed in a mid-ship Cat 3 over July 4, 2006, I pre-reserved this room 1.5 years in advance of the release date. It cost me over 12K. Last week, on a whim, I called to see if any middy cat 3 were available for Presidents week 2010. I thought that there would not be any chance one would be available-- Well there were two middy 3's available at the same price I paid 3.5 years earlier.

 

[all5ofus]

We are paying $1.7K per night for a 7 night with 4 people in a Cat 3; however we are cruising during Thanksgiving and expect the cost to be higher. The Cat 4 for the same cruise is currently going for $1.6K. We booked these a year ago February, so i cant' say what the price would like like now - and yep's its like a second mortgage; however I cannot wait and neither can my family.

I happened to call yesterday for the Thanksgiving 2010 cruise and for 5 of us. There was a cat 2 available for $17,100 and cat 3 for $14,500. I went with Cat3 in October for $4,000 less.

 

[HappyGrumpy]

I happened to call yesterday for the Thanksgiving 2010 cruise and for 5 of us. There was a cat 2 available for $17,100 and cat 3 for $14,500. I went with Cat3 in October for $4,000 less.

Was this for a seven night?

 

[all5ofus]

Was this for a seven night?

Yes, 7 night.

 

[HappyGrumpy]

I happened to call yesterday for the Thanksgiving 2010 cruise and for 5 of us. There was a cat 2 available for $17,100 and cat 3 for $14,500. I went with Cat3 in October for $4,000 less.

Have you cruised in a suite before? I just wonder for those that have is it very hard to "go back" to a standard room? I am also curious to know what everyone thinks a suite price will look like on the Disney Dream.

is is plausible to think we could see $30k suites? I have never cruised a suite and I have only ever cruised 2 both on DCL so this concierge thing is very interesting to me

 

[all5ofus]

Have you cruised in a suite before? I just wonder for those that have is it very hard to "go back" to a standard room? I am also curious to know what everyone thinks a suite price will look like on the Disney Dream.

is is plausible to think we could see $30k suites? I have never cruised a suite and I have only ever cruised 2 both on DCL so this concierge thing is very interesting to me

We have only cruised in suites and we love them. We have tried Cat 1, Cat 2, and Cat 3. We like the extra room and the additional perks are a plus. With a family of 5 we have fewer options, but there are still cheaper options than the suites. In my opinion they are very expensive, but we have made the judgement that they are worth it for us. $17,000 for a Cat 2 over Thanksgiving was not, but the Cat 3 in October was.

As far as the $30,000 suite, I seem to recall a thread that someone did pay that or very close to it for a large group in a Cat 1 for one of the 2010 Med sailings.

 

[outahere]

Have you cruised in a suite before? I just wonder for those that have is it very hard to "go back" to a standard room? I am also curious to know what everyone thinks a suite price will look like on the Disney Dream.

is is plausible to think we could see $30k suites? I have never cruised a suite and I have only ever cruised 2 both on DCL so this concierge thing is very interesting to me

Our first DCL cruise was in a cat 3 suite, and the second was in a cat 4. There is a big difference between the two categories and we have since cruised only in a cat 3 (yes, we're a little spoiled). We book the suite mainly for the extra space to stretch out, not for the concierge service.

As for suite prices on the new ships, I think it will depend a lot on what perks they have, size, etc. I know NCL has "Garden Villas" on their newer ships that have 3 bedrooms and you could easily pay close to $30k for more than 4 or 5 people in one of them. However...... their perks go WAY beyond anything DCL has. We sailed in a 2 bedroom Courtyard Villa on the Norwegian Pearl, which entitled us to pretty much the same perks as a Garden Villa, and the price was $7k - $10k less than what DCL charges for a cat 1 or 2 (both two bedroom categories). Some of the perks of being in that cabin were things like a private dining room for breakfast and lunch, a private covered pool (shared by about 12 - 14 cabins), a reserved section in the theater, ability to order from any dinner menu (including their extra charge restaurants) and butler and concierge service.

Given the way DCL's pricing is going these days, I'm sure the suites on the new ships will not be cheap!

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Just an update as people were asking a few days back, Concierge contact details where received by myself today, my cruise is August and 105 days is May 2nd, it came with the pre cruise planning book.

 

[BethA]

it is hard to go back to a smaller cabin after a suite. You get so used to how spacious they are, but we have done it and still had a great cruise.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

it is hard to go back to a smaller cabin after a suite. You get so used to how spacious they are, but we have done it and still had a great cruise.

I agree its hard though not impossible, its a bit like flying I switch between upper class and Premium economy, depends on my needs and airline, I think I can go back to Cat 4,

 

[HallsofVA]

Have you cruised in a suite before? I just wonder for those that have is it very hard to "go back" to a standard room?

We've wondered this ourselves!

Our first cruise we booked a cat 4, and upgraded at port to a Cat 3 handicapped and had an incredible time. We'd looked at booking the Cat 3 for our next cruise, but it was going to be $8k or more so we ended up booking connecting cat 6 rooms for our family of 4. Well, we ended up upgrading at port to the Cat 1 Roy Suite! Now we have no idea how we'll be able to top that experience! But we've rebooked connecting Cat 6's for our next cruise, and are contemplating booking a Cat 9 room for another cruise.

 

[adnil530]

We've wondered this ourselves!

Our first cruise we booked a cat 4, and upgraded at port to a Cat 3 handicapped and had an incredible time. We'd looked at booking the Cat 3 for our next cruise, but it was going to be $8k or more so we ended up booking connecting cat 6 rooms for our family of 4. Well, we ended up upgrading at port to the Cat 1 Roy Suite! Now we have no idea how we'll be able to top that experience! But we've rebooked connecting Cat 6's for our next cruise, and are contemplating booking a Cat 9 room for another cruise.

I'm curious...When you upgraded at port, did you get a discount? How recent was that?

Thanks!

 

[HallsofVA]

I'm curious...When you upgraded at port, did you get a discount? How recent was that?

Thanks!

Our last cruise was Dec 2008 and the first was Dec 2005. And yes, I believe we received a discount both times.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Going to give a bump up for any new news,

I am close to my 105 days booking window and have found them prompt to respond, on various questions, they operate office hours only by phone and email