What do you think?

[jenks0718]

I received a quote of $2,888 for the three night cruise on the Wonder beginning 8/11/05. It will be for myself, my dh and our 3 children (ds 6 dd 1 and sds 11) I just am having a hard time justifying almost $3000 for only 3 DAYS. I want so badly for my kids to experience this and my dh wants to see Castaway, but isnt that a lot of money for such a short trip?

I priced two staterooms through Carnival leaving from the same port for the same time frame and it is only $1670. Such a large difference (BUT IT ISNT DISNEY) I could also get a suite on Carnivals ship for less money then the two Disney inside staterooms.

We plan on doing the land portion before we leave on the cruise and that is no where near as expensive.

Please give me some insight. Is this worth it? I know you all will be honest with me and that is all I ask. Thanks so much for your time....

 

[myboysmom]

I know where you are coming from Jane. Doing a Disney Cruise has been on my list for a long time. One thing I learned from the DIS is that Disney is a line that has a high demand, and so prices are cheaper the further away from the sailing date. Unlike many other ships who often have open rooms that they wish to fill closer to the sail date, Disney almost always sails full.

We are sailing on a 7 day Western for in a Cat. 8 with 4 in our group for slightly more than you were quoted for a 3 day. If you can plan your vacations out, and I mean way out, you could get a better price. We booked the March 2006 date with in a week or two of the dates being released (September or October). I would have been willing to be in a much lower deck, in an inside stateroom to go on this cruise but the far out booking allowed us to go up onto deck 7 and have a window as well.

Only you can decide if your quote was fair and if it is worth it. Good luck.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[jenks0718]

It is so unfortunate that I couldnt plan farther out in advance. We just came back from Disney in November and couldnt take my sds because his mother cancelled on us the very last minute. My dh had to go to family court to have it ordered that he have vacation time with his ds this August so we wouldnt be "left in the dust" again. So we wanted to make it up to my sds by taking him to Disney World. Plus we could all go again! Then the cruise thing came about and we thought it would be perfect. But I didnt know how much that "perfection" would cost.

I think I am going to go through with it though. I just cant say no the Disney!

 

[faireygod mother]

You will not regret it.

 

[DancingBear]

I think your decision is really between taking the Disney Cruise or going to Disney World (or extending your WDW visit), rather than taking the other cruise options. The money will almost certainly go further on land.

 

[logan1_2000]

Wishing pixie dust to jenks for her understanding and affection toward SDS (I had to pause and figure out that lettering; I practice exclusively family law and have had too many situations where one parent is interfering with other parent's visitation because it is all they ahve left to fight with. Feel for everyone in those situations, even the parent doing the manipulating because face it, he/she isn't making his/her own situation any better.).

Your circumstances for planning farther out and thus getting early booking savings might be incompatible with the facts of your DH's child custody and visitation--so if you consider it the unfortunate but real cost of doing business, and make the best, that's all you can do--sounds like you are--good for you and hope you enjoy the cruise.

(April 2005 cruise was booked in October 2003 at a price that was 1/3 less expensive than the current listed price at the Allseas Website).

 

[mmouse37]

Could you possibly cruise later in the fall or even later in August?....I know it would mean taking one of the kids out of school....but DCL's rates drop late August and drop dramatically from Sept on.

We just came back from a 3 day and honestly it is wonderful but very short...try pricing out a 4 day later on and I bet it is at least the same price or cheaper.

MJ

 

[jenks0718]

We initially wanted to take the kids in January of 06, but my stepson's mom would not allow us to take him out of school. Even though we had approval from the school. The only time we are "allowed" to take vacation where he will be involved will be our court ordered dates of August 1st through the 15th. Bummer, I know, it is peak season and prime rates!

 

[Tay N Evie's Mom]

This may not be an option, but could you have someone watch the 1 year old while you take the two older kids on the trip? Since she is only 1 she won't remember the trip anyway and that way you could get by with only 1 cabin instead of 2. I had twins, so this would have never been an option for me, but I have several friends who had their parents watch the younger kids while they took the older ones on vacation.