Priced out and Angry

[lexlaw69]

Agreed. And those 18 million people earn some of the highest salaries in the country. They can easily afford taking a Disney cruise even with the outrageous prices.

How does that make sense? They also have some of the highest cost of living.

I think the point is that DCL is becoming out of reach for all but the wealthiest of us. That doesn't really seem to be in line with Walt's vision of a place where children and parents could have fun together. I don't remember an * where he said just the rich people.

 

[tinkerone]

we can afford dcl without batting an eye and have up to this point because we liked it. things they are a changing…….we actually booked our first cruise on the oasis for nov. 2016. i've always wanted to try that ship but was out of my comfort zone with the port. now its coming to p.c. and were doing it.
its a 8 night cruise compared to dcl's 7 night. i compared prices from this morning and we are saving $2000 which is not chump change plus getting that extra night. bonus!
i think that we may very well see disney lose a bit of their clientele. will it matter? probably not but it could. theres hope for price drops yet. maybe not in the near future but eventually.

 

[msb578]

How does that make sense? They also have some of the highest cost of living.

I think the point is that DCL is becoming out of reach for all but the wealthiest of us. That doesn't really seem to be in line with Walt's vision of a place where children and parents could have fun together. I don't remember an * where he said just the rich people.

I'm not sure he could have envisioned how much of a world power his company would ultimately become. Or how his "Florida Project" would reshape the entire travel industry on a worldwide level.

 

[Airship Ariadne]

I agree, DCL is still worth it. Having said that, I did get a little disheartened at 6:00 AM this morning (after an hour on hold) to find out that it would be 6500.00 for two people in a 7A for Christmas. That means for my family of grown children and spouses we would be looking at about 20,000.00. I didn't book, and grumbled my way back to sleep. Then when I woke up, I looked at the price list thread, and saw the 4 night repositioning cruise that somebody else booked from Vancouver. My spirits soared! I booked it, and now feel satisfied. It's not Christmas, and it's not 7 nights, but because we live on the west coast, it's reasonable for us. I think with the prices, if we want to do DCL, we just have to make some choices. Thanks to everybody who got up early and posted the prices!

Hmmm, hoping for a 7a for Thanksgiving for 2 adults and a 15 year old...I know Christmas is higher priced, hopefully it is significantly higher, was hoping it would be under $6,000...will see tomorrow morning I guess when the TA we know books us.

 

[MissDaisyofTexas]

I don't know about the NYC cruises, but it has been cheaper for us to fly to Florida than take the cruises out of Galveston.

Same for us! We live about 6 hours away from Galveston. We hopped on the Magic in 2013 when there was a kids sail free offer and got on a 4-night cruise out of Galveston for about $1900 for all 5 of us. But the 2015 (and now the 2016) prices are much higher than comparable cruises out of Port Canaveral and Miami.

 

[Notyourtypicaldisney]

I have been seeing for years the basic law of economics go out the window. The more they charge the more demand for the product. This has happened at Disney especially. The parks are more crowded, the food prices are outrageous yet the lines stay long. Same thing in Vegas. I walk to the bar packed 3 deep to buy an $18 martini, $24 at Tao. There was no recession. Heck you pay 55k for a Tahoe these days and they can't keep them on the lot.

 

[DisneySisters]

Hmmm, hoping for a 7a for Thanksgiving for 2 adults and a 15 year old...I know Christmas is higher priced, hopefully it is significantly higher, was hoping it would be under $6,000...will see tomorrow morning I guess when the TA we know books us.

Better get yourself ready…check the cruise pricing thread. I don't want you to be shocked like I was this morning when I checked Christmas, and it looks like Thanksgiving is high too.

 

[HookedOnDCL1]

I booked the 8 Night New York cruise this morning. Exact same category (7A) and itinerary as we went on in 2012. The price increase for our family of 3 was $500. Not bad in my opinion, over 4 years. Also, coming from Canada we save the airfare.
I also priced a Carribbean cruise and adding airfare, the price was pretty much the same as New York.

Anything over the Christmas (or Spring Break) holidays is going to be much more expensive. My parents live in Florida and flights from Canada to Florida over the Christmas holidays are literally triple the price.

 

[Sanchez]

I have been seeing for years the basic law of economics go out the window. The more they charge the more demand for the product. This has happened at Disney especially. The parks are more crowded, the food prices are outrageous yet the lines stay long. Same thing in Vegas. I walk to the bar packed 3 deep to buy an $18 martini, $24 at Tao. There was no recession. Heck you pay 55k for a Tahoe these days and they can't keep them on the lot.

The best example I see on this forum is the cabanas. DCL raises the prices to ridiculous levels and it seems to create more demand. Reading threads here makes me believe that it is more of status thing. Posters talk about "snagging" (why do they always use the term snag?) a cabana like they won the lottery.

We were on another cruise line last year (another private beach stop) and noted that of the eight or ten cabanas only one was occupied.

DCL is a good cruise line with mediocre food, pretty good entertainment (if you like that type of entertainment), very good service, mediocre itineraries, excellent programs for children, and people dressed as characters. I think that the price far outweighs the product.

 

[Airship Ariadne]

Better get yourself ready…check the cruise pricing thread. I don't want you to be shocked like I was this morning when I checked Christmas, and it looks like Thanksgiving is high too.

I've been watching it...so far the quotes have been the higher tier rooms or lower...still seems like $6,000 is probable...which honestly, I almost think means we rethink...our last 7 day trip to WDW cost half of that with the driving, hotels on the way out and back, etc.

 

[preciouspups]

I agree, DCL is still worth it. Having said that, I did get a little disheartened at 6:00 AM this morning (after an hour on hold) to find out that it would be 6500.00 for two people in a 7A for Christmas. That means for my family of grown children and spouses we would be looking at about 20,000.00. I didn't book, and grumbled my way back to sleep. Then when I woke up, I looked at the price list thread, and saw the 4 night repositioning cruise that somebody else booked from Vancouver. My spirits soared! I booked it, and now feel satisfied. It's not Christmas, and it's not 7 nights, but because we live on the west coast, it's reasonable for us. I think with the prices, if we want to do DCL, we just have to make some choices. Thanks to everybody who got up early and posted the prices!

We wanted to do a Christmas cruise too and it was going to be $10,000 for the three of us. The funny thing is, my friend did it last year at a fraction of that cost and said the ship wasn't even close to full. She thought I had entered something wrong so she tried to book this Christmas and couldn't believe how much it was.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I cannot understand how such a significant price hike is warranted.

Because while you will not pay that price, plenty of others will.

i booked one, I'd like a DCL cruise next year and I'm tired of the Caribbean.

 

[River Country]

I have to chime in here. I was thinking about going on the DVC member cruise this August on the dream and for 4 adults and 1 child in 2 staterooms it would come to $8,015 without airfare. Now the reason it is that much is that only category left is 4D, 4C, 4B, and 4A. So what about supply and demand?

 

[HookedOnDCL1]

The best example I see on this forum is the cabanas. DCL raises the prices to ridiculous levels and it seems to create more demand. Reading threads here makes me believe that it is more of status thing. Posters talk about "snagging" (why do they always use the term snag?) a cabana like they won the lottery.

We were on another cruise line last year (another private beach stop) and noted that of the eight or ten cabanas only one was occupied.

DCL is a good cruise line with mediocre food, pretty good entertainment (if you like that type of entertainment), very good service, mediocre itineraries, excellent programs for children, and people dressed as characters. I think that the price far outweighs the product.

I have to respectfully disagree of your assessment of DCL. But I find your point about the cabanas very interesting! I never understood the draw myself.

While I would never book DCL at peak times, it can be affordable and comparable to other vacations at other times of the year. We recently paid less for our 2 week WBPC cruise than we paid for our 2 week all-inclusive Mexican vacation 8 years ago! And DCL has so much more for a family to do!!

 

[AquaDame]

I have to respectfully disagree of your assessment of DCL. But I find your point about the cabanas very interesting! I never understood the draw myself.

I'd try it at least once personally... people seem to LOVE them after all. The days are hot and long, so I'd like to nap on the beach but I can't when there are people running everywhere. The cruises that stop there tend to be short or sea day heavy as far as I can tell, so excursions in general are pretty cheap for us on those itineraries anyway. That said, of our last three cruises only one actually went to CC (we were still silver so I didn't even bother to try) and the next two we have booked won't either.

 

[MillauFr]

How does that make sense? They also have some of the highest cost of living.

I think the point is that DCL is becoming out of reach for all but the wealthiest of us. That doesn't really seem to be in line with Walt's vision of a place where children and parents could have fun together. I don't remember an * where he said just the rich people.

That was my point. There are many rich families living in NYC that can easily afford a Disney cruise. Maybe Disney should adjust prices based on your zipcode

 

[AquaDame]

That was my point. There are many rich families living in NYC that can easily afford a Disney cruise. Maybe Disney should adjust prices based on your zipcode

They already do a little. If you live close and aren't already paying out for expensive flights and such they cut you a deal...

 

[Dug720]

I'd try it at least once personally... people seem to LOVE them after all. The days are hot and long, so I'd like to nap on the beach but I can't when there are people running everywhere. The cruises that stop there tend to be short or sea day heavy as far as I can tell, so excursions in general are pretty cheap for us on those itineraries anyway. That said, of our last three cruises only one actually went to CC (we were still silver so I didn't even bother to try) and the next two we have booked won't either.

Serenity Bay!!

Never had people "running everywhere" there!

 

[JLMDisneyCruise]

I called this morning to get pricing for some of the DCL cruises out of NYC, and was totally disheartened with the experience. The DCL pricing has gotten completely out of control in the last 18-24 months, and at this point, we're priced out. Honestly, if I thought it was worthwhile, we probably could save up enough money for the cruises, BUT, the price point is so high that it's no longer worth it. I cannot understand how such a significant price hike is warranted.

For example, we just sailed the Westbound TA this past September. We had Category 4A cabins for 14 nights for a price that wasn't cheap (by any means), but was reasonable. In pricing a 7-8 night cruise out of New York, an INSIDE cabin (cat 10) was going to cost us more per person than the transatlantic. This is a cruise that's half as long in a cabin that's a good deal smaller, without a verandah, during the school year.

I'm sorry DCL, this loyal cruiser will not be sailing again in 2016, and I'm doubting that we will be on DCL again in the future unless there is some kind of change in the pricing. I love the product, but the pricing is out of control.

Same thing with Disney Resorts! I remember the days when with a discount I could get concierge for 150 bucks a night and the value resorts...get this....were a value at around 50 bucks! Disney gets what they ask for price wise, hey...I remember gas at .50 cents a gallon! Look how that has panned out