Has Disney become almost luxury? (Based on price)

[Cruzaholic41]

I just booked a spring break sailing on an oasis class ship. I thought it was a fortune until I checked Disney. An ocean balcony for two adults and a child was over 7,000! Did this become one step below crystal cruises or something?? I have only sailed celebrity and royal Carribean ( one NCL older ship which was my least fav) and this fall we are

Doing a 3 night Disney. I'm wondering if I will get spoiled if it's so different than royal? We have a 7 night royal booked for March. Thanks!!

 

Disney is a great product, but that price is associated with the name, not the product. Yes, it's alot better than NCL, but not Oasis. In fact, as good as the entertainment is on Disney, I still don't think it's as good as Oasis.

[BlueRiband]

I don't understand why anyone has trouble making the connection that higher levels of service and amenities costs money? :confused: I get this disconnect a lot on the line that I sail. In one paragraph someone will complain of "cutbacks" and in the next ask about price drops. Good is not cheap and cheap is not good.

[Warm Breezes]

I don't understand why anyone has trouble making the connection that higher levels of service and amenities costs money? :confused: I get this disconnect a lot on the line that I sail. In one paragraph someone will complain of "cutbacks" and in the next ask about price drops. Good is not cheap and cheap is not good.

 

I kind of disagree with this. I consider most of my Carnival Cruises cheap in comparison to the other lines and I also consider them good. In general the more I pay the more I expect, which has lead to some disappointments for me, like our Princess cruise, but when I find a deal on Carnival I have yet to find my cheap cruise was "not good" and they have almost always exceeded my expectations.

[cadien]

Based on photos, the Disney Dream is the most beautiful cruise ship I've seen. Totally my idea of what a ship should look like. So whenever I see another review with pictures, I start to consider saving up for one just to experience it.

 

But the price! And it only goes to the Bahamas, which isn't very interesting to us. And although we have a 4-year old, he's not into anything Disney at the moment. I've never been to any of the parks, with him or as a kid myself, so I have no idea what the famous Disney service really means and whether I'd care that much.

 

It is a beautiful ship though.

[TruckerDave]

Of course it is more...they have to get that big pile of cash to pay the NFL somewhere. :D

[Laurba99]

I don't understand why anyone has trouble making the connection that higher levels of service and amenities costs money? :confused: I get this disconnect a lot on the line that I sail. In one paragraph someone will complain of "cutbacks" and in the next ask about price drops. Good is not cheap and cheap is not good.

 

 

I think you have misunderstood my question. I am very clear that you have to pay to get quality. I have been on inexpensive NCL cruise that I liked the least but didn't complain and I've been on celebrity and I expect a level of service and food quality there. I have just booked allure which was double what I have paid on any other ship so I get it it's Easter break but when I checked Disney I was just surprised to see a $7k price for a non suite cabin and the whole point of my post is that I have never sailed on Disney so I honestly didn't know what made it so expensive. That is why I asked if it was considered almost

Luxury vs royal etc. I am considering myself lucky to be going on the dream soon even just for three nights to experience it now! But most excited for the 7 night allure of the seas :)

[cadien]

I don't understand why anyone has trouble making the connection that higher levels of service and amenities costs money? :confused: I get this disconnect a lot on the line that I sail. In one paragraph someone will complain of "cutbacks" and in the next ask about price drops. Good is not cheap and cheap is not good.

 

But when a cruise costs twice as much, it's perfectly valid to ask whether you're really getting double the quality of service and amenities. That's just sound money management.

 

And in the case of Disney, not everyone agrees that is the case.

[Laurba99]

Exactly. I'm not baffled when Ncl

Cost 1500 and oasis costs 4k but when you haven't sailed a line before it made sense to me to inquire. This has been helpful. Also makes me realize as nice as the three night may be I don't see the value in spending 7k on a cruise. I would rather go to Disney parks for the week for that.

[sloopsailor]

I kind of disagree with this. I consider most of my Carnival Cruises cheap in comparison to the other lines and I also consider them good. In general the more I pay the more I expect, which has lead to some disappointments for me, like our Princess cruise, but when I find a deal on Carnival I have yet to find my cheap cruise was "not good" and they have almost always exceeded my expectations.

 

Well, continuing your idea of Carnival being good, then I would have to say that there are many "gooder" cruise lines out there, and a few that are "goodest". Based on my experiences with Carnival - which I never even consider any longer - you and I have very different standards as to what we want in a cruise product. I prefer a much better cruise line than Carnival, which certainly lives up to its “budget” category.

 

Our one Disney cruise was about as good as it gets, while our one Carnival cruise was far, far below that experience in virtually every way. As far as non-luxury cruise lines go, Carnival is the bottom of the barrel, and Disney is the cream of the crop. And they are priced to reflect that. The old saying "You get what you paid for" certainly applies when comparing these two cruise lines. That is why I wouldn't order a steak at Denny's, or order a grilled cheese at Ruth's Chris.

 

Celebrity now has our attention for providing the best experience while still being reasonably priced.

Edited July 30, 2015 by sloopsailor

[Laurba99]

I respect everyone's opinion but I personally wouldn't take free carnival cruise. Someone said recently on these boards I think that they kept pulling out there child from

The pool because of drunk passengers engaging in sexual activity in the pool and no staff saying anything they were walking by

[Diane123boys]

:) I have cruised on Disney WITHOUT kids and it was fabulous .. Went in

 

December with my cousin and her daughter.

 

Until next month I will not have a cruise experience to compare it to.

 

There are many adult areas on the Disney ships, adult bars, lounges, pools etc. 18 and older can go into those areas. There were characters on board but they weren't "in your face" and very easy to miss them if you wanted!

 

The cost is more now and that is too bad, but i am looking forward to our next Disney cruise on the Fantasy and this time with the family in January.

 

I am also looking forward to the comparison on NCL next month .. I know the service will not be the same, I for one LOVED having the same waiters the whole trip!! :) but it will be interesting as I am going with 2 people that have never cruised!

[Warm Breezes]

I respect everyone's opinion but I personally wouldn't take free carnival cruise. Someone said recently on these boards I think that they kept pulling out there child from

The pool because of drunk passengers engaging in sexual activity in the pool and no staff saying anything they were walking by

 

Your choice. I prefer to keep my options open when booking a cruise and I never go by what others say...I'd rather make my own conclusions on whether I like what they offer or not based on my own experience. My own experience is I have never seen what you described. While DCL is my favorite, I can't knock my Carnival cruises. While the entertainment has never been close to DCL (although I thought Splendor, Freedom, and Glory were an improvement over Destiny, Inspiration, and Elation), the service and room lay outs were not that far behind. I preferred the food on DCL but I still enjoyed the food on CCL, it was mostly good to very good. NCL, IMHO is close to CCL with better entertainment. Princess was our least favorite and I paid more for that cruise than I have any of my CCL cruises and most of my NCL cruises. I would love to sail the other lines but they have to meet my wants for the vacation I am booking at a price I am willing to pay. That has not happened for us with RCCL yet. We are not opposed to paying more for what we want like we did for Disney and NCL Epic when we sailed them. We have sailed on Carnival with our kids 6 times as they were growing up. In our experience it was a good value for a family vacation that we all enjoyed almost as much as we did our Disney cruises.

Edited July 30, 2015 by Warm Breezes

[hubofhockey]

I respect everyone's opinion but I personally wouldn't take free carnival cruise. Someone said recently on these boards I think that they kept pulling out there child from

The pool because of drunk passengers engaging in sexual activity in the pool and no staff saying anything they were walking by

 

I have witnessed drunk passengers on Carnival and even a young lady passed out on an elevator floor. I haven't seen or hear about sexual activity in a pool on Carnival. That's a rare exception and I know that Carnival would kick the couple off the ship for that kind of public behavior.

 

With respect to the kid experience, Royal Caribbean does a great job on Oasis/Allure with all the parades and incorporation of the Dreamworks characters. Maybe Disney does a better job with Disney characters, but the Dreamworks characters resonate just as much with kids, especially Madagascar and Shrek characters.

[kitty9]

We did a Disney cruise a few years ago and it was fantastic, with great food and your typical great Disney entertainment. We recently went back and found that even Disney has dropped in terms of food and service, but especially in the food department.

 

Disney isn't cheap in any of their incarnations, and WDW has gotten insanely expensive, despite the fact that we've seen a downgrade in the whole Disney World experience. Even the Grand Floridian is in desperate need of upkeep as their rooms are looking a bit shabby. So it follows that the cruise line would be expensive while downgrading the product.

[crzndeb]

I'm looking forward to my first Disney cruise in Jan., with my daughters and grandkids. Granted, the price for our 10A cabin has gone up since we booked, but I didn't think $3400 for 3 of us in a room was that bad for 7 nights. Our Oceanview has 2 big portholes and almost seems like a suite.

 

Of course Disney is going to be more expensive also, since they only have 4 ships in their fleet, compared to double that and more for other cruise lines. Plus I can bring my own alcohol on board, and they have free soda.

 

I think I'm most excited to experience it with my grandkids. I may not cruise with them again, but I'm sure looking forward to this one.

[moesyk4]

I have to agree with what the PPer said...would the upgrade in experience on a Disney cruise warrant a price that is at least double a comparable room/itinerary on another line? It is obviously personal, I hear all the time on here from people who would rather die than sail Carnival, while we have had nothing but great experiences on Carnival and have never once seen a noticeably drunk person before 10 pm (or after either, I'm just usually not up that late to verify) or any behavior I would have to shield my eyes from. We don't sail Spring Break so maybe that's the difference, but honestly, everyone always talks about the great "customer service". I have had amazing, over the top customer service with every single person on a cruise ship I have come in contact with, with the exception of one room steward I didn't care for. Unless they are coming in to give me a foot massage before bed and tucking me in, I can't imagine the customer service being so much better than I would be willing to pay 3 times the price.

 

I just priced out a Cove Balcony on the Carnival Breeze for 3 people for spring break, and I could take that cruise 3 times for the same cost as a one Disney cruise. We loved the Breeze's food (Guy Fieri's and Blue Iguana were both amazing), the cove balcony is one of my favorite cruise experiences ever, and there was plenty to do. The only place that doesn't really compare was the stage shows, but I'm not sure a decent stage show is worth $5,000 more.

To each their own!

[srlafleur]

... but I'm not sure a decent stage show is worth $5,000 more.

 

That's a lot of Broadway shows, or even a trip to London for the West End theaters!

[LadyGal4]

I have to agree with you. I compared a 4 day Disney cruise with an 8 day Carnival. Virtually same price. Now I really wanted the Disney cruise since I have small kids, and let them have the "Disney" experience...but 4 days more cruising same price????? Even my 11 year old was like "Mom, I want to cruise for 8 days"

[sloopsailor]

I have to agree with you. I compared a 4 day Disney cruise with an 8 day Carnival. Virtually same price. Now I really wanted the Disney cruise since I have small kids, and let them have the "Disney" experience...but 4 days more cruising same price????? Even my 11 year old was like "Mom, I want to cruise for 8 days"

 

Well, to be accurate, you are comparing a budget cruise line that is the bottom of the pack, with a premium cruise line that is at the top. Like anything else, you get what you pay for. For example, you could take your kids once to DisneyWorld, or take them to the local county fair several times for the same price. Do you really think the experiences will be the same?

 

If you are only interested in quantity rather than quality, you have made the right choice. I have been on both - there is NO comparison between the two.

Edited August 1, 2015 by sloopsailor

[LadyGal4]

Well, to be accurate, you are comparing a budget cruise line that is the bottom of the pack, with a premium cruise line that is at the top. Like anything else, you get what you pay for. For example, you could take your kids once to DisneyWorld, or take them to the local county fair several times for the same price. Do you really think the experiences will be the same?

 

If you are only interested in quantity rather than quality, you have made the right choice. I have been on both - there is NO comparison between the two.

 

 

If the price was substantially different, I would have taken Disney. While the experience probably would be better, it was so short lived that traveling the distance to Florida just isn't worth it to me. All in all, The luxury of Disney is just too far out of my vacation budget.

[hubofhockey]

I have to agree with what the PPer said...would the upgrade in experience on a Disney cruise warrant a price that is at least double a comparable room/itinerary on another line? It is obviously personal, I hear all the time on here from people who would rather die than sail Carnival, while we have had nothing but great experiences on Carnival and have never once seen a noticeably drunk person before 10 pm (or after either, I'm just usually not up that late to verify) or any behavior I would have to shield my eyes from. We don't sail Spring Break so maybe that's the difference, but honestly, everyone always talks about the great "customer service". I have had amazing, over the top customer service with every single person on a cruise ship I have come in contact with, with the exception of one room steward I didn't care for. Unless they are coming in to give me a foot massage before bed and tucking me in, I can't imagine the customer service being so much better than I would be willing to pay 3 times the price.

 

I just priced out a Cove Balcony on the Carnival Breeze for 3 people for spring break, and I could take that cruise 3 times for the same cost as a one Disney cruise. We loved the Breeze's food (Guy Fieri's and Blue Iguana were both amazing), the cove balcony is one of my favorite cruise experiences ever, and there was plenty to do. The only place that doesn't really compare was the stage shows, but I'm not sure a decent stage show is worth $5,000 more.

To each their own!

 

Why would the choice be Carnival or Disney. I would say the newer Royal Caribbean ships may be a little more expensive than Carnival, but much nicer and worth THAT small price. Of course, the Disney name brand means little to me and I would not pay a premium for that name. Many people love the brand and even that cruise line brand. I suppose there are some out there who fell in love with the Princess brand because of a shlocky 1970s tv show.

[sloopsailor]

If the price was substantially different, I would have taken Disney. While the experience probably would be better, it was so short lived that traveling the distance to Florida just isn't worth it to me. All in all, The luxury of Disney is just too far out of my vacation budget.

 

I can sympathize with that. We don't cruise on Azamara, Oceana or Crystal for the same reason. Disney is closer to these lines than the typical mass market lines. Service, food, entertainment and amenities far surpassed just about every other cruise ship we have been on. But, we paid a higher price for that "upgraded" experience. Having done it once, we have it out of our system. We now cruise mostly on Celebrity and Princess, which is more gentle to our finances, but at a slight sacrifice to those excellent service, food, entertainment and amenity levels.

Edited August 2, 2015 by sloopsailor

[#1TravelMom]

I would be interested to know if Disney's ship sale for every sailing.

 

We have also done one Disney cruise – enjoyed it – but just can't justify the price. The group we travel with has a lot of kids – they all just love the new NCL ships and the Carnival Breeze.

 

I have talked to so many families who have not cruised. They think theonly cruise line for children is Disney. They think it's not affordable for their family because they have and they checked Disney prices. Everyone is always surprised when I describe the new ships and the great price for a family vacation. I've converted lots of "rent a house at the beach" families.

[in2up2]

We've sailed Celebrity with our kids many times. Last fall, I took my girls on a 3-night Disney cruise without DH and my son. I wanted the girls to experience it, which they now have, and we have since returned to Celebrity. For me, it is not worth the expense to repeat. The food was not as good, in my opinion, while I did like the rotation through restaurants. The pools were tiny and so packed with kids that even with two lifeguards it was scary. And the lines for character photos were at times ridiculous. But I'm glad we did it once.

 

 

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[#1TravelMom]

Just noticed my error in my post above – I meant to say – I wonder if Disney ship sailed full on most sailings.