Just Saying No?

[keaster]

Look at the big picture...DCL has only 4 ships while RCCL/CCL/Etc have dozens. The demand alone for those 4 ships drives the price up significantly and even with two more ships coming online I don't see the prices on DCL going anywhere but up.

We LOVE DCL and I've mentioned on other threads I keep trying to pull the trigger on something if I can find what I think is a reasonable price. However summer 2018 we decided to cancel our 7-night northern European cruise on the Magic and go to NCL for a 9-night one. The price difference was well over $5000 for 2 more nights in the same size balcony room. The bad exchange rate alone is enough to keep us off DCL for awhile!

 

[lorimay]

We love Disney and have yet to sail another line.

Last month we started looking for a vacation to celebrate our anniversary in 2018. First place I looked was DCL, I moved on quickly because we have done all the January offerings already with them.
I googled Panama Canal cruise for winter 2018, Princess came up with a 10 night cruise, the total for that cruise was just over $5,000 for a balcony room. We were so close to booking it and then I backed out because I was afraid of being unhappy for 10 days ( I know thats crazy, but we booked a trip to NYC instead).
Yesterday, I booked a 14 night DCL Panama Canal cruise for just over $5400 with an OBB.
So the prices are pretty close and I am thrilled to know I will sail the cruise line I love, yes a year later, but something to look forward to.

** I'm sure the Princess was lower on their opening day, but I wasn't looking back then.

I guess in the long run, its all about what makes you happy and what you're comfortable paying for a vacation.

I hope you find a great vacation!

 

[lorimay]

I don’t want to be flamed for this, but I was just curious if anyone, when finding out the 2019 prices today was shocked enough to say “Thanks, but no thanks”? Is anyone fed up with how high the prices are getting and taking a stand against the “gouging”? I understand supply and demand, so I don’t need a lecture about why DCL can still charge these prices. I am just curious if anyone is sickened by it and taking a stand. I love them, don’t get me wrong. We are platinum, FWIW. But at some point I gotta say, the product is not worth the price when I can go to a different line for the same itinerary for half the price. Again, not interest in being lectured about supply and demand, and paying for the Disney experience.
Just curious if people feel the same way I do. I mean, $3000 for a 4 day Dream cruise to the Bahamas in February for 2 adults and 1 child? Give me a break!

February has become an expensive time now, because many schools up North take winter breaks, so many travel south for the warmth of a Caribbean cruise. We sailed a couple years ago on The Fantasy in February and it was much more expensive than I thought it should be and I was told about Winter break school schedules. I live in Floida and we don't have that here.

 

[Trera]

February has become an expensive time now, because many schools up North take winter breaks, so many travel south for the warmth of a Caribbean cruise. We sailed a couple years ago on The Fantasy in February and it was much more expensive than I thought it should be and I was told about Winter break school schedules. I live in Floida and we don't have that here.

We live in Orlando and our DD's school lets out a couple of days for "winter break" and it is always the Thursday, Friday and Monday around President's day. We actually just booked a cruise for those days in 2019 yesterday.

And yes, the prices for the cruises on that weekend started creeping up a few years ago.

 

[lorimay]

We live in Orlando and our DD's school lets out a couple of days for "winter break" and it is always the Thursday, Friday and Monday around President's day. We actually just booked a cruise for those days in 2019 yesterday.

And yes, the prices for the cruises on that weekend started creeping up a few years ago.

We are in South Florida( Broward), all we have is Presidents Day off and then they give us an early release on the 22nd. It would take too much brain power to move that Friday early release to the week before, so people can plan something...SMH

 

[bumbershoot]

I don’t want to be flamed for this, but I was just curious if anyone, when finding out the 2019 prices today was shocked enough to say “Thanks, but no thanks”?

I hit that point in 2016. Pricing for our four cruises from 2013 through 2015 was fine. Then whammo.

And I don’t think the product on dcl (or anywhere Disney at this point) is so great that they should charge premium rates. Only thing they’ve got extra are Disney characters, and I’ve always been phobic.

 

[Matlockbel]

We have been on 6 cruises and enjoyed them all including the Panama just a few months ago. We have always managed to find a price we were willing to pay by booking early and using the 10% off but just got off the phone and wow are the prices high this time around. prices are $400 - $500 more per person and i priced 6 different dates. now i am on the Royal Caribbean site getting prices. i think we will also be switching this year. We are a large family group booking 4 or 5 different rooms so the price matters. i am very sad.

 

[darnheather]

I booked our first RCL cruise today. Liberty of the Seas - TWO balcony rooms on a 7nt for half the price of one verandah room on DCL the same week in January 2019. We are gold, almost platinum, and we love DCL. We started cruising with DCL in 2005 when our kids were little and haven't tried any other lines since. (We almost tried RCL last year but ended up canceling for unrelated reasons). The factors pushing us away are price and lack of deck activities for active older teens. I know we will miss the shows, the movies, the dining experiences, Castaway Cay. We've had a great time and made so many good memories on DCL ships. But we want to try RCL, NCL and Princess, then we will have a better frame of reference for deciding whether to come back. We just want to make smart choices with our money and our limited vacation time with the kids. I'm sure I will want to check out the new ships too when they are put in service.

We have a b2b on the Fantasy over NYE in a few months - I hope I'm not too emotional about this being the last one for awhile!!

Please come back and let us know how the older teens like RCL. My 16 year old still loves the deck parties and all things Vibe related. But she'll be 18 shortly after our 2019 cruise so I'm starting to think about other lines even if she isn't.

 

[cruiser21]

Plus your poll is very skewed. Some people like me agree that DCL is high, but consider that they give me an experience that I can’t get elsewhere, so i’m willing to pay for it. It’s like saying that people should take a stand against the price of a Lexus because a Kia will get you to where you want to go much cheaper.

Most people don't drive a lexus. That's kind of a snobby analogy. Most of perfectly happy driving around in our Honda's, Fords or whatever.

 

[SteveMP]

Please come back and let us know how the older teens like RCL. My 16 year old still loves the deck parties and all things Vibe related. But she'll be 18 shortly after our 2019 cruise so I'm starting to think about other lines even if she isn't.

We were kind of nervous trying RCCL last year for the first time after a few DCL cruises. But we all went in with TRULY open minds. My daughters are now teens as of last year. After our RCCL cruise I asked how they liked it, we went through all the pros and cons of each. They both said overall they kind of liked RCCL better, mainly because of the ice skating, FloRider, rock climbing wall etc. they also liked going to Johnny Rockets for dinner with friends. So they said their was "more stuff to do" on RCCL, but we are going on DCL next April, and we will love that too.

 

[Julylady]

I hit that point after our 2015 cruise. We had one scheduled for spring 2016 and my girls decided they would rather do a WDW vacation. We cancelled and haven't booked DCL again. On that vacation alone, I saved $1000 and we were able to bring another guest along. We have also cruised on RCCL and find those trips to be equal to and in some cases, better than DCL.

Disney can charge what ever the market will bear. But for our family, we are out.

 

[MUN]

I don’t want to be flamed for this, but I was just curious if anyone, when finding out the 2019 prices today was shocked enough to say “Thanks, but no thanks”? Is anyone fed up with how high the prices are getting and taking a stand against the “gouging”? I understand supply and demand, so I don’t need a lecture about why DCL can still charge these prices. I am just curious if anyone is sickened by it and taking a stand. I love them, don’t get me wrong. We are platinum, FWIW. But at some point I gotta say, the product is not worth the price when I can go to a different line for the same itinerary for half the price. Again, not interest in being lectured about supply and demand, and paying for the Disney experience.
Just curious if people feel the same way I do. I mean, $3000 for a 4 day Dream cruise to the Bahamas in February for 2 adults and 1 child? Give me a break!

I don't think you understand how supply and demand works; otherwise, you wouldn't have written what you wrote. I also don't understand why you are complaining if you don't think the product is worth the price. There are plenty of alternatives out there. Cruise vacations are a luxury, not a necessity.

MUN

 

[aggiedog]

Supply and demand exactly, but the issue is the "demand" side keeps ratcheting up the socioeconomic ladder. Or at least ups the ante for what people are willing to pay for vacation. And they are welcome to, no hard feelings.

For our family, we jumped ship last year. We did a Med cruise with MSC in concierge that was roughly 1/3 the cost of DCL. $9,400 for two Yacht Club balcony rooms vs approximately $28,000 on DCL concierge. Even non-concierge was twice as expensive for DCL. For us, I'd rather spread my money over more travel, while still traveling at a reasonable level of comfort. We enjoyed MSC, and especially enjoyed the Yacht Club. For such a port intensive cruise it was perfect for us.

 

[FigmentSpark]

For our family, we jumped ship last year. We did a Med cruise with MSC in concierge that was roughly 1/3 the cost of DCL. $9,400 for two Yacht Club balcony rooms vs approximately $28,000 on DCL concierge. Even non-concierge was twice as expensive for DCL. For us, I'd rather spread my money over more travel, while still traveling at a reasonable level of comfort. We enjoyed MSC, and especially enjoyed the Yacht Club. For such a port intensive cruise it was perfect for us.

How did you like the MSC cruise? How was the food and the itineraries?

 

[DCLCrazy64622]

Don’t get me wrong, I love DCL. They’re my favorite. But at some point, as the consumer, I have to stop drinking the proverbial Kool-Aid and let Disney know that there is a limit to what I’m willing to give them. Like others have said here, why pay for one DCL cruise when that price can get you two on NCL? If you go in with an open mind, you will see their product is just as good. Especially on the newer boats. They have go-karts, laser tag, zip lines, etc. Very cool stuff. Everyone has a right to their opinion. It’s not that I’ll never go on a DCL cruise ever again. We have a B2B planned for this January, but after that, it’s NCL. And to the person who said I shouldn’t have posted a poll, to them I say, why not? It’s a fun tool to use. Don’t take life so seriously. This is a cruise forum, not the United Nations.

 

[mmmears]

I don't think there is anything wrong with a customer questioning just how much the costs can rise before they just can't justify the expense anymore. Travel prices have gone up, both at DCL and the WDW and DL resorts. We choose to still visit, but definitely visit less often and for fewer days. There's a whole big wide world out there. You have to do what feels right for your family. I didn't think I'd be taking another cruise for a long time, but we found an itinerary that we just couldn't resist.

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

I didn't vote on your poll because I don't see the answer I would choose.
I will continue to sail DCL, as long as I can book; once the opportunity is there for Gold CC members. Because I believe we get what we pay for.
This is what we did for our 2018 Norwegian Fjord and Iceland cruise. I would never pay what the going price has become!

We had booked a DCL Alaska cruise for last year and we booked as soon as Gold CC members could reserve it.
But we changed it to a different itinerary for a later date; because the two other couples that we were sailing with did not want to pay the price that was showing for them, once the general public could book. Neither couple had sailed DCL, but each had sailed once before on different cruise lines. We ended up sailing Celebrity Cruise Line's Millennium from Seward, AK to Vancouver, Canada. And we had a great cruise.
One of the couples from our Alaska cruise will be joining us on our cruise for next year

 

[jiminyC_fan]

We are DCL platinum. After comparing prices and amenities between DCL and Viking for a Baltic cruise, we chose Viking. We found a better itinerary (for us), smaller ship, fewer passengers, free wine and beer during meals, free included excursions in all ports, all staterooms have balconies, no class segregation,and free specialty restaurants (think Palo and Remy). I was shocked that there wasn't that big of a savings between the two. It isn't possible for families but great for adults only. If I was sailing the Caribbean on a shorter cruise I wouldn't mind DCL. But Viking gets my dollars in Europe.

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

I expect that prices will rise each year, but something seems really off with the Fantasy prices. I have an April 2018 Western booked and paid $3400 for each of two cat 5D rooms (1 adult and 1 kid in one room and 2 adults in the other), so $6800 total. I was on board when I booked, so did get the discount (I saved about $750 total). I booked nearly 6 months after opening day and the price had gone up a little, but not much. These opening day prices are nuts. Four people are squeezing into a lower category room for more than I paid for 2 rooms. My sail date is prime Spring Break in the northeast, though Easter is early in 2018, so I'm sure that helped keep the price down a bit, but still....

 

[cruiser21]

I don’t want to be flamed for this, but I was just curious if anyone, when finding out the 2019 prices today was shocked enough to say “Thanks, but no thanks”? Is anyone fed up with how high the prices are getting and taking a stand against the “gouging”? I understand supply and demand, so I don’t need a lecture about why DCL can still charge these prices. I am just curious if anyone is sickened by it and taking a stand. I love them, don’t get me wrong. We are platinum, FWIW. But at some point I gotta say, the product is not worth the price when I can go to a different line for the same itinerary for half the price. Again, not interest in being lectured about supply and demand, and paying for the Disney experience.
Just curious if people feel the same way I do. I mean, $3000 for a 4 day Dream cruise to the Bahamas in February for 2 adults and 1 child? Give me a break!

You may end up being right in the long run, but until then we'll have to wait and see what happens This could all backfire on DCL someday. It's hard to predict the future or what when the next downturn in the economy will happen. Right now prices are up and up can't do much about it. I'd rather have a good economy and not be able to afford dcl then a repeat of 2008.