Time to BRAG and ask a question.

[Larry]

I am very happy, and very sad, to say we have booked our next cruise for 2019. This makes me happy. We are doing the repositioning cruise from San Juan to Port Canaveral. We are staying in the Walter E Disney Suite. This makes me VERY HAPPY, but my little girl can not go on this trip because of here school. This makes me VERY VERY SAD.

Okay enough of the bragging. Now for the question.
Why is this cruise so cheap compared to other Disney cruises? Is it because it is a repositioning cruise? Is it because it is from San Juan? Or is it because it is in February? Or am I just way off base?

We have done this cruise before, not in the Walt suite, and I don't remember it being this inexpensive. Any Ideas?

Okay, back to BRAGGING. We are in the Walt Suite...

 

[Larry]

Oops, forgot to mention, after the cruise we are going to WDW and we are staying at the Poly.

 

[aggiedog]

I'm thinking you answered your question "can not go on this trip because of school." Cruises during school terms are cheaper. I'd also guess maybe PR is not as desirable of a destination right now. As for other factors, who knows?

Congrats on your upcoming trip.

 

[chamberlain]

We are on that cruise as well and was pleasantly surprised on the price too. So sorry you can't make it. We are looking forward to spending a few days in San Juan before sailing. I wish we were staying at the Poly afterwards. That would make the vacation even more incredible.

 

[apathetic]

All of the above. A lot of repositioning cruises aren't popular, so they can be cheap. Since it is during the school year, it is cheap. Probably San Juan has something to do with it, but I don't think that matters as much as the previous two. It may get popular over the year and the price will go up. These are some of the hidden gems if you really like cruising with Disney and don't care as much about the destinations.

 

[Jess_S]

The cruise from San Juan that we booked and had to cancel for a reason not relevant to your question was half the price of the cruise from port Canaveral we are doing next year. So I think people not wanting to fly to PR is a factor for some people.

 

[dcassetta]

I am very happy, and very sad, to say we have booked our next cruise for 2019. This makes me happy. We are doing the repositioning cruise from San Juan to Port Canaveral. We are staying in the Walter E Disney Suite. This makes me VERY HAPPY, but my little girl can not go on this trip because of here school. This makes me VERY VERY SAD.

Okay enough of the bragging. Now for the question.
Why is this cruise so cheap compared to other Disney cruises? Is it because it is a repositioning cruise? Is it because it is from San Juan? Or is it because it is in February? Or am I just way off base?

We have done this cruise before, not in the Walt suite, and I don't remember it being this inexpensive. Any Ideas?

Okay, back to BRAGGING. We are in the Walt Suite...

Low season, one-way repositioning, departing from a port that is more expensive to fly into, only a 4 night are all reason why this cruise would be cheaper than a longer, in-season, closed-loop cruise.

 

[Racer X]

Just out of curiosity what did the Suite run you?

 

[YawningDodo]

The cruise from San Juan that we booked and had to cancel for a reason not relevant to your question was half the price of the cruise from port Canaveral we are doing next year. So I think people not wanting to fly to PR is a factor for some people.

Yep, it's flight prices that have steered me away from even considering any of the cruises in and/or out of San Juan. It costs nearly as much as flying to Europe from where I live, so even though the cruise itself is cheaper it's still more cost effective for me to cruise out of Florida or Texas.

 

[arlopop]

Repositioning cruises are (almost) always less expensive than normal cruises. The ship has to move, whether passengers are aboard or not. So it behooves Disney to fill the ship, even at a lower than normal fare. Because they are designed to move the ship they tend to be between seasons (usually during school) and they are less port-intensive, which discourages a lot of sales.
When you look at the TAs or PCs they are usually very inexpensive relative to the number of days cruising.
We find that to be a great bargain as we much prefer sea days in general to port days.

 

[CM Dad]

Just out of curiosity what did the Suite run you?

Not sure which cruise the poster is on, but I do see a 4 night from PR on 2/3/2019. The Royal suites aren't available, but a Concierge 2 bedroom suite for 2 adults shows as 6429.24

In 2015, I was able to book the Walt suite for my wife's 60th birthday on a 5 night cruise out of Miami. It was less than $6K for the two of us. That is the only time we have done concierge. That cruise ended up costing me more, after I added our adult son to the Walt suite and booked 3 more non-concierge stateroom to take our 3 daughters and their families as a surprise for my wife.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I think it's for all the reasons already mentioned. It's only 4 nights, it's out of PR and it's not during a school break. I just checked pricing and for my family of 3, we could stay in a two-bedroom concierge stateroom on that cruise for less than half of what we paid for a Cat V on the Fantasy western Caribbean itinerary during a March spring break. Plus, flying into PR would cost us a ton more than flying into PC. I don't think it's a very attractive cruise for a lot of people, but they have to move the ship so they'll try to get people on there willing to offset some of their costs!

 

[Larry]

Sorry, I have been very busy. Not much time to play, have to earn the money to pay for this trip.
The cost for the Walt Suite was just about 8K. So looking forward to it.

 

[Racer X]

No worries... thanks for the reply. Have a blast and give Uncle Walt our regards