25 of us crusing

[luapgib]

Good morning all. I am hoping that you are able to help me with my questions. My family just recently enjoyed a big family reunion and after going a whole week with no major blowups we are discussing doing another one in 2012. I know it is a long way off and hard to predict pricing but I figure if we start planning/saving now we can make this happen. Now for my questions.
1) Is is possible to get rooms close to each other for all of us? I believe we would need 9-10.
2) If my aunt is a florida resident can she get a discount for the entire group? Her family would make up 1/3 of the group. Again just thinking of ways to save.
3) will there be any type of discount available to us for booking this many rooms?
4) If most of us have never been on a cruise before will we really notice the difference in room choices? I honestly do not know if a window is important or if we would want a veranda/balcony.
I think this is all for now but if I get a favorable response from my family (after proposing this idea) I am sure that I will be back. Thanks for any help you can give.

[kcashner]

Lots of questions....OK,
1, If you book early enough you will be able to select rooms near each other. A good TA can help with room selection. IF some people want a porthole and some want a balcony this will be more difficult as most porthole rooms are on deck 2 (fewer on other decks) and most balconies are on 5,6, and 7. However, it is possible.

2. To qualify for a FL resident discount, one FL resident must be BOOKED in each cabin. Note that I said Booked, not sleeping. Depending on how you spread out your bookings...if you have 9-10 family members with FL ID you could all be on FL res rates. FL res rates don't come out till about 90 days before sailing normally so you might want to book your rooms as soon as you know what you want (to get best selection and best regular rates, then change to FL res if these come available. A good TA will track this and get the FL rates automatically. If you're considering this, plan the booking arrangements so you will qualify!

3. There is a very small discount for 8 or more rooms. FL res is MUCH better! You'll also get an onboard credit for using a Disney Visa to make the deposit and pay for the cruise, but will lose this if you get the FL res. discount (only one discount from Disney is allowed per cruise).

4.All the rooms are about the same size. Cat 11 and 12 are inside with a single bathroom. Cat 10 is inside with a split bathroom (tub and sink in one, tub and toilet in the other). Cat 8 and 9 have portholes. Cat 5,6, and 7 have balconies...7 are partially obstructed OR solid railing. ALL cabins, 5-12 have essentially the same "living" space...the differences are the bathrooms and balconies and cost. For us, the longer the cruise the more time we spend in our cabin...thus the more valuable the balcony!

I'd strongly suggest that you contact a good TA who specializes in Disney and will talk to you before you book!

DCL has a "group desk" that will help you with bookings, excursions, etc. when you have 8 or more cabins, but many TAs will give you an onboard credit as well.

[jilljill]

If you are looking at sailing in 2012 then you will have the 2 new ships (Dream & Fantasy) to choose from for the Caribbean/Bahamas sailings, the Wonder will be in CA and who knows where the Magic will be located at that time.

[Anthony1971]

FL rates as explianed are for FL residenst only. The FL resident will need to book a room and if the sailing date you chosse ends up having a discount they will refunded the difference or not charged the difference. From what I understand they have not given any FL discounts in a long time... The FL residenst in my family got it in 2006 but in 2009 nothing... as per the CM she did not see any for a while...
Booking a large number of rooms has never been an issue however with 25 you may have seperate tables for dinning.. we had 18 and it was a snug fit...

[kcashner]

Originally Posted by Anthony1971

FL rates as explianed are for FL residenst only. The FL resident will need to book a room and if the sailing date you chosse ends up having a discount they will refunded the difference or not charged the difference. From what I understand they have not given any FL discounts in a long time... The FL residenst in my family got it in 2006 but in 2009 nothing... as per the CM she did not see any for a while...

Ummmmm there are FL resident rates available for almost every sailing on the Magic between now and the end of 2009! There have been TONS of them this year.

As above, 24 is normally the max for any one serving team. They might do 25 for you, or they might split you between 2 teams. Even if you are all with one team, 2 smaller tables are more functional than one HUGE one. You can switch places on different nights if desired.