Disney Cruise Pricing

[lucas]

DCL prices are totally out of control. Our upcoming DCL cruise we will finally be platinum. Then we are done with them for a long long time.

I will get my Disney fix at WDW! We're Florida residents and go to WDW a lot.

After this upcoming Disney cruise, we are going to concentrate on Princess. We only need a few more Princess cruises to get to their highest level and their repeat cruiser program is way better than Disney. Plus they give military credit to all former veterans - a nice touch and dh qualifies for that. They also give credits for owning stock in their company - which we do. We also have stock in Disney but get nothing for that.

 

[scootch]

It is ridiculously expensive, but try looking at off season like November. STill pricey but a bit more tolerable. I will say though our Fantasy cruises were the most perfect weeks of vacation we have ever taken and we are blessed to vacation alot.

 

[JW9DVC]

I Love, Love, Love to cruise "Disney" but I have looked so much I'm really burnt out on looking because it feels hopeless. We have cruised on every Disney ship "except" the Fantasy and really wanted to cruise on this ship but my gosh, the prices are out of this world! Why does Disney want to price these cruises so high? It seems they are more about getting the rich on board rather than the average middle income family. Just makes me sad...

Because the middle class can afford it!

 

[kddlm]

Unfortunately, many with school-age kids NEED to travel during peak times due to school breaks (Easter, Christmas holidays). It is really insane. Our March 2016 spring break cruise would have cost almost $8K+ if we were paying all cash. Only way we are able to do it is DVC points/cash (no flames....this is how we choose to use our points, regardless of how some may feel about it...heard it all!!) Crazy!

 

[Divslp]

My husband and I are about to take our 3rd cruise on the Fantasy. We love that ship, so we're always on the hunt for a good rate. Cruising in the off season is definitely key for us. We're doing a category 5D room (verandah) for $3,400 (that's for both us, no kids). I consider that to be a pretty reasonable rate for a DCL 7 day. If you're stuck cruising in May, I imagine the prices will be higher, unfortunately. Do you have a CostCo membership? They tend to offer deals with cash back or store credit or something, in addition to competitive rates, from what I understand.

Just a little over a year ago, you could have 2 adults AND a child cruise on the Fantasy for a little under what you paid (around 3k) just for 2 adults for a 2016 Fantasy cruise. Now you are paying the same amount but for one less passenger. I think they are getting unreasonable, as they not only have increased prices, they have also decreased perks since then.

 

[OHDanceMom73]

Ive been really bummed on the last few opening days to see how high the prices are starting. We're trying RCCL this spring. I'm not expecting to like it as much as Disney but am keeping an open mind and if it is anywhere close, we will end up cruising with them in the future because the prices are more manageable. Disney is just super expensive.

When are opening day prices released? Are en estimate date?

 

[dreadpiraterose]

Just a little over a year ago, you could have 2 adults AND a child cruise on the Fantasy for a little under what you paid (around 3k) just for 2 adults for a 2016 Fantasy cruise. Now you are paying the same amount but for one less passenger. I think they are getting unreasonable, as they not only have increased prices, they have also decreased perks since then.

We paid $3400 (2 of us) for the Fantasy cruise we took in 2013. That's not $3k for 3 people.

 

[Shanti]

I Love, Love, Love to cruise "Disney" but I have looked so much I'm really burnt out on looking because it feels hopeless. We have cruised on every Disney ship "except" the Fantasy and really wanted to cruise on this ship but my gosh, the prices are out of this world! Why does Disney want to price these cruises so high? It seems they are more about getting the rich on board rather than the average middle income family. Just makes me sad...

The thing to keep in mind is that there really is no "average" American middle class. Most Americans consider themselves middle class, and that runs the gamut from "clipping coupons to get by each day" to "should our summer vacation be to Hawaii or Europe this year?" I'm a teacher and have taught all over town in a medium-sized city, so have seen the different demographics up close. Most people think their own neighborhood is "average", but that is an illusion.

Yes, DCL is catering more and more to the higher end of the middle class and the wealthy. Given the high demand for their limited supply, that's predictible. I (and others onboard) did notice that there were a lot more (affluent) South American national guests on board the Magic at New Year's than there were American guests. One guest commented on that to a CM, and the CM readily acknowledged it- it wasn't just our perception. Could have been more due to the Miami port than anything else, but I noticed a similar, less-extreme version of that at WDW last summer. As somewhat fewer Americans can afford Disney, they've increased their marketing to affluent customers abroad. Predictable, but a bit sad, given Disney's all-American roots.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

My husband and I are about to take our 3rd cruise on the Fantasy. We love that ship, so we're always on the hunt for a good rate. Cruising in the off season is definitely key for us. We're doing a category 5D room (verandah) for $3,400 (that's for both us, no kids). I consider that to be a pretty reasonable rate for a DCL 7 day. If you're stuck cruising in May, I imagine the prices will be higher, unfortunately. Do you have a CostCo membership? They tend to offer deals with cash back or store credit or something, in addition to competitive rates, from what I understand.

What's the rate on that same cruise for an interior???

 

[dreadpiraterose]

What's the rate on that same cruise for an interior???

I'm honestly not sure. We always cruise veranda. (I don't like being on the inside unable to see the sky.)

 

[CarolinaBlue]

Just a little over a year ago, you could have 2 adults AND a child cruise on the Fantasy for a little under what you paid (around 3k) just for 2 adults for a 2016 Fantasy cruise. Now you are paying the same amount but for one less passenger. I think they are getting unreasonable, as they not only have increased prices, they have also decreased perks since then.

We (4 adults) sailed on the Fantasy in December, 2012 (just before Christmas) in a verandah cabin for $3400. I'm looking at that same amount for just the two of us on the Fantasy in September of this year.

 

[Ofinn]

We (4 adults) sailed on the Fantasy in December, 2012 (just before Christmas) in a verandah cabin for $3400. I'm looking at that same amount for just the two of us on the Fantasy in September of this year.

I dont consider 3400 for 2 people to be a great rate either.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

When are opening day prices released? Are en estimate date?

No set dates for releases. Generally, in the past, summer itineraries have been released around March; fall/winter around May; and spring around October.

But DCL releases them when they want, basically.

 

[Divslp]

We paid $3400 (2 of us) for the Fantasy cruise we took in 2013. That's not $3k for 3 people.

We paid 3k for three people in a verandah in 2014. Now it's more than that for only two people for the same dates.

 

[dreadpiraterose]

I dont consider 3400 for 2 people to be a great rate either.

For a veranda on a 7-day DCL cruise, it doesn't seem totally unreasonable to me. Is it higher than I'd like? Sure. But it isn't prohibitory for us at this point. If they start pushing $4k, that'll be our limit and we'll go to Royal Caribbean like everyone else. Different limits for different folks.

 

[Ofinn]

For a veranda on a 7-day DCL cruise, it doesn't seem totally unreasonable to me. Is it higher than I'd like? Sure. But it isn't prohibitory for us at this point. If they start pushing $4k, that'll be our limit and we'll go to Royal Caribbean like everyone else. Different limits for different folks.

The prices on off season cruises never seem that unreasonable to me either. I guess its because I can afford it. Its when I start looking at other lines and comparing prices is when I become shcked, and start to wonder "is dcl really worth it".

 

[lucas]

Here is a comparison. Next month we have a Princess cruise booked and a couple of days later we have a Disney cruise booked.

They are both 4 nights.

For the Princess cruise we have an ocean view (window-not balcony) and our total is $806.00 for both of us (taxes/fees/insurance for both of us is included).

For the Disney cruise we have an inside (no window - no virtual porthole) and our total is $1797.80 for both of us (again, taxes/fees/insurance for both of us is included).

 

[CarolinaBlue]

I dont consider 3400 for 2 people to be a great rate either.

Neither do I.

 

[lucas]

Neither do I.

I feel the same way.

 

[dreadpiraterose]

Neither do I.

I didn't say it was GREAT. I said I didn't think it was that unreasonable for DCL.