DCL Pricing debate, who is right? Well everyone

[starvenger]

Anyways... The point I was trying to make is that the opinions/reviews are more scattered vs the cruisers who started with DCL (I'm part of that group).

I think that's fair. I didn't start with DCL, and while I didn't love my trip on DCL Fantasy I'd be open to going on the ship if the price was right. In fact, DCL was in the mix for this year's vacation, but we opted for the Allure over them and Princess.

 

[mevelandry]

I think that's fair. I didn't start with DCL, and while I didn't love my trip on DCL Fantasy I'd be open to going on the ship if the price was right. In fact, DCL was in the mix for this year's vacation, but we opted for the Allure over them and Princess.

Same here. I love DCL but itineraries outside of the Bahamas (which I have done 4 times) are much more expensive than other cruise lines... and my priority right now is new itineraries.I want to do as many as I can for the best price/value possible.

 

[cruiser21]

I base my judgment on DISboards only. I usually don't talk much to other cruisers.

I guess I'm a little noisy, but I like to talk other cruisers about their experience. I also get asked questions because I have the black lanyard. Things tend to be one sided on here. The majority of cruisers don't post on here so I get a different perspective. If your going to strike up a conversation with someone in the hot tub cruising is usually a safe subject.

 

[cruiser21]

It was a huge leap for us to try RCCL, and up until we were on board I was second guessing myself based on all the reports that it would be way inferior to DCL in most ways and that we would be disappointed. That first cruise and especially this years has us feeling very good about our decision. Now each year when we price out cruises DCL is in the mix and if it fits the amount we budget, we will book it.

It was a huge leap for us too. I've watched my kids grow up on DCL. Even though I'm bored with it and don't think it's worth the premium. I have so many great memories. I don't think dcl will ever be out of my life completely.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Our first DCL cruise was 2003, we have consistently been happy with DCL service.

My last 2 DCL cruises we’re spoiled because I smelled smoke while on my balcony. In both Cruises it happened more than once and of course we reported it. We have an inside cabin in March, so that would not be a problem.

Whether it would make a difference or not but Caribbean Princess has what appeared to be smoke detectors on balconies!

 

[cgolf]

I guess I'm a little noisy, but I like to talk other cruisers about their experience. I also get asked questions because I have the black lanyard. Things tend to be one sided on here. The majority of cruisers don't post on here so I get a different perspective. If your going to strike up a conversation with someone in the hot tub cruising is usually a safe subject.

It was interesting when we were on the Brilliance, we saw a few castaway club beach bags and we still use our platinum lanyard. If I wasn't such an introvert I would have inquired when they branched out from DCL.

 

[kiford]

You are kind of making my point, everyone's point of leaving DCL is different, hence everyone is right.....

No need to pick the example apart, it was just that an example, there is no one size fits all answer. The whole point of it was to limit people picking apart each other's statements because they value different things, or perceive value differently. .....Had I written it like you said others would find holes in that too

I actually agreed with your point. I simply thought that it was worth pointing out that value is so individual that it doesn't matter whether it's your first time or 20th time. You can still feel that there's value even in the face of changes over time and you can feel that there's no value after your first time and vice versa. It's not necessarily dependent on time and change. And I agree that simply picking apart someone else's comments about whether something is worth it or not is pointless. It's far more productive to provide information that puts into context what did and didn't meet with your values and why so that others can make their own judgements based on that.

Price that you can’t actually notice the smaller size of cabins. It’s one of those things you see on paper, but maybe not in person. Ship builders are amazing at creating spaces.

Nope. Sorry. I even noticed the difference in size between the same category cabins between the Magic and the Fantasy/Dream (about 20 sq ft). For me it's not about design, storage space, or efficiency of space - it's the total physical space. That's important to me; we spend a lot of time in our room. So if I'm going to compare two different cruises, I'm going to start to compare them based on size. That's why I am very skeptical about postings that claim to be able to do the same cruise for half the cost of DCL. It totally depends on how that comparison is done and whether it's on a basis that meets with my needs. This is why everyone is right and there are few absolutes. It's really helpful if people give context (i.e., what's of value to them) and why something did or didn't meet with their needs and why rather than just state that something is not worth it or is overpriced. Then we can all judge for ourselves.

 

[cruiser21]

I actually agreed with your point. I simply thought that it was worth pointing out that value is so individual that it doesn't matter whether it's your first time or 20th time. You can still feel that there's value even in the face of changes over time and you can feel that there's no value after your first time and vice versa. It's not necessarily dependent on time and change. And I agree that simply picking apart someone else's comments about whether something is worth it or not is pointless. It's far more productive to provide information that puts into context what did and didn't meet with your values and why so that others can make their own judgements based on that.



Nope. Sorry. I even noticed the difference in size between the same category cabins between the Magic and the Fantasy/Dream (about 20 sq ft). For me it's not about design, storage space, or efficiency of space - it's the total physical space. That's important to me; we spend a lot of time in our room. So if I'm going to compare two different cruises, I'm going to start to compare them based on size. That's why I am very skeptical about postings that claim to be able to do the same cruise for half the cost of DCL. It totally depends on how that comparison is done and whether it's on a basis that meets with my needs. This is why everyone is right and there are few absolutes. It's really helpful if people give context (i.e., what's of value to them) and why something did or didn't meet with their needs and why rather than just state that something is not worth it or is overpriced. Then we can all judge for ourselves.

I agree with everything you said except...... I'm not sure why your skeptical about the people that claim to do the same cruise for half the cost of DCL. If your skeptical you haven't spent enough time pricing out cruises. I can do just about any ship in a suite for the price of an inside cabin on DCL that's just a given. Now I like DCL and I may choose an inside room on the Magic vs the Haven on NCl, but I'm not fooling myself. If space was as important to me as it is to you I would be looking at the biggest room I could get in my budget.... I would bet my right arm that won't be on a DCL.

 

[kiford]

If your skeptical you haven't spent enough time pricing out cruises

I have priced out other cruises on a comparable basis. That's why I'm skeptical. Not that it isn't possible to get a cruise for less cost - absolutely you can - but that it isn't necessarily a fully apples-to-apples comparison including all of the items that are important to me. I have been able to find somewhat comparable cruises that are 60-70% of the cost of a DCL but there's usually something about it that makes it a no-go or the price savings just isn't sufficient to sway me (30% may be a large percentage but may not be a lot of $). And I'm not looking for the biggest room I can get, I'm looking for one that meets my needs and I'm not really willing to go smaller.

 

[oumagic]

I am currently pricing Fall, west coast cruises and posted in another thread:

I am probably booking a fall cruise for our family of 4. DCL total cost is $6215.08 for an inside room for 7 nights to Mexico from San Diego and this cruise is nearly sold out. Mexico for 7 nights on Carnival for inside room is $1891.60.

The Cloud 9 spa balcony room we likely will get is $2761.60. The Grand Suite that we are contemplating is $3721.60.

I understand the point that inside versus inside is not apples to apples since Disney is 214 sq ft. and Carnival interior is 185 sq ft. but I can get the 345 sq ft Grand Suite with 85 sq ft balcony for approx 35% less than Disney inside. I still have one Disney cruise planned for 2018, but $2500 is a lot of money on a 7 day cruise. I enjoyed my one Disney cruise and am excited to go again with lots of family this December, but I will never be one to say that it is "worth the price difference."

 

[mcd2745]

I can totally understand people saying that however much of a price difference there is between DCL and the other lines, they still feel that, for them, DCL is still worth that extra money. That's fine.

However, the people who try to say there really isn't much of a price difference are either kidding themselves, completely full of it, or are just blinded by their Disney rose-colored glasses (or some combination of the 3).

 

[kiford]

However, the people who try to say there really isn't much of a price difference are either kidding themselves, completely full of it, or are just blinded by their Disney rose-colored glasses (or some combination of the 3).

I just priced out 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruises within a 2 week period in October (my only open window this year), using similar criteria as best as possible across all:

DCL: $3,200
RCL: $2,200 (~70% of DCL)
Celebrity: $2,100 (~66% of DCL)
NCL: $3,300 (~103% of DCL)

I don't consider a price differential of $1,100 for 7 days as much of a price difference despite the 35% spread. I don't think that this means that I'm kidding myself, full of it or blinded by Disney rose-coloured glasses - I suggest that perhaps our metrics regarding what constitutes "much of a price difference" are simply different. Those are the numbers as best as I can determine based what I consider to be the best apples-to-apples comparison I can come up with. This is my experience. YMMV depending on a significant number of factors.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

I just priced out 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruises within a 2 week period in October (my only open window this year), using similar criteria as best as possible across all:

DCL: $3,200
RCL: $2,200 (~70% of DCL)
Celebrity: $2,100 (~66% of DCL)
NCL: $3,300 (~103% of DCL)

I don't consider a price differential of $1,100 for 7 days as much of a price difference despite the 35% spread. I don't think that this means that I'm kidding myself, full of it or blinded by Disney rose-coloured glasses - I suggest that perhaps our metrics regarding what constitutes "much of a price difference" are simply different. Those are the numbers as best as I can determine based what I consider to be the best apples-to-apples comparison I can come up with. This is my experience. YMMV depending on a significant number of factors.

This is very interesting to me. So, as you say, it comes down to a "significant number of factors." In October, with 2 people, in the Caribbean, the difference isn't TOO much. Whereas in the middle of Summer, with a family of four, or on certain itineraries, the difference is much larger.

Thanks for sharing the information for your situation!

 

[mcd2745]

A more typical comparison is the following:


For the same week (July), family of 4:

DCL Fantasy inside stateroom: $8787



NCL Getaway balcony stateroom: $4840 (drinks included) - almost $4k difference / 55% of the cost of DCL

Carnival Vista (6-night) balcony stateroom: $3587 - over $5k difference / 41% of the cost of DCL

RCCL Harmony of the Seas balcony stateroom: $6080 - almost $3k difference / 69% of the cost of DCL

Huge differences, all for balcony staterooms on newer ships as opposed to only an inside room on Fantasy. These are the type of comparisons most people are likely to find.

 

[kiford]

Whereas in the middle of Summer, with a family of four, or on certain itineraries, the difference is much larger.

High season or itineraries with limited availability are obviously a major factor in pricing. If you have to cruise in the summer, I can readily believe that you can probably get bigger bang for the buck on another cruise line. But not everyone cruises in the summer. I'm fortunate in that I'm able to avoid high season for most vacations. Because of this, I do not have to live with the kinds of price differentials that I've been hearing about over the years but could never seem to find. So while half-price may be true sometimes, my poorly worded earlier comments were implicitly meant to indicate that one should not take at face value a statement that because it sometimes occurs, it must therefore always be true for everyone all the time, thus it is an absolute truth that DCL must always be overpriced and only stupid, rich, blind or deluded people think otherwise. However, if one is only able to cruise during high season, that is how it will appear and is, in fact a reality for those people. If one is able to do at different times, the experience is much different and it is therefore not true for those people. And both are right from their perspective but the context is quite critical, and that context includes constraints, the impacts of seasonality and how you define comparability.

 

[starvenger]

I don't consider a price differential of $1,100 for 7 days as much of a price difference despite the 35% spread. I don't think that this means that I'm kidding myself, full of it or blinded by Disney rose-coloured glasses - I suggest that perhaps our metrics regarding what constitutes "much of a price difference" are simply different.

I agree with @kiford. From a pure numbers standpoint, there is a difference in the cost, and I don't think anyone disputes this. But it is up to the individual to decide if that difference is significant enough to dissuade them from DCL, if that was their preferred option. In effect, that person is asking "is this too much of a price difference for me?".

Huge differences, all for balcony staterooms on newer ships as opposed to only an inside room on Fantasy. These are the type of comparisons most people are likely to find.

So as @Anchors Away 2016 noted, the prices in summer are higher, and the differences greater, than those in October. So these are two different data points, and actually illustrates how one might say that DCL does not have "much of a price difference" while another looks at this statement and thinks "they're crazy".

 

[oumagic]

Many people, perhaps one would even say, the DCL target audience are going to be sailing during school breaks with more than two people in a stateroom. While my price comparison is not during summer, it is during a lot of Arizona/Utah schools fall break and from a port within driving distance of those two states. Certainly if I could find a Disney cruise within a few hundred dollars of other mainstream cruise lines, I would do that.

I was just refuting the idea that one should be skeptical of people that say Disney is double the cost; there are plenty of examples where that is absolutely true and people like me are providing specific examples.

 

[KalamityJane]

Honestly, I priced out the brand new Carnival Horizon's 14 night transatlantic in May to what we paid for the EBTA last year. We were at $8841 for the 5 of us in 2 connecting inside rooms on DCL. It would be $4543 for Carnival in an 1 oceanview or $5400 in 2 insides. While we enjoyed the EBTA, the PC cruise we booked in the same rooms for 2019 WITH OBB is over 10k and we booked opening day. I'd rather cruise more often if it will be that big of a price difference, you know?

 

[cgolf]

I just priced out 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruises within a 2 week period in October (my only open window this year), using similar criteria as best as possible across all:

DCL: $3,200
RCL: $2,200 (~70% of DCL)
Celebrity: $2,100 (~66% of DCL)
NCL: $3,300 (~103% of DCL)

I don't consider a price differential of $1,100 for 7 days as much of a price difference despite the 35% spread. I don't think that this means that I'm kidding myself, full of it or blinded by Disney rose-coloured glasses - I suggest that perhaps our metrics regarding what constitutes "much of a price difference" are simply different. Those are the numbers as best as I can determine based what I consider to be the best apples-to-apples comparison I can come up with. This is my experience. YMMV depending on a significant number of factors.

While I didn't want to turn this into a this cruise is this much more or less thread, I am glad you posted this.

For us a price difference of 1,100 bucks is a big deal. Not that we couldn't afford it, but we choose to to keep our cruise prices to 150 per person per night max right now. Our next cruise on the edge definately pushes that price range.

Our first RCCL cruise on the Freedom was under 1700 for 8 nights. For us we have a set number we want to spend on vacations and spend, save, or invest the rest so we can retire early. We will splurge sometimes, 2 concierge on the Fantasy, but generally we travel cheap.

Seriously though I think there is another pricing thread active, if we can keep the line to line comparisons over there that would be great

 

[tinkerone]

I just priced out 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruises within a 2 week period in October (my only open window this year), using similar criteria as best as possible across all:

DCL: $3,200
RCL: $2,200 (~70% of DCL)
Celebrity: $2,100 (~66% of DCL)
NCL: $3,300 (~103% of DCL)

I don't consider a price differential of $1,100 for 7 days as much of a price difference despite the 35% spread. I don't think that this means that I'm kidding myself, full of it or blinded by Disney rose-coloured glasses - I suggest that perhaps our metrics regarding what constitutes "much of a price difference" are simply different. Those are the numbers as best as I can determine based what I consider to be the best apples-to-apples comparison I can come up with. This is my experience. YMMV depending on a significant number of factors.

I'd be interested to know what ships your comparing. I am using the Fantasy and The Oasis and can not get to your numbers. Dcl is more, Oasis is less. I'm using inside rooms, the cheapest on DCL which is 169 sq ft and a central park interior which is not the cheapest but is 191 sq ft. Dcl is $3357, RCCL is $1892 CND so approximately $1513. Certainly not saying your numbers are not right, just wondering what we are comparing.
And your absolutely right, we are all different and are ruled by when we can vacation. What is important to one may not be important to another and we are all correct.