How come DCL isn't selling out?

[Mommb]

Disney must be aware of the price difference between DCL and other lines and the effects it has on bookings. I wonder if they have calculated that it is better for them to have a higher price point and some empty cabins than to have a lower price point and full ships.

Suppose I know:
If I sell my lemonade at 25 cents a cup, I'll sell 100 cups a day.
If I sell my lemonade at 50 cents a cup, I'll sell 60 cups a day.
If I sell my lemondade at $1 a cup, I'll sell 25 cups a day.
I'm best off selling at 50 cents, because although I'll sell fewer cups that at 25 cents, I'll make more money. If I still have lemonade left at the end of the day, I could sell it for 10 cents a cup, and make even more money.

It is also possible that Disney has calculated that people who pay higher prices are also more likely to spend money in the shops, and that having fewer people onboard improves the guest experience for those who are onboard.

I am not a fan of higher prices. Although I love Disney, it is getting more difficult to justify the added cost of DCL versus other cruise lines now that my kids are adults. However, I also know that I am not the target audience for Disney Cruise, especially on the Wish which appears to be geared toward families with young children. If I had kids under 10, I would be more willing to pay the upcharge for Disney, especially for cruises in Europe.

 

[Kennywood]

Inflation. A lot of people simply can't afford a cruise, when it's challenge to pay the monthly bills.

 

[tlprice]

My last DCL cruise was Northern Europe/Norway September 23 on a VGT rate. My next cruise is Alaska 9 day in July on an IGT rate. I'm at the point that unless there's a discounted rate on a place I want to go, I'm not cruising DCL anymore because I can't afford it. My upcoming Alaska cruise was less money than the 7 day I took in 2022 (in an inside room also). My daughter turns 18 next year so we will probably branch out to some other cruise lines if there's somewhere we want to go by cruise ship.

From 2009-2021 we went to WDW once or twice every year. It has also gotten so ridiculously expensive, crowded, difficult, complicated, etc. that I have no desire to go back. There are plenty of other places to spend my money and not be so stressed out.

I also agree with the people that have said airfare is ridiculously expensive. Even when I find a good deal on a vacation sometimes, when I look at the airfare, I realize it's not possible.

 

[tvguy]

Just like the parks, they make more money with fewer people and higher prices. it's less crowded which makes for a better experience and more repeat business at high prices. And they have fewer passengers they have to feed. It's all about the bottom line. I don't think Disney is concerned with empty cabins if the occupied cabins make up the profit lost.

 

[randumb0]

Inflation. A lot of people simply can't afford a cruise, when it's challenge to pay the monthly bills.

Cruising in general is up and not down though so I'm not sure the inflation argument works

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

We're booked for a 7 night Alaskan next year and the cost is starting to bother me more and more. It's just so much money, and I haven't even calculated our travel and hotel costs for Vancouver yet.

 

[Sleepyluke]

Cruising in general is up and not down though so I'm not sure the inflation argument works

I think it will be interesting to see the next year though, We are at the end of all the credit cruises that were booked in 21/22 for stat purposes. I think the more telling is the availability when searching a cruise to book.

 

[cvjw]

The reason it was so high in Jan. next year is because it is the first couple cruises of the new Treasure. You can't really compare a cruise on the older Fantasy to a cruise on the brand new Treasure, of course that will be more expensive regardless of inflation!

Yep. That’s part of it. But the issue for us is there isn’t another ship doing 7 night cruises during that time frame next year. Not interested in the wish. We would consider the dream, but it is also doing shorter cruises.

We sail DCL a lot. About to take our 10th cruise since Covid. With all but 2 on the fantasy. I am sure DCL needs people like us, paying their cruise fares. But $14,000 is just simply too much for 2 verandah cabins.

 

[randumb0]

I think it will be interesting to see the next year though, We are at the end of all the credit cruises that were booked in 21/22 for stat purposes. I think the more telling is the availability when searching a cruise to book.

Perhaps you're right, but 2025 is predicted to be better than 2024

 

[Cheburashka]

Some cruises do sell out. I've sailed on multiple sold-out DCL cruises over the past several years. But they won't all sell out and I don't think the expectation is that they will all sell out. I wouldn't like that, anyway. It would just push pricing even further upward and make the cruises more crowded.

 

[tvguy]

Some cruises do sell out. I've sailed on multiple sold-out DCL cruises over the past several years. But they won't all sell out and I don't think the expectation is that they will all sell out. I wouldn't like that, anyway. It would just push pricing even further upward and make the cruises more crowded.

The other issue is the capacity of the lifeboats. If there are lots of cabins at capacity with children, there may be empty unsold cabins. The ship is at capacity, but is not sold out.

 

[LAS2AMS]

Perhaps you're right, but 2025 is predicted to be better than 2024

Similar comments keep getting repeated in this thread, but they’re not true. Industry prices are falling and it has been blamed on capacity increases outpacing demand. But just the other day cruise stocks had their worst day on over two years as several analysts asserted the problem is much deepest than capacity outpacing demand. Instead they believe demand is softening.

The cruise industry struggled for years to reach younger audiences. Post-pandemic, there was a surge in first time / younger passengers. It looked like all the money cruise lines invested in youth and family activities paid off. But now data is showing many of these people aren’t cruising again. Hence the growing concern.

 

[MomOTwins]

I agree with this and would add that when you reach a certain price point - for example, a $7,200 cruise fare (veranda room for 2) for one week in June 2025 Italy/Greece - travelers are going to be less risk averse and more likely to choose less "safe" options. I admit that I have a hard time comprehending why so many people, under the guise of feeling safe and comfortable, would want to be surrounded by the same things they see every day of their lives.

That $7,200 fare easily becomes a $12,000 trip when you add tips, airfare and excursions. I feel safe in saying that people who can afford that are less likely to be afraid of the language barrier and cultural differences. I don't want to pay five star prices for a three star experience when, for that money, there are so many other options. You could easily spend less than $12,000 on a two week European trip and have a much more immersive and complete experience.

I used to vacation in Europe before kids all the time and do the immersive type of experience. But I have a Disney cruise in europe next year for a number of reasons.

First, we have three kids and accommodations for 5 in Europe are terrible. Very few hotels have connecting rooms or family and if they do they often max out at 4 guests. I looked into airbnbs and it was so hard to find anything that wasn’t a scam or commercial type rentals with bad quality beds and poor cleaning. So a disney cruise family stateroom takes care of the accommodations problem. Second, one of our kids has special needs and can easily get overwhelmed in new places, plus has a very restricted diet. Disney is familiar to him and reduces the stress of worrying if he will have a meltdown or not find food he can eat. Third, with the high cost of flights for 5 people this will likely be our only trip to Europe and a cruise lets us visit a variety of stops instead of just one place.

Now back to the main theme of the article, I do think summer prices are out of control—we have a less pricy cruise in October and the ship is very close to sold out with no discounts. So I can attest disney cruises are indeed selling put just not in summer.

 

[Iceman93]

For me it's purely price. I do like the Disney experience, the way Disney does cruising, the premium customer service, the plethora of entertainment choices, the variety of dining... all of it. We've made some great family memories on Disney cruises.

But, and I know I'm a corner case, my family prefers longer cruises and big, lavish suites. We only book Royal Suites on Disney, so that's the pricing I check. There was an interesting 11-day nordic cruise I looked up. The price? Over $100k. I get that Disney will find someone to pay that price, but there's no way I'm paying nearly $10k a day for what is essentially a premium mass-market vacation. And that was just one example--the price they are charging for the cabin I want on the cruises I want is not only a little higher than I'm willing to pay--it's a LOT higher.

 

[RangerPooh]

We are a family of 6 which means two rooms. We’ve done that on two of our last three DCL cruises. It’s expensive! And we usually get one veranda and one inside cabin.

I wish there were discounts. We have DVC and had APs. Nothing. We are considering RC for better pricing.

Each time we sail we remind ourselves that we could have gone to back to Europe for what we paid.

 

[MillauFr]

That's funny.

What is funny is how much people spend on their transportation costs. 2nd only to housing. Cars are outrageously expensive now days.

 

[MillauFr]

Inflation. A lot of people simply can't afford a cruise, when it's challenge to pay the monthly bills.

Sure some people are struggling. I just don't understand how housing costs are still going though the roof and people are spending $1 million for tear downs around here.

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

If this is true I suspect it’s a DCL issue because as mentioned earlier cruises are up and demand is up according to CLIA

I am a Disney fan and I cruise but I have not gone on a Disney cruise and I am not sure we ever will. Some reasons why I have not cruised on Disney. Cost, lack of variety in itineraries, lack of port departures locations, lack of adult activities, lack of dining options, MDR ‘entertainment’, menu selection in MDRs (no idea of food quality), and amount of kids on board. My DH also doesn’t want to go back to the old school muster drills he was shocked Disney went back to it.

Have you tried Virgin Voyages? I feel like you would love it! Different destinations, adults only, fantastic food and lots of options included in the cruise fare, etc. And I felt like the service was on par with Disney for sure.

 

[auntlynne]

We're booked for a 7 night Alaskan next year and the cost is starting to bother me more and more. It's just so much money, and I haven't even calculated our travel and hotel costs for Vancouver yet.

Hang on to your hat, then. Vancouver airfare and hotels are pricey, especially in the peak months.

Look into flying in to Seattle. Stay south of town. Use their light rail to get to downtown. Catch Amtrak to Vancouver (the Seattle train station is beautiful and the ride beside the ocean is a relaxing experience).

Check out the YWCA in Vancouver if you need a hotel there.

Wherever you opt to book your hotel, do it early for availability and price.

This can apply to any cruise line going to Alaska.

 

[Smugpugmug]

If this is true I suspect it’s a DCL issue because as mentioned earlier cruises are up and demand is up according to CLIA

I am a Disney fan and I cruise but I have not gone on a Disney cruise and I am not sure we ever will. Some reasons why I have not cruised on Disney. Cost, lack of variety in itineraries, lack of port departures locations, lack of adult activities, lack of dining options, MDR ‘entertainment’, menu selection in MDRs (no idea of food quality), and amount of kids on board. My DH also doesn’t want to go back to the old school muster drills he was shocked Disney went back to it.

I agree with all of this. Your reasons are why, despite being a big Disney fan, that a Disney cruise doesn't interest me at all. I would say the biggest reason is the price for the length of the cruise + the stops. The itineraries are really boring to me as someone who doesn't care for the private islands.

They started trying to target Dutch people. They had a video made with an average Dutch family (mom, dad, 2 kids ages 5-8 I guess) and they told what they were doing on the ship. It was hilariously awkward. The average Dutch family is not good at advertising a product. It sounded so incredibly forced.
And inbetween the interviews they had shots from the American promotional material, so the handsome people by the pool etc, people who just do not look like Dutch people in any way.
It is still one of my favourite commercials, for all the wrong reasons.

And in addition to this:
- Cruising itself.
1. Cruising is very much associated with the elderly. We can blame Holland America for this, they target old people in their video commercials and their advertisements are everywhere.
2. Only 2% of the country goes on a cruise for a holiday.
- Price:
The Dutch are very stingy. Did a google: average price spend on a Summer vacation is 845 euro (roughly the same in dollars). Seems low, because it is. But we go on holiday 2-3 times a year and the other vacations also need a budget.
- Destinations:
France, Germany and Spain have been the top vacation countries for years in the Netherlands. However, what we do is go to a country and explore for 1-3 weeks. Because we can do a city trip to Rome, Barcelona, Athens on a long weekend. Targeting Dutch people to go on European cruisings where you just do 1 city a day, it doesn't match with how we vacation.

If they want the Dutch, they have to do something about price and show why it is worth it to fly to the other end of the world to get a good deal.

My stepdad is Dutch and this is spot on. He only went to Spain, Greece and Sweden for vacation until moving to the United States in the early 2000s (he has cousins who live in Sweden). My step aunts also do mini vacations to Portugal and Italy but they would never do a Disney cruise at the prices they charge for.