Yikes! Huge price jump in 2018!!

[mevelandry]

Actually, as Disney is not a non-profit charity, since the demand is there, they ARE justified in raising prices as they see fit.

Cruises - and vacations for that matter - are nice to have, but traveling for fun is NOT a necessity. It is a choice we each make - and we make decisions for how we choose to spend our dollars as we see fit. And as you say, consumers are free to say no and go elsewhere.

When/If enough people say no and go elsewhere that it financially affects Disney, they will adjust accordingly.

When I say they are not justified... I meant that there is no "upgrade". The experience remains the same (well, some things disappeared). Itineraries remains the same. They raised the rates "because they can".

 

[mevelandry]

Only time I had to send food back, was on a Disney cruise, not only once either. I've had very good entrees on DCL...but Carnival blows them away in the food category. (Regular dining, not upcharge, I haven't done upcharge in Disney or Carnival)

I sent food back in Animator's Palate on the Dream (but I will give it a second chance on the Wonder) and my Enchanted Garden plate remained almost untouched (can't wait to try Tiana's, I'll stay away from the prime rib!!). I appreciated Royal Palace, though. It wasn't as good as Palo but it was good enough. Remy was outstanding but my wallet hated it.

 

[AquaDame]

This thread has gone off the rails again... (I was absolutely guilty too at one point - its a very contentious discussion!). Let's keep it to discussing the price hike on DCL without jabbing at each other's preferences or we'll have to lock it.

 

[cgolf]

Actually, as Disney is not a non-profit charity, since the demand is there, they ARE justified in raising prices as they see fit.

Cruises - and vacations for that matter - are nice to have, but traveling for fun is NOT a necessity. It is a choice we each make - and we make decisions for how we choose to spend our dollars as we see fit. And as you say, consumers are free to say no and go elsewhere.

When/If enough people say no and go elsewhere that it financially affects Disney, they will adjust accordingly.

I think that many of us are saying that due to the prices increasing and the perks decreasing we are and have taken our money elsewhere. We have a placeholder that unless we see a good deal will go unused. DCL can charge whatever they want, and it is ok for us to complain about it

I do have to ask what happened at DCL over the last 4 years, with the rapidly rising costs and diminishing perks. I would love to know what drove them to do this, as it seemed like it happened pretty quickly which made it very noticable. Had they done this over a longer time period, for example slowly raised costs faster than other lines, many of us may never have noticed.

 

[undertheradar]

I think that many of us are saying that due to the prices increasing and the perks decreasing we are and have taken our money elsewhere. We have a placeholder that unless we see a good deal will go unused. DCL can charge whatever they want, and it is ok for us to complain about it

I do have to ask what happened at DCL over the last 4 years, with the rapidly rising costs and diminishing perks. I would love to know what drove them to do this, as it seemed like it happened pretty quickly which made it very noticable. Had they done this over a longer time period, for example slowly raised costs faster than other lines, many of us may never have noticed.

To be honest, I think that many are used to discounts when staying at WDW. DCL has a much more limited product and does not offer the same type of discounts WDW guests are used to. Imagine the negative feedback if WDW stopped the "free dining" packages. It is roughly the same type of feedback about DCL pricing. Every new release there are threads about people being priced out and DCL will never see them again. The ships are still in high demand, so some people are still paying for it. Our 7 nt Bahamian out of Galveston is $23 more per person in 2017 over 2016. Not the extreme price hikes that others are seeing.

 

[mevelandry]

To be honest, I think that many are used to discounts when staying at WDW. DCL has a much more limited product and does not offer the same type of discounts WDW guests are used to. Imagine the negative feedback if WDW stopped the "free dining" packages. It is roughly the same type of feedback about DCL pricing. Every new release there are threads about people being priced out and DCL will never see them again. The ships are still in high demand, so some people are still paying for it. Our 7 nt Bahamian out of Galveston is $23 more per person in 2017 over 2016. Not the extreme price hikes that others are seeing.

Galveston is in its own category.

 

[cyclenut]

We like cruising. We love Disney. We prefer the DCL experience but find that other cruise lines also offer a very good experience. The statement that someone made that all other cruises are just cruises and DCL is about the experience is just a little of base. RCCL for example offers a really great overall experience and not just a cruise. That's what we found on the Freedom. The Fantasy was better, but not by a large margin.

The real bottom line here is that for many people they look for the best value for their vacation dollar. Those that have more discretionary spending may find that spending more is worth it. Those that need their dollars to stretch a bit further may find that the price gaps push Disney out of mix.

Disney is spending a lot of money right now growing the brand. The Shanghi Disney theme park put them in the red due to delays and cost overruns, the are building new DCL ships. All of this investment costs money and it appears (from what we can see) that Disney is funding those investments by cutting costs and increasing prices. That's pretty normal for a business that is growing.

I was also surprised at the comments about Galveston. People who compare prices should realize that comparing the price of a cruise out of Galveston to the price of a cruise out of Port Caneveral is not a fair comparison. Galveston is a good port to sail from and I'll be sailing on the Wonder in January out of Galveston. That cruise cost more than the Carnival Breeze out of Galveston for the same number of days, but not so much more that we're "jumping ship". However, should the cost of our 2018 Panama Canal cruise we just booked turn out to be thousands more than we can get elsewhere, we may just do that. We've done it before. In fact, we cancelled our Fantasy sailing for our 25th anniversary and sailed the RCCL Freedom instead that year. We don't regret it one bit. Amazing experience. We returned to the Fantasy when we were able to get a price we thought was more reasonable.

Value is all about individual perception and sharing what makes a difference to you on these boards is constructive to others who may be struggling with the decision. If I felt Disney offered a good value each time I wanted to cruise, that's the only line I'd sail. It doesn't. Further, if our objective is just to get away, it likely never will meet that price point. Carnival fills that particular gap nicely.

 

[undertheradar]

Since when is a DCL cruise not a DCL cruise? Since there are more sailings from Port Canaveral, thus many other cruise line options, that makes sailing DCL out of Galveston a better stretch of vacation dollars. Sure, we don't get the DCL terminal, not sure that it is worth thousands of dollars more to pass through it.

We all spend our money different ways and have different justifications for doing so. I enjoy reading these threads to gain insight into why people cruise the way that they do. Some book inside staterooms and sail often, others book higher categories and sail less. No one way is right or wrong, it is a highly personal choice.

 

[steves100]

Only time I had to send food back, was on a Disney cruise, not only once either. I've had very good entrees on DCL...but Carnival blows them away in the food category. (Regular dining, not upcharge, I haven't done upcharge in Disney or Carnival)

Gee the awards just came up from US News and World Report Carnival won exactly ZERO awards while Disney won 2

Best value for money
1. Celebrity Cruises
2. Royal Caribbean International
3. Norwegian Cruise Line

Best for luxury
1. Crystal Cruises
2. Regent Seven Seas Cruises
3. Oceania Cruises

For families
1. Disney Cruise Line
2. Royal Caribbean International
3. Carnival Cruise Lines

For couples
1. Crystal Cruises
2. Regent Seven Seas Cruises
3. Azamara Club Cruises

In the Mediterranean
1. Celebrity Cruises
2. Regent Seven Seas Cruises
3. Oceania Cruises

In the Caribbean
1. Disney Cruise Line
2. Celebrity Cruises
3. Crystal Cruises — AFP-Relaxnews

- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/t...d-best-cruise-lines-2017#sthash.MmkBrgGK.dpuf

 

[mevelandry]

Gee the awards just came up from US News and World Report Carnival won exactly ZERO awards while Disney won 2

Best value for money
1. Celebrity Cruises
2. Royal Caribbean International
3. Norwegian Cruise Line

Best for luxury
1. Crystal Cruises
2. Regent Seven Seas Cruises
3. Oceania Cruises

For families
1. Disney Cruise Line
2. Royal Caribbean International
3. Carnival Cruise Lines

For couples
1. Crystal Cruises
2. Regent Seven Seas Cruises
3. Azamara Club Cruises

In the Mediterranean
1. Celebrity Cruises
2. Regent Seven Seas Cruises
3. Oceania Cruises

In the Caribbean
1. Disney Cruise Line
2. Celebrity Cruises
3. Crystal Cruises — AFP-Relaxnews

- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/t...d-best-cruise-lines-2017#sthash.MmkBrgGK.dpuf

Carnival won awards from the "Porthole Cruise Magazine Awards" though. (Best Value for the money, Best cruise line for teens -- & Best private island for Half-Moon Cay: Holland and Carnival are owned by the same company and they both use the island--)

http://www.porthole.com/rca2016/

I've cruised with Carnival and enjoyed it a lot (so did a lot of people). Almost just as much as DCL... with or without awards.

 

[mevelandry]

Correction:

Carnival’s 2016 Porthole Cruise Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards include:

Best Value-For-The-Money Line
Best Cruise Line for Teens
Best Theme Cruise
Best Cruise Director – John Heald
Best Mexican Riviera Itineraries
Best Website

 

[ahain]

Check out this price jump for the Fantasy 3/18/2017 vs. 3/17/2018. They are both Western itineraries for the same week in March. Pricing is for 2 adults and 2 children (13yo & 11yo). We paid less than $6K for the 2017 cruise in a category 5B with opening day prices. The 2017 cruise has jumped in price due to SWDAS, but the 2018 rates are even higher than the 2017 current rates!!!!

View attachment 203433

I think in 2018 that will be Spring Break/Easter

 

[ahain]

Check out this price jump for the Fantasy 3/18/2017 vs. 3/17/2018. They are both Western itineraries for the same week in March. Pricing is for 2 adults and 2 children (13yo & 11yo). We paid less than $6K for the 2017 cruise in a category 5B with opening day prices. The 2017 cruise has jumped in price due to SWDAS, but the 2018 rates are even higher than the 2017 current rates!!!!

View attachment 203433

March 31,2018 is Easter weekend, so Spring Break - likely explains the pricing.

 

[kiford]

Out of curiosity I checked 2017 prices for the same cruise we're going on shortly at the same time of year (
WC Nov 26/16 versus Nov 25/17). The exact same cabin next year is $200 less than what we paid for this year. Granted, we booked this current one in August and the 2017 one might go up over the next few months, but I think that, ultimately, time of year is a major factor in pricing. Higher demand, higher pricing. Particularly when your inventory is relatively limited.

 

[Love2Cruz]

Well, I went ahead and booked the Wonder for a Spring 2018 cruise, 3 nights. I can get a 7 night for the same category cabin on a Celebrity cruise for the same price...., plus a $300 OBC......what to do what to do. I haven't tried Celebrity yet as it puts off a kind of "older clientele" vibe...not like Holland...but more of a snooty, pretentious type, doesn't like kids type. I can be Totally wrong, but that's just the vibe I get.

If anyone has sailed Celebrity, any first hand knowledge would be appreciated.

 

[mevelandry]

Well, I went ahead and booked the Wonder for a Spring 2018 cruise, 3 nights. I can get a 7 night for the same category cabin on a Celebrity cruise for the same price...., plus a $300 OBC......what to do what to do. I haven't tried Celebrity yet as it puts off a kind of "older clientele" vibe...not like Holland...but more of a snooty, pretentious type, doesn't like kids type. I can be Totally wrong, but that's just the vibe I get.

If anyone has sailed Celebrity, any first hand knowledge would be appreciated.

I haven't tried Celebrity yet but here's what I think:

Not trying Celebrity because it seems to have a pretentious type is a bit like not trying Carnival because it's affordable (more middle-class) and has a reputation being party boats.

If you try it, you might end up have a great time after all. (But not gonna lie, I love to be surrounded with older people).

 

[kaseyC]

Well, I went ahead and booked the Wonder for a Spring 2018 cruise, 3 nights. I can get a 7 night for the same category cabin on a Celebrity cruise for the same price...., plus a $300 OBC......what to do what to do. I haven't tried Celebrity yet as it puts off a kind of "older clientele" vibe...not like Holland...but more of a snooty, pretentious type, doesn't like kids type. I can be Totally wrong, but that's just the vibe I get.

If anyone has sailed Celebrity, any first hand knowledge would be appreciated.

We've done 3 Celebrity cruises - Bermuda, W. Caribbean and the Med. Depending on the itinerary, you can have an older demographic. There were plenty of families on the 3 itineraries we sailed. My girls loved their youth programming because it wasn't super crowded and they had more personalized attention from the counselors. The ships are gorgeous with an understated elegance. I wasn't a fan of their shows.

 

[Love2Cruz]

I haven't tried Celebrity yet but here's what I think:

Not trying Celebrity because it seems to have a pretentious type is a bit like not trying Carnival because it's affordable (more middle-class) and has a reputation being party boats.

If you try it, you might end up have a great time after all. (But not gonna lie, I love to be surrounded with older people).

Very good points.

 

[Love2Cruz]

We've done 3 Celebrity cruises - Bermuda, W. Caribbean and the Med. Depending on the itinerary, you can have an older demographic. There were plenty of families on the 3 itineraries we sailed. My girls loved their youth programming because it wasn't super crowded and they had more personalized attention from the counselors. The ships are gorgeous with an understated elegance. I wasn't a fan of their shows.

It would be during Spring Break, and it's a Caribbean itinerary...so it would probably have more kids and perhaps less older folks who don't like kids (I know plenty of older folks who LOVE kids....so this isn't a jab by any means...)

But part of me still wants to see the new Wonder (though I didn't see the old Wonder..lol) but the fact that it has received a make over and it has a new New Orleans style restaurant (I love the Big Easy) and CC plus the fact that I only need to give up 2 PL days instead of a week...makes me sort of just stick with my booking.

 

[mevelandry]

But part of me still wants to see the new Wonder (though I didn't see the old Wonder..lol) but the fact that it has received a make over and it has a new New Orleans style restaurant (I love the Big Easy) and CC plus the fact that I only need to give up 2 PL days instead of a week...makes me sort of just stick with my booking.

Can't blame you. Since we are now open to other options, we spoke about going with another cruise line for our family trip but we chose to keep the Wonder because we are too excited with the changes.