What's your breaking point?

[KashasMom]

Here are some questions to ask about the RCCL cruise:

• Does the price you have from them include all taxes and fees? (They don't quote this up front like Disney does, you actually have to go all the way through the checkout process to get this number) Not a big deal...
• How much are the gratuities on RCCL compared to Disney? In the same ballpark I believe.
• How much will the Beverage package cost you on RCCL (Assuming you want anything besides water, iced tea or lemonade) We don't buy the beverage package. How much "free" soda do children need anyway?!
• Will you order room service? If so, how many times? Unless you are in a Grand Suite or above, there is a $7.95 fee per order. Breakfast is free - we had it several times on the Allure.
• Look at the dinner menus, are there going to be items that you want to order with an upcharge? There are items on every night's menu that have upcharges on RCCL and if so, how much will this cost? Food was excellent on the Allure - no need to upcharge but at least 3 of their specialty restaurants are EXCELLENT and I loved that my daughter was able to dine in them, unlike on Disney. We also love that they have a FULL dinner buffet. We don't always feel like sitting through the ordeal of dinner on Disney.
• Ice Cream - Soft Serve is available for free on all Disney Ships, if you are going to want it on RCCL it is going to cost you Absolutely NOT true. We had free soft serve on the Allure - two machines on the pool deck that we hit every day! And they had 4 or 5 flavors.
• Alcohol - If you drink, Disney's prices are lower than RCCL, compare price lists. (We don't drink, so this doesn't affect us, but the same applies to specialty non-alcoholic drinks) N/A (For 1 or 2 drinks a day, it still doesn't make up for the difference in the price of a cruise!)
• Paid Classes - Pretty much all of the classes (except some tasting ones for Alcohol) are free on Disney, but you pay for some of them on RCCL, are you going to be spending money here? Don't take any
• What other fees might you incur with RCCL that you wouldn't with Disney? On Disney you pay for photos, spa, bingo, popcorn, etc., etc. Really not much difference.
• Are you going to want to have breakfast with the Dreamworks characters? That is another $10 per person. For 20 bucks, we loved the chocolate menu and the characters!
• How much value is there in having Disney Characters onboard and roaming around the ship vs. none on RCCL as far as I can see the only way you get Dreamworks is either the kids clubs or at breakfast and only on certain ships. You see the Dreamworks characters for photos, in shows, in parades, etc.

I just looked for us and as close as I could get to our upcoming cruise, when all of these factors are included, RCCL comes out about $50 higher than Disney for a week long cruise. Yes, the destinations are different and in this case I would also have to fly to RCCL, but I won't for Disney. RCCL just doesn't go to Mexico (We've been to Cozumel on RCI) or leave out of San Diego, so it is hard to compare apples to apples, but it was the closest I could get.

And I am not saying this will be the case for everyone, but this is something that you should indeed watch and make sure that all of these things aren't adding up to be more expensive than a Disney Cruise.

There are sites that will tell you all of the "hidden fees" for each cruise line, just make sure the site is up to date.

I've never priced a Disney cruise (apples to apples) where it was even close to RCI. Our RCI on the Serenade (best itinerary EVER) was 1/3 the cost of a similar Disney cruise but Disney was less days and not as good of an itinerary as RCI. IMO RCI suits families with older children better.

 

[KashasMom]

It's a fox.

(and I can reach all the grapes I want so... Who are you talking about?)

Ignore it! Too much kool aid obviously.

 

[mevelandry]

Ignore it! Too much kool aid obviously.

I'm trying to but it's hard. I am very uncomfortable with any insinuations that those who prefer non-DCL cruises actually can't afford DCL. Going on a vacation (no matter what the vacation is) is a priviledge that some family can't even afford. I feel comments like that are disrespectful of people with lower income.

 

[keaster]

When we first started sailing with DCL in 2009, there were plenty of deals to be had as the economy was still trying to recover from the recession.

First 7 night caribbean cruise...they had special Canadian pricing since our dollar was pretty dismal then as well.

While on that cruise, they had a bounce back special to take a 3-night bahamas cruise for $99/person (good luck finding that now!)

Our 10-night med cruise...bookings were low and they had a 20% discount offer. Then we got $200 in OBC becuase we booked early...and then just before the cruise they upgraded us free from a 5A to 4A balcony.

Our Mexican riviera cruise...kids sail free was on so took advantage of that.

Since then, the deals have disappeared and prices have continued to climb...but unfortunately our income has not kept pace!

 

[wanderlust7]

I think my mental limit is somewhere around $6500 for 7 nights, 2 adults, 2 kids in a category 5. I really want to try the Fantasy, so taking the kids out of school in October, after OBB discount, $200 OBC (will use for gratuities so counting as cash), Costco card (shop there a lot so counting as cash too) - comes out to about $4700. Seems like a good price for the Fantasy, even though I could get RCL Oasis or Harmony ocean view balcony for about $3000.

On the other hand, we're also doing the MSC Seaview for a Med cruise in a Super Family Plus - which is 3 connecting ocean view balconies for 10 people (sharing with another family) for $8000. Disney opening day prices for similar dates would be more than that for 1 balcony cabin for 4 people.

 

[hedwigowl73]

We didn't really have a breaking point in deciding to branch out to other lines. After 12 Disney cruises, we wanted to try out new itineraries and amenities that Disney doesn't have. We'll be trying our first Princess cruise later this year. I will always love Disney but am looking forward to making my way around the other lines, too.

 

[KashasMom]

I'm trying to but it's hard. I am very uncomfortable with any insinuations that those who prefer non-DCL cruises actually can't afford DCL. Going on a vacation (no matter what the vacation is) is a priviledge that some family can't even afford. I feel comments like that are disrespectful of people with lower income.

I understand. In all seriousness, some of the die hards can be a little snooty. We are all lucky to be able to cruise!

 

[DnA2010]

Older ones which I mentioned... the first was Jewel of the Seas for a southern itinerary and then Radiance of the Seas in Alaska. Our servers were awful and they insisted we come at 5:45pm instead of 6:30 even though we had 'my time' and scheduled times in advance - that night they just skipped our bread and first course to catch us up with people who had come earlier. They 'forgot' drinks and some items for our party frequently on both cruises and we did not like the food as much. The 'adult' pool ended up being a kid pool all day in Alaska because it was covered so there wasn't anywhere for us to swim or enjoy a hot tub before 10pm or so (by then we were heading to bed). The comedic shows were terrible - both we saw made fun of women and other cultures which I didn't appreciate... the music shows were fine. There were a couple rounds of trivia we went to but other than that there wasn't much programming for us... we aren't big drinkers (maybe 1-2 a day on vacation) and it seemed like mostly it was live music around the ship in bars which gets old fast. We don't gamble so we steered clear of the casinos but couldn't get away from all the smoke in the old ships - the air flow through the doors pushed it through the atrium and into the stateroom hallways. I don't need anything from my stateroom host other than a clean room... ours on RCCL was frequently on his phone in the hallways adding minutes or talking to people and it didn't bug us. He thanked us for 'giving him the night off' all week since we didn't need or want a turn down. This last trip on the Magic was actually the first time a host made a point of stopping whenever he saw us to chat about various things - it was nice, but really not necessary as I know they work so hard and have so much to do!

Anyway TLDR, everyone should try other lines at least once if they are inclined and I need to try a newer/larger ship sometime that isn't Disney.

Yah wow- complete opposite experiences to us! We had outstanding experiences in the MDR, loved the shows, didn't notice any smoke, etc- def try a big ship - I actually found the Fantasy felt more crowded than Oasis

 

[DnA2010]

I think that happens a lot. The Pixie Dust is blinding on many social media sites and most everything is so over the top positive. If someone says they had a less than excellent experience, the "that's never happened to me" crowd appears.

It's not even the pixie dust we expected, I just expected top service in the MDR, bars, stateroom and honestly our service wasn't great at all

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I think people with kids or people travelling with more than 2 people in a cabin is the kicker. Sure, saving $1000, even $2000 may be easy to walk away from, but when you are looking at a summer cruise with dcl for 2 inside rooms @ $11000 and Carnival has a brand new ship for $5500 for one inside and on balcony with a better itinerary.. bye bye dcl. Creme on the cake... we have tried two other cruise lines over the past year and woah, the disney magic is now gone for us. No way would we pay significantly more for dcl any longer.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Well, good luck on the other cruise line. Hopefully they have a forum like this so you can share tips and tricks. Odd that so many people want to post in a DCL forum about how much they prefer the other cruise lines. Threads like this seem to pop up at least once a week. If I was in a RCCL forum I wouldn't care about what they have on Disney.

A few thoughts on this... I agree it is fascinating that so many people come back to discuss other cruise lines on a dcl board (although if you go to cc there is also discussion of other cruise lines on other boards), and I can only conclude that there must be something to it! That maybe dcl is overcharging! I am drawn to this topic of discussion because I am blown away that dcl gets away with the prices they charge. I am also a bit annoyed with myself for not trying other cruise lines earlier. And so, having once been in the dcl or bust camp, I am interested in the topic. Another point is that I do not think diehard dcl people would be reading these threads unless there was a little voice inside them telling them they might be getting ripped off too. No one likes to feel like they paid more for something than it is worth. And when you start thinking in terms of opportunity cost, like what else you could do with that money, I personally find dcl becomes very hard to justify. Happy cruising to all, regardless of cruise line!

 

[KashasMom]

I think people with kids or people travelling with more than 2 people in a cabin is the kicker. Sure, saving $1000, even $2000 may be easy to walk away from, but when you are looking at a summer cruise with dcl for 2 inside rooms @ $11000 and Carnival has a brand new ship for $5500 for one inside and on balcony with a better itinerary.. bye bye dcl. Creme on the cake... we have tried two other cruise lines over the past year and woah, the disney magic is now gone for us. No way would we pay significantly more for dcl any longer.

I think many DCLers fall into 2 categories: those who have never gone on another cruise line and those who have but spent the entire time comparing to DCL. We have also explored other cruise lines and feel the same way as you. If you have never been on another cruise line how can you possibly comment on the differences? Those who have strayed from DCL may have been on ships that don't compare equally. My daughter has aged out of the princesses (she's fighting me on even going for pictures on the Fantasy in August). She doesn't like the kids club, prefers the pool (Disney's are woefully inadequate) so we're finding that RCIs Oasis class ships are perfect for us as a family. There are so many ships to keep us all happy. I tend to agree with people who have a more balanced view of it all. I am just not THAT brand loyal and honestly, I'd rather get my Disney fix at the parks.

 

[Sanchez]

A few thoughts on this... I agree it is fascinating that so many people come back to discuss other cruise lines on a dcl board (although if you go to cc there is also discussion of other cruise lines on other boards), and I can only conclude that there must be something to it! That maybe dcl is overcharging! I am drawn to this topic of discussion because I am blown away that dcl gets away with the prices they charge. I am also a bit annoyed with myself for not trying other cruise lines earlier. And so, having once been in the dcl or bust camp, I am interested in the topic. Another point is that I do not think diehard dcl people would be reading these threads unless there was a little voice inside them telling them they might be getting ripped off. No one likes to feel like they paid more for something than it is worth. And when you start thinking in terms of opportunity cost, like what else you could do with that money, I personally find dcl becomes very hard to justify.

I agree with this. It is inevitable that comparison/pricing threads will continue to appear given DCL's aggressive pricing. For someone who doesn't follow these things closely it is quite a shock to pull up some prices on the internet and see the staggering difference. It leads to the question "Why so much more?" Of course, no one likes to feel that they have overpaid and I guess it is comforting to be around others who find value in the product. When threads like this pop up the ardent defenders become defensive.

I reached my breaking point when I found that I could go on better cruises for less money. I would still choose DCL if taking young children but that would likely be the only circumstance.

 

[Pens Fan]

I think people with kids or people travelling with more than 2 people in a cabin is the kicker.

I think this is explains why some people don't experience the larger price differential between DCL and other lines. I'm no expert on cruise line pricing, but I know you pay a hefty price for the third (and fourth) person in a cabin on DCL. For example we only paid $599 for our son on the NCL cruise we are taking next month and that's in suite (no clue if the the price would have been lower in a non suite cabin, though you'd think it would have been). I just did a dummy booking on DCL for July 2018 (thinking prices won't have changed much from opening day so probably a better comparison than 2017) and we would have to pay $1435 for our son in a 5A and $1960 in a category V.

I guess it makes sense that DCL charges more for the third and fourth person in a cabin, as that is often a child and they offer such extensive entertainment for children. But if you're like us and your "child" is 19, or still a minor but isn't interested in the clubs (that was our son until he was about 16), then you are just paying for stuff you aren't going to use.

My husband and I sailed on DCL sans child last October. I did check other lines as several had similar itineraries, but the price difference wasn't big enough for us to forgo the Mouse. This summer, sailing with our son, while the real deciding factor was NCL having a better itinerary than DCL for what we were wanting to do, the price difference was significant.

 

[Erintx7]

I think my mental limit is somewhere around $6500 for 7 nights, 2 adults, 2 kids in a category 5. I really want to try the Fantasy, so taking the kids out of school in October, after OBB discount, $200 OBC (will use for gratuities so counting as cash), Costco card (shop there a lot so counting as cash too) - comes out to about $4700. Seems like a good price for the Fantasy, even though I could get RCL Oasis or Harmony ocean view balcony for about $3000.

On the other hand, we're also doing the MSC Seaview for a Med cruise in a Super Family Plus - which is 3 connecting ocean view balconies for 10 people (sharing with another family) for $8000. Disney opening day prices for similar dates would be more than that for 1 balcony cabin for 4 people.

I think I'm experiencing a little buyers remorse or much delayed sticker shock because I thought I could get a cruise for my family of 5 for $6500. That was the strike price based on friends that went and got 2 staterooms for their family of 5 for that price (spring break trip). Are these prices still possible? For peak I think no...spring break Star Wars was 5 figures for my family and I just couldn't do it... so doing a 5 night cruise for $8500 w taxes (plus did add insurance since I've never booked something so far out...). Anyway... I did lots of comparison research (but didn't know about these boards then!!) maybe I can change our room selection to feel better about stuff... I really want $6500 to work. We've only cruised RC once and that was less than half what I'm paying.

 

[Erintx7]

I think I'm experiencing a little buyers remorse or much delayed sticker shock because I thought I could get a cruise for my family of 5 for $6500. That was the strike price based on friends that went and got 2 staterooms for their family of 5 for that price (spring break trip). Are these prices still possible? For peak I think no...spring break Star Wars was 5 figures for my family and I just couldn't do it... so doing a 5 night cruise for $8500 w taxes (plus did add insurance since I've never booked something so far out...). Anyway... I did lots of comparison research (but didn't know about these boards then!!) maybe I can change our room selection to feel better about stuff... I really want $6500 to work. We've only cruised RC once and that was less than half what I'm paying.

I booked 4B in June btw.

 

[bfamily5]

I have learned that you really need to know what your cruise priorities are. We did DCL exclusively until we tried NCL this past spring break. I have come to discover our chronological age ( 45) does not match our cruising age (65ish) The thing we missed most about DCL was a quiet and relaxing pool area. We had the drink package but couldn't stand the crowds of drunks and the smoke from the casino was horrible. I will likely sail on another line again but will make sure my cruise priorities are met. If I can do the same thing on DCL for another $1000 or less, I'll choose DCL

 

[Erintx7]

I agree with this. It is inevitable that comparison/pricing threads will continue to appear given DCL's aggressive pricing. For someone who doesn't follow these things closely it is quite a shock to pull up some prices on the internet and see the staggering difference. It leads to the question "Why so much more?" Of course, no one likes to feel that they have overpaid and I guess it is comforting to be around others who find value in the product. When threads like this pop up the ardent defenders become defensive.

I reached my breaking point when I found that I could go on better cruises for less money. I would still choose DCL if taking young children but that would likely be the only circumstance.

You both have excellent point(s). It's about what you value in a cruise and people want to mentally justify the spend. Since I've only cruised one other line, I know what was missing and it is time to try disney. I do have sticker shock, but I want to do this and we are excited about it!! We cruised one time on RC, and we loved cruising but the ship (older and smaller in fleet though refurbished) was lacking in kids activities (big kids 9 and 6 at the time) liked the kids club but no Shrek or anything kid centric at all on our boat. The nursery for my littlest (15 mos then) was a joke/ maybe 3 other kids in there and we got a page after 30 minutes (I don't have a fussy kid... they just didn't bother to try to play with him) and we never bothered to go to nursery again so we didn't really enjoy any parent down time. So, I feel like now kids are bigger but I still have 8 year age span and my expectation is my vacation needs will be met on DCL . But I will be comparing and evaluating, and maybe I will be a cruise person who is willing to try more cruise lines vs being loyal to one line/product. We will see.

 

[cruiser21]

You both have excellent point(s). It's about what you value in a cruise and people want to mentally justify the spend. Since I've only cruised one other line, I know what was missing and it is time to try disney. I do have sticker shock, but I want to do this and we are excited about it!! We cruised one time on RC, and we loved cruising but the ship (older and smaller in fleet though refurbished) was lacking in kids activities (big kids 9 and 6 at the time) liked the kids club but no Shrek or anything kid centric at all on our boat. The nursery for my littlest (15 mos then) was a joke/ maybe 3 other kids in there and we got a page after 30 minutes (I don't have a fussy kid... they just didn't bother to try to play with him) and we never bothered to go to nursery again so we didn't really enjoy any parent down time. So, I feel like now kids are bigger but I still have 8 year age span and my expectation is my vacation needs will be met on DCL . But I will be comparing and evaluating, and maybe I will be a cruise person who is willing to try more cruise lines vs being loyal to one line/product. We will see.

Why don't you sail on one of RCCL's new ships. You'll get the activities geared to Kids for half the price. If you really want luxury I'd book the Haven on NCL for what your paying on DCL.
It's hard to say wether your kids needs will be met on DCL or not. Mine always have been, but all kids are different.
I would never book any cruise that was outside of my comfort zone in terms of what I'm willing to pay. I absolutely won't do it My vacation would be tarnished before it even started. I believe DCL is worth it to a certain amount. Of course that amount is my own personal comfort zone. I guess you have to figure out what yours is.

 

[emilymad]

I have learned that you really need to know what your cruise priorities are. We did DCL exclusively until we tried NCL this past spring break. I have come to discover our chronological age ( 45) does not match our cruising age (65ish) That the thing we missed most about DCL was a quiet and relaxing pool area. We had the drink package but couldn't stand the crowds of drunks and the smoke from the casino was horrible. I will likely sail on another line again but will make sure my cruise priorities are met. If I can do the same thing on DCL for another $1000 or less, I'll choose DCL

This is an excellent point. Unlike a lot of people, we started with other cruise lines before we found DCL. We have had a hard time thinking about going back to even RCL. It isn't that their product is bad or that different from DCL but for us personally it is a big difference. DCL does their adult areas so well that other cruise lines don't really compare.