What can DCL do to make their pricing "worth it"?

[momof2n2]

IMO thats a better itinerary then DCLs Fantasy.

Well... I wasn't going to imply that, but...

 

[momof2n2]

But... you haven't been on any of them. Whatever happened to not judging things by their outward appearance? Personally, I would never buy a car based on looks, so I'm looking forward to actually giving another line a try despite also thinking the Princess (currently my frontliner since Celebrity isn't offering what we need in Alaska next year) ships are a bit drab on the outside.

My BFF and I did a 5-night on Princess last November. Yes - on the outside the ship just looked like a ship - but, wow. We had a great time.

Embarkation was flawless.
The pizza was delicious.
Their non-alcoholic drink package is the best I can find anywhere. (Includes mocktails and milk shakes.)
My bed was so comfortable.
My cabin steward was beyond excellent (never met our steward on Magic, but never had a problem).
The MDR food was outstanding, IMO, as was our dedicated server. He was class act. I missed rotating restaurants, but not enough to make it a deal breaker.
While you likely won't use it in Alaska, the uppermost sun deck was an uncrowded delight. It was close enough to the movie screen we could pay attn. if we wanted to, but not so in-your-face I couldn't nap.

I would do Princess in a heartbeat again with adults.

 

[AquaDame]

My BFF and I did a 5-night on Princess last November. Yes - on the outside the ship just looked like a ship - but, wow. We had a great time.

Embarkation was flawless.
The pizza was delicious.
Their non-alcoholic drink package is the best I can find anywhere. (Includes mocktails and milk shakes.)
My bed was so comfortable.
My cabin steward was beyond excellent (never met our steward on Magic, but never had a problem).
The MDR food was outstanding, IMO, as was our dedicated server. He was class act. I missed rotating restaurants, but not enough to make it a deal breaker.
While you likely won't use it in Alaska, the uppermost sun deck was an uncrowded delight. It was close enough to the movie screen we could pay attn. if we wanted to, but not so in-your-face I couldn't nap.

I would do Princess in a heartbeat again with adults.

This is what I keep hearing but I am trying to not get my hopes up... I know NCL is going to come in cheaper per person, so I am mentally preparing for my in laws to choose a different line. Regardless we have a good time traveling together so its going to be fun no matter what!

 

[Plaid Princess]

But you haven't been on any others to accurately compare, right?

Nope, but there's this awesome thing called the internet... it allows you to search for pictures and video of just about anything you like! This makes it very easy to see which ships are beautiful art-deco masterpieces, and which ones look like Vegas shopping malls inside!

 

[TifffanyD]

Nope, but there's this awesome thing called the internet... it allows you to search for pictures and video of just about anything you like! This makes it very easy to see which ships are beautiful art-deco masterpieces, and which ones look like Vegas shopping malls inside!

You don't have to be nasty - I was just asking. And seeing pics is not the same as being there. Enjoy your cruise - I hope it lives up to all of your preconceptions.

 

[AquaDame]

Nope, but there's this awesome thing called the internet... it allows you to search for pictures and video of just about anything you like! This makes it very easy to see which ships are beautiful art-deco masterpieces, and which ones look like Vegas shopping malls inside!

You don't have to be nasty - I was just asking. And seeing pics is not the same as being there. Enjoy your cruise - I hope it lives up to all of your preconceptions.

Even if it doesn't they won't know since it looked good online.

 

[EPCOTatNight]

Drop the price by about 25%. I am going on my 6th and probably last Disney Cruise next month. The biggest reason we're going is because my son loves Vibe so much. We love DCL, but not enough to keep doing the same iteniraries, and paying 2 and 3 times as much as other lines.

 

[Happy100]

I disagree... we don't have kids, but we've never considered any other cruise lines.

That is why I said "I think". That is my opinion which is what the OP asked for.

 

[squirk]

Drop the price by about 25%. I am going on my 6th and probably last Disney Cruise next month. The biggest reason we're going is because my son loves Vibe so much. We love DCL, but not enough to keep doing the same iteniraries, and paying 2 and 3 times as much as other lines.

Yeah, I don't see them doing that, ever. They might offer more discounts (with strings attached) if sales start to flag, but I don't think they'll ever cut base-rate fares across the board. That would be tantamount to admitting they are losing, which they don't generally do.

Rather, they will come up with creative promotions to make you think you are saving (or can save) money, but in reality, it's just a shell game where most families wind up paying the same amount as they were before. See: Free Dining or that idiotic proposed Bronze/Silver/Gold ticket pricing structure. Whoever came up with that latter idea really should be taken out back and shot.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

For me, they would need to focus on Disney Centric experiences.

How about:

Character meals - breakfast or lunch. They could do this as a free ticked event.
Disney Broadway shows - on a 4-7 night cruise, 1 actual broadway show.
Disney-fy all of the dining rooms - why not have BATB characters on a ledge around Lumiere'ss - better yet, make them animatronic and have them talk. Have Belle and the Beast come in and dance as a show in the middle of dinner. Every dining room could have special Disney touches so that it's not just a cute restaurant but a cute, DISNEY restaurant.
More deck parties and special events and theme nights. Why just Pirate night? Why not have Pixar night, Frozen night, Classics night, etc on all cruises or long (5-7 night) cruises?
Different experiences on the various cruises. If they are going to run the same itineraries, at least offer something different for each one. Have something individualized for 3 night, 4 night, 5 night and 7 night cruises. A specific Disney theme or experience that you can only get by sailing that ship, that many nights.
How about Star Wars Day, Avenger Day, etc more often? They own the brand, why limit the use to a few low season cruises.
More Disney specific foods - let's add in dole whips, mickey shaped pretzels and rice krispie treats, Epcot tasting items at the pool outlets that change day to day,
ESPN Sports bar onboard that has multiple tvs showing all major sports events covered by ESPN. Heck, lets add wings and nachos as free, consistent offerings available for a snack or lunch or casual dinner.
Better quality arts and crafts which aren't just paper and markers - how about design your own Disney mug or chef's hat/bag or beaded lanyard, keychain, etc.
More participation events that have small Disney themed prizes and enough availability/skill levels that more people can walk away with something at the end of cruise.

To me, the value of a Disney cruise isn't in the cruise part, it's in the Disney part. I love cruising other lines, the only thing that would make me return to Disney is Disney experiences I can't get on any other lines.

 

[perditax]

I suppose all I'll say is if you view all other cruise lines as "shopping mall" and "80s casino", aesthetically, you haven't been looking very hard. Which is fine, no one can force you to research, just don't make assertions phrased in the form of facts.

(Disclaimer: I don't care what the ships look like from outside all that much. I know DCL is supposed to have "classic lines" and that the Norwegian Epic is supposed to be externally hideous. That said, I prefer the modern/Euro decor in Norwegian's rooms to the pics I've seen of DCL's rooms, particularly the "primary colors" color scheme I've seen in some.)

 

[momof2n2]

I suppose all I'll say is if you view all other cruise lines as "shopping mall" and "80s casino", aesthetically, you haven't been looking very hard. Which is fine, no one can force you to research, just don't make assertions phrased in the form of facts.

(Disclaimer: I don't care what the ships look like from outside all that much. I know DCL is supposed to have "classic lines" and that the Norwegian Epic is supposed to be externally hideous. That said, I prefer the modern/Euro decor in Norwegian's rooms to the pics I've seen of DCL's rooms, particularly the "primary colors" color scheme I've seen in some.)

I've never picked a hotel for decor. It's usually price & location. Ship is about the same for me. (But I DID cry Uncle on a CCL cruise last year when I saw bunk beds in a room that looked gulag like. )

 

[squirk]

To be fair, I've watched a few Travel Channel shows about RCCL (in the interest of research), and while the rooms themselves look great and the technology seemed fantastic, I too walked away thinking the common areas had that "upscale mall" feel to them. Maybe it was the fault of those producing the shows and how it was shot/edited, but it came off as very glitzy, and almost as if they were putting stuff on the ship just for the sake of saying "Hey, look what we put on a ship! Bumper cars! Skydiving!".

As presented, it did not call to me. But I know that's a matter of personal taste and preference.

 

[perditax]

I cannot deny the mall-ness of the Oasis class RCCL ships, but I've assumed they're the exception. (in the interest of full disclosure, I keep forgetting RCCL exists during these convos; there's basically never been anything about them that sparked my interest or stood out.)

 

[egesicki]

For me I would like to see service be truly exceptional. Our one request last cruise in the MDR was for coffee to arrive with dessert and it didn't happen any night, but each night we did get the spiel on please rate at the top for excellent service. Rainforest could be free. Coke freestyle would be nice. Kids sail free or a promo like free bev or tips or palo would be nice. Cc double dip would be nice. Better obc and perks for castaway club would be good. We do appreciate the classic style, and also buy in to the idea the kids will be safe, don't mess with those. Put the Chihuly back on the Magic!

 

[eskimoinparadise]

IMO, the bloom is already off the rose, and Disney has effectively boxed themselves into a corner. Purely our perspective (YMMV), but when we sailed on Wonder for the first time in 2006, our first impression was that they did a good job copying the Princess and HAL ships we had sailed in the 80's and 90's. The problem with that was Disney copied a bit too much from those old classic ships - small pools, interiors that were mostly long hallways, a lot of deep wood tones that made the interior a bit dark (well appointed but dark). The experience, however, back in 2006 was marvelous. Everything that the majority of DIS posters say about the experience was indeed true - in 2006. We sailed Disney exclusively until 2010 (9 times), when they decided to pull Magic over to Europe. That left us "shipless", so we took a chance on RCL. Funny thing, as soon as we boarded the Freedom of the Seas and experienced all of the open and bright interior space and the massive pools, we spent most of the week saying to each other "this is what Disney needs to do" - over and over again. When we finally decided to go back "home" as DW calls Disney ships and did a 5-night on Magic this May, we were quite frankly disappointed in how far Disney's standards had fallen in 5 years - the ceiling in our balcony leaked, the room steward was virtually non-existent; maintenance's solution to the soggy carpet was to drop off two pairs of cheap DCL slippers so we could at least walk in our room; there was rust everywhere; all but one of the deck chairs on the promenade deck (where we used to just curl up on sea days and watch the world go by) was broken and hazardous to sit on unless you did it gingerly and didn't move too quickly. On the pool deck we walked by the same discarded trash three days in a row (it was in a corner, but clearly visible). The pools never opened before 9:30 in the morning and closed almost as soon as the sun went down. There was no more magical experience - just an old tired ship with a crew that seemed to be just going through the motions.

It's going to take more than a few fuzzy characters and a dining room that changes colors to get Disney back to where they were when they truly were a premier experience in a mainstream market. Now they're just an over-priced pretender sitting in a corner rocking back and forth mumbling to themselves "more pixie dust - we need more pixie dust"

We have one last Disney cruise booked for next October that will make us Platinum - we will bid a fond farewell to what used to be and what could have been, and just keep on keepin on.

 

[krisinparis]

Hmmmmm...... We have only sailed on Carnival, Princess and Disney, but here are my thoughts....... Princess has the best food. Disney should be able to step up the quality of their food. They definitely need to expand salads and other healthy dining options. I think they would make so many people happy if they just gave the popcorn away. Really, such a low low cost and it would go a long way good will-wise IMO. Some of the things I like about Disney- no casino-- for some reason it bothers me to have to walk through a huge casino when I'm on a non-Disney ship. I don't gamble, so I keep thinking what a waste of space it is. I do think Disney hires really good crews. Our servers and room attendants are usually awesome and they are always good with our kids and do little extras to entertain them. Probably the best thing about a Disney cruise-- the community of fellow Disney cruisers. On our last cruise we met so many people through our FB group and that is one of the things that made our cruise so special. We had private tasting events, went on some organized excursions, and generally ran into people we "knew" every day-- I think that is what it worth it to us.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I never want to hear the term Nickle and Diming anymore when comparing other cruise lines as Disney has it down to a science!

 

[phinz]

I disagree... we don't have kids, but we've never considered any other cruise lines.

We haven't either, but that's changing. I'm looking at all other cruise lines since Disney seems to think that making themselves "in line with other cruise lines" doesn't mean they need to lower their prices too.

It's going to take a lot after my December cruise to bring me back into the DCL fold.

 

[phinz]

I think they would make so many people happy if they just gave the popcorn away. Really, such a low low cost and it would go a long way good will-wise IMO.

I've never understood them charging for popcorn. I worked for a very, very, VERY large theatre chain for almost a decade. I heard more than once from people as high up as Senior VPs that popcorn and sodas had the largest margin of any of the refreshments they offered. We're talking in the 1000% plus range.

Then again, given their major money grabs recently, it really shouldn't surprise me that they do.