Disney Cruise Prices

[Drfate102]

To be fair, DCL VS RC/Carnival/NC isn't a fair comparison at all price wise, they are all different types of cruises. Carnival is a Contemporary Cruise Line, while Royal and Norwegian are Upscale Contemporary. Disney is with Celebrity, Holland and Princess at Premium Cruise. I have done a Princess Cruise and several DCL, yes, the Princess Cruise was longer and cheaper, for us, it wasn't as good. With that said, I would hop on another Princess cruise given the chance, but that would also be said about any other line, except maybe Cunard.

 

[Mango7100]

This isn't a very useful topic without actual numbers to compare. For what it's worth, I just compared a Disney cruise to an NCL cruise and they came out about the same.

Our week long NCL cruise in July in a 2 room Haven suite was $2400 cheaper than a week long Fantasy cruise in a veranda view. If I compared to concierge it would have been several more thousands of dollars cheaper but I refuse to pay concierge on Disney. Same dates. Both Eastern Caribbean. And this included the upgraded wifi, prepaid gratuities, and beverage package gratuities and a giant room with a butler. It was 2400 cheaper total.

Now the kids club on Disney is by far and away better. And we like Casataway Cay better than Great Stirrup Cay. But honestly my 9 year old said she had just as much if not more fun on the NCL cruise due to the 5 water slides, ropes course, and being in the Haven. We are doing DCL in March because we got a good price with the Disney Plus deal, but it’s harder for me to justify the cost.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

I booked a Club Balcony suite. Same size as a DCL Verandah room. Based solely on the room rate itself, huge savings. As far as gratuities go, last time I looked people left them at Palo and Remy. Not seeing the gratuity issue here. NCL just raised the gratuity to $20/ per night per person. I expect other cruiselines to follow. You don’t have to choose all of the free at sea options to get the sale price. You can choose a soda option or none at all! Take a look at the newer ship “Encore”. You don’t get entertainment any better than that. Disney is ripping people off, and it’s time to speak up about it. YMMV.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Our week long NCL cruise in July ina Haven suite was $2400 cheaper than a week long Fantasy cruise in an ocean view. Same dates. Both Eastern Caribbean. And the NCL cruise included all alcoholic drinks and wifi and prepaid gratuities.

Enough said!!

 

[Mango7100]

Enough said!!

I edited. It was a veranda not an ocean view. But still, it was crazy the cost difference.

 

[dreamer17555]

I think when you sail on DCL makes a huge difference. We tend to book VGT a few months out for the less busy travel times and it works extremely well.

 

[Cheburashka]

Enough said!!

What kind of DCL verandah are you comparing it to? A family verandah, midship on deck 10? There is a big difference in price between the most expensive family verandah staterooms (Cat 4) on DCL and the standard or navigator verandah staterooms (Cats 5 - 7).

Regardless, enjoy your suite on Norwegian. We'll sail on DCL in a standard or navigator verandah or oceanview and be happy. You want oranges, we want apples. They're totally different types of cruises.

 

[jujubiee4]

To me the "specialty" cruises can be overpriced. The Alaskan cruise compared to other lines for example.
Glacier bay is not even included. The 2 Europe ones we went on I now question the value. Simply
because we were so exhausted from touring several times we skipped shows/MDRS. Or we ate dinner in
one of the countries. It was fun but looking back DH and kids talk about the places not the ship.
Hawaii was pricey but the family really enjoyed it so was worth it. I will look at other lines though.

For what we paid for the Wish it will be a non starter going forward. Lol However for the Caribbean
DCL is the best fit for us and I feel is worth it. I think the Fantasy/Dream are perfect ships and beautiful.
I also like that you can book it and forget about it. Not worry about constant upcharges and tacky add ons
fees and people constantly trying to sell you things once you board.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

What kind of DCL verandah are you comparing it to? A family verandah, midship on deck 10? There is a big difference in price between the most expensive family verandah staterooms (Cat 4) on DCL and the standard or navigator verandah staterooms (Cats 5 - 7).

Regardless, enjoy your suite on Norwegian. We'll sail on DCL in a standard or navigator verandah or oceanview and be happy. You want oranges, we want apples. They're totally different types of cruises.

As a gold member I have been on enough DCL cruises ships to compare DCL to other cruiselines. In a club balcony suite sailing to Alaska, with all free at sea promotions, gratuities, one night pre-cruise hotel stay and transfers through NCL, we are still saving almost $4000 for this cruise. Oh, also sailing into Glacier Bay. Believe me, I ran the numbers.

 

[Mango7100]

What kind of DCL verandah are you comparing it to? A family verandah, midship on deck 10? There is a big difference in price between the most expensive family verandah staterooms (Cat 4) on DCL and the standard or navigator verandah staterooms (Cats 5 - 7).

Regardless, enjoy your suite on Norwegian. We'll sail on DCL in a standard or navigator verandah or oceanview and be happy. You want oranges, we want apples. They're totally different types of cruises.

It was a standard verandah. But we had a 500 sq foot room on NCL with separate bedroom, living room, and bathroom with soaking tub, walk in shower and double sinks with a separate make up vanity. So I compared the cheap verandah on DCL and still saved money.

I don’t agree that they are two totally different types of cruises though. Aside from Disney characters/theming and pirate night what’s the difference? For some people that’s enough of a difference to want to pay the extra $$$. And we want that sometimes too in a cruise—we are doing DCL in March. And as far as people saying the Disney service is the difference that’s debatable. The service we had on NCL was as good and in some cases far better. I think it’s a mistake to say that Disney blows everyone out of the water as far as service—maybe that was true years ago but it’s not necessarily true now. The big exception was the kids club—DCL wins that hands down.

 

[Kwami]

I booked a Club Balcony suite. Same size as a DCL Verandah room.

On which ship? Because the club balcony "suite" (which it isn't) on the ship I'm sailing (Getaway) is smaller than the verandah and quite a bit smaller than the family verandah rooms on the classic 4 ships, at least.

The itineraries that I compared were for Caribbean cruises in April, 2024. The prices were similar, especially once you consider all of the additional charges on NCL (higher WiFi costs, higher daily gratuities, higher excursion costs, charging for soft drinks). Disney still cost a bit more, but with all of the advantages that I outlined in my previous post and without all of the hassle of NCL's shady advertising, terrible website, and broken certificates.

So, as I said before, maybe Disney is overpriced for cruises that visit Alaska, but the rule doesn't hold universally. That's especially true when you aren't sailing concierge and when you aren't sailing with kids.

And, actually, NCL doesn't seem to have any closed loop Alaskan cruises from Vancouver in May. Maybe they have them for other months? Some of their cruises advertise that they "cruise past Glacier Bay". Is that the same as actually entering the park? There are closed loop cruises from Seattle, but the times at port are pretty bad because of that pointless stop in Victoria to stay within the law. So... what exactly are we comparing? Which month? Which itinerary?

NCL: 7-night closed loop from Seattle stopping at Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Victoria and cruising Glacier Bay (maybe?): $4850 for a "family club balcony suite" (246 sq ft), 2 guests, no open bar or specialty dining.

DCL: 7-night closed loop from Vancouver stopping at Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and cruising Tongass National Forest for Stikine Icecap: $4919 for a guaranteed verandah (at least 245 sq ft*), 2 guests

* What verandah is that small on the Wonder? Regular verandahs, even with obstructed views, are 268+.

 

[lklgoodman]

I beg to differ. I priced both NCL and Disney for an Alaskan cruise. Disney was double the price for a veranda, no promos, and no Glacier Bay. I booked NCL. No brainer.

I agree. We cruised to Alaska on Disney in 2014. It was great then because my dd was 6 yrs old and loved all the characters. We've done 7 more cruises on Disney since then, but are getting bored with them. We will be sailing on the Encore next June in a family club suite. I booked it last Feb. When Disney came out with their Alaska cruises I looked to see what it would cost to book with them. It would have been $3k more for an interior cabin on Disney. And that's with none of the extra perks we got on NCL like 4 free speciality meals, free internet mins, free laundry, and 2 free excursions. We also got a free drink package but we don't drink soda and I'm the only one who drinks alcohol so we turned it down. The price of our cruise has gone down 3 times since booking so I was able to do a price adjustment each time and saved another $2k. Our DCL Western Caribbean cruise last March for a veranda was around $8k for our family of 3. Our NCL cruise will be a little over $5k for a mini suite!! People will say, "But you have to pay extra for the race cars or for soda." The race cars are only $15 pp and we don't drink soda, so we're still coming out thousands of dollars ahead.

 

[Kwami]

Can we stop pretending that the club balcony rooms are in any way at all a suite or "mini suite", despite NCL's marketing nonsense? They're just verandah rooms. They have none of the perks of suites (not even extra loyalty points) and they don't have suite layouts. They're not suites at all.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We book mostly the itinerary, ( with on board experiences like Merrytime ( in the past) DVC Member Cruises, and Pixar theme being the exceptions), and DCL doesn’t have the varieties of itineraries as other lines have, but in my opinion, my shipboard experience is much better on DCL than other lines. Princess has been my second best. All in all, DH and I have done about 60 cruises.

My next cruise is a Pixar cruise, and then in February we have a RCCL cruise out of Baltimore. RCCL was booked with good friends who we want to be with, and we both want to get out of the cold for awhile. They’re close enough together so I can probably really compare the food. We get 4 free alcohol beverages every day on RCCL, and I’ll be getting mine to give to my friend, hubby will be doing the same.

A type of cruise that I like and I wish DCL would do is a partial cruising of the Panama Canal. We did full crossing on DCL once, and twice partial on Princess. I would definitely do one again. The excursions for the partial were interesting and very worthwhile.

We’ve been to WDW in early December, and I had as much fun as I have ever had. We are heading back down for our NYE visit shortly after Christmas.

 

[Cheburashka]

As a gold member I have been on enough DCL cruises ships to compare DCL to other cruiselines. In a club balcony suite sailing to Alaska, with all free at sea promotions, gratuities, one night pre-cruise hotel stay and transfers through NCL, we are still saving almost $4000 for this cruise. Oh, also sailing into Glacier Bay. Believe me, I ran the numbers.

How many passengers?

 

[Cheburashka]

I don’t agree that they are two totally different types of cruises though. Aside from Disney characters/theming and pirate night what’s the difference?

The differences are:
1. Castaway Cay
2. Beautiful ocean liner style of ship with full walkable promenade
3. No casino and no smoking in main areas or balconies.
4. Nice adult only areas onboard and an entire adult only beach on the private island
5. Disney entertainment including theater shows, game shows & other activities, themed dining, characters onboard, Disney art everywhere onboard, Disney on Demand on stateroom TV
6. Fireworks
7. Great decorations at Halloween and Christmas, many decorated stateroom doors year-round
8. Spacious staterooms with comfortable bathrooms with tubs, great windows in oceanview cabins, virtual portholes in Dream class inside cabins.
9. Aqua Duck water coaster on Dream class ships, nice waterslides on all ships.

It would be a totally different cruise experience without these features. As I mentioned in my prior post, I won't sail the Wish because it's missing some of those features. It's also overpriced. When I'm comparing DCL's pricing to other lines, I'm not comparing the Wish.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

I agree. We cruised to Alaska on Disney in 2014. It was great then because my dd was 6 yrs old and loved all the characters. We've done 7 more cruises on Disney since then, but are getting bored with them. We will be sailing on the Encore next June in a family club suite. I booked it last Feb. When Disney came out with their Alaska cruises I looked to see what it would cost to book with them. It would have been $3k more for an interior cabin on Disney. And that's with none of the extra perks we got on NCL like 4 free speciality meals, free internet mins, free laundry, and 2 free excursions. We also got a free drink package but we don't drink soda and I'm the only one who drinks alcohol so we turned it down. The price of our cruise has gone down 3 times since booking so I was able to do a price adjustment each time and saved another $2k. Our DCL Western Caribbean cruise last March for a veranda was around $8k for our family of 3. Our NCL cruise will be a little over $5k for a mini suite!! People will say, "But you have to pay extra for the race cars or for soda." The race cars are only $15 pp and we don't drink soda, so we're still coming out thousands of dollars ahead.

Excellent comparison. We are sailing the Encore for our Alaskan cruise.
As far as Glacier Bay goes, it is a FULL DAY there. Not a cruise by thing. Disney can not get into Glacier Bay. Should be lowering their price for that.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

How many passengers?

The newer ship the “Encore”. 3998 passengers.

 

[Mango7100]

The differences are:
1. Castaway Cay
2. Beautiful ocean liner style of ship with full walkable promenade
3. No casino and no smoking in main areas or balconies.
4. Nice adult only areas onboard and an entire adult only beach on the private island
5. Disney entertainment including theater shows, game shows & other activities, themed dining, characters onboard, Disney art everywhere onboard, Disney on Demand on stateroom TV
6. Fireworks
7. Great decorations at Halloween and Christmas, many decorated stateroom doors year-round
8. Spacious staterooms with spacious bathrooms with tubs, great windows in oceanview cabins, virtual portholes in Dream class inside cabins.
9. Aqua Duck water coaster on Dream class ships, nice waterslides on all ships.

It would be a totally different cruise experience without these features. As I mentioned in my prior post, I won't sail the Wish because it's missing some of those features and it's also overpriced.

I get some of your differences, but some are not unique to Disney. We have cruises on 5 different lines, and while we enjoy DCL they aren’t some unicorn with so many specialty features no one else has.

1. Castaway Cay—we love it but most lines have a private island. So that’s not unique. Castaway Cay is different in not as developed feeling, but it’s till ocean, beach, and food.
2. The NCL ship we were on had a full walkable promenade with 4 outdoor bars and outdoor restaurant seatings for 4 restaurants (this isn’t counting the pool bars and food areas). So a promenade is not unique to Disney.
3. no casino—agree.
4. Adult only areas onboard and on the island. Literally every cruise line has these. Not unique to Disney.
5. Disney entertainment—agree and that’s the ace in the hole for them.
6. Fireworks—agree
7. Decorations—haven’t been on other lines over the holidays. Saw plenty of decorated doors on other cruise lines. On NCL people hide rubber ducks around the ship for people to find. So not unique to DCL
8. Spacious staterooms—again not unique to Disney. Every line has them.
9. Aqua Duck—while the other lines don’t have the Aqua duck they have plenty of other water slides that DCL doesn’t have. We had 5 on our last cruise. Royal has tons of different ones. Most of the newer ships on other lines have more than 2 slides which is what the dream/ fantasy has.

We enjoy DCL but I also have been on other lines enough for us to know that DCL isnt head and shoulders above everyone except for the kids club for our family. So we are open to other lines depending on what we feel like. Especially for the price. But everyone is different and enjoys different stuff.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Can we stop pretending that the club balcony rooms are in any way at all a suite or "mini suite", despite NCL's marketing nonsense? They're just verandah rooms. They have none of the perks of suites (not even extra loyalty points) and they don't have suite layouts. They're not suites at all.

They are bigger than the regular verandas.