NOLA 2/14 Presidents Week - Why discounted?

[keodark]

Hey all, I am voraciously researching our upcoming DCL cruise - it will be our first Disney cruise, our ~6th cruise total, and the first cruise for our DS (5). I have not booked yet as our dates are flexible, but I've been eyeing the 7-day Wonder out of New Orleans on 2/14 due to its current discount (which expires today - yikes), and its IGT availability, which is only slightly more than the current promotional price.

My question is - Presidents Week is usually busy with kids out of school, and usually very popular... anyone have any idea why the 2/14 cruise seems to be an exception? It seems pretty early for them to be offering *GT rates. What does everyone know except me?

 

[lklgoodman]

Not really sure, but we live in Ohio and dd only gets Monday off of school. Are you off all week? Also, for us it's easier/cheaper to fly to Orlando so we cruise from there. Wish we could do last minute cruises, but my dh has to put in vacation a year in advance.

 

[keodark]

We're off, yes, but we'd pull him out of Kinder for a week if there were a better rate on another sailing. I've read that many schools in the Northeast have the whole week off, as do many private schools across the country.

 

[LeiaOfAlderaan]

We live in NorCal and our district has the whole week off, as do many other schools around here. I think Seattle also gets the whole week since we often go to Disneyland that week and see lots of Seahawks jerseys. That said, maybe there aren’t enough schools around the country that get the whole week off to make it an “in demand” time. No idea, just a guess.

 

[Rob1872]

Virginia doesn't get the week off. I'm surprised that any school can give a President's Day week and a spring break (unless they are a year round school).

 

[kathi]

If I could pull my daughter out of high school, I'd consider it. She only has Friday/Monday off. It is a great rate for a 7-night cruise.

 

[Numtini]

Virginia doesn't get the week off. I'm surprised that any school can give a President's Day week and a spring break (unless they are a year round school).

New England has a 4 day plus Washington's Birthday vacation in February and a 4 day plus Patriot's Day vacation in April.

That's in the middle of Mardi Gras. I wonder if that's clashing with the families with kids thing that's typical for that week? I would really love to go to Mardi Gras, but bringing our 9 year old would not be at the top of my hit parade. And flying in the day before and staying would probably cost a fortune as well.

 

[Geomom]

Virginia doesn't get the week off. I'm surprised that any school can give a President's Day week and a spring break (unless they are a year round school).

@Numtini already replied, but I'll expand upon it. I've lived in MA all my life and that's how it's always been done. The town we live in now, our kids go back to school the Tuesday before Labor Day (in August) and are done in mid-June (or late June if we get a lot of snow days.)

And while we have President's Day week off, I wouldn't fly to New Orleans during it--Orlando is a non-stop flight for us, New Orleans isn't, and with all the possible winter weather delays, I wouldn't want to change planes in February.

 

[keodark]

Whellp, I booked it! Started a Meet thread https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...rn-caribbean-cruise-from-new-orleans.3772433/

That IGT fare was just too tempting.

 

[smmco]

Cruises that don't go to castaway don't sell.

 

[DCLCrazy64622]

Maybe it has something to do with the weather. Could it be considered too cold to sail in most people’s eyes?

 

[MomOTwins]

I think part of it is because it doesn't go to Castaway Cay (unlike the Wonder cruise the week before). There is a Western Caribbean itinerary on the Fantasy

that same week that makes all the same stops as the Wonder​

, but that also includes Castaway Cay and a Star Wars day at sea, plus the Fantasy is a new ship that has new features like the Aquaduck and will have the same Frozen show as the Wonder, plus an Aladdin show. Basically, I think DCL cannibalized itself on the Wonder cruise that week.

It looks like DCL recognized that it needed to do something different because it has now added a new port on several of the Wonder sailings out of New Orleans next year.

 

[AquaDame]

I'd have thought about it but the stops are hum ho and there is no reason I can think of that we'd spend a premium to get there around Mardi Gras and then NOT stay in the city for it. As someone else said it's harder to get there from our home airport as well - we have nonstops to San Diego, Miami and Orlando but would need to change planes to get to Galveston or New Orleans. I'd imagine the majority of folks sailing those will be locals and tourists who want the one-two punch of the city AND cruise, so the cruises before/after mardi gras would be more popular.

 

[keodark]

Great information, thanks all! I guess I'm in a sweet spot for that rate, since I don't know (yet) what I'm missing out on re:CC, and we're more interested in spending the week enjoying the ship for the first time and don't care so much about the stops (we've been to them before). I'm sure that for our next DCL cruise, CC will be a must.

 

[bcwife76]

This particular cruise also has a CDN residents rate so it's *really* not selling well lol

 

[dclpluto]

Like others have said no castaway cay. Dcl has very few seven night cruises that don’t go to castaway cay that has Caribbean or Bahamas not counting southern Caribbean. One coming up on the wonder but that is during Christmas.
Not me and probably lots here but the majority of people who sail on dcl like the 3,4,5, night cruises better than the seven night cruises. Probably the cost being the main reason.
It’s on a split week. It leaves on a Friday. I know dcl has to get the port days and they are lower on the totem pole. But its on two different work weeks.