Is Disney smoking crack or what???

[CruiserMom]

I have the same thoughts as you. I cancelled my 2009 cruise on the Magic because I am so disappointed in how nothing was done for passengers during the dry dock. Even the menus weren't replaced, so they were tattered! We had talked with our TA about booking the Magic for a Trans-atlantic or Northern Europe, but after getting off the cruise on October 4th, I went ahead and cancelled the 2009 DCL bookings. (I need to go update my signature...)

I am also looking at the Oasis.

We are currently booked for Sept 2009 on the Disney Magic, and Sept 2010 on the Oasis. We are considering cancelling our 2009 DCL and maybe doing RCI instead.

Personally, if I had won the lottery, I would love to do the Med or Baltic cruise in 2010. But no way am I paying premium prices for what is no longer a premium cruiseline.

 

[crzy4magic]

Last year we were first tier pricing booked for the Med, but ended up cancelling after I added up the excursion prices for a family of 5. My belief was why bother doing a European cruise if you did not do the excursions - espescially Naples/Pompeii/Sorrento, Rome and Florence. We had a 14 day trip planned - with before and after nights in Barcellona. Instead we did a 10day trip flying to London, taking the Eurostar to Paris and flying home. When we added up what we spend, it was just over 1/2 of what we had expected to pay for the cruise and everything else. (It helped that I have travelled to Paris a lot and knew how to get breakfast for 7 for only 11 to 14 euros when the hotel would have charged 32 euros per person ).

Now our 3 DSs are in their mid teens and not as into Disney, we are on the doorstep of college and I went - WOW - I would love to do the Northern Europe cruise. Then my wife pointed out the price - nope. Not even tempted - which is a minor miracle.

We cruised the Carribean Princess out of NYC last summer, not only was the cruise fare cheaper, but we drove to NYC and skipped the horrible airport experience, had a wonderful time, on a ship built in the same shipyard as the Magic and Wonder. Our bill for a 11 day cruise was less than what a 7 day on the Magic would have been - and that is before adding in cross country airfare if we had done the Magic. Yes the Princess service was not quite Disney, and yes I hate Princess Anytime Dining, but I lived with it.

We have reservations on Explorer of the Seas out of NJ next summer. Hopefully the economy picks up so we can do the cruise, but that is out of my control.

Do my DW and I wish we could cruise Disney - yes. We both still feel our best cruises have been on Disney. But, the combination of Disney Prices and airfares for a family of 5 make DCL not an option.

 

[Tink rules]

Hey for those that can afford it, God bless ya.

My "most can't" statement is based on a few observations. We are a fam of 4, if the cruise is close to $12,000, then that translates into $1,000.00/night. Put in simplest terms.

How many people are doing the WDW resorts and paying $1,000.00/night? With the exception of the Concierge level rooms (which usually aren't as high as that/night).

Flights to England are $1,221 per person. So for us that is an additional $4,880.

Yep, I wish I had that money tree in the back yard, but sadly it doesn't exist. And thinking logically, I could 2 Med cruises for the price of 1 Disney. And we could do 5 Caribbean cruises for the price of 1 Disney Med.

So for those that can (and I know some can) have a wonderful cruise.

Guys... people over on the GF thread are reporting that they are getting DISCOUNTS for that resort... the GF almost NEVER has to discount... and they're offering free dining and room discounts together...

Disney's hurting like everyone else.

I think all of this was planned out before the economy tanked... People are going to do comparisons because they have to in this economy...

Not that people won't sail...but I think you are going to get alot of people who book just to hold it and then do the numbers.

It's a global problem.. not just a US one...

Anyone wonder why Disney put this out SO early??? So they can get the booking $ and hold it/use it for 18 months...

 

[tchrmom]

I LOVE a Disney cruise.............but for us, the average Joe Shmoe.....Disney has priced themselves out of our league. My husband works for a National Newpaper and I am a teacher. We are not rich folks. I was TERRIFIED to try another line.....Terrified I tell you! THANKFULLY.....we found out that there are other options! Disney has a FABULOUS product...........but I can afford RCCL and still have outstanding service and a sparkling clean ship!


http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1873096

 

[Happy99]

Last year we were first tier pricing booked for the Med, but ended up cancelling after I added up the excursion prices for a family of 5. My belief was why bother doing a European cruise if you did not do the excursions - espescially Naples/Pompeii/Sorrento, Rome and Florence. We had a 14 day trip planned - with before and after nights in Barcellona. Instead we did a 10day trip flying to London, taking the Eurostar to Paris and flying home. When we added up what we spend, it was just over 1/2 of what we had expected to pay for the cruise and everything else. (It helped that I have travelled to Paris a lot and knew how to get breakfast for 7 for only 11 to 14 euros when the hotel would have charged 32 euros per person ).

Now our 3 DSs are in their mid teens and not as into Disney, we are on the doorstep of college and I went - WOW - I would love to do the Northern Europe cruise. Then my wife pointed out the price - nope. Not even tempted - which is a minor miracle.

We cruised the Carribean Princess out of NYC last summer, not only was the cruise fare cheaper, but we drove to NYC and skipped the horrible airport experience, had a wonderful time, on a ship built in the same shipyard as the Magic and Wonder. Our bill for a 11 day cruise was less than what a 7 day on the Magic would have been - and that is before adding in cross country airfare if we had done the Magic. Yes the Princess service was not quite Disney, and yes I hate Princess Anytime Dining, but I lived with it.
We have reservations on Explorer of the Seas out of NJ next summer. Hopefully the economy picks up so we can do the cruise, but that is out of my control.

Do my DW and I wish we could cruise Disney - yes. We both still feel our best cruises have been on Disney. But, the combination of Disney Prices and airfares for a family of 5 make DCL not an option.

I don't know if you are aware but on Princess you can opt for the regular dinner seatings where you dine at the same table in the same restaurant each evening. You do have a choice on not doing the anytime dining

 

[mousecraszy]

We did the Grand Med cruise on the then-new Emerald Princess in 2007. Looked at Disney but really wanted to include Venice with our cruise. We chose the regular dining and glad we did as our servers were outstanding. This better fit our budget as we enjoyed two full days in Barcelona before getting on the ship and then when we got to Venice, we stayed another two nights here. We LOVE disney and, don't get me wrong as we're taking an Eastern Magic cruise as well as 2 visits to WDW in 2009, but I felt we did not suffer in any way as we did excursions in every port and just too busy to miss the Disney Magic. I still love Disney and they are still unmatched as far as having that "magic", but we are open to other options as well. I would sail Princess again without a second thought. We enjoyed great service, mini-suite with balcony, and some of the best food we've ever had on a cruise, unfortunately including Disney. There are other options for my family.

 

[NewportCat]

It's a global problem.. not just a US one...

Anyone wonder why Disney put this out SO early??? So they can get the booking $ and hold it/use it for 18 months...

Hate to be cynical but I think you've got this one right

 

[cruisinmama06]

I LOVE a Disney cruise.............but for us, the average Joe Shmoe.....Disney has priced themselves out of our league. My husband works for a National Newpaper and I am a teacher. We are not rich folks. I was TERRIFIED to try another line.....Terrified I tell you! THANKFULLY.....we found out that there are other options! Disney has a FABULOUS product...........but I can afford RCCL and still have outstanding service and a sparkling clean ship!


http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1873096

I wasn't around here when you did Liberty, that's a pretty informative thread you have going there.

I am hoping that when the 2 new ships come out in 2011 and 2012 that I can get back on Disney. I like the new ships. But I am hoping they don't go price crazy again.

 

[Bareacuda]

For the past 2 days I have been pricing another cruiseline for 2010.
We can do a 12 night Northern Europe AND a 7 night Hawaiian cruise, And have a few hundred dollars left! For the same amount for DCL.

Then today the other cruise line called me and said we receive another 10% off because DH was in the military!

I will still do the cruise next September...but it may be our last with DCL.

Ann

 

[cmash95]

disney saw this slowdown coming, I think that is one of the reasons the magic isn't going anywhere next summer. I wish they would have waited until the new ships come online. I haven't heard that they are planning to delay them or anything. if noone books there will be deals,and the europeans are in as bad if not worse shape than us right now. I do think that the current thought is that the downturn will last another year and start picking up end of 2009 or early 2010. I myself am thinking of sailing the greek isles in 2010 so no DCL for me that summer.

 

[Melrosgirl]

I don't know if you are aware but on Princess you can opt for the regular dinner seatings where you dine at the same table in the same restaurant each evening. You do have a choice on not doing the anytime dining

Only if you book the assigned dining before it sells out. We waitlisted assigned dining on Princess ten months before our cruise and never got it. We had anytime dining instead and didn't like it at all. (Messed up the show times. Long waits for a table.)

Back to Disney...I have no desire to do a European cruise. I've never been to Europe and six hours off the boat, etc. would not be enough for me to see a European city.

 

[DMMarla07860]

I know you only get a few hours off the ship in these ports and people say it isn't enough time to see do anything, but that is enought time for us maybe not other people, but for us it is. I like to see what it is about and see what some of the place looks like then if I like or love it I will go back in the future if not then I wouldn't go back

 

[justhat]

I know you only get a few hours off the ship in these ports and people say it isn't enough time to see do anything, but that is enought time for us maybe not other people, but for us it is. I like to see what it is about and see what some of the place looks like then if I like or love it I will go back in the future if not then I wouldn't go back

That's exactly how we feel. Certain ports on the Med we loved and fully intend to return to so we can explore more in depth. Others we felt we saw enough in the one day to satisfy us.

For us, this is even more of an issue with the Baltic itineraries. The odds of us spending a week or more in Norway, for example, are slim right now. We just don't have a huge draw to see that much of the country given how little we know about it. So one day will be great for us to see what it's about and then decide what places we'd like to return to to see all the great stuff we missed.

 

[TAKitty]

Good data here! Thanks for doing the research.

So we're really talking about 20 - 30% more, not 'twice as much' as I've seen posted.

I can only compare DCL to NCL but certainly the additional 30% for Disney is worth it in my book.

~Mike

We wanted to do a Disney cruise to Europe but for the 4 of us I can do NCL in a balcony room for 4800.00. That is almost a third of the cost from the Disney Cruise line.

 

[2Princes_&_1Princess]

My family of 5 would have loved to do a Baltic cruise with Disney in 2010. We've been waiting for the fares and itinerary to be released for almost a year now. There's no way we'll be able to afford that cruise if there aren't price drops.

Now, we are heavily considering doing the Westbound TA - those prices seem really reasonable and it seems like a fab trip. For us, we're depending on Disney to come up with some fabulous, family friendly excursions - and while we may put down a deposit eventually, we won't be paying in full until we see what those excursions are and how much they'll be. If Disney doesn't WOW us with the excursions, we'll be placing our deposit on another cruise line.

So, I guess we're willing to pay the premium for Disney, as long as what they're offering has value for us. As everyone has said - other lines have ships that certainly rival the magic and Wonder at this point. Especially if Disney isn't doing the maintenance that I expect from them.

 

[disneyfan19712006]

I won't be booking DCL for a euro cruise. I was hoping too, and then just about fell over at the prices. I refuse to spend that money on such a port intensive cruise. We would be doing as much sightseeing as possible and not needing to see Mickey on the ship. I figure we would be walking and walking and doing so much, that by the time we got back to the ship, we would be tired and not really care if we saw the golden mickeys or anything. I don't need a pirates party in Europe - I want to see Europe, not characters.
For our western cruise in January, I wanted the Disney experience. I want to go to castaway cay and I want to lay on the beach in Cozumel - but in Europe, its a different type of vacation for me - I have never been and would be off that ship as much as possible, using it only as a 'hotel room' to go back to at night.

I was so excited about tyhe itenerary I almost overlooked the prices. For 5 people we would have to have a Cat 4 at about 22,000.00. I prices the RCL 2009 cruises two ocean view cabins for 5 people came to 9800.00. I am a Disneyaholic but even I can't justify 10,000.00 more for a cruise. I could pay that on my mortgage. I guess we will just wait and see if the prices drop. With the economy so unstable do they realy think they will sell out. And if they do, will people be able to pay off these huge $$$'s.I guess only time will tell. Our money will sit in savings until we can see how things will go. If disney comes down yippee. If not we can do RCL for Northern Europe.

 

[Disney Fool]

Rather than a Cat.4, why not get a Cat 7 and an 11. (an inside and an outside that are opposite each other?) or two Cat 9's?

 

[queenofhartz]

Hi everyone! I am totally new to cruising at all. DH and I have never been on a cruise, and we were looking at the Disney cruise line to take our first cruise. I am interested in the Northern European Capitals cruise. However, I have to say, like many of the other posters here, I'm having some serious sticker shock after reading the pricing. If we don't take a vacation in 2009, and we do a lot of smart saving between now and then, we may be able to afford the 2010 Disney special cruise. But, I've found cruises with Celebrity and Royal Carribbean with similar itineraries that are much less expensive. The Crystal Cruises are about $500-$1000 more per passenger, and I understand that these are considered premium cruises. So, here's my question from a newbie:

In your opinion, are the Disney cruises really worth the extra $$ compared to RCC, Celebrity, or some of the other nice cruise lines?

Are the Disney Cruises anything close to some of the premium cruise lines like Crystal Cruises or Silversea?

I don't mind forgoing the 2009 vacation and splurging in 2010 since it's our first cruise, but I don't want to fork up about $8,000-10,000 and end up disappointed in our trip. I just want to make sure we pick the best option, but I don't want to throw money away either.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[justhat]

Hi everyone! I am totally new to cruising at all. DH and I have never been on a cruise, and we were looking at the Disney cruise line to take our first cruise. I am interested in the Northern European Capitals cruise. However, I have to say, like many of the other posters here, I'm having some serious sticker shock after reading the pricing. If we don't take a vacation in 2009, and we do a lot of smart saving between now and then, we may be able to afford the 2010 Disney special cruise. But, I've found cruises with Celebrity and Royal Carribbean with similar itineraries that are much less expensive. The Crystal Cruises are about $500-$1000 more per passenger, and I understand that these are considered premium cruises. So, here's my question from a newbie:

In your opinion, are the Disney cruises really worth the extra $$ compared to RCC, Celebrity, or some of the other nice cruise lines?

Are the Disney Cruises anything close to some of the premium cruise lines like Crystal Cruises or Silversea?

I don't mind forgoing the 2009 vacation and splurging in 2010 since it's our first cruise, but I don't want to fork up about $8,000-10,000 and end up disappointed in our trip. I just want to make sure we pick the best option, but I don't want to throw money away either.

Thanks for any advice.

We haven't been on Crystal, but have looked at it and I don't think Disney compares to it. In fact, we liked Celebrity better as a cruiseline overall. What gets us with Disney is the programming for small kids. Other lines don't compare. If that's not a factor for you, then I'd go with Celebrity over Disney any day.

 

[drewmisha]

I have been on DCL but not on other cruise lines. For those of you that have been on multiple cruiselines, how would you rank them (service, food, excursions...) other than price? How would you compare RCCL, NCL, HAL, Celebrity with DCL?

I wish DCL will list out the available excursions for the med/baltic cruises so we can look into it more. I've priced out the med/baltic quotes on other lines and it seems the the dcl med is somewhat more than other lines (~$2000) while the dcl baltic can be ~4-5k more. Thanks.

drew