Booking a cruise and then regretting it because it's so expensive

[Surgie2]

Personally I wouldn't do DCL for Alaska because the future cruises I looked at were all round trip. We like the one-way out of Vancouver ending near Anchorage. That way you have the option to do your own land portion (or the cruise line's) to see Denali or even a couple days in Anchorage. We did a Celebrity cruise to Alaska out of Vancouver. We liked the ship but if taking kids, it might seem a bit dull (especially compared to DCL). However, you are busy with things at each port so I imagine time on the ship might be a bit less. I would look at RCCL or Princess for a cruise to Alaska that includes kids.

 

[MomOTwins]

We could afford DCL to Alaska, but I agree the value is not there. It would cost us more than twice what our upcoming Merrytime on the Fantasy. My DH and I honeymooned in Alaska on Princess. The ship was clearly built for Alaska because unlike DCL, it had a glass enclosed heated pool area on the top deck so we could swim and see glaciers. The food was much better than DCL too. The on ship entertainment and staterooms weremuch worse than Disney, but we spent all day ashore or watching the scenery from our verandah room. I don’t think Princess would be right for us now because for our kids, the on ship entertainment is everything, and our kids are too little to have their own room. But I also don’t think DCL is priced appropriately for Alaska and even though I could afford it, it feels like a waste of money (which is why we don’t sail concierge).

I think the bahamas and caribbean on DCL are fairly priced, if you avoid the peak times. Castaway Cay alone is worth it for me, and the shows and onboard fun are incredible. Plus the spacious staterooms with split baths are key when you have kids. Other cruise lines don’t really match up to DCL for me on the caribbean IMO. But I do think DCL is overpriced for Alaska.

 

[Garyjames220]

We have booked a 7 night eastern for May 2021 and got a midship ocean view and it’s costing $4400 for the cruise only in dollars . That’s for 2 adults a 1 baby

I am already thinking wow that is so much money and a lot of saving for us as we have flights from U.K. to pay too

I looked up royal and it was about 700 dollars cheaper not sure about other lines

what does others think. Do u think this is costing a lot lot more compared to deals on other lines I could get or do u think the price is reasonable if I can save well over 1200 ish might re think it

it will be our first holiday too with a baby too so thought dcl was best

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

We have booked a 7 night eastern for May 2021 and got a midship ocean view and it’s costing $4400 for the cruise only in dollars . That’s for 2 adults a 1 baby

I am already thinking wow that is so much money and a lot of saving for us as we have flights from U.K. to pay too

I looked up royal and it was about 700 dollars cheaper not sure about other lines

what does others think. Do u think this is costing a lot lot more compared to deals on other lines I could get or do u think the price is reasonable if I can save well over 1200 ish might re think it

it will be our first holiday too with a baby too so thought dcl was best

If you are going to use the nursery I would make sure the line you choose has a nursery. I think only Royal has a nursery? But not sure. If you will not use the nursery, I would skip dcl. Also, is there a less expensive time you can go? I find dcl most expensive during the summer.

 

[fredandkell]

There have been several cruises that I’ve booked on opening day because I’ve been on the “gotta lock in opening day” and “getting to book before the other cc levels” excitement. Then a few days (or months) later I come down to earth and I’ll think geez that’s just not worth the value and cancel. I’ve still gone on DCL, but I’ve become more selective and backed away from some of the higher priced cruises in favor of other trips or lines.

You’re my spirit animal!

 

[MomOTwins]

We have booked a 7 night eastern for May 2021 and got a midship ocean view and it’s costing $4400 for the cruise only in dollars . That’s for 2 adults a 1 baby

I am already thinking wow that is so much money and a lot of saving for us as we have flights from U.K. to pay too

I looked up royal and it was about 700 dollars cheaper not sure about other lines

what does others think. Do u think this is costing a lot lot more compared to deals on other lines I could get or do u think the price is reasonable if I can save well over 1200 ish might re think it

it will be our first holiday too with a baby too so thought dcl was best

If you had older kids who would enjoy all the kids stuff I could see the value of a disney cruise but with just a baby the vacation is really all for the adults so go with what YOU want to do.

 

[aggiedog]

Yes. We ended up doing the Med on MSC with concierge at half the cost of DCL non-concierge. I didn't like the ship as much as DCL overall, though concierge was fabulous, but we saved enough money to spend an extra week in France, so that was an acceptable trade off hands down.

I tend to think about money in terms of "what/how much vacation can I do with that." The more, the better within a level of comfort.

 

[Garyjames220]

If you are going to use the nursery I would make sure the line you choose has a nursery. I think only Royal has a nursery? But not sure. If you will not use the nursery, I would skip dcl. Also, is there a less expensive time you can go? I find dcl most expensive during the summer.

yeah we would defo use the nursery and we can go anytime really in nov/ Dec it’s a few hundred less but not much in it. Would you say that price is a lot ?

 

[Ravenclaw78]

Alaska on DCL was a lot of fun, but there's no question that it's one of the most expensive itineraries. They also don't go to Glacier Bay, which is considerably more breathtaking than Endicott or Tracy Arm. If the DCL shipboard experience doesn't seem worth the cost, take a cheaper cruise to Alaska on a line that does sail into Glacier Bay. Either way, look into third-party excursions. Since these are US ports, any company you use will be fully licensed and insured per US standards, and they're nearly always both cheaper and a better experience than the cruise lines' excursions.

 

[KashasMom]

So a while back I booked a 7 days cruise to Alaska on the Wonder for next June. At the time it was $7200 for my family of 4. Looking at the prices now that actually seems cheap compared to where the prices are at now. However now I am having some second thoughts. I do love Alaska, and love Disney Cruises, I just feel like the prices are really inflated. I'm debating if we should just switch to a different cruise line or take some alternative trip. Going to WDW ends up being cheaper for us because we utilize a lot of points and miles for the flights and hotels. My friends also invited us to Hawaii, which we could do instead and it would probably also be cheaper. That being said I would rather take a cruise, and the plane ride to Alaska would be shorter.

But anyway, anyone else ever feel this way? That they love Disney Cruises but find the prices hard to justify?

I never have buyer's remorse because if I thought it was too expensive or the value wasn't there for us, I'd book another cruise line or different vacation (and I have). BTW, I'd choose Hawaii!

 

[iivye]

We love Disney cruises and have done 7. For Alaska we chose NCL for Glacier Bay. It was a lot cheaper than Disney which allowed us to be in a mini-suite with balcony (on Disney we get ocean view rooms) and be able to take some of the more expensive excursions like the helicopter ride to the glacier which we loved.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We are gold CC and may never sail DCL again. My DS12 has really outgrown DCL and we get a bigger bang for our buck elsewhere. We sailed NCL in Alaska when he was 6 and, though I didn't particularly like NCL, we really enjoyed the ports and, overall, enjoyed our experience. Princess is the standard-bearer for Alaska cruises. I would definitely check pricing on other lines.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

yeah we would defo use the nursery and we can go anytime really in nov/ Dec it’s a few hundred less but not much in it. Would you say that price is a lot ?

Maybe, but if it is around $300, that wouldn’t make me switch the vacation. What about plane tickets? Is there a best time for those? We do not fly a lot, but when we do we find spring break is the worst time for us for plane costs. Like double the cost of any other time— weird. I would also look for discounts targeted to the U.K. Does Disney do those? I keep seeing 25% off cruises for Canadian residents.

 

[Garyjames220]

Maybe, but if it is around $300, that wouldn’t make me switch the vacation. What about plane tickets? Is there a best time for those? We do not fly a lot, but when we do we find spring break is the worst time for us for plane costs. Like double the cost of any other time— weird. I would also look for discounts targeted to the U.K. Does Disney do those? I keep seeing 25% off cruises for Canadian residents.

i was thinking of changing it to nov/Dec if it’s a bigger difference but am thinking by then it will most likely be another price increase anyway and may not work out that much better

flights about 150 more in May.

As I say it’s $4400 for two adults and a baby. Me and my wife keep talking about it, we defo want to do a Caribbean cruise but I don’t want to be paying stupid Amounts more compared to other cruise lines

would any one say The price I am paying is like double to other line eg royal because if it is that would annoy me. We do like Disney and don’t mind paying a bit more and I think it would be more fun with a baby but at the some time I don’t want to feel ripped of

 

[MomOTwins]

i was thinking of changing it to nov/Dec if it’s a bigger difference but am thinking by then it will most likely be another price increase anyway and may not work out that much better

flights about 150 more in May.

As I say it’s $4400 for two adults and a baby. Me and my wife keep talking about it, we defo want to do a Caribbean cruise but I don’t want to be paying stupid Amounts more compared to other cruise lines

would any one say The price I am paying is like double to other line eg royal because if it is that would annoy me. We do like Disney and don’t mind paying a bit more and I think it would be more fun with a baby but at the some time I don’t want to feel ripped of

Price varies so much by length of cruise, dates, ship, room type--but prices aren't secret or anything. You can always shop around other websites and see what you can get on other cruises. Nothing is going to be an exact apples to apples comparison because different cruise lines have different features, so you just need to look and see.

 

[Quellman]

Tough decision for you with 2 young kids. We didn't do the mouse for Alaska. In what I could save by using another cruiseline I could book some seriously cool excursions I wouldn't have aforded on Disney. If the other ships have a kids service comparable then you should be good to go. I wouldn't go to Alaska and then NOT spend time exploring the local area. The boat is more of a hotel at that point. Where in the bahamas and caribbean the ship is more like a resort. I don't get off often or long.

 

[lilsonicfan]

You’d think living at the port of where the cruise leaves would make it more affordable! But because Disney Alaska cruises have gotten sooooo crazy it can actually be cheaper to fly from Vancouver to Port Canaveral to cruise, especially with the Canadian resident discounts too, because you can get better deals on the Fantasy itineraries. It is crazy that the cost of flying to Florida and sailing from there would be cheaper than sailing from our home port. I miss when the Alaska cruises were like half the price they are now!

If you sail the Wonder from California that’s even cheaper, because flights are cheaper too. Cheaper being relative to other Disney cruises of course )

It's shocking to me how high the prices are for Alaska, and they aren't even sold out. I wish they were cheaper; flying to Orlando can be cheap I agree but it's an entire day of travel esp. with the time change. Feels like such a waste of time! Blah. California is an option but I looked at March 2021 and they are all 4 and 5 night cruises. Also blah!

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

We love Disney cruises and have done 7. For Alaska we chose NCL for Glacier Bay. It was a lot cheaper than Disney which allowed us to be in a mini-suite with balcony (on Disney we get ocean view rooms) and be able to take some of the more expensive excursions like the helicopter ride to the glacier which we loved.

This is how we are thinking with Alaska, which is why we will probably sail Princess. We like the one-way itineraries, and the savings will allow us to experience some awesome excursions that my daughter will love, like dog-sledding or a float plane. My parents are talking about joining us, and I'd love to pay some of their way, too. Entertainment is not important to us for an Alaska vacation because we likely won't stay up very late, so it's more about doing the itinerary on a nice, clean ship with comfortable staterooms, good food, and a pool for my daughter to swim in if it's warm or enclosed. I think Princess will fit the bill.

 

[Junebug1029]

We just went on a NCL cruise to Alaska in late July, 2 adults was $2700 including tips. The only cruise we went on before this one was a Disney, so we thought we would be disappointed, but we weren’t. Yes, they don’t have the Disney Magic, but our ship was brand new, service and food was good. We had a great time!

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

We took Alaska on DCL and didn't really pay that much more than a Caribbean cruise. We also got an inside room, and that is a HUGE difference on DCL in Alaska. Our logic was that the room was mainly for sleeping and changing clothes and no matter where you are on the ship there is almost always a great view. On Endicott Arm day we were on Deck 4 and had great views. I also saw a humpback whale from Palo brunch, and porpoises and an Orca from an exercise bike in the gym.