Thousands of people wait with excitement and anticipation for the next release of Disney Cruise Line itineraries and prices. If you have sailed on Disney Cruise Line before, you may understand. There is just something so special about a Disney Cruise! How cool is it to run into Ariel on Deck 5? And eating dinner at Tiana’s Place while she performs onstage with her band? It’s surreal.
I belong to several online Disney Cruise Line fan forums, and the most frequently asked question is always “When are the next cruise dates going to be released?”
Other cruise lines have already had early 2019 dates available to book for a few months now, but Disney likes to keep us waiting. The frenzy grows until we think we just can’t take it anymore.
And then, finally! Itineraries for early 2019 were announced last Thursday. Platinum Castaway Club members could book over the phone starting on Monday, Gold on Tuesday and Silver on Wednesday. First-time DCL customers can book starting tomorrow (Thursday, Nov 2).
In the middle of all the excitement of picking a cruise date and itinerary, there are always several online discussions that go something like this: “Has Disney lost its mind? You want how much for that cruise? We’re done with DCL.”
And this time, I have to agree. Is Scrooge McDuck now in charge at Disney Cruise Line? At those prices, Tiny Tim isn’t the only one who will need a miracle to go on a future sailing.
Crazy 2019 DCL Prices
Yes, with every new release, there is a sub-group in each online forum that “quits” DCL. The prices are just too insanely high.
And I get it. I really get it.
Disney Cruise Line prices are not in line with other cruise lines. We can cruise on Royal Caribbean or almost any other line for less than Disney. Way less.
The fact that we have five people in my family just exacerbates the issue. We either have to book a higher category room that fits five people or two rooms in a lower category.
We have been sailing on Disney Cruise Line since 2012. In retrospect, we have gotten some crazy good deals on DCL in the past. We sailed in two connecting rooms on a 4-night cruise out of Galveston on a “Kids Sail Free” rate for less than $2000 for all five of us. I’m afraid there is no way to ever replicate that again.
In addition, Disney Cruise Line’s yearly price increases are way worse than regular U.S. inflation rates. I compared the price of a cruise we sailed in January 2016 to the price of a comparable cruise for early 2019, and the price has gone up nearly 40%. Yikes!
Supply and Demand
Some people think that Disney is just being greedy and cruel. How could a company we love so much price the middle class out of its product?
But the reality is that demand for Disney Cruise Line keeps going up, yet the supply remains the same. Since 2012 there have only been four Disney Cruise ships. That is much less than other cruise lines. Although DCL has three new ships in the works, the first one won’t be ready until 2021.
At the same time, the popularity of DCL is soaring. Back in 2012 when we took our first cruise, I didn’t personally know anyone else who had sailed on DCL. Now, many of my friends and family have sailed.
It’s partially my fault. I blogged about each of our trips in excruciating detail. I told everyone how DCL is so over-the-top awesome. Maybe I should have kept it a secret.
Disney charges those outrageous prices because it can. Every year, people book cruises at those prices and keep filling the ships. DCL rarely offers last-minute discounted rates anymore because it doesn’t have to. People are willing to pay full price.
So if people will pay it, Disney has the obligation to its shareholders to demand those prices.
For us Disney Cruise Line fans, we are on the losing side of this equation. We have to pay the big bucks if we want our Disney Cruise fix. Dang it, DCL! I hate you. I love you. I hate that I love you.
Playing Hooky for Disney
Within a month of our last Disney Cruise to Alaska this past June, our kids were already asking when our next cruise is. We can’t deny it, we just love Disney Cruise Line! So, we will try to make it work. Plus, Scrooge’s swimming pools of cash won’t fill themselves. Am I right?
Originally, we were thinking about going on a Disney Cruise during our Spring Break. However, the prices are just too insane. So instead, we have a deposit down for a cruise in January 2019.
We will have to pull our kids out of school for 3-4 days in order to make the January cruise. That’s not ideal, considering my oldest will be in 8th grade. But, the price of that cruise is several THOUSAND dollars lower than the same cruise during Spring Break week.
We did book placeholders on our last Disney Cruise to Alaska which give us 10% off our next cruise and a $200 onboard credit from DCL per stateroom. So at least that’s something. However, even with that, prices are still crazy.
The good thing about booking a cruise is that we can change our minds up to 90 days in advance. If we decide it’s just too much, we can cancel the cruise, change our stateroom or move the cruise to another date.
My husband will apply for the Capital One Venture Rewards card (currently has a bonus worth $500 in free travel, see this post) to help offset some of the expenses. And you can bet that if any other great credit card offers come around that will help with these expenses, I will jump at them.
Have you checked out the prices on Disney Cruise Line? Are people insane for paying that much? Or, do you get what you pay for?
Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
I’m waiting for August 2019 cruises. We prefer the parks so if the price is insane, we have no issues with cancelling.
@Natasha I hope the August prices aren’t too bad. 🙂 Star Wars Land should be open that summer.
I’ve always wanted to go on a disney cruise! I think my daughter would especially love it. But, those prices are just such a deterrent for me. We would have to really save up to make it work for our family.
Nancy- we booked our next DCL cruise today. After taking an Alaska cruise last summer, we are hooked and can’t wait to go back. Unfortunately, we have to wait till 2019. We are choosing to do a Baja cruise and combine it with a few days at Disneyland, which we have never done either. Yes, it is expensive, but after experiencing the service and activities for my kids on the cruise, we are willing to pay, knowing what we are going to receive in return. Can’t wait for the new ships to come along in a few years, and maybe then some of the older ships will see some price drops, but I won’t hold my breath.
@Laura Congrats on booking your next cruise! Great idea to combine a Baja cruise with Disneyland. The service and kids activities are hard to beat!
I have to stay a land lover because my husband is phobic about the ocean. Right now we’re vacationing in the Smokey Mountains and we saw a shop that advertised “Live Sharks” and I had to tease my husband that “they’re everywhere!”
@Alexandra Visiting the Smokey Mountains is on my list! They look beautiful.
We have looked into a disney cruise but havent tried it out yet. Sounds like fun. Need to look at those off season dates to save some money though from what it sounds like.
@Amber Definitely try to go in the off-season if at all possible!
Holy Moly! I just took a look at the posted prices for 2A 2K…I’m looking at $7k+…I’m still waiting for summer dates to be released, but at least I have some time to buy discounted Disney Gift Cards and strategize some cash back cards.
@Stephanie Summer will be worse! Yep, at least we can go the route of discounted Disney gift cards and credit card rewards to take a little bit of the sting off the price.
I don’t have kids but I believe it would be a wonderful experience if a family can afford it.
❥ tanvii.com
@Tanvi Many adults without kids travel on Disney Cruise Line. The ships have adults-only sections where it’s quieter. My husband and I utilize those sections a lot when our kids are in the kids clubs. 🙂
The only reason I would consider a DCL cruise is my kids. I don’t care about Disney all that much. But I know they would absolutely love it. My husband (shockingly) has expressed some interest in doing a Disney cruise. I feel like the window for getting the most out of this type of vacation is rapidly closing for us, due to my kids ages. I just don’t think teenagers will appreciate it as much as little kids would. On the other hand, those crazy prices! We can do two Carnival cruises instead and my children would love those too. Would they get 2X enjoyment out of DCL sailing to justify the cost? I really doubt it. If money was no object, sure, why the heck not? But we have to be careful when it comes to our spending, so I’m skipping Disney cruise for now. But if I see a decent sale for Florida residents (unlikely), I may go for it. Once!
@Leana Unfortunately, I don’t see as many Florida resident discounts anymore. 🙁 But maybe one will pop up. Yep, those crazy prices.
Also, DCL is kind of like potato chips…it’s hard to just eat one! They really hook ya.
I wrote about Disney cruises recently, and the fact I think their pricing is absurd. I can’t understand paying that much at all, but I’m cheap! I would much rather do a cheaper cruise and splurge on other parts of the trip.
@Holly Pricing is definitely absurd! We started on DCL because we didn’t have any family to watch our kids and we really needed some relief. DCL had the best nursery/kids club hours and we could have a few dinners by ourselves. Our youngest was only 1 year old on our first cruise. Of course prices were expensive back in 2012 but not as insane as they are now. I figured that once our kids got older, we’d break the habit. However, my oldest loves the tween and teen clubs even more than the kids club!