Riddle me that; cruise sales everywhere...

[mevelandry]

If you read what the OP (me) said in his post... "Riddle me That..." The meaning of my statement is this is puzzling.

Riddle me that is an idiom that means: Go ahead and try to explain that to me. It trades upon the secondary meaning of riddle which is to solve or explain to someone. So essentially when someone says "Riddle me that (or this)" they are saying: I find the statement (Post) I just made to be puzzling to the point where I consider it to be a riddle. Go ahead and try to explain it to me." When someone says that, they typically don't expect an answer to be easily forthcoming."

This was not meant to be a degrading post, it was meant to provide insight into what I find puzzling. The responses turned it into a negative post.

I'll quote you: "as other cruise lines seem to have "going out of business" sales year round, DCL prices go up.", "I find it fascinating DCL smiles in the wake of other lines basically giving away their product".

As I previously mentioned in another comment, those comments sound like you were suggesting that the reason why other cruise lines prices are so low is because they are on the verge of bankruptcy.

 

[JimGA]

I'll quote you: "as other cruise lines seem to have "going out of business" sales year round, DCL prices go up.", "I find it fascinating DCL smiles in the wake of other lines basically giving away their product".

As I previously mentioned in another comment, those comments sound like you were suggesting that the reason why other cruise lines prices are so low is because they are on the verge of bankruptcy.

That is the part of the riddle, that it is puzzling to me, they can "give away" their product for a lack of a better term and still make a profit, hence the purpose of the post, it is puzzzling to me. They lower while DCL raises.

 

[JimGA]

Well did your riddle get answered. I found the part where you said other cruise are giving their product away to be a little degrading. I think the people that pay thousands to cruise those other lines wouldn't agree with you on that. Try asking that question at cruise critic on the Royal or Carnival board. I'm sure you'll get lots of nice responses.

Its a riddle that really has no answer, it is almost a rhetorical question in nature, there is no right or wrong answer except when people misinterpret the "riddle" in the first place. The puzzling part is very that, other cruise lines lower prices and still post a profit while DCL continues to raise. Is has nothing to do with with anything other than just that, it is puzzling. Now other people responses and responses to those responses took this post to an inflammatory level. If people would just read what the OP posted and not make assumptions, and actually google the term "riddle me that" and read what it means, they would understand that no offense is intended, it is a puzzling concept.

 

[cgolf]

That is the part of the riddle, that it is puzzling to me, they can "give away" their product for a lack of a better term and still make a profit, hence the purpose of the post, it is puzzzling to me. They lower while DCL raises.

Actually, unless someone works for a cruise line we have no clue what the profit margins really are. To your riddle, it is all about marketing. They use the sale tag to get people thinking that they are getting a good deal by booking now. As I said somewhere else on this thread, our next RCCL cruise has seen a few sales now and the cost difference was in the tens of dollars.

We have gotten a deal or two on a DCL trip by booking late for an IGT rate, so they do have sales, they just aren't as flashy as other lines. The marketing departments at these lines all take a different approach and it seems to be working across the board. The cruising industry is doing pretty good right now.

 

[wombat_5606]

That is the part of the riddle, that it is puzzling to me, they can "give away" their product for a lack of a better term and still make a profit, hence the purpose of the post, it is puzzzling to me. They lower while DCL raises.

Well, you can quit saying they are giving away their product, for a start. It isn't any bargain to sail on these cruise ships, either.

Most of the other cruise lines have been around before Disney came into the picture. I'm fairly confident it's just the way they appeal to their buyer and make sales.

Disney isn't just a cruise. It's an emotional experience and plenty of people buy into the hype. It's a niche market and Disney can jack up the price because there are millions of parents who must take their kids on a Disney cruise, willing to pay anything so they can have this experience.

There are things that might be great when you sail with Disney on any given cruise. There are things that might not be on any given cruise. People can get so tied up in the emotion of a Disney cruise. You have it yourself......you're in the honeymoon phase. Just like a marriage....it may last, it may not once you've experienced the good and the bad long enough. Come back and post when you've done 12-15 cruises and 10 years down the road.

People also assume everyone loves Disney on the DISboards. I'm sure there are lots of people, but it's not everyone. A lot of people have just booked a cruise and found this board to come to for answers as to how a Disney cruise works.

So, if you want to go on a nice cruise and get some price relief, try one of the other cruise lines. I have been on 6 other cruise lines (with cruises in the double digits) and I've never had a bad one. There are actually lots of things about the others I prefer. (I guarantee you, the food will be better on any other one you choose.)

I still look for a Disney cruise that suits my timeframe, my interest and my money. If all of those needs aren't met, I shop around.

 

[Sanchez]

That is the part of the riddle, that it is puzzling to me, they can "give away" their product for a lack of a better term and still make a profit, hence the purpose of the post, it is puzzzling to me. They lower while DCL raises.

Your backpedaling aside, there is nothing puzzling about it. What it means is that DCL is profiting much more for a similar product. You are certainly welcome to pay the premium and there is no need to defend your choice.

On Sunday I booked the Royal Princess for a 10 day cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale on December 20 (next month.) Balcony room for $999pp. Amber Cove, St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Barbados, Martinique, Antigua.

To compare, I just looked at the Disney Fantasy for a 7 day cruise out of PC on December 23. No balcony available, but I could get an oceanview for $3,493pp. Castaway Cay, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Castaway Cay.

I can get better food, better/similar service, better (by far) itinerary, and a longer trip on Princess on an equivalent ship (and I have been on Fantasy so I can compare.) On Disney we get characters (for two adults not important at all) and two stops at CC where, unfortunately, it will be too cold to swim. Basically, for $5,000 you get characters, Disney shows (which are good) and soda.

Per night:

Princess: $200 (balcony)
DCL: $1,000 (oceanview)

 

[wombat_5606]

@JimGA - Disney "gives away their cruises", too. It's just that they won't give it away to you and me, because if they did that, they wouldn't ever get you to pay the inflated price.

 

[mevelandry]

That is the part of the riddle, that it is puzzling to me, they can "give away" their product for a lack of a better term and still make a profit, hence the purpose of the post, it is puzzzling to me. They lower while DCL raises.

For what it's worth, I've been following prices for different itineraries (Bahamas, Western Caribbean and Bermuda) with Carnival and RCCL since the beginning of 2016... They did not get lower: they did get a little bit higher... But no major jump.

 

[mrswillson]

@JimGA - Disney "gives away their cruises", too. It's just that they won't give it away to you and me, because if they did that, they wouldn't ever get you to pay the inflated price.

Precisely.

Riddle me this: why do Disney "connoisseurs" waste time asking how Disney can continually raise their prices when they themselves are the demographic willingly supporting the increase with their pocketbooks, no questions asked?

 

[wombat_5606]

Riddle me this: why do Disney "connoisseurs" waste time asking how Disney can continually raise their prices when they themselves are the demographic willingly supporting the increase with their pocketbooks, no questions asked?

I vote this this winning post of the year!

 

[Jess_S]

From what I’ve been told most ships on the other main lines (HAL, Celebrity, NCL, RCL and Carnival) leave Port having lost money. The money paid By the guest to be on the ship does not cover the cost of running the ship for that cruise. The cruise lines make their money from:

Alcohol
Casino
Speciality dining
Onboard shopping
Port activities.

Disney makes their money from the cruise price. So in the end you could be paying more upfront for Disney but spend the same amount if your drop 1000 or more on all the other expenses.

I know I'm on page 5 responding to something way back on page 1, but I have definitely found what you say here to be true Lesverts. I sailed with HAL and NCL multiple times before my first DCL cruise. My bill on my last NCL cruise was higher than on my last DCL cruise because of the extras. I'm not angry about it (a theme when people discuss NCL is nickle and diming) because I knew what the extra charges on NCL would be when I bought my cruise. But I don't think DCL is necessarily more expensive than other lines if you add all of the costs associated with the cruise together.

Having been a loyal NCL cruiser, I also know that DCL is not alone in perceived declining value. On any board about any cruise line, you'll find lots of people discussing how their cruise line of choice is not as good as it used to be. I'm not saying that I'm okay with DCL cutting things. I want as much as possible for my money and there is frankly a point where DCL could drop below an acceptable level of service for me and I wouldn't consider them as a vacation option. I'm just pointing out that this is an industry-wide issue.

 

[AquaDame]

OK, I think we are done here... many of these posts aren't particularly friendly from either side despite asking to keep it nice. I am going to close this thread like the others.