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

[TifffanyD]

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.

They sell bagged popcorn which is probably more expensive and definitely not as good. If only they had a popcorn machine on board!

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Carnival gives popcorn away for free...When you watch a movie outside

Just saying.

 

[AquaDame]

Maybe they're worried if its free people are more likely to make a mess with it...? I know I always seem to drop kernels here and there on accident. ^^;

 

[Belle1997]

I would like Disney to have an accessible path to the ocean for those with mobility issues. How sad it is to see people who want to get to the ocean and can't. The beach chairs are very hard to push in the sand so many do not even try to use them. The accessible beach mats are used all over the world. Why Disney will not make an accessible path to the beach I do not understand. The have the money and the creativity to make it look beautiful so all people could enjoy Castaway Cay.

 

[smiths02]

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.

Some of this would work for us.

 

[lds0191]

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.

We were on the Magic in March and had a wonderful experience. We did have an AC leak in our cabin but it was fixed within 10 minutes of reporting the issue. Later that day we returned to the cabin and there was a very nice bottle of wine with an apology for our inconvenience. The food was wonderful and I did see a big improvement over the last couple of years. For the first time I splurged and booked a verandah and it was in great shape. There was one small rusty spot, but I live by the water and I know that rust is something that is a continuous problem. Our cabin steward was top notch, the performers in the shows were excellent and I think the ship looked great. The crew was always cleaning and touching up paint. I would like to see a different style of loungers on Deck 4 as the current chairs are hard to get in and out of, especially for the older crowd. However, they were in good condition from what I could tell. The buffet was crowded, as usual and the food was not any different than previous cruises. It would be nice to see some new dishes at the buffet. All in all, I believe this was the best cruise yet and we have booked a Christmas Cruise on the Magic. The Christmas cruise will be my 11th and looking forward to experience Christmas Disney Style! Perhaps a change over in crew, previous cruisers, etc., could explain different experiences for different cruises.

 

[kaseyC]

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.

They can't give free popcorn to the masses, that's a concierge only perk!

 

[squirk]

Popcorn is one of those deals that would cost DCL a teeny tiny bit more to offer for free, but I suspect that perk would pay for itself many times over in terms of good will.

That having been said, I wonder if they charge for it to keep everyone from grabbing bucket after free bucket and making a mess all over the ship.

 

[yorkieteacher]

I would have to agree with a PP that they would need to provide practically concierge level service to all customers to justify the price difference. My wife and I are huge Disney fans ever since we were young, but if it weren't for last minute VGT pricing for the cruises out of Galveston (1hr from home), we wouldn't take a DCL cruise for the prices they charge. If it's so vitally important to have the characters, etc...I would hazard a guess that with the $$ you save by cruising with another line, you could spring for a trip to the parks.

This is our feeling exactly=we want to see how our adult kids like cruising and how our grandson likes the characters-then we will either do a cruise on another line out of Port Canaveral plus a Disney park.

 

[DISGRL13]

I pay more because of Disney's cleanliness.

YES!! The cleanliness is one of the main reasons we keep coming back. I really appreciate the extra mile DCL goes to keep everything clean. ( I can think of nothing worse than being quarantined to my room because of a norovirus outbreak.)

 

[eskimoinparadise]

We were on the Magic in March and had a wonderful experience. We did have an AC leak in our cabin but it was fixed within 10 minutes of reporting the issue. Later that day we returned to the cabin and there was a very nice bottle of wine with an apology for our inconvenience. The food was wonderful and I did see a big improvement over the last couple of years. For the first time I splurged and booked a verandah and it was in great shape. There was one small rusty spot, but I live by the water and I know that rust is something that is a continuous problem. Our cabin steward was top notch, the performers in the shows were excellent and I think the ship looked great. The crew was always cleaning and touching up paint. I would like to see a different style of loungers on Deck 4 as the current chairs are hard to get in and out of, especially for the older crowd. However, they were in good condition from what I could tell. The buffet was crowded, as usual and the food was not any different than previous cruises. It would be nice to see some new dishes at the buffet. All in all, I believe this was the best cruise yet and we have booked a Christmas Cruise on the Magic. The Christmas cruise will be my 11th and looking forward to experience Christmas Disney Style! Perhaps a change over in crew, previous cruisers, etc., could explain different experiences for different cruises.

I fully understand why your experience would be different than ours. We were away from Disney for 5 years, and during that time we did ~30 cruises on three other cruise lines. Quite a few were on ships of the same vintage as the Wonder and Magic. So, we had several points of comparison including what the Magic was like the last time we sailed her in January 2010, how ships from other lines were maintained over the same time frame, and how we were treated by cruise staff across all of those lines. As I said, YMMV, but for us Disney's standards have significantly eroded from when we first sailed them in 2006 to when we last sailed them in May. We used to compare the other lines to our Disney experiences - and based on our past history with the line, Disney usually came out ahead. That has changed for us. Now when we compare Disney to our experiences on other cruise lines, at best they are equivalent what we experience on other lines. It's very sad, because at one time they set the standard for mainstream cruise lines. Now, they're just standard

 

[saraheli]

OBB should be offered for concierge level guests as well. Why can't we reap the benefit of being a loyal customer as well? I also love someones earlier idea of broadway shows. Also photographers roaming the boat getting more candid family pictures would be nice. Why not install a camera on the aquaduck too while we're at it?

 

[lizabu]

I already think DCL is "worth it". So all they have to do is keep on doing what they're doing. Compared to non cruise vacations you get a lot for your buck. By the time you add up transportation, lodging, meals and entertainment DCL comes out as a bargain. I know there are other cruise lines but I am turned off by lines with casinos and those that have an adult atmosphere. I feel like I can trust DCL to be a wholesome, family friendly environment. I could try experimenting with other cruise lines but if I don't enjoy it that turns out to be an expensive experiment. One day I'd like to do a Viking river cruise but that will probably be once I have an empty nest.

 

[WestFamily]

I feel like I can trust DCL to be a wholesome, family friendly environment.

YES! I'm willing to pay extra for that. My wife and I were just talking about that this morning. Little to no smoking. No casinos. Less drunken idiots (note I said less not that there weren't any). I love the fact that the ship was a place my young kids could go and not be surrounded by non family friendly types.

Add on the "Disney Touch" and I'm totally happy about it.

Why not go on a non Disney Cruise and go to the Park? Well because the parks are a totally different beast. So many people, so many lines! So many unhappy overly stimulated children. It's such a different "vacation".

 

[saraheli]

I thought of something else. More double dip cruises offered! We were lucky to be able experience this in 2015 but were disappointed it wasn't offered in 2016.

 

[WestFamily]

They sell bagged popcorn which is probably more expensive and definitely not as good. If only they had a popcorn machine on board!

I swear the guy was making fresh popcorn outside the movie theatre. This was on the Wonder in Alaska. Maybe it's different on the other ships. Or I was tricked by the Disney magic.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

YES!! The cleanliness is one of the main reasons we keep coming back. I really appreciate the extra mile DCL goes to keep everything clean. ( I can think of nothing worse than being quarantined to my room because of a norovirus outbreak.)

I hate to break it to you, but DCL isn't immune to norovirus. There have been outbreaks on Disney ships too!

I personally haven't noticed DCL to be above any of the lines I've cruised in cleanliness. Different ships, different crews I guess.

I hate hate hate buffets and don't patronize them land or sea, but I do wish that the cruise lines would have staff served buffets from the beginning.

 

[DahliaRW]

What are all the places where these other cruise lines nickel-and-dime you that DCL doesn't? Soda... ok. What else do you really get free on DCL that you don't get elsewhere?

The kids clubs at DCL are the nicest looking and have the longest hour of any cruise line I've looked into. A lot of lines the clubs close for lunch and dinner times, aren't open while in port, etc. They also, from the pictures, look a lot less interesting. I looked at princess, but my middle child, at the time 7, would have been stuck in a club for 3-7 year olds. He would have hated it. Also, a lot of the kids clubs on other lines do group activities, not the free structure of activities like Disney. There are also perks like Cinderella and Olaf actually coming into the clubs and participating in activities with the kids that you are not going to get on other lines. If you have younger kids, the clubs are a HUGE perk!

I'll also say, as someone with a food allergy, I have yet to find a line that will accommodate that like Disney does. This may change in the future, but as of now, DCL is the only line I trust with my allergy and who can offer me a wide variety of options. I'm not stuck with salad at every meal!

Speaking of food, I wasn't super impressed on the Fantasy, but I found the food on the Magic to be a whole lot better. I'm guessing it's just less people per night. But I didn't think it was average, it was above average mostly. Of course, maybe a European sailing is the difference? I don't know.

Personally, I still find DCL is "worth it" when sailing with my kids. As they get older we'll see. I am considering Princess for AK at some point with just my husband, as long as I can eat. But it doesn't look like one I'd enjoy taking my kids on or that they would enjoy.

 

[TestingH2O]

Bigger-picture answer: not sure DCL *needs* to change. It's got a niche and people are willing to pay loads for it. I suppose no need to fix what's broken, at least until those of us who feel the prices are ridiculous become more than a vocal minority. Someone wake me up when the sailings stop selling out.

This is a great way to say what I've been feeling about these things. Right now, for my family demographics right now, DCL is a great choice for us even though we know there are more affordable options. Even upgrading to concierge is the right choice for my family right now.

That doesn't make me or most other people DCL apologists. I personally am already looking toward the future. Heck, we are actively considering a Carnival Vista trip if we can ever get availability in the Family Harbor area and we know we don't plan to use DCL for Alaska because I have my heart set on Glacier Bay. IMO, there is no need for brand loyalty when it comes to vacations. I am going to take the trip that makes the most sense at each time. For the trip we have planned now, DCL is the best fit and I am willing to pay the premium for the experience.

 

[TestingH2O]

(But I DID cry Uncle on a CCL cruise last year when I saw bunk beds in a room that looked gulag like. )

I think that must have been the ship my family sailed on when I was in 8th grade. All 4 of us, smashed in a tiny interior room with 4 bunk beds. It took a leap of faith and LOTS of travel reviews to try cruising again after that experience (and over 20 years.)