Not Priced Out Fall of 2020 thread?

[Sleepyluke]

I think part of it is there are so few 7 night cruises at all, so they are getting booked, but why so many short cruises, I get the dry dock, but the Wonder even has short cruises, which we have no interest in. I get the need for some shorter, that is some people's thing and a money maker, but not all that you have.

 

[Karin1984]

What if the strategy is to inflate the prices now and when the first new ship starts sailing, the priced will be reduced to slightly above the level of 2018/2019.

Then they can claim the new ship has lead to lower prices. Same stores do right before a sale.

 

[Quellman]

No as bad as I was expecting it to be. That doesn't mean those are "good" prices but it seems like they were moderately reasonable this time when raising the prices. The itineraries are meh.

I already had a feeling that my friends and I would not end up booking with DCL for December 2020 because the same RCCL Bahamas cruise was already 50% less than DCL 2019 prices...

...And now with 795$/pp for DCL vs 325$/pp for RCCL*, RCCL was the obvious choice for us.


*Price for 3 adults ladies in an inside cabin.

I have 2 on the books from the new schedule, but will likely drop both of them. One because of price, the other because I was just informed that we may have another comitment during that time.

 

[FSU Girl]

I wasn't planning on booking when this schedule came out, but the NYE on the Dream works really well for our work schedule. I booked it, not sure if we'll keep it though because of price. I did a 4night on the Dream in early December and for the same money we are paying for a standard balcony I paid for the one-bedroom suite.

 

[pixiedustedme]

I booked the December 18, 2020 3-night on the Dream. It's high-priced for such a cruise, but that's what I'm used to with Disney, and I'm willing to pay a high-reasonable cost for a DCL cruise that works for us (we're on rigid schedules, so there aren't many different times of the year that we can cruise). It costs only slightly more than the same approximate 2019 cruise date/type opened for, so I'm fine with it.

I agree that the Christmas/New Year's week cruise prices have reached the point of insanity. We sailed a 3-night over New Year's 2015-2016 for a reasonable rate (for a holiday Disney cruise), but there is no way I'd pay what they're asking for now for cruises that week: well over $1,000 per night for 2 passengers in an inside stateroom. I've been on 5 Disney cruises in the past 5 years & have sailed on each ship, so I know their current product well. Imo that product is not worth the exorbitant prices charged during Christmas week.

 

[klbrow11]

No cruises during fall break for us which was a bummer. Only one was on west coast which we are really not interested in. Thinking we will skip DCL 2020.

Ended up booking another line for January 2020 which I am super nervous about since we have only cruised DCL. But DCL was like almost triple the price for a balcony for a similar sailing. Not priced out but felt it was way too much for a bahamas cruise in January.

 

[ember1205]

I wanted to book the Wonder 7 night Mex Riviera but it just won't work for dates. Price for it seemed in line with what I would have expected, especially since the Wonder is getting a bit of a refresh soon.

I booked a HOTHS cruise in October that is more than I had -wanted- to spend, the but holiday themes cruises just demand a higher price on DCL and that's all there is to it.

With that said, I believe that the Fall itinerary was A) lighter than expected because the Dream will be in dry dock for a bit and B) is predominantly holiday or holiday themed cruises which are quite a bit more because of demand than the more "basic" itineraries.

I'm going to keep my eye on things since the HOTHS cruise I have booked hasn't budged on price for the room I have and may end up dumping and moving to a different non-HOTHS cruise if I can make the dates work and the cost makes sense.

 

[MomOTwins]

I looked through the itineraries and didn't see anything new to try. It's not a fun vacay for me if there isn't something a little bit new. If they had sailings out of New Orleans like they do earlier in 2020 that might have been tempting.

 

[KVH]

We chose a 4 night Pac Coast for next fall (after our EBPC this Nov). And after checking Fare Tracker, we're talking ~10% YoY increases. This does vary for other itineraries but I've yet to find one < 5%. It amazes me how this is sustainable. But obviously they have data that says otherwise.

 

[MSPeeler]

I already complained about the late release, and the crappy itinerary dates. Since they don't even have a cruise I'm interested in there's no need to complain about the expected ridiculous prices when I can go elsewhere for 1/2 the price on the cruise I want, when I want.

 

[squirk]

I, too, noticed that there aren’t nearly as many threads complaining about pricing as there normally are after a release. But yeah, the itineraries are pretty meh, and as others have noted, the price increases on those meh itineraries didn’t seem as outrageous this time around,

I wonder how many people are holding off on booking a DCL cruise until the first itineraries of the first new ship are released. Kinda like how WDW attendance dipped over the last year, arguably due to people holding off until Galaxy’s Edge opens.

 

[Mrs. W]

I’m another who was underwhelmed by the itineraries. The pricing did not seem exorbitant, but we book cruises a few months out instead of around opening day, so prices are always somewhat high. I did recommend my sister take a look, as she’s looking to try cruising, and she booked the 10/12 cruise on the Wonder, out of Diego. I think she’ll love it, so I’m excited for her.

 

[AgentMama]

I already complained about the late release, and the crappy itinerary dates. Since they don't even have a cruise I'm interested in there's no need to complain about the expected ridiculous prices when I can go elsewhere for 1/2 the price on the cruise I want, when I want.

This, and the lack of new ports/itineraries, we didn't even consider booking. We're not priced out, but becoming less willing to pay a premium for something that doesn't seem to be carrying the same value. As much as we want to try the new ships, I'm not sure we want to experience them on the same tired itineraries. But I'm sure we're in the minority since the mouse seems to still be turning a profit.

 

[deliela999]

It was itinerary for us. We had the 7 night western caribbean picked out to take over fall break and when the schedules released that plan was blown. They have it over Christmas, but price eliminated that. My husband got really attached to the idea of being on board for Christmas so we compromised on the 4 night caribbean on the Dream for Christmas next year. I still want to do the 7 night western caribbean, but I'm not sure when we'll get there. We're talking about booking our dream of Alaska while on the Christmas cruise. Too bad there's only so much money and PTO.

 

[MonaMN]

We chose a 4 night Pac Coast for next fall (after our EBPC this Nov). And after checking Fare Tracker, we're talking ~10% YoY increases. This does vary for other itineraries but I've yet to find one < 5%. It amazes me how this is sustainable. But obviously they have data that says otherwise.

I wonder if they are starting opening day pricing higher and then not raising prices as much? I have no data, but they know that there are people just waiting for those booking dates, so there’s not much incentive for them to keep those prices lower...

 

[ember1205]

I wonder if they are starting opening day pricing higher and then not raising prices as much? I have no data, but they know that there are people just waiting for those booking dates, so there’s not much incentive for them to keep those prices lower...

Actually, there is incentive. They make $0 on an empty stateroom. They need people booked into the rooms to make money and a lower fare for those that are able to book 16 months ahead is good all around.

Additionally, the more staterooms they book and can hold onto early, the sooner (and more) they can raise fares for remaining staterooms.

Keeping the fares as low as possible provides additional incentive to those that want to book more than two in a stateroom, too. The more people on board, the more they collect in on-board charges for a variety of things.

 

[TamaraH]

There just aren't any itineraries for us (Caribbean). We are in Arizona and the kids have a 2 week fall break so we've always done a 7 day EC during the break on the Fantasy. Enjoyed it so much we would do it again but would also like WC this next time. There just aren't any during that timeframe. Very sad...my oldest daughter wants to get to CC one more time as well as experience Vibe before she turns 18. My youngest just wants CC and Aqua Duck. Hoping there will be something for 2021.

 

[anjuan]

I really wanted to do a Merry Time cruise during my daughter's holiday break but just can't stomach the premium price for it at this point.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

I would have liked to do December 2020, but nothing fits into our schedule. We are cruising the Wonder this December over New Year's, and the price is outer-limits. It really helps that the port is Galveston, so we can easily drive there.

I hope that the addition of the new ships will moderate the prices of the other ships somewhat.

 

[DCLDVC1]

We also booked the November Double Dip as well and was comfortable with the price when compared to other double dips. Really like the itinerary on this one with having a sea day after the second CC day, normally have to get back on the ship and pack, looking forward to not having to do that right away.

I just read that DCL changed the itinerary for the November 9th Double Dip.