Yes, Disney cruises are expensive, but what hidden costs am I not factoring?

[hodad]

Well, does the 7 year old have a favourite princess or a love of Mickey or Minnie? She'll only get that on a DCL cruise. Then again, for $8000, her parents can take her to WDW, as well.

We could go to WDW for 2 weeks on a budget of $8000, and we're about to move 30 minutes from Disneyland, where we could all get APs for less than half that amount, so the pressure is not on to choose something because it has character meets and hidden Mickeys.

Another point is that your breakdown includes 3 staterooms paid for individually, right? So each family is not saving $8000. You are each saving only a portion of that versus the other lines. It might be prudent to present each family with what they will pay on each, versus the total, as that is a shocking number, but misleading unless one person is picking up the whole tab.

Good point. I could say, for example, that the Princess Ruby is $242 per person per day while the Disney Wonder is $385 per person per day, but when they ask what that extra $143 gets them, I'll say, "unlimited soda??"

Having said this, we still plan on hitting up a Caribbean Disney cruise with the other side of the family in a few years, because there are more kids and fewer grandparents.

 

[xlxo]

I will let you know what the group decides. I came here for advice because when I give them the digest of choices, they will inevitably ask why the Disney cruise is so much more expensive, and it sounds like all I can do is ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Did you compare prices for every July sailing? There should be savings if you avoid the July 9th sailing with 9 days.

Please do NOT look at the July 18th sailing. That sailing is discounted as a 5 day sailing.

Quick summary....

• July 2nd has a fireworks show pre-cruise at the terminal the night before.
• July 9th is a special 9 day sailing. It comes with a premium price
• July 18th is a 5 day sailing
• July 23rd returns to the normal 7 day sailing.
• July 30th is a 7 day sailing

July 2 and July 30th looks cheaper for a July trip. I like July 23rd for warm dry weather.

 

[PurplePencil]

The extended family asked me, a cruising novice, to research a multi-generation cruise to Alaska sometime in the summer of 2018. I've narrowed it down to the following, all assuming an interior room for 2 adults and a 7yo, another interior room for 2 adults, and a balcony room for 2 seniors:

• Disney Wonder out of Vancouver - $19,000
• RCCL Explorer of the Seas out of Seattle - $8500 due to a sale
• NCL Pearl out of Seattle - $11,000
• Carnival Legend out of Seattle - $9600

What does the extra $8000+ get us on the Disney Wonder, other than intangible Pixie Dust? Are more meals or activities covered up front?

Most onboard activities are included, including kids club except nursery fro under 3 (RCCL, NCL, and Carnival charge for all kids clubs after a certain time Disney does NOT), Broadway style show, First Run movies, family game shows, and more. Dining in 3 different restaurants, rotating with the same serving staff and different menus every night is something originating on DCL. The only meals that cost extra are the Adult's Only Coffee shop, anything from a bar, packaged snacks from Room Service, smoothies, and Palo the adult's only restaraunt

 

[hodad]

July 2 and July 30th looks cheaper for a July trip.

The quote I'm using is for the July 2 trip.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

he only meals that cost extra are the Adult's Only Coffee shop

No meals in the Cove Cafe. Only snacks. And those are included in the cruise fare. You pay extra for the specialty coffee.

 

[hodad]

Most onboard activities are included, including kids club except nursery fro under 3 (RCCL, NCL, and Carnival charge for all kids clubs after a certain time Disney does NOT), Broadway style show, First Run movies, family game shows, and more. Dining in 3 different restaurants, rotating with the same serving staff and different menus every night is something originating on DCL. The only meals that cost extra are the Adult's Only Coffee shop, anything from a bar, packaged snacks from Room Service, smoothies, and Palo the adult's only restaraunt

Thanks. Any idea how much more the other cruise lines charge for the kids club? I'm assuming every ship has at least three restaurants with dining included in the ticket price, but if not that would definitely decrease the difference in price! I'm starting from a position of cruise ship ignorance, so any advice you give me is helpful.

 

[PurplePencil]

No meals in the Cove Cafe. Only snacks. And those are included in the cruise fare. You pay extra for the specialty coffee.

that's what I meant, smoothies aren't really meals nor is bar food

 

[PurplePencil]

Thanks. Any idea how much more the other cruise lines charge for the kids club? I'm assuming every ship has at least three restaurants with dining included in the ticket price, but if not that would definitely decrease the difference in price! I'm starting from a position of cruise ship ignorance, so any advice you give me is helpful.

Late nights
Carnival- After 10pm $6.75 an hour plus some kids club activities cost extra
Norwegian- In Port $6 meal charge per child per meal for supervision during meal time $6 an hour after 10:30
RCCL- After 10pm $7 an hour

 

[stacaka4321]

Our van driver on the way from the Fantasy to the airport made an interesting comment that i never thought of, obviously it's just a statement and not fact. He said the fare is more then other lines partly due to the fact that there is no casino on board so to make up those profits the fare is higher. That logic does make some sense to me!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Thanks. Any idea how much more the other cruise lines charge for the kids club? I'm assuming every ship has at least three restaurants with dining included in the ticket price, but if not that would definitely decrease the difference in price! I'm starting from a position of cruise ship ignorance, so any advice you give me is helpful.

All Disney ships have 3 "main" dining rooms. The rotational dining service was introduced on DCL.

Not all cruise ships (other lines) have 3 dining rooms.

 

[xlxo]

The quote I'm using is for the July 2 trip.

OK.... then...

• also consider where you plan to stay the night before pre-cruise.... in addition to the fireworks, it's a local long weekend. If you are arriving late on July 1st.... consider suburb hotels for savings.
• consider exploring Vancouver post-cruise when attractions are less congested, hotels are cheaper and the weather is dryer.

 

[hodad]

OK.... then...

• also consider where you plan to stay the night before pre-cruise.... in addition to the fireworks, it's a local long weekend. If you are arriving late on July 1st.... consider suburb hotels for savings.
• consider exploring Vancouver post-cruise when attractions are less congested, hotels are cheaper and the weather is dryer.

Some of us live in Seattle, so we'd stay at their house and drive to whatever port we use. The rest of us would fly up from LA. We don't feel much pressure to explore Vancouver because we go to the Pacific Northwest regularly.

 

[Dug720]

Our van driver on the way from the Fantasy to the airport made an interesting comment that i never thought of, obviously it's just a statement and not fact. He said the fare is more then other lines partly due to the fact that there is no casino on board so to make up those profits the fare is higher. That logic does make some sense to me!

I'm sure that does have something to do with it.

But it is a big reason a lot of people choose DCL - not having to deal with the noise and smoke from a casino (because inevitably they will have a smoking section...that is totally not enclosed at all so the stench drifts out of the casino and into the rest of the ship around it). I know it is a big reason for me - I hate having to navigate around the stench on other lines I've been on...and sometimes having to avoid things in the vicinity I'd like to experience because the air plain stinks.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

The extended family asked me, a cruising novice, to research a multi-generation cruise to Alaska sometime in the summer of 2018. I've narrowed it down to the following, all assuming an interior room for 2 adults and a 7yo, another interior room for 2 adults, and a balcony room for 2 seniors:

• Disney Wonder out of Vancouver - $19,000
• RCCL Explorer of the Seas out of Seattle - $8500 due to a sale
• NCL Pearl out of Seattle - $11,000
• Carnival Legend out of Seattle - $9600

EDIT: added Princess and HAL​

• Princess Ruby out of Seattle - $12,000
• Holland Niew Amsterdam out of Vancouver - $11,000

What does the extra $8000+ get us on the Disney Wonder, other than intangible Pixie Dust? Are more meals or activities covered up front?

Nothing. "Free" soda.

 

[jrabbit]

Where did you get the impression I think I'm more important than you?

Sorry - should not have quoted you - there is NOTHING that I know about you (which is nothing) that has given me the impression that you think that you are better than me. This was more of a general rant. Sorry I quoted you. I have updated my post.

 

[darnheather]

For my family there is an amount of money I am willing to pay to not have a casino and smoke area (in the open) on my vacation. Also the room sizes are not always the same so square footage might be something you are paying extra for on DCL.

 

[cruisehopeful]

While a smoky casino would really turn me off, I do want to say that when I was recently on Princess, I only noticed the casino a couple times (never went in it) and I never smelled any cigarette smoke except at the rear of the ship where the smoking section was. That may not be the case on all ships, but for me, I would have to go out of my way to deliberately go to the casino or the smoking section.

Hodad, check Princess round trip from Seattle. I believe they have the itinerary as DCL and also another itinerary that goes to Glacier Bay. If money is not really an issue and you don't care about Glacier Bay, I think the child and the grandparents will love Disney. I remember seeing at least one sailing on Carnival that went to Glacier Bay. I haven't sailed with them, but their ships look like they have a lot of things to keep a child from being bored.

 

[bumbershoot]

What does the extra $8000+ get us on the Disney Wonder, other than intangible Pixie Dust? Are more meals or activities covered up front?

No extra meals. Different activities.

No hidden costs anywhere, really, to answer your subject line. Cruise lines are pretty open about their costs.

Characters, character party, free soda. I believe that is about it.

Agreed.

The "Best": Cruise, Dining Rotation, Shore Excursions, Shows, Meals, etc. Highly subjective

You're responding to a description of itinerary. Many people feel that the lines mentioned do have the best itinerary of places traveled. The poster didn't mention any of the other things at all.

8000 gets you the Disney experience. I hate when people bring up the soda that is such a non factor when your talking about thousands of dollars.

But it's an actual answer to the question "what does dcl include that other lines don't". It's not something to be ignored simply because it's not a huge cost.

Then again, for $8000, her parents can take her to WDW, as well.

Any idea how much more the other cruise lines charge for the kids club?

Remember it's just for the late hours. My son liked to stay until closing time (as long as Disney wasn't being weird with food or video games etc) but on Royal knew that closing time was when we said. Was never an issue.

I'm assuming every ship has at least three restaurants with dining included in the ticket price

The meals are but not all lines have different restaurants to go to. On riyaknits generally one dining room for all dinners.

Having to remember where you're going each night isn't a bonus to me. It's a gimmick and not a useful one for me.

I'm sure that does have something to do with it.

But it is a big reason a lot of people choose DCL - not having to deal with the noise and smoke from a casino (because inevitably they will have a smoking section...that is totally not enclosed at all so the stench drifts out of the casino and into the rest of the ship around it). I know it is a big reason for me - I hate having to navigate around the stench on other lines I've been on...and sometimes having to avoid things in the vicinity I'd like to experience because the air plain stinks.

You know this, but for others...Celebrity has a casino (bonus for people who want one) and it's NON smoking (bonus for people with lungs).

 

[mouselike-harrier]

I'd take the money saved and use it for excursions. I took a DCL Alaska cruise 3 years ago and the excursion prices are high, especially when you multiply them by the number of people in your family. So I would say you would need to look at the "hidden" costs of the excursions on the various websites that you think you might be considering. Alaska is the one place where you would want a verandah and take excursions in every port. There are lots of things that set DCL apart from the rest, namely no casinos, no smoke, rotational dining, first run movies, etc. However, with Alaska, unless it's a sea day you are rarely onboard. Just my 2 cents.

 

[quickcat]

We sailed on the Ruby Princess and would not sail that itinerary or ship again. Out of Seattle it was extremely rough seas which all the crew said is extremely typical. You couldn't walk straight down the hallway it was so rocky. The mini golf was always shut down, The main dining room had the same menu every night-yes, Every night. Their shows were OK, Comedian was very funny, staff was always nice. There wasn't anything wrong with it, we would just much prefer to pay the difference and sail with Disney, especially if our option was out of Seattle or out of Vancouver.