Why are Disney cruises still so expensive?

[otten]

We're two adults, only and will be on the Fantasy in a few weeks with an IGT rate of about $2600 for 7 nights. The same time at the parks, staying at All Star Music with non-hopper tickets for 7 days (with a special offer) would be $2700 and that includes no food - which is no small cost.
We've priced out other trips to get back to the parks and right now, we're not seeing the value there - for us - right now. It doesn't mean we won't go back to parks, we will for sure, but we just see a better value and overall experience on DCL right now.

We’re doing a 4 night cruise and 4 nights at Disney and between tickets and hotel (renting dvc points) the cost is working out to be about the same, not including sit down meals at Disney.

Disney is expensive across the board, whether it’s parks or DCL but everyone’s calculation of what is worth it is going to be different.

I will say that if you are an all adult party and the adults aren’t really into Disney a different cruiseline may well be a better choice.

 

[Genie+]

Just like the Starwars hotel, special offers come when rooms aren’t filling to target.

DCL is in the process of adding new ships. They must be forecasting demand beyond current occupancy. Maybe also residual demand from families who held off since 2020. At some point things likely cool back down. Deals have always fluctuated through economic cycles.

 

[erider]

It is true that on the European Disney cruises most people are American, since Europeans don’t want to spend that amount of money (except us because we got a good GTY guaranteed rate ). I’m not sure if that is because Americans want something they are familiar with since Royal Caribbean is doing almost the same itinerary from Barcelona and that’s also an American cruise line. I think it’s more because Europeans go on vacation for sometimes 5 weeks a year and have to spread their vacation budget over these 5 weeks. And I think Disney is even more integrated in the American culture then in Europe. I do really love the atmosphere on Disney cruises with the great themed restaurants and not many drunks on board. But I will only book it with a good GTY rate or a cheaper inside cabin.

 

[erider]

Also I like that Disney cruise line is not skimping to much on certain things like main dining room food quality, entertainment, twice daily housekeeping, ordering as many appetizers and entrees at main dining room as you like and free room service. I rather pay extra and these things are included then.

 

[Kwami]

Even in Europe, most people cruising on Disney are American. Americans are willing to pay a lot more for what they know (sense of security) instead of trying something new.

And I have a feeling there are many Americans who think 'more expensive = better'
When you look at Disneyland Paris, the prices for onsite rooms on the US website are way higher than on the French, UK, Dutch websites of DLP. Because Disney is very aware: Americans treat it as a once in a lifetime trip, they will pay anyway, why not charge 3 times as much?

It's a combination of:
- Short season
- Americans are willing to pay more for once in a lifetime experiences.
- Americans are going to pay anyway what we ask, so why not?
- Americans like to stick to familiar things
(These last things are generalizations, if this is not you, great!)

Disclaimer, I'm from Europe.

This entire post is ridiculous. Please stop generalizing 335 million people with your "Europe is better" stereotype nonsense.

 

[auntlynne]

Profit and perception.

 

[sadiecatie]

This entire post is ridiculous. Please stop generalizing 335 million people with your "Europe is better" stereotype nonsense.

Be careful, your bias is showing.

 

[hrhdhd]

But we also don't drink so we (really I) have a massive fear of drinks being pushed onto us which I think we would avoid on a Disney cruise. I could be wrong since I've never cruised before but that's my impression.

I've cruised on 7 cruise lines and have never had a drink pushed onto me. A server may come by and say, "Can I get you a drink?" If I want one, I say yes--and that could include a Diet Coke. If I don't, I say no. Simple.

 

[auntlynne]

We've looked into doing a Disney cruise for a honeymoon. For two adults it comes out to be around the same price for a Celebrity cruise around the same time for the same/similar places. I can see how if you have kids the price changes but for just two adults, I'd rather pay the money on a brand I know (which is mentioned upthread). Especially since I have food allergies.

But we also don't drink so we (really I) have a massive fear of drinks being pushed onto us which I think we would avoid on a Disney cruise. I could be wrong since I've never cruised before but that's my impression.

I have never had drinks pushed on me on any cruise line. And I have sailed Carnival and Royal. Yes, anyone Is subject to the dining and drinks package offers, especially on Day 1, but it is OK to shake your head and keep walking. This is a hard lesson in life - you can say No and not have to feel you are being rude. (It can take decades to master.)

A good salesman wants to make a sale. If you show no interest, they will move on to the next person. Knowing you are not interested in a drink, do yourself and the server a favor and politely decline. Better yet, just wave them away and save them the Hope of a sale.

(There is another thread right know dealing with this similar situation. Did you also watch a video about this?)

Have a great honeymoon, wherever, however you decide to do it.

 

[maddisney]

It's just an average but lets take this kind of calculation to compare, for instance :
Icon of The Seas
Number of staterooms : 2805
Cost of the cruise ship : 2 billion
Average cost per stateroom : 713012
Crew : 2350
Ratio passengers by crew member (double occupancy) : 2,387

Disney Treasure
Number of staterooms : 1254
Cost of the cruise ship : 1.1 billion
Average cost per stateroom : 877192
Crew : 1555
Ratio passengers by crew member (double occupancy) : 1,612

 

[Kwami]

Be careful, your bias is showing.

Oh, but it isn't. I don't stereotype all Europeans and they shouldn't be doing that to us, either. This old idea that Americans are bad with money, don't take risks, don't adventure, and don't travel anywhere uncomfortable is absolute nonsense.

 

[maddisney]

Other example :
Carnival Mardi Gras
Number of staterooms : 2641
Cost of the cruise ship : 800 millions
Average cost per stateroom : 302915
Crew : 1747
Ratio passengers by crew member (double occupancy) : 3,023

 

[OpieDoodle]

So there is a few reasons and I've compared multiple times because I'm an avid cruiser but unfortunately my wallet doesn't always afford being an avid DISNEY cruiser.

A few big factors in PRICING:
-Disney price is all in (minus alcohol and a few optional add ons): What this means is soda, port fees, taxes, etc is all in that listed price. [Other cruise lines most of this is extra and you can't see until you get all the way through to the payment window]
-Disney is a premium cruise line: What this means is you can't compare it to the more economy/budget pricing [i.e. you can't compare them to Carnival for example]

Disney also is the only cruise line that really has mastered that family friendly atmosphere and put a lot of focus on the kids. I've been on other cruise lines and their "kids club" is a tiny room with like nothing in it.

When I really sit down and compare apples to apples, final prices DCL is not that much more expensive than similar quality cruise lines. Once you add everything in like soda packages and such its closer.

Other cruise lines pull various things out to make the price look lower. Which for people who may not want those things included yeah that's great but otherwise you get down to the final screens and a few hundred get added onto that wow price you saw in the beginning.

So yes Disney is more expensive than say carnival but Disney IMO is out of most cruise lines league.

 

[sponica]

We've looked into doing a Disney cruise for a honeymoon. For two adults it comes out to be around the same price for a Celebrity cruise around the same time for the same/similar places. I can see how if you have kids the price changes but for just two adults, I'd rather pay the money on a brand I know (which is mentioned upthread). Especially since I have food allergies.

But we also don't drink so we (really I) have a massive fear of drinks being pushed onto us which I think we would avoid on a Disney cruise. I could be wrong since I've never cruised before but that's my impression.

We cruised for our honeymoon because it was cheaper than a resorts/park trip. Aside from the first day when they're trying to get you to buy the bucket of beers and drink of the day and what have you, I don't remember the wait staff being overly pushy.

 

[mab2012]

This entire post is ridiculous. Please stop generalizing 335 million people with your "Europe is better" stereotype nonsense.

What's nonsense is the idea that those arguments are somehow unique to Americans. Otherwise they're probably more or less on point. Most people everywhere take comfort from familiarity, and Europeans are every bit as brand-aware as Americans. (For the record, I'm neither American nor European, so I have no personal stake in this.)

The dynamics of an American travelling to Europe are very different than a European travelling within Europe. Transatlantic flights are expensive, travel time can be considerable, especially if connections are involved, and then there's the jet lag associated with a 6-9h time change. And because of all that, it's usually not worth taking a trip to Europe for less than a couple of weeks, so then there's the effort that always comes with planning a long-ish absence from home. So, yeah, I think it's reasonable to assume that Americans are more likely to see this as a once-in-a-lifetime trip (or at least a once-in-a-very-long-while trip) and to pay a premium to make it the "best" trip they can.

The European who can spend a weekend in Rome for a €50 round-trip ticket and a 2-3h flight is likely to see things a bit differently. But they might be more willing to splurge on a 3-week North American tour that isn't likely to be repeated in the next 15 or so years.

The other reason Americans are more likely to pay more for DCL in Europe, or any vacation at all, is simply because they're more likely to be able to afford it. Not every American, obviously, but in general disposable income is quite a bit higher in the US than in most of Europe. This is well documented (by the OECD, among other sources.)

And the reason DCL can charge so much more than other cruise lines in Europe is that they have ONE ship there, for a few months each year, and there are enough die-hard DCL fans willing to pay the DCL premium to fill it. At least when school is out. It's that simple.

 

[Karin1984]

And the reason DCL can charge so much more than other cruise lines in Europe is that they have ONE ship there, for a few months each year, and there are enough die-hard DCL fans willing to pay the DCL premium to fill it. At least when school is out. It's that simple.

On the Dream they only need approx 40.000 families to fill the season.

And true most of the destinations within Europe can be reached in less than a 3 hours.

 

[MonaMN]

We booked the Norwegian Fjords DCL cruise for next summer. I looked at the same basic cruise with a few other cruise lines but in the end chose Disney for a few reasons.

Size of ship - I think it was the RC ship that was nearly twice as big, which equals many more people to contend with at ports and on the ship. Since we have not sailed with them before, we'd have no priority booking for anything.

Sea days - I don't know if we would enjoy sea days on a non-Disney ship and there are two on this sailing. We don't want anything to do with a casino, we don't just hang out at the pool (and it will likely be chilly). We love the characters, the game shows, the trivia. We could just read/watch TV/etc, but I can do that at home.

Kid preference - Most importantly, the kid wants to sail Disney. She'll be 15 on this trip. Part of it is likely safety (she has food allergies and we are comfortable with Disney's protocols) and part of it is that it allows her to still be a kid. This might be our last big cruise before she leaves for college. We are more Disney people than cruise people and while the answer might be different if she's not with us, for now her vote is important.

So when it came down to it, the cost difference wasn't enough to offset all the other reasons.

 

[Mango7100]

So there is a few reasons and I've compared multiple times because I'm an avid cruiser but unfortunately my wallet doesn't always afford being an avid DISNEY cruiser.

A few big factors in PRICING:
-Disney price is all in (minus alcohol and a few optional add ons): What this means is soda, port fees, taxes, etc is all in that listed price. [Other cruise lines most of this is extra and you can't see until you get all the way through to the payment window]
-Disney is a luxury cruise line: What this means is you can't compare it to the more economy/budget pricing [i.e. you can't compare them to Carnival for example]

Disney also is the only cruise line that really has mastered that family friendly atmosphere and put a lot of focus on the kids. I've been on other cruise lines and their "kids club" is a tiny room with like nothing in it.

When I really sit down and compare apples to apples, final prices DCL is not that much more expensive than similar quality cruise lines. Once you add everything in like soda packages and such its closer.

Other cruise lines pull various things out to make the price look lower. Which for people who may not want those things included yeah that's great but otherwise you get down to the final screens and a few hundred get added onto that wow price you saw in the beginning.

So yes Disney is more expensive than say carnival but Disney IMO is out of most cruise lines league.

I don’t think Disney is a luxury cruise line. Regent Seven Seas, Seaborne, Windstar are luxury cruise lines. And then some mass market cruise lines have their ship within a ship concept—Haven for NCL, Yacht Club for MSC, Retreat for Celebrity. Those are even different than concierge for Disney. Disney is still a mass market line with a more speciality factor of being Disney and therefore charges differently because of that niche. Buts it’s not a luxury line.

 

[John VN]

So there is a few reasons and I've compared multiple times because I'm an avid cruiser but unfortunately my wallet doesn't always afford being an avid DISNEY cruiser.......................................
............................When I really sit down and compare apples to apples, final prices DCL is not that much more expensive than similar quality cruise lines. Once you add everything in like soda packages and such its closer............................
...............................So yes Disney is more expensive than say carnival but Disney IMO is out of most cruise lines league.

a $$$ comparison ???

DCL WISH 6/3-6/7 2024 Verandah $4,616 --- Concierge $7,800
MSC Seashore 6/4 - 6/8 2024 Yacht Club all inclusive --- $3,658

 

[holula]

Size of ship - I think it was the RC ship that was nearly twice as big, which equals many more people to contend with at ports and on the ship. Since we have not sailed with them before, we'd have no priority booking for anything.

If it helps, Disney is the only or one of the only cruise line that does booking by status. Royal anyone can book things at any time once they have loaded them onto the site.

I actually did pick Royal for this same decision; they have a great indoor adult only pool area and it was half the price and a better itinerary. I’m not a huge fan of Royal’s MDR foot but for that difference I can eat at speciality dining every night if I wanted to and still come out on top.