Help me understand justifying price please..

[La2kw]

We won't spend that much on a Disney cruise. We are looking at other lines now. It's too bad that Disney has priced itself out of our range (too bad for us, not Disney LOL.)

 

[wdwfamilyinIL]

We won't spend that much on a Disney cruise. We are looking at other lines now. It's too bad that Disney has priced itself out of our range (too bad for us, not Disney LOL.)

I agree with you, we have a cruise booked this year but unless something changes we will not be rebooking. I am still in shock that I booked this year

 

[MadtownMama]

For us vacations are a priority, our favorite thing to do as a family. My husband works long hours and often times 7 days a week so when his vacation weeks come up that's our time to spend as a family! We don't book until we are able to pay off in full. We don't carry debt we constantly put $ into savings, cars are paid off, because of my husband's career we move a lot so we choose not to buy a house so we don't have house payments (just rent, which can be as high as a house payment but without taxes and needing to worry about an house emergency fund to fix anything major).

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We won't spend that much on a Disney cruise. We are looking at other lines now. It's too bad that Disney has priced itself out of our range (too bad for us, not Disney LOL.)

I've tried RC & Carnival and neither compare, imho, to the overall joyful feeling we have while on a Disney cruise. The others just make me long for DCL even more, and appreciate its uniqueness even more.
On DCL, we've never had a bad cruise, rain or shine.


Can't say that for our Carnival cruises. RC's weren't "bad" cruises but I wasn't super-excited for those cruises and they just lacked the magic you feel on a Disney cruise. It's hard to describe. Kind of like going to Six Flags instead of WDW and still keep trying to tell yourself you're at a theme park.

I'd rather pay more for an almost guaranteed great time.

I also feel the "value" depends on one's family size. When my parents sail with us and I look at their fare, it looks so cheap. Then again, when I try to convince a friend with 3 kids do sail with us for a 3-nt quickie, I price out getting 2 cabins for 5 ppl, airfare for 5, and it makes my costs for 4 look easy and then I can't blame her for declining.

 

[La2kw]

I've tried RC & Carnival and neither compare, imho, to the overall joyful feeling we have while on a Disney cruise. The others just make me long for DCL even more, and appreciate its uniqueness even more.
On DCL, we've never had a bad cruise, rain or shine.


Can't say that for our Carnival cruises. RC's weren't "bad" cruises but I wasn't super-excited for those cruises and they just lacked the magic you feel on a Disney cruise. It's hard to describe. Kind of like going to Six Flags instead of WDW and still keep trying to tell yourself you're at a theme park.

I'd rather pay more for an almost guaranteed great time.

I also feel the "value" depends on one's family size. When my parents sail with us and I look at their fare, it looks so cheap. Then again, when I try to convince a friend with 3 kids do sail with us for a 3-nt quickie, I price out getting 2 cabins for 5 ppl, airfare for 5, and it makes my costs for 4 look easy and then I can't blame her for declining.

We have enjoyed our Disney cruises, but really as two adults we kind of done with the entire childish aspects of DCL. I can't justify paying such high costs for a ship that has a huge portion of it dedicated to children. Why pay for all the kid's clubs I don't need, or all the characters I don't need, or the lame theme park shows I don't need? I'd rather have a casino and some adult entertainment rather than characters everywhere. Then as if the multitude of kids areas all over the ship aren't enough, you have the adults who have told their kids it's okay to invade the adult only pool area because it's too inconvenient for them to walk around it. We did book another MR cruise next year, but I have a feeling it will be our last one unless something changes.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

This topic comes up on the Disboards all the time, and it just never ceases to amaze me that people have the nerve to ask it. Do you drive up to someone living in an expensive house and ask them how they afford it? Do you pull up next to a luxury automobile, roll down the window and ask the driver how he affords it? Of course not because that would be rude. And the reality is, we all know the answer. Simply put, they have more of their finances (cash, credit, whatever) allocated for the expensive house/luxury car/Disney vacation than you do.

 

[NancyIL]

I've tried RC & Carnival and neither compare, imho, to the overall joyful feeling we have while on a Disney cruise. The others just make me long for DCL even more, and appreciate its uniqueness even more.

A lot of people feel as you do, and for those people - DCL is the best choice. I feel that way about WDW, but not about DCL.

This topic comes up on the Disboards all the time, and it just never ceases to amaze me that people have the nerve to ask it. Do you drive up to someone living in an expensive house and ask them how they afford it? Do you pull up next to a luxury automobile, roll down the window and ask the driver how he affords it? Of course not because that would be rude. And the reality is, we all know the answer. Simply put, they have more of their finances (cash, credit, whatever) allocated for the expensive house/luxury car/Disney vacation than you do.

It's certainly true that some DCL cruisers have high incomes. There are also plenty of people who scrimp and save for several years for ONE whiz-bang trip to WDW and/or a DCL cruise. Whether one's income is high or not - there has to be a willingness to spend the kind of money some Disney cruises require. I have no problem affording a Disney cruise, but I am not willing to spend substantially more to sail on DCL than on other cruise lines that I like as well.

 

[jac1976]

OP, I understand where you are coming from. I struggled with that same question when I first booked my DCL cruise. To me, it was all about the experience. I love Disney. But at the time I was planning on going by myself with my 2 kids (DH is in Afghanistan). I couldn't do the parks or else I'd have my son constantly crying b/c he couldn't go on the more thrilling rides b/c he's too young to go alone and DD is to small to go at all. So I chose to pay the extra money for the Disney experience on a ship. And IMO it was totally worth it. DD LOVED being surrounded by the princesses and characters. DS loved the kids club- he made volcanoes, flubber, chocolate chip cookies, and more.

That being said, I can't splurge like that all of the time. We are taking another cruise this summer to Alaska and due to availability, DCL was about $4k more expensive than the other cruise lines, so I had to pass on Disney this time around.

 

[drparoo]

I have no problem affording a Disney cruise, but I am not willing to spend substantially more to sail on DCL than on other cruise lines that I like as well.

And there's your answer. People need to know what's right for them and not worry about justifying it to others. It's all cool.

It's funny....we don't consider ourselves just cruisers. We're Disney cruisers only. Heck, we're specifically just Magic and Wonder Disney cruisers at this point!! If a DCL cruise was too expensive, we'd just find a different vacation completely. My kids are ALL about the Disney experience and the rotational dining when it comes to cruising.

My oldest will still be in college spring term when we go on the May 25 NYC Bahamas cruise. He wouldn't really like it anyway, as he is all about the ports. He loved our European cruises. But my younger two couldn't care less about the ports and are psyched to have so many sea days with their respective tween/teen friends so this vacation is PERFECT for us at this particular time in our lives. Throw in a day at WDW and some parasailing at CC and we're good to go.

Now, when the kids are out of the house in a few years, DH and I will probably be checking out other lines to become true cruisers.

 

[FJS961]

And there's your answer. People need to know what's right for them and not worry about justifying it to others. It's all cool.

It's funny....we don't consider ourselves just cruisers. We're Disney cruisers only. Heck, we're specifically just Magic and Wonder Disney cruisers at this point!! If a DCL cruise was too expensive, we'd just find a different vacation completely. My kids are ALL about the Disney experience and the rotational dining when it comes to cruising.

My oldest will still be in college spring term when we go on the May 25 NYC Bahamas cruise. He wouldn't really like it anyway, as he is all about the ports. He loved our European cruises. But my younger two couldn't care less about the ports and are psyched to have so many sea days with their respective tween/teen friends so this vacation is PERFECT for us at this particular time in our lives. Throw in a day at WDW and some parasailing at CC and we're good to go.

Now, when the kids are out of the house in a few years, DH and I will probably be checking out other lines to become true cruisers.

you need to update your sig ticker for your NY cruise

I just updated mine

congrats again on your awesome booking

It was very difficult (technically) for them to change my deposit from the 7/22 Dream to the 7/28 NY date. We went back and forth with CM, supervisor, manager ... they are letting me do it but its complicated.

Anyone interested in the Walt suite on the Dream for 7/22/12 double dip its available

 

[lmhall2000]

We're all about adventure and 'new' things...I never sailed Disney b/c the value was not there...but once they offered kids sail free, I booked twice...now they've snagged me (due to their limited stress vacation option) for our 20th anniversary celebration....it's not kids sail free, but finally, on the big boats we can get 5 of our family into one lower category (8)..we do not have to get 2 inside or one verandah, so the value is there. I'm even hopeful they will offer a special next year b/c these prices are so inflated and the economy is so poor...something's gotta give...and I doubt it will be the economy.

So hearing so many complain about the prices is a bit more so than in the past 3 years I have followed this thread...that can only mean one thing, less biting at the bait!! More ships in the water = more discounts so this will allow others like me to see the value more clearly!!

But, honestly, we'll take one cruise on each of the ships, we're doing Fantasy, not quiet sure we'll do the Dream unless we absolutely love the Fantasy...we've already done one Magic one Wonder (Med and MR) have seen some cool things (adventure) we'll do the Caribbean once and hopefully the Dream will do something different in the future...but for our family, that's the run of it....we've been there done that...so we're on to another vacation..touring the national parks, hitting the gulf coast to hang out, doing Williamsburg and Monticello/Mt. Vernon, maybe Australia or South America (saving our ff miles for this one!)....but once we've done something, it just is not appealing to go back now that our kids are older...teens...we love to see them experience the world...and it has to have a great deal of value...financially and time...

 

[pearljammer]

I appreciate everyone's responses and I see most of you get where I was going with it. Then I also see that there were also some of you who didn't get it at all. I wasn't asking for anyone to justify their reasoning to me or anyone else. I meant "justify" in a sense of answering to one's self. I was thinking on a personal level. So for myself, even if I can afford it as one person posted, they could but choose not to. Perhaps I can as well but I can't "justify" it to myself to spend it. THAT's more what I was getting at. Like many of you, due to my child's age, I'm willing to spend a little more on DCL for him to have experiences I never did but like another person stated, once my child is older, I probably wouldn't consider DCL. At the same time, I do have a limit as to what I view as "reasonable" as do all of you here. It's a shame that some of you thought it was "rude" in asking but again, I think most of you on here understood what I meant by the post. Perhaps there are some who should lighten up as it's not like I pointed to you directly and invaded in your personal finances nor did you have to respond. It was meant in a vague sense of the word. Thanks to all of you though for sharing in your reasoning as it's often good to get a sense of other people's thoughts and how their world differs from your own. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own world and surroundings that we fail to think of what others may be dealing with or going through. So thank you again to all of you for being open minded and sharing a little about your own thought process. Besides, it's good to know that I'm not the only one who thinks it's almost crazy (and I don't mean anything bad about those of you who are okay to spend that much).

 

[drparoo]

you need to update your sig ticker for your NY cruise

I just updated mine

Uh, ok, how do I get the little nametags to be next to each other instead of on top of each other?

 

[FJS961]

I appreciate everyone's responses and I see most of you get where I was going with it. Then I also see that a lot of you didn't get it at all. I wasn't asking for anyone to justify their reasoning to me or anyone else. I meant "justify" in a sense of answering to one's self. I was thinking on a personal level. So for myself, even if I can afford it as one person posted, they could but choose not to. Perhaps I can as well but I can't "justify" it to myself to spend it. THAT's more what I was getting at. Like many of you, due to my child's age, I'm willing to spend a little more on DCL for him to have experiences I never did but like another person stated, once my child is older, I probably wouldn't consider DCL. At the same time, I do have a limit as to what I view as "reasonable" as do all of you here. It's a shame that some of you thought it was "rude" in asking but again, I think most of you on here understood what I meant by the post. Perhaps there are some who should lighten up as it's not like I pointed to you directly and invaded in your personal finances nor did you have to respond. It was meant in a vague sense of the word. Thanks to all of you though for sharing in your reasoning as it's often good to get a sense of other people's thoughts and how their world differs from your own. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own world and surroundings that we fail to think of what others may be dealing with or going through. So thank you again to all of you for being open minded and sharing a little about your own thought process. Besides, it's good to know that I'm not the only one who thinks it's almost crazy (and I don't mean anything bad about those of you who are okay to spend that much).

no problem ... I thrive on "crazy"

its a sick world and I'm a happy guy

I have seen enough tragedy and life cut short and we had our own cancer scare recently that we believe you can't take it with you and I rather enjoy today while I can. I started with next to nothing and worked really hard to get where I am ... damn if I am going to put it all away and have spoiled kids fight over it when I'm gone.

I'd rather enjoy it now while I am healthy than wish I had later on

just my warped philosophy

peace

 

[drparoo]

no problem ... I thrive on "crazy"

its a sick world and I'm a happy guy

I have seen enough tragedy and life cut short and we had our own cancer scare recently that we believe you can't take it with you and I rather enjoy today while I can. I started with next to nothing and worked really hard to get where I am ... damn if I am going to put it all away and have spoiled kids fight over it when I'm gone.

I'd rather enjoy it now while I am healthy than wish I had later on

just my warped philosophy

peace

 

[NancyIL]

I'd rather enjoy it now while I am healthy than wish I had later on

I agree with your philosophy, and that's why I have had some great trips the past few years - with more planned for the future. I do what I can to make each trip affordable so that I can travel more frequently. Rather than save for the suite on a cruise ship, I'd rather stay in the least expensive cabin and cruise twice as often.

 

[FJS961]

Uh, ok, how do I get the little nametags to be next to each other instead of on top of each other?

you need to eliminate any "spaces"
can be tricky
keep playing with it and previewing it

 

[FJS961]

I agree with your philosophy, and that's why I have had some great trips the past few years - with more planned for the future. I do what I can to make each trip affordable so that I can travel more frequently. Rather than save for the suite on a cruise ship, I'd rather stay in the least expensive cabin and cruise twice as often.

your approach is the more practical and wise one for sure

for me, personal choice, I would rather take fewer vacations and have them more luxurious ... as long as you enjoy yourself and can sleep at night making the bills, there is no right or wrong

DCL is one of those guilty pleasures for me I guess

 

[drparoo]

you need to eliminate any "spaces"
can be tricky
keep playing with it and previewing it

 

[NancyIL]

your approach is the more practical and wise one for sure

for me, personal choice, I would rather take fewer vacations and have them more luxurious ... as long as you enjoy yourself and can sleep at night making the bills, there is no right or wrong

DCL is one of those guilty pleasures for me I guess