IS it worth 3x the money?

[Dakota731]

ETA: The best deals on DCL are opening day

OP here - What does that mean? How far in advance are the cruises released? We really don't have a clue which ships we are thinking about since we've never cruised with Disney before. Which are the nicer ones? We are Disney people but have only done a Royal Caribbean cruise years ago. So we are starting from zero here ....

 

[cgolf]

OP here - What does that mean? How far in advance are the cruises released? We really don't have a clue which ships we are thinking about since we've never cruised with Disney before. Which are the nicer ones? We are Disney people but have only done a Royal Caribbean cruise years ago. So we are starting from zero here ....

When the cruises are released generally speaking the prices will be at their lowest points. My wife books our trips, so I don't pay a lot of attention to the release schedule, but it is a multiple day thing. The different Castaway club levels get first take of the cruises before they are made public. Generally as the ships fill up the prices increase. I believe that it has even happened before the cruises were made available to the public, price increasing that is.

 

[Van Houten]

OP here - What does that mean? How far in advance are the cruises released? We really don't have a clue which ships we are thinking about since we've never cruised with Disney before. Which are the nicer ones? We are Disney people but have only done a Royal Caribbean cruise years ago. So we are starting from zero here ....

Cruises are released about 18 months out. Disney is good at tracking past interest, so opening day prices already reflect the level of interest they expect to have - which in some cases are too high, and do come down (although very infrequently). Normally as the ship gets filled, prices do go up, sometimes by a lot. If the ship fails to fill, the price can come down a little, or at about 90 days out, Disney may decide to offer discounted staterooms, at 20-25% off base rate, but with a lock-in (no refunds, no changes, stateroom assignment at DCL's discretion). Those discounted rates (called *GT - IGT, OGT, VGT) are the lowest prices you will see on a given cruise, frequently below the opening day prices.
As for the ships - the choice with DCL comes down to two classes, Magic / Wonder and Dream / Fantasy. Magic and Wonder are smaller (2,500 passengers max), but they aged well, as Disney standards from those early days were extremely high compared to the rest of the industry. Dream and Fantasy can have as many as 4,000 passengers, they are larger and have more public spaces. Newer ships cruise a fixed number of itineraries (Dream is stuck in a permanent 3-4 day Bahamas loop, Fantasy mostly goes on 7 day trips out to Caribean). Magic and Wonder cross into Europe and Pacific, and generally offer a wider set of options as far as itineraries. Because of this, the cost of a given Dream itinerary is very stable and predictable, as it only changes seasonally, the same is somewhat true of Fantasy. Magic and Wonder with their unique trips can cause a rush, particularly when a new itinerary is announced (such as Magic going to Bermuda), which causes prices to skyrocket from opening day on.

 

[Pens Fan]

OP here - What does that mean? How far in advance are the cruises released? We really don't have a clue which ships we are thinking about since we've never cruised with Disney before. Which are the nicer ones? We are Disney people but have only done a Royal Caribbean cruise years ago. So we are starting from zero here ....

Here is a great thread that explains when Disney releases their cruises. https://www.disboards.com/threads/n...-1-2020-watch-thread-will-start-soon.3600027/

As far as pricing, your best bet will almost always be to book either right when they are released, or wait until the last minute and hope for a discounted (*GT) fare. But be aware that not all cruises end up being discounted and you will be stuck with whatever cabin Disney decides to give you within the category (inside, ocean view or verandah) you book. Discounted fares are also nonrefundable and must be paid in full at booking.

There is nice tool on the Touring Plans website https://touringplans.com/disney-cruise-line/tools/fare-tracker where you can select the ship, itinerary and sailing and it will show the change in price for a particular category and passenger combination from opening day.

Disney markets primarily to families with children, therefore pricing will always be crazy for typical school holiday timeframes - summer, Christmas, spring break, etc. If you can manage to sail during the school year, you will find much better pricing.

As for which ship is the best, well there are only four ships. The Dream and the Fantasy are sister ships as are the Wonder and Magic. You will get just as many people telling you the larger Dream/Fantasy are the best as you will the Classics - the Wonder/Magic. Take a look at Disney's website, check out YouTube videos, the normal routine to see for yourself. Also check out the very helpful Disney Cruise Line Blog https://disneycruiselineblog.com. Scott has tons of great info on there.

Good luck!

 

[KashasMom]

If you don't have food allergies or issues, you may be perfectly fine in the MDR - or even the buffet. But if you have any special needs...it's a challenge. It should not have taken me filling out the mid-cruise survey and giving dining poor marks for the head server to start falling all over himself to get more options and to make it clear that I could order anything and they would adapt it. He should have done that night 1 if it was available - not when he started worrying about their survey rating.

We have a vegetarian, who (I already mentioned) had a horrible time with the food on DCL. At least she'll have the buffet!

 

[KashasMom]

I appreciate your honesty, fwiw.

I’m on Allure in just over a month so I guess we’ll see how it compares to cruises previous. I’m curious to see if it’s an overall drop in quality or an inconsistency between RCI cruise classes.

My daughter (8) and I sailed on the Allure Feb. 2017 (favorite ship to date!). I loved that she could go with me to the specialty restaurants - something we never do. I got such a great deal for myself and they charged either $0 or $10 for her - we couldn't resist. We loved all of the food! Going on the Harmony soon and she's now a vegetarian so we'll probably be skipping the specialty restaurants. But ahhh, the memories.

 

[southerngirl528]

We have a vegetarian, who (I already mentioned) had a horrible time with the food on DCL. At least she'll have the buffet!

Having spoken w/Disney (WDW) guests many hundreds of times about how much they love Disney because they are so excellent with addressing special needs, like dietary restrictions for example, I am very surprised to hear your DD did not have at least 2 or 3 entree choices (there would be many side dish options of course) for each of her meals. Have you ever talked to DCL in advance? I know Disney has always been so good to cater to dietary needs like, Kosher, Celiac, etc.

 

[KashasMom]

Having spoken w/Disney (WDW) guests many hundreds of times about how much they love Disney because they are so excellent with addressing special needs, like dietary restrictions for example, I am very surprised to hear your DD did not have at least 2 or 3 entree choices (there would be many side dish options of course) for each of her meals. Have you ever talked to DCL in advance? I know Disney has always been so good to cater to dietary needs like, Kosher, Celiac, etc.

Honestly most of the veg options on the menu (except maybe veg lasagne) were pretty odd and after tasting them I'd say pretty gross. She was able to pre-order a veggie burger each night for the following night but it did get boring having them as much as she did. The kids portions of mac and cheese and pizza are really for a little kid - just so tiny - and not what I'd consider high quality. Side dishes are usually just vegetables - not enough protein in those. We have some time until our next Disney cruise and we're traveling with 2 vegetarians and 1 vegan so I'm already putting together ideas.

 

[starvenger]

(Note: Non-Disney Tangent)

My daughter (8) and I sailed on the Allure Feb. 2017 (favorite ship to date!). I loved that she could go with me to the specialty restaurants - something we never do. I got such a great deal for myself and they charged either $0 or $10 for her - we couldn't resist. We loved all of the food! Going on the Harmony soon and she's now a vegetarian so we'll probably be skipping the specialty restaurants. But ahhh, the memories.

Out of all the +$ options on Harmony, I think Wonderland might be worth the cost of admission for her. Jamie's might work as well, but don't go there unless you've got a dining package, BOGO or First Night deal for yourself.

(Fin)

 

[DietCokeMommy]

To OP. I have never compared a DCL cruise to another cruise line and had it come out 3x more when I considered the size of the room, same dates, same itinerary. I would be very uncomfortable having a bunk bed over the main bed which is the set up on many other inside rooms. Also, the style of the ship is important to me. I love the look of the Disney ships. Finally, I don't ever want to have to walk through or near a casino with smokers on vacation.

I could have written this exact post.

I have two small kids - when we cruised in February they were 4 and 18m. I LOVED it and started looking at when we could do it again and did a lot of comparing to other lines. When you have small kids that still nap, the room setup is really important. We stayed for a few days in Puerto Rico before our cruise and having all of us in one big hotel room was a disaster. Once we got on the boat though, it was sooo much better. For one, the kids are separated from the adult area with the privacy curtain. Two, they were separated from being able to see each other because of the bunk/couch setup. I could move freely in the cabin, watch a show on my computer with headphones, or read a book and they couldn't see me and just went to sleep. I've seen pics of lots of other lines where the bunks are literally on top of the main bed, there's no curtain, or the couch pulls out into a double bed (instead of having two separate beds for kids). I also found the ship (unsurprisingly) super kid friendly. I didn't have to worry about my 18m old's behavior at dinner, both kids had pool/water areas they could go to, and the shows were kid friendly and a good length. We also loved the nursery and the kids club and had them go a few hours total over the course of a 4 day cruise.

Not everyone will have the same needs that we do. People find value in different things. For us, I am willing to pay a certain premium for this kind of experience. And no matter how cheap a cruise is, I'm not going to go if my kids will be sleeping over my head. With Disney I could spend a lot of time in the room and still feel some separation from my kids. If they were over my head all night and during nap time I'd lose my mind. Our 4 night repo cruise from San Juan to Port Canaveral was about $3300 for 4 people in a verandah room, and we did not book on opening day. I highly doubt there's a cruise out there for $1100 that would be comparable.

 

[lilsonicfan]

OP, in addition to what others have said you can also search "Opening Day Pricing" threads here on disboards, the mods are great at corralling everyone's quotes into one thread. In general high season (may to september) cruises are the priciest so if you can go off season it's significantly cheaper. But the Opening Day Pricing threads will give you an idea of what the prices for certain cruises were on release day, which is nice because you can get an idea of how much any particular cruise has increased in price. It sounds like a lot of research, I know, but it's useful because it gives you a real picture of whether that cruise price that you're looking at now in November 2018 (for example) is a reflection of the price you could have gotten at release.

If you are a Disney fan, and you enjoy cruising, then DCL offers a great product for a premium price. By that I mean that generally other cruise lines ARE going to come in cheaper. Not necessarily 3x cheaper, but there are too many variables to say for sure.

 

[lilsonicfan]

To OP. I have never compared a DCL cruise to another cruise line and had it come out 3x more when I considered the size of the room, same dates, same itinerary. I would be very uncomfortable having a bunk bed over the main bed which is the set up on many other inside rooms. Also, the style of the ship is important to me. I love the look of the Disney ships. Finally, I don't ever want to have to walk through or near a casino with smokers on vacation.

This made me think, so I looked up the MSC mediterranean cruise that I just put a deposit on vs. the DCL mediterranean cruise with the same sailing dates and similar itinerary. In my case DCL really is 3x (well okay, 2.9x) more expensive when comparing it to the MSC cruise. I'm comparing DCL concierge family verandah to MSC yacht club deluxe balcony suite, so the rooms are similar size (though DCL has split bath). MSC is much bigger than the Magic. The Yacht Club (concierge) level includes a lot more than DCL including private restaurant, full drink package, gelato, specialty coffees, butler, massive lounge, private sundeck. Interesting comparison for sure.

 

[darnheather]

This made me think, so I looked up the MSC mediterranean cruise that I just put a deposit on vs. the DCL mediterranean cruise with the same sailing dates and similar itinerary. In my case DCL really is 3x (well okay, 2.9x) more expensive when comparing it to the MSC cruise. I'm comparing DCL concierge family verandah to MSC yacht club deluxe balcony suite, so the rooms are similar size (though DCL has split bath). MSC is much bigger than the Magic. The Yacht Club (concierge) level includes a lot more than DCL including private restaurant, full drink package, gelato, specialty coffees, butler, massive lounge, private sundeck. Interesting comparison for sure.

Did you check the opening day price for DCL or current price? Just curious.

 

[aggiedog]

You will LOVE the yacht club. It really is a “ship within a ship.” Our lounge rarely had more than a few people in it and was a welcome oasis of peace and air conditioning after all day Med excursions.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Did you check the opening day price for DCL or current price? Just curious.

Oh, yes, to be fair that was pricing that I just checked for the May 2019 Med. cruise on the Magic. But to be fair as well, I just booked the May 2019 MSC cruise about a week ago, maybe less, and that itinerary has also been out for quite a while.

So, I went back to an opening day pricing thread and found that someone with 2A2K (13,9) had been quoted $12,776 for a Cat V on this cruise (no placeholder discount). If booked today, that same family would pay $14,175 for an increase of $1,399. But on MSC, if booked today, that same family would pay $5,166, again with more benefits than DCL concierge. So today, for that family, the DCL cruise is 2.74x more expensive than the MSC, and on opening day (assuming MSC doesn't have tiered pricing, which I don't know) DCL would have been 2.47x more expensive.

[The reason it seems closer to 3x higher for me on that DCL cruise is because I have 3 kids, and kids sail free on MSC.]

You will LOVE the yacht club. It really is a “ship within a ship.” Our lounge rarely had more than a few people in it and was a welcome oasis of peace and air conditioning after all day Med excursions.

I must say this is so reassuring!!! I am warming up to the idea more and more.

 

[cruiser21]

This made me think, so I looked up the MSC mediterranean cruise that I just put a deposit on vs. the DCL mediterranean cruise with the same sailing dates and similar itinerary. In my case DCL really is 3x (well okay, 2.9x) more expensive when comparing it to the MSC cruise. I'm comparing DCL concierge family verandah to MSC yacht club deluxe balcony suite, so the rooms are similar size (though DCL has split bath). MSC is much bigger than the Magic. The Yacht Club (concierge) level includes a lot more than DCL including private restaurant, full drink package, gelato, specialty coffees, butler, massive lounge, private sundeck. Interesting comparison for sure.

I agree with you. There is just no comparison in price when your looking at Europe. I can get 2 balcony rooms on ncl or royal for 1/2 the price of one verandah on DCL. Yes you can find decent prices on DCL in the offseason, but if your interested in more then the Caribbean prices aren't even close. I've never understood why people try so hard to convince themselves dcl doesn't cost more. It's not bad thing if enjoy DCL and don't mind the premium cost. I'm one of those people. I'm not fooling myself and I don't try to rationalize it.
I'm also not afraid to look elsewhere if the itinerary I want is not affordable on DCL. I'm not going to throw out my bucket list for the mouse.

 

[southerngirl528]

Honestly most of the veg options on the menu (except maybe veg lasagne) were pretty odd and after tasting them I'd say pretty gross. She was able to pre-order a veggie burger each night for the following night but it did get boring having them as much as she did. The kids portions of mac and cheese and pizza are really for a little kid - just so tiny - and not what I'd consider high quality. Side dishes are usually just vegetables - not enough protein in those. We have some time until our next Disney cruise and we're traveling with 2 vegetarians and 1 vegan so I'm already putting together ideas.

I am truly sorry to hear this. And again, surprised. If you sail DCL again, please do try contacting them in advance to see if they could provide add'l options.

 

[aggiedog]

Lilsonicfan, MSC is not Disney. We were on Splendida. I did not like the absence of hallways on the main decks. You had to go through each lounge, etc, to get to the next one. It was sometimes very crowded. The buffet was just ok and the service there was not great (when we ventured out of the YC.) The YC dining room is European service (read slow and drawn out.) Those were what bothered most. The pools were much better, with many more options.

And the YC itself, heavenly. The dedicated pool and lounge were great. The staff good. Our room was spacious and I really enjoyed the walk in closet. The priority boarding, escorted leaving and arriving for excursions, the daily paper, free coffee, continuous finger foods and endless water bottles. It was so nice. More than made up for it not being DCL, especially when it was so much cheaper than DCL that we added a week in France before the trip, with a company that did all the planning and travel arrangements for me. Definitely a win win situation!

Sorry, back to the original topic.

 

[mevelandry]

I could have written this exact post.

I have two small kids - when we cruised in February they were 4 and 18m. I LOVED it and started looking at when we could do it again and did a lot of comparing to other lines. When you have small kids that still nap, the room setup is really important. We stayed for a few days in Puerto Rico before our cruise and having all of us in one big hotel room was a disaster. Once we got on the boat though, it was sooo much better. For one, the kids are separated from the adult area with the privacy curtain. Two, they were separated from being able to see each other because of the bunk/couch setup. I could move freely in the cabin, watch a show on my computer with headphones, or read a book and they couldn't see me and just went to sleep. I've seen pics of lots of other lines where the bunks are literally on top of the main bed, there's no curtain, or the couch pulls out into a double bed (instead of having two separate beds for kids). I also found the ship (unsurprisingly) super kid friendly. I didn't have to worry about my 18m old's behavior at dinner, both kids had pool/water areas they could go to, and the shows were kid friendly and a good length. We also loved the nursery and the kids club and had them go a few hours total over the course of a 4 day cruise.

Not everyone will have the same needs that we do. People find value in different things. For us, I am willing to pay a certain premium for this kind of experience. And no matter how cheap a cruise is, I'm not going to go if my kids will be sleeping over my head. With Disney I could spend a lot of time in the room and still feel some separation from my kids. If they were over my head all night and during nap time I'd lose my mind. Our 4 night repo cruise from San Juan to Port Canaveral was about $3300 for 4 people in a verandah room, and we did not book on opening day. I highly doubt there's a cruise out there for $1100 that would be comparable.

Just an FYI, on the new Carnival ships (Vista, Horizon and the upcoming Panorama), they have those new Family Harbor Suites that have divider curtains and the split bathrooms... And the people staying in the Family Harbor section also have access to a private lounge (with a buffet) and different perks. And the cabins look very nice. Love the design.

 

[cgolf]

One thing I want to say about mentioning the opening day prices to get the best deal, is that not many people are going to do that except maybe some repeat cruisers and many of us on the boards.

Having helped people plan DCL trips at work, it was frustrating to watch them disregard our advice, because they had their own timetable to get their trip set. There are many that can't schedule that far out to, so they have to compare prices when they can book. Our RCCL trips haven't been booked opening day because they open their schedules earlier. Our Edge trip was and we are thankful, because prices have really gone up without any deals being offered.

So yeh perfect world book opening day, unfortunately many can't or don't want to schedule that far out.

 

[DietCokeMommy]

Just an FYI, on the new Carnival ships (Vista, Horizon and the upcoming Panorama), they have those new Family Harbor Suites that have divider curtains and the split bathrooms... And the people staying in the Family Harbor section also have access to a private lounge (with a buffet) and different perks. And the cabins look very nice. Love the design.

That's good to know . Although they're not 1/3 the cost of Disney. I checked out two cruises that looked interesting to me, 8 day Eastern and a Southern Caribbean for February 2019. Southern was about $6500, Eastern was about $4200, both deck 2 (only available) Harbor Family Suites with split bath and balcony. Disney Eastern Caribbean was about $6200 for deck 6 balcony. All of these were for a family of 4.