DCL. How Much!?!? Deals to be had?

[Peacemaker]

Originally Posted by Bats

You should look at 2 oceanviews or even 2 insides if you can do without natural light, you'd save yourself lots.
It's the big family veranda that's putting the price up.

Yes one of your children will get charged an adult price, but the extra space will be a Godsend, honestly!

Put one adult in each room, then spread the children out - DCL don't care where you sleep, but you just have to have an over 18 on the paperwork in each room.

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I don't actually want the veranda but no ocean view family room and 2 ocean views are £400 extra. No 2 inside rooms close enough together. I am checking regularly though in the hope of switching.

[Leanne1977]

Have you priced up NCL on their USA website? Might be worth a look.

[Milpston]

Originally Posted by Leanne1977

Have you priced up NCL on their USA website? Might be worth a look.

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I haven’t looked at NCL as it’s never really appealed and the same with carnival but I will have a nose this afternoon and see if anything jumps out.
Thank you

[catherinesian]

I can't justify DCL either for our Fjords cruise in May we have paid in total for a balcony cabin, 7 nights £1,200 for 2. That's £85 pppn. Inside cabin would have been just under £1k. Granted we got it in the sale but those prices are around if you book at the right time.

DCL comes in at over £200 pppn for just an inside room

You could almost cruise with another company and with the left over money go on a cheapie holiday to Florida

[Bats]

Originally Posted by Milpston

Thank you. It does help and I know there are no guarantees. Just not sure I want to commit to an outlay this early on top of three weeks in Orlando.

Just read my posts back which sound a bit anti DCL and that I’m calling them a rip off 😂 I’m obviously not as the idea of taking the kids on a short one is really growing momentum in my daft head 😂
I just don’t think the ships look as impressive as some of the larger RCI ships and we always had immaculate service and food on those. I do like the idea of Disney characters for the kids and a friend of mine who has been regularly on RCI a number of times reckons they are mo longer the premium product they were when I was going on them... I think I spend too much of my life in a quandary thinking about holidays 🤔
*edit* I feel I may be losing another part of my life returning to cruisecritic where I haven’t been for years... is that like swearing on here?😂

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I would personally take cruise critic with a big 'ignore' button in front of me. Ignore the top 10% and the bottom 10% and just read the reviews that are well thought out and not 'I love XXX cruise line no matter what' or the 'they did everything wrong and ruined my life' ones!
As I said before, what appeals to one family may not appeal to another and that's a good thing.
We love DCL, we know it very well and it suits us. But if I had growing children, another line may well be better suited for activities.

My sister and mum have sailed lots of other cruise lines - RC, Celebrity, NCL, P&O, Cunard and DCL. My sister likes Celebrity best although says the food on P&O is the best she's had. My mum hates RC and NCL and says DCL is the best 'all round'

You won't know unless you try them though, but the cost for both of your options does seem a lot for 4 nights.
Can you leave one or two of the children in the car at the port? Crisps, Ipads and some drinks, they'll be good right?

[Milpston]

Originally Posted by Bats

I would personally take cruise critic with a big 'ignore' button in front of me. Ignore the top 10% and the bottom 10% and just read the reviews that are well thought out and not 'I love XXX cruise line no matter what' or the 'they did everything wrong and ruined my life' ones!
As I said before, what appeals to one family may not appeal to another and that's a good thing.
We love DCL, we know it very well and it suits us. But if I had growing children, another line may well be better suited for activities.

My sister and mum have sailed lots of other cruise lines - RC, Celebrity, NCL, P&O, Cunard and DCL. My sister likes Celebrity best although says the food on P&O is the best she's had. My mum hates RC and NCL and says DCL is the best 'all round'

You won't know unless you try them though, but the cost for both of your options does seem a lot for 4 nights.
Can you leave one or two of the children in the car at the port? Crisps, Ipads and some drinks, they'll be good right?

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😂 I read cruise critic exactly the same way as you. Ignore the best and words and pick the meat off the bones of the ones in the middle ... the same goes for tripadvisor.
I nearly booked the Mariner of the seas as a compromise but still think £3400 is over the top for a three night cruise. I then looked at other dates around the year including August and have decided I will likely leave the cruise to add on another year. For example DCL for the same cruise end of August would be about £3k instead of £4.5k which I probably would have swallowed and just booked it.
That’s not to say I won’t change my mind a few months down the line but for now I’m putting it on the back burner. I know for my youngest too they will love DCL if we did it. It’s just too much money to add onto our three weeks this time.

[Gill H]

I hear you. We won’t be able to afford WDW any time soon and our last trip was 2014. So for us, the £3k for 7 nights plus train to/from Dover and 1 night in a hotel - that is our whole holiday.

[Milpston]

Originally Posted by Gill H

I hear you. We won’t be able to afford WDW any time soon and our last trip was 2014. So for us, the £3k for 7 nights plus train to/from Dover and 1 night in a hotel - that is our whole holiday.

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I may look at a European DCL cruise in the future as at the price you have got i’d Probably struggle to DLP for that. I really like Bats’ idea of binning one or more of my kids off to make these trips cheaper. Any dibbers that like kids just give me a shout and you can look after mine free of charge whilst we holiday 😂😃

[Gill H]

Originally Posted by Milpston

I may look at a European DCL cruise in the future as at the price you have got i’d Probably struggle to DLP for that. I really like Bats’ idea of binning one or more of my kids off to make these trips cheaper. Any dibbers that like kids just give me a shout and you can look after mine free of charge whilst we holiday 😂😃

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Lol - we do DLP a lot cheaper than that too! But offsite is the way to go with a large family in school holidays. Lots of self catering apartments nearby.