Priced out

[chimo2u]

My decision comes down to our vacation dollar and what it will get us. Last month our family of 3 (including grade school son) went on a 2 1/2 week safari in South Africa. This was 4 and 5 star lodges, all food/drink/alcohol included, with daily tips to our Safari guides, twice daily safari drives, plane transfers, international flight, absolutely all costs included... for $16k (the Rand is really cheap against the dollar right now). We spent nothing else out of pocket. This was also during spring break pricing.

Once in a lifetime insane experience compared against a Disney cruise it's really shocking to me. Comparing next March same time on the Fantasy-and looking at concierge since that's the closest level of service I could get to what we experience...$14,500...AND THATS ONLY 1 WEEK. (Comparing a b2b in a veranda is $12k and that doesn't include airfare/excursions/alcohol).

Before that trip I would have never imagined everything I could get -and after a bunch of Disney cruises i feel like I can adequately compare service and experience. When a DCL is the same price OR MORE than an African 4/5 star vacation we have jumped the mouse.

This sounds amazing!! which company did you go with for your safari? I am very interested in something like this. Is that all you do is go on the safari daily? or are there other activities you can choose / or other tours, etc....

 

[Bishoparc]

I'm not going to lie, I booked my first more than 4 day cruises yesterday and definitely got sticker shock. Our very first cruise (on any line) was last September on Disney. We fell in love with it and took another one in January, have one coming up the end of April, September, and November this year. The pricing/timing for a 3 night has worked out well for us on the Dream. I booked yesterday one of the Castaway double dip 5 nights and a 7 Night eastern Caribbean on the Fantasy for Sept. 2017. The 5 night on the Dream (with OBB) was almost as expensive as the 7 night on the Fantasy.

I think we'll probably stick with multiple 3 nighters in the coming years vs. any of the longer ones if we're going to stick with DCL. My quandary is, we "LOVE" Disney. We're Disney people so I don't know how much we'd enjoy a non-Disney cruise. Obviously we're never going to know till we try. It's just the DW and I and we don't drink or gamble so I don't know that we'd get much out of another line. We'll probably at least give Royal a try in late 2017/2018 but I've got too many DCL ones to pay off for right now lol.

 

[kodes]

The canadian dollar and DCL priced me out. DH is really not convinced that DCL is worth the premium we pay after our first cruise on the Wonder and I was hoping on trying DCL once more on the Dream or Fantasy before calling it quit for good with DCL but I don’t think it will happen. I just compared pricing with RCCL and it’s crazy! A 7 nights on the Fantasy 7/22 (Western) for 2A/2C cat 7A is 10 878$CDN. A 7 nights on Oasis 7/16 (Western) for 2A/2C for a better stateroom (oversized oceanview balcony) is 7689$CDN!!! Since we were not totally impressed by DCL in March, the choice is easy to make for us!

We booked for Aug 2017 on DCL for $8900 USD which is like $11,300 CDN.... same date cruise on RCCL (Oasis) was $6,900 CDN. I am having a bit of a tough time justifying it, but I've never cruised DCL and I will have a 4, 5, and 8 yo... I figure that when they are older they might appreciate the RCCL activities more but for now I still really want to do DCL (for myself as much as for them). Sigh.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Just remember, Kodes, on RCCL the rooms would be smaller, so you might need 2 staterooms instead of one. Also, at $22/day/person for a basic soda package on RCCL, you'd be paying $110 USD PER DAY just to be hydrated. For a 7 day cruise, that's $770 USD.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

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.

That's a bada** trip right there! I know which I'd choose for my $30k.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

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

Yep. And I take comfort in knowing all the people paying it isn't a bad thing for me as a stockholder.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

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

 

[tinkerone]

Just remember, Kodes, on RCCL the rooms would be smaller, so you might need 2 staterooms instead of one. Also, at $22/day/person for a basic soda package on RCCL, you'd be paying $110 USD PER DAY just to be hydrated. For a 7 day cruise, that's $770 USD.

when I was looking I did not find the rooms that much smaller, it was a matter of feet. also, where are you getting your soda package info from? that is wrong. the basic soda package is $8 per person per day. when I'm saving $2000 I'll gladly pay for a drink package.

http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/shared_assets/pdf/menus/beverage_packages.pdf

 

[Hundredacre]

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.

Don't even get me started on the characters and how difficult it is to even get near them. We've never even bothered because two of our children are not big on lines. But the one time we did want to see a "character"- Santa- last christmas- it was the beginning of the end with dcl for us. If you're going on a christmas cruise to see santa, don't bother, because it's not like in their little promotional video where santa is walking around the ship interacting with the kids. No, dcl rations santa to two rather brief showings of an hour or two, and there are no tickets with santa, so apparently if you want to see santa, you have to devote your entire day to it and get in line hours early. So if you get there only slightly early, the line is already scrolling out of the atrium, down the corridor, past the side triton's entrance almost to parrot cay. And just when you are about to hop onto the back of the line, you see the dreaded cast member you saw yesterday saying the same thing: that the santa line is cutoff. So you quickly shuffle your kids away and act like you will come back (even though you know this is Santa's last appearance) so that they won't be upset about not seeing santa, and tell your husband to keep it down because he's from a very expressive culture and is about to say what the....

 

[Bree]

Just remember, Kodes, on RCCL the rooms would be smaller, so you might need 2 staterooms instead of one. Also, at $22/day/person for a basic soda package on RCCL, you'd be paying $110 USD PER DAY just to be hydrated. For a 7 day cruise, that's $770 USD.

I posted this information in another thread yesterday......

Not really. On DCL website it can be deceiving since total square footage includes the verandah. Here are some comparisons with a Freedom class ship.

Freedom
Deluxe OV w/ Balcony (category E): 184 sq ft + 66 sq ft balcony = 250 sq ft
Superior OV w/ Balcony (category D): 199 sq ft + 65 sq ft balcony = 264 sq ft
Junior Suite w/ balcony (category JS): 297 sq ft + 94 sq ft = 391 sq ft

Dream
OV Stateroom w/ verandah (category 5): 246 sq ft
Family OV Stateroom w/ verandah (category 4A-4D): 299 sq ft
Concierge Family OV Stateroom w/ verandah (category V): 306 sq ft

And the soda package is $8 per person per day. The $22 package is the one that includes bottled water, bottled sparkling water, fresh squeezed juice at breakfast, specialty coffee (lattes, cappuccinos, frozen things, etc) & fountain soda and non-alcoholic mixed drinks. Unless it is spring break, RCCL really doesn't care if you carry on a case of water and you are allowed two bottles of wine per stateroom.

 

[kaseyC]

Also, at $22/day/person for a basic soda package on RCCL, you'd be paying $110 USD PER DAY just to be hydrated.

You're kidding, right? You don't need a soda package to stay hydrated... water is free. Also lemonade and iced tea are free.

 

[Bree]

oh! And many of the RCCL ships have those really cool Coke Freestyle machines!

 

[KashasMom]

We are considering royal.. how old was your daughter when she went?

She had just turned 6.

 

[KashasMom]

Just remember, Kodes, on RCCL the rooms would be smaller, so you might need 2 staterooms instead of one. Also, at $22/day/person for a basic soda package on RCCL, you'd be paying $110 USD PER DAY just to be hydrated. For a 7 day cruise, that's $770 USD.

Are people still trying to justify DCL prices by throwing out the old "but soda is FREE". How many sodas do you have to drink a day to cover $22? A heck of a lot more than I'd let any child drink!! We never buy a soda package nor do we drink soda on DCL so. I'm sure we're not the only ones.

Edit: Just read that the soda package is $8/day not $22 so original comment is even more far off.

 

[KashasMom]

We're kind of done with Disney. We have one last cruise - the Magic NYC-San Juan in November. We had an OBC and got a good deal (for DCL). We're doing a super Baltic on RCI this summer - the itinerary blows DCL's Baltic itinerary out of the water and for a fraction of the cost. I wasn't particularly impressed with any of the DCL itineraries released this week. The European cruises are so port-intensive that I just can't see the benefit of going with Disney. I'm sure there will be nights where we will be too tired to even go to the dining room. At least on RCI (unlike DCL) we can hit the buffet for a quick dinner. My daughter is outgrowing the characters/princesses and the shows don't change so not sure what we are getting any more. We went to Disneyland in Feb. and had a great time. We can always get our Disney fix at the parks. Maybe when the new ships come out and Disney has to fill those, their prices will come down to earth.

 

[ultimate_ed]

I hope we're not done with DCL, but this summer will be the test. We're sailing Alaska with RCCL as they offer a one way sailing from Vancouver to Seward. We're going to spend a few days after the cruise touring central Alaska. For the price that Disney was going to want for my family of four in one balcony, we're getting two balconies and one inside room for the four of us and my parents.

Next summer, we've got the Liberty booked out of Galveston with a short drive from my home. I also used our OBB that expires next summer to get the Fantasy for another sailing next summer. Even with drink packages on RCCL, it's going to be over $2000 less for a similar room plus not having to fly. Unless we just hate RCCL this summer, I expect we'll be canceling the Fantasy booking after we get back. But, man, the Fantasy is a great ship.

Truth be told, my kids are now both in their teens and we haven't waited for characters in several years. I actually think my wife and I may be more likely to sail with Disney again after we become empty nesters

 

[LivingforDisney]

Totally agree about the lines for characters, shows.

 

[Ofinn]

There are two 7 day European cruises which I consider to be reasonable by DCL standards. The 5/28 Baltic we can do a ocean view for 5,400 for the 4 of us or the med on Sept 2nd or 9th in an ocean view for 3,900. These would both be with an onboard booking discount. I don't find either one to be unreasonable. I may be able to find it cheaper on another cruise line, but we like DCL so this isn't outlandish. Of course they are both off season cruises. The 10 day Baltic and the 10 day med were double for the extra 3 days. NO THANKS. Every other European cruise was overpriced in my opinion. I would prefer a longer cruise, but I don't mind doing a shorter one and adding more time on land.

 

[Ofinn]

We're kind of done with Disney. We have one last cruise - the Magic NYC-San Juan in November. We had an OBC and got a good deal (for DCL). We're doing a super Baltic on RCI this summer - the itinerary blows DCL's Baltic itinerary out of the water and for a fraction of the cost. I wasn't particularly impressed with any of the DCL itineraries released this week. The European cruises are so port-intensive that I just can't see the benefit of going with Disney. I'm sure there will be nights where we will be too tired to even go to the dining room. At least on RCI (unlike DCL) we can hit the buffet for a quick dinner. My daughter is outgrowing the characters/princesses and the shows don't change so not sure what we are getting any more. We went to Disneyland in Feb. and had a great time. We can always get our Disney fix at the parks. Maybe when the new ships come out and Disney has to fill those, their prices will come down to earth.

The 7 day itinerary's are just ok, but like I said in my previous post we could combine it with a land week. If we do the Med in Sept we would probably fly to Germany after for Oktoberfest, and take the train to Salzburg . The Baltic we would probably visit Germany, Austria, Switzerland. I did price out RCI 11 and 12 day Baltic cruises I found the price to be high also. In the 9k range I can do a lot on land with 4k . The long cruises on any line just seem high to me...except Carnival their prices are great. Unfortunately Carnival is not in Europe next year.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

There are two 7 day European cruises which I consider to be reasonable by DCL standards. The 5/28 Baltic we can do a ocean view for 5,400 for the 4 of us or the med on Sept 2nd or 9th in an ocean view for 3,900. These would both be with an onboard booking discount. I don't find either one to be unreasonable. I may be able to find it cheaper on another cruise line, but we like DCL so this isn't outlandish. Of course they are both off season cruises. The 10 day Baltic and the 10 day med were double for the extra 3 days. NO THANKS. Every other European cruise was overpriced in my opinion. I would prefer a longer cruise, but I don't mind doing a shorter one and adding more time on land.

Regarding the price of the Sept 2017 cruises... I think that is interesting because I have pretty much the same cruise booked this year -- 7 night Med on 9/10/16 - and for 2A2K with an OBB credit the price is HIGHER. $4770 for a 9C OV. I believe those are opening day prices too. So now I'm thinking I paid too much...maybe I should do the trip in 2017 and save $800.