What has happened to the Disney company

[Friend100]

Friend100

 

Here is the quote, that they are the best. I did thinking there was more but just one, sorry about that I'll double check next time.

 

Hi BaronVoniggy,

 

You are correct then. I should have said "I didn't think everyone's saying DCL's the best" instead, but I think it is ok for e2011 to think DCL and Royal Caribbean are "the best" for him/her. And I have said multiple times that I think DCL's price for their Bahamas/Caribbean cruise in spring/summer is insane, way overpriced. I said it. That is just my opinion. It doesn't represent the entire DCL board nor DCL fan whatsoever. I won't even consider myself Disney fan - sorry have never been to Disney World nor Disneyland nor any of their resort in my life yet.

 

Based on the limited # of cruises I have done, my Disney Dream cruise was the best experience for me and my family. Were there things not up to satisfaction? Yes. Was it the best value for what I paid? Probably not for that one. I'd consider my last cruise on HAL better value.

[allie3490]

Do not go on a cruise during the summer school breaks, Christmas, New Year, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Easter holidays, and the bank holiday weekends.

 

People buy Iphones and Ipads even though they cost an arm and a limb ;)

 

YOU SHOULD BE FINE IF YOU AVOID ALL THE ABOVE DAYS .:D:D:D

 

Iphones and Ipads don't come close to the cost of a Disney cruise and they last a lot longer than 7 days. ;)

[Friend100]

Iphones and Ipads don't come close to the cost of a Disney cruise and they last a lot longer than 7 days. ;)

 

For us, the memory of our cruises, regardless of cruiseline, last much longer than the actual length of the cruise itself.

[Gary from PA]

For us, the memory of our cruises, regardless of cruiseline, last much longer than the actual length of the cruise itself.

 

So very true. Otherwise why would some one even go on a 40 day round the world cruise costing 40,000 $$ for a family, as it would last only 40 days :D:D:D

 

You could buy 50 Ipads for that amount :p:p:p

[webzila]

I fill the Disney Cruise line is way over priced $6000.00 for a family of 4 inside, $7500 to $8500 with a window. We have done Disney Europefor less then this. We Love Disney very much, but we can do so much more with our money. Just add on $2000 more to buy stuff and have fun, your looking at $10000 to $11000 cruise. We could take 2, 7 day Carnivel or Royal Caribbean from Texas or Florida. Better yet lets tread the family 7 day cruise from Rome or Barcelona with 4 days on land, money better spent. Think about this as you give 65th largest compamy in the USA your money and don't forget that the Steve Jobs family is the largest stock holder in the Walt Disney Company. Don't get me wrong we can pay it but why, a fool and his money are soon parted.

 

Not sure if I completely agree with this. We recently booked a Disney cruise for a family of 4 that is during spring break of 2013 for $4300 (Outside cabin with big window).

 

So like others have said it all depends on when you book and what dates you want to travel on. The original dates we were looking at were $1000 cheaper but that was still during the school year.

 

Book early and save.

I just looked and the cheapest outside room for the cruise we booked is now $5200

[indychristine]

I bb

[Linco711]

To tell all of you the truth I don't ever think of us going on a cruise by taking the kids out of school. We always go on vacation at Christmas, spring break, early or late summer. that is one of the big reasons why I find them to be so much more.

 

As for those of you who gave great ideas to save money on DCL, thank you. Those of you that were just not very nice at all, what you did was show what type of people you are, sorry.

 

I am a business owner in the entertainment business, I have worked on red carpet events, movies and other events, with the Walt Disney Company, ESPN, Buena Vista movies and Pixar. They are all great companies and I enjoyed what I did with them very much.

 

This post was not about what DCL offers or does well, it was about the Walt Disney company. They have forgot what Walt stood for giving entertainment to the world not just the ones that can afford it. That is what this was all about.

 

Oh I can say that DCL does it well. but they are not the best over all, that would be someone like Regent Seven Seas check them out if you wish to see the best.

 

See you next time we are on DCL maybe in the Med this time.

 

Very well said....I totally agree, and I love Disney and have visited the parks and cruised many times..But...Disney is not affordable for the average family. Their ticket prices for children are outrageous....I find it sad:(

[Host Mick]

Why are some people under the impression that The Walt Disney company is some sort of altruistic charity whose existence is to provide entertainment to everyone at discount prices? It's simply not. Disney as far as their live entertainment goes is expensive and elaborate. They charge a premium price because they need to and they can in order to keep the product fresh and to appeal to very large numbers of people.

If you want cheap, go to Knotts Berry Farm.

Do a little reading about Walt Disney and his life. While he would say populist things like "I like for people to be able to leave Disneyland with a little money in ther pockets" the reality was that he was the creative mind and Roy was the financial genius, Walt would come up with ideas and Roy would struggle to pay for them. In reality, Walt and the Walt Disney Company spent most of their lives fairly broke running on Bank lines of credit, rolling one film's profits into the next film. Disneyland was built on BofA debt and pretty bare when it opened. It was only after a few years of profit that they were able to do something with Tomorrowland and Disneyland was really born.

In the 70s and 80, Disney was still behaving like a family-owned business and they didn't watch the bottom line of their producs. The company was nearly bought and dissasembled in a series of hostile takeover attempts.

So, yes, it's a business now and the bottom line is the bottom line.

[Tonka's Skipper]

Very well said....I totally agree, and I love Disney and have visited the parks and cruised many times..But...Disney is not affordable for the average family. Their ticket prices for children are outrageous....I find it sad:(

 

 

 

Disney is NOT really overly expensive..........ever look at the prices, of other parks?...Sport events?.......concerts?....Nascar?....right now its alot more expensive to go to a baseball game.......get fair to middle tickets.watch millioniares vs millionaires( and often not very good palyers or games).......have some food and and gift item.......stay for 3 hours.........

 

 

Is Disney cheap..no.........not at all.........but do a little googling.you will be amazed at how expensive things are!

 

As to DCL.....anyone can look at any ship........ one cabin at 1 time of year and make the price look outragious.........Disney hands down.....puts out a overall better product.....maybe its not for everyone and thats fine....but dont try and put the disney product down just becuase its not for you.

 

Considerating the ecomony...........30% new tonnage. the proplems in MR drawing the Wonder back to the East Coast..........seems they are giving the public want they want. Their ships are still sailing at a considerable higher occupensy(spl?) rate then the other lines.......carnival.......RCL........NCL..........etc.

 

Host Mick was right........you get what you pay for and the bottom line is supply and demand.

 

AKK

[Gary from PA]

..Disney is not affordable for the average family. Their ticket prices for children are outrageous....I find it sad

 

If you want to get the best seats in a football, basketball, baseball, concert, orchestra, Nascar, Lady Gaga, Madonna perfomance, you have to pay "more"

 

You want to cruise Disney ship during school holiday breaks, you have to pay a premium.All airlines , hotels and resort do that , too !!

 

You dont have to be genius like Albert Einstein to figure that out :)

[Host Mick]

Disney is NOT really overly expensive..........ever look at the prices' date=' of other parks?...Sport events?.......concerts?....Nascar?....right now its alot more expensive to go to a baseball game.......get fair to middle tickets.watch millioniares vs millionaires( and often not very good palyers or games).......have some food and and gift item.......stay for 3 hours.........

 

 

Is Disney cheap..no.........not at all.........but do a little googling.you will be amazed at how expensive things are!

 

 

AKK[/quote']

 

Right. Do the math.

A day at Disneyland can be 16-17 hours of nearly continuous entertainment during the summer. A one day ticket is $80 rack rate. This drops significantly with a multi-day or a package. That's $5/hour or roughly babysitting rates. Does your babysitter put on a production of Fantasmic! for the kiddies?

Most movies are more. Can you get into a MLB or NFL game for $5/hour?

Disney parks are cheap entertainment.

[war_eagle99]

Can you Disney fanatics not come up with any actual cruise comparisons to make your point that Disney is worth the price? So far you've given us iPhones, baseball and NASCAR... not really relevant to a discussion on Disney cruise prices being higher than the competition.

 

Please tell us why a 4 night Bahamas cruise on Disney is better than a 7 night cruise on a nice Royal Caribbean, Princess or even Carnival ship when the Disney cruise is typically more expensive and you get three less days and better ports.

[Gary from PA]

Please tell us why a 4 night Bahamas cruise on Disney is better than a 7 night cruise on a nice Royal Caribbean, Princess or even Carnival ship when the Disney cruise is typically more expensive and you get three less days and better ports.

 

First off, you have to be a Disney fan to come on a Disney Cruise because it is not just any other cruise.

 

You pay for the Disney atmosphere, character meets, Disney shows , Pirate party, fireworks, Disney movies and THE FEELING OF BEING ON A DISNEY WORLD RESORT AT SEA

 

Royal Carribean, Carnival and Princess are just another hotels/ resorts , floating at sea.

[Friend100]

Please tell us why a 4 night Bahamas cruise on Disney is better than a 7 night cruise on a nice Royal Caribbean, Princess or even Carnival ship when the Disney cruise is typically more expensive and you get three less days and better ports.

 

First of all, I can't say if a 4-day Bahamas cruise on DCL is "better" or "worse" than a 7-night cruise on a nice Royal Caribbean. It depends on other factors. Different people have different perference, and I think it is appropriate to have different metrics to measure what's a good cruise experience to them. I know for many things what's "better" for myself is not necessary what's "better" for my DW. There is no right or wrong answer.

 

For us, we as a family enjoy the magical experience onboard Disney, the nice little touch here and there, the shows, Castaway Cay all at a price that I personally feel comfortable and worth it. So when the timing and budget is right, we are willing to sometimes "sacrifice" (if this is the proper word) that for a fewer # of days. The Disney experience is the primary drive for us. The ability to cruise is a close secondary factor. DCL is the opportunity to do both at the same time, which is what we like.

 

But having said all these, I didn't say that I didn't like my RCI or HAL cruises. They were nice in their own way too. Before we booked our last cruise on HAL, we did look into DCL too. For the date that we wanted to cruise, I could either do a 6-day HAL cruise for 6 people, or a 3-day DCL cruise for 4 people and the other 2 people stay home:(. We decided to go with HAL and enjoyed it. Did I think they have a good product for the price I paid? Yes. Between my DCL's and HAL's experience which one do I prefer? DCL most definitely for a Caribbean/Bahamas cruise. If it was Med or Alaska, it could be different.

 

By the way, the last time I check my next Disney cruise booked which is during off peak season, the price of a 7-day cruise there is roughly the same as a 7-day cruise on the Freedom of the Seas.

[karajeboo]

Can you Disney fanatics not come up with any actual cruise comparisons to make your point that Disney is worth the price? So far you've given us iPhones, baseball and NASCAR... not really relevant to a discussion on Disney cruise prices being higher than the competition.

 

Please tell us why a 4 night Bahamas cruise on Disney is better than a 7 night cruise on a nice Royal Caribbean, Princess or even Carnival ship when the Disney cruise is typically more expensive and you get three less days and better ports.

 

I agree with others that it's not a "better" or "worse" issue, but for me, I can be about 99% sure I will not see anyone stumbling drunk and running into or over my child or myself, on a Disney cruise.

 

I can be sure that the entertainment is 100% family friendly on a Disney cruise. There will be no foul or questionable language in the shows or by the entertainers onboard.

 

I can be sure that the Disney standards will be met or exceeded on a Disney cruise. It will be clean, there will be more crew members per guest, just as at a Disney park.

 

I can be sure that the crew members will greet me and my family with a smile.

 

And I can be sure that I'll see Mickey Mouse. I kind of have a crush on him.... :o

 

So for me? Yes, I'm willing to pay extra for these assurances..... I am trying RCI next year and I'm very excited to try another line! So I'm not saying I will ONLY cruise DCL, but I do know that I am very comfrotable there.

 

I don't understand the Disney bashing. If you don't feel it's "better", or you don't feel it's worth the higher price, then don't book it. Sounds to me like people DO think it's better, but can't justify the price difference because they have not experienced it. I guess you just have to justify to yourself if the quality of a DCL cruise is WORTH the higher price. For me it is.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I feel the same way.... sort of.

 

I just got back from a 7 night Spring Break cruise for our family of 3 and it was $3K. We did inside stateroom to save money. I priced other cruise lines and it would have been about $500 cheaper.

 

So all these folks who claim that Disney is "twice as much" as other lines are not comparing apples to apples.

 

We are booked on the Fantasy for NYE 2013 and again, to sail another line is about $500-700 less.

 

I do feel that Disney is starting to outprice themselves but as long as people are willing to pay and their ships are full, why drop the price? That is not very smart business IMHO..... it's simple economics, supply and demand. With only 4 ships and a max capacity of just over 13,000 people at a time, they can easily fill those ships at whatever price they charge.

 

Is it really any different than charging $90/day at WDW while other amusement parks are about $60/day?

 

I totally get what the OP is saying, but sadly, I don't see DCL dropping prices unless they find they are having a problem filling ships....

 

I'm cruising on jan 5th next year, off season so decided to use that date.

 

Pricing for a 7 day Caribbean cruise on DCL $1155 inside, $1209 oceanview, and $1330 for a balcony.

 

Pricing for a 7 day western Caribbean cruise on CCL, same date is $439 inside, $559 oceanview, and $729 for a balcony.

 

Seems like that's about double or more depending on the category you pick.

 

Bill

[Gary from PA]

Can you Disney fanatics not come up with any actual cruise comparisons to make your point that Disney is worth the price? So far you've given us iPhones, baseball and NASCAR... not really relevant to a discussion on Disney cruise prices being higher than the competition

.

 

Lower class of people and dregs of the society, go on a cruise to get drunk, doped, layed and wasted on a non-Disney cruise, like Carnival cruises.

 

Elite and well respected families go on a Disney cruise to enjoy the best entertainment provided by the best company in the world, Walt Disney Co.

 

 

 

I am ducking under cover to avoid the inevitable flame throwing ;)

[Friend100]

I'm cruising on jan 5th next year, off season so decided to use that date.

 

Pricing for a 7 day Caribbean cruise on DCL $1155 inside, $1209 oceanview, and $1330 for a balcony.

 

Pricing for a 7 day western Caribbean cruise on CCL, same date is $439 inside, $559 oceanview, and $729 for a balcony.

 

Seems like that's about double or more depending on the category you pick.

 

Bill

 

Bill, you are correct. In this case, for people who think a Disney Fantasy cruise and a Carnival cruise (sorry I don't know which ship though) is comparable and based on the price seen today, for this particular dates, it is double. Different people can have different assessment whether such difference in price is worth it or not to them. I don't need to judge for them. If the market is telling DCL or CCL that their respective prices is too high or too low, I'd expect to see some price adjustment unless they don't want to sell their cruise.

[bus man]

.

 

Lower class of people and dregs of the society, go on a cruise to get drunk, doped, layed and wasted on a non-Disney cruise, like Carnival cruises.

 

Elite and well respected families go on a Disney cruise to enjoy the best entertainment provided by the best company in the world, Walt Disney Co.

 

 

 

I am ducking under cover to avoid the inevitable flame throwing ;)

 

I was very pleased with the nice, friendly, enjoyable fellow passengers on our Disney cruise. But you know what? I would say the exact same thing about my fellow passengers on all of the Royal Caribbean cruises I've taken.

 

Maybe I was very lucky, or you were very unlucky, with our respective fellow passengers on our respective non-Disney cruises. But my experiences with Royal Caribbean (can't speak to Carnival or any other line) were absolutely 100 percent opposite what yours apparently was.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Bill, you are correct. In this case, for people who think a Disney Fantasy cruise and a Carnival cruise (sorry I don't know which ship though) is comparable and based on the price seen today, for this particular dates, it is double. Different people can have different assessment whether such difference in price is worth it or not to them. I don't need to judge for them. If the market is telling DCL or CCL that their respective prices is too high or too low, I'd expect to see some price adjustment unless they don't want to sell their cruise.

 

we love DCL but not at those prices, especially since we don't take any kids.

 

Bill

[Friend100]

Can you Disney fanatics not come up with any actual cruise comparisons to make your point that Disney is worth the price? So far you've given us iPhones, baseball and NASCAR... not really relevant to a discussion on Disney cruise prices being higher than the competition.

 

war_eagle99,

 

First of all, I don't consider myself a Disney fanatics.

 

Second, personally I do think Disney cruise is worth a 10-20% premium (for Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy only!) when comparing to a line/ship/itinerary that I consider comparable in terms of experience, for Caribbean/Bahamas cruises only (I am still working on my opportunity to cruise the Med or Alaska one day :)) If it is more than 20% premium then for me, I will have to strongly consider other factors and it is getting closer to the "not-worth-it" zone for me.

 

However, all cruiseships are different and it is always not an exact science to compare them. There maybe people who think it doesn't worth any premium at all, and there is also people who think it is worth unlimited premium too. I don't feel I need to agree, disagree nor to convince people to agree with me. It is their choices, based on their preference, which can be very similar or very different from mine.

 

edit: my 10-20% premium threshold includes the 10-15% discount that I can get by default from the OBB and payment method.

[Gary from PA]

Pricing for a 7 day Caribbean cruise on DCL $1155 inside, $1209 oceanview, and $1330 for a balcony.

 

Pricing for a 7 day western Caribbean cruise on CCL, same date is $439 inside, $559 oceanview, and $729 for a balcony.

 

 

That is like comparing the rates of a high class escort and a street walker ;)

[BaronVonIggy]

That is like comparing the rates of a high class escort and a street walker ;)

 

 

Gary from PA

 

You could have used the Four Seasons and Motel6.

Please to keep it on the clean side.

[war_eagle99]

war_eagle99,

 

I do think Disney cruise is worth a 10-20% premium (for Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy only!) when comparing to a line/ship/itinerary that I consider comparable in terms of experience, for Caribbean/Bahamas cruises only (I am still working on my opportunity to cruise the Med or Alaska one day :)) If it is more than 20% premium then for me, I will have to strongly consider other factors and it is getting closer to the "not-worth-it" zone for me.

 

 

I think that seems reasonable and I would even agree that because you do get a unique experience on DCL it is worth a small premium. Just not the 50-100% premiums that exist.

 

I still haven't done Alaska but the Med is amazing... you'll never look at the Caribbean the same.

[Tonka's Skipper]

Can you Disney fanatics not come up with any actual cruise comparisons to make your point that Disney is worth the price? So far you've given us iPhones, baseball and NASCAR... not really relevant to a discussion on Disney cruise prices being higher than the competition.

 

Please tell us why a 4 night Bahamas cruise on Disney is better than a 7 night cruise on a nice Royal Caribbean, Princess or even Carnival ship when the Disney cruise is typically more expensive and you get three less days and better ports.

 

Good Day War Eagle.

 

The baseball and Nascar example was a very up front explaination to another poster who said Disney parks were to expensive. I simple proved that the myth of Disney always being so much more then other entertainment is just that .......a myth.

 

Now on to DCL,your reasons:

 

1. DCL ships as leading the criuse industry in specail well designed vessle, the leader in new techno and decor. (Please dont bring up the dream pools......I did not say perfect). All the other lines are forever copying and trying to catch up.

 

2. Disney is not always more expensive then the other lines.....EI Princess and CCL....as has been proven here in the postings..Yes Holidays, summer season etc..they are more......but even during those times not always.IE RCL Freedom and Osias class are more then DCL, including the Dream class.

 

3. Carnival corporation right now has a real corporate problem with a series of major casualties, including the fires on the QM2, Carnival Splendor, and Costa Allegro, adding to that, the Costa Concordia and the Star princess passing stranded fishermen(yes that is going ti a international investigation soon to)..........they need a total review of thier onboard ship operation policy and office adminstration. The international authorities are starting that. More then the Ships Officers will be facing charges.

 

4. NCL ships have real issue with poor design , staffing and food service....please go read their own boards.

 

5. CCL is the Party boats.......drunks all around. After 2 cruises where we were woken up at 2 and 3 AM when the drunks paraded down the passageways, yelling .singing...bouncing off the bulkheads, decks and doors........never again. To be fiar though, if thats what you and they want in a cruise.....I hope they enjoy.

 

Proof??......go to UI tube and google,,,,,,,,scearch out the drunk riots on carnival ships.........there right there.....no videos for DCL or RCL or NCL. And no......you never saw lots of drunks on DCl. I am sure there are some...but I still get a night sleep on DCL.

 

6. Why is it we always find posters coming and wining that DCL is more expensive .....why DCL better?....you never see them say............CCL, RCL, NCL is as good......just cheaper

 

I personally think RCL puts out a good cruise! The other mentioned lines put on a different criuse..... we just prefer DCL.

 

7. In this ecomony......DCL with a 30% increase cabins( Fantasy), The MR crimes issues has forced the Wonder back to the East coast.....yet. still they are always sailing with a considerably higher occupancy rate then the other lines......even at the higher prices..........That Sir, seems to be your answer.....in a nut shell.

 

Conclusion:

 

DCL is better then those line and many others. They are a entertainment compnay putting on a criuse, the others are cruise lines trying to put on the entertainment. They look after the details so often missed by the other lines.......EI the ship decor and design.........free drinks.......passingers bring alcahol O/B..the world finish cast of charaters.the best loved by kids and adults alike, without question.......split baths...special designed terminal, private island with a pier,no shuttles, ME, excellent CM's (not 100% perfect but excellent, certianly much better then CCL!).....rotational dining, Industry awards.......etc.....etc.

 

All those items the other lines miss the point of .........bottom line its the *the Disney Magic........Pixie Dust*.......if you dont get it..fine......disney is not for everyone...but becuase you may not get it.......doesn't mean it is not there. The number of people who are willing to pay more is another proof of why DCL is better.

 

Now a question for you Sir..........so far,all you and the other Disney detractors have done it put down DCL prices, which I have said is not always true, you have not said anything that shows CCL , RCl, princess, NCL etc.....shown anything as to why you feel they are better then DCL?

 

When you think about it.....isn't that a bit strange the detracter never have anything real to talk about.......I am sure you will bluster now..........TRY and flame me......be rude like you were to Gray..but its not important........you see......I dont care......I KNOW WHY DCL is the best!

 

AKK