DCL cruisers tried Royal...

[DCLMP]

I’m currently on the Harmony of the seas and paid $1890 for 4 people in a balcony for 7 nights. The same week on the fantasy was $6200 for an inside guarantee with restrictions. A 4 night out of Galveston on the magic was $3400 for an inside. I’m still team Disney but the price difference is way more significant than you’re indicating.

I saved about 7k cruising on Odyssey of the seas in Europe last year vs the Dream. I honestly don't get what people are talking about. I'm not anti Disney. I'm sailing on Disney twice this year, but it's off season and I'm selective. I'm not willing to pay exorbitant prices.

 

[LAS2AMS]

I don't really care about the price of the cruise, I care about the price of the entire vacation.
Where we live, flying in to a port and getting hotels and transportation ends up being a significant cost, regardless of cruise line.
When everything is done, the cost of a trip to go on a Disney cruise is about 30%-35% more than Royal.

But don't believe me if you don't want. All I have is data on actual money spent where you have internet quotes and random possibilities.

This has to be the most insane comment I've read so far.

I'm planning a fall cruise for my family of 4. The cheapest 7-night Disney cruise is over $6,500, from Port Canaveral. Most all other 7-night Disney cruises from PC are over $7,000. I looked and the majority of Carnival & MSC's cruises are between $2000 - $3500. Royal is $2500 - $4000, excluding the Wonder of the Seas. The pricing disparity remains the same if I go with 2 or 3 adults. It grows larger if I upgrade to a balcony.

A website that tracks real world cruises prices asserted in 2019 that Disney cruises of similar itineraries were about 2x the price, on average, of Carnival. And that includes public fares only, so those perpetual discounts anyone can get when you sign up for their club make the price difference even larger.

These aren't "internet quotes" and "random possibilities." They are real world data. So you must be getting huge discounts on your Disney cruises by booking flights & hotels, and we want in on your secret.

The last time Disney was 30% more than the competition was over 20 years ago:
https://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/dcruise/compare.html

 

[Flossbolna]

But if you went on an Aida cruise out of Germany?

All Aida and TUI cruises (two lines that cater to the German speaking market) have tips included in cruise fare. Wherever they go. No additional tipping required.

 

[John VN]

..............................................

I'm planning a fall cruise for my family of 4. The cheapest 7-night Disney cruise is over $6,500, from Port Canaveral. Most all other 7-night Disney cruises from PC are over $7,000. I looked and the majority of Carnival & MSC's cruises are between $2000 - $3500. Royal is $2500 - $4000, excluding the Wonder of the Seas. The pricing disparity remains the same if I go with 2 or 3 adults. It grows larger if I upgrade to a balcony.
.......................................................................
The last time Disney was 30% more than the competition was over 20 years ago:
https://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/dcruise/compare.html

A late to the party comparison --

A and C price point almost identical but EXPERIENCE vastly different

B and C price point of 1/2 the DCL price

A - 5/19/2025 - 4 day - WISH reg Verandah $3,575 @ 243 sq/ft with Verandah deck 7, 8, 9 aft or 7, 9 forward

B - 5/19/2025 - 4 day - WISH Concierge $7,511 @ 296sq/ft with Verandah

C - 5/18/2025 - 4 day - MSC Seashore Yacht Club $3,600 @ 355sq/ft with Verandah NOTE - YC is Concierge Level above DCL Concierge

 

[TeamRiley]

This has to be the most insane comment I've read so far.

I'm planning a fall cruise for my family of 4. The cheapest 7-night Disney cruise is over $6,500, from Port Canaveral. Most all other 7-night Disney cruises from PC are over $7,000. I looked and the majority of Carnival & MSC's cruises are between $2000 - $3500. Royal is $2500 - $4000, excluding the Wonder of the Seas. The pricing disparity remains the same if I go with 2 or 3 adults. It grows larger if I upgrade to a balcony.

A website that tracks real world cruises prices asserted in 2019 that Disney cruises of similar itineraries were about 2x the price, on average, of Carnival. And that includes public fares only, so those perpetual discounts anyone can get when you sign up for their club make the price difference even larger.

These aren't "internet quotes" and "random possibilities." They are real world data. So you must be getting huge discounts on your Disney cruises by booking flights & hotels, and we want in on your secret.

The last time Disney was 30% more than the competition was over 20 years ago:
https://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/dcruise/compare.html

You are still quoting only the price of the cruise, not the price of the entire trip. Clearly you don't understand the difference, and it is not worth arguing over. We like what we like, and it is worth it. You go like what you like.

 

[LAS2AMS]

You are still quoting only the price of the cruise, not the price of the entire trip. Clearly you don't understand the difference, and it is not worth arguing over. We like what we like, and it is worth it. You go like what you like

I understand perfectly which is why I’m questioning your 30% number. Disney’s onboard prices are comparable to the competition. Big ticket items like spa treatments and volume prices like alcohol are slightly more. The only thing Disney includes that’s material is soda. Pricing for soda packages is dynamic on other cruise lines but generally you need to consume 4-6 sodas a day to break even - a level of consumption most people won’t reach.

it isn’t a matter of like or dislike. It’s a matter of hardcore Disney fans perpetually saying that the premium for DCL isn’t as much as people think which is fictitious.

 

[Sykes]

You are still quoting only the price of the cruise, not the price of the entire trip. Clearly you don't understand the difference, and it is not worth arguing over. We like what we like, and it is worth it. You go like what you like.

Sure, if I start buying $10,000 plane tickets and wash down my MDR meal with $500 shots of Pappy then I could probably get the Disney cost premium down to less than a 5% difference on total trip cost, but that doesn't say anything at all about the relative cost between cruise lines.

 

[Sanchez]

You are still quoting only the price of the cruise, not the price of the entire trip. Clearly you don't understand the difference, and it is not worth arguing over. We like what we like, and it is worth it. You go like what you like.

I am also curious about your claim and not understanding how the costs, outside of the actual cruise fare and related items, are more for you on other cruise lines. Do you live near Port Canaveral and therefore have no hotel costs?

 

[Mango7100]

You are still quoting only the price of the cruise, not the price of the entire trip. Clearly you don't understand the difference, and it is not worth arguing over. We like what we like, and it is worth it. You go like what you like.

I’m confused. If cruise A and cruise B leave from the SAME port on the same day, then the price of getting to the port (driving or flying), hotel beforehand, etc is the same. PP was comparing prices for cruises all leaving Port Canaveral at the same time and showing the cost difference. Your plane ticket to Port Canaveral is the same whether you go Disney or Princess, so how can the cost of the trip be different in Disneys favor? Now if you are going to a different port that only DCL leaves from that is another matter, but I am not aware of any whole port that is exclusive to DCL.

 

[starvenger]

I’m confused. If cruise A and cruise B leave from the SAME port on the same day, then the price of getting to the port (driving or flying), hotel beforehand, etc is the same. PP was comparing prices for cruises all leaving Port Canaveral at the same time and showing the cost difference. Your plane ticket to Port Canaveral is the same whether you go Disney or Princess, so how can the cost of the trip be different in Disneys favor? Now if you are going to a different port that only DCL leaves from that is another matter, but I am not aware of any whole port that is exclusive to DCL.

It's fun with numbers, based on how you are planning your trip. Here are a couple of very basic scenarios

Scenario 1: You live in Florida or you separate your travel budget from the cruise budget, and so you just look at the cruise price when doing your comparisons.

In this scenario, using one of the previous example ranges, you have the following costs:
- DCL costs $7000
- MSC costs $3500, or 0.5x DCL
- Royal costs $4000, or 0.57x DCL

Scenario 2:
Some people prefer to look at the overall cost of the vacation. So say your flights + night-before hotel costs $2000 to the same port at the same time (just pulling this number out of a hat).
Your overall costs:
- DCL costs $9000 including travel
- MSC costs $5500 including travel, , or 00.61x DCL
- Royal costs $6000 including travel, or 0.67x DCL

Basically, when you look all in, the overall cost of a MSC or Royal cruise would get closer, percentage-wise, to that of a DCL cruise.

Note: I am not advocating for either scenario. Just illustrating that people budget differently, and thus numbers and value will differ.

 

[TeamRiley]

It's fun with numbers, based on how you are planning your trip. Here are a couple of very basic scenarios

Scenario 1: You live in Florida or you separate your travel budget from the cruise budget, and so you just look at the cruise price when doing your comparisons.

In this scenario, using one of the previous example ranges, you have the following costs:
- DCL costs $7000
- MSC costs $3500, or 0.5x DCL
- Royal costs $4000, or 0.57x DCL

Scenario 2:
Some people prefer to look at the overall cost of the vacation. So say your flights + night-before hotel costs $2000 to the same port at the same time (just pulling this number out of a hat).
Your overall costs:
- DCL costs $9000 including travel
- MSC costs $5500 including travel, , or 00.61x DCL
- Royal costs $6000 including travel, or 0.67x DCL

Basically, when you look all in, the overall cost of a MSC or Royal cruise would get closer, percentage-wise, to that of a DCL cruise.

Note: I am not advocating for either scenario. Just illustrating that people budget differently, and thus numbers and value will differ.

Exactly.

All cruises are fun. We prefer Disney, the extra cost is usually worth it to us. The overall price bump is never double for the entire trip.

 

[gmang]

It's fun with numbers, based on how you are planning your trip. Here are a couple of very basic scenarios

Scenario 1: You live in Florida or you separate your travel budget from the cruise budget, and so you just look at the cruise price when doing your comparisons.

In this scenario, using one of the previous example ranges, you have the following costs:
- DCL costs $7000
- MSC costs $3500, or 0.5x DCL
- Royal costs $4000, or 0.57x DCL

Scenario 2:
Some people prefer to look at the overall cost of the vacation. So say your flights + night-before hotel costs $2000 to the same port at the same time (just pulling this number out of a hat).
Your overall costs:
- DCL costs $9000 including travel
- MSC costs $5500 including travel, , or 00.61x DCL
- Royal costs $6000 including travel, or 0.67x DCL

Basically, when you look all in, the overall cost of a MSC or Royal cruise would get closer, percentage-wise, to that of a DCL cruise.

Note: I am not advocating for either scenario. Just illustrating that people budget differently, and thus numbers and value will differ.

How is it that people don't get this? Besides, as many people have said, the premium is worth it to some people.

 

[Mango7100]

It's fun with numbers, based on how you are planning your trip. Here are a couple of very basic scenarios

Scenario 1: You live in Florida or you separate your travel budget from the cruise budget, and so you just look at the cruise price when doing your comparisons.

In this scenario, using one of the previous example ranges, you have the following costs:
- DCL costs $7000
- MSC costs $3500, or 0.5x DCL
- Royal costs $4000, or 0.57x DCL

Scenario 2:
Some people prefer to look at the overall cost of the vacation. So say your flights + night-before hotel costs $2000 to the same port at the same time (just pulling this number out of a hat).
Your overall costs:
- DCL costs $9000 including travel
- MSC costs $5500 including travel, , or 00.61x DCL
- Royal costs $6000 including travel, or 0.67x DCL

Basically, when you look all in, the overall cost of a MSC or Royal cruise would get closer, percentage-wise, to that of a DCL cruise.

Note: I am not advocating for either scenario. Just illustrating that people budget differently, and thus numbers and value will differ.

I get the percentage change but it doesn’t change the amount coming out of your bank account. It does not change the price of the cruise itself. You are still paying 3500 more for Disney compared to the MSC cruise or 3000 more for DCL compared to RCL. It may change your percentage but 3500 is 3500 no matter how you slice it.

If people want to pay more for DCL go for it. I sometimes pay more for DCL. But it is also highly inaccurate to claim that DCL is only 30% more than other cruises all the time which is what PP was doing and then telling people they don’t understand or are just plain wrong when they provided examples of that not being the case. Sometimes DCL maybe 10% more, sometimes 50% more, sometimes pretty darn close.

 

[TeamRiley]

I get the percentage change but it doesn’t change the amount coming out of your bank account. It does not change the price of the cruise itself. You are still paying 3500 more for Disney compared to the MSC cruise or 3000 more for DCL compared to RCL. It may change your percentage but 3500 is 3500 no matter how you slice it.

If people want to pay more for DCL go for it. I sometimes pay more for DCL. But it is also highly inaccurate to claim that DCL is only 30% more than other cruises all the time which is what PP was doing and then telling people they don’t understand or are just plain wrong when they provided examples of that not being the case. Sometimes DCL maybe 10% more, sometimes 50% more, sometimes pretty darn close.

I never claimed that DCL is only 30% more. I said we pay 30% more.
We pay about 30% more for a Disney Cruise trip than trip on a Royal Cruise.

Too many people are making rash assumptions here without reading everything or asking questions before they post. So, you know, business as usual.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

@ray3127 You must be good at parties because you have started quite the extended conversation!

 

[starvenger]

I get the percentage change but it doesn’t change the amount coming out of your bank account. It does not change the price of the cruise itself. You are still paying 3500 more for Disney compared to the MSC cruise or 3000 more for DCL compared to RCL. It may change your percentage but 3500 is 3500 no matter how you slice it.

You more or less get it. The cost does not change. But the perception of value does. The poster had previously mentioned that travel costs quite a bit for them, so to me it makes sense to look at the overall cost of the vacation, because with high travel costs, the price of the cruise has less impact on the overall value.

Let's add another scenario, where the travel costs $5000 for the group:
- Disney = $12,000
- MSC = $8500 = 0.708x DCL
- Royal = $9000 = 0.75x DCL

We are getting into some significant costs, and the question of budget is not much of a factor anymore. That $3000 gap doesn't feel as significant now.

I don't know if I'm helping or not with the numbers here. Please let me know.

 

[Sanchez]

Note: I am not advocating for either scenario. Just illustrating that people budget differently, and thus numbers and value will differ.

Well that certainly is some gymnastics (and I understand that you are just illustrating the matter and not advocating.) But I seriously doubt anyone budgets based on percentages - budgets are mostly based on how much you have to spend.

Value is completely different and I am sure that everyone here understands that some people believe that DCL has value. My all in budget for our 2023 Italy trip was $9,200 (2 people x 18 days). I just priced out DCL Fantasy for an early December run of the mill seven day eastern Caribbean. Fare for two plus tax is $5,800. Add in tips, travel etc and that is a $7,800 trip if we are careful. Pardon me if I don't see the value.

If it makes people sleep better by believing that DCL is only 35% more then good for them. It is fruitless to argue over something so illogical. No one has to justify how they spend their time or money, but don't blow sunshine up . . .

 

[TeamRiley]

Well that certainly is some gymnastics (and I understand that you are just illustrating the matter and not advocating.) But I seriously doubt anyone budgets based on percentages - budgets are mostly based on how much you have to spend.

Value is completely different and I am sure that everyone here understands that some people believe that DCL has value. My all in budget for our 2023 Italy trip was $9,200 (2 people x 18 days). I just priced out DCL Fantasy for an early December run of the mill seven day eastern Caribbean. Fare for two plus tax is $5,800. Add in tips, travel etc and that is a $7,800 trip if we are careful. Pardon me if I don't see the value.

If it makes people sleep better by believing that DCL is only 35% more then good for them. It is fruitless to argue over something so illogical. No one has to justify how they spend their time or money, but don't blow sunshine up . . .

If it makes you sleep better to try and prove that people on line don't think the right way, and you do it better, then good for you.

 

[Sanchez]

If it makes you sleep better to try and prove that people on line don't think the right way, and you do it better, then good for you.

Not better. Just smarter and without delusion.

 

[starvenger]

How is it that people don't get this? Besides, as many people have said, the premium is worth it to some people.

It's because we all have our own way of looking at numbers and assessing value. I don't think there's a right or wrong. Just perception and what makes sense to you and your family.