Placeholder Discount Increased to 30% Off Select Sailings

[sponica]

I think the price ceiling is very likely. They're just so expensive right now!

As to the newer ships not being well liked, people seem to love the Treasure. The 3 and 4 night cruises on the Wish are just too short. She's going to be consistently discounted until they offer her longer sailings.

We're not cruisers, we cruise DCL but we're really not interested in other lines. We loved the Treasure, I did enjoy the Wish but my husband doesn't like 3/4 night cruises if we can avoid it.

With 3 ships homeporting in PC, the Wish will be a harder sell with it's 3/4 night itineraries.

We're back to the parks in 2026, as of right now we're not cruising until 2027 on the Dream. I went with the Dream because even with a placeholder the Treasure was just a little more expensive than I wanted to commit to spending. And the Dream has a St Maarten-San-Juan-CC itinerary on a 7 night with 3 sea days that piqued our interest.

 

[mcd2745]

As to the newer ships not being well liked, people seem to love the Treasure. The 3 and 4 night cruises on the Wish are just too short. She's going to be consistently discounted until they offer her longer sailings.

I don't think DCL had the same issues with the Dream that the Wish is having, when it was doing the 3/4 night rotation that the Wish took over. There are a few factors that play into this, including the overall size of the fleet now. But I think there is generally a large amount of dissatisfaction with the Wish, and people for the most part don't want sail on her a second time. So many people seem to share the same opinion of it's "one and done" for them.

 

[Kwami]

I don't think DCL had the same issues with the Dream that the Wish is having, when it was doing the 3/4 night rotation that the Wish took over. There are a few factors that play into this, including the overall size of the fleet now. But I think there is generally a large amount of dissatisfaction with the Wish, and people for the most part don't want sail on her a second time. So many people seem to share the same opinion of it's "one and done" for them.

I don't think that's right, for at least two reasons.

The first problem is that cruises on the Wish are substantially more expensive than cruises on the Dream were. That was true as soon as the Wish launched and it remains true today. Some people who otherwise would have chosen a cruise on the Dream aren't willing to pay the higher fare to sail on the Wish.

Second, I sailed a bunch of 3/4-night cruises on the Dream when it was doing that rotation and they were never even close to full. When I sailed the Wish in February '25, the ship was very close to max capacity for both sailings: 4000 for the 4-night and 4100 for the 3-night. So, it looks like the Wish is doing just fine.

 

[Kwami]

I also cannot figure out why no Alaska sailings on the Wonder were included but the ones on the Magic were... Odd choice.

That makes sense to me. The Magic cruises all skip Juneau and most of them have a less convenient docking location for Ketchikan, too. I was looking at Alaska sailings the other day and the Magic sailings had many more rooms available than the Wonder sailings did.

 

[dllocals]

That surprises me about Galveston. When I was following other line prices more closely a few years ago; Galveston was consistently higher priced than equivalent Florida based inventory because Florida always had so many more options it kept prices lower.

I guess Galveston supply has increased quite a bit since then.

I think Galveston can be a winner for Disney if they do 2 things:
- send a larger newer ship there
- offer more diverse itineraries

But in general they have to develop more home ports beyond Florida with so many more ships. Southern California getting a year round ship, Galveston getting a year round ship, etc.

Maybe a seasonal return to New York.

Personally I would love to see a more robust set of sailings from San Juan. Starting cruises that far south just opens up so many more port choices.

 

[Skippyboo]

Can you transfer a booked reservation with a placeholder to one of these

I think you can but you would get the discount off the current price. I have the Wonder in Alaska next May and it’s one of the sailings w the increased discount. However I didn’t book it with a placeholder. I booked back when you still had to call for placeholder and

Because they don't want to encourage ppl to wait to sail by making the next release so much cheaper- so they discount here and there until the ships fill... It is concerning that the Treasure has summer discounts. I also cannot figure out why no Alaska sailings on the Wonder were included but the ones on the Magic were... Odd choice.

I will say I had a DCL survey earlier this week. 90% off the questions were about price, the economy, and my personal feeling on how our family's financial future felt. They also asked about adult only sailings (everyone knows I want this as a once a year special offering like a DVC member cruise but Im losing hope) and drink packages.

• Disney Wonder
  • February 16, 2026
    March 16, 2026
    April 24, 2026
    May 18, 2026
    May 25, 2026
    June 1, 2026
    June 8, 2026
    August 10, 2026

The Wonder does have multiple Alaska cruises starting with May 18 one. Magic only had 2 April ones which aren’t Alaska.

 

[brentm77]

The prices for what you get is off for sure. For the first time in forever we did not book a bounce back.

We were fortunate to go on 2 inaugurals this year. The price difference was astounding! The Disney treasure and the RCCCL Star of the Seas. RCCL was 60% percent less than Disney! Granted it was off season and last-minute deal, but it was a balcony on RCCL vs an OV on DCL.

It feels like Disney has shifted their target audience. Like many we love DCL and have sailed for the past 16 years with our kids. We like the classic lines and the new stuff they are coming up with is just not our cup of tea. Loud dinner shows and overpriced shops that take up prime real estate on a ship. Not to say our boys did not have fun seeing who could pick out the most expensive watch. The winner was 60K... ridiculous. The spaces are wasted not well thought out. It is funny how they showcase all the tower "suites" knowing less than .01% of people will actually see and use them. Is this supposed to wow us?

As our daughter stated when we were on RCCL for the first time this year, "Disney thinks they can just slap an IP sticker on it and call it a day and the masses will love it!" This was very evident on the Treasure, yes it was pretty but there was something very off. DCL used to be more than just IP.

So yes, with the competition out there I do think they have hit the ceiling but then again, I thought that about the parks years ago, but they keep raking it in!

Agreed. They are also catering less to adults. It used to be a balanced experience where the parents footing the bill felt valued, but that has slipped.

Additionally, the encroachment of Concierge areas is a turn-off. It used to be a modest upgrade that didn't impact the general public. Now, it is absurdly expensive with little added benefit, yet it consumes more public real estate, even on the classic ships. It signals that the standard tier is no longer a 'premium' experience, raising the question: why pay top dollar for non-Concierge staterooms?

Again, I still love DCL, but the price-to-value ratio has to be right for us when compared to other options in the same price range. We can still find that ratio on some sailings, but so far they haven't worked well for our schedule. We will be back, just likely not next year. Hopefully, DCL is seeing some consumer pressure to better balance that ratio. The worst-case scenario will be if they cut more of the experience to save costs in response to less demand.

 

[SL6827]

Wish is way better than fantasy for disney lovers. Fantasy is better than wish for adult cruisers. Frankly the fantasy is falling a part and has aged poorly. Hopefully the dry dock fixed it up but it seems that was mostly focussed on adding concierge rooms and reducing the size of the adults pool deck.

Yes, the Fantasy is more suited for adults. Did they reduce the pool deck for adults? Ughh.

 

[SL6827]

there are parts of the dream that were designed too "on trend" when the ship opened... especially in the adult areas.

then there are the vibration issues as well on those ships...

I am concerned about the vibration issues. Absolutely. But what do you mean that the Dream was too on trend when it opened?

 

[SL6827]

Yet some guests really like the Wish and the Treasure, so that's all subjective. Some prefer the classic ships, some prefer the Dream-class and some like the newer ones. I do agree the prices have just gotten outrageous and with so many ships added to the fleet they may be finding they've gone too high too fast.

Exactly!

 

[SL6827]

I don't think DCL had the same issues with the Dream that the Wish is having, when it was doing the 3/4 night rotation that the Wish took over. There are a few factors that play into this, including the overall size of the fleet now. But I think there is generally a large amount of dissatisfaction with the Wish, and people for the most part don't want sail on her a second time. So many people seem to share the same opinion of it's "one and done" for them.

I agree. We sailed inaugural year on the Dream. But I will say I do love the Wish's theming. And I might just sail her one day even though I'm hesitant right now.

 

[SL6827]

I don't think that's right, for at least two reasons.

The first problem is that cruises on the Wish are substantially more expensive than cruises on the Dream were. That was true as soon as the Wish launched and it remains true today. Some people who otherwise would have chosen a cruise on the Dream aren't willing to pay the higher fare to sail on the Wish.

Second, I sailed a bunch of 3/4-night cruises on the Dream when it was doing that rotation and they were never even close to full. When I sailed the Wish in February '25, the ship was very close to max capacity for both sailings: 4000 for the 4-night and 4100 for the 3-night. So, it looks like the Wish is doing just fine.

If the Wish prices was more in line, like the Dream were when it was first launched, Disney wouldn't be having to discount the crap out of it, right?

 

[dreamer17555]

I think you can but you would get the discount off the current price. I have the Wonder in Alaska next May and it’s one of the sailings w the increased discount. However I didn’t book it with a placeholder. I booked back when you still had to call for placeholder and

• Disney Wonder
  • February 16, 2026
    March 16, 2026
    April 24, 2026
    May 18, 2026
    May 25, 2026
    June 1, 2026
    June 8, 2026
    August 10, 2026

The Wonder does have multiple Alaska cruises starting with May 18 one. Magic only had 2 April ones which aren’t Alaska.

I know the Wonder is sailing to Alaska but it is not included in the additional placeholder discounts where the Magic Alaska sailings are.

 

[dreamer17555]

That makes sense to me. The Magic cruises all skip Juneau and most of them have a less convenient docking location for Ketchikan, too. I was looking at Alaska sailings the other day and the Magic sailings had many more rooms available than the Wonder sailings did.

Ward Cove is having delays so a large portion of the Magic sailings are now in downtown Ketchikan (just announced earlier this week)

 

[Kwami]

Ward Cove is having delays so a large portion of the Magic sailings are now in downtown Ketchikan (just announced earlier this week)

Actually, if the DCL website is to be believed, all of them are in downtown Ketchikan now. They should have just done that in the first place!

 

[DCL58]

Yes, the Fantasy is more suited for adults. Did they reduce the pool deck for adults? Ughh.

Yes. The took a side section and converted it to a concierge sundeck. Did the same on the dream.

 

[SL6827]

Yes. The took a side section and converted it to a concierge sundeck. Did the same on the dream.

Good grief. Imagine that.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We took advantage of one of those cruise discounts, we didn’t have a placeholder…it was great. I thought the Halloween tree on the Wish was so beautiful, and I appreciated the Wish in a way I hadn’t on my first trip on it.

 

[DCL58]

Good grief. Imagine that.

Still better than the adult only sundeck on the Treasure. It was unusable for us due to lack of shade.

 

[Mommb]

If the Wish prices was more in line, like the Dream were when it was first launched, Disney wouldn't be having to discount the crap out of it, right?

It's possible that the Wish isn't selling as well as Disney hoped, so Disney is having to offer discounts to hit their revenue target.

It's also possible that the Wish is selling as well or better than Disney hoped at the prices they're charging, so Disney has already hit their revenue target and they are offering discounts to get the remaining rooms to fill.

Guest satisfaction will be higher with fewer people on the ship, so if Disney can make their money off of fewer rooms at higher prices it's a win for everyone.