Is there usually this much of a price increase each year?

[iamporch]

You don't take other vacations that don't include Disney? All you do is Disney?

No I do take other land vacations that aren't Disney. But if I go on a cruise I would like it be Disney. Mainly because I did love it when we went in Sept and knowing that we aren't ones that will be going on tons of cruises I want the few that we do go on to be Disney.

 

[mrswillson]

No I do take other land vacations that aren't Disney. But if I go on a cruise I would like it be Disney. Mainly because I did love it when we went in Sept and knowing that we aren't ones that will be going on tons of cruises I want the few that we do go on to be Disney.

I agree with this sentiment as I feel the same way. My family has only ever cruised with Disney and we've been highly impressed with the food, service, and entertainment that Disney provides - hence my hesitation to sail with another line. I've heard nothing but poor reviews of Carnival and RC, and know next to nothing about Princess. I'm not 100% opposed to venturing outside of Disney for future cruises, however I would HIGHLY prefer not to... but depending on how steep Disney's future price changes are, I will.

 

[DCLDVC1]

I agree with this sentiment as I feel the same way. My family has only ever cruised with Disney and we've been highly impressed with the food, service, and entertainment that Disney provides - hence my hesitation to sail with another line. I've heard nothing but poor reviews of Carnival and RC, and know next to nothing about Princess. I'm not 100% opposed to venturing outside of Disney for future cruises, however I would HIGHLY prefer not to... but depending on how steep Disney's future price changes are, I will.

A few DCL cruisers have good things to say about Carnival.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/carnival-vs-dcl-the-comparison-thread.3540991/

 

[cruiser21]

No I do take other land vacations that aren't Disney. But if I go on a cruise I would like it be Disney. Mainly because I did love it when we went in Sept and knowing that we aren't ones that will be going on tons of cruises I want the few that we do go on to be Disney.

Ok makes sense

 

[cruiser21]

A few DCL cruisers have good things to say about Carnival.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/carnival-vs-dcl-the-comparison-thread.3540991/

I've met quite a few platinum dcl cruisers on cruises that cruise other lines, and are very happy with NCL royal carnival etc. Eventually you run out of itinerarys on DCL

 

[aura_of_foreboding]

Totally agree with yoU. DCL prices are getting ridiculous. A four day Dream Bahamian Cruise is $3000 for 3 people in feb, which is supposed to be the slow season. In 2013 I paid $1400 for it. Disney is going to price themselves out of clients. Greedy greedy greedy.

February isn't always the low season - in Canada many (if not most) school divisions have a week off in February, as do many northern states. It's usually the week before or following President's Day.

 

[mrswillson]

A few DCL cruisers have good things to say about Carnival.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/carnival-vs-dcl-the-comparison-thread.3540991/

Thank you for sharing this, I will definitely be looking through it!
Do you know if there are any other threads regarding other cruises in comparison (Princess, RC, etc?)

 

[RedSox68]

In a couple more years when our DD outgrows the princess phase we will look to RCCL or NCL which seem to have a better price structure.

Yes, their prices don't jump by hundreds/thousands in the first four days of opening!

Example: Disney's prices for a verandah for two for a 6-night cruise to Bermuda from NYC start at $4,500. We got an NCL cruise next year out of NYC for 7-nights for two in the same category stateroom for $2,800 -- and that includes free internet, a $100 OBC and 3 specialty restaurants!!!! That almost $2,000 difference is another cruise for us!

 

[darnheather]

(Good for you to be blessed with a great income...) My point was that most family I know also have girls that love princesses and boys that love Star Wars and Marvel but they cannot afford to sail on Disney Cruise Line.

Actually, I don't have a great income. I do side jobs, am frugal year round, and save my pennies to be able to afford it. These trips are a luxury that I work hard to afford not something I drop money on thoughtlessly.

 

[starbird]

You don't take other vacations that don't include Disney? All you do is Disney?

Personally, we don't. Aside from a 3 day multi-park Universal trip to finally do the Harry Potter world. But we only stayed one night at Universal so that we got 2 days of early entry and front of the line. The other nights were at Boulder Ridge. Even before we bought DVC, its' all we've done since my wife and I got engaged in 1999, aside from a NCL honeymoon and a trip to Cancun we won our first year of being married. Both of those experiences pale in comparison to what we get from Disney. In terms of pure value for our family, Disney comes out on top every single time. Not always (or ever? ) cheaper, but the best value.

I agree with this sentiment as I feel the same way. My family has only ever cruised with Disney and we've been highly impressed with the food, service, and entertainment that Disney provides - hence my hesitation to sail with another line. I've heard nothing but poor reviews of Carnival and RC, and know next to nothing about Princess. I'm not 100% opposed to venturing outside of Disney for future cruises, however I would HIGHLY prefer not to... but depending on how steep Disney's future price changes are, I will.

Copied you here, @mrswillson because we always contemplate others, but are always afraid to be let down. The cruise we booked this morning will be our 6th Disney cruise. All have been 7 nights. 3 on the Magic, this will make 3 on the Fantasy. 3 Eastern, this will make 3 Western. Honestly, we have spent 35 nights on Disney cruises. We joke we should have just done 10 3 nighters... then we might have a chance to book a cabana on Castaway because we'd be Platinum already!

 

[starbird]

Actually, I don't have a great income. I do side jobs, am frugal year round, and save my pennies to be able to afford it. This trips are a luxury that I work hard to afford not something I drop money on thoughtlessly.

Ditto. My wife and I don't exchange gifts. Ever. Anniversary, birthdays, Christmas, Valentine's. Nothing. We don't go out to eat often, and when we do, it's usually takeout to avoid a tip (and I pick it up vs delivery). I have an entry level model for my car, my wife's is paid off. We cut the cord, rely on streaming only. We do our own lawn, cleaning, pest control, home repairs, etc. Anything. We don't drink alcohol, and that amount of money alone for many people I know nearly covers our vacations. We drive from NH to FL when we can to avoid the $1600 or so average for flights. All these little things add up fast.

Vacations with our girls are far too important. We bought DVC when we could afford it and made sure we paid it off fast to avoid interest. We prioritize vacationing above pretty much everything else. But for us, it's worth it.

 

[RedSox68]

Thank you for sharing this, I will definitely be looking through it!
Do you know if there are any other threads regarding other cruises in comparison (Princess, RC, etc?)

I know that there is a forum for RCCL. I have compared Princess, HAL and Carnival on many threads (won't do our first RCCL until next year). If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

 

[darnheather]

Ditto. My wife and I don't exchange gifts. Ever. Anniversary, birthdays, Christmas, Valentine's. Nothing. We don't go out to eat often, and when we do, it's usually takeout to avoid a tip (and I pick it up vs delivery). I have an entry level model for my car, my wife's is paid off. We cut the cord, rely on streaming only. We do our own lawn, cleaning, pest control, home repairs, etc. Anything. We don't drink alcohol, and that amount of money alone for many people I know nearly covers our vacations. We drive from NH to FL when we can to avoid the $1600 or so average for flights. All these little things add up fast.

Vacations with our girls are far too important. We bought DVC when we could afford it and made sure we paid it off fast to avoid interest. We prioritize vacationing above pretty much everything else. But for us, it's worth it.

I'm so glad someone else gets it! A huge dream for me was to take my youngest daughter to Universal for her 11th birthday. In 2015 my spouse changed jobs taking a massive hit to our income. In order to make the dream a reality I did SO many things. I drove the 12 hours straight there and straight back. We stayed off site at a budget motel. We packed food for the way down and the way back. I picked up a side job. Etc. The moment she was chosen for the wand experience on her 11th birthday is a memory that still makes me tear up. It's something I'll have forever. Everything I did was worth that one single moment.

 

[RedSox68]

Ditto. My wife and I don't exchange gifts. Ever. Anniversary, birthdays, Christmas, Valentine's. Nothing. We don't go out to eat often, and when we do, it's usually takeout to avoid a tip (and I pick it up vs delivery). I have an entry level model for my car, my wife's is paid off. We cut the cord, rely on streaming only. We do our own lawn, cleaning, pest control, home repairs, etc. Anything. We don't drink alcohol, and that amount of money alone for many people I know nearly covers our vacations. We drive from NH to FL when we can to avoid the $1600 or so average for flights. All these little things add up fast.

Vacations with our girls are far too important. We bought DVC when we could afford it and made sure we paid it off fast to avoid interest. We prioritize vacationing above pretty much everything else. But for us, it's worth it.

And we have a yard sale or sell unneeded items online and use those extra monies for trip costs. For our last two cruises, and the next two cruises, we drive and don't fly, just pay parking fees (which saves money) and we have a cruise credit card for every cruise line (except Celebrity) -- use it to book and pay the cruise which earns double/triple reward points, then use the reward dollars for onboard credits. We never leave a balance on the credit card and don't use the card again until we book a cruise on that particular line. On our last cruise to New England, our total onboard bill was $40.

 

[starbird]

The moment she was chosen for the wand experience on her 11th birthday is a memory that still makes me tear up. It's something I'll have forever. Everything I did was worth that one single moment.

That is awesome. That is what it's really all about, at least for us. Family says "don't you get sick of Disney?" No, no we don't. I have a friend who thinks Storyland here in NH is just as good. I say "you only say that because you've never been!"

We lived in FL for 2 years, so it was close. In SC for 7, and drove every time. We moved back to NH about 4 years ago, and we go far less because it's $1600 at least for airfare. So this summer we drove. One stop on the way there. The Sunday night offsite for cost. Got up at 5 am, drove to Universal, checked in so we would get the front of the line and early access. Spent the entire day there. Slept, got up early, packed the car, went to the park. Left that night and stayed at Walt Disney World because we had the points available. Skipped the Disney parks because Universal for those 2 days cost what we would have spent on passes. But it was worth it. We drove home straight through. Left Walt Disney World at 3 AM, made it home to NH at 2 AM. Not fun. But the trip was amazing.

We also have the Disney Visa. We put EVERYTHING on that card. The rewards often cover most of, if not all, our dining.

 

[Mrs. W]

The DCL price jump from year to year doesn’t bother me. It’s the lack of value and consistency that swayed me for our 2018 cruise, which my husband and I are doing on Royal. Our Disney Cruise this year was priced perfectly to us, but once we cruised, the price was really the only satisfying thing about the vacation, sadly.

We are a childless couple so if the food, service, and nightly entertainment are not up to standard, we don’t blink at booking with another line. We just want the best vacation experience we can buy. We love Disney vacations, but Disney is a business, and they earn our money when we are satisfied with their product. We weren’t satisfied with DCL this year, but we’ll look into them again if an itinerary looks interesting.

 

[DCLDVC1]

Copied you here, @mrswillson because we always contemplate others, but are always afraid to be let down. The cruise we booked this morning will be our 6th Disney cruise. All have been 7 nights. 3 on the Magic, this will make 3 on the Fantasy. 3 Eastern, this will make 3 Western. Honestly, we have spent 35 nights on Disney cruises. We joke we should have just done 10 3 nighters... then we might have a chance to book a cabana on Castaway because we'd be Platinum already!

I know the feeling because we felt the same way for a long time. It's a tough one to get over. Now we look at other options and think "what if it's even better or at least the same".

 

[Sanchez]

That is awesome. That is what it's really all about, at least for us. Family says "don't you get sick of Disney?" No, no we don't. I have a friend who thinks Storyland here in NH is just as good. I say "you only say that because you've never been!"

I would say this (the highlighted portion above) to those who have only cruised DCL and are worried that they may not be as happy on another line. I understand that there are people that take the same vacations year after year and are unwilling to try something else for fear of being let down. My in-laws are like that. They travel to Vermont every year, stay at the same hotel, eat at the same restaurants, and visit the same shops. It is a comfort factor and they would rather avoid disappointment than try something new.

I couldn't live like that. It doesn't matter to me what vacations people decide to take, but I do have a problem when those who have not been on a comparable cruise decide that nothing can beat DCL.

DCL has a good product, especially for those with young children. However, among the mass market cruise lines there are better (for us) cruises. The newer RCCL and Princess ships are equal or superior in most ways (food, service, itinerary, quality of passenger, price.) DCL has characters, Disney theming and is focused on younger children - and this is what people are paying extra for because it certainly isn't for the food, service, itineraries or other amenities.

For us the massive escalation in price does not match the quality of the cruise. But as some on this thread point out, there is almost no limit to what they will pay for the DCL theming.

 

[Pens Fan]

Thank you for sharing this, I will definitely be looking through it!
Do you know if there are any other threads regarding other cruises in comparison (Princess, RC, etc?)

Here is a thread I started about trying NCL. It's not nearly as informative as the great Carnival thread going around, but there are several people who offered their opinions, so it might be helpful to you.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/we-jumped-ship-to-ncl-how-did-they-do.3623112/

About that same time, someone else had a Royal Caribbean thread going (maybe Anthem of the Seas?? I don't remember, exactly) and not long afterwards someone did a Holland American review.

 

[mevelandry]

Actually, I don't have a great income. I do side jobs, am frugal year round, and save my pennies to be able to afford it. These trips are a luxury that I work hard to afford not something I drop money on thoughtlessly.

Never said that you were dropping money thoughtlessly. Just said you were blessed. Some are frugal and work side jobs and still cannot afford a vacation.

Moving on...