Disney Cruise Experience is Worth It

[PapaNonni]

We've been on 5 cruises (2 Disney) and the hospitality and entertainment that Disney offers is better than any other cruise line we've been on. We did one week Disney cruises on the Magic and Wonder!!! Loved the smaller Disney ships and the amazing time we had.

 

[Halfbrit]

Good to hear. We've only ever done DCL and are planning to do another one. We've been on the Fantasy and the Wonder and preferred the Fantasy because of the Midship Detective Agency, Meridian Bar and having both Remy and Palo.

 

[LAS2AMS]

Disney has an incredible product, but IMO, continued prices increases well above the competition make it difficult to justify. Earlier this year, we were eying a 7-night Mexican Riviera cruise on the Wonder, leaving later this month. Total price was $4400 (inside) for four people (two adults and two teens). That was the lowest priced 7-night Disney cruise available (at the time) by over $1500. We ended up booking on Princess, instead though -- a similar itinerary leaving one day earlier was just over $2000 for a balcony and came with $200 promotional OBC (we ended up with $650: $200 promotional + $200 via Costco + $150 future deposit program + $100 military). While I would've preferred DCL, it's simply too much to justify.

 

[RysMomma]

I agree that you get what you pay for. We were indecisive about which line to do Alaska on. While Royal was cheaper, we decided that we enjoy Disney's atmosphere more!

 

[LAS2AMS]

I agree that you get what you pay for. We were indecisive about which line to do Alaska on. While Royal was cheaper, we decided that we enjoy Disney's atmosphere more!

IMO, Disney charges far more than what it provides, which is why we rarely cruise DCL anymore. Obviously the reason they can charge the going rate, is because the Disney bubble is willing to pay the premium for the Disney ambiance. But if it makes you happy... .

 

[CarolynU]

So just priced up a DCL cruise inside stateroom 2 adults, 2 small ish children. Inside stateroom 7 nights July in the Mediterranean as we live in Europe.
The cost is an eye watering $10,380!
Now we can’t take this cruise anyway as we live in the UK and our school holidays don’t begin until August, but I was curious as this is the cruise that we used to take pre school. Now factor in 4 flights to Spain, a hotel overnight in Spain pre cruise, tips, spending money, and excursions if we took any, port transfers, and we’d be looking at around $15,000.
Not enough value for money for us. We last cruised DCL in 2022 and it had to be a Northern European. The weather was cold and windy. Despite that the tiny pool was like kid soup. The kids club mostly didn’t seem to have much going on in the way of organisation. The kids just had to amuse themselves. The alternative entertainment was character meets in the morning and trivia in the afternoon which our kids were too young for, so if we are spending that kind of money as much as it would pain me to do so we’d rather go for some cruise line which had more going on like climbing walls, more pool options and slides etc!

 

[CarolynU]

Now next week I’m off on two DCL cruises myself and a friend. Southern Caribbean.
Only want to relax and enjoy the sun. So looking at next year again in the Mediterranean myself and a friend.
Inside stateroom July similar itinerary 7 nights.
$7122 DCL Dream
$2041 Cunard! Queen Victoria
That’s because Cunard has an early booking offer right now. Now that’s presumably pay extra for coffee and other things but is DCL worth nearly an extra $5100 for one week???
Only time will tell, but that’s one heck of a difference! $2041 to $7122 !!!!

 

[randumb0]

DCL in Europe and Alaska can be double the price of competitors. Hard pass for me

 

[auntlynne]

Glad to hear you are enjoying your Disney vacations. Do you have to cross The Pond for them?

 

[Lisa F]

I don't cruise that frequently although my first disney cruise was in the early 2000's so I've been cruising for a long time. When I decided I wanted to do a cruise for my upcoming 50th birthday I looked at Disney first. I just wanted a "vacation" - relaxing and not very expensive plane tickets and I live on the east coast so Florida is usually pretty reasonable to get to.

I had a choice of the Magic 5 night out of Ft Lauderdale or the Fantasy 7 night out of PC. The Fantasy is the first real trip to lighthouse point so it was already quite booked up and very very expensive. The magic I ended up paying around $4700 for a secret verandah room for 2. Then I started shopping around to see what else I could get for my money.

I am very picky and I like nice hotels, so an older, less well maintained, not as beautifully appointed ship would not make me happy. I found that when comparing apples to apples - nicer Royal Caribbean ships (not the HUGE new megaships but still nicer ones) or other cruise lines upgrading to similar amenities that Disney provides as a base for their standard balcony rooms, there wasn't much price difference. Sure, they were much less than the $9-10k it would have been on the Fantasy but compared to the magic, not much difference. I like the 5 day itinerary for an adult only trip as it allows time at both ends to deal with stuff at home.

And I just love the magic, it makes me feel good, it is familiar, I don't have to "learn" the deal with another cruise line and it is an absolutely beautiful ship that makes me happy to be on it. I loved the fantasy and dream too and had the itineraries worked out would have been happy to have been on any of the trips. I get that the special and desirable voyages will carry a huge premium but if you just want disney for the sake of disney there are options and if you compare apples to apples against ships that are comparable (It seems Disney is the only one where all of the ships are kept up to snuff - in other lines you really have to make sure you're not on an older/dated ship or if you are, that accounts for lower price), the pricing is really not all that different.

If you are willing to go down a step then of course you can save money. If you want a particular itinerary that is not one of the standards, you can save money as these are things other cruiselines have been doing for a very long time (I have heard and read that princess has Alaskan itineraries pretty much nailed.) But if you like Disney for Disney's sake there are options and if you are fussy about being on a nicer ship then the differences are not really that great. You are going to pay for nice/new/well maintained/great customer service no matter where you go.

 

[brentm77]

I don't cruise that frequently although my first disney cruise was in the early 2000's so I've been cruising for a long time. When I decided I wanted to do a cruise for my upcoming 50th birthday I looked at Disney first. I just wanted a "vacation" - relaxing and not very expensive plane tickets and I live on the east coast so Florida is usually pretty reasonable to get to.

I had a choice of the Magic 5 night out of Ft Lauderdale or the Fantasy 7 night out of PC. The Fantasy is the first real trip to lighthouse point so it was already quite booked up and very very expensive. The magic I ended up paying around $4700 for a secret verandah room for 2. Then I started shopping around to see what else I could get for my money.

I am very picky and I like nice hotels, so an older, less well maintained, not as beautifully appointed ship would not make me happy. I found that when comparing apples to apples - nicer Royal Caribbean ships (not the HUGE new megaships but still nicer ones) or other cruise lines upgrading to similar amenities that Disney provides as a base for their standard balcony rooms, there wasn't much price difference. Sure, they were much less than the $9-10k it would have been on the Fantasy but compared to the magic, not much difference. I like the 5 day itinerary for an adult only trip as it allows time at both ends to deal with stuff at home.

And I just love the magic, it makes me feel good, it is familiar, I don't have to "learn" the deal with another cruise line and it is an absolutely beautiful ship that makes me happy to be on it. I loved the fantasy and dream too and had the itineraries worked out would have been happy to have been on any of the trips. I get that the special and desirable voyages will carry a huge premium but if you just want disney for the sake of disney there are options and if you compare apples to apples against ships that are comparable (It seems Disney is the only one where all of the ships are kept up to snuff - in other lines you really have to make sure you're not on an older/dated ship or if you are, that accounts for lower price), the pricing is really not all that different.

If you are willing to go down a step then of course you can save money. If you want a particular itinerary that is not one of the standards, you can save money as these are things other cruiselines have been doing for a very long time (I have heard and read that princess has Alaskan itineraries pretty much nailed.) But if you like Disney for Disney's sake there are options and if you are fussy about being on a nicer ship then the differences are not really that great. You are going to pay for nice/new/well maintained/great customer service no matter where you go.

This is well said. When and where you sail with Disney makes a huge difference in price. For example, we had a DCL cruise booked last September to Alaska (later canceled), that was only $400 more than celebrity for a comparable room. The premium isn't as always as high as people think when you compare apples to apples on the right itineraries and the right time. But, for us, even paying a premium has been worth it on some itineraries. When you are investing a lot of money and time in a vacation, it takes some stress away going with a product you trust.

As for picking the Magic, my wife an I did the exact same thing after a very difficult year. We had a much more elaborate cruise booked on another line, but when we started thinking what we really needed right now, the appeal of going back to familiar was comforting. We like nice hotels, are picky about cleanliness, and wouldn't be happy on a more rundown ship. We also wouldn't like smoke in public areas, very loud adult pool areas, or someone yelling in a microphone for the sexiest man or belly flop contests, etc. We will probably only watch one of the theater shows and do very little of the "Disney" stuff. But, going back to a product we know and love was any easy choice when relaxation, recovery, and time together was our main goal. We will venture out to other lines and other itineraries again after that, but, I haven't been this excited for a vacation in awhile.

 

[71 Truck]

This has always been a tough question to answer.

To my wife and I, we have been on fourteen, seven day Disney cruises over the last twenty four years. We love Disney.
We had also been on one NCL cruise and one Princess cruise during this time frame.

Six of fourteen Disney Cruises were with us using our Disney Vacation Club points. Back when we did this it was a good value for us to use points because we were not vacationing at Disney the way we used to.
At the time this was a big saving of cash we did not have to put out, and yes I know we still had to pay our dues however at the time our dues were much less than the cruise cost.

We have also been fortunate enough to have been gifted a Disney cruise from my parents.


Next, over the years we started looking for either Florida resident rates or Guaranteed rates to try to save money when we could not use our Place Holder.
Lately I have not seen many deals available at the time of the year we would normally cruise however that changes all the time.

With all of that said was it worth the cost for the experience in the past, defiantly yes, especially on our last cruise because my mom was with us.

As for the future, my wife and I are looking at cruises for this year and next year.
We were on a seven day cruise with NCL two weeks before cruising shut down due to Covid and had a really good time.
She want to try NCL that are offering different ports of call than Disney currently offers when we like to cruise.

The one good thing, we have a Disney Cruise Place Holder from our last cruise that is going to have to be used at some point.

This was our view from the NCL ship back in February 2020. at the time it was going to the same ports of call as Disney just on different days.

 

[RysMomma]

IMO, Disney charges far more than what it provides, which is why we rarely cruise DCL anymore. Obviously the reason they can charge the going rate, is because the Disney bubble is willing to pay the premium for the Disney ambiance. But if it makes you happy... .

I agree to disagree. I feel that the service alone for me is worth it. We went on a Royal Cruise in December and it just wasn't the same. It was fun, and that's my family-we'll have fun anywhere. But to us, there was just such a difference and we just love the Disney atmosphere more.

 

[LAS2AMS]

I agree to disagree. I feel that the service alone for me is worth it. We went on a Royal Cruise in December and it just wasn't the same. It was fun, and that's my family-we'll have fun anywhere. But to us, there was just such a difference and we just love the Disney atmosphere more.

Service standards across the industry are incredibly high. This is enabled as jobs are highly competitive. Example - we did a 3-night (Fri-Mon) weekend cruise on Carnival. I told our room attendant it would not be necessary to service our stateroom during the duration of the trip. On our first full day, we left the room around 2:30PM (I was up almost 24 hours the prior day, getting to work then enjoying the day) and there was our room attendant waiting by the door. Even though he was suppose to go on break at 2PM, and we told him to skip our room, he was terrified it'd go into his file and he wouldn't be offered another contract.

If by "service" you mean "Disney ambiance," that's a completely separate issue. Obviously only Disney can create a Disney experience. If you're traveling in a party of four, itineraries on DCL are frequently 2x - 3x similar itineraries of the competition. Is the Disney ambiance worth it? Obviously that's up to an individual, but people consume every day based upon what they want vs. what they they can afford/ value proposition.

 

[Cfabar1]

My view is a cruise is a luxury vacation no matter what. For us, we are mostly short cruise folks due to work schedules... We'd prefer longer cruises, but you know... at this point it is basically short cruise or nothing, so what can you do.

What does this mean? To me, recognizing a cruise is a luxury vacation no matter what, enjoy it, and do it right for you. For us, it is worth spending the extra money on DCL.... Can drink the soda, affordable alcoholic beverages, great service including turndown, a family-friendly atmosphere (the folks who have issue with Disney not caring about families should really see what happens on RCL or Carnival!), childcare that makes us feel safe, etc. To us, it is worth the extra dollars...

That said, on our cruises we have been able to take advantage of VGT or smart bookings in several instances which priced out close to the competition - especially when looking at comparable rooms.

Yes, there are always cheaper ways to sail, but for us, it is a luxury and we don't want to sail the Margaritaville or the Carnival Elation even if it could potentially mean more often cruise ships.

 

[starry_solo]

So just priced up a DCL cruise inside stateroom 2 adults, 2 small ish children. Inside stateroom 7 nights July in the Mediterranean as we live in Europe.
The cost is an eye watering $10,380!
Now we can’t take this cruise anyway as we live in the UK and our school holidays don’t begin until August, but I was curious as this is the cruise that we used to take pre school. Now factor in 4 flights to Spain, a hotel overnight in Spain pre cruise, tips, spending money, and excursions if we took any, port transfers, and we’d be looking at around $15,000.
Not enough value for money for us. We last cruised DCL in 2022 and it had to be a Northern European. The weather was cold and windy. Despite that the tiny pool was like kid soup. The kids club mostly didn’t seem to have much going on in the way of organisation. The kids just had to amuse themselves. The alternative entertainment was character meets in the morning and trivia in the afternoon which our kids were too young for, so if we are spending that kind of money as much as it would pain me to do so we’d rather go for some cruise line which had more going on like climbing walls, more pool options and slides etc!

Did you price out for 2024? If so, it could also be because it’s so close to the sail date.

I priced out a deluxe ocean view with verandah for 7 nights Europe (northern Europe) and it was $5500 for two adults. I know the third and fourth would be a bit more but not thousands more.

 

[Flossbolna]

I priced out a deluxe ocean view with verandah for 7 nights Europe (northern Europe) and it was $5500 for two adults. I know the third and fourth would be a bit more but not thousands more.

That’s the difference between September and July. Summer has an incredible premium on DCL.

 

[auntlynne]

…
View attachment 852317

This ship looks like a toy model; perfect paint, well protected. Amazing.

 

[CarolynU]

Did you price out for 2024? If so, it could also be because it’s so close to the sail date.

I priced out a deluxe ocean view with verandah for 7 nights Europe (northern Europe) and it was $5500 for two adults. I know the third and fourth would be a bit more but not thousands more.

No this was 2025. I’ll double check though.

 

[CarolynU]

No this was 2025. I’ll double check though.

No I’m correct July 25 for 2 adults and 2 children $10,300 for 7 nights.