We know very little about taking a cruise. Can someone please explain why Disney cruises are so much more expensive than every other cruise line?
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Disney Cruise Line Prices
- Thread starter ParentsOf4
- Start date
patricia27
Member
I agree with the above.
But it is the BEST--there seems to be something for ALL age groups. My husband and I went on our own--we are in our 60s and we didn`t feel out of it.
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
That's pretty much it. Supply and demand.
They do have a good product, and that keeps people comming back, despite the premium pricing.
-dave
Crush Dude!
Back from WDW!Counting down to DLP in November!
All of the above!!
Disney's Cruises are in HUGE demand! The prices for 2013 cruises flew up within hours of them going on sale!!
That said if clever you can get good deals especially when booked far in advance!
Plus the quality of EVERYTHING on board is of such a premium quality, after 1 DCL cruise I can say without any doubt that it is more than worth it!!
Disney's Cruises are in HUGE demand! The prices for 2013 cruises flew up within hours of them going on sale!!
That said if clever you can get good deals especially when booked far in advance!
Plus the quality of EVERYTHING on board is of such a premium quality, after 1 DCL cruise I can say without any doubt that it is more than worth it!!
bradandsarabr
Member
Also, DCL price includes port fees, taxes, & non-alcohol drinks. When you add that end to the other lines prices, Fisney is still more but the prices are much closer.
Disneyfalcon
Well-Known Member
Disney ships tend to sell out almost every sailing. Other lines have to offer more specials to get people on them.
Now Disney does have some great rates if you can time it well. We sailed to Alaska with them on a Kids Sail Free special that made it cheaper than any other brand, and believe me I checked.
Disney has changed other cruise lines and made the entire industry better. Their rotational dining, kids clubs, fireworks - they all set a new standard and other cruise lines raced to catch up.
There was a time that I wouldn't have taken kids on any line except Disney but that's not the case now. Having said that Disney keeps getting my dollars because of how well they do it.
Their service is amazing, they aren't nickeling and dining you to death as someone mentioned, their shows are excellent AND family friendly, their kids programming is top notch and the list goes on.
Sometimes I pay more for Disney, sometimes it's the exact same or less. But they are worth it either way, and I keep going back.
Now Disney does have some great rates if you can time it well. We sailed to Alaska with them on a Kids Sail Free special that made it cheaper than any other brand, and believe me I checked.
Disney has changed other cruise lines and made the entire industry better. Their rotational dining, kids clubs, fireworks - they all set a new standard and other cruise lines raced to catch up.
There was a time that I wouldn't have taken kids on any line except Disney but that's not the case now. Having said that Disney keeps getting my dollars because of how well they do it.
Their service is amazing, they aren't nickeling and dining you to death as someone mentioned, their shows are excellent AND family friendly, their kids programming is top notch and the list goes on.
Sometimes I pay more for Disney, sometimes it's the exact same or less. But they are worth it either way, and I keep going back.
Most of the time cruises include port fees, and the cost of an unlimited drink card on any other line is usually only around $50ish (or less). So I don't think those things really make up the difference.
DCL tells you right up front what the fees etc are, some other cruise lines don't show you those fees until you are further along in the pricing process. This can initially make DCL seem more expensive.
Is that $50ish for a drink card per person? If so, that can add up fast.
It still doesn't make up the difference, I've looked many times. Comparing similar itineraries, similar cabin, same time of year, Disney is ALWAYS more expensive, by quite a bit, even after taking all the fees and extras into account.
I just checked two similar cruises for this coming summer, both 7 nights, both in July, both out of Florida, both to the Eastern Caribbean. I compared the cheapest Disney cruise to the most expensive non disney cruise (Royal Caribbean). I chose the lowest priced oceanview cabin.
Including all the taxes, fees, port charges:
Royal Caribbean - $3361 total (2 people, $1680/person)
Disney - $4363 total (2 people, $2181/person)
I don't think the soft drinks being included is worth an extra $501/person. It's 30% more for the Disney cruise.
I'm not trying to say it isn't worth it or anything bad about Disney, I'm just showing that it's still considerable more expensive even if you figure in fees and taxes and drink cards, etc.
Disneyfalcon
Well-Known Member
There are absolutely cruises where Disney is more expensive, sometimes a lot more. This summer is a good example.
Disney has a brand new ship that a lot of people want to try and those 7 night summer cruises have gone up a ton since they were first released. That $1000 you saw is the premium people are willing to pay to be on that new ship.
I can show you some other dates and ships where Disney will come out cheaper. Especially when you make sure all taxes, fees, etc. are included.
Disney has a bad rep of always being more expensive. That's definitely true at times, but not always.
Unomas
Well-Known Member
I think Disney offers a unique product as well. It is one of the only truly family-focused cruises available. Geared for families of all ages. The Disney brand gives a blanket of security for families that other cruise lines can't provide because it is intangible. I think that helps drive the demand that drives up the prices.
If you have a unique product that no one else can provide - you can charge whatever you want.
If you have a unique product that no one else can provide - you can charge whatever you want.
I would like to see that, because I have a hard time believing that.
Disneyfalcon
Well-Known Member
January of 2012 to the western caribbean, the lowest priced Disney cruise is around $130/night, whereas MOST of the other cruises are less than $100/night. There are a few that are priced similarly, but a very few.
Yes, you could set up some situations where disney isn't the highest priced, but comparing similar destinations, cabins, etc, Disney will be considerable more expensive a LARGE majority of the time.
They have that reputation because it's true, and there is tons of data to back it up.
Again, I'm not saying it's bad or not worth it, I'm just saying that no matter how you look at it, it is simply true that they are much more expensive.
Yes, you could set up some situations where disney isn't the highest priced, but comparing similar destinations, cabins, etc, Disney will be considerable more expensive a LARGE majority of the time.
They have that reputation because it's true, and there is tons of data to back it up.
Again, I'm not saying it's bad or not worth it, I'm just saying that no matter how you look at it, it is simply true that they are much more expensive.
Using dates less than 2 months away will really skew pricing - Disney ships are full at that point and have driven the prices as high as they will go. Other cruise lines are scrambling to fill space, and offer deep discounts.
The best way to compare pricing is to chose dates as far in the future as possible. DCL is at it's lowest, or close to it; and the other cruise lines haven't yet begun price cutting.
Even the cabins can't be compared apples to apples...Disney staterooms are larger than other cruise lines and 95% of them offer the split bathroom.
Ok, then Oct 2012, western caribbean. Of the 21 cruises listed on travelocity, sorted by price per day, #s 20 and 21 are the Disney cruises (#20 is the Disney Magic and #21 is the newest disney ship, which you'd expect to be the most expensive). The next two most expensive are on the huge enormous new RCL ships. All the others are, again, about 30% less than Disney.
Crush Dude!
Back from WDW!Counting down to DLP in November!
That much extra is worth it for The Oceaneers Lab/Club alone :sohappy: