Major competition coming for the Disney Wish?

[DSLRuser]

People cruise on Disney because they want the Disney "magic". Disney knows this and that's why they can charge crazy prices for 3-4 day cruises with not very exciting itineraries.

disagree.

I feel like I get value for my extra money in service, cleanliness, food quality, and service.

Have done RC and every time is is just not as nice as Disney in the areas mentioned above. And I said service twice because Disney service is that good.

 

[tvguy]

disagree.

I feel like I get value for my extra money in service, cleanliness, food quality, and service.

Have done RC and every time is is just not as nice as Disney in the areas mentioned above. And I said service twice because Disney service is that good.

I don't think too many people would disagree that Disney is a cut above. The issue is, they charge $5 for every extra $1 of added value.

 

[Smugpugmug]

disagree.

I feel like I get value for my extra money in service, cleanliness, food quality, and service.

Have done RC and every time is is just not as nice as Disney in the areas mentioned above. And I said service twice because Disney service is that good.

I've never cruised on DCL but have seen many people say that they choose Disney over other lines because of the characters and Disney theme. Nothing wrong with that btw. Funny you mention food because the food is one of the main complaints I see on here and from videos I've seen of people talking about DCL.

For me personally Disney's itineraries on their cruises are not interesting enough for me to consider it.

 

[Sanchez]

disagree.

I feel like I get value for my extra money in service, cleanliness, food quality, and service.

Have done RC and every time is is just not as nice as Disney in the areas mentioned above. And I said service twice because Disney service is that good.

People are going to have different opinions and often just want to validate their own decisions so sometimes these discussions go nowhere.

I haven't been on RCL in a while but my impression and experience differs from yours. I can't really comment on the current situation though.

I can tell you that in the areas of service, cleanliness and food quality Celebrity and Princess meet or exceed DCL. I don't think DCL is a "cut above" as someone suggested. I don't think I received very good service on DCL when our servers spent significant time doing magic tricks for the children at nearby tables and ignored us. Then they topped if off by harassing us with the "excellent" speech.

DCL entertainment and IP are the primary reasons to choose DCL and if that equals value to you then it does. I just think that the across the board service, cleanliness and food quality arguments are just false.

 

[tvguy]

People are going to have different opinions and often just want to validate their own decisions so sometimes these discussions go nowhere.

I haven't been on RCL in a while but my impression and experience differs from yours. I can't really comment on the current situation though.

I can tell you that in the areas of service, cleanliness and food quality Celebrity and Princess meet or exceed DCL. I don't think DCL is a "cut above" as someone suggested. I don't think I received very good service on DCL when our servers spent significant time doing magic tricks for the children at nearby tables and ignored us. Then they topped if off by harassing us with the "excellent" speech.

DCL entertainment and IP are the primary reasons to choose DCL and if that equals value to you then it does. I just think that the across the board service, cleanliness and food quality arguments are just false.

I have cruised Celebrity, and it is very very good. No idea about princess. Serving dinner to 4,000 people basically over a 4 hour period every night is mind boggling to me.

 

[starvenger]

Replying to myself to add, I just did the pricing. Haha, no thank you. A 3-night in Utopia is $1000 MORE than the wish the same weekend in August next year for a family of 2 adults, 3 kids, and that was with Royal’s “30% off everyone” discount. Yeesh.

5 is a really tough number to book for and I don't envy you. And I'm guessing one of the differences comes down to 1 room on Wish vs 2 rooms on Utopia.

Now I did try to price it out myself (3 nights on Aug 16, and tried to match like for like (so Oceanview Balcony instead of the cheaper Boardwalk or Central Park balconies)) and I got $7037 CAD/$5311.34 USD for two rooms (not connecting, but 1 room apart) for Utopia and $7212.89 CAD/$5455.25 USD for Wish. Actually pretty close.

By contrast, I did a check for 4 people, and I got $4798 CAD/$3621.40 USD for Utopia and $5753.50 CAD/$4342.61 USD for Wish. So that bump for the fifth person is pretty huge.

 

[starvenger]

I have cruised Celebrity, and it is very very good. No idea about princess. Serving dinner to 4,000 people basically over a 4 hour period every night is mind boggling to me.

I am going on Regal Princess over New Years, so I'll try to drop in a trip report in the Royal section.

 

[Anna131517]

I don’t think they need to worry. Disney has a unique product. It’s apples to oranges.

 

[MomOTwins]

5 is a really tough number to book for and I don't envy you. And I'm guessing one of the differences comes down to 1 room on Wish vs 2 rooms on Utopia.

Now I did try to price it out myself (3 nights on Aug 16, and tried to match like for like (so Oceanview Balcony instead of the cheaper Boardwalk or Central Park balconies)) and I got $7037 CAD/$5311.34 USD for two rooms (not connecting, but 1 room apart) for Utopia and $7212.89 CAD/$5455.25 USD for Wish. Actually pretty close.

By contrast, I did a check for 4 people, and I got $4798 CAD/$3621.40 USD for Utopia and $5753.50 CAD/$4342.61 USD for Wish. So that bump for the fifth person is pretty huge.

I was actualky looking at the “junior suite” which I don’t consider an actual suite as it doesn’t have suite concierge service/access, really just a larger veranda room like the family rooms for 5 on DCL. But I do think your search is another valid way to compare. And yeah pricing for 5 sucks compare to for four but why?!?? It’s a pretty common family size these days—especially with so many blended families. Regardless, even with 4, the pricing is not so far off that DCL’s prices seem crazy.

 

[starvenger]

And yeah pricing for 5 sucks compare to for four but why?!??

My guess is that most of the sales involve discounts for 3rd, 4th and 5th passengers in a room. If you split into two rooms, you lose a discount.

Junior suites can be pricey for what you get, so I can understand why the price difference swung in favour of DCL.

Regardless, even with 4, the pricing is not so far off that DCL’s prices seem crazy.

I think it's at a point where you can rationalize taking whichever ship you're leaning towards. But if this were 7 days, you can see how the gap starts feeling more significant.

 

[DCLMP]

People are going to have different opinions and often just want to validate their own decisions so sometimes these discussions go nowhere.

That is so very true. The amount of energy people put into validating spending more on Disney or not is mind-boggling. The only way you're going to know is by trying different cruise lines and deciding for yourself.

 

[DCLMP]

I've never cruised on DCL but have seen many people say that they choose Disney over other lines because of the characters and Disney theme. Nothing wrong with that btw. Funny you mention food because the food is one of the main complaints I see on here and from videos I've seen of people talking about DCL.

For me personally Disney's itineraries on their cruises are not interesting enough for me to consider it.

When the kids were club eligible and the itineraries were new to us it was the right fit. The itineraries are pretty stale at this point.
The Wish had some good poolside food, but that was the only redeeming quality I found. MDR food is decent. I'm just happy when I don't have to cook.

 

[tidefan]

I am going on Regal Princess over New Years, so I'll try to drop in a trip report in the Royal section.

We were on Regal Princess last month on a British Isles cruise. One of our best cruises to date.

Make sure to try Alfredo’s (and included pizza/Italian restaurant). The pizza by the pool is good, but it’s better in Alfredo’s…