Cost of DCL vs. RCCL

[yodel]

Folks, we just returned from the 10 day Magic cruise this past Tuesday. What an awesome experience (dare I say ... Magical!!??). While onboard, we rebooked for the 7 day cruise next Christmas (12/24-12/31 2005). The savings are quite substantial, especially when considering the $200 stateroom credit. I verified the savings when I checked with a few other TA's back on land ... nobody (and I mean NOOOO BODY!) is able to match the on-board rebooking price.

The one downside I see with the 7 day Disney itinerary is that it is at sea for 3 of the 7 days, and it's a good day or two of cruising southward before the nice hot weather starts kicking in.

I thought i'd check with directly with RCCL on their San Juan sailings to see what they would charge for a 12/24-12/31 2005 cruise given that they offer more and better ports of call, no days at sea and a warmer climate. I was surprised to find out that even without Disney's discount that RCCL charged more than Disney for a smaller stateroom. RCCL's sailings out of Miami cost even more than San Juan for the same week. Does this make any sense to you? Is there an online discount TA that I should try to use instead? After all the talk on this board about being able to save $$ by booking with RCCL, I am quite surprised to see that RCCL costs more than DCL for a Christmas cruise.

 

[alexandrew]

I've gotten quotes for re-booking onboard quite a few times, and DCL has never been able to beat All Seas pricing...check out www.allseastravel.com and compare...
Chuck makes it very convenient as the pricing is printed right on the site...In fact, if the pricing on All Seas is less expensive, chances are you can transfer your res AND keep your $200 credit!!!!

As for RCCL, some of the ships i.e Voyager class, particularly Navigator of the Seas, are pricier due to demand....Supply and demand dictate cruise industry pricing....Cruises embarking from Miami are more popular than San Juan...thus the higher pricing...

 

[dzneprincess]

Yodel, no comparisions for you, but a suggestion. I have rebooked my upcoming cruises while on board also, but then I get home and transer my ressie to Dana at www.micdan.com aka cruiseplanners. And she does lower the price for me even more. She is awesome. Call her at the number listed on the website, it is well worth the savings.

 

[yodel]

Alex, thanks for the info. I checked out www.allseastravel.com, and they are definitely more than DCL by about $300 for the exact same sailing and exact same stateroom category (Disney is charging me $4,146.39 for a triple in Category 10, while allseastravel wants $4444). And, ontop of this there's the $200 stateroom credit ... so about $500 in savings. I wonder if this inconsistency with your experience at allseastravel is on accout of the fact that this is a Christmas sailing??!!

Thanks for the info on RCCL Voyager class ships.

 

[staylor]

For RCCL check out vacationstogo.com , cruisecompete.com, and southwest.com

 

[alexandrew]

That is phenomenal pricing you got from DCL...I am definitely surprised!!!Congratulations on getting a great deal, especially during Christmas!!!

When you priced through Allseas, the triple column assumes the 3rd passenger is between the age of 3-12....This is the case with you, correct? The 3rd passenger in your stateroom is between 3-12?

 

[yodel]

Alexandrew, yes ... the third person is between 3 and 12 (he's actually 9).

 

[alexandrew]

The $500+ in savings will go far toward your tips, drinks, and souveniers...

 

[mickeymom923]

The last two Augusts I've gone on DCL Wonder. I booked the Magic for 8/19/06 thru Cruises Only. Just came back from RCCL VOS. IMO it doesn't compare to the service, entertainment, food or fun on Disney. I had fun of VOS but it wasn't Disney. I even liked Carnival compared to RCCL. If I had a choice between Disney or RCCL - it wouldn't be a choice.

 

[Erik]

I just looked at the All Seas pricing and compaired the DCL 9-2-06 pricing I received when I booked on board.
By booking on board I saved about $525 with DCL. Also the $200 per room credit. This was for a cat 7 and cat 11 room. 2 adults in the cat 7 room and 2 adults and one kid (6) in the cat 11 room.
All Seas pricing was $4660, DCL was $4144.65
There still may be deals out there since this cruise is so far away. But I feel that by booking on board DCL offers a fair price.

 

[LoveMyBaby]

I have cruised both, and overall I prefer RCCL. I think the food is better, the service is better, and there are definitely more onboard activities on RCCL. However, Disney is much better for family cruising, and the quality of entertainment is also better, although not as varied.

 

[grimgrinnin]

Hi yodel,

Just wanted to let you know that we have a thread going for other 12/24/05 cruisers:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=603013

grim