Dummy Booking a cruise questions

[DISNEYFOURME]

My dh has seen this term used on numerous threads.. Can someone educate us on this. We will be going on the Dream this Thursday and are thinking about taking advantage of it. Our prior cruises were booked using our dvc points. I know we over pay doing it that way but previously it worked best financially for us.. I assume doing a dummy booking its cash only. How does it all work..what do they charge you to change dates, etc... Thanks for helping us dummies!

[EPCOTatNight]

A dummy booking is just a reservation with DCL that you make while onboard. You get 10% off and an OBC based on length of cruise. It is usually the cheapest and farthest date out that you can book so the deposit that you pay is small. You can change it once you get home and decide when you really want to cruise. It costs nothing to change except for the change in deposit if the price goes up. I simply said give me the cheapest cruise in 2014 that you can find. My deposit was $91. The whole process took less than 5 minutes. When I got home, I changed it to a 6 night Carribean cruise from Galveston in May. Since DCL was running a special, I actually got 20% off that cruise. Good luck.

[DISNEYFOURME]

Thanks for the info! do you know if you book while on the cruise and if they run a special like kids sail free can you take advantage of that savings as well?

[TLSnell1981]

I've only rebooked an existing cruise for the OBC. I'll get the dummy booking this time.

I love the DIS.

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

Originally Posted by DISNEYFOURME

Thanks for the info! do you know if you book while on the cruise and if they run a special like kids sail free can you take advantage of that savings as well?

KSF normally has a restriction on it that it must be a new booking.

[lbgraves]

You also cannot combine it with the OBB benefits of the discount or OBC.

[Sparrow78]

Originally Posted by DynamicDisneyDuo

KSF normally has a restriction on it that it must be a new booking.

Isn't that only if it's past the paid in full date. We booked one last September, and 3 weeks later they announced kids sail free. We weren't at our paid date so my TA moved our reservation and we got money back!

[stulaurie]

If I book a dummy 3 night cruise and then change it to a 7 night cruise, will I get the 200.00 OBC?

[lbgraves]

Originally Posted by stulaurie

If I book a dummy 3 night cruise and then change it to a 7 night cruise, will I get the 200.00 OBC?

Yes

[Justacruiser]

Sometimes they do have other offers while on board. In November they had 20% off plus OBC for Magic Cruises. Just remember if you are booking a dummy cruise, you are locked into the discount. However, when you settle on a cruise, you are paying the current cruise rate at the time of the real cruise you are booking minus your discount, plus OBC.

[Lisa Lisa]

Originally Posted by DISNEYFOURME

My dh has seen this term used on numerous threads.. Can someone educate us on this. We will be going on the Dream this Thursday and are thinking about taking advantage of it. Our prior cruises were booked using our dvc points. I know we over pay doing it that way but previously it worked best financially for us.. I assume doing a dummy booking its cash only. How does it all work..what do they charge you to change dates, etc... Thanks for helping us dummies!

This may be more basic info than you were looking for, but people generally book a dummy date for one of two reasons: 1) they're not sure yet exactly when they want to cruise, or 2) the dates they want have not been released yet and they want to secure the benefits for when they are.

We were on the Dream last Feb and knew that we wanted to cruise again over spring break this year. In that case, there was no need to book a dummy date. We just booked the date we wanted outright. The price was pretty good because the cruise was more than a year out, and we got 10% off and a $200 OBC. And only having to put 10% down vs. the standard 20% was nice as well.

DCL does not charge you to move the date and, as of now, you can move it multiple times. As others have said, if you do book a dummy date, choose a short, inexpensive itinerary to minimize your deposit. Just be aware that if you end up booking a longer, more expensive itinerary, you will need to pay the difference in deposit (10% of the new price). On the plus side, if you change to a 7-night you'll get a larger OBC.

One other consideration: If you plan to use a TA for the additional OBC, you need to designate them when you book onboard to get the full OBC.

[DISNEYFOURME]

Originally Posted by Lisa Lisa

This may be more basic info than you were looking for, but people generally book a dummy date for one of two reasons: 1) they're not sure yet exactly when they want to cruise, or 2) the dates they want have not been released yet and they want to secure the benefits for when they are
.

Basic is good! Thanks for info! We may need to spend some time on our trip to look into this. Can't believe we leave for Florida tomorrow!!

[lpizzuro123]

What is the cancellation policy when booking a dummy date? If so some reason you decide not to cruise, do you get your deposit back?

Linda

[Husurdady]

Originally Posted by DISNEYFOURME

Can't believe we leave for Florida tomorrow!!

You guys have fun.......
and remember Old Don's snow blower is all gas up and ready.

[KingRichard]

Originally Posted by lpizzuro123

What is the cancellation policy when booking a dummy date? If so some reason you decide not to cruise, do you get your deposit back?

Linda

Yes as long as it isn't within the paid in full date.

Remember you can change the dummy date for 1 1-2 more years down the road(free) and keep your benefits for future use.