If not pleased with 2017 pricing

[kindman]

I emailed the President of DCL and explained my frustration with the 2017 price increase and received a call back yesterday from someone within the company. If interested here is the address. If you don't have a problem I'm not trying to start a supply and demand discussion I'm simply providing an avenue to contact the company. Nothing was offered to me and I still decided to go with another company but I at least wanted the opportunity to explain why.
karl.holz@disney.com

 

[tinkerone]

i think the only thing they are going to listen to is the $$$$. if people don't book or pay the price then they will look at it. not trying to deter you or anyone else but they will respond to email the way they did you, with a meaningless phone call meant to pacify. as long as the bookings are coming in and the price is being paid nothing will change. like all business, you need to talk with your wallet. sounds like you are, as i am, but if the sailings are selling out…….well?
they know the price is off but they have their fingers crossed that people will get over it.

jmo

 

[Little Doe]

After talking to a Disney cast member on the phone to add to a reservation, I held for the survey after the call. One of the options is new. It asks if you made a reservation on that call. I answered no. It then asked why. One option was going to another cruise line due to costs. So they must be thinking to change the survey.

 

[tinkerone]

After talking to a Disney cast member on the phone to add to a reservation, I held for the survey after the call. One of the options is new. It asks if you made a reservation on that call. I answered no. It then asked why. One option was going to another cruise line due to costs. So they must be thinking to change the survey.

thats good to know. now i want to call just so i can do the survey. shows they are aware of the issue.

 

[Barbydoll8]

I'm so not happy so I may call just to take the survey too. The same cruise I did last year in Feb on the Wonder is sailing on the Magic for almost double the price. Just about DOUBLE. I know it's a different ship but it isn't the Dream class. So nope, not booking. I actually wanted to so the same itinerary as this past cruise cause we liked it so much. I've only done 3 DCL cruises with a forth this March. Now I'm actually look at Carnival (*gasp) which I can do for less than half of Disney. I know it's not the same and I know it will have a lot to do with the ship so my detective hat is on and I'll do the research. I have a friend that cruises 2x's per year and Carnival is her favorite line and she's not a "party" person. She sails with her parents all the time on Carnival.
So sad. Prices are up radically at WDW too. Looks like the stock holders may have wanted a raise so up the prices. LOL
Will I still cruise DCL? I don't know now. I might book a place holder while on board but could change my mind bases on fall prices.

 

[tinkerone]

just so everyone is aware, I was just on the dcl website and a survey popped up. looks like they are trying to get information from all outlets. you may want to try there if your interested in doing a survey.
I did respond that we are not likely to book dcl again and why. I'm sure they have heard it all before though.

 

[squirk]

Yes, sadly, we are a vocal yet very small minority. I think @tinkerone hit it right on the head. They know they are pushing it with the pricing, and they know that RCCL and NCL offer attractive alternatives. @Little Doe's survey is pretty indicative that DCL is watching closely. However, they also know that their brand is a powerful differentiator, and want to push the envelope of "brand premium" right to the brink of where returns start to diminish.

They won't feel like they've hit that ceiling until reservations start dropping off, especially on the longer cruises. So while DCL will place a mollifying phone call in response to an angry email, I don't expect anything to change until a lot more people vote with their wallet.

And even then, I doubt that DCL will lower fares outright. Disney has never played the pricing game. They will leave fares at elevated levels, but start offering things for free that used to cost money. Free concessions in the theaters. Free drink packages. Maybe free gratuities. If things got really bad, they might bring back "Kids Sail Free". However, I highly doubt they will ever fess up and expressly lower fares, and tacitly admit that their "brand premium" can no longer support their pricing model.

 

[AquaDame]

Even shorter cruises are getting up there... I went back and saw that we booked our first cruise (4 night dream) in Nov 2009 for late Feb 2011 sailing for $1052. If I tried to book the same one today for late Feb 2017 it would be $1576. I know thats awhile for the price to creep up, but 67% in six years during the "off season"? Yikes...

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Even shorter cruises are getting up there... I went back and saw that we booked our first cruise (4 night dream) in Nov 2009 for late Feb 2011 sailing for $1052. If I tried to book the same one today for late Feb 2017 it would be $1576. I know thats awhile for the price to creep up, but 67% in six years during the "off season"? Yikes...

4-night Dream in September.... 2014, 2015, 2016.... all bookings 00T. From 2014 each year the price has gone up about $1k. That's approx. $2k increase in 2 years. Yeah, yikes.

 

[jpeppers]

They priced me out of cruising and the parks. They have turned me to Universal and RCCL!

 

[squirk]

Even shorter cruises are getting up there... I went back and saw that we booked our first cruise (4 night dream) in Nov 2009 for late Feb 2011 sailing for $1052. If I tried to book the same one today for late Feb 2017 it would be $1576. I know thats awhile for the price to creep up, but 67% in six years during the "off season"? Yikes...

Absolutely. What I meant was that if people become uncomfortable with the pricing, but don't want to abandon DCL altogether, they might just opt for shorter cruises instead. An overpriced 4-night DCL cruise still costs less than an overpriced 7-night DCL cruise.

Granted, shorter cruises are better for DCL than people running to RCCL or NCL. Still, more 4-nights vs. 7-nights means three less days of alcohol sales, three less days of port adventure sales, three less days of gratuities for the staff, etc.

 

[Little Doe]

We have plans for a Dec ( Christmas) cruise this year and next with our family. This year we went with 1 -1bedroom and 4 Family verandas, next year we are going with 5 ocean views. Just could not see spending the money. After that, we probably will go with another cruise line. I hate that for my grandchildren all 5 and under, but I can't afford to take the family on Disney anymore. My husband and I will go on the longer Disney cruises, but not with extended family. I guess if they really want to go, they can pay!!!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I agree the pricing has gotten out of control. When I price out other lines, I'm kind of shocked! We are booked on a B2B on the Magic next year. We did a B2B this past summer as well, but to stay in the same price range as this year's cruises, we went down 2 categories for next summer. It will be fine and we will enjoy it, but it seems the increase is extreme. We do DCL because my DS8 LOVES the kids club and it makes it an easy way for us to see parts of Europe while he is young. We are older parents and want to see Europe sooner rather than later! Next summer will most likely be our last trip on the Magic, however, unless DCL stops the extreme increases and changes their itineraries.

 

[AquaDame]

Absolutely. What I meant was that if people become uncomfortable with the pricing, but don't want to abandon DCL altogether, they might just opt for shorter cruises instead. An overpriced 4-night DCL cruise still costs less than an overpriced 7-night DCL cruise.

Granted, shorter cruises are better for DCL than people running to RCCL or NCL. Still, more 4-nights vs. 7-nights means three less days of alcohol sales, three less days of port adventure sales, three less days of gratuities for the staff, etc.

Oh, I know I know, when you said that it made me think maybe that would work for us and I dug up my old email confirmation to see. TBH we thought the 4 night was too short and have done 7 nighters since, so I'm not sure how happy another shorter one would make my husband anyway, but when I see that it just makes me cranky since nothing has changed since then in terms of what the consumer gets you know? We already bailed on a Wonder cruise in favor of trying out RCCL over my birthday next year, but hey maybe Disney is right and I will come back on my knees asking for forgiveness. I haven't actually sailed anyone else yet.

 

[SonicGuy]

Nothing was offered to me

Out of curiosity - what were you expecting to be offered to you?

 

[mmackeymouse]

Out of curiosity - what were you expecting to be offered to you?

I don't think the OP was saying that in the sense that they expected something to be offered.

I think it was just a pre-cursor to other people....that if you want to voice your concern, this is how you do it. But, don't do it thinking you are going to get something out of it. I think they were just giving people a heads up.

 

[SonicGuy]

I don't think the OP was saying that in the sense that they expected something to be offered.

I think it was just a pre-cursor to other people....that if you want to voice your concern, this is how you do it. But, don't do it thinking you are going to get something out of it. I think they were just giving people a heads up.

That makes sense