Costs vs. Level of Satisfaction

[clukas]

Two things that cause a miserable cruise, bad weather and getting sick. Neither of which are the cruise line's fault (maybe a little for getting sick). The author got sick and blames the other passengers, she would probably complain if the weather was not good. (That is why the comment cards ask about the weather)

That being said, I have 11 DCL cruises under my belt, with 2 more coming and I think the cost is getting too high for the experience. I feel like when there were only 2 ships it was a higher level of customer service and the experience was better overall. It was also cheaper because it was a few years ago. I think now that there are 4 ships and many more crew/cast members, it is some what "watered down." My family still enjoys it but the more recent cruises are not quite what they used to be.

I think the author had high expectations and frankly if I paid $14,000, I would also. Having DCL experience, I know what it is worth to me and that is what I will pay. I would never bash a cruise line because I got sick but it would make for a very expensive miserable week.

Just my thoughts.

 

[turtle27]

I think that cost does play into your expectations. You do, most times in life, get what you pay for. That being said, I will not pay DCL's prices for an Alaskan cruise at this time. For 14k, I can get to Europe for 14 nights.

I do expect certain things from Disney and so far, they have generally provided them. Not that they haven't let me down a few times, just nothing serious. And it almost always gets fixed. But DCL cannot control the non-parenting parents.

This lady did not like Disney from the get-go and, imho, over paid for a 7 night cruise, so yes, I might be sore about that too. That is on her though, gotta do your research. Many others obviously disagree with me, because they pay for the Alaska cruises.

 

[squirk]

At the rate Disney is going (cruises and parks), they will eventually price themselves out of the market for the average family. They will probably NEVER lower ticket prices, resort rack rates or cruise fares, but will find ways to boost revenue by doing stuff like:

a.) offer more discounts or packages that make it seem like you are getting a huge deal when you are probably not (e.g., free dining);
b.) institute programs or initiatives that are really just veiled social engineering to get people to spend more money (e.g., Magic Bands); or
c.) focus more and more on the higher-net-worth households and try to squeeze out more money per capita from this demographic (e.g., DVC).
​

I'm not sure if that's how Walt would have wanted it, but it is what it is.

 

[havoc315]

I don't dismiss anyone who gives an honest review, but some reviews attempt to step back and be objective, and other reviewers are just subjective and wear their mood in the review. If the weather was rainy, if they got sick, then the review will be a negative review, though none of those things are the fault of the cruise line. (And it goes in the other direction as well, there are people who just have such a wonderful time being on vacation, they ignore all the shortcomings of the cruise and just give a glowing review)>

This reviewers MAIN complaint was the behavior of other children. Maybe she happened to have a few loud kids as her neighbors, maybe she got an unlucky bunch. But obviously, this can happen on ANY cruise line. If she was trying to write an objective review, she would comment more on the success/failure of Disney to give adults quiet away from loud families. Here, I feel Disney succeeds in their excellent adult only areas. But all we know from this reviewer, she happened to be around some rowdy kids, and it gave her an overall lousy cruise experience, for which she blames Disney.

She says the rooms were great, the staff was great. She describes the food as "hit or miss" without much in terms of detail. Was she eating primarily in the buffer and room service? Is she talking about the dining room? Did she try Palo? What was good/bad about the food? She says none of the meals were outstanding, but she doesn't define what she is looking for. So again, nothing objective that will help others determine if the cruise is for them. For example again, I'm not a fan of risotto. If they served risotto one night, subjectively, I might say I was unhappy with the food. But objectively, I'd have to acknowledge that I'm not a good judge of whether it was a good risotto or not. On the other hand, I love sushi. If they served sushi, I would comment on whether it tasted fresh, whether it was well presented, whether sushi rolls were interesting or creative. So just saying, "I didn't think the meals were outstanding" tells us absolutely nothing. Maybe she thought they weren't outstanding because they were too complicated, maybe because they were too simple, maybe because they were too bland, maybe because they were too spicy. So one person may have the spicy sophisticated dish and long for a hamburger, and another person may be reversed.

Finally, though she claims to be a Disney lover, her review makes it clear that she considers Disney theming to be annoying. She commented on the Disney theming being grating. Seems to have soured her on the whole experience. If she was writing with a goal of being objective, she would comment, "You are surrounded by Disney theming, which may be incredible for some people, but I started to get annoyed by it."

And lastly, though she comments about the whole cruise not being cheap, it is apparent she was pretty cheap on her excursions. As a result, she didn't love the destination. Her comment on Alaska itself, was how many lumberjack shows and trinket shops do you need. So it seems she didn't take advantage of the opportunity to see the Yukon, take a floatplane, go dog sledding on a glacier. Not that every Alaska visitor needs to do those things. But I think it goes to the credibility of her review: To dismiss the entire destination, where passed up on the unique offerings of the destination. From reading her review, one would think there is nothing to do in Alaska except see a lumberjack show or buy a t-shirt. Again, an objective reviewer would at least try to comment in context of what excursions were available. Instead it was, "we chose boring excursions, therefore all excursions in Alaska are boring, and I don't want to do back."

You can find no shortage of reviews. Some are well written. Some are just people who want to share their frown or their smile. I simply look at this as a unhelpful review.

When I'm looking for reviews, I look for *helpful* *negative* reviews.
I don't pay much attention to the glowing happy reviews. You just paid thousands of dollars for vacation, you are going to a beautiful location taking off from work, spending time with your family ...... So I would think most such people would report a very positive experience. So a simple, "this was the best vacation I ever took! Everything was amazing!" doesn't tell me much.

So I look for the negative reviews.... the 1 to 3 stars. I weed out the whiners, "My luggage was 15 minutes late and there was a stain on the carpet! Worst vacation ever!"

So then I look for the intelligent negative comments, which help me determine whether the negatives would be negatives to me. For example, an intelligent negative review of the shows, that commented, "All the shows are heavily Disney themed" -- would let me judge whether that's a big negative for me or not.

 

[thumpie's mom]

I read the article yesterday and laughed when I saw she did not even use the right picture. We have sailed on the Wonder 4 times and are cruising on her again in October. Overall we have always had excellent service (with the exception of Alaska - servers were not our favorites) and for the most part really good food. There have been a few dishes we did not care for and sent back, put they were always replaced with something better. Yes, DCL has become very expensive, but no one is forced to go on a DCL cruise if they feel the cost is too high. We chose to save our money up and go on the cruise line we love rather than the more inexpensive ones. If we started to have poor service, food, etc, we might consider another line, but since that has yet to happen, we will continue to cruise with DCL. As previously noted, there are rude people no matter where you go....

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

i just read a scathing online review from someone on the Wonder in Alaska this week. She was first time on DCL and vowed never to cruise DCL again. Her main complaint was the behavior of the other passengers and the food quality. But, she did mention pretty early in the review that she paid $14,000 for a family of 5 in a family verandah room.

She didn't give any specifics on the behavior that ruined her cruise, and her level of dissatisfaction was so hyperbolic, and the complete opposite of my experiences with DCL (AND many other reviews of DCL in Alaska that I have seen) that I do wonder if there isn't just a bit of shock value/attention grabbing going on.

However, since DCL prices have risen so much in the last few years, I suspect we may see more negative reviews like this. When people pay that much for a cruise, the expectations must run VERY high, which makes pleasing the customer difficult. I think this is especially true for first time DCL cruisers, who don't know what they are getting for that much money, and anything short of a tsunami of pixie dust will disappoint. If the reviewer had only paid $5000 for the cruise, would we have seen a more favorable review?

From postings here on the DIS, it appears for some who have cruised DCL previously, they are not booking at the higher rates: they know the product and aren't willing or able to keep booking at the current prices. Those that continue to re-book know what to expect and are still willing to pay the price for the product, so I suspect they will still enjoy the cruise without thinking, "Is this all I am getting for my money?"

Curious as to what all you other Disboarders think...

I agree in part having cruised DCL 13 times and paid a heck of a lot in concierge I expect very high standards for the $$$$$$ spent.

We had plumbing issues and an air con cover fall down with a bang overnight whilst in port I will add, and the filter was terrible covered thick with dust.

I recall the question on their cruise questionnaire is it good value for money and I ticked off a mid range classification.

 

[Bdunn]

Salt Lake City + church = Mormon, = possibly has even more conservative standards of "acceptable" behavior?

Just a theory.

Offensive comment.

Equate this to someone who didn't like the food, from Atlanta, with the last name Jackson. Would conclude the person is African American who prefers "soul food"?

 

[TestingH2O]

When I'm looking for reviews, I look for *helpful* *negative* reviews.
I don't pay much attention to the glowing happy reviews. You just paid thousands of dollars for vacation, you are going to a beautiful location taking off from work, spending time with your family ...... So I would think most such people would report a very positive experience. So a simple, "this was the best vacation I ever took! Everything was amazing!" doesn't tell me much.

So I look for the negative reviews.... the 1 to 3 stars. I weed out the whiners, "My luggage was 15 minutes late and there was a stain on the carpet! Worst vacation ever!"

So then I look for the intelligent negative comments, which help me determine whether the negatives would be negatives to me. For example, an intelligent negative review of the shows, that commented, "All the shows are heavily Disney themed" -- would let me judge whether that's a big negative for me or not.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. I find it equally hard to find objective positive reviews. In fact, I don't think mine is terribly objective since I didn't really have a negative experience that wasn't dealt with satisfactorily without my having to be proactive. But I apply the same logic on Amazon. If it has a solid 4 star rating and some constructive 2-3 star reviews, I know what I'm getting in to with my purchase.

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

http://www.examiner.com/article/disney-cruise-to-alaska-lasting-impressions

That's the article. The picture isn't even the Wonder. It's kinda funny.

First of all, I would never spend $14k for a 7-night cruise. Nooooooo way. .....

I think she is counting the entire cost of the entire trip. 5 people in a balcony room plus airfare and hotels, before and after, excursions, etc. could easily end up that much, especially with the price of some of the excursions in Alaska.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I think she is counting the entire cost of the entire trip. 5 people in a balcony room plus airfare and hotels, before and after, excursions, etc. could easily end up that much, especially with the price of some of the excursions in Alaska.

Oh, gotcha. Yes, especially with a port-heavy itinerary if you do something in every port then that can easily create a large slice of the $14k pie.

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

Your title...."COSTS VS. LEVEL OF SATISFACTION" is probably the best phrase I have ever seen to describe what a Disney Cruise is. Let's face it, there are better values in the cruise industry. But value is not what Disney is selling,. What you are buying with Disney is the feel, the magic, the "pixie dust".
The other thing is, the cruise industry has changed as it has gone mass market. It has adapted to a changing customer who does not want to dress up for dinner, they don't want to have the formal experience that was the hallmark of the cruise industry from the early 1900's until the late 1990s.

Many of us still want to dress for dinner and have the formal experience. I'm glad DCL caters to all kinds, but also glad that their ships have kept that air of elegance instead of looking like a floating mall with a huge casino built into it and that they have kept the formal and semi-formal nights.

 

[smiths02]

"Anyone that knows me knows that I am a big Disney supporter and fan, but, the passengers on this cruise made the entire experience really miserable." From 2nd article

From 1st article "he ship itself is actually very nice, and, as one would expect, the Disney theme is everywhere, even in some of the handrails. It's cute the first few hours, and, then it just starts grating on your nerves (at least in my opinion.) However, this was our children's pick for vacation, and, so I am grinning and bearing the Disney overload to the senses."

I won't even talk about the money=manners/good behavior stuff. She isn't even consistent. Is she a big fan or not?
And how did she not know what she was getting into?

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Many of us still want to dress for dinner and have the formal experience. I'm glad DCL caters to all kinds, but also glad that their ships have kept that air of elegance instead of looking like a floating mall with a huge casino built into it and that they have kept the formal and semi-formal nights.

The person you quote has posted before their one DCL cruise was NYE 2004/2005

Just for context.

 

[DisneyBelle99]

The article was written by a travel agent, so why would she pay full-fare (or higher) for her family's cruise? I wondered if the $14,000 included shore excursions, but she complained about the lumberjack show, which isn't the most expensive excursion, and whined there weren't enough activities. Any travel agent worth their commission would know about all the shore excursions available.

Maybe the $14,000 included air fare, but that's still much higher than it should be. Since the article included a picture of a non-Disney ship (is it the Queen Mary 2?), I have trouble believing anything the writer has to say.

I've caught bad colds on vacation, but blame them on lack of sleep (jet lag) and all the germy surfaces I touch along the way, especially on planes.

I thought the same thing about the travel agent paying that much???? Even if she added her airfare, doesn't she know any tricks for that either?

 

[havoc315]

Oh, gotcha. Yes, especially with a port-heavy itinerary if you do something in every port then that can easily create a large slice of the $14k pie.

Just round trip airfare for her family of 5, could easily run $3,000 to $5,000. If going to give a review of the "price" though, she should make sure she breaks down the actual cruise price, as opposed to excursions and airfare.

It also could easily have been a cruise-only price. I just priced out the Disney Wonder for July 2016, for a family of 5... Balcony cabins in July run $13-14k.

That 5th person ends up requiring the larger cabins, and tacks on quite a bit to the overall price. So yeah.... actually looks believable that $14k would be cruise only, for a family of 5.

 

[havoc315]

"Anyone that knows me knows that I am a big Disney supporter and fan, but, the passengers on this cruise made the entire experience really miserable." From 2nd article

From 1st article "he ship itself is actually very nice, and, as one would expect, the Disney theme is everywhere, even in some of the handrails. It's cute the first few hours, and, then it just starts grating on your nerves (at least in my opinion.) However, this was our children's pick for vacation, and, so I am grinning and bearing the Disney overload to the senses."

I won't even talk about the money=manners/good behavior stuff. She isn't even consistent. Is she a big fan or not?
And how did she not know what she was getting into?

Guess it depends on how you define a big fan! Obviously, she doesn't know what constitutes a true big Disney fan, who can't ever get enough of the Disney theming.

Personally, I don't consider myself a "huge" Disney fan, more like lukewarm... and I've never been "grated" by Disney theming. It's simply what I expect when on a Disney vacation.

 

[smiths02]

Guess it depends on how you define a big fan! Obviously, she doesn't know what constitutes a true big Disney fan, who can't ever get enough of the Disney theming.

Personally, I don't consider myself a "huge" Disney fan, more like lukewarm... and I've never been "grated" by Disney theming. It's simply what I expect when on a Disney vacation.

Exactly, I would say that my DH is a fan of a WDW vacation and he'll watch movies with the kids, but he has no special interest in anything Disney otherwise. We stayed at AoA and he didn't complain that the themeing grated on his nerves. I mean are the ships that bad? How does a Mickey handrail or something really bother you that much if you love Disney?

 

[dcassetta]

The person you quote has posted before their one DCL cruise was NYE 1994/1995.

Just for context.

Firstly, this can't possibly be true as there was no DCL in 1994.

Secondly, even if it was true, so what? Someone with one cruise isn't entitled to an opinion?

 

[jlynch924]

From 1st article "he ship itself is actually very nice, and, as one would expect, the Disney theme is everywhere, even in some of the handrails. It's cute the first few hours, and, then it just starts grating on your nerves (at least in my opinion.) However, this was our children's pick for vacation, and, so I am grinning and bearing the Disney overload to the senses."

The irony here for me is that one of the reasons I can get DH to continue going on the DCL vacations is that it's Disney, but not "Disney in your face." The Disney-esque theme is very understated in my opinion, tasteful, classy.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Firstly, this can't possibly be true as there was no DCL in 1994.

Secondly, even if it was true, so what? Someone with one cruise isn't entitled to an opinion?

Firstly corrected my dates, it was ten years ago, but it's not about one cruise but more that it was ten years ago and a lot has changed. Another person responded and they are telling at odds when they are not in context. ( talking about Dressing for dinner etc).