Is a Disney cruise worth $5-$6 grand?

[cyclenut]

Hi there. The short answer is, if money is a concern, consider RCI. That age group would have a great time and you could save some serious money. We also have a family of 6 and took 7 on our last DCL cruise. Because of age and gender, we ended up with three cabins. RCI has a seriously good product and they have some itineraries that are seriously cheap for the 4-day options.

That said, if you can swing the cost and are serious about being hardcore Disney fans, you won't be disappointed with what DCL gives you for that $1,000 per day. They really know how to deliver.

 

[NancyIL]

The OP has said the cost is ~ $5000 for the 3-day and ~ $6000 for the 4-day -so that''s considerably more than $1000/day.

 

[deanimal]

I agree with Renysmom that you have to look at what you're getting for your dollar and if it's worth it to you. $1500 a day is a lot of money, but what would an equivalent experience cost you? Say you went to another city for a holiday. Most of the time a nice room will cost you at least $200 a night, so there's $400. Add a standard buffet breakfast, ($15 per adult, $10 per child) = $80, burger type lunch ($10 each)=$60 and a nice, elegant three course dinner ($50 per adult, $25 per child) = $250. Soft drinks and snacks can easily add another $10 per person. So that makes $750 for just the basics.

A broadway style show will run you at least $80 per ticket ($480+) and kids camps or child care is at least $50 per kid for a pretty short day. And good luck finding a program that will please a range of kids from three to seventeen! Add evening babysitting and you're looking at $15 to $20 per hour.

So, in short, a cruise can be good value, even at the higher rates. But if you're looking at that and thinking that your family doesn't even like shows, or would never go out to fancy restaurants while on vacation, or your kids would rather hang out with you and wouldn't like the clubs, well you may not feel like you've got your money's worth.

Now the question of whether DCL is worth a lot MORE than other cruise lines, well that's a tricky one. We've cruised other lines and I personally think its worth more, but not by a huge amount. If I could get a seven night on RCL for the price of a four night on Disney, I think I'd go for the seven night. But I think that since you're experienced both with Disney and with cruising in general, you're pretty well set to make that decision. Not that it will make the decision any easier!

Oh and one last thing, if you do really want to cruise Disney, make sure you do it before your oldest turns 18. It sounds like the older teens get the short end of the stick as far as activities go!

 

[hayesfamof4]

We did a 3 night last year and paid 2400 for a verandah room in May. Would I pay almost 5-6k for a 3 night? No. Although I would never stray from DCL because it's amazing, we are doing a 7 night Fantasy for that price range. I just pull my kids out of school. The money is worth it... but I wouldn't do it for a 3 night. It is way too short and I would only spend that for a 7 night.

 

[Jenny-momof3]

[QUOTEThe OP has said the cost is ~ $5000 for the 3-day and ~ $6000 for the 4-day -so that''s considerably more than $1000/day.][/QUOTE]

Yes you are correct...it's definitely more than $1,000 a day! I just hadn't figured out the exact amounts when I posted this til I looked up the cruises again.

Disney offers IGT (Inside cabin guaranty) OGT (Oceanview Cabin guaranty) and VGT (Verandah cabin guaranty)...they have offered it for summer sailings and even on the Fantasy, a few weeks ago they had cabins for the last week in July. These 'generally' come out around 3-6 months before the cruise...you have to pay in full and no refunds (just make sure you buy independent insurance)...but the savings are substantial. I think you could get two inside cabins for less than 4k for a 7 night

How do I go about checking for these deals? 4K for a 7 night I could easily justify!

Hi there. The short answer is, if money is a concern, consider RCI

I'm not finding 4 day options for RCI for the summer...and what I found for 7 day is almost as expensive as Disney. Is there someplace else I should be looking?

[QUOTENext June 23, 6 day Carnival Freedom out of Fort Lauderdale with stops in Key West, Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios. Two interior rooms for six people...total of $ 4,359.94 (if you book Early Saver).

Next June 22, 7 day Carnival Liberty (which they've just remodeled) out of MIA with stops in St Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay (which is absolutely gorgeous!). Two interior rooms for six people....total of $ 5374.88 (again Early Saver rate).

There's also an 8 day on the Freedom next June that goes to Antigua and Tortola for less than the 4 day DCL you've priced. ($5166.32 for two porthole rooms.)
][/QUOTE]

Thanks for posting those...will look into them!

[QUOTEYou mentioned not wanting to take the kids out of school, but if it is only for a 3/4 night cruise can you look at one that also includes a weekend?]
[/QUOTE]

My girls are in the honors programs and can only miss 2 days. Once I add in travel time we wouldn't be able to pull this off. Oh how I wish we could....

 

[Tower]

Personally I don't think the 3/4 day cruises are worth the money especially when you factor in costs to get to the port. We live in Canada so if we are going to fly to Florida it is for 7 days minimum.

We have done 3 Carnival cruises (2 with kids) and loved them. We are going on our First DCL cruise in September.

For us going the 2nd week in Sept for $2000 (and that was for one room) cheaper than going in August.

You mentioned not wanting to take the kids out of school, but if it is only for a 3/4 night cruise can you look at one that also includes a weekend?

Every cruise we have been on with the kids was during the school year and we did take them out of school. The value of the trip was definitely there, but we did make our kids do homework Our figuring is that Mom and Dad deserved the vacation, they just came along for the ride. The thinking is that it will instill a good work ethic as they grow up.

 

[FJS961]

I personally don't think a 3 or 4 day is worth it.

When they did a 5 night with 2 stops at castaway cay, that worked for me but thats the shortest I'd recommend.

The per diem rate is gong to be lower on a longer cruise actually. I agree with kcashner and say look for a deal on a 7 nighter

 

[NancyIL]

A broadway style show will run you at least $80 per ticket ($480+) and kids camps or child care is at least $50 per kid for a pretty short day. And good luck finding a program that will please a range of kids from three to seventeen! Add evening babysitting and you're looking at $15 to $20 per hour.

While I think DCL's production shows are excellent, in no way are those 45-minute shows equivalent to a 2-hou+ show on Broadway @ $80 pp.

 

[Bonniec]

Can I add a question to this. When you book a cruise, especially one with no refunds....what happens if someone in your family is sick prior? Can you reschedule?

We've never done a real cruise. But my littlest has issues and is sick a LOT. I wouldn't want to go if someone wasn't feeling well.

 

[ITGirl50]

You may want to check spring break prices. I’ve found they are cheaper than summer prices. If all your kids have spring break at the same time, it can save you a lot of money. For three of us, we are paying over $1000 less for next March than we are for this June. We booked both cruises over a year in advance.

When you look at it as an all-inclusive trip with all meals, shows, travel to far-off destinations you couldn’t afford to fly to, the price comes out pretty descent. Like a PP said, if you look at what’s included in the price, it’s really not that bad. We looked at flying to the Bahamas and staying in a resort for spring break, but it was actually cheaper to go on a cruise to the Bahamas, so we chose the cruise.

 

[iamadisneynut]

We were having the same dilemma with "is it worth the cost?"....we're doing the 5 day Western Caribbean on the Magic next March. We booked two inside staterooms for just over $4500, so to me that's not too crazy for a 5 night cruise. We'll stay somewhere for a couple nights previous to relax/unwind a little and be ready to get on the boat!!

So I guess, in the end it was worth it for us, but only because we managed to find a 5 day for $4500.

 

[NancyIL]

Can I add a question to this. When you book a cruise, especially one with no refunds....what happens if someone in your family is sick prior? Can you reschedule?

We've never done a real cruise. But my littlest has issues and is sick a LOT. I wouldn't want to go if someone wasn't feeling well.

If you book an IGT/OGT/VGT - there are no refunds or changes allowed. If you book a cruise without those restrictions, there are penalties for cancelling the cruise within 74 days of the sail date. The penalty varies from loss of deposit at a minimum to 100% loss. The only way you will get back any money for cancelling due to illness is if you purchased trip insurance. If the sick child has a chronic illness, which would be considered a pre-existing condition, then DON'T buy DCL's insurance. To get the waiver of pre-existing conditions, most policies require the insurance to be purchased within 10-21 days (depending on the policy) of making your FIRST trip payment. I get my trip insurance from the Trip Insurance Store (www.tripinsurancestore.com).

 

[Bonniec]

Yeah, I was afraid of that. Do they ever sell last minute cruises when someone cancels?

I think we'll just have to not do this, at least until he gets sorted better

 

[alaskanabbott]

I'm sure you thought of this, but we always vacation in the winter, mainly b/c we live in Alaska and by Jan we need a break from snow and cold. Our kids do Honors too, and we also have a large brood of various ages ( 6 kids from 7yrs to 19yrs). We check the school calander for non-holiday off days and book during that time. Our schools give two days off for conferences, which we can reschedule for later. They also have end of quarter off, etc. You may need to alter your travel, flying in may seem more expensive, but you may save much more by going "off season".Last Feb we cruised a 7 nt for 3800 for TWO cabins! Another thing you may consider is seeing if grandparents want to cruise, you have room for two more in a cabin and that would save a few hundred.

 

[disny_luvr]

I've never cruised before so I'm probably the wrong person to answer, but I can't imagine paying $5,000-6,000 for a 3-night or 4-night cruise. I'm having a hard time stomaching the $4,000 we're paying for our 7-night cruise on the Fantasy next year. I don't think it would matter how much money we had, DH would never pay that much for a cruise that was so short. Maybe you can wait to go in 2014. That way you can book your cruise the day bookings open. You may be able to save a little money that way.

 

[Disneyhenry]

My sister says no, but she has never been on DCL, I say YES! And well I have

 

[cyclenut]

I totally understand the issue of not missing school. I don't pull my kids out of school for vacations and never have. I don't know what your "summer" is but not all school schedules line up, which means you can sometimes get a deal if you book right on the "shoulder" of the season, which may not cause your kids to miss school. Look at the dates just one week after school is out or one week before school starts (if that works).

As for RCI 4-night, there is one sailing out of Miami on the Majesty of the Seas. I understand that is a bit of a haul from WDW, but you are still likely to save money even with the extra leg of travel.

I am not personally much of a Carnival cruise fan.

DCL should remain on your list, but nothing shorter than 4-day.

I really ... really ... really suggest you consider a 7-day itinerary, even if it means skipping WDW. I think you really need 7 days to really enjoy WDW anyway so doing just a couple days there and then a 4-day cruise could leave you feeling like you really never got the best of either.

My wife and I are sailing on the RCI Freedom of the Seas this June and we are looking at a fare that is considerably less than what we had previously booked on the Fantasy.

Take a look at 7 day options and consider trip insurance a must. Make sure you talk to a TA about the best option that covers pre-existing conditions and some offer cancel for any reason coverage as well. Don't do the insurance offered through the cruise lines. Do your own.

 

[Namsupak]

Yeah, I was afraid of that. Do they ever sell last minute cruises when someone cancels?

I think we'll just have to not do this, at least until he gets sorted better

No not really. Obviously all cruise lines try hard to sell all inventory at the highest possible price to maximize profits. Normally if someone cancels that late for whatever reason then the inventory is usually sold as an upgrade at port. If they have a whole bunch of inventory at the 75 day mark for example then as a pp noted they may offer IGT, OGT, or VGT rates.

 

[Jenny-momof3]

I'm sure you thought of this, but we always vacation in the winter, mainly b/c we live in Alaska and by Jan we need a break from snow and cold. Our kids do Honors too, and we also have a large brood of various ages ( 6 kids from 7yrs to 19yrs). We check the school calander for non-holiday off days and book during that time. Our schools give two days off for conferences, which we can reschedule for later. They also have end of quarter off, etc. You may need to alter your travel, flying in may seem more expensive, but you may save much more by going "off season".Last Feb we cruised a 7 nt for 3800 for TWO cabins! Another thing you may consider is seeing if grandparents want to cruise, you have room for two more in a cabin and that would save a few hundred.

The only time they have 3 days off other than Christmas or Spring Break would be President's Day weekend. Unfortunately that's also the weekend of our high school musical, in which oldest dd will have a lead role in this year. So that's out. I wish we got a day or 2 off at the end of the quarter...but only the elem. kids do for parent/teacher conferences. Grandma/ Grandpa would LOVE to go...but they want their own room...so that's not going to help my situation.

I totally understand the issue of not missing school. I don't pull my kids out of school for vacations and never have. I don't know what your "summer" is but not all school schedules line up, which means you can sometimes get a deal if you book right on the "shoulder" of the season, which may not cause your kids to miss school. Look at the dates just one week after school is out or one week before school starts (if that works).

As for RCI 4-night, there is one sailing out of Miami on the Majesty of the Seas. I understand that is a bit of a haul from WDW, but you are still likely to save money even with the extra leg of travel.

I am not personally much of a Carnival cruise fan.

DCL should remain on your list, but nothing shorter than 4-day.

I really ... really ... really suggest you consider a 7-day itinerary, even if it means skipping WDW. I think you really need 7 days to really enjoy WDW anyway so doing just a couple days there and then a 4-day cruise could leave you feeling like you really never got the best of either.

We only have a 5 week window in which we can go. Basically 2nd week in June til 2nd/3rd week in July. I'm not seeing too much of a difference in prices during this time.

I'll look into the RCI majesty..thanks! We definitely don't mind driving a bit further to Miami. It's 15 hours already...whats a few more!

Would LOVE to do a 7 day DCL but that's just not going to happen. That's over $10K for us before transportation, parking, tips, excursions,etc!

I've never cruised before so I'm probably the wrong person to answer, but I can't imagine paying $5,000-6,000 for a 3-night or 4-night cruise. I'm having a hard time stomaching the $4,000 we're paying for our 7-night cruise on the Fantasy next year. I don't think it would matter how much money we had, DH would never pay that much for a cruise that was so short. Maybe you can wait to go in 2014. That way you can book your cruise the day bookings open. You may be able to save a little money that way

I can't book any further out than 2013 due to oldest dd's schedule and not knowing when she'll be available.

 

[deanimal]

One quick thought is that no one really keeps track of where you sleep. So if the grandparents came along, you could book one kid into their room, then book the rest into a five person room. When you got on board, you could all sleep in one room. That being said, it would be REALLY tight.

I just happened to be pricing WDW trips tonight, so just for fun I checked prices for one adult, one older child and one under nine in a deluxe resort with four day park hoppers and deluxe dining plan four four nights in July. It came to about $3000, depending on the resort. So six people in two rooms would be about the same cost as the four day cruise. Of course, there's many more ways to save money at WDW than on the cruise, but I thought it was an interesting comparison.