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

[crafty91]

Here is a "worth" statement for the OP that you will approve of; no comparisons to specific cruise lines.

Unless you are a big Disney fan, DCL is not worth the premium you have to pay to sail on their ships, IMO. They do not have the most elegant/nicest ships, they do not have the best service, they do not have the only kids clubs, they do not have the best food, they do not have the best itineraries, they do not have the only movie theaters at sea, they do not have the best specialty dining at sea and they don't have the only private island.

They DO have beautiful/elegant ships, fabulous kids clubs, great service, good food, movie theaters, specialty dining, a lovely private island, possibly the best entertainment at sea (best I've seen so far, excluding Carnival's 80's show), the only fireworks at sea AND the Disney experience-which no one else can replicate.

You must decide how much, if any, the Disney experience is worth to you because it is that, and only that, that you are paying extra for. And it is, indeed, a fabulous experience. That much, we can all agree on!

I think we finally agree on something Texas!

 

[wmharley]

I personally don't think the value/worth of the DCL trip for 7 days justifies the cost of $6K.

Some may, some may not. My ideas of a value won't mesh with others, and vice versa.

however, as a PP stated, cost will always play a factor in value/worth. You cannot value something without knowing the cost, even if its priceless or intangible.

I think the $2K I spent was worth it for a few days trip on the Magic. I don't think the $2600 I'd have spent on the Dream was worth it if I opted for it, even considering the extras of the newer ship.

Initial reserving I had looked at the Carnival lines which was only $200-300 less, and the worth (based on price) wasn't enough to change me from DCL.

Last minute pricing on the same Carnival now is over $1000 less than DCL so I'd give that a better value than the DCL ship, even with the whole Disney theme. I'd gladly save that extra $$$ if it meant more money in my pocket to do other things and excursions. That is a better value in my eyes.

No matter what, we will all enjoy our cruises, DCL and non-DCL as we made a conscious effort to pick the one we are one, so we had to find worth/value in it.

 

[JungleJim]

I disagree with the people who say a 4 day cruise is not worth it.

We've done 3, 4, and 7 day cruises (not all with DCL). I think a 4 day cruise can be just the right length, especially for younger kids.

The people who talked about expense of getting there do have a point. We get very cheap flights to Florida from Ohio/Michigan during the summer. Plus, it is possible to drive to Florida from Ohio (I've done it a couple of dozen times in my life).

We took our son on a 4 day Disney cruise in 2008....we all just loved it and I thought the price was fine. Since we had cruised before, we knew that we only needed an inside cabin. Our son sure thought it was cool!! There are ways to save money on DCL...we got the lowest price cabin, yet still got great service!

We also really like RCCL. If I was taking a large family and could save significant money over DCL, I would go with RCCL in a heartbeat.

 

[NancyIL]

I disagree with the people who say a 4 day cruise is not worth it.

We've done 3, 4, and 7 day cruises (not all with DCL). I think a 4 day cruise can be just the right length, especially for younger kids.

I think those who said a 4-night cruise wasn't worth it meant that it wasn't worth $6000 - not that it wasn't worth taking.

 

[Golden Rose]

We haven't cruised with DCL yet, although we're trying it out in November. We do cruise on other lines pretty regularly. We love both RCCL and Celebrity, we were not as impressed with NCL. Our now 7 year old son has been on 4 cruises (one and two week long ones) and really loves to cruise. He likes both RCCL and X, and enjoyed the kids' clubs on both.

We decided to cruise with DCL because they're finally making it easy for us (leaving from Galveston) and because with a one year old, the nursery is very, very appealing. We did take the one year old with us on our most recent RCCL cruise, and she had a wonderful time. While they didn't have a nursery, they did have a daily playtime for her age group, and the ship we were on set up a room as an indoor playground for 12 hours a day.

For rough comparison sake, we're paying almost twice as much for the cruise on DCL that we just paid on RCCL. Same departure port, same cruise length, same year, and same age and number of travelers (or one more, depending on if my step father joins us). We'll be in a larger cabin type on DCL, but concierge level on both ships. I have no idea if it will be worth it. We're willing to try it once, but they'll have to blow us away to convince us that they're worth that much more money. I hope they do; we'd love to have another option that we're happy to cruise on.

I know there are a lot of people who are only happy cruising on DCL. We already know we're happy on other lines, and I'm hoping we'll be equally or more happy with DCL. Other lines really have draws of their own; for example, we love the grass lawn and the glass-blowing workshop on the Celebrity Eclipse, and we love the ice skating show and the wine dinners in the specialty restaurants on the Mariner of the Seas. I can't wait to see what we fall in love with on DCL.

 

[wmharley]

For rough comparison sake, we're paying almost twice as much for the cruise on DCL that we just paid on RCCL. Same departure port, same cruise length, same year, and same age and number of travelers (or one more, depending on if my step father joins us). We'll be in a larger cabin type on DCL, but concierge level on both ships. I have no idea if it will be worth it. We're willing to try it once, but they'll have to blow us away to convince us that they're worth that much more money. I hope they do; we'd love to have another option that we're happy to cruise on.

ouch. I don't think I'd pay twice as much for a DCL. IT was only a feww hundred for us. twice as much, no way.

 

[Rogillio]

Becuase you have a large family and require 2 rooms, you are almost paying 2x as much as a family of 3 or 4. So yeah, $6000 sounds like a lot to those of us whose family fit in 1 room.

20 years from now you will still have good memories of your cruise....and you will have no idea how much it costs. You'll just remember what a great experience it was and be glad that you took the cruise when the kids were still at home.

 

[lmhall2000]

I just read where California Disney cruises (MR) are going for $799 pp on cruises through October 2012...maybe try and book one of those?
Oops, reread the fine print for sailings in September and through December..certain sailings...no summer dates

 

[NancyIL]

I just read where California Disney cruises (MR) are going for $799 pp on cruises through October 2012...maybe try and book one of those?
Oops, reread the fine print for sailings in September and through December..certain sailings...no summer dates

The Wonder will be in Alaska during the summer. There are IGT/OGT/VGT rates for the two May cruises and the first June cruise (the May 21st cruise has the better itinerary), but the rest of the summer in Alaska is quite pricey.

**On the other hand, a 7-night cruise to Alaska in an inside cabin is less expensive pp per day than the summer Bahamas cruises on the Dream. I'd MUCH rather go to Alaska during the summer than to the (HOT) Bahamas.

 

[NancyIL]

Becuase you have a large family and require 2 rooms, you are almost paying 2x as much as a family of 3 or 4. So yeah, $6000 sounds like a lot to those of us whose family fit in 1 room.

20 years from now you will still have good memories of your cruise....and you will have no idea how much it costs. You'll just remember what a great experience it was and be glad that you took the cruise when the kids were still at home.

No matter how many cabins the OP's family needs, the price is still ~ $1000 pp for a 4-night cruise in an inside cabin. That's very high for a cruise to the Bahamas. You can make wonderful memories with your family that will be remembered 20 years from now without spending $6000 for only 4 days!

 

[BelleBriarRose]

Since it would be cheaper to go to WDW than it would be to go on a Disney Cruise, would it be better to go to WDW? I would love to do both at some point, but since I have never done either I am thinking it would be best to go to WDW first because DCL is so expensive!

 

[NancyIL]

Since it would be cheaper to go to WDW than it would be to go on a Disney Cruise, would it be better to go to WDW? I would love to do both at some point, but since I have never done either I am thinking it would be best to go to WDW first because DCL is so expensive!

If you have never been to WDW - go to WDW! If I could do only one or the other, the theme parks would be my choice.

 

[owensamo]

Since it would be cheaper to go to WDW than it would be to go on a Disney Cruise, would it be better to go to WDW? I would love to do both at some point, but since I have never done either I am thinking it would be best to go to WDW first because DCL is so expensive!

We had gone to WDW a number of times before cruising - it's a different vacation experience, but just as much fun!

Make sure you include hotel, food and tickets in your WDW budget - depending on your options, there might not be as much of a difference as you might think! With discounts, the pricing can be great, but I would say that our typical week-long WDW vacation would probably be competitive with most of our cruise fares. We are DVC members so we've found that allows use to do both vacations more cost-effectively.

 

[jodifla]

No way would I pay 5 or 6 grand for a 4 day cruise.

We paid about $1,000 for our first 3 day (with balcony) and about $3,200 for our next two 7-day cruises (with veranda).

 

[KSDisneyDad]

No way would I pay 5 or 6 grand for a 4 day cruise.

We paid about $1,000 for our first 3 day (with balcony) and about $3,200 for our next two 7-day cruises (with veranda).

For six people?? If so, that's a great price.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

Since it would be cheaper to go to WDW than it would be to go on a Disney Cruise, would it be better to go to WDW? I would love to do both at some point, but since I have never done either I am thinking it would be best to go to WDW first because DCL is so expensive!

Yes, DCL can be more expensive than WDW, but it can also be less expensive depending on your choice of accomodations, time of year, restaurant choices, etc.

That said, I too would do WDW first and see if you really enjoy Disney parks. We did the parks annually for 7 years before we tried a cruise. Now, we alternate between cruise and the parks every other year.

 

[sandgrace]

I think that comparing DCL to WDW isn't really a good comparison. In my opinion, it depends on what type of a vacation you are looking for. If you're looking for a fun more relaxing vacation (which we chose this year!) choose DCL. However, if you're looking for a fun not-so-relaxing vacation choose WDW.

Both options are exciting and fun, however they are both a very different type of vacation. Neither one is an inexpensive choice so I think that deciding which type of vacation experience you want should be the first priority.

 

[TinksDH]

No way would I pay 5 or 6 grand for a 4 day cruise.

We paid about $1,000 for our first 3 day (with balcony) and about $3,200 for our next two 7-day cruises (with veranda).

Wow, that's about $75 per person per night on the 7 days! I'm happy with twice that! How did you get such a good rate on two rooms?

 

[NancyIL]

Wow, that's about $75 per person per night on the 7 days! I'm happy with twice that! How did you get such a good rate on two rooms?

Jodi said two 7-day cruises, not two cabins. She also didn't say how many people cruised, but I doubt there were 6 people.

 

[TinksDH]

Jodi said two 7-day cruises, not two cabins.

My mistake - I just assumed it was 2 cabins, as the OP had a party of 6, which I thought you can only do in 2 cabins, right? Otherwise, the comparison is meaningless. My wife and I can do 7 day cruises with a verandah for less than that, but that means nothing as it is comparing apples (2 people in 1 cabin) to oranges (6 people in 2 cabins).