New perspective on the cost of DCL

[lucas]

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!

Just like going to WDW many times - we have cruised to the Caribbean A LOT. Not just with DCL but with all the other lines. Living in South Florida, it is very convenient for us. Heck, we used to drive down to Key West a lot, but those hotels have gone WAY up, too - and don't include food. (We have also cruised to Alaska 4 times, thru the Panamal Canal and in Hawaii - none of these were with DCL.)

 

[cruiser21]

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).

I think you would find late May or Early September comparable especially for 2 people. It's a much bigger price difference for families of four. My kids preferred Northern Europe over the Med. The European cruises are usually less then the Fantasy especially if you pick an inside room.

 

[Sleepyluke]

For the record, I think that the prices have gone crazy! and it has put a slow down on our cruising frequency. We have cruised 6 times - 2 with 2A and kid, and have never paid over $3500 with a balcony, That is not the case anymore. My point was that other things are getting crazy. I agree they are above other cruise lines, but only have 10-20% of the capacity currently. We enjoyed the time in the Gaylord, and it was nice, but room wise it was the same as any other Marriot I have stayed in. It still surprised me the number of families that were there for sports trips. Around here that is 2-3 weekends per month for at least half the year depending on the sport. That is a lot of cruise dollars


To me, as someone said above, there is a difference in product between six flags and Disney. Both have a following, you can have a great time at both, but they are really not the same at least to me, but still under the category of theme park. Yes Mickey gets too much of my money, but I am ready to give him more and get back on a ship!

 

[MyDisWorld]

Yes Mickey gets too much of my money, but I am ready to give him more and get back on a ship!

Amen!

 

[bostonluke]

Disney has pricing down to an exact science. They know price vs occupancy down to the dollar. They are priced right for the audience.

 

[bostonluke]

Disney has pricing down to an exact science. They know price vs occupancy down to the dollar. They are priced right for the audience.

And just saw that they are putting a Tiffany's store on the Fantasy... that should hint at their future target audience.

 

[2015Cruiser]

My wife is super frugal so I've had to run the math several times on past cruises, and its turned out to be a good value for us every time... as an example we're going on our 4th cruise in November and here's our thinking:

We've got a 7 night cruise for 5200, including a day at Disney World.. the park-hopper tickets for the day are worth at least $300.. so roughly the rest of the cruise is costing us 4900/7 or $700 per night. Not even considering transportation from NJ to FL and back if we wanted to just go to WDW.

If we were staying in a decent resort-type hotel with nice pools, waterslides, beachfront, etc that'd probably be about $300/night and maybe include a similar breakfast.. we'd easily spend another $100/day eating out and not nearly at places as consistently nice as what's on the DCL ships.

So maybe it's costing $300/day to be on the ship and enjoy the magic.. that's character meetings and photos, Broadway quality shows we go to every night that would easily run us $200 each for tickets in NYC not to mention parking, tolls, gas, etc on top.. movies every day, Pirate night, the kids clubs that are better than paying for a day at a sesame place or LEGOLAND type day-trip..

Then you start looking at things like Castaway Cay that's just a blast of a way to spend a day, we're getting a Marvel Day at Sea, random stuff like a violin concert that busts out in the lobby out of nowhere or watching my son chase Chip and Dale from one end of the ship to the other.. seeing Cinderella read a story to our daughter in the nursery.. Princess gatherings, the endless vault of Disney content on the TV for the kids at night, it's really not hard to justify and even see as a good value for us.. so long as you plan to eat well and take advantage of the shows.

YMMV

 

[MyDisWorld]

that should hint at their future target audience

Sad, but probably True......Alas, I am NOT in that target audience.......

Disney is unfortunately visibly catering to, and offering more exclusive options to their more affluent visitors. As a Business, I understand that, you want to "generate as much revenue" as you can from each visitor/customer. Targeting those with more "disposable income" is [from a business perspective] the simplest way to increase revenue. These people are already coming to the parks/Ships, so you find a way to get them to spend more while they are there. I get that.

But how much "extra" revenue does it generate, vs alienating your "CORE" group of Disney Fans that make up the bulk of their revenue? This is one "intangible" metric that is hard to measure (until attendance really plummets.....). But currently, Disney has a capacity problem. So, how do you generate more revenue, if you cannot get any more people in the park or on your ships? (specifically Magic Kingdom) What bothers me, is I tend to find companies that start chasing the "BIG FISH", lose sight of the much smaller ones which "SUSTAIN" a company. It is the huge number of Middle Class Families that sustain them, and allow them fund daily operations. This big fish are nice, but there isn't enough of them to "SUSTAIN" the company, if the majority decides to spend their hard earned money elsewhere. Universal, while not at Disney standards "YET" in my opinion, have really stepped up their game, and are positioned to be Major threat to Disney's Parks moving forward. Universal could also be secretly planning to launch their own Cruise Line???? (Please note, this was just a comment. Nothing more. No rumors or speculation are floating around......that I am aware of...)

It will be interesting what happens to pricing once Disney has more capacity that they will "NEED" to sell, when the (2) new ships come on line in the next 4-6 years. Same for the parks, once Hollywood studio's is completed, and Animal Kingdom become a "Whole Day" park.

Competition if definitely good for Disney Fan Though.....

 

[elaine amj]

I agree with OPs way of considering the cost of a vacation. Sure its not apples to apples to compare a Disney cruise with a resort vacation. But to my perspective, it all comes down to how I choose to spend my dollars and cents and yes, I compare very different types of vacations to each other and then choose for my family based on our interests/likes/dislikes and value. Which is why we have done mostly WDW vacations instead of Disney cruises. While I loved the one Disney cruise we did, we can do the parks for half or less than a cruise.

I am REALLY hoping Disney cruise prices eventually drop as we are probably looking at a cruise for 2019 (mostly because my kids really, really want to cruise again).

 

[cyclenut]

I am seeing some of these prices and I can understand the concern. My wife and I are sailing Panama Canal in April on the Wonder and our Verandah cabin midship deck 7 is $6700 before discounts. We received 15% off because of a weather issue on our last cruise (very generous of Disney). That's just for two people of course but over 14 days that is a real bargain.

We choose our Disney vacations carefully and while we love them, I would not do them for every vacation. When the kids were younger we did road trips, train trips, visits with family, camping and staycations, with Disney mixed in.

Disney has a higher crew to passenger ratio and does not have a casino to subsidize. They also have better talent for their shows. All those things come at a cost.

 

[MyDisWorld]

Disney has a higher crew to passenger ratio and does not have a casino to subsidize. They also have better talent for their shows. All those things come at a cost.

Agreed. They have to pay for it somehow. I am willing to pay a premium for the "Disney" experience. I have not found the level of service on other Cruise Lines, or other amusement parks. So, "within reason", I am willing to pay more for a Disney Product....

 

[mevelandry]

And just saw that they are putting a Tiffany's store on the Fantasy... that should hint at their future target audience.

Oh boy. Not my cup of tea.

 

[Dug720]

And just saw that they are putting a Tiffany's store on the Fantasy... that should hint at their future target audience.

How many people whining about Tiffany & Co. have ever actually been in one? They have a lot of stuff that is NOT that out of line price-wise with the other in-case jewelry DCL carries. It's not all millions of dollars. (Heck, they have some things that are LESS than those purses I see so many going gaga over.)

 

[texasgingerbread]

Our cruise, granted in peak summer, just veranda, is $1450/day for 4 of us. $450/day sounds like a steal to me! But honestly if you put things in perspective...let's say I want to go to Beaches (luxury all inclusive) in Turks & Caicos for the week - it would be about the same price as my Disney cruise. It's roughly $1000/night plus airfare. So if you consider DCL as luxury it would be a good comparison.

 

[texasgingerbread]

How many people whining about Tiffany & Co. have ever actually been in one? They have a lot of stuff that is NOT that out of line price-wise with the other in-case jewelry DCL carries. It's not all millions of dollars. (Heck, they have some things that are LESS than those purses I see so many going gaga over.)

Agreed. People shopping at Tiffany to "browse" are not buying an engagement ring. They have all kinds of rings, charm bracelets, earrings, corporate gifts, etc. that are not out of this world in pricing. Good point!