DCL cruising cheaper than WDW

[Ofinn]

Disney World has so many other options and you are not the captive audience that you are on DCL

My DCL Cruise in Feb 25th 2017 Disney Fantasy Eastern Caribbean with 2A/ 2K in a Cat 4E is costing me $5200 with OBB and comes with $400 OBC but will cost me an extra $336 in gratuities.
Parking at terminal is $120

Total cost before souvenirs, onboard extras like drinks, popcorn, etc... and excursions $5256

When we go to Disney World there so many ways to save than a DCL cruise.

In Dec 2015 we are going to the world and here is our budget
We stay off property in a house we rent costs us approximately $1200 for 3 bedrooms about 10 minutes from Disney World for 7 days
Theme park Tickets for 4 of us with park hopper, no water parks $1657 for 7 days
We are splurging On Mickeys Merry Christmas Tickets $304.60
Parking for 7 days $140
Groceries for meals in the home $250 (and a lot of the meals we do ahead of time, freeze and then heat up in the home.
Food in the Park $300

Total cost before souvenirs and other stuff $3851.60

Since we drive to get to both the travel costs the same so I did not include that. Some people might fly in and staying on property with the transportation is a better option than renting a car and staying off property.

Don’t get me wrong I think the DCL is worth the costs just that there are so many ways to save on Disney World Vacation that are not available on a DCL cruise.

The only way to make an accurate comparison is between an all inclusive trip to WDW staying onsite vs a Cruise. I don't consider renting a house and cooking your own meals to be comparable to a cruise. In fact cooking on vacation is not a vacation in my book. There are ways to save on cruise too...don't book on DCL.

 

[Tasmen]

There are a lot of things that can swing the price one way or another. We went to WDW in May 2014. We stayed concierge at the AKL and had the Deluxe Dining Plan. We tacked the safari breakfast on there too. That stay was (before tips/souvenirs/etc) about $2k less than what we are paying for our upcoming concierge Fantasy cruise on 2/6/16. The cruise, for us at least, does cost more.

 

[cdoc29]

The only way to make an accurate comparison is between an all inclusive trip to WDW staying onsite vs a Cruise. I don't consider renting a house and cooking your own meals to be comparable to a cruise. In fact cooking on vacation is not a vacation in my book. There are ways to save on cruise too...don't book on DCL.

This thread is about which is cheaper, WDW or DCL. My point is that at WDW you have more choices on ways to save than you do with DCL not about what constitutes a vacation.

 

[tinkerone]

The only way to make an accurate comparison is between an all inclusive trip to WDW staying onsite vs a Cruise. I don't consider renting a house and cooking your own meals to be comparable to a cruise. In fact cooking on vacation is not a vacation in my book. There are ways to save on cruise too...don't book on DCL.

then am i wrong in thinking that the only way to make an accurate comparison between an all inclusive trip to wdw staying onsite vs a cruise is to compare like to like? i still say you can't compare a veranda cabin on dcl to a deluxe resort and say its the same. now, if you want to compare concierge to the deluxe resort we may have game on but i wonder if the results would still be the same. i sort of doubt it.

 

[Rogillio]

C'mon guys. There is no right or wrong. The point is that we all have different things that we value. We will spend about the same whether we are on a cruise or go to WDW.

I know I said cruising was cheaper and for me it is but for others it is not.

And for others they would rather cruise some other cruise line.

It's all good. Do what is best for your family.

Bottom line is a Disney cruise vacation is no more expensive that a trip to WDW...even with the price increases.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

I would love to take a cruise from NYC, but they seem to only sail in September, October, and November which is prime hurricane season. I don't get why they can't have cruises scheduled in the summer from NYC before hurricane season.

My friend was scheduled to take a cruise on a different cruise line to Bermuda during the hurricane a week or so ago, and they ended up having to cruise to Canada to avoid the storm. I would never plan a fall cruise. That is just asking for trouble.

I know your friend just had an issue, but I have sailed in the Carribbean in September 4 times without incident. It is my favorite time of year to cruise! Prices are cheaper and ships less crowded.

I think in comparing DCL prices to WDW prices, if you consider ticket prices you need to include excursion prices; if you compare a value resort it should be with an inside; deluxe with concierge; and moderate with ocean view or verandah. And I know that you can save money by cooking, etc, but really, to consider the same level of experience you should include a dining plan.

But no matter the financial comparison, the vacaction will be different. With WDW you will get a lot more "action" with rides, etc. With DCL you will get much more relaxation.

I can't believe so few people leave a tip for the maid!!

 

[texas disney mom]

No way. Sorry. We've been looking at dcl since it began but could not afford it until last year. We've been going to wdw for twenty years. Even stayed at gf the last few times we went. No comparison. WDW definitely more affordable for families.

 

[Ofinn]

This thread is about which is cheaper, WDW or DCL. My point is that at WDW you have more choices on ways to save than you do with DCL not about what constitutes a vacation.

I had a room booked at the Beach club last year with a 35% discount. the room plus tickets was 3,900, and that didn't include food. I cancelled it and went on the Fantasy instead. I've never paid more then 4k for a 7 day cruise on DCL and that's for four people with a verandah. There are ways to save on DCL. Cruise in the offseason, don't cruise out of Port Canaveral, wait for last minute discounts. Not to mention 35% discount is almost impossible to get anymore.

 

[southerngirl528]

Though your trip sounds great, cdoc, comparing an off property home/"villa" rental compares to staying at a deluxe Disney resort isn't apples to oranges, it's more like apples to Skittles. And I am not in any way dissing staying in a home as you did. I've rented one near us for family before and it was both pretty nice and a really great deal. Plus 4 people could have stayed in a less expensive stateroom on DCL than a Deluxe Family Stateroom w/Veranda...

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

I know your friend just had an issue, but I have sailed in the Carribbean in September 4 times without incident. It is my favorite time of year to cruise! Prices are cheaper and ships less crowded.

I think in comparing DCL prices to WDW prices, if you consider ticket prices you need to include excursion prices; if you compare a value resort it should be with an inside; deluxe with concierge; and moderate with ocean view or verandah. And I know that you can save money by cooking, etc, but really, to consider the same level of experience you should include a dining plan.

But no matter the financial comparison, the vacaction will be different. With WDW you will get a lot more "action" with rides, etc. With DCL you will get much more relaxation.

I can't believe so few people leave a tip for the maid!!

Gratuities are for service employees who do not make the state or federal minimum wage in their area. Hotel housekeepers make at least the minimum wage. And before this starts a big debate on what that should be, please don't go there, that's not what this is about. If you're tipping the housekeepers, do you tip the cashiers at the quick service restaurants, the greeters at the turnstiles, etc?

I'm not saying that some housekeepers don't deserve a tip, but it's not a tipped position. But I don't think everyone st Starbucks and Subway deserve tips either unless they do something special.

There is always a lot of talk about how expensive DCL is but I think DCL is a real bargin compared to WDW. I just picked a 4 day cruise for next September and compared to 4 nights at the Polynesian.

4 Day DCL Cruise
2 Adults
Veranda room
Ground transportion
$1,934.14
.
.
4 Days WDW
2 Adults
Polynesian
Delux Dining
Ground transportion
$2,707.76


I don't know how these numbers would compare for peak summer months and adding in 2 kids but I was suprised at how much cheaper cruising is. I guess if I picked a cheap hotel WDW might be cheaper but I always wanted to stay the Polynesian but it is usually booked up.

I think this does put a good perspective on things as I have been a big DCL price badger lately and am considering other cruise lines, we actually are booked on CCL's new Vista ship in the Mediterranean, we'll see what happens. The funny thing is we never ever consider theme parks other than DL and WDW to save a couple thousand. Thanks for shedding a new light on things.

And for what it's worth, we stayed CL (free upgrade) at the Poly after our first Fantasy cruise and service was a bit of a let down after DCL. All the free food and beverage was great though and it's an awesome resort, I hope you enjoy your stay.

 

[cdoc29]

Though your trip sounds great, cdoc, comparing an off property home/"villa" rental compares to staying at a deluxe Disney resort isn't apples to oranges, it's more like apples to Skittles. And I am not in any way dissing staying in a home as you did. I've rented one near us for family before and it was both pretty nice and a really great deal. Plus 4 people could have stayed in a less expensive stateroom on DCL than a Deluxe Family Stateroom w/Veranda...

So lets take the cheapest inside cabin on DCL the week we are going. With the OBB discount it’s still $4556. I am not saying renting a home is comparable to staying on property but as hard as I have looked I have been unable to find the option of renting a place off the boat during the cruise to save money. My point is with Disney World is you have many more choices that will save you money than you do with DCL.

 

[southerngirl528]

as hard as I have looked I have been unable to find the option of renting a place off the boat during the cruise to save money.

Totally get what you're saying but I suppose my point was that there are ways to save at least a little moolah on DCL. WDW is just a way, WAY bigger proposition so there most assuredly are more options to save OR spend.

 

[Ofinn]

So lets take the cheapest inside cabin on DCL the week we are going. With the OBB discount it’s still $4556. I am not saying renting a home is comparable to staying on property but as hard as I have looked I have been unable to find the option of renting a place off the boat during the cruise to save money. My point is with Disney World is you have many more choices that will save you money than you do with DCL.

I guess will just have to disagree on this. The alternatives to save money at WDW just don't appeal to me. It's pretty much deluxe or nothing for us, and with price increases at WDW it's nothing. I've stayed at just about every deluxe resort at WDW. We had annual passes for a couple of years and we did the resort circuit. The parks are just...meh.. I'm not interested in downgrading to mod or value resort. They haven't added anything new at the parks. At least with cruising I get to see new things and go to different places. I can't imagine spending that kind of money to go to WDW over and over......and over and over like some people do, but to each their own.

 

[cdoc29]

The alternatives to save money at WDW just don't appeal to me. It's pretty much deluxe or nothing for us, and with price increases at WDW it's nothing.

I am not sure what you are disagreeing with... that there are other options to save money?

Just because they don’t appeal to you does not mean that the options are not there.

There are so many other ways to save money that aren’t even mentioned, going to Davids DVC rental page and right now you can stay at Animal Kingdom or Boardwalk DVC for about $1000 the week of Dec 5th to 12th. instead of renting a house like we are doing. Try doing that option on DCL.

There are so many web pages dedicated to squeezing every last dollar out of your WDW vacation, none of them cover DCL because the options to save are so limited, not that there aren’t any, just not as many as with a WDW vacation.

 

[tinkerone]

I guess will just have to disagree on this. The alternatives to save money at WDW just don't appeal to me. It's pretty much deluxe or nothing for us, and with price increases at WDW it's nothing. I've stayed at just about every deluxe resort at WDW. We had annual passes for a couple of years and we did the resort circuit. The parks are just...meh.. I'm not interested in downgrading to mod or value resort. They haven't added anything new at the parks. At least with cruising I get to see new things and go to different places. I can't imagine spending that kind of money to go to WDW over and over......and over and over like some people do, but to each their own.

I know you said you don't like pop but we love it. that's our usual go to. we have stayed at most of the mods and at one of the deluxe but always head back to the pop.
having said that, we have a booking coming up in a few weeks at animal kingdom lodge concerige level. this was booked in January on an expedia site for $266 Canadian a night, about the same as $200 u.s.. its the one resort dh wanted to try so with getting that rate, how could I say no.
the bargains for wdw are there, you just may have to dig deep. I do hear you though about the parks. i'm still in love with them but they are getting a bit to crowded and some new stuff will be nice.

 

[Ofinn]

I am not sure what you are disagreeing with... that there are other options to save money?

Just because they don’t appeal to you does not mean that the options are not there.

There are so many other ways to save money that aren’t even mentioned, going to Davids DVC rental page and right now you can stay at Animal Kingdom or Boardwalk DVC for about $1000 the week of Dec 5th to 12th. instead of renting a house like we are doing. Try doing that option on DCL.

There are so many web pages dedicated to squeezing every last dollar out of your WDW vacation, none of them cover DCL because the options to save are so limited, not that there aren’t any, just not as many as with a WDW vacation.

Like I said there are options to save on DCL to, and they are not that limited. You just have to be flexible. Most people on these boards are not. I don't find staying at Pop comparable to a cruise. I find that comparable to a motel 6. Like pp said you have to dig deep to find discounts at WDW well same goes for DCL. I guess everyone's different, but DCL comes out way ahead for us. I have a 11 night TA booked for around 3k. I could never do something like that at WDW. Not to mention I'm going to 3 different countries not just the same old parks with no new rides.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

I think it really depends, but in a lot of cases WDW will be way cheaper than DCL. There are good room discounts, free dining, different promotions and levels of accommodations and dining. We stayed at a moderate resort with free dining for a week, and our total stay was about $2000 less than Disney cruise would be. On the other hand if you choose one of the most expensive resorts like Poly and a deluxe dining plan (we could never eat that much) then yes, maybe cruise is more affordable. There is no right or wrong here, just depends what you are choosing but agree with others there are more options at WDW to make it affordable. Whereas DCL is always just expensive and it just goes up from there...

 

[jnjhuddle]

I am not sure what you are disagreeing with... that there are other options to save money?

Just because they don’t appeal to you does not mean that the options are not there.

There are so many other ways to save money that aren’t even mentioned, going to Davids DVC rental page and right now you can stay at Animal Kingdom or Boardwalk DVC for about $1000 the week of Dec 5th to 12th. instead of renting a house like we are doing. Try doing that option on DCL.

There are so many web pages dedicated to squeezing every last dollar out of your WDW vacation, none of them cover DCL because the options to save are so limited, not that there aren’t any, just not as many as with a WDW vacation.

I'm guessing you mean hypothetically book dec 5-12 via David's, as there is no availability at ANY DVC resort for that week. You have to book that way in advance.

I agree with you though, there are definitely ways to save, whether it is DCL or WDW and some of my trips have been all about getting the most value for my dollar and others have been about splurging a bit (while still searching for the best deal).

I cannot agree with you about staying off property though, as we have not found value in this for several reasons (too numerous to list) but the main reason being that off property means being outside the Disney bubble.

 

[jnjhuddle]

I know you said you don't like pop but we love it. that's our usual go to. we have stayed at most of the mods and at one of the deluxe but always head back to the pop.
having said that, we have a booking coming up in a few weeks at animal kingdom lodge concerige level. this was booked in January on an expedia site for $266 Canadian a night, about the same as $200 u.s.. its the one resort dh wanted to try so with getting that rate, how could I say no.
the bargains for wdw are there, you just may have to dig deep. I do hear you though about the parks. i'm still in love with them but they are getting a bit to crowded and some new stuff will be nice.

I have booked WDW on another travel site (orbitz) for a nice discount, however, I have to say that on check in (and only on check in) I was treated like a 3rd class citizen due to this. This is the only time I have ever encountered this on check in and they literally did point out to me that because I booked through a discounted retailer they were not able to change my room location. At the time it kinda made me feel like I would never book my Disney hotel through someone else. I have had time now to get over it now and if the discount was good enough I'm sure I would reconsider.

 

[kaseyC]

then am i wrong in thinking that the only way to make an accurate comparison between an all inclusive trip to wdw staying onsite vs a cruise is to compare like to like? i still say you can't compare a veranda cabin on dcl to a deluxe resort and say its the same. now, if you want to compare concierge to the deluxe resort we may have game on but i wonder if the results would still be the same. i sort of doubt it.

No, they wouldn't be the same. We sail concierge on DCL. I won't say what my last cruise on DCL cost in a Cat. S concierge suite but I can tell you that we will be spending a week at Disney during Christmas this year in a two bedroom villa -cash reservation (w/discount) at the Boardwalk, plus hopper tickets, Osbourne Lights dessert party, Candlelight processional dinner and rest of the meals out of pocket for about 5K less. So for my family WDW is a less expensive vacation even during a prime week.