Why are Disney cruises still so expensive?

[WEDcryoHEAD]

Why are Disney cruises so expensive and why are they not offering discounts like the other major cruise providers? My son just booked a 7 day European / Mediterranean cruise for $900 a person. This is a Norwegian cruise at that, on a fairly new boat. Disney is not offering anything close to those rates. I was looking to book for my family of 4 and it was going to cost over $10,000 since both of my children are adults and I would need two staterooms or a deluxe family stateroom. I decided to decline at this time

 

[StageTek]

Because of the Disney name.
Because tens of thousands of people are willing to pay more for a Disney cruise.
Because of the Disney name.

 

[WEDcryoHEAD]

I'll go to parks and resorts instead. It's a shame I am a 6 time Disney cruiser, the rates are just ridiculous.

 

[sponica]

I'll go to parks and resorts instead. It's a shame I am a 6 time Disney cruiser, the rates are just ridiculous.

Oddly a lot of theme parks visitors I know are fleeing to the cruise line because the parks/resorts are just bonkers with EVERYTHING.
But the cruise line can charge whatever it wants because they can...and their bookings are up (at least in some markets) compared to parks/resorts.

 

[StageTek]

I'll go to parks and resorts instead. It's a shame I am a 6 time Disney cruiser, the rates are just ridiculous.

I'm with ya! Except I'm not even going back to the parks and resorts again because of the price vs. the value.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I am willing to pay for the DCL experience on some itineraries. So, I pick and choose. Apparently there are lots of people like me! I have also sailed other cruise lines, and most often it’s because DCL doesn’t offer the itinerary at all.

 

[Calantha]

I have no desire to ever set foot in the parks. When I talk to my friends who go, it sounds like a horrible competition, but to each their own. I'll keep my cruises thank you, and sail mostly in the off-season when it is cheaper.

 

[holula]

I am willing to pay for the DCL experience on some itineraries. So, I pick and choose. Apparently there are lots of people like me! I have also sailed other cruise lines, and most often it’s because DCL doesn’t offer the itinerary at all.

I agree with this, I’m not willing to pay crazy DCL Europe pricing, and I will sail Royal/NCL for those.

However I’m happy to pay for a week on the Fantasy when kids are in school.

 

[bigAWL]

We've been cruising DCL for 15 years since my youngest was 1. A few years ago we tried Norwegian and they all wanted to go back to Disney. Then tried MSC, and none of us liked it. This summer we are going with Celebrity to Alaska. It's more expensive than many lines, abut still cheaper than Disney. I'm hoping we all like it, because I wouldn't mind having another option we are comfortable with for future trips. We'll always find a reason to go back to Disney, though. In fact, we are booked on the Inaugural lighthouse point cruise next June.

 

[rangerxenos]

So long as people keep paying, they'll keep charging high prices.

 

[Boopuff]

There’s a YouTube video that goes into detail about why Disney is so expensive: essentially it boils down to excellent themeing, the best kid clubs. However, Disney falls short in dining options.

 

[mmouse37]

I regularly check this page on the Dis for discounted DCL cruises. They do offer them. We can sail "last minute" due to being retired but often they offer discounts months in advance. We very often sail the *GT rates. You must pay in full the day you book and they have restrictions and DCL picks your room but we have always been happy with our cabin assignments. If you are flexible deals can be had.

https://dclfan.com/disney-cruise-line-discounts/

MJ

 

[DCLForLife]

It's basic economics and supply/demand. Disney has 5 ships, which is a fraction of what NCL, Royal, Carnival, etc. have. Disney is able to fill (or nearly fill) its fleet at the prices it charges, so why would it charge any less?

On top of that, Disney does nickel and dime less than the other mainstream lines. They also don't have casinos, which are a major profit center for other cruise lines, and the prices are adjusted to reflect that.

Finally, Alaska, Europe, and other non-Carribean Disney itineraries always carry an extra premium because there aren't as many sailings in those areas. You can find decent Disney deals on Caribbean itineraries if you look hard enough and are flexible on dates. Using tricks like placeholder discounts, Costco Travel, etc. can also get Disney Caribbean prices to be pretty close to Royal/Norwegian prices.

 

[goofy4prez]

There is no need to discount your product when there are plenty of people willing to pay the full price you are asking for. Disney will hold the price and continue to do so because this is what we call the law of supply and demand.

As for me. I'm willing to pay the price for a seven night cruise in the Caribbean with Disney. But I'm not willing to pay the price for Europe or Alaska. I'm also not willing to pay the price for the Wish. But for every one of me there are two others willing to do it.

 

[otten]

Why are Disney cruises so expensive and why are they not offering discounts like the other major cruise providers? My son just booked a 7 day European / Mediterranean cruise for $900 a person. This is a Norwegian cruise at that, on a fairly new boat. Disney is not offering anything close to those rates. I was looking to book for my family of 4 and it was going to cost over $10,000 since both of my children are adults and I would need two staterooms or a deluxe family stateroom. I decided to decline at this time

Simply put, because people will pay the prices Disney charges. Companies don’t discount out of the goodness of their hearts. They discount because something isn’t selling at the rate they want it to.

If demand falls then you’ll see discounts and lower prices.

 

[Erica1016]

I'll go to parks and resorts instead. It's a shame I am a 6 time Disney cruiser, the rates are just ridiculous.

We can cruise for less money than a resorts/parks trip when factoring in rooms, tickets and food. DCL is a much better value to us currently.

 

[WEDcryoHEAD]

We can cruise for less money than a resorts/parks trip when factoring in rooms, tickets and food. DCL is a much better value to us currently.

I don't see that; but I rent DVC points for my resorts and usually get great deals. I last stayed in a one bedroom villa at Kidani village with a savannah view. We had a party of 5 and stayed for 8 nights and did it for $2,600.

 

[Karin1984]

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.

 

[Erica1016]

I don't see that; but I rent DVC points for my resorts and usually get great deals. I last stayed in a one bedroom villa at Kidani village with a savannah view. We had a party of 5 and stayed for 8 nights and did it for $2,600.

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.

 

[Eeyore daily]

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.