Cost of Disney Cruise

Our daughter suggested we do a family cruise in Europe on Disney. DW and me, DD. DSIL and 8 year old granddaughter. Sounds good.

At first glance Disney seems to be a lot more expensive than Celebrity, Princess etc.

Any thoughts ?

DCL IS a lot more expensive than Celebrity or Princess. We once booked a DCL cruise in Europe that was 4 times as much as a very similar cruise on Princess. When I saw that, I canceled the DCL and booked a Princess cruise!

There are some nice comparisons between the lines on this board (including one that I wrote). The short version--DCL has better main stage entertainment and kid programming than any other line. The ship is prettier, and the standard cabins are bigger (you'll need a mini-suite on Princess to be the same size as a standard DCL cabin.) Of course, DCL has the characters, and has better upcharge dining (which is adult only on DCL). Princess and Celebrity had better food than DCL's recent offerings in the main dining rooms and buffet (IMHO, DCL's food has gone downhill over the years). They also had better "around the ship" entertainment and adult offerings.

While I really like DCL, I've reached a point where I won't consider it unless our party includes kids. Otherwise, I don't find it to be worth the increased cost. Also, port intensive cruises are not a good DCL value IMHO--for instance, Alaska is basically the same whether you see it from a Princess, Celebrity, of DCL ship! Yes, I do know about Glacier Bay, etc.....

The way I look at it, if the cruise is a bucket list type thing like Hawaii, Alaska, Europe, its better to go with another cruise line because you will get double the cruise for your money. If it's a fun cruise just for relaxing like the Caribbean and Bahamas, then go with Disney. The money seems to be worth it because you're on the boat more and not spending as much time in port. Just my two cents.

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Thanks good comparison, informative.

Tedferg

I've done DCL, X, and RCCL. If it is just one child of 8 years old I can assure you they would like RCCL. If they were 4 I would say DCL. I would not do Princess or X. I have 4 kids of various ages and we have cruised quite a bit.

We have done many cruises with our daughter on several lines. RCCL, NCL, Disney, Princess, Holland and now at age 10 she has decided that NCL is her favorite line. I completely agree. Disney was fun for a while but now that the characters are not important to her I would not even consider DCL anymore. Too much money compared the the competition. And NCL has the Haven which is a must have for us now. Disney and most other lines do not have anything as nice as the Haven.

Thanks again, Andrew are you making a distinction between a 4 year old and an 8 year old ? Must admit that crossed my mind.

Does Disney have ship board activities for kids while in port allowing parents to take shore excursion ?

Does Disney have ship board activities for kids while in port allowing parents to take shore excursion ?

Yes

Yes I believe you can check them into the Oceaneers club for the day.

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We have done DCL for 13 cruises while our kids were young. They are now 11 and 13.

We are trying out other cruise lines due to increasing cost of DCL. Our kids no longer need the kids programming that DCL offers. For young kids, DCL shows and kids programming is unparalleled. Our kids loved the clubs, shows, movies in Buena vista, characters and daily family activities. We went on a DCL cruise this past winter and while our kids still loved the clubs and movies in the Buena Vista they no longer as interested in the other really special DCL activities/characters.

I agree the food on DCL is not as good as NCL. Although way better than RCCL. Once we went on NCL, we were crap why doesn't DCL have all these food/restaurant options. And the food was really good on NCL. We are trying Princess in 10 days!

One example:

CostComparison of Norwegian Cruise Lines vs. Disney Cruise Lines.

Pricing an actual cruise on September 2, 2017. Disney Fantasy which is the newest Disney ship and the NCL Escape, the newest NCL ship. Both trips are the same Western Caribbean itinerary for two adults and one child.

Disney: 1 Bedroom Concierge Suite $11,961.

NCL: 2 Bedroom Concierge Haven Suite $8,277.

DiningOptions: D=7 NCL=25

PrivateConcierge Pool: D=No NCL=Yes

PrivateConcierge Restaurant D=No NCL=YES

PrivateConcierge Bar: Yes* Yes

* Disney only serves drinks a few hours each day. The NCL bar is open all day and evening.

PrivateWorkout room: D=No NCL=Yes

PrivateDeck Chair Area: Yes Yes

Most of the price differences I've looked at have been even more dramatic, but those were all in non-concierge cabins. The most difference was on a British Isles cruise. 32 nights in a Princess balcony was $4000 less than 28 nights in an inside on DCL. Both were B2B cruises. An inside on Princess was 1/4 the cost of an inside on DCL. In fairness, that cruise on DCL was initially full but so many people canceled (as we did) that it went to *GT status before sailing.

Thanks again, Andrew are you making a distinction between a 4 year old and an 8 year old ? Must admit that crossed my mind.

Yes most certainly. A 4 year old I would consider DCL. An 8 year old I would go RCCL all the way. There is a huge difference between those two ages.

Frankly if it is a 4 year old..just one child..all the rest adults. I wouldn't think of having everyone else pay the DCL premium for one child.

Thank you Andrew et al - will discuss with daughter this weekend. RCL offers more choice in dates and itineraries too.

Most of the price differences I've looked at have been even more dramatic' date=' but those were all in non-concierge cabins. The most difference was on a British Isles cruise. 32 nights in a Princess balcony was $4000 less than 28 nights in an inside on DCL. Both were B2B cruises. An inside on Princess was 1/4 the cost of an inside on DCL. In fairness, that cruise on DCL was initially full but so many people canceled (as we did) that it went to *GT status before sailing.[/quote']

What is GT status?

What is GT status?

It is *GT, where the * stands for I (inside), O (Oceanview), or V (verandah). It is a restricted fare were you choose your cabin type but not the specific cabin and accept certain other written restrictions in exchange for a markedly decreased fare. They are usually offered on cruises that have not filled after the penalty date. Most of the time the sale price is comparable to the day 1 rate, but I've seen some cruises that were far less than a day 1. For example, on one cruise that was not filling (based on the availability showing on line), we were able to cancel an oceanview before the penalty date. A week later we purchased a VGT (balcony) cabin for $1000 less than the porthole cabin price!

It is *GT' date=' where the * stands for I (inside), O (Oceanview), or V (verandah). It is a restricted fare were you choose your cabin type but not the specific cabin and accept certain other written restrictions in exchange for a markedly decreased fare. They are usually offered on cruises that have not filled after the penalty date. Most of the time the sale price is comparable to the day 1 rate, but I've seen some cruises that were far less than a day 1. For example, on one cruise that was not filling (based on the availability showing on line), we were able to cancel an oceanview before the penalty date. A week later we purchased a VGT (balcony) cabin for $1000 less than the porthole cabin price![/quote']

Nice! I assume you have to use a travel agent to find these fares? Or call the line directly?

Nice! I assume you have to use a travel agent to find these fares? Or call the line directly?

With some effort you can find them on the DCL web site. I use a TA who lists them on their web site in a very easy to find and read form--sorry that I'm not allowed to name any TA here.

On the cruise I cited that we booked and canceled then rebooked....it was a matter of watching the pricing and noticing that it hadn't increased since our day 1 booking. Based on that, my logic was that if they didn't offer a *GT rate, I likely could still rebook for the same rate I'd already done, but I guessed that it would lower due to lack of interest. Yes, it worked that time, but I don't know that I'd depend on that to happen again.

We're book on the Celebrity Silhouette for the Baltic next month. The Disney Magic, sailing almost the same itinerary but for a night less, is about three times as much for a verandah stateroom. Given that our kids are adults now and we won't take advantage of some of the things that might make up the difference such as the kids' clubs and character greetings, we can't possibly see sailing on the magic this time.

Not that I ever expect it to happen, but I wish that DCL would charge a "fair" amount for a chid's fare--one that would compensate for the cost of maintaining the children's programming and then reduce the adult fare by a corresponding amount. I do realize that DCL has no casino, so has a loss of revenue there when compared to other lines and that they have a larger, more costly kid's program than other lines. But as one who has always paid full adult fare for my child (first 2 people in the cabin regardless of age), I'm tired of subsidizing the kid programming. But then, I'm sure we each would like to see the costs structured so they benefit our individual situations.

We have sailed Disney, Royal Caribbean and Princess. The experience on DCL for the kids is worth every penny. But, your kids have to love characters to make it worth it. Comparing thing like the restaurants on DCL to other Cruise lines is apples to oranges since the MDRs on Disney are pretty much attractions. The rooms are larger and nicer on DCL than other lines, the split bathroom is a a great touch. And there is nothing not to love on Castaway Cay, there is a lot more value to Castaway Cay than to any other private island I have been to and I wouldn't consider a DCL itinerary without a Castaway Cay. And for the shows, well it is Disney!!!

All that said, once you have sailed DCL a few times and your kids are older, it just isn't worth the price. Other lines are offering more and more family friendly activities. Even Princess is rolling out a new camp themed kids club fleet wide ship by ship.

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We have done many cruises with our daughter on several lines. RCCL, NCL, Disney, Princess, Holland and now at age 10 she has decided that NCL is her favorite line. I completely agree. Disney was fun for a while but now that the characters are not important to her I would not even consider DCL anymore. Too much money compared the the competition. And NCL has the Haven which is a must have for us now. Disney and most other lines do not have anything as nice as the Haven.

We are in the same boat... so to speak... Have done carnival, Disney and NCL. If your children are less than 6 Disney is amazing. If they are older, and have moved past loving the mouse.:evilsmile: We decided to try NCL last year on the newer boat they have. We were able to get 2 connecting rooms, for less than a standard room on Disney. At 10 and 14 they like the options NCL has over Disney.

My daughter is 8 and still loves the Oceaneers Club.

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We just booked a DCL cruise for the British Isles because the itinerary was better and the price difference was only about 50% more instead of 2 - 3 times more like we often see. One thing to be aware of is that other lines will quote the price as "per person, taxes and fees extra" while Disney quotes the price for your entire party including taxes and fees when you first select a cruise and, in my experience at least, never have a price that isn't already "sold out".

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On other lines you usually have to click through a few screens to find the total price and sometimes there are no cabins available at the original quoted "per person, taxes and fees extra" price. Usually the cabins that are available are only a few dollars more, but I have priced cruises that were $300 more than stated on the first page.

I like the way DCL is up front about the pricing, although I rarely like the actual price!