Disney Cruise Line Prices

[DisneyJoe]

That much extra is worth it for The Oceaneers Lab/Club alone

Precisely... and split baths, larger staterooms, and rotational dining servers, and no on-board casino, and so on. You can't really compare based on price alone as it isn't a fair comparison.

Only those that have been on DCL and other cruise lines have enough info to make a fair comparison.

DCL keeps winning awards too - I believe they won 3 within the last 2 weeks, from CruiseCritic and Porthole magazine and someone else.

 

[Crush Dude!]

Precisely... and split baths, larger staterooms, and rotational dining servers, and no on-board casino, and so on. You can't really compare based on price alone as it isn't a fair comparison.

Only those that have been on DCL and other cruise lines have enough info to make a fair comparison.

DCL keeps winning awards too - I believe they won 3 within the last 2 weeks, from CruiseCritic and Porthole magazine and someone else.

Agreed!

The Kids clubs!
The Split Baths!
The Level of Service!
The Restaurant quality!
The room Size!
The Aquaduck!
The Amazing Cast/Crew Members!

All this and more puts DCL on a Different Level!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Okay, the most obvious difference would be when Disney is having a special like Kids Sail Free. Those are just about sold out right now, so the Disney price is from some quotes I did a few weeks ago.

These are for 7 night Mexican Riviera cruises, 2 adults and 2 kids out of Los Angeles right around March 4th.

Disney - For two adults and two kids in a verandah room, their quote was right at $2650, including all taxes and port fees.

Carnival - Generally the cheapest so we'll start there. They're super close. It would be $2580 for a verandah room. This is a case where adding in the "nickeling and diming" makes Disney the same or less. Two soda cards (and if it was my family, we would want 4) would run them about $100 taking that cruise up to $2680.

Princess - The price with taxes and port fees would be $3088.36 up front.

Holland America - That would be $3286.16.

Royal Caribbean - No sail dates out of Mexico so we can't compare that one.


That's just an example. As I said, often times Disney is definitely more.

It's a little hard to compare right now, because unless they run a special, the cheapest time to book Disney is right when it comes out. The opposite is often true of other cruise lines. Disney's prices go up over time because their ships fill up. Other cruise lines offer more last minute deals because their ships aren't always filling up.

I have several people who are booked on 7 night cruises in the summer of 2012 on Disney. One is a family of 5 that booked the morning the cruises were released. Their ocean view cabin was $1281 per person for the first two adults. (additional people in the room are less) You'll see that's a good deal less than Royal Caribbeans price of $1680 per person that you found and that cabin that sleeps 5 is much bigger.

There are deals to be found on Disney, you just have to know when to book, and where to look if you missed that!

 

[DisneyJoe]

Agreed!

The Kids clubs!
The Split Baths!
The Level of Service!
The Restaurant quality!
The room Size!
The Aquaduck!
The Amazing Cast/Crew Members!

All this and more puts DCL on a Different Level!

The only cruise line with fireworks.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Ya'll are so much faster than me!! :lol:

But what Joe said is what I was getting at. It's hard to compare close dates because disney's have gone up, other lines have often gone down or stayed the same.

My example of opening day prices on the Fantasy vs the Royal Caribbean price is a good comparison.

 

[Crush Dude!]

The only cruise line with fireworks.

How Could I Forget!! :sohappy:

 

[Disneyfalcon]

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.

I get what you're saying, I know you're not saying it's not necessarily worth it.

It's more a lot of the time. But part of the reason is that people are comparing apples to oranges. Comparing other cruiselines when they are at their lowest, comparing Disney when it's at it's highest.

 

[Crush Dude!]

Okay, the most obvious difference would be when Disney is having a special like Kids Sail Free. Those are just about sold out right now, so the Disney price is from some quotes I did a few weeks ago.

These are for 7 night Mexican Riviera cruises, 2 adults and 2 kids out of Los Angeles right around March 4th.

Disney - For two adults and two kids in a verandah room, their quote was right at $2650, including all taxes and port fees.

Carnival - Generally the cheapest so we'll start there. They're super close. It would be $2580 for a verandah room. This is a case where adding in the "nickeling and diming" makes Disney the same or less. Two soda cards (and if it was my family, we would want 4) would run them about $100 taking that cruise up to $2680.

Princess - The price with taxes and port fees would be $3088.36 up front.

Holland America - That would be $3286.16.

Royal Caribbean - No sail dates out of Mexico so we can't compare that one.


That's just an example. As I said, often times Disney is definitely more.

It's a little hard to compare right now, because unless they run a special, the cheapest time to book Disney is right when it comes out. The opposite is often true of other cruise lines. Disney's prices go up over time because their ships fill up. Other cruise lines offer more last minute deals because their ships aren't always filling up.

I have several people who are booked on 7 night cruises in the summer of 2012 on Disney. One is a family of 5 that booked the morning the cruises were released. Their ocean view cabin was $1281 per person for the first two adults. (additional people in the room are less) You'll see that's a good deal less than Royal Caribbeans price of $1680 per person that you found and that cabin that sleeps 5 is much bigger.

There are deals to be found on Disney, you just have to know when to book, and where to look if you missed that!

I got 2 Adults and 1 child 7 nights on The Fantasy next August in a Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom for $3365 :sohappy::sohappy::sohappy:

 

[Crush Dude!]

Thanks for the many replies to my original post. First, it seems that Disney is considered one of the "best" cruise lines, which explains some of the price difference. Second, Disney charges a premium because of its brand name. This explains more of the price difference. Third, I did not realize that most (all?) other cruise lines have casinos. I strongly suspect this is a huge revenue source, which could explain even more of the price difference. (If Disney is not running a casino, it's got to get the money from somewhere else.)

Can anyone provide concrete examples of things that Disney Cruise Line includes in its price that other cruise lines do not? Please remember that I'm a cruise novice so a brief explanation of these would be appreciated. For example, does the $50-for-drinks mentioned before include alcohol? Does Disney charge for alcohol?

No it does not include alcohol!

Yes Disney does charge for Alcohol as do all cruise lines!
Although some great value wine Packages are available!

Disney do not charge for minerals! Unless ordered through room service!

Disney has free kids and teen clubs!

And let me just say go to the DCL site and check them out as they are amazing!!

 

[DisneyJoe]

It's also theorized that because there is no casino on DCL, and also because Disney is geared towards families, that there is less alcohol consumed on DCL; alcohol being another profit center.

Can anyone provide concrete examples of things that Disney Cruise Line includes in its price that other cruise lines do not? Please remember that I'm a cruise novice so a brief explanation of these would be appreciated. For example, does the $50-for-drinks mentioned before include alcohol? Does Disney charge for alcohol?

Disney charges for alcohol like all others. Soft drinks are free in almost every case.

I'm going to let Tammy answer this one!

 

[DisneyJoe]

DCL allows you to bring your own alcohol onboard with you, within limits.

I don't believe any others allow this.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Concrete examples!

Disney does not charge for soda in it's dining rooms or from the drink stations. If you order one from a bar or room service you will be charged.

I believe Disney is currently the only line where soda is free. One could be slipping my mind.

Alcohol and specialty drinks are not included but all clearly marked. They are not included on any cruise.

There are also some exceptions where alcohol is free, like the captains reception, DVC reception, Castaway Club reception.

Another interesting thing about Disney is that they are one of the only, again I'm thinking only but one could be slipping my mind, cruiselines that allow you to bring your own alcohol onboard. That's a big savings if you spend a lot on drinks.

Some other lines charge for childcare and kids clubs. Disney does not unless your kids are under 3.

Food everywhere is included except for Palo and Remy, and a few packaged snacks you can purchase outside the movie theaters and room service. Most of room service is completely free.

Other lines are really moving towards the pay extra specialty restaurants. Norwegian even has an ala carte restaurant that they charge for.

That's all thats coming to mind right now.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Having never been on a cruise, I don't know what to expect. However, having been to theme parks hundreds of times, I have a strong opinion of these. IMHO, these rank in order: WDW, Universal (which I enjoy almost as much as WDW), Busch Gardens, Sea World, Six Flags, "other" parks.

For the sake of discussion, assume Disney Cruise Lines (DCL) is the "best", like WDW. If WDW is equivalent to DCL, then what are other cruise lines equivalent to? Does any other cruise line come close to DCL? Are they like comparing WDW to Universal or more like comparing WDW to Six Flags?

I know everyone on this website loves Disney but try to be fair in the comparison. I don't dislike (for example) Six Flags but recognize that WDW simply "does it" way better that Six Flags.

Please only respond if you've actually been on both a DCL and non-DCL cruise. My family and I are trying to decide which cruise to book. Having never been on any cruise, I suspect we'd find most OK. (Like going to Six Flags if you had never been to any other theme park.) However, once we've done a DCL cruise, I suspect we'll never want to try anything else. Should our first cruise be on DCL or will this "spoil it" for all future non-DCL cruises?

I'm breaking the rules, I've only been on a ton of Disney cruises. :lookaroun

But I do book people on other lines, have been through a great deal of training for other lines, and hear clients feedback on other lines so I have some knowledge.

There are a few cruise lines I recommend and they absolutely "come close" to Disney. Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Holland America (in particular their Alaska cruises) and Princess are all great, pretty much across the board (I never hear good things about the service on NCL's Hawaiian cruises, but that's the exception to the rule). I have never had a client come back from one of those lines and be disappointed. I would say those lines are comparing WDW to Universal.

Carnival is one I tend to steer people away from. Although they are usually inexpensive and their newer ships are much better, so some people really enjoy Carnival. I have heard some mixed reviews from clients, so I don't usually recommend Carnival.

 

[devoy1701]

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.

As Tammy said, that is a new DCL ship that sets sail on March 31. People are fighting to be onboard during this first year, demand is very high - and prices rise very quickly due to the demand.

The earlier you book the better on Disney, just as everyone here is saying. We booked on the Fantasy for a week long cruise quite some time ago And were able to get a Deluxe Veranda for $3600. Which is about $800 less than the Ocean View you mentioned above.

Precisely... and split baths, larger staterooms, and rotational dining servers, and no on-board casino, and so on. You can't really compare based on price alone as it isn't a fair comparison.

Only those that have been on DCL and other cruise lines have enough info to make a fair comparison.

DCL keeps winning awards too - I believe they won 3 within the last 2 weeks, from CruiseCritic and Porthole magazine and someone else.

Split bath and larger staterooms were a big plus. We were looking at the Oasis of the Seas and when we narrowed down to what catagory we were looking for, the Fantasy staterooms were about 60sq feet larger. Extra room is nice when you're going to be staying there for a week! The other big plusses for us were the free soda, being able to bring our own alcohol with us which should save a couple hundred dollars on drinks, the rotating dining, and of course the security of knowing what you're getting when you're booking with the Disney brand.

Supply and Demand does have a lot to do with it as well. When RCI has dozens of ships in its fleet and Disney has 3 (soon to be 4) with a long list of people wanting to get on them, Disney can very easily charge more.

 

[musketeer]

Concrete examples!

Disney does not charge for soda in it's dining rooms or from the drink stations. If you order one from a bar or room service you will be charged.

I believe Disney is currently the only line where soda is free. One could be slipping my mind.

Alcohol and specialty drinks are not included but all clearly marked. They are not included on any cruise.

There are also some exceptions where alcohol is free, like the captains reception, DVC reception, Castaway Club reception.

Another interesting thing about Disney is that they are one of the only, again I'm thinking only but one could be slipping my mind, cruiselines that allow you to bring your own alcohol onboard. That's a big savings if you spend a lot on drinks.

Some other lines charge for childcare and kids clubs. Disney does not unless your kids are under 3.

Food everywhere is included except for Palo and Remy, and a few packaged snacks you can purchase outside the movie theaters and room service. Most of room service is completely free.

Other lines are really moving towards the pay extra specialty restaurants. Norwegian even has an ala carte restaurant that they charge for.

That's all thats coming to mind right now.

I'm not trying to be argumentative here, I promise, but the only real example in this the soft drinks being included. I don't think any of the other major lines charge for kids clubs for 3 and over (it's even 2 and over on carnival).

Food is included on all other lines as well, even Norwegian. Although on Norwegian, of the 13 or so restaurants on the ship I was on, only two of them were included in the cost of the trip.

I've had free alcoholic drinks on Princess, RCL, Holland America at various times (captains reception, champagne waterfall, etc)

I can't comment on bringing alcohol onboard since I really don't drink...unless it's free as stated above.

 

[musketeer]

Agreed!

The Kids clubs!
The Split Baths!
The Level of Service!
The Restaurant quality!
The room Size!
The Aquaduck!
The Amazing Cast/Crew Members!

All this and more puts DCL on a Different Level!

I'm certain this is all true, I'm in no way trying to say otherwise, all I'm saying is that comparing similar cruises, Disney is almost ways more expensive...and not a trivial amount more either.

 

[musketeer]

Can anyone provide concrete examples of things that Disney Cruise Line includes in its price that other cruise lines do not? Please remember that I'm a cruise novice so a brief explanation of these would be appreciated. For example, does the $50-for-drinks mentioned before include alcohol? Does Disney charge for alcohol?

Alot of people have mentioned many items....but seriously, I'm pretty sure the only thing is the inclusion of non-alcoholic drinks.

Food is included on all lines, so is entertainment, the kids programs, even watered down drinks at some of the receptions.

And by the way, I'm one of the few who would really miss not having a casino.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

I'm not trying to be argumentative here, I promise, but the only real example in this the soft drinks being included. I don't think any of the other major lines charge for kids clubs for 3 and over (it's even 2 and over on carnival).

Food is included on all other lines as well, even Norwegian. Although on Norwegian, of the 13 or so restaurants on the ship I was on, only two of them were included in the cost of the trip.

I've had free alcoholic drinks on Princess, RCL, Holland America at various times (captains reception, champagne waterfall, etc)

I can't comment on bringing alcohol onboard since I really don't drink...unless it's free as stated above.

No worries, I don't mind clarifying. First let me emphasize that this is a list of some things that are free on Disney. Not a list criticizing other lines.

I think you are right about childcare. Some of the other lines used to charge or not offer it, and that was one of the things that Disney improved. I just did a quick search and I don't see any that do now (for kids above a certain age).

Food is definitely included on other lines. Your example of Norwegian is just what I was saying. On Disney the vast majority of food is included. These days other lines, like Norwegian, are moving towards a lot more specialty restaurants and have a ton of food onboard that is not included.

Yep, there's free drinks at times on all the cruises. I didn't mean to imply that it wasn't. I was pointing out some times that it is free on Disney.

I don't drink at all, so we don't bring any onboard or even particpate in the freebies. I have seen other cruisers bills for alcohol however, and trust me, it's a big savings.

 

[musketeer]

No worries, I don't mind clarifying. First let me emphasize that this is a list of some things that are free on Disney. Not a list criticizing other lines.

I think you are right about childcare. Some of the other lines used to charge or not offer it, and that was one of the things that Disney improved. I just did a quick search and I don't see any that do now (for kids above a certain age).

Food is definitely included on other lines. Your example of Norwegian is just what I was saying. On Disney the vast majority of food is included. These days other lines, like Norwegian, are moving towards a lot more specialty restaurants and have a ton of food onboard that is not included.

Yep, there's free drinks at times on all the cruises. I didn't mean to imply that it wasn't. I was pointing out some times that it is free on Disney.

I don't drink at all, so we don't bring any onboard or even particpate in the freebies. I have seen other cruisers bills for alcohol however, and trust me, it's a big savings.

The reason I had to respond is because the question was asking for "concrete examples of things included on disney that other lines do not"

 

[Disneyfalcon]

The reason I had to respond is because the question was asking for "concrete examples of things included on disney that other lines do not"

Yep. But the OP has never cruised before and has a lot of questions. I thought a detailed answer of some things that are included might be helpful.