Why is Disney so much more per day?

[xlxo]

Further to my earlier comments....

 

Prior to going on my first DCL cruise in Alaska with another family... I had this vision the ship was basically a "floating daycare". Will I be happy on board?

 

After the cruise I had a new understanding where DCL is filling a niche unmet by other cruise line and thus is able to command a premium price.

• on DCL kids get to have more fun (clubs, movies, internet, drinks) than going on other cruise lines
  
• staff put children first to keep them entertained at shows or meets
  
• they bring the disney characters beyond the parks
  
• the staff are trained to work with children
  

Now if DCL went to Glacier Bay.... that would be perfect.

 

Perhaps this ship tour vid can give you some ideas on what pixie dust can offer...

[YOUTUBE]50PxTVMTLVA[/YOUTUBE]

[Cedricandsophie]

If comparing Disney to the two celebrity cruises I've been on...Disney wins hands down regardless of price. I found the customer service on celebrity to be awful....surly, unpleasant, looking for a tip all the time. And the food was just ok. As others have said, Disney can charge what they want for those willing to pay for the experience. And you get what you pay for. We have done 15 Disney cruises, 2 celebrity, a few in crystal, princess and silver sea. Disney rates very favorably against any of those and way above celebrity. We're lucky we don't have to focus on price I know. Going to cruise Norway this June with our whole family on Disney Magic. Can't wait.

[ljandgb]

We've sailed Oceania once, will sail DCL in May.

 

However, I spent 2 years floating the west Pacific in a large, grey US navy boat. The whole "hey, I'm out in the middle of the ocean!" novelty wore off LONG ago. :)

 

We admittedly love WDW, not for the characters per se, but because Disney has customer service down to a science. WDW is clean, and fun, and has some great food, but its the details and they way they treat customers which sold us long ago.

 

So, I think value is based on what you ultimately want out of a cruise. If you want to be on the water, gamble, drink, sit by the pool, and be dropped of in the occasional ports, then any cruise line will do. If you have more interest in certain ports than the ship that brings you there, any cruise line will do.

 

If you want fine attention to detail, and a known quantity of consistent customer service, then some folks will gravitate towards certain lines. If you have kids that still believe that person inside the Mickey suit IS Mickey and what them to have that magical experience, DCL looks more "worth the money."

 

I suspect there is also something intangible about being on a ship full of other Disney-philes that makes it worth the money as well. I'll get back to you after May on that.

 

That said, given the price increases for the 2016 sailings, I highly doubt we'll be sailing again unless we find something deeply discounted. Kind of like why I'll stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, but won't drop the money for the Grand Floridian. My estimated value does have a threshold.

Edited April 26, 2015 by ljandgb

[elaine5]

One reason why is that DCL does not have a casino, which makes $ for the cruiseline. The other reason is supply/demand. My perspective: I will not pay the crazy DCL prices for Easter and Christmas. But, I will splurge sometimes. It is definitely a superior experience for our entire family. Some things to consider--DCL staffs its teen clubs all day. Other cruiselines tend to have no staff except at nighttime for 12+. I really don't want my 13 yr old hanging out unsupervised in a teen club. We also like DCL's service, large movie theater with 1st run movies, excellent live entertainment, very good dining in MDR without extra charges. I will play extra for that, but there's a limit. For next Christmas, we could buy over 100 DVC points for the price of a cruise--that's crazy!

Edited April 27, 2015 by elaine5

[frisbeewife]

In response to southerngirl528 (for some reason it won't let me include the quote), no I have not sailed on Disney Cruise Line. Why not? Because I am not the least bit interested in Disney characters or the many activities for the kids. My grandkids (ages 14, 12, and 5) also have little interest in Disney stuff and are very happy with the activities on the RCL cruises I've taken them on. Yes, they would probably enjoy a Disney cruise, but as long as there's a pool, ice cream, and occasional beach stops, they are perfectly happy. In fact the 14 year old told me the other day that his idea of a perfect vacation is a cruise. :)

 

If I want to spend extra money to get a "better" experience than I get on RCL - and I've never been disappointed with RCL - then I'd go with one of the more upscale lines where there would be fewer kids running around.

 

Keep in mind, however, we live in Central Florida and Disney is no big deal to us. So I really do understand if other people want to spend their vacations with Disney, and I don't think they are wasting their money or anything, it's just that me and my family are perfectly happy on other (cheaper) cruises. Different strokes, as they say.....

[Friend100]

In response to southerngirl528 (for some reason it won't let me include the quote), no I have not sailed on Disney Cruise Line. Why not? Because I am not the least bit interested in Disney characters or the many activities for the kids.

 

I thought DCL is actually more than just characters and kids activity. Didn't I read many times that people were paying extra because of free-but-not-really-free soda, and pay extra for not having a casino, so people actually "save" back a bit on the donation that would have gone there :rolleyes:

[BullDawg91]

DCL is more than kids' clubs and characters. Like I've said, it's not a floating theme park. The service and relative elegance of the ships appeal to many people as well as the lack of upcharging/nickel & diming.

 

I don't go to RCCL boards and say RCCL isn't worth it because I've never been on one of their cruises.

[iceman93]

And Disney as a brand can hardly be associated to the word "value" to begin with.

 

I have to quibble with this. Actually I feel that Disney is the epitome of value--of getting what you pay for and then some. It is not CHEAP, but then again I find many cheap things to be a very poor value.

[moki'smommy]

I have to quibble with this. Actually I feel that Disney is the epitome of value--of getting what you pay for and then some. It is not CHEAP, but then again I find many cheap things to be a very poor value.

 

Excellent summary statement.

[Island Crazed]

Disney is a business with share-holders. Their goal is to make money. As consumers we can choose to buy or not to buy. The Disney Parks are not a bargain. The "value Resorts" are small and costly compared to off property hotels. The prices of hotel space goes up and down with the seasons as do the ships. One week can be nearly 50% higher or lower than the next.

Is DCL better than other lines? Depends. Is Target better than Walmart? There are lists of the differences - room size, "free" soda, "free" children's programs, better shows. It all depends. Bottom Line - don't let it cause you to go into debt, or have bad feelings for not being able to take you family with your budget. Neither is healthy. Make a five year plan.

[Tonka's Skipper]

I have to quibble with this. Actually I feel that Disney is the epitome of value--of getting what you pay for and then some. It is not CHEAP, but then again I find many cheap things to be a very poor value.

 

 

 

Well Put Iceman!

 

DCL provides a excellent cruise, well designed and classic vessels, great entertainment, good food (lets not forget food is subjective) and excellent service. But most important the Disney Magic and Pixie Dust, no other line comes close.

 

Many other lines provide a good/great standard cruise and they charge what the passengers will pay...........with DCL the passengers are willing to pay more so DCL charges more.

 

 

There is great value in the DCL cruises, it's just is not cheap.

 

AKK

 

AKK

Edited May 4, 2015 by Tonka's Skipper

[ducklite]

I have sailed four lines. I wouldn't go back on two if them. I would sail DCL again without hesitation if I were taking kids along. Just the privacy factor of having a bedroom with an actual door as opposed to a curtain and two bathrooms in the suites on DCL is enough to cinch that. We found that the food and service were 1000% better than RCCL, and I wouldn't bring a child on the other two lines we've sailed out of respect for my fellow passengers as they don't offer children's programming and reading between the lines it's obvious they are highly discouraged.

 

DCL is not for everyone. Anyone who thinks the best cruise is the cheapest is not going to be happy with DCL. Anyone who looks at the price first is not going to be happy with DCL. That's OK, and there is a reason that there are all types of cruises at price points that range under $50 to over $1000 per person per day.

 

As someone else mentioned, if the cost is going to give you angina, don't do it. You will never be able to completely relax and enjoy the cruise. Book with a line that you will be comfortable with.

[Cruising4theFirstTime]

We just did our first Disney cruise last week on the Fantasy, and it was amazing. It was our son's very first cruise, and he absolutely loved it. My husband and I have previously sailed 4 times with Royal Caribbean, and we considered them again for this trip... but when we compared the prices, we decided the extra $1000 total for us was worth it. The split bathroom was wonderful to have, and the larger room (compared to RCI) was definitely nice for the 3 of us. He loved the Oceaneer's Club so much that he didn't like to leave. I'm sure he would have loved the kids' club on RCI too, though.

 

One thing I haven't seen already mentioned in this thread is: Lifeguards. Disney has them everywhere, and they are extremely vigilant. According to our tablemates, at least one child's life was saved during our cruise thanks to the presence of lifeguards. I would say that is worth some of the extra cost!

 

We certainly have no hesitation about going back to RCI, but we really did love Disney!

[Jeal]

We have taken several Celebrity cruises on these newer ships and the cost per day is considerably lower than the quote we received for the Disney Wonder. Why is Disney worth the extra money?

 

We sail Celebrity a lot. We just got off the Disney Fantasy with our 4 year old granddaughter. It was definitely worth the extra money. However, I don't think we would pick Disney if we didn't have a child with us.

 

Here is why it was worth more:

Excellent, personalized service from everyone especially to our granddaughter

Outstanding children's programming

In our opinion the food was better on Disney and there was much more variety especially at breakfast and lunch.

Excellent service in the dining room

Our room steward was the best we have ever had

The ship was spotless

The water slides and water activity areas

There is a regular movie theater showing current movies

The character and princess experience

Castaway Cay

 

We truly enjoyed our Disney cruise and felt that the service and food reminded us of the way Celebrity used to be.

[actuarian]

My wife and I are RCCL Crown & Anchor Diamond Plus members and Disney Castaway Club Platinum members so we have cruised both lines many times (17 times on RCCL and 12 times on Disney). So we know both of those two lines fairly well. They are really very different. When we cruise on Disney, the ship is everything; we cruise for the shows, the better food and the character experience. RCCL is much less expensive and we cruise on RCCL for the destinations, not just for the ships. I would not take a Disney cruise to Europe or Alaska because, when visiting those places, I want to spend my money (and time) at the ports and the shore excursions, not on the ship and on the much higher Disney cruise cost. However, we love Disney and we know that Disney has to charge more for the cruise because they spend more on entertainment and on crew salaries and because Disney customers spend much less on board (because there is no casino and because they often bring children or grandchildren the presence of those children tends to inhibit expenditures on alcohol.)

Edited May 5, 2015 by actuarian

[ducklite]

But then again I wouldn't take Royal Caribbean or any of the behemoths the Europe. They can't get into the small ports and so many ports in general are tendered. It take three hours to unload a typical large ship in Santorini, and three more to reload. With. 10 hours in port, that makes for a long time standing in lines and no time to see anything.

[BullDawg91]

But then again I wouldn't take Royal Caribbean or any of the behemoths the Europe. They can't get into the small ports and so many ports in general are tendered. It take three hours to unload a typical large ship in Santorini, and three more to reload. With. 10 hours in port, that makes for a long time standing in lines and no time to see anything.

 

 

Good to know. I don't like the idea of the mega ships anyway and the Med is on my bucket list.

[Dmgmd50]

We took our 12yo grandson on the large Celebrity Reflection last summer. We visited Santorini and had no problems with the tender. We took a tour so we disembarked quickly. Getting back on the ship we had to wait about 20 minutes to board the tender which really was not bad. I would have no hesitation to take a ship like that again in Europe.

 

I do appreciate all the feedback on why DCL is able to charge more. Actually the pictures I have seen of the Wonder's cabins ( not suites) do not make them look any better than the cabins we have had on Celebrity or RCCL since we only have two passengers in each . (In fact to me, they look a little more "dated".) But it does sound like the service, food, and entertainment might be better, especially with kids.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Dmgmd50

[moki'smommy]

We took our 12yo grandson on the large Celebrity Reflection last summer. We visited Santorini and had no problems with the tender. We took a tour so we disembarked quickly. Getting back on the ship we had to wait about 20 minutes to board the tender which really was not bad. I would have no hesitation to take a ship like that again in Europe.

 

I do appreciate all the feedback on why DCL is able to charge more. Actually the pictures I have seen of the Wonder's cabins ( not suites) do not make them look any better than the cabins we have had on Celebrity or RCCL since we only have two passengers in each . (In fact to me, they look a little more "dated".) But it does sound like the service, food, and entertainment might be better, especially with kids.

 

The Wonder's cabins were refurbished this spring with new beds, bedding, etc. It is quite possible that you are seeing old photos. It is not easy to compare square footage of cabins as you must be sure whether or not the balcony is included and the layout has a lot to do with the "useful" space. I do know that the smallest cabin on the Wonder is significantly larger than the cabin we had on the Celebrity Infinity. But we weren't on that cruise for the cabin. The split bath on the DCL ships (cat 10 and nicer) and the tubs (all cabins) are a nice plus.

[actuarian]

Actually the pictures I have seen of the Wonder's cabins ( not suites) do not make them look any better than the cabins we have had on Celebrity or RCCL since we only have two passengers in each . (In fact to me, they look a little more "dated".)

 

The Wonder staterooms look "dated" because it is a 16 year old ship. If you compare it to a 1990s RCCL ship (like the Enchantment of the Seas), it looks a lot less dated. However, you also have to consider room size when comparing prices. A typical veranda room in a new RCCL ship is 179 sq. feet. By comparison, a Veranda room on the Wonder is 203 sq feet and those extra 24 sq. feet really do make a difference, especially for 7-night or longer cruises. Moreover, for a modest increase in cost, you can upgrade a Disney Veranda room to a "Family Veranda" room, which has 250 sq feet on the Wonder and 256 sq feet on the newer Disney ships (the much more up-to-date Fantasy and Dream). That is getting pretty close to the size of a Junior Suite on the newest RCCL ships (287 sq feet). The cost to upgrade from an ordinary Veranda room to a JS on RCCL is usually more than the cost to upgrade from an ordinary Veranda room to a Family Veranda room on Disney. The result is that if you compare the price of a Family Veranda room on Disney with the cost of a JS on RCCL, the price difference between the lines is considerably less than if you compare the prices of ordinary Veranda rooms. One other point that should be noted when you compare Disney to other cruise lines is that every room on Disney has a bath tub. To get a tub on most other cruise lines, you need to book a JS/mini-suite or a suite. The tub is a luxury even if you don't take baths since it is much larger than the tiny shower in a typical room on other cruise lines. Finally, almost all Disney rooms include a "bath and a half", an amenity available only in suites on other lines.

Edited May 5, 2015 by actuarian
grammar

[Dmgmd50]

The Wonder staterooms look "dated" because it is a 16 year old ship. If you compare it to a 1990s RCCL ship (like the Enchantment of the Seas), it looks a lot less dated. However, you also have to consider room size when comparing prices. A typical veranda room in a new RCCL ship is 179 sq. feet. By comparison, a Veranda room on the Wonder is 203 sq feet and those extra 24 sq. feet really do make a difference, especially for 7-night or longer cruises. Moreover, for a modest increase in cost, you can upgrade a Disney Veranda room to a "Family Veranda" room, which has 250 sq feet on the Wonder and 256 sq feet on the newer Disney ships (the much more up-to-date Fantasy and Dream). That is getting pretty close to the size of a Junior Suite on the newest RCCL ships (287 sq feet). The cost to upgrade from an ordinary Veranda room to a JS on RCCL is usually more than the cost to upgrade from an ordinary Veranda room to a Family Veranda room on Disney. The result is that if you compare the price of a Family Veranda room on Disney with the cost of a JS on RCCL, the price difference between the lines is considerably less than if you compare the prices of ordinary Veranda rooms. One other point that should be noted when you compare Disney to other cruise lines is that every room on Disney has a bath tub. To get a tub on most other cruise lines, you need to book a JS/mini-suite or a suite. The tub is a luxury even if you don't take baths since it is much larger than the tiny shower in a typical room on other cruise lines. Finally, almost all Disney rooms include a "bath and a half", an amenity available only in suites on other lines.

 

Since we do not take baths, we actually prefer a shower stall to a tub. Even on Silversea and Seabourn we have never used the tub. Actually our rooms on Celebrity were 198 square feet and we found that sufficient. And you are correct that we are comparing an older Wonder to the newer Celebrity and RCCL ships. Since we are sailing from Miami, we are limited to the Wonder.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Dmgmd50

[Jeal]

We found our balcony cabin on the Fantasy about the same size as our balcony cabins on Celebrity. I believe we were in a 5A cabin - 9648. That may have been because we had our granddaughter along - usually it's just the two of us.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Jeal

[actuarian]

Since we do not take baths, we actually prefer a shower stall to a tub. Even on Silversea and Seabourn we have never used the tub. Actually our rooms on Celebrity were 198 square feet and we found that sufficient. And you are correct that we are comparing an older Wonder to the newer Celebrity and RCCL ships. Since we are sailing from Miami, we are limited to the Wonder.

 

The tub is a combination tub/shower but it is much bigger than the shower in any Celebrity room I have seen that is not a suite. I find that extra space very welcome even though I too use it for showers, not baths. Room sizes vary quite a bit across the Celebrity fleet (more variation than Disney) and they are mostly larger than rooms on RCCL but even in S-Class, ordinary veranda rooms on the Reflection are 194 sq feet, not 198, according to the Cruise Deck Plans web site. In M-Class, veranda rooms on the Infinity are 170 sq ft, concierge rooms are 191 sq ft and Sky Suites 251 sq ft. That means that a Sky Suite on the Celebrity Infinity is only 1 sq foot larger than a Family Oceanview room on the Disney Wonder. Celebrity Sky Suites usually costs more than Disney Family Oceanview rooms. (Of course, the Sky Suites come with suite "perks".)

[moki'smommy]

We've been in MANY categories on the Magic and Wonder--from the old cat 12 (now 11C) to a concierge suite. Frankly, the 11C was plenty for 2 of us and bigger than what we had on the Infinity. When we added a third person, we seriously appreciated a bigger space. But reality--on the Wonder, whatever cabin you choose is plenty for 2. Yes, what you have in the bathroom is a combined shower in the tub set up.

 

We were "just 2" on the Infinity and found that cabin to have a remarkable amount of storage space for such a small cabin...but the cabin was quite small. Again, on that cruise we went "cheap" as it was a port intensive cruise and wanted to spend the money in port.

[coldflame]

We have taken several Celebrity cruises on these newer ships and the cost per day is considerably lower than the quote we received for the Disney Wonder. Why is Disney worth the extra money?

 

Gold CC here: IMO, at current prices it isn't worth it. DCL has excellent service and the "Disney experience" going for it. But to me it's not worth $2-3000 over the cost of most competitors. It just isn't. Before the latest price bump, DCL was generally $750-1000 over the competition and to us that seemed like a reasonable premium, but now there's no way we would fork the $2-3K difference. There's a plethora of options out there, specially for those of us with kids who aren't into the whole Disney character or princess mindset.