Disney Cruises $$$$$$$$ worth it??

[only1deejay]

I checked on a repositioning cruise to try and save some money but even that one way trip from vancouver to LA is really expensive....I know Disney wants to make a profit...but really??? seems too expensive for "families" and their target demo. IMHO.:eek:

[paul929207]

They pack the ships, so some must feel they are worth the cost.

[Marie51]

In my opinion, no, Disney cruises are not worth the high price.

[Love.II.Cruise]

We do not think Disney is worth the cost. We'd rather go to Disney World in Orlando.

 

One thing that Disney cruise ships don't have are casino's. That's a lot of revenue that other cruise lines make that Disney doesn't. I often wonder if that has to do with the price difference (at least a little). Just my thoughts on it.

[bbwex]

Disney is more expensive than most of the mass market lines, no question. For some, it is worth the expense because of what DCL provides. I describe most cruise lines as cruise companies that have entertainment, while DCL is an entertainment company that happens to have cruise ships. There is some intangible overall entertainment thing going on on Disney.

 

Is part of the extra cost the lack of a casino, and possibly less drinking on DCL than other cruises? Who knows for sure. DW and I just went to a Disney presentation on their (reasonably) new Disney Expeditions, and they are clearly trying to position themselves in a luxury niche in that area, so it is possible that Disney also prices their cruises to give them a bit more panache. I would be guessing without any basis, so who knows?

 

We took our DGD over the New Year's holiday a couple of years ago, and we paid a lot. Was it worth the memories we have and the ones our DGD has? In our opinion, yes! That is, however, a personal decision, and frankly (unfortunately) is only open to those that can afford the extra bucks that Disney charges. On the first night of our cruise, I was reading my Kindle sitting on the balcony above the main staircase, and a little girl tugged at the hand of one of the princesses as they passed each other. The princess then knelt down with her gown all spread in a circle around her and talked to and hugged the little girl. Had I had my camera, that picture alone would have been priceless! There are, in a phrase, Disney moments and they happen all the time, but they come at a price. Only you can decide if the extra cost is worth it.

[Friend100]

Depends on ship, date, itinerary, and cabin category, it can be $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ more than what you are comparing to, or it can be just a little bit $$ more. It depends. But generally, in most of the cases, I agree, they are $$$$$$$$$ more.

[Mom2B&Z]

I think it depends. For us, traveling to Florida is expensive, we spent $2600 just to get to Tampa four our upcoming cruise and we haven't even boarded the ship yet! So Disney puts a vacation into a new stratosphere. Plus my boys are not interested in Disney...ok they like Cars, but nothing to do with Mickey et al or princesses so the added expense just is not worth it. ITA witha previous comment to actually visit Disney versus a cruise.

The other thing is that I like it when my boys are on cruises that aren't inundated with other children, the crew get to know them and they feel special. I don't think they would get the same feeling on a Disney cruise.

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

Our DS has been cruising since he was 4 and is now 11 and going on his 18th cruise. The one time he asked home come we don't go on Disney, we told him "you can go in Disney for one cruise a year, or go on three other cruise lines in that same year". His response, "Don't really care about Mickey that much, I'd rather sail three times a year!" This was when he was 7! He has never asked to sail on Disney again. Friends who have sailed on Disney have come back and said it was not worth the $$ they spent. Their kids had better time on other ships.

[Love.II.Cruise]

Our DS has been cruising since he was 4 and is now 11 and going on his 18th cruise. The one time he asked home come we don't go on Disney, we told him "you can go in Disney for one cruise a year, or go on three other cruise lines in that same year". His response, "Don't really care about Mickey that much, I'd rather sail three times a year!" This was when he was 7! He has never asked to sail on Disney again. Friends who have sailed on Disney have come back and said it was not worth the $$ they spent. Their kids had better time on other ships.

 

Okay, that is really cute! I love it when kids understand money. This is off topic, but I can't resist. Once in Dallas there was a radio show who interviewed kids in a very upscale neighborhood. They asked how the kids got their money. Several kids said their parents just gave it to them and they shopped when they wanted at high end stores and went out to movies and coffee when they wanted (most were 11-16 year olds answering).

 

Then this one came on... She said she got $10 a week for chores. They asked how she spent it. She said that she had to put $2 in long term savings, $2 in short term savings, $1 to charity and $2 back to her parents for taxes. The rest she could do what she pleased. Gosh I loved that! ;)

[chipmaster]

People can debate the value and everyone has a different "value" level. A family that has a "large" disposable" income will look at "value" very differently than one where they have to make choices. You see posts here from people that have to make choices and obviously from many who it isn't about choice but simply value.

 

From another prospective, just like a steak dinner at Ruth Christy or at your local Sizzler you can debate is it worth it but the market and business exists so the answer is obvious, YES because there are enough people that feel it is worth it or the price would be lower.

 

I checked on a repositioning cruise to try and save some money but even that one way trip from vancouver to LA is really expensive....I know Disney wants to make a profit...but really??? seems too expensive for "families" and their target demo. IMHO.:eek:

[CactusGirly]

We sailed on DCL last year, and will be sailing on them again next year. We have sailed other lines as well. Yes, DCL is absolutely at a price point that is higher than other lines. In order to mitigate that somewhat we book over a year in advance, and we take advantage of OBCs and rebates through our TA in order to make it the best deal possible for us.

 

What I will say is that, for us, there is no comparison for a family cruise with young children. The ship was immaculate, the staterooms well laid out, large and beutiful. The food was excellent, and the entertainment was, as you can imagine, Disney's finest. What we love most are all the little magical moments that happen. I will tell one story that illustrates it -

 

We have 3 children. Our 2 girls were 5 and 6 on the last cruise. There were more Princess encounters than you could imagine, and they were thrilled. Our son, however, wanted nothing to do with Princesses. So one day my very reserved 7 year old DS and I were walking down a hallway together, when out of nowhere jumps Peter Pan. "Hi, I'm Peter! What's your name?" the conversation started. Peter then spent about 7 or 8 minutes fully engaged in a very animated conversation about how he was going to battle Captain Hook later and would need a good lookout. My DS was spellbound.

 

That is the magic of Disney

[Friend100]

As a PP stated, it is all about the choice to be made: DCL or Carnival? Inside or balcony? Short or long cruise? Suite-life or more excursion? Bahamas or Med? I am glad that there are so many options in cruise vacation at various price point for people to choose. Know your preference and constraint, talk to a professional and get the best out of it that you value the most. You never know until you've tried it. We cruised twice on DCL. We loved it. The intangibles add up for us (Castaway Cay, firework, on deck party, Disney shows, characters, Aquaduck, the magical moments). But we also loved the other non-DCL cruise. Our next cruise is on HAL. I like to try new things, although not so much for my DW. After that, we may have to wait for another 2 years before we can do a DCL again :o, or just wait half the time and spend half the price and be able to try NCL :p. Who knows.

[spookwife]

My grand whopping two cruises are all I have to go by.

 

First was a Balcony on Carnival to the Mexican Riviera.

 

second was a Navigators Balcony on Disney Magic to Western Caribbean.

 

both cost about the same and each was a 7 days cruise.

 

Disney was the better experience by far in SOOOOOO many ways.

 

and I should point out we are older( mid 40s, have no kids, do NOT like kids and are not hard partiers or gamblers)

 

For us Disney is WELL worth the higher daily cost. just so many more intangibles that mad eit abetter experience.. and I also need to point out we did not do any of the character activities save the breakfast buffet that is included. but the Adult only areas were well maintained and policed.

[Lionesss]

I have sailed

Cunard

Disney Magic

Mariner of the Seas

Freedom of the Seas

Disney-------awesome.

but,

Able to get a suite on RCI for what we paid for a category 7 on Disney Magic.

Disney shows, the best

RCI, although not Disney, good performance

Disney dining, not bad

RCI dining, not bad

We love the suite life RCI offers, and will continue to cruise with them.

Oh.........I was too young and drunk to remember much about my Cunard, southern Carribean cruise, so, cannot really comment.

Safe travels.

Make the most of what you choose.

Sue and crew