New perspective on the cost of DCL

[Sleepyluke]

We just spent part of the week at a work conference at a Gaylord Resort. While we had a good time, it put some things in perspective for me. For comparison, we had a group rate for over 1,500 people (not sure the number of rooms), so I assume it was a decent rate, about 30% off rack rate. We did not eat anything out of the ordinary and most meals were in the resort. The price for 2 adults and a 3 year old was close to $450 per day for the room, parking, resort fees and food. Nothing to do with the conference fees. This is more than we have paid for our last 5 cruises! I understand that this is still a lot of money and it hurt at the end of the week, but I could not help think when seeing the 100's of hockey teams staying there for a weekend tournament how much more I would have enjoyed that money on a cruise.

I know this is not a true apples to apples comparison, but for a resort that is designed at least in part to be a self contained keep you there place, it was interesting to compare. I actually thought about drink purchases, at $7 for a beer and rum punch at $13 there were few of them consumed (and not included in the above number). I still think that DCL is getting crazy money, but it seems they are not the only ones....

 

[GoofyLovingFamily]

This is true. I do the same thing.

 

[justhat]

For me, and we are Platinum and have nearly 20 cruises down, it is the cost of DCL compared to other lines and what i am getting for the price that makes it a value. It used to be, but I just can't justify it anymore on most sail dates. This year is our first non-DCL cruise since 2004, and we're doing a 12 night Med out of Rome in 2 cabins (family verandah and connecting oceanview) for half of the price of the 10 night DCL Med on DCL in the same category cabins. Paid for our pre/post cruise stay and most of the flights.

 

[MyDisWorld]

justhat, That's a LOT of cruises! I have been on a few other cruise lines over the years (Norwegian, Carnival, and Cunard), but our last cruise was the first time on a Disney Ship. For me, relative to the other CL's, Disney's level of service was worth the premium. So much so, that I recently booked our next Cruise for 2018. I could have saved about 30% with an alternate Line, but if you consider all the factors, including room size and amenities, and things that are included with your Disney Cruise, (that other CL's Charge for), I have found that the premium for Disney is not a big as you might think (yes, there is still a premium though..). So currently I am happy to pay, but who knows, that could change. If it means, taking a cruise on another CL, and not Cruising at all........I take Cruising on anther Line.

That being said, I personally (as well as many others on this board) would love to hear your opinion after you take your cruise. Enjoy your Trip!

 

[cruiser21]

I think the only accurate comparison is comparing it to another cruise line. Were platinum on DCL and about to take our 22nd cruise. 15th DCL. I'm not married to any cruiseline. I prefer to cruise more often. I can cruise other cruise lines for half the cost of DCL. It doesn't stop me from cruising DCL, but it also doesn't stop me from cruising if DCL is out of the budget.

I'm not going to book opening day, save for years, buy gift cards, get a second job etc etc just for the mouse. I will cruise DCL when it's in my budget and fits my needs. I don't think comparing a cruise to a resort is a good comparison. They're just two totally different types of vacations. I bet Gaylord resort was a lot cheaper then a Disney deluxe resort stay.

 

[MunFam]

We just spent part of the week at a work conference at a Gaylord Resort. While we had a good time, it put some things in perspective for me. For comparison, we had a group rate for over 1,500 people (not sure the number of rooms), so I assume it was a decent rate, about 30% off rack rate. We did not eat anything out of the ordinary and most meals were in the resort. The price for 2 adults and a 3 year old was close to $450 per day for the room, parking, resort fees and food. Nothing to do with the conference fees. This is more than we have paid for our last 5 cruises! I understand that this is still a lot of money and it hurt at the end of the week, but I could not help think when seeing the 100's of hockey teams staying there for a weekend tournament how much more I would have enjoyed that money on a cruise.

I know this is not a true apples to apples comparison, but for a resort that is designed at least in part to be a self contained keep you there place, it was interesting to compare. I actually thought about drink purchases, at $7 for a beer and rum punch at $13 there were few of them consumed (and not included in the above number). I still think that DCL is getting crazy money, but it seems they are not the only ones....

BUT...you can't write off your Disney Cruise the way you can write off your work "vacation" at the Gaylord.

 

[Sleepyluke]

Very true but it still came out of my pocket and not a big company and a deduction is not 100%. Also still surprised at the number of tournament hockey families staying there at that price.

 

[Sanchez]

I guess one can go through all kinds of gymnastics to rationalize DCL prices. Yes, there are many other expensive vacation options out there. The problem with DCL is that prices are way out of line with comparable cruises.

You are comparing Gaylord with DCL. From ratings I see Gaylord generally carries a four star rating. DCL simply is not at that level.

Assuming, for sake of argument, that the two are comparable I don't understand your cost analysis. You calculate The Gaylord stay at $450/night or approximately $3,100 per week.

A random January 2018 seven day Caribbean cruise on DCL for two adults and a three year old is $4,950 for cruise fare and taxes. This is for a verandah (I doubt Gaylord put you in a broom closet.) Add in parking and tips and you are closer to $5,300.

My calculations put DCL at $750/night.

Of course, the better comparison is between DCL and one of the better mass market cruise lines. We sailed on Regal Princess in December for 11 days. At the same time DCL had a seven day cruise. Many aspects of the Princess Cruise were superior to DCL including itinerary, food, entertainment, adult areas, pools and movie options. Many were about the same including service, ship quality and cleanliness. Princess priced out at HALF the amount of DCL (and that is 11 days versus 7.)

This is not a put down of the DCL product. If you like Disney and the DCL product (and I do) then decide accordingly and don't spend time justifying it. In my opinion, DCL prices are absurd and in many cases they are charging far more for a lesser product.

 

[Neptune's Fork]

The problem with DCL is that prices are way out of line with comparable cruises.

But the number of ships are way out of line. Disney only has 4 and the others have more. It'll be interesting to see if the price gap closes when there are 6 ships in the fleet.

 

[cruiser21]

But the number of ships are way out of line. Disney only has 4 and the others have more. It'll be interesting to see if the price gap closes when there are 6 ships in the fleet.

It's interesting because I'm booked on the Carnival Vista this October. I can't help myself... so I keep looking at the Fantasy and Nyc cruises on the Magic. Many of these cruises have not gone up in price or have gone up very little. I'm wondering if maybe they've reached the ceiling for the Caribbean cruises... at least for the offseason. The same goes for some of the European cruises. They are still anywhere from 50% to 100% more then their competitors. The Fantasy is more then double the cost of the Vista for two people. One less night for the Vista, but still more than double. There's a lot of new ships sailing out of Florida like the Oasis, Harmony, Allure, Escape, Vista, Horizon, MSC's new ship Seaside. I keep wondering what the breaking point is going to be? When people say enough is enough. Don't get me wrong I love DCL. If it's in the budget they're my first choice, but I have my limits when it comes to price.

 

[lucas]

We've been on 46 total cruises. Our next DCL cruise will make our 47th total and 13th with DCL. No way we could continue to cruise with DCL without a Florida resident rate.

 

[cruiser21]

We've been on 46 total cruises. Our next DCL cruise will make our 47th total and 13th with DCL. No way we could continue to cruise with DCL without a Florida resident rate.

That is so cool. We are about to do our 22nd cruise and 15th cruise on DCL. Of course many of our DCL cruises were before the prices went through the roof. Any recommendations? I've cruised NCL and Carnival. I have a teen.

 

[Lisa F]

I think the only accurate comparison is comparing it to another cruise line. Were platinum on DCL and about to take our 22nd cruise. 15th DCL. I'm not married to any cruiseline. I prefer to cruise more often. I can cruise other cruise lines for half the cost of DCL. It doesn't stop me from cruising DCL, but it also doesn't stop me from cruising if DCL is out of the budget.

I'm not going to book opening day, save for years, buy gift cards, get a second job etc etc just for the mouse. I will cruise DCL when it's in my budget and fits my needs. I don't think comparing a cruise to a resort is a good comparison. They're just two totally different types of vacations. I bet Gaylord resort was a lot cheaper then a Disney deluxe resort stay.

As someone who has taken 15 DCL cruises, I'm guessing you don't have to do any of those things. As a single mother of a 9 year old boy, I am doing all of those things because it is on the list of things I would like to do at least once with my son - he has never cruised, DCL or otherwise. I took 5 DCL cruises prior to 2005 when it was MUCH less expensive... two were post 9/11 when we did a 7 night for $1200 total and then got a voucher for a 3-night for $99 (I forget whether it was per person or total)... and that was when I was still married and no kid.

So we are doing a 4 night cruise because it was the price point I was comfortable with... $525 a night for both of us. Disney trips are less expensive since I have owned DVC since 1999, that takes a huge amount out of the cost for luxury accommodations there. I am thinking of taking him on a European cruise for his 13th birthday (4 years away) and when I started looking into prices, was amazed. In some cases DCL is 3x as much as other ships that are well reviewed. Since the attraction there would be the ports and having a stable base to see Europe from and not necessarily the ship, unless i hit the lottery it is unlikely for DCL to be my cruise line of choice. But for a first (and maybe only) bahamian cruise where my kid wants to ride the aquaduck and play in the bridge of the millennium falcon, DCL it is. No one else has that.

 

[mevelandry]

But the number of ships are way out of line. Disney only has 4 and the others have more. It'll be interesting to see if the price gap closes when there are 6 ships in the fleet.

I see things diffently. I'm looking at the context/the experience offered:

Ex: Bahamas Cruises. All cruise lines have one or two ships departing from PC each week. All cruise lines offer a 3 nights and a 4 nights option and they depart on the same days (4 nights on monday, 3 nights on friday).

Yes, DCL has Castaway Cay but other cruise lines have Little Stirrup Cay, Coco Cay and Half Moon Cay.

I take a similar cruising experience and make the following substraction:

DCL fare - Other CL fare = The salary of the mouse.

 

[lucas]

That is so cool. We are about to do our 22nd cruise and 15th cruise on DCL. Of course many of our DCL cruises were before the prices went through the roof. Any recommendations? I've cruised NCL and Carnival. I have a teen.

We love Princess. We live in South Florida (in Boca Raton) and it is very convenient to sail with Princess out of Fort Lauderdale. We also sail from time to time with RCCL and a long time ago with HAL (you can see by my signature below).

 

[Flossbolna]

I think the OP has a very valid point saying that in order to figure out if something has value to you personally, it is totally fair to compare it with something that in your book is a comparable vacation experience. Ultimately how you want to spend your vacation is very subjective. Friends of mine think their best vacations are going hiking with the whole family in the Alps. They stay overnight in hiking huts, carry all their luggage and provisions with them and don't see a lot of civilisation for 7 nights. Those trips are really cheap. I would guess they pay less than 100 $ per night for a family of four. So, great value. But only if it is what you want to do. Someone who does not like hiking will think that the little money spent was a waste because they were miserable for a week.

So, if one compares the cost of a DCL cruise with another vacation that for oneself personally has a similar value, I think it is a fair comparison. If I never use my hotel room balcony (just picking this as an example since it was mentioned), it is fair to compare a hotel that only offers rooms with balconies to an inside stateroom because the balcony does not have a value for me. I just get it at the hotel because there is no other choice. The same goes for meals. Someone who does not go out for lots of fancy meals when on vacation should not compare a land based vacation to a cruise vacation by budgetting a three course meal every evening. It makes much more sense to compare with how the budget would be with their typical eating pattern.

 

[cruiser21]

As someone who has taken 15 DCL cruises, I'm guessing you don't have to do any of those things. As a single mother of a 9 year old boy, I am doing all of those things because it is on the list of things I would like to do at least once with my son - he has never cruised, DCL or otherwise. I took 5 DCL cruises prior to 2005 when it was MUCH less expensive... two were post 9/11 when we did a 7 night for $1200 total and then got a voucher for a 3-night for $99 (I forget whether it was per person or total)... and that was when I was still married and no kid.

So we are doing a 4 night cruise because it was the price point I was comfortable with... $525 a night for both of us. Disney trips are less expensive since I have owned DVC since 1999, that takes a huge amount out of the cost for luxury accommodations there. I am thinking of taking him on a European cruise for his 13th birthday (4 years away) and when I started looking into prices, was amazed. In some cases DCL is 3x as much as other ships that are well reviewed. Since the attraction there would be the ports and having a stable base to see Europe from and not necessarily the ship, unless i hit the lottery it is unlikely for DCL to be my cruise line of choice. But for a first (and maybe only) bahamian cruise where my kid wants to ride the aquaduck and play in the bridge of the millennium falcon, DCL it is. No one else has that.

We did most of those cruises pre DCL crazy prices. As an example I'm taking my son on the Dream in May. I booked the cheapest inside cabin 11c. It's costing me the same as it cost me in 2012 for all 4 of us to sail in a verandah. My family has been through some challenges over the last year. My 12 year old son has handled it with the maturity and compassion I didn't know he had. So this is his trip. WDW and the Dream. Don't get me started on WDW price increases because I could rant for a year. If you ask my son what his favorite ships are this is how he ranks them.1. Fantasy,2. Carnival Breeze(guys burgers)3. Wonder/Magic/ 4.Getaway and the lastly the Dream because it's only 4 nights. As my oldest prepares for college and my husband works at his new job that allows him little time off. My youngest and I will be taking some trips together. Although not a single mom I'm going to try to keep our trips on budget. I can tell you our 8 night Southern Caribbean cruise this Fall in an Ocean view room on the Carnival Vista is only 200.00 dollars more than our 4 night cruise on the Dream. It averages out to 137.00 per night pp. Next year we'll probably do one of the TA's or Panama cruises on DCL because I find them to be a pretty good value.
I would definitely look outside of DCL for Europe unless you can go late May or early September which is what we did. Like I posted earlier my son ranks the Carnival Breeze above all Disney ships except the Fantasy so you don't necessarily have to sail DCL to make your kids happy.

 

[Lisa F]

We did most of those cruises pre DCL crazy prices. As an example I'm taking my son on the Dream in May. I booked the cheapest inside cabin 11c. It's costing me the same as it cost me in 2012 for all 4 of us to sail in a verandah. My family has been through some challenges over the last year. My 12 year old son has handled it with the maturity and compassion I didn't know he had. So this is his trip. WDW and the Dream. Don't get me started on WDW price increases because I could rant for a year. If you ask my son what his favorite ships are this is how he ranks them.1. Fantasy,2. Carnival Breeze(guys burgers)3. Wonder/Magic/ 4.Getaway and the lastly the Dream because it's only 4 nights. As my oldest prepares for college and my husband works at his new job that allows him little time off. My youngest and I will be taking some trips together. Although not a single mom I'm going to try to keep our trips on budget. I can tell you our 8 night Southern Caribbean cruise this Fall in an Ocean view room on the Carnival Vista is only 200.00 dollars more than our 4 night cruise on the Dream. It averages out to 137.00 per night pp. Next year we'll probably do one of the TA's or Panama cruises on DCL because I find them to be a pretty good value.
I would definitely look outside of DCL for Europe unless you can go late May or early September which is what we did. Like I posted earlier my son ranks the Carnival Breeze above all Disney ships except the Fantasy so you don't necessarily have to sail DCL to make your kids happy.

I just saw the changes/updates on the fantasy and I'm thinking I might have to try to squeeze in a 7 night on the Fantasy now at some point. Kids vs. adult prices don't matter to me, I pay 2 adult fares so no break for him. I would sail inside but on the cruise I booked it was $300 more for verandah vs. inside and to me the $300 was not enough of a discount to justify not having the verandah. The original cruise I had booked was about $4k for a verandah (and only a few hundred less for inside) and I'm paying $2100 for the 4 night dream. If, with onboard discount, I could swing a 7 day for closer to $3k than $4k I'd be into that. I might be able to certain times of the year. I'd do an inside if it worked out but it just seems like on the dream class you are talking a few hundred difference rather than something significant.

Late May is a good time on DCL? really? just for europe or all itineraries? (I can check prices I guess). that is a time of year I would not mind pulling my son out of school, it is after standardized testing and things are winding down at school.

My last cruise in 2005 was a panama canal cruise. I think we paid about $2500 for the whole thing. It is a very long time for me to be away though, I think a week is my sweet spot - by about the 8th day I am ready to go home (also I don't get that much vacation time at my current job).

I forsee at least a 7 day cruise in my future, whether that is Royal Caribbean or DCL remains to be seen but I think a european cruise for his 13th birthday sounds like a great and memorable experience. If late May were not that much more than other lines I'd definitely consider it, and inside would be just fine too given how much time we'll spend off the ship. end of school year is easier than beginning of it (my son is on the spectrum so establishing routine early on is important but by may it's fine to pull him... I pulled him in december last year and it was fine).

 

[havaneselover]

Value is definitely subjective. A week at the Grand Hotel on Mackinak Island (Michigan) for me and my two children in the cheapest room is $6,300 (no discounts). That's more than our Alaska cruise (secret porthole) on DCL next summer.
We did a few nights at the Grand Hotel in 2012 and it's lovely but no way is it worth to me what a Disney cruise is worth.

I've seen a lot of complaints about pricing, particularly for Alaska, and I suspect DCL realized they aren't maximizing profit by having opening day prices "so low." Also DCL only has one ship in Alaska and demand is high for that product, especially with past Disney cruisers, so they can charge crazy high prices.

As far as comparing to other lines, it is more expensive and I've only ever done DCL (5 times) but when all is said and done for me the 10% price premium over Celebrity and Princess (including my savings from using an onboard booking and paying with gift cards) is well worth it to keep my kids happy.

 

[MyDisWorld]

I love seeing everyone's differing opinion on this subject. As noted in this thread, Disney only has 4 ships (currently), so there is a limited number of places they visit. (2) of the ships (Dream and Fantasy) for the most part visit the same ports regularly for years. So, if you have been on [lets say] several Cruises, how many times can you Cruise to the Caribbean? [side note: I'd be perfectly happy with Castaway Cay only]

So I think part of it is people want something different. I can agree with that. For me, we can only take a cruise every few years. Disney is the best cruise line we have been on, hands down. So, we take fewer cruises, and save till we can afford the next one. We may at some point, reach "saturation" as other have with DCL, and my opinion would obviously change at that point. Based on my experience with other Cruise lines however, Disney is still worth the price I pay. Would I like it to be more affordable? Sure. Will I continue to Cruise with DCL if not? definitely.

I have run the numbers [$$] against other cruise lines, and based on everything "that is important to us", the premium for DCL is [for us] justifiable.

Great Thread everyone!