Priced out

[mylittlebuttercup]

I haven't had time to read through this whole thread yet, so this may be a double post, but I just saw RCCL posted a blog post entitled "A Royal Caribbean primer for the Disney Cruise Line fan in sticker shock." That is brilliant marketing on their part!!!

 

[cgolf]

I do have to say what a difference six months makes. When I started a thread like this a while back, there were a lot of people still defending DCL and on some level asking those of us that were starting or posting on these threads negative things about price to leave the boards. Fast forward to now and there are some half hearted attempts to defend DCL now, but for the most part it seems even the most die-hard of DCL fan is either throwing in the towel or understanding of those that are choosing other lines and their need to vent about it with others.

 

[squirk]

We only discovered DCL recently and thus are "used" to the high prices haha.

We love Disney, but it is clear they are leaving the loyal fans behind in favor of a newer customer.

I think that's exactly it. The newer customer won't know how much prices have been jacked up and thus won't push back as much. But eventually, DCL will get to the point where even a new customer with little kids and no knowledge of cruise pricing trends will still balk, saying "Holy crap! No way I can pay that much for a vacation!".

I love DCL, but I admit that I look forward to them eventually being put in their place and having to eat crow.

 

[kathleendsm]

Are we literally priced out? No, we could afford to sail Disney, but like so many others, our cruise dollars can go to much better places. This spring for $1000 less than a verandah room on the Fantasy we sailed concierge on RCCL's Liberty out of Galveston and had an incredible experience on an amazing ship. We booked a Med cruise on RCCL's Freedom for June 2017, and I checked yesterday to see what Disney's prices were. More than $5000 more for a similar cabin (verandah non-concierge), and I just don't think that Disney's older ships can compare to any RCCL ship that is Freedom, Oasis or Quantum class in terms of experience and things to do.

So, with the money we're "saving" by sailing Royal next year, we're able to take a Thanksgiving trip to Aulani and get a Disney fix that way. I'll take my Disney experiences on land and enjoy other ships at sea now.

 

[ZerasPride]

I don't know whether to laugh or cry about DCL prices right now. Used our OBB to book a 7 night on the Fantasy for September 2, 2017. After 10% discount and $58 to bring our deposit up to $300 the balance is $3100 for a balcony 5A stateroom. DH does not love Disney the way I do so to be fair I priced a RCCL Oasis cruise for November of 2017 (our anniversary) and was shocked to see that we can stay in a junior suite during Thanksgiving week leaving from Port Canaveral for $128 less! I just don't know if we can pass that up. I'm a Disney fan through and through. Even wearing my Disney Pandora earrings to work today. Been a DVC member for 15 years -- but this -- I think as so many others on this thread -- Disney has lost it. There are so many other options. Maybe sailing with the unknown will be fun. It certainly would be cheaper and more luxurious.

 

[kaseyC]

None of those things you mentioned makes an 11 day cruise to the Baltics worth $15,000 for 2 rooms cat. 11 (which we were just quoted). We could afford this but why when we can take this money any go on 3 RCCL cruises on ships just as nice. I love DCL as much as anyone but this is out of control.

I agree. Port intensive cruises like the Baltic, Med and Alaska cruises are all about the ports. We did our Baltics cruise a few years ago. It was a 9 night on the NCL Star in a two bedroom concierge suite. A one bedroom suite on DCL for a Baltic cruise would have been 30K+ for just the cruise. For less than 30K, we sailed the Disney Magic EBTA to Barcelona, flew to Copenhagen and spent a few days pre cruise in Copenhagen. Sailed NCL 9 night Baltic with all private tours. After cruise flew to Paris, rented an apartment for the week, private tours and a day trip to DLP. A 32 night European adventure for under 30K plus we got our Disney fix on the EBTA...to be fair let me add that all flights were booked using my DH's United miles but everything else was paid for out of pocket.

 

[Prose]

I haven't had time to read through this whole thread yet, so this may be a double post, but I just saw RCCL posted a blog post entitled "A Royal Caribbean primer for the Disney Cruise Line fan in sticker shock." That is brilliant marketing on their part!!!

Just for accuracy's sake - the post was on the Royal Caribbean Blog, an unofficial fan blog run by Matt Hochberg, formerly of the WDWToday podcast. It's not affiliated with RCCL.

 

[FJS961]

We have seen this every time they release the next batch of sail dates but this time, at least for some sailings, the increases seem even higher.

Agree with all the comments on pricing. I've been sad and done some calculations on the EBTA for the last 4 years:

$1771 for 2 adults cat 11b 2014 (14 nights)
$1843 for 2 adults cat 11b 2015 (15 nights)
$1820 for 2 adults cat 11b 2016 (14 nights)
$3392 for 2 adults cat 11b 2017 (15 nights)

Now what has happened here? Really still shocked it was so high this time. If DCL are having to discount so many cruises this summer why price so high next summer?

Same story, old story
Supply and demand
As long as folks pony up these fares and the ships fill, they will keep pushing the envelope

 

[bethy]

We have seen this every time they release the next batch of sail dates but this time, at least for some sailings, the increases seem even higher.




Same story, old story
Supply and demand
As long as folks pony up these fares and the ships fill, they will keep pushing the envelope

Wow, seeing those prices laid out like that makes me wish we had discovered DCL so much earlier. I cannot imagine paying that little for a cruise!

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

We've decided to move on from DCL as well, we just can't justify the prices any longer. For the same price as a 1 week Fantasy cruise in June, we're doing 8 days on the Mediterranean on Carnival Vista and we bought 4 annual passes to Disneyland. We get to spend a week there in October included in our savings. We can drive from AZ to Orange County in 5.5 hours so we're taking weekend trips every 6-8 weeks.

This doesn't mean I'll never sail DCL again, but it will probably just be for special occasions or if a great deal comes along.

 

[cedricandsophie]

We had our travel agent book three cabins yesterday for 7 people. One ocean view, two inside cabins on the June 28 2017 fantasy 10 day cruise. Total came to about 25000 without air. That's more than we paid for the Greek isles cruise or Norway, both with 7 people. We have an adult disabled daughter and her best friend who still love the Disney cruise. And we love to bring other family. We like to take the family on a trip every year. And while we can afford it, it's getting harder and harder to justify

 

[Bree]

Here's the link to that blog....

http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2...imer-the-disney-cruise-line-fan-sticker-shock

 

[justafigment27]

We just got off the Fantasy last week. Going into the cruise, I knew that the only possible cruise we would be interested in booking onboard would be a 7 night Alaskan. But after a week on a ship with 3800 passengers, I just grew very weary of the extreme crowds on the pool decks and long lines & crowds for all the "special" Disney stuff. There are no little tricks to avoiding the lines and crowds - it seems that all cruisers were seasoned Disney theme park guests and were prepared to arrive extremely early for every character meet and save all the seats they could possibly need on the pool deck and for the shows. We ultimately just gave up and settled for good enough - we stood in line for two character photos, only attempted the pools & aquaduck at night and by the time the SWDAS deck part rolled around, I was the only person in my family willing to brave the crowds for fireworks viewing - everyone else opted for a movie in the stateroom.

So, DH & I decided that the Disney premium just wasn't going to be worth it for Alaska, since we really weren't taking advantage of the Disney specific stuff anyway. Ultimately, we did not book a placeholder.

I readily admit to feeling a bit of regret when the new itineraries were announced - the last cruise put me into gold status and it was so hard to resist the urge to call for a quote on the 13th. I kept thinking "maybe" b/c I have this strange affinity for Disney travel products even when I KNOW they aren't the best option for our family. Alas, I checked prices yesterday and all of my regret at not having that placeholder vanished. $11,885 for our family to sail in a 5B to Alaska in late June. It rendered me speechless.

I actually feel liberated and no longer dedicated to DCL. I feel like my options have exploded. So, I guess I'm happy with these prices ... they are so beyond what I'm willing to pay that any doubts about using another cruise line for our future Alaskan cruise have completely vanished.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

Just for accuracy's sake - the post was on the Royal Caribbean Blog, an unofficial fan blog run by Matt Hochberg, formerly of the WDWToday podcast. It's not affiliated with RCCL.

Oops! It's a good idea on this guy's part then; I bet it will get him more traffic to his blog!

 

[jahber]

We just got off the Fantasy last week. Going into the cruise, I knew that the only possible cruise we would be interested in booking onboard would be a 7 night Alaskan. But after a week on a ship with 3800 passengers, I just grew very weary of the extreme crowds on the pool decks and long lines & crowds for all the "special" Disney stuff. There are no little tricks to avoiding the lines and crowds - it seems that all cruisers were seasoned Disney theme park guests and were prepared to arrive extremely early for every character meet and save all the seats they could possibly need on the pool deck and for the shows. We ultimately just gave up and settled for good enough - we stood in line for two character photos, only attempted the pools & aquaduck at night and by the time the SWDAS deck part rolled around, I was the only person in my family willing to brave the crowds for fireworks viewing - everyone else opted for a movie in the stateroom.

So, DH & I decided that the Disney premium just wasn't going to be worth it for Alaska, since we really weren't taking advantage of the Disney specific stuff anyway. Ultimately, we did not book a placeholder.

I readily admit to feeling a bit of regret when the new itineraries were announced - the last cruise put me into gold status and it was so hard to resist the urge to call for a quote on the 13th. I kept thinking "maybe" b/c I have this strange affinity for Disney travel products even when I KNOW they aren't the best option for our family. Alas, I checked prices yesterday and all of my regret at not having that placeholder vanished. $11,885 for our family to sail in a 5B to Alaska in late June. It rendered me speechless.

I actually feel liberated and no longer dedicated to DCL. I feel like my options have exploded. So, I guess I'm happy with these prices ... they are so beyond what I'm willing to pay that any doubts about using another cruise line for our future Alaskan cruise have completely vanished.

Welcome to the other side! I would call it the Dark Side, but Disney bought that, too

 

[tinkerone]

Welcome to the other side! I would call it the Dark Side, but Disney bought that, too

LOL!!

 

[chik1987]

So I just want to add we are planning our first Disney Cruise for October 2017. The ONLY reason we are doing Disney is because during the off season price isn't *that* bad and I have really really really wanted a Disney wedding and the cruise wedding is the cheapest way to get it. I'm fairly certain this will be our one and only Disney cruise. We won't be able to take the kids out of school every year (we are making an exception for the wedding lol) to cruise the cheaper times. We have started looking into possibly booking Alaska for 2019 and I'm thinking Princess or Holland will get our cruise money for that. As the kids are older (they will be 10 and 12 when we cruise next year) I just can't justify thousands more for a mouse.

 

[jahber]

So I just want to add we are planning our first Disney Cruise for October 2017. The ONLY reason we are doing Disney is because during the off season price isn't *that* bad and I have really really really wanted a Disney wedding and the cruise wedding is the cheapest way to get it. I'm fairly certain this will be our one and only Disney cruise. We won't be able to take the kids out of school every year (we are making an exception for the wedding lol) to cruise the cheaper times. We have started looking into possibly booking Alaska for 2019 and I'm thinking Princess or Holland will get our cruise money for that. As the kids are older (they will be 10 and 12 when we cruise next year) I just can't justify thousands more for a mouse.

And *I* want to add that there's no reason to feel like you need to justify paying these prices--I'm not assuming you're feeling like you need to, but I know there has been a lot of griping from some of us die-hards lately. If anyone can afford it and wants to go, go and have fun! We love DCL. Love it. We would go again in a heartbeat if the prices went back to what we have grown accustomed to. I don't want anyone to feel like they aren't getting a good deal or aren't going to have a good time just because some of us have moved on. We are all adults and we can decide for ourselves what a "good deal" is. It's just that for a couple of years now we have been told we are wrong in saying DCL isn't the very best cruise line ever in the whole world, full stop. Amen.

 

[chik1987]

And *I* want to add that there's no reason to feel like you need to justify paying these prices--I'm not assuming you're feeling like you need to, but I know there has been a lot of griping from some of us die-hards lately. If anyone can afford it and wants to go, go and have fun! We love DCL. Love it. We would go again in a heartbeat if the prices went back to what we have grown accustomed to. I don't want anyone to feel like they aren't getting a good deal or aren't going to have a good time just because some of us have moved on. We are all adults and we can decide for ourselves what a "good deal" is. It's just that for a couple of years now we have been told we are wrong in saying DCL isn't the very best cruise line ever in the whole world, full stop. Amen.

Oh no i'm not saying I need to justify it at all. I want what I want and like everyone else I'm willing to pay up to a certain price for it. Going into planning this cruise I knew you paid a premium for a Disney experience and I believe at least for us there is a time and a place for that premium being worth it. I've learned so much through this board and doing research that I think maybe if I didn't have these resources I would stick with Disney just because it would be what I know. But being able to research out the cruise experience its easier to see what value your getting for what you want and that is different for everyone. I can see people for whatever reason thinking Disney is the end all be all of cruising and no matter what the price Disney charges they will continue to cruise them. And that fine as long as you feel you are getting your moneys worth for what you want great! I just know that for us it will probably be a one and done deal and if we decide to cruise again (since disney will also be our first cruise ever) I won't necessarily not look at Disney but I won't be hesitant to look elsewhere either.

 

[kaseyC]

they are so beyond what I'm willing to pay that any doubts about using another cruise line for our future Alaskan cruise have completely vanished.

There are so many better Alaska itineraries on other cruise lines. For 11K+ quoted for Disney Alaska, you could do a Princess cruise tour which includes the 7 night cruise (including Glacier Bay NP) plus a land stay that includes Anchorage/Fairbanks and the Princess Lodges at Denali.