Why do disney cruises cost more than other cruise lines?

[debrapagliasotti]

Its all about the mouse...add Mickey Mouse into the equation and the cost goes up

I've never been on a Disney cruise (been on Princess cruises before having kids), but we would like to do a Disney cruise in a few years.

 

[cmwade77]

We have looked at other cruise lines, here's why Disney is worth the extra money, in my opinion:

• Free Sodas - as others have stated, most cruise lines charge for this, some per drink, some for a flat rate (as high as $50).
• Fewer items that you have to pay extra for
• Cast Members remember you from previous cruises (this may happen on other cruise lines, I don't know).
• Smoking is prohibbited in most places on the Wonder, including all state rooms. Most other cruise lines allow smoking, some even allow it in all state rooms. You can never get rid of the smoke and we are highlys sensitive to it.
• Disney quality
• No Casinos - We don't gamble, so if they aren't wasting space with Casinos, it means they can use that space for something more useful.

These are just a few of the reasons. There are many others.

I have to believe that al cruise lines will do some background checking, they don't want serial murders on board or something, so to me that is not an issue.

 

[LKFan]

At this time I think I will stick with the Fantasy(bad food and all) over the Allure because of the ages of my children. I think we are about 2 years away from trying the other cruises that have more to offer more for older children. My kids could care less about the disney charachters now. I wish the offered a little more for tweens and teens because you really can't beat the stateroom size compared to other ships I have researched.

If that is how you really feel then why would you even consider DCL? If you feel that DCL has bad food, your kids don't care about the characters and the tween/teen programs offered aren't enough, then is it really worth the $1200 for the larger stateroom?

 

[MTmomma]

Go for it! Either way you go, I am sure you will have a wonderful vacation experience. We choose DCL right now, because the whole experience appeals to our current desires. Will this eventually change? Sure it could. We will continue researching whenever we book our next vacation. If my son "outgrows" Disney, then that's okay too. You have to do what feels right for your family. Happy sailing!

 

[IrenicMom]

I didn't mean it to sound accusatorial, but rather - hey, look, you just stated two big reasons for why you were considering another cruise on DCL.

And as many have pointed out, for some (I would harbor a guess to say many, even) can't give you a "this is where your dollar stretches further" pinpoint comparison, but rather, it's what makes them happier.

But, as far as the specifics that led to my post - see below. Again, not to argue with you, but because I know it drives me nuts when someone says something and then doesn't back it up with facts.

I have a hard time believing you can't take pictures on other cruise lines.

What drinks are free on Disney? I can buy a lot of drinks for 1500 dollars.

(I think others have already followed up on this - but coffee, tea, water, soda, lemonade are all included - hence "free" in that they're not an additional charge on board.

Also - the photography question has already been answered. But again - onboard photogs will use your camera, also - the photo CD, while pricy, isn't an option many other lines have.)

Since your somebody that has cruised other lines. You said that disney has a higher quality product. I hope your not talking about the food in the rotational dining rooms because that was really bad. I think we will be skipping the dining rooms on our next Dream cruise.

(I'm not sure if you mean you'll be eating at the buffet and counters for the entirety of your trip? Or that you'll pay for Palo for the adults in your group for every night? But if food is so awful, then I'd say you're likely to be very hungry or very bored with the other offerings. Sorry you didn't care for it. Others do.)

My kids could care less about the disney charachters now.

I wish the offered a little more for tweens and teens....

(In the same post you offered reasons why you'd like to return to DCL, you also stated this. Which again, just shows how you just have to decide what's more important to your family?)

I'm very much a "do what's best for your family, and I'll do what's best for mine" kind of person. So whether you believe DCL to be a good value for your dollar or not, really has no affect on me. I just thought it was interesting that you seemed to give two very valid reasons (ages of your kids, and stateroom size) for why DCL is valuable to you, at the same time you seemed to want to dismiss other reasons others gave.

 

[luv2sleep]

I really don't like Shrek for kids. Are there any preschool friendly Dreamworks characters on other cruises? Just curious....

 

[lovethedream]

I think this has been said already but in my opinion it is the alcohol, casino, what the market will bear and the fact there is only one place you can get the mouse.

And having been on two DCL cruises and two non DCL cruises, with my better half coming off of a fifth (this one was non DCL) cruise, we are still of the opinion that the food on DCL was superb to all our non DCL cruise experiences.

And no, we are not "brainwashed" lol. We just think that our DCL cruise experience has yet to be beaten by any other cruise line.

But this is just our opinion.

 

[lovethedream]

Don't get me wrong. I loved our disney cruise so much so that I booked two more. I have been pricing out some other carribbean cruises for the same time frame such as ALLURE OF THE SEAS and a few others. I have found them to be over 1200 dollars cheaper for a ocean view room with a balcony. The ships look incredible and seem to have more to offer than the Disney ships. I will most likely stick with Disney for the next couple of years while my kids are still young 7 and 9. Am I missing something? Is there a reason Disney ships are worth more or is it just the Disney name that attracts people. I have only been on one cruise and that was the Dream.

Over time, the DCL cruise prices tend to go up while they tend to stay the same (at least in my experience) with the other cruise lines. When we were looking at a cruise a few years back. Some friends wanted us to go with them so we looked at several different cruise lines and itineraries. At least at that time, the Freedom and the Magic were almost identical price wise (Freedom was a bit cheaper) and the Oasis (the Allure was not out yet) was a few thousand dollars more.

When we went on our second DCL cruise, we were looking at taking a relative with us. We gave her a price for the cruise and in the time it took for her to make up her mind (and we were still quite a ways out from the cruise) the price had gone up so much she could no longer afford it. And all we were doing was adding her to our stateroom... Lesson learned to put down the deposit no matter what as that far out, it was still fully refundable. For a recent Carnival cruise we went on, the cabin we purchased was the same cost the day we bought it and the same cost just a few days before the cruise left.

 

[justmestace]

When have I explaned away other posters reasons, and I am actually still probably as undecided as ever. I guess I should find another board to get unbiased opinions on cruises.

Check on Cruise Critic...that discussion board covers ALL of the cruise lines.
Make sure when you look at the size of the rooms, you pay attention to "Stateroom size" and "Balcony or Verandah size. Disney lists the size of their rooms INCLUDING the balcony. I know for a fact Royal Caribbean will give the stateroom size and also the balcony size....so if you added the two together, you're usually going to get more space for the money with Royal Caribbean.

 

[justmestace]

The statements about "FREE" soda and other little things (which I've never seen anyone name these other little things)...is so laughable.

It isn't FREE if you're paying $1000 to $2000 MORE to cruise on Disney.


Obviously I like to cruise with Disney, since I've gone with them 12 times....but I really love to cruise, and love seeing a lot of different places, and up until recently, Disney was going to the same old places over and over and over.....for a lot more money than most of the other cruise lines.

If you go on another cruise line with the thought that you won't enjoy it because it isn't Disney...then you know what?? You probably WON'T enjoy it.
If you go in thinking you're going to have a great time, regardless, you'll probably have a great time.


People need to remember that Disney is a BUSINESS. And they are in business to MAKE MONEY....plain and simple. The days of Walt just wanting to see people enjoy themselves are long gone.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

After my most recent Disney Dream cruises, I'm questioning why it is so much more than other cruises.....

The ship itself is beautiful - there's no doubt about that. Our accessible stateroom was wonderful - well laid out with only a few minor issues (like the bed being too high for a wheelchair transfer and a steep ramp into the bathroom). The buffet area (Cabana's) was very good as were the fast food places.

The service was okay but not any better (in fact our dinner service was the worst I've experienced on any of my cruises) and certainly not what I'd say the extra cost went to.

Disney charges more because it's Disney and it can. Yes, it includes soda's and you can bring alcohol on board and there is no casino.

I booked two future cruises while on board - one for next October (2012) and one for October 2013. I'm going to cancel the October 2012 and take my parents on Carnival. If they enjoy it as much as I have, I'm also going to cancel the 2013 DCL cruise.

I just can't justify double the price for DCL - not with our most recent experience.

 

[NancyIL]

Smoking is prohibbited in most places on the Wonder, including all state rooms. Most other cruise lines allow smoking, some even allow it in all state rooms. You can never get rid of the smoke and we are highlys sensitive to it.

"Most" other cruise lines have smoking restrictions that are similar to or even more restrictive than Disney's. DCL still allows smoking on balconies. Celebrity doesn't, and Princess won't beginning in mid-January 2012. HAL will prohibit smoking in staterooms also beginning in mid-January. I have sailed with Princess 4 times and HAL 3 times, and I have never had a problem with a smoky-smelling stateroom - even though both allowed it.

 

[NancyIL]

After my most recent Disney Dream cruises, I'm questioning why it is so much more than other cruises.....

The ship itself is beautiful - there's no doubt about that. Our accessible stateroom was wonderful - well laid out with only a few minor issues (like the bed being too high for a wheelchair transfer and a steep ramp into the bathroom). The buffet area (Cabana's) was very good as were the fast food places.

The service was okay but not any better (in fact our dinner service was the worst I've experienced on any of my cruises) and certainly not what I'd say the extra cost went to.

Disney charges more because it's Disney and it can. Yes, it includes soda's and you can bring alcohol on board and there is no casino.

I booked two future cruises while on board - one for next October (2012) and one for October 2013. I'm going to cancel the October 2012 and take my parents on Carnival. If they enjoy it as much as I have, I'm also going to cancel the 2013 DCL cruise.

I just can't justify double the price for DCL - not with our most recent experience.

That has been my experience on 2 of my 3 Disney cruises as well. Beautiful ships, but so-so dining room servers.

 

[kaseyC]

"Most" other cruise lines have smoking restrictions that are similar to or even more restrictive than Disney's. DCL still allows smoking on balconies. Celebrity doesn't, and Princess won't beginning in mid-January 2012. HAL will prohibit smoking in staterooms also beginning in mid-January. I have sailed with Princess 4 times and HAL 3 times, and I have never had a problem with a smoky-smelling stateroom - even though both allowed it.

No smoking in Staterooms on Carnival starting on 12/1/11 and Carnival's spa staterooms and verandahs have always been and will continue to be non smoking. NCL will also be going to no smoking in staterooms starting 1/1/12 as well as all interior public areas except the Cigar bar and a portion of the casino.

Like NancyIL mentioned above most cruise lines are as restrictive or even more so than Disney. At least on Carnival, you can book a room with a non smoking verandah, Disney does not offer that choice.

 

[Lynne M]

I just did a RCCL 3-day to the Bahamas. I'd booked a spring 2012 3-day to the Bahamas on DCL a few months ago. Booked both cruises within a couple days of each other.

My RCCL cruise, on their oldest, smallest ship, cost me about $550, including tips, the soda package, one-way transfers back to the airport, and one $39 excursion for Coco Cay.

The same cruise, on DCL, not including transfers or excursions or tips, is costing me over $1200.

The service and food on RCCL were superb, particularly in the main dining room. Yes, the staff addressed me by name. The cabin was spacious and really, really nice. (I'm missing the bedding, it was wonderful). The ship was spotlessly clean and very well maintained. No, there wasn't cigarette smoke everywhere. The only place I noticed it at all was in the casino (which was very small).

I'm really struggling with whether or not I want to cancel the DCL cruise. $700 is a LOT of money, and I'm honestly having a hard time seeing what more DCL will give me on a 3-day cruise that's worth $700.

So far, the major difference I'm seeing is in the activities. DCL seems to have more activities that I'd be interested in; I thought the RCCL cruise was a little thin on activities, though it seems that their newer ships seem to have a much better range of things to do.

I don't know, I'll probably keep the DCL cruise just to see if it's really that much better. But at these prices, I certainly don't see a lot of Disney cruises in my future.

 

[NancyIL]

I just did a RCCL 3-day to the Bahamas. I'd booked a spring 2012 3-day to the Bahamas on DCL a few months ago. Booked both cruises within a couple days of each other.

My RCCL cruise, on their oldest, smallest ship, cost me about $550, including tips, the soda package, one-way transfers back to the airport, and one $39 excursion for Coco Cay.

The same cruise, on DCL, not including transfers or excursions or tips, is costing me over $1200.

The service and food on RCCL were superb, particularly in the main dining room. Yes, the staff addressed me by name. The cabin was spacious and really, really nice. (I'm missing the bedding, it was wonderful). The ship was spotlessly clean and very well maintained. No, there wasn't cigarette smoke everywhere. The only place I noticed it at all was in the casino (which was very small).

I'm really struggling with whether or not I want to cancel the DCL cruise. $700 is a LOT of money, and I'm honestly having a hard time seeing what more DCL will give me on a 3-day cruise that's worth $700.

So far, the major difference I'm seeing is in the activities. DCL seems to have more activities that I'd be interested in; I thought the RCCL cruise was a little thin on activities, though it seems that their newer ships seem to have a much better range of things to do.

I don't know, I'll probably keep the DCL cruise just to see if it's really that much better. But at these prices, I certainly don't see a lot of Disney cruises in my future.

What kind of cabin did you have on Monarch of the Seas that was "spacious"? I've sailed on that ship twice in a standard oceanview room @ ~ 120 sq. ft. - so you must've booked a suite.

I enjoyed my Monarch of the Seas cruises, but I would sail on that ship again only if it went somewhere other than the Bahamas.

 

[luv2sleep]

I thought one reason to pay more for DCL is for the entertainment experience for families with children, especially for younger children. I understand that other cruiselines may do better with older children (rock wall, wave pool, etc) but I chose DCL primarily for my 4 year old son in the hopes that he would have a better time on DCL than on other lines. I'm talking about outside of the kids clubs. As an adult I would have a great time probably on most cruiselines but I thought overall we'd have a better experience as a family (family activities, etc) on DCL which to me is worth the higher price. Do people disagree? Are other lines just as good in providing a great family experience but for less money?

 

[LKFan]

My RCCL cruise, on their oldest, smallest ship, cost me about $550, including tips, the soda package, one-way transfers back to the airport, and one $39 excursion for Coco Cay.

The same cruise, on DCL, not including transfers or excursions or tips, is costing me over $1200.

The service and food on RCCL were superb, particularly in the main dining room. Yes, the staff addressed me by name. The cabin was spacious and really, really nice. (I'm missing the bedding, it was wonderful). The ship was spotlessly clean and very well maintained. No, there wasn't cigarette smoke everywhere. The only place I noticed it at all was in the casino (which was very small).

I'm really struggling with whether or not I want to cancel the DCL cruise. $700 is a LOT of money, and I'm honestly having a hard time seeing what more DCL will give me on a 3-day cruise that's worth $700.

Really? If it were me (and it isn't so take that for what it is worth), if you enjoyed RCCL as you stated, you could cruise there twice for one cruise on DCL.

We did a 5 day double dip and, although we liked Castaway Cay, we didn't get much time to explore and enjoy the ship. Our MR cruise (with three days at sea) was a very different experience.

 

[Lynne M]

What kind of cabin did you have on Monarch of the Seas that was "spacious"? I've sailed on that ship twice in a standard oceanview room @ ~ 120 sq. ft. - so you must've booked a suite.

I enjoyed my Monarch of the Seas cruises, but I would sail on that ship again only if it went somewhere other than the Bahamas.

Superior Oceanview. It has a seating area between the bed and the bathroom/closet area that adds a decent amount of space.

Yeah, I wasn't really enthused with the Bahamas. It was interesting to walk up and down Bay Street and look thru the shops, but that was about it. This was a solo cruise for me, if I'd been with others I probably would have gone farther afield, maybe gotten a day pass for one of the hotel beaches or checked out Atlantis.

If I do the Disney cruise, I won't get off the ship in Nassau. For that price, I want to make use of the activities/amenities on the ship.

 

[krispykreme97]

I love disney but I'm not married to them and tend to date other cruise lines from time to time. The debate can go on and on whether disney's price is justified. But here is the reason I do 3 days on disney vs 7 days or more. I don't mind paying $1400-1600 for myself and 2 DD to go on a 3 day disney cruise. I do however want to take them somewhere different like to Alaska. For us 3 the last week in May Alaskan cruise is $3800 for an inside room vs Carnival Spirit same week balcony for $2700. It's a no brainer for me we want to see Alaska. My kids will be happy with their kids program's, shows, and food just the same.