Len Testa - “Disney positions itself as the all-American vacation. The irony is that most Americans can’t afford it.”

[Miss Bella]

Not sure - maybe for people that are still ok now but starting to get close to priced out of staying in cash at Deluxe to lock in their future stays? But if inflation protection?

Or still just enough of new upper middle close folks that want to be part of the group?

Or maybe it is a mistake and they are overbuilding

I wonder how many of those DVC sales are being financed? Americans take on massive debt and then when the economy goes south they are up a creek without a paddle. History always rhymes.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

A lot of us DCL old timers don't like the new ships. I'll be sailing on Utopia and the NCL Viva next year. They are offering a lot of discounts on DCL, but they still aren't competitive. You will never convince people on DCL forum of that. They will read negative reviews about other cruise lines just to validate how much money they are spending. They also get extremely defensive about it.

Yeah…a lot of us old time “observers” see that

It’s a very cultish kinda following.

I get a distinct impression that a lot of the vocal Dcl supporters just aren’t open to the rest of the options? For some reason…

And may go on one other to say they’ve done it to reinforce the full throated support of Dcl

The kids clubs are awesome…no argument? The rest? Kinda easily bested by the others without breaking much of sweat.

DCL markets the D much more than the CL…always has. There’s a hook there for sure…they debuted when cruising was kinda funky…like carnival and holland America…but the those have evolved to stay alive.

Bob just kinda keeps beating the same donkey…not that we’ve ever seen that tactic before?

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

We did that - plus as the kids are getting older it appeals to them more

Though we are now finding ourselves priced out of Royal as well, at least for the newer ships (which is what the kids ask about), especially as we really need two cabins now as a family of 5 with multiple teenagers

Yes, the newer ships are definitely a lot more. You need to wait a couple of years until the pricing regulates itself a bit. You can do 5 in a stateroom unless you want that extra bathroom. I get it

Pam

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

I tend to stick to the older ships, for now at least. We booked a 5 nighter over Christmas 2026 on Liberty. Booking two connecting interior rooms for my family of 4 came out to be cheaper than a single balcony. If I booked a DCL over Christmas?...Yikes!! lol

And I thank you! DCL over Christmas would easily be 3 times what you are paying. I am still holding out that you and the Mrs join us on Star of the Seas

Pam

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

That is what I would like to do but the kids, especially my son, don't seem as interested if not the latest greatest as far as promoted activities
(Though I am sure they would enjoy it once on board)

Most of the older ships have either had a refurb or are in line for one so they are adding more things to do. Royal is a true multi generational cruise line.

Pam

 

[Andrew C]

And I thank you! DCL over Christmas would easily be 3 times what you are paying. I am still holding out that you and the Mrs join us on Star of the Seas

Pam

lol. I wish. Too many activities in the fall with the kids.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Most of the older ships have either had a refurb or are in line for one so they are adding more things to do. Royal is a true multi generational cruise line.

Pam

The uber ships just feel so different now

Our first RCCL was on explorer when that was “top of the line”…it was incredible compared to the 80’s and 90’s ships

Fast forward after allure, symphony and ovation and anthem…and we went on Liberty a couple of years ago in the covid after math…considering it was “voyager plus” class…the size differences was very noticeable.

We went on allure about 2 years after the Dream. And it felt like it could eat the Disney ship for breakfast and leave it in its entrails. Then we docked next to it in Cozumel and it literally could

Just a whole new ballgame. And it’s not just size…prior to Dream we were on the celebrity Connie…same size and just a completely different class of ship…for half the price

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

lol. I wish. Too many activities in the fall with the kids.

Yeah I thought about that…then I thought “hey…let’s leave them in Jersey”

Done

 

[Miss Bella]

And I thank you! DCL over Christmas would easily be 3 times what you are paying. I am still holding out that you and the Mrs join us on Star of the Seas

Pam

I booked a B2B on Utopia the first week of January. I'm taking my 21 year old whose on College break. It was 1300 for the 4 night 1000 for the 3 night gty balcony. When you are used to DCL prices those prices seem to good to be true. I'm hoping to book the Star for the same week in 2027.

I thought about the star this January it was 3800 for a GTY balcony. I thought that was reasonable, but again I'm used to DCL pricing. I cancelled my DCL greek Isles cruise next summer for the NCL cruise with a much better itinerary. Another problem with DCL is their itineraries are stale.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

A lot of us DCL old timers don't like the new ships. I'll be sailing on Utopia and the NCL Viva next year. They are offering a lot of discounts on DCL, but they still aren't competitive. You will never convince people on DCL forum of that. They will read negative reviews about other cruise lines just to validate how much money they are spending. They also get extremely defensive about it.

We just got back from a Princess Alaska cruise, my first non DCL cruise, and although I’d say it was inferior to a Disney cruise (less activities, etc) it was also about 40% cheaper, and that was with the premier plan that included all the extras like alcohol, wifi, photos, nicer restaurants, etc, we ate specialty dining nearly every night which was incredible, it was just the breakfast and lunch buffets that were noticeably not as good as Disney. We still love DCL but after experiencing similar quality at half the price on another line it’s going to be a tougher sell in the future. We are booked on a Viking cruise next year and I’m curious to see if a true “premium” line is worth it also, Viking is double the cost of DCL so it’ll be interesting to see if that changes our perception about the value of DCL or if Viking actually justifies the price.

 

[Andrew C]

We just got back from a Princess Alaska cruise, my first non DCL cruise, and although I’d say it was inferior to a Disney cruise (less activities, etc) it was also about 40% cheaper, and that was with the premier plan that included all the extras like alcohol, wifi, photos, nicer restaurants, etc, we ate specialty dining nearly every night which was incredible, it was just the breakfast and lunch buffets that were noticeably not as good as Disney. We still love DCL but after experiencing similar quality at half the price on another line it’s going to be a tougher sell in the future. We are booked on a Viking cruise next year and I’m curious to see if a true “premium” line is worth it also, Viking is double the cost of DCL so it’ll be interesting to see if that changes our perception about the value of DCL or if Viking actually justifies the price.

Where does your Viking cruise go?

 

[wannabeBelle]

We just got back from a Princess Alaska cruise, my first non DCL cruise, and although I’d say it was inferior to a Disney cruise (less activities, etc) it was also about 40% cheaper, and that was with the premier plan that included all the extras like alcohol, wifi, photos, nicer restaurants, etc, we ate specialty dining nearly every night which was incredible, it was just the breakfast and lunch buffets that were noticeably not as good as Disney. We still love DCL but after experiencing similar quality at half the price on another line it’s going to be a tougher sell in the future. We are booked on a Viking cruise next year and I’m curious to see if a true “premium” line is worth it also, Viking is double the cost of DCL so it’ll be interesting to see if that changes our perception about the value of DCL or if Viking actually justifies the price.

I would tell you to give Celebrity Cruises a shot. I havent ever had a problem with their food and it is at least as good as Disney's and in some ways better, in terms of more of a selection. Marie

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

I have a MSC Yacht Club deluxe grand suite cruise booked late December. Was still cheaper than Disney. We'll see how it goes. I understand the live shows on MSC aren't the greatest but hopefully the overall experience will be good.

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

PHs are useless to us as we find the parks more enjoyable from 3pm on so when we get to a park, it's for the rest of the evening. I can't even tell you the last time I was in a park before 2pm.

 

[Ayla]

We just got back from a Princess Alaska cruise, my first non DCL cruise, and although I’d say it was inferior to a Disney cruise (less activities, etc) it was also about 40% cheaper, and that was with the premier plan that included all the extras like alcohol, wifi, photos, nicer restaurants, etc, we ate specialty dining nearly every night which was incredible, it was just the breakfast and lunch buffets that were noticeably not as good as Disney. We still love DCL but after experiencing similar quality at half the price on another line it’s going to be a tougher sell in the future. We are booked on a Viking cruise next year and I’m curious to see if a true “premium” line is worth it also, Viking is double the cost of DCL so it’ll be interesting to see if that changes our perception about the value of DCL or if Viking actually justifies the price.

We did a Viking river cruise last Summer and thought it was worth it. We were also the youngest on the ship by about 15-20 years.

 

[Miss Bella]

I would tell you to give Celebrity Cruises a shot. I havent ever had a problem with their food and it is at least as good as Disney's and in some ways better, in terms of more of a selection. Marie

I always concerns when people say DCL food is better than other cruise lines because I think DCL food is mediocre, and there are very few options. There's the dining room or Palo. I thought the main dining room on Royal was about the same as Disney.

I'm doing the speciality restaurants on Royal this time. I'm looking forward to the variety and because I paid so much less for the cruise I can actually do that. I have watched a lot of videos and people seem to enjoy the different dining venues on Royal and NCL.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I always concerns when people say DCL food is better than other cruise lines because I think DCL food is mediocre, and there are very few options. There's the dining room or Palo. I thought the main dining room on Royal was about the same as Disney.

I'm doing the speciality restaurants on Royal this time. I'm looking forward to the variety and because I paid so much less for the cruise I can actually do that. I have watched a lot of videos and people seem to enjoy the different dining venues on Royal and NCL.

Yeah…i agree

Maybe the base food on Dcl is “better”…or probably more consistent is a better definition…

But the options are too limited and you get way more choice on the other lines as they have expanded venues and choices.

 

[Miss Bella]

We just got back from a Princess Alaska cruise, my first non DCL cruise, and although I’d say it was inferior to a Disney cruise (less activities, etc) it was also about 40% cheaper, and that was with the premier plan that included all the extras like alcohol, wifi, photos, nicer restaurants, etc, we ate specialty dining nearly every night which was incredible, it was just the breakfast and lunch buffets that were noticeably not as good as Disney. We still love DCL but after experiencing similar quality at half the price on another line it’s going to be a tougher sell in the future. We are booked on a Viking cruise next year and I’m curious to see if a true “premium” line is worth it also, Viking is double the cost of DCL so it’ll be interesting to see if that changes our perception about the value of DCL or if Viking actually justifies the price.

Like I said in my above post we are doing the speciality restaurants on Royal and I'm really looking forward to that. We will try some on NCL too.
Since DCL is going to be in San Diego we may do a weekend cruise once in a while if the price is right. I don't see us sailing on them like we did before. We are cruising out of Istanbul next Summer and I want to do some different itineraries that Disney just doesn't offer and if they did I probably couldn't afford it.

 

[wannabeBelle]

I always concerns when people say DCL food is better than other cruise lines because I think DCL food is mediocre, and there are very few options. There's the dining room or Palo. I thought the main dining room on Royal was about the same as Disney.

I'm doing the speciality restaurants on Royal this time. I'm looking forward to the variety and because I paid so much less for the cruise I can actually do that. I have watched a lot of videos and people seem to enjoy the different dining venues on Royal and NCL.

I havent done any of the specialty dining on Royal as of yet, but have on Celebrity. Finer Cut Steakhouse was absolutely incredible!!! 5 out of 5 stars for sure. I would do it again without any hesitation. I also enjoyed Le Petit Chef. Super entertaining and good food to match!!! I'd love to hear your experiences when you get back!! Marie

 

[Andrew C]

I always concerns when people say DCL food is better than other cruise lines because I think DCL food is mediocre, and there are very few options. There's the dining room or Palo. I thought the main dining room on Royal was about the same as Disney.

I'm doing the speciality restaurants on Royal this time. I'm looking forward to the variety and because I paid so much less for the cruise I can actually do that. I have watched a lot of videos and people seem to enjoy the different dining venues on Royal and NCL.

My experience is that the food on DCL is better than many other lines, particularly when comparing main dining rooms. I love Royal, but their main dining room food is always underwhelming, and sometimes boarding on trash. And it irks me because I know they can do better...you just have to pay for it. This is why I have mixed feelings about the continuous push to specialty dining. Essentially they are saying, "If you want good food, you have to pay extra on top of what you have already paid for the cruise."