Getting outpriced, am I the only one?

[mevelandry]

I wish that was our case, the line was snaked all the way through the casino.

What about the numbering system?

 

[cruiser21]

If you wait until the mad rush is over the wait for a tender is more tolerable. Everyone try's to leave at the same time.

 

[MyDisWorld]

Great Thread......Really enjoy everyone's reading everyone's feedback and various perspectives........I am a little late to this party....LOL!

I thought it was filthy, stairs,hallway,bathrooms... We dined at the MDR every night, we thought it was ugly also lol the fake wood grain tables that are in every mom and pop diner. We didn't get off on Grand Cayman because people were standing in line for an hour and a half, no thanks. Our dinner was never hot . Our waiter was ok, the guy getting our drinks wasn't friendly at all. I could go on lol

Was this on the Vista? I can definitely see this on some of their other ships, but if they are neglecting their new ships like this, that is not encouraging...... I have looked at some sailings for the Vista.

My experience with Carnival has been similar. Depending what you are looking to get out of a Cruise, Carnival has it's "Market". I would not say I would "never" sail on Carnival again, but would manage my expectations accordingly.

That being said, as far as the main topic of this thread goes, I am admittedly (though I'm probably in denial....) in the group getting out priced. We have an upcoming 7 day on the Fantasy, and I won't go so far as to say it will be our Last Disney Cruise, but it is our most expensive DCL Cruise to date. So, in researching future Alaska Cruises, I simply have come to the realization, that we may need to look elsewhere.... We are a "Very" middle Class Family, that is blessed being able to spend a little more on vacations than most in our income range. But with everything going up in price these days, that "extra" is shrinking fast. However in the case of Alaska, we are looking at a difference of [at least] $4,000.00 for our Family of (3), between DCL and RCCL. And that is based on Comparable cruises and staterooms. We can definitely find even lower priced options, if we are willing to compromise........

Trust Me, I am a Disney Fanboy. I am more than happy to pay extra for the "Disney Touch". I realize that I may not get the same level of service from another Cruise Line, but it really is getting harder to Justify the disparity.

Disney currently commands a premium because they only have (4) ships. They have a limited offering (relative to other cruise lines) and they have people paying current rates. If there weren't people paying it, we would see prices drop. So, there is always hope that with (3) more ships coming on line in the future, prices (fingers crossed) may come down.

That being said, it's no secret Disney is targeting "more affluent" Families for everything. They usually have more disposable income, are less effected by the economy, and will historically spend more in the parks and on the ships. From a business perspective, this is good for the bottom line and stock holders, it can become your Achilles heel in the long term. Ever wonder why Universal has recently been putting so much money into "value" priced hotels?????

 

[mousefan73]

I think this is not cool. I have always felt that if you can’t afford to tip for what you are receiving you shouldn’t do it. These people work so hard to take care of us and they are not the ones who should loose out.
My two cents.

But that is the whole point. They should not lose out.. so I would hope that for at that amount that the cruise line is taking care of their employees. If these service employees NEED to and DEPEND on our "tips" then let's be honest and add that in the cruise fare. That simple. Pay your employees a living wage and have tips be for service beyond what is expected. Maybe that is the european in me..

 

[mousefan73]

Not sure if I commented on this thread, but we book the Oasis for a med cruise in 2019... Disney was more than double. same room type and itinerary. Granted Disney I get free soda . . I could not justify the price difference. Plus I hear the pools are not so crowded vs Disney.. my kids are actually excited about the Oasis, so much to do. Disney in this case might be worth it if you have little ones as Disney's Kids clubs are the best.. But for the price difference one could hire a nanny that travel with and still be ahead of Disney!

 

[mevelandry]

Great Thread......Really enjoy everyone's reading everyone's feedback and various perspectives........I am a little late to this party....LOL!


Was this on the Vista? I can definitely see this on some of their other ships, but if they are neglecting their new ships like this, that is not encouraging...... I have looked at some sailings for the Vista. (...)

I just want to say that it wasn't my experience at all when I sailed on her in October 2017 on the Vista. The ship was absolutely spotless, "à la DCL" !

 

[cruiser21]

There is another thread where a poster is disappointed. Some of the things she's complained about are coincidently the same complaints this poster had about the Vista.

I've talked to several first time cruisers on recent cruises that although they enjoyed their cruise they said probably wouldn't cruise with dcl again. I think as prices go up you'll see fewer and fewer repeat cruisers . I'm also guessing you'll see more disappointed cruisers. Higher prices means higher expectations. I think the quality in some areas has declined since our first cruise. We paid 3300 for the 4 of us on our first Fantasy cruise. The price is now closer to 6500 for the same week, and this is off season. I'm not sure I'd feel the same way about DCL if I paid 6500 for a Caribbean cruise the first time we sailed. I certainly would have been one and done.

We've been priced out as a family of 4. It doesn't mean I'll stop cruising dcl. I have a son that still likes dcl and is homeschooled. I'll take him on a few more cruises Most likely off season Europe, panama Canada, transatlantics or some other cruise I deem educational. There has to be some perceived value for me. Our days of a relaxing family Caribbean cruise on DCL are pretty much over.

 

[YawningDodo]

But that is the whole point. They should not lose out.. so I would hope that for at that amount that the cruise line is taking care of their employees. If these service employees NEED to and DEPEND on our "tips" then let's be honest and add that in the cruise fare. That simple. Pay your employees a living wage and have tips be for service beyond what is expected. Maybe that is the european in me..

Ah, the age old economics of tipping argument....

I'm in the camp that believes that service workers should be paid a fair wage so that they're not dependent on tips -- a tip should be for service that's above and beyond, but day to day wages should be enough to live on. BUT...stiffing your server isn't going to change the system. It's senseless to hurt the people who are already made vulnerable by the current way of doing things; the higher-ups aren't going to care a jot that you didn't tip. It's not an effective form of protest.

Anyway, the standard tips are made clear at time of booking. There's no surprise at the end; they tell you ahead of time exactly how much to expect to pay in standard tips for the length of your cruise. I don't look at it as being any more dishonest than the port fees that aren't added into your total on the website's interface until you go to check out.

 

[LivingforDisney]

But that is the whole point. They should not lose out.. so I would hope that for at that amount that the cruise line is taking care of their employees. If these service employees NEED to and DEPEND on our "tips" then let's be honest and add that in the cruise fare. That simple. Pay your employees a living wage and have tips be for service beyond what is expected. Maybe that is the european in me..

Carnival bought 2 of their ships out here to Australia, one is here all year, the other part of the year. They said there would be no tipping on board, as In Australia tipping is not part of the culture, so they would pay their staff extra when out here. I have been on Carnival twice, when u buy a drink there is a place on the tab if u want to give a tip, otherwise you change pay what it costs, there is no tax either. If the drink is $8 that's all u pay, no tax, no tip, fine. I am sure people do leave tips, for the servers & the staff that do the rooms, but totally up to you.
Oh my, it was so nice, not to have to worry if I have tipped the right amount, one thing that always stresses me when on holidays in the US.
P and O cruises also , have the no tipping over here. They may incorporate into the fare, I don't know, but if I can get a 10 night cruise around the South Pacific for around $1000 , or less, that's what I will do. Aussie dollars on board as well.
All the other cruise lines that come here, have the tipping & everything on board is in US dollars, so makes it a lot more expensive with our weak dollar.
Btw, Carnival cruises over here are not " party cruises" like I read in the states, very family orientated & the service & food was excellent. I have been on the Disney Fantasty , it was great, would love to go again, but going to take a lot of saving to do that.
So what I am saying is , why not incorporate the staffs tips into the fare, then we wouldn't be any the wiser, and if you want to give someone a tip, you do.I personally felt on Disney, the staff were "too cheesy" , to tell you the truth the speel in the MDR every night just went over my head, when the server kept saying about the comment card & excellent service, I didn't get it, why was he saying this every night. Then the last night we received this comment card, ugh the penny dropped, he wants a good rating, got ya! Didn't like it in my face all the time, we left our tips, but nothing extra, the service was good, but not that good I felt I should have left more.Felt I got what I paid for.
Carnival send you a email after the cruise re ratings, comments.

 

[mmmears]

I just want to say that I am thankful for all the reviews, both positive and negative, about DCL and other cruise lines. While we aren't completely "priced out" we certainly can't afford to take what we consider an interesting DCL cruise every year like some people do. And I like to read people's pros and cons since that helps me choose our next trip and also to set my expectations of what I'll get for my money. We really have enjoyed our DCL cruises, but I am sure that there are people here who haven't and it's good for me to see what they didn't like.

As for DCL, it's something we can do every now and then, but we won't be platinum cruisers (or even gold) any time in the near future. The Wonder and Magic itineraries are the ones that interest my family, and at this point the cost will stop us from traveling more often. Or we can switch to another line and perhaps have a few more trips. I suspect that's where we are headed in the future.

 

[breakingd_awn]

Great Thread......Really enjoy everyone's reading everyone's feedback and various perspectives........I am a little late to this party....LOL!

Yes this was on the Vista, we were surprised it was so new. Thank you for your nice reply

Was this on the Vista? I can definitely see this on some of their other ships, but if they are neglecting their new ships like this, that is not encouraging...... I have looked at some sailings for the Vista.

My experience with Carnival has been similar. Depending what you are looking to get out of a Cruise, Carnival has it's "Market". I would not say I would "never" sail on Carnival again, but would manage my expectations accordingly.

That being said, as far as the main topic of this thread goes, I am admittedly (though I'm probably in denial....) in the group getting out priced. We have an upcoming 7 day on the Fantasy, and I won't go so far as to say it will be our Last Disney Cruise, but it is our most expensive DCL Cruise to date. So, in researching future Alaska Cruises, I simply have come to the realization, that we may need to look elsewhere.... We are a "Very" middle Class Family, that is blessed being able to spend a little more on vacations than most in our income range. But with everything going up in price these days, that "extra" is shrinking fast. However in the case of Alaska, we are looking at a difference of [at least] $4,000.00 for our Family of (3), between DCL and RCCL. And that is based on Comparable cruises and staterooms. We can definitely find even lower priced options, if we are willing to compromise........

Trust Me, I am a Disney Fanboy. I am more than happy to pay extra for the "Disney Touch". I realize that I may not get the same level of service from another Cruise Line, but it really is getting harder to Justify the disparity.

Disney currently commands a premium because they only have (4) ships. They have a limited offering (relative to other cruise lines) and they have people paying current rates. If there weren't people paying it, we would see prices drop. So, there is always hope that with (3) more ships coming on line in the future, prices (fingers crossed) may come down.

That being said, it's no secret Disney is targeting "more affluent" Families for everything. They usually have more disposable income, are less effected by the economy, and will historically spend more in the parks and on the ships. From a business perspective, this is good for the bottom line and stock holders, it can become your Achilles heel in the long term. Ever wonder why Universal has recently been putting so much money into "value" priced hotels?????

 

[cruiser21]

Great Thread......Really enjoy everyone's reading everyone's feedback and various perspectives........I am a little late to this party....LOL!



Was this on the Vista? I can definitely see this on some of their other ships, but if they are neglecting their new ships like this, that is not encouraging...... I have looked at some sailings for the Vista.

My experience with Carnival has been similar. Depending what you are looking to get out of a Cruise, Carnival has it's "Market". I would not say I would "never" sail on Carnival again, but would manage my expectations accordingly.

That being said, as far as the main topic of this thread goes, I am admittedly (though I'm probably in denial....) in the group getting out priced. We have an upcoming 7 day on the Fantasy, and I won't go so far as to say it will be our Last Disney Cruise, but it is our most expensive DCL Cruise to date. So, in researching future Alaska Cruises, I simply have come to the realization, that we may need to look elsewhere.... We are a "Very" middle Class Family, that is blessed being able to spend a little more on vacations than most in our income range. But with everything going up in price these days, that "extra" is shrinking fast. However in the case of Alaska, we are looking at a difference of [at least] $4,000.00 for our Family of (3), between DCL and RCCL. And that is based on Comparable cruises and staterooms. We can definitely find even lower priced options, if we are willing to compromise........

Trust Me, I am a Disney Fanboy. I am more than happy to pay extra for the "Disney Touch". I realize that I may not get the same level of service from another Cruise Line, but it really is getting harder to Justify the disparity.

Disney currently commands a premium because they only have (4) ships. They have a limited offering (relative to other cruise lines) and they have people paying current rates. If there weren't people paying it, we would see prices drop. So, there is always hope that with (3) more ships coming on line in the future, prices (fingers crossed) may come down.

That being said, it's no secret Disney is targeting "more affluent" Families for everything. They usually have more disposable income, are less effected by the economy, and will historically spend more in the parks and on the ships. From a business perspective, this is good for the bottom line and stock holders, it can become your Achilles heel in the long term. Ever wonder why Universal has recently been putting so much money into "value" priced hotels?????

There are at least 4 posters on here that I can think of that loved the Vista. I wouldn't let one poster deter you from trying the ship.

 

[cruiser21]

Carnival bought 2 of their ships out here to Australia, one is here all year, the other part of the year. They said there would be no tipping on board, as In Australia tipping is not part of the culture, so they would pay their staff extra when out here. I have been on Carnival twice, when u buy a drink there is a place on the tab if u want to give a tip, otherwise you change pay what it costs, there is no tax either. If the drink is $8 that's all u pay, no tax, no tip, fine. I am sure people do leave tips, for the servers & the staff that do the rooms, but totally up to you.
Oh my, it was so nice, not to have to worry if I have tipped the right amount, one thing that always stresses me when on holidays in the US.
P and O cruises also , have the no tipping over here. They may incorporate into the fare, I don't know, but if I can get a 10 night cruise around the South Pacific for around $1000 , or less, that's what I will do. Aussie dollars on board as well.
All the other cruise lines that come here, have the tipping & everything on board is in US dollars, so makes it a lot more expensive with our weak dollar.
Btw, Carnival cruises over here are not " party cruises" like I read in the states, very family orientated & the service & food was excellent. I have been on the Disney Fantasty , it was great, would love to go again, but going to take a lot of saving to do that.
So what I am saying is , why not incorporate the staffs tips into the fare, then we wouldn't be any the wiser, and if you want to give someone a tip, you do.I personally felt on Disney, the staff were "too cheesy" , to tell you the truth the speel in the MDR every night just went over my head, when the server kept saying about the comment card & excellent service, I didn't get it, why was he saying this every night. Then the last night we received this comment card, ugh the penny dropped, he wants a good rating, got ya! Didn't like it in my face all the time, we left our tips, but nothing extra, the service was good, but not that good I felt I should have left more.Felt I got what I paid for.
Carnival send you a email after the cruise re ratings, comments.

This is really good to know. An Australia/New Zealand cruise is on my bucket list. I priced out a 10 day cruise on Royals brand new ship that's over there(I cant think of name of it) and it was surprisingly cheap. Just under 3500 for a family of four in a verandah. I'm glad to hear the cruises are family oriented. I've wondered if there would be teens onboard, but it sounds like that's not something I need to worry about. I will have to keep this in mind for a 2019 or 2020 cruise.

 

[LivingforDisney]

This is really good to know. An Australia/New Zealand cruise is on my bucket list. I priced out a 10 day cruise on Royals brand new ship that's over there(I cant think of name of it) and it was surprisingly cheap. Just under 3500 for a family of four in a verandah. I'm glad to hear the cruises are family oriented. I've wondered if there would be teens onboard, but it sounds like that's not something I need to worry about. I will have to keep this in mind for a 2019 or 2020 cruise.

Just remember our school terms are different over here. School breaks up the week, before Xmas & kids are off for 6 weeks, some states & some schools finish 2 weeks before Xmas. Then in April they have 2 week break, July 2 week break, Sept 2 week break. Some people take their kids kids out of school outside these holidays, as of course it's cheaper.
So Dec/ Jan are very popular, but they have a limit on how many under 18's allowed on board, couldn't tell you the answer though.
You probably mean Oviation of the Seas, my friends cruised on it to New Zealand in January, said it was wonderful.

 

[Sergel02]

I can only hope the prices go down with the new ships and more competition from other lines, even a bit. I absolutely loved my Disney cruise and if it weren't for the price (and no dinner buffet) they'd have my cruise loyalty probably.

 

[Shanti]

I hate to say but the first place that I will cut back is tipping. To pay $13,000 for a 7 day cruise and then have an added $500 for tips at the end is obnoxious. If Disney wants their employees paid well, then they need to cut back on the outrageous costs to go on a cruise.

You shouldn't cruise if you're not willing to pay your servers.

 

[StuartMcK]

You shouldn't cruise if you're not willing to pay your servers.

Being from the UK we don't have tipping engrained in our culture the way it is in the US. I'm very much of the mindset that the servers (and all other staff, of course) should be paid a decent living wage by default. Gratuities should be a reward for exceptional service.

Having said that, we know the score before we book & budget accordingly.

 

[mrsp1030]

This has been a great thread to read. We love the quality of service we get from DCL and I am not a fan of super large ships to say the least. We've been curious about a few other lines and always wonder about the quality of service as compared to DCL. The other issue for us is the fact that we can get a family verandah still as a family of 5 on DCL and some lines don't have that without going up to a suite option.

 

[Shanti]

Being from the UK we don't have tipping engrained in our culture the way it is in the US. I'm very much of the mindset that the servers (and all other staff, of course) should be paid a decent living wage by default. Gratuities should be a reward for exceptional service.

Having said that, we know the score before we book & budget accordingly.

Yes, I'm not debating how the servers' pay should ideally be renumerated. In theory, I agree with you on how it should be done. But knowing that DCL requires servers' pay to come directly from the passengers, and then refusing to pay the people who served you, for any reason, is a terrible thing to do. They deserve their pay as much as anyone else.

The poster I responded to had said he would just stiff the servers to make up for DCL's high prices, and that's inexcusable. He shouldn't cruise if he isn't willing to pay for the services he receives.

 

[cruiser21]

Being from the UK we don't have tipping engrained in our culture the way it is in the US. I'm very much of the mindset that the servers (and all other staff, of course) should be paid a decent living wage by default. Gratuities should be a reward for exceptional service.

Having said that, we know the score before we book & budget accordingly.

How much is the appropriate amount to tip in Europe? Like you said tipping 20% is so ingrained in our culture I forget I don't have to do it. The last couple of times we were in Europe I tipped about 10%. I found the service to be poor compared to what I'm used to here.

It's getting so ridiculous here that even some fast food places are putting out tipping jars. I totally ignore those.