Why are Disney cruises still so expensive?

[Mango7100]

I beg your pardon I wasn't clear. The $2,600 was just for the lodgings at Kidani. We did have to pay $1,086, per person, for 6 one day passes. My children paid for their own passes and we split sit down meals. So in paying for the Suite at Kidani, tickets for myself and my wife, food and souvenirs. I think i was out about $6,500. We just went Sept. 22. In comparison, I am seeing like 10,000 - 11,000 for my family of 5 for a Dis cruise when selecting the accommodations we would require, during the time frame during which we will be Journeying.

But you arent comparing the same vacation, you can’t say the Disney trip for you is cheaper compared to a cruise for 5 and not include the cost for 5 people in your Disney trip. That’s manipulating numbers to prove your point. If 5 people were cruising then
you need to add the cost of park tickets for 3 more people (not just you and your wife)and the full cost of meals for 5, not just what you paid when you split them.

 

[WEDcryoHEAD]

OK, but that doesn't exactly make an apples-to-apples comparison with a cruise. The cost of 8 nights lodging, a 1-day theme park ticket and split costs on meals should not be compared to a 7-night all-inclusive cruise which is 7 nights lodging, 8 days of activities/entertainment and all meals. To be an accurate comparison, you need to include the full cost of tickets and meals for all guests - which I'm sure would bring that parks vacation up to near the $10K mark. You can still split the costs, especially if your kids are adults, but the "full cost" is the total for all.

Yes, there are many different ways to vacation and different price points. But you have to accurately compare the same (or at least close) components.

Stepping outside of my cranial space and absorbing the figures from your perspective has shown me the error in my thinking. If I take the price of the tickets for everyone and compound the price of all of the meals, I do see that both options are homogenous, relatively speaking. I was perplexed and off put by the immoderate cost of the cruise because It seems I will be incurring all the expense for this excursion. It just seemed exorbitant in the moment. Thanks for tuning me in to that frequency of perspective.

 

[WEDcryoHEAD]

But you arent comparing the same vacation, you can’t say the Disney trip for you is cheaper compared to a cruise for 5 and not include the cost for 5 people in your Disney trip. That’s manipulating numbers to prove your point. If 5 people were cruising then
you need to add the cost of park tickets for 3 more people (not just you and your wife)and the full cost of meals for 5, not just what you paid when you split them.

Quite accurate. I conceded my ignorance to your point to another poster. Your reasoning is flawless.

 

[mlayton14]

I guess the locution of my original query was somewhat puzzling. More succinctly, I was trying to interpolate why Dis cruises were more immoderately priced in comparison to their competition.

I will postulate that is is merely because they are Disney Cruises.

Do you love Disney movies and history and all of nostalgia that goes along with it in a clean , safe, friendly family environment (all ages) with great service, entertainment, and dining ? That is what people pay the premium for

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Do you love Disney movies and history and all of nostalgia that goes along with it in a clean , safe, friendly family environment (all ages) with great service, entertainment, and dining ? That is what people pay the premium for

I'd disagree on some things.

1) Cruise lines in general care about their passenger's safety. Being Disney does not inherently make it any more safe than others. In fact that's what lulls people into having things stolen for instance in the parks because "surely nothing bad would happen at Disney"

2) Service. I'd agree it generally seems like good service with the exception that seems to be a common complaint about hounding passengers for high ratings by servers. It's not the servers choosing to do that but rather Disney sorta forcing them too. I've seen a ton of comments about pushing towards rating excellent to the point where it sours the mood. Some people feel like there's an overly attentive server where it feels like they only care about the rating as opposed to the service part (because you need to read your customers and not all tables are receptive to constant check backs or outright comment that you need an excellent rating)

3) Dining. I seem to recall reading enough comments about dining being a draw back to DCL. It's not considered (at least from what I've read) their consistent strong point. In fairness on the luxury/ultra luxury cruise lines Regent Seven Seas is considered to be the cruise line for those looking for very high levels of excellent food. Not that others in the market somehow are subpar but that Regent seems to be it. I would not consider DCL to be the cruise line for those looking for amazing food. Doesn't mean they don't have good food from all that I've read but that it's been enough of a let down to call that out. I do think the rotational dining is unique though to DCL.

 

[WEDcryoHEAD]

Do you love Disney movies and history and all of nostalgia that goes along with it in a clean , safe, friendly family environment (all ages) with great service, entertainment, and dining ? That is what people pay the premium for

Yes, yes & yes. Yes to all. You should be a spokesperson for Disney. This is the key.

Speaking of non Dis cruise lines. Did you see that James Vander Beek took his "Duggar" sized brood on A Carnival Cruise? That guy used to be famous. He has to have the means to pay for a higher standard of travel. Carnival is the Red Roof Inn of the Cruise industry.

 

[Kwami]

Yes, yes & yes. Yes to all. You should be a spokesperson for Disney. This is the key.

Speaking of non Dis cruise lines. Did you see that James Vander Beek took his "Duggar" sized brood on A Carnival Cruise? That guy used to be famous. He has to have the means to pay for a higher standard of travel. Carnival is the Red Roof Inn of the Cruise industry.

There's a thread of posts recently on the DCL Blog covering a Carnival cruise. It seems like their newer ships are somewhat better than you'd expect from their overall reputation. I still see plenty not to like, though.

 

[Mango7100]

Quite accurate. I conceded my ignorance to your point to another poster. Your reasoning is flawless.

I wish my reasoning was flawless all the time, but sadly it isn’t Hence why I’m paying more for a Disney Wish cruise than I would pay for a longer cruise on another line.

 

[Mango7100]

I'd disagree on some things.

1) Cruise lines in general care about their passenger's safety. Being Disney does not inherently make it any more safe than others. In fact that's what lulls people into having things stolen for instance in the parks because "surely nothing bad would happen at Disney"

2) Service. I'd agree it generally seems like good service with the exception that seems to be a common complaint about hounding passengers for high ratings by servers. It's not the servers choosing to do that but rather Disney sorta forcing them too. I've seen a ton of comments about pushing towards rating excellent to the point where it sours the mood. Some people feel like there's an overly attentive server where it feels like they only care about the rating as opposed to the service part (because you need to read your customers and not all tables are receptive to constant check backs or outright comment that you need an excellent rating)

3) Dining. I seem to recall reading enough comments about dining being a draw back to DCL. It's not considered (at least from what I've read) their consistent strong point. In fairness on the luxury/ultra luxury cruise lines Regent Seven Seas is considered to be the cruise line for those looking for very high levels of excellent food. Not that others in the market somehow are subpar but that Regent seems to be it. I would not consider DCL to be the cruise line for those looking for amazing food. Doesn't mean they don't have good food from all that I've read but that it's been enough of a let down to call that out. I do think the rotational dining is unique though to DCL.

To your point 2–on our last cruise in March the head server was definitely hounding us about the excellent rating. Every night at dessert he gave us the speech about was everything excellent (he actually made more mistakes than any server we have had in terms of getting an order wrong, forgetting stuff, etc. He would fix them right away but we never had so many wrong things brought out to us before). He then went on about if we don’t rate him excellent it affects his job and stuff. It was getting uncomfortable. We told him that we would let him know if it wasn’t excellent so don’t worry, but he kept on with his speech again the next night. We should have been more forceful and told him to stop or we would decrease his rating, but we didnt.

 

[WEDcryoHEAD]

I wish my reasoning was flawless all the time, but sadly it isn’t Hence why I’m paying more for a Disney Wish cruise than I would pay for a longer cruise on another line.

That disparity in the price with other cruise lines is what I was initially inquiring about but then I erroneously started to compare Disney Parks Experience to DCL Experience. I still feel DCL is more immoderately priced when compared to its Aquatic rivals.

 

[mlayton14]

I'd disagree on some things.

1) Cruise lines in general care about their passenger's safety. Being Disney does not inherently make it any more safe than others. In fact that's what lulls people into having things stolen for instance in the parks because "surely nothing bad would happen at Disney"

2) Service. I'd agree it generally seems like good service with the exception that seems to be a common complaint about hounding passengers for high ratings by servers. It's not the servers choosing to do that but rather Disney sorta forcing them too. I've seen a ton of comments about pushing towards rating excellent to the point where it sours the mood. Some people feel like there's an overly attentive server where it feels like they only care about the rating as opposed to the service part (because you need to read your customers and not all tables are receptive to constant check backs or outright comment that you need an excellent rating)

3) Dining. I seem to recall reading enough comments about dining being a draw back to DCL. It's not considered (at least from what I've read) their consistent strong point. In fairness on the luxury/ultra luxury cruise lines Regent Seven Seas is considered to be the cruise line for those looking for very high levels of excellent food. Not that others in the market somehow are subpar but that Regent seems to be it. I would not consider DCL to be the cruise line for those looking for amazing food. Doesn't mean they don't have good food from all that I've read but that it's been enough of a let down to call that out. I do think the rotational dining is unique though to DCL.

All of these things are subjective but I believe the consensus is that the food , service , and entertainment is on the premium side of the cruise industry

Safety is more than risk of physical harm. Being around a group of folks trying to get value out of their unlimited drinking package by ordering their 9th beer or shot isn’t a place I want my kids around.I enjoy a couple of beers but not getting sloshed. . “Adult” entertainment is another one - many of these lines lean towards Las Vegas style content - not my cup of tea and I know many Disney cruisers feel the same way. Gambling? Not my thing, I know many of these lines comp high rollers to free rooms.

The fact is many of these lines wouldn’t be able to be profitable without the booze and gambling. Hence the lower rates to get people physically on the ship.

If you don’t like the Disney content , then definitely not worth the price

 

[lilsonicfan]

I've loved the DCL cruises we have done, for sure. We have only done 3, but have spent 34 nights on board. I do find it difficult to justify the premium, particularly on shorter cruises, and with a family of 5 it's all the more difficult to justify. It's all so personal anyway. I think DCL does a lot of things very well, but for me, nothing they do is so exceptional that I can't find it elsewhere. I've been on many other cruise lines and have never been bothered by excessive drinkers, people gambling, etc. Some of the shows on other lines aren't great, but some are. Some of DCL's shows are unbearably cheesy. Everyone needs to figure out how best to use their vacation dollars.

 

[Lilsia]

OK, but that doesn't exactly make an apples-to-apples comparison with a cruise. The cost of 8 nights lodging, a 1-day theme park ticket and split costs on meals should not be compared to a 7-night all-inclusive cruise which is 7 nights lodging, 8 days of activities/entertainment and all meals. To be an accurate comparison, you need to include the full cost of tickets and meals for all guests - which I'm sure would bring that parks vacation up to near the $10K mark. You can still split the costs, especially if your kids are adults, but the "full cost" is the total for all.

Yes, there are many different ways to vacation and different price points. But you have to accurately compare the same (or at least close) components.

I agree, if someone is going to compare, then it has to be total cost with everything included.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

All of these things are subjective but I believe the consensus is that the food , service , and entertainment is on the premium side of the cruise industry

A tad different than saying those items are what you're paying a premium for.

I think cruise lines have their strengths and weaknesses.

There are a slew of comments related to the quality of food on Disney ship as being part of their weaknesses for example.

Hence the lower rates to get people physically on the ship.

I'd disagree here again although your point is there. Disney charges what they charge because they can. My DISer friends that are going on the cruises a lot are because they are getting CM discounts for them (majority of the time that is). Do they enjoy DCL? Of course and they are fairly brand loyal.

You do have to compare the price with days. Disney's Wish for instance is full of 3-4 day cruises but is charged a considerable amount. Not because they somehow don't need people to fill these short cruises, they do just like any cruise line, but rather they know their clientele will pay for them, just like any other cruise line. And from the knowledge of my CM friend they open up cruises for booking with a CM discount when bookings are down for a particular cruise. It's brilliant marketing to have someone need a B2B just to get to a 6-7 day cruise.

Safety is more than risk of physical harm.

That's just associating the name Disney to mean safety and the real world isn't like that.

If your point is you don't want your kids to have the possibility of seeing drunk people in higher numbers I can understand your point there (although I would say don't take your kids to the parks then). However, passengers can bring alcohol on board so it doesn't completely absolve that. But that's different than saying because it's Disney it's safe. You can have theft of belongings, physical harm, fights and even drunkenness is still possible.

I also think that automatically going to Carnival-esque way of thinking about alcohol is a bit telling no? Other cruise lines exist besides DCL but also have drink packages where people aren't getting hammered en masse just to get the usage of it.

I do hear what you're saying I just think that it came across a tad rose-colored glasses if you will about it

 

[Freeman867]

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

It's simple. Because they can. The ships are filling up and they're getting those prices. They'd be idiots to lower the prices to create more demand when the supply is already being filled up. Ask yourself why others aren't charging more. Because they can't charge more and still fill supply. It's very simple economics.

 

[Anna131517]

DCL does provide much better entertainment and kids clubs than other lines. They have a lot more photographers. They include soft drinks. NCL also just upped their daily gratuities rate. The lines have different stateroom configurations. So you’re comparing apples to oranges. I cruise both and don’t think DCL is overpriced. They just include more in their price. Edit - we were not hounded about 5 star ratings by anyone.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

To your point 2–on our last cruise in March the head server was definitely hounding us about the excellent rating. Every night at dessert he gave us the speech about was everything excellent (he actually made more mistakes than any server we have had in terms of getting an order wrong, forgetting stuff, etc. He would fix them right away but we never had so many wrong things brought out to us before). He then went on about if we don’t rate him excellent it affects his job and stuff. It was getting uncomfortable. We told him that we would let him know if it wasn’t excellent so don’t worry, but he kept on with his speech again the next night. We should have been more forceful and told him to stop or we would decrease his rating, but we didnt.

Yeah that's exactly what I've heard too.

I think most people are aware that if there's a rating structure high marks are just about required. Many of us are used to seeing that survey on screens for retail or getting a prompt on the phone about taking a survey after or a prompt on a website. But to have a server actually tell you their job depends on it is off-putting and from the comments I've read happening enough that it's just sorta being forced upon the servers. Not their faults but more just part of what they have to do. I've read the stories too relating to yours where the server has been advised already by the passengers but keeps going on with the spiel.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

DCL does provide much better entertainment and kids clubs than other lines. They have a lot more photographers. They include soft drinks. NCL also just upped their daily gratuities rate. The lines have different stateroom configurations. So you’re comparing apples to oranges. I cruise both and don’t think DCL is overpriced. They just include more in their price.

The kids club is a good point although I seem to remember the ages for the clubs being a conversation not to long ago.

The thing about photographers is IMO connected more to the parks. Meet and Greets are a big enough thing for the Disney park so people expect this opportunity more even if they've never been to the parks taking pictures with Mickey is just expected.

To your point about pop I think that one to me at least seems more related to clientele of children than anything as in it's common enough for kids and teens to drink pop and if you're going to charge a pretty penny that is an easy bone to give. They could however reduce the fare slightly and add a drink package but I think PR-wise it's like "you're nickeling and diming me and you can't even include pop!?" That's also probably backed by the fact that many of us are aware it costs a fairly small amount for the syrup for the pop.

For gratuities all cruise lines that have them separated out can increase theirs. Disney does also charge 18% for gratuities on bar bills including pop. From what I found last time Disney raised their automatic stateroom one was last July, I wouldn't be surprised to see another increase relatively soon (whether that's this year or next year).

 

[Kwami]

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

I can't find the MSC cruise that you describe. The closest is 6/2 - 6/6 2024. The price seems to check out, though.

 

[mousefan73]

I find the European versus American discussion, fascinated because I’m an American that’s living in Germany for the past 20 years. The main reason why Disney has mainly Americans, and quite a few British on European Sailings is the fact that even well-paid Europeans can’t afford it. Americans make more money. ( I know, I know not everyone makes good money in the) but I work in the travel industry on the commercial side and the fact is Americans have a WTP - willingness to pay more, which increases our yields.

A good example is I’m on FB and Disney will do sponsored ads for Disney cruise line in German for the German market. EVERY comment to these ads are basically “who the heck can afford” does Disney not know how much families have to spend each month.?

For the German market, they prefer familiar lines like Aida and Meinschiff as though many Germans can speak English they prefer native language on their ship. . AND and I mean a huge AND ——these cruise lines either are all inclusive when it comes to alcohol and drinks ( Meinachiff) or include beer and wine during dinner ( Aida) I’m not implying that Germans are cruising just to get drunk they actually don’t but they just want to have a dignified glass of beer or wine at dinner. And a decent coffee or cappuccino for the afternoon coffee and cake break

Believe me, I know many rich Germans, but they are to practical as many Europeans. they will not allow themselves to be pulled under the table in their minds of by paying 3x for a cruise yet they have to pay for a beer at dinner.

I’ve been on quite a few Disney, European Sailings, and to be honest the only Europeans I have met are truly Disney fans , a Disney experience or maybe a flight to Orlando and parks would actually cost more than a cruise

, I will say that Americans once they do have money many like to spend it as fast as they earn. . Europeans are more conservative with the money.