Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

Was looking into taking a cruise with our 3 year old and he is a major disney fan - we have been to disney world with him and were looking for something more relaxed this time around - I looked at some prices on line and was shocked! It is really worth it??! We have cruisd on RCC before years ago and loved it. Disney is double the price!!! Thoughts?!

Re: Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

I haven't been on any of the new Disney cruises but I have priced it out before.
It is very expensive compared to the other cruise lines and they have no casino.

Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

I think so! We went on our first cruise ever on the Disney Dream back in September. We did 4 nights, and it was great. My kid's favorite vacation. Their private island is GORGEOUS! We had a blast there. The service on board was excellent. They clean your stateroom twice a day, unlimited pool towels on the pool deck (I know other cruiselines assign you towels), unlimited non alch. beverages), broadway quality shows, great food, awesome family activities, etc. It was really great! My kids LOVED the Aquaduck coaster, as did I.

You can often get last minute rates which are guaranteed in a certain class, but you don't get to pick your stateroom. They also much be paid in full at booking, and usually come out right after 60 days prior to the trip. It's hit or miss depending on if the ship is full, but if you are flexible. We didn't have the opportunity to get one of those rates, but I check often and see great deals!

Re: Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

I have yet to take a Disney Cruise but everyone I know who has said it is INCREDIBLE!! I never hear a bad thing about them.

I've heard that the attention to detail on the ship, the food,the shows, the pools, etc are just awesome. Honestly, I'm an avid Disney World fan and I've been countless times so if their cruises are anything like a Disney vacation you just know it will be great!!

Disney does everything so well, I really don't think you could go wrong booking a cruise with them. Once my DS is a little older we plan on taking the kids on a Disney Cruise for sure. But like you said, compared to other cruise lines I did hear it's pricier. But I would hope the Disney experience on board would make up for it.

Re: Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

Yes, they are called GTY rates and come up in the regular booking process on their site.

Re: Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

I have only ever been on a disney cruise, but the money we paid was well worth it! we loved every second of it. And there are ways to make it more affordable. First we booked through costco, after our cruise we rec'd a $200 costco gift card, so although we didnt get any discounts on the cruise, we shop at costco all the time....
IF you book through disney, as someone stated you can book 2 months or less out, and if the ship isnt full or isnt selling well they will have some discounted rates.
If you have target red card, you can buy disney gift cards at 5% savings using the card and pay your balance down on the cruise that way.

As for why its worth it, there was NOTHING we didnt love. First it is made for families. We have a 2yo and 5yo at the time of cruising. Our 5yo loved the aquaduck, mini golf, the kids clubs, the always available ice cream etc. DS2 who was 2 loved the shows, nemos reef, etc.

When you arrive at dinner, your preferred drinks are there waiting for you....when we ate at the buffet, the cast members would go out of their way to go find me a highchair so I didnt have to lug DS all around, one night our kids didnt want anything on the dinner menu so we asked for a meal from a previous night and they said "no problem, we will get that from the other kitchen", every day in port, there were people hanging off the edge cleaning the boat, applying more paint/polish, etc. Those guys never sat down the boat was immaculate. Each time you walk into the dining room, someone hands you a wipe to clean your hands. Castaway Cay was the best day we have every had at a beach, the island was beautiful and they thought of everything, even off road strollers so I could walk the island with DS2 when he needed to nap, in the rooms they gave us a diaper genie, cleaned it daily, set our pack and play up and took it down, ....really, i could go on and on....and ask my now 6you....he is a disney cruise salesperson now! LOL

Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

Too funny about your six year old!! It's funny you mentioned them cleaning the outside of the boat. We came back to our Stateroom from Castaway Cay and saw a man hanging off the ship cleaning our porthole window. My kids got a kick out of that!

Re: Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

Aww so cute!!

Re: Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

Vacationstogo.com also offers discounted Disney cruises.

Re: Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

Re: Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

It really was worth it. The Disney cast members go so far out of their way to make sure that you are comfortable. They make it so easy to travel with little kids. We have 2 little ones- when we walked into dinner, high chairs were set up, and after our server discussed with me what the baby would like to eat, they had homemade baby food ready for him every night. We didnt have to bring a stroller onboard-we were able to borrow one for the entire cruise for free. I haven't been on another cruise line but I would be afraid to because DCL now has my expectations set so high. Our older kids are in school so we have no choice but to travel during school vacations, but prices vary greatly and if you are flexible with your schedule you can probably get a decent deal.

Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

Yes. It's worth it. I honestly didn't think it was a few years ago, but that was before I ever stepped foot on a Disney ship.
Everything Disney does on the cruise is top notch. Their shows are really Broadway quality, the pools/slides/splash areas are incredible, the children's club is unmatched, the adult only section is out of this world and you will NOT be disappointed.

I definitely see the value in the price difference after experiencing the Disney Dream. That's not to say that everyone will love a Disney cruise, if you're into the party cruise type of atmosphere and casinos it might not be your thing, but there is great nightlife and none of my clients have ever missed the casino.

Kerri Hill
Authorized Disney Travel Planner
www.TravelKerri.com
Facebook.com/TravelKerri
[email protected]

Re: Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

Insanely good service, great food, top notch entertainment.

Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

Absolutely worth every penny!

Re: Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

I haven't been, but I have also heard that it much easier for the kids to see & interact with characters than it is in the park, so that might be good for your 3 year old, b/c it is more characters, but less walking and it's less hot (b/c you're not outside as much, unless you want to be.)

ETA- on another cruise we dined with a family with a 13 year old and they had been on a few cruises & when I asked his favorite he immediately said Disney & his mom agreed. They really liked the private island.

Message edited 2/14/2014 10:17:28 PM.

Re: Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

Chiming in super late here, but we just booked a Disney Cruise for early summer on The Dream. My son is 5. We haven't done Disney World yet, but we figured we would do a Disney cruise first. More relaxing, less planning... DH and I like to cruise, but this will be the first time we take DS on one.

Yes, it's expensive, but sometimes you get what you pay for, and I've never heard anything less than raves from people who have gone on the Disney cruise. When DH and I go away with DS, we like it to be more family/kids-centered, and I think it offers more of that than other cruise lines.

I also wanted to chime in because we used Kerri of Travel by Kerri to book, and she was SO helpful. She really knows all of the ins and outs of all things Disney. I plan to use her when we plan our Disney World vacation down the road. It doesn't cost anything extra, so why not use an expert? And Kerri is really a good one!

Re: Disney cruise - is it worth the price tag?

I have only done a Disney cruise, and it was unbelievable. My parents cruise all the time, on just about every line, and Disney is by far their favorite. They bought dvc points and can go on a cruise every 2-3 years with them, with banking and borrowing points.