Rates have jumped quite a bit for 2005!

[Tiger926]

We were able to get a great rate on the May 2 Wonder (early booking, plus special offer from DCL webpage). We were able to travel this May as I am on leave, but I am returning to work this September, so I priced out cruises for July '05, as well as May '05 just as point of comparison. Wow! The exact cruise that we sailed on this year for 4 days, cat. 11 was $1200.55 DCL, and for next year it's $1802.55! No air, no insurance and no transfers. Being that we're Canadian, this really hurts! Forget July as the price jumps to over $1900.00!

I am assuming that Disney raised prices more than normal since the Magic is sailing on the West Coast, and so for those of us who want to sail on the East Coast, we are being charged a premium. My question is for those who travel DCL regularly (this was our 1st cruise and we'd like there to be more!):

1. How much do cruises increase each year?
2. Why the big price jumps for 2005?
3. Has the West Coast change caused prices to skyrocket?

Thanks, Tiger

 

[cruiseshiplover]

I know, the rates are higher. I booked the West Coast Disney Cruise as soon as they started taking reservations and it has already gone up $1,420 for my family of 3. I am glad I booked first thing!!!

 

[JC Butterfly]

I don't think Disney charged a "premium" for those who want to sail the east coast in 2005, they "premiumed" the west coast cruisers.

Some people have no interest in seeing the Mexican Riviera so if they were planning on a 7 day cruise for summer 2005, they are probably now taking a 3 or 4 day or possibly even back to back 3 &4 day to get the vacation they wanted.

The West Coast cruises are EXPENSIVE! So even if you were willing to relocate to the west coast, doesn't mean that you want to spend the money to do so.

The rumor about the Magic going west was prevalent long before it was actually available to book. That means that those who really were planning on a summer 2005 cruise made sure to book their Wonder vacation quickly!

It's hard to take advantage of "early booking savings" when everyone is trying to book for the same times as you and everybody was doing it at the same time!

There is another active thread about how much cruise prices have gone up over the last couple of years . . .supply and demand I guess . . . the more word gets out about how great Disney is, the less they have to offer special rates and deals.

I hope you are able to find a time to cruise that works out for you!

Perhaps consider some other holiday times to travel like Columbus Day 2005 (in October) or Martin Luther King Jr Day (January 2006) for some times that you wouldn't have to take much/any time off of work if it's already a long weekend.

Good luck!

 

[Memaw2Wm]

A few weeks ago I did got (and saved) a quote for a land/sea vacation for December 2005 ... went back last week and the price had jumped $400 or so ... YIKES!!!

 

[lilo62]

Ya gotta move fast - in the blink of eye, things change!

 

[Tiger926]

Thanks for the replies, but no one really answered my questions. As a yearly Disney visitor, owner of DVC and daily visitor to these boards, I am well aware of needing to book early (13 months is as early as we can book and that should be early enough!) and the West Coast change (we were onboard for the actual announcement as well). I was hoping that some of the regular cruise veterans could provide info on how much DCL rates normally increase each year, as next year's increases seem a bit higher than they should be. As my original post stated, I am a teacher, and therefore can only travel at certain times, plus I am Canadian, and therefore I don't celebrate US holidays, so I am very limited in regards to when I can book cruises. We are not going to pay almost 2x the price to travel in July, so it looks like we are just going to resort hop for 2 weeks instead. Although we loved our cruise, we can't justify 2x the price, plus adding currency exchange on top of that - ouch!

Tiger

 

[bobbiwoz]

To get a fairer picture of the increase, I think you have to compare this year's May prices with next year's May's prices, with each quote being one that was booked about the same time out, as far as it being early booking. Prices vary from week to week.
Even though some people do take their children out of school for vacations, many people don't and Disney takes advantage of them by charging more for the summer months. By August, some schools are back in, so the price starts to decline.

Have fun where ever you go next year!

Bobbi

 

[DrCavin]

Originally posted by bobbiwoz
To get a fairer picture of the increase, I think you have to compare this year's May prices with next year's May's prices, with each quote being one that was booked about the same time out, as far as it being early booking. Prices vary from week to week.
Even though some people do take their children out of school for vacations, many people don't and Disney takes advantage of them by charging more for the summer months. By August, some schools are back in, so the price starts to decline.

Have fun where ever you go next year!

Bobbi

Comparing May '04 to May '05 will not be a fair comparison, because the Magic will be on the West Coast. You would have to compare May '03 to May '04.

I think there are multiple reasons for the price increase; maybe Disney needs to accumulate funds for two new ships