How does onboard booking work?

[Dug720]

Yes, I have done this. My SWA cc is for everyday expenses & linked to our onboard acct. I like to use the Disney Visa for 0% for 6 months. Just bring it with you to the future cruise desk if you don't want to use the one linked to your acct.

btw, the deposit is a separate charge. It can't be put on your onboard acct. I guess they don't want people using OBB credits to book a future cruise. Really you could if you ever had credits leftover (we never do). Just buy a gift card from an onboard shop.

Great, thanks! I have everything all written out for my preferences for what I want to book. Even room numbers in ranked order.

 

[SuperDry]

Does anyone know if the 30-day travel agent transfer policy applies for a place holder?Or do the 30 days start once I've chosen a cruise?

Booking the place-holder is booking a cruise. There's nothing special about the place-holder reservation apart from any other reservation other than that the passenger doesn't intend to sail on it. From Disney's point of view, it's as real as any other booking, and all standard policies apply.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Great, thanks! I have everything all written out for my preferences for what I want to book. Even room numbers in ranked order.

Great idea. This saves precious vacation time & less time spent at the future cruise desk. Just remember that it's not carved in stone. Whatever you choose can be later changed.

 

[Narnia_girl]

At this point we're cruising every five years. Is it a good idea to book a dummy date when it will be that long until we sail? And how often would I have to change the date until I get to my real sail date? thanks!

 

[TARAMEOW]

Curious about the dummy date. That means we have 30 days after we book to pick an actual cruise date? I really want to do this but DH is worried to book so far in advance. We usually decide on and book our vacations about 4 months prior to leaving.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

At this point we're cruising every five years. Is it a good idea to book a dummy date when it will be that long until we sail? And how often would I have to change the date until I get to my real sail date? thanks!

Is this your 1st Disney cruise? That might change.
If it doesn't, it's up to you if it's worth having DCL hold onto your money that long. Every year they release another year of booking which usually can be booked 2 yrs in advance. Would you be able to keep track of that? If you forget about it, you'll lose your deposit. If you know you'll be on top of it & remember to move the dummy date further out every time they release new dates, then go for it. Personally, I don't think I'd bother, just because I know myself & would end up losing the deposit. 5 yrs is pretty long time.

Curious about the dummy date. That means we have 30 days after we book to pick an actual cruise date? I really want to do this but DH is worried to book so far in advance. We usually decide on and book our vacations about 4 months prior to leaving.

No. The 30 day rule applies to limits for transferring a reservation to a TA. This applies whether it's booked on land on sea. It used to be we could book direct with DCL then right before final payment, transfer to a TA. I guess DCL doesn't want to pay TAs a commission when all along it was DCL handling the reservation.

You really have nothing to lose by booking in advance. If at the 4 month mark (or when ever you start making plans) you decide to do something else, you can always change it to a later date or cancel for a full refund.
For most itineraries, the final payment due date is 75 days prior. Our Med cruise was due 4 mos prior. All reservations clearly list the date final payment is due & when penalties start. So that's when you need to make a decision: cancel or change the date.
Now that there's 4 ships they don't fill quite as quickly as in the past. We always booked on the 1st day of release & would just watch the prices climb by the time our date approached. The mere thought of paying $1000 more than the family next door sickened me enough that I got over the worry of advance booking. Even though we really don't need to now, I still like booking early to insure we get the cabin selection we like & main dining time.
It works for us but everyone's different.

 

[cbw4lsu]

Does anyone know how long it takes to get a confirmation email from DCL?

We were on the June 1 Fantasy sailing and booked a "dummy" date, but have yet to get any confirmation from them yet. They did charge our credit card, but we haven't gotten the confirmation email they said we would get.

Thanks

 

[NACFl]

I had my confirmation email as soon as I checked my email when I got off the ship. It was date and time stamped for the same time I was booking onboard. You may want to call DCL and see if they can email it to you now.

 

[Narnia_girl]

Is this your 1st Disney cruise? That might change.
If it doesn't, it's up to you if it's worth having DCL hold onto your money that long. Every year they release another year of booking which usually can be booked 2 yrs in advance. Would you be able to keep track of that? If you forget about it, you'll lose your deposit. If you know you'll be on top of it & remember to move the dummy date further out every time they release new dates, then go for it. Personally, I don't think I'd bother, just because I know myself & would end up losing the deposit. 5 yrs is pretty long time.

We've been on one other Disney cruise.
Generally we prefer that our kids see the U.S. on our vacations, but as we have a child graduating every five years, it works nicely to do a celebration cruise then. I don't think I'd lose the reservation information and all but I think you might be right about having them tie up my money that long. And a lot can change. Thanks for the input!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Does anyone know how long it takes to get a confirmation email from DCL?

We were on the June 1 Fantasy sailing and booked a "dummy" date, but have yet to get any confirmation from them yet. They did charge our credit card, but we haven't gotten the confirmation email they said we would get.

Thanks

I've always gotten a confirmation # before disembarking. You should either call DCL or your TA. Also if you log in on the DCL website, then at the top click on Castaway Club, you can view past & future cruises. It will list everything there.

 

[jjgarv]

If you book a dummy date for a 3 day cruise just to book something, then once on land call them and change it to a 7 day, does your on board credit go up?

Yes...and you'll have to pay an additional amount to add to the original deposit. Recently, when I moved a dummy date from the 3-night to a 7-night, the additional was about $200.

Also, I'm having trouble keeping up with all of the new OBB restrictions. When we are on-board in October, we may need to make two reservations for family members to join us on the 2014 cruise that we already have booked. Do those family members get the 10% off and reduced deposit? Thanks for any info!

 

[disneyluvnmom]

Does anyone know how long it takes to get a confirmation email from DCL?

We were on the June 1 Fantasy sailing and booked a "dummy" date, but have yet to get any confirmation from them yet. They did charge our credit card, but we haven't gotten the confirmation email they said we would get.

Thanks

We were on this cruise also and i booked a placeholder. They told me I would get an email. The cruise desk said they didn't print confirmations on the ship anymore, just emailed them... I never got an email, called my TA to confirm and my TA forwarded the email from Disney.

 

[lbgraves]

...When we are on-board in October, we may need to make two reservations for family members to join us on the 2014 cruise that we already have booked. Do those family members get the 10% off and reduced deposit? Thanks for any info!

Yes, you will get full OBB benefits for the two rooms you book for the same cruise date. Others have posted that they have done this very thing, so it is possible. You do not need to book the rooms for yourself.

 

[jjgarv]

Yes, you will get full OBB benefits for the two rooms you book for the same cruise date. Others have posted that they have done this very thing, so it is possible. You do not need to book the rooms for yourself.

Do I understand correctly that we can only make two reservations that will receive the 10% discount and reduced deposit? Therefore, if we want to make a dummy booking for ourselves (to be used in 2015), as well as two bookings for family members to join us on the 2014 that alread have booked, only two of these three reservations will receive the 10% off and reduced deposit...correct?

I guess we'll take bribes from the two family members to decide which of them gets the discount!

 

[lbgraves]

Do I understand correctly that we can only make two reservations that will receive the 10% discount and reduced deposit? Therefore, if we want to make a dummy booking for ourselves (to be used in 2015), as well as two bookings for family members to join us on the 2014 that alread have booked, only two of these three reservations will receive the 10% off and reduced deposit...correct?

I guess we'll take bribes from the two family members to decide which of them gets the discount!

No, you can only make 2 room reservations for the SAME DATE onboard with full OBB benefits. If you want to make a dummy date booking for yourself for 2015, that would be the date with the full OBB benefits. That's honestly what I would do, after all you are the CC member and that is your benefit. You can make the reservations for your family in the two rooms, but they will only get the OBC...not the 10% or lowered deposit.

 

[jjgarv]

No, you can only make 2 room reservations for the SAME DATE onboard with full OBB benefits. If you want to make a dummy date booking for yourself for 2015, that will be the date. You can make the reservations for your family in the two rooms, but they will only get the OBC...not the 10% or lowered deposit.

Is this still the case even though we are already booked with a date for 10/2014 on which they will be joining us? If so, I hate to be selfish, but I'll be keeping the discount for my dummy date booking for 2015. Oh well...

 

[lbgraves]

Is this still the case even though we are already booked with a date for 10/2014 on which they will be joining us? If so, I hate to be selfish, but I'll be keeping the discount for my dummy date booking for 2015. Oh well...

Yes, your existing booking doesn't matter. The fact is you can book up to two rooms for full OBB benefits on the SAME date. You can either book those for your extended family to join you or yourself for a cruise in 2015.

I would do the same thing. They will still get the $200 OBC for a 7-night cruise if you book their rooms onboard. It's better than nothing.

 

[jjgarv]

Yes, your existing booking doesn't matter. The fact is you can book up to two rooms for full OBB benefits on the SAME date. You can either book those for your extended family to join you or yourself for a cruise in 2015.

I would do the same thing. They will still get the $200 OBC for a 7-night cruise if you book their rooms onboard. It's better than nothing.

Thanks so much for all the answers! This was a big help!

 

[quarkwright]

Is this still the case even though we are already booked with a date for 10/2014 on which they will be joining us? If so, I hate to be selfish, but I'll be keeping the discount for my dummy date booking for 2015. Oh well...

Yes, your existing booking doesn't matter. The fact is you can book up to two rooms for full OBB benefits on the SAME date. You can either book those for your extended family to join you or yourself for a cruise in 2015.

I would do the same thing. They will still get the $200 OBC for a 7-night cruise if you book their rooms onboard. It's better than nothing.

Why not get the 10% discount for your family members for 2014, then use OBB on your 2014 cruise to get the discount for 2015?
(As a cruise and DIS noob it's entirely possible I'm missing something.)
Are you worried about the 2015 cruise being already booked by that time? Would it be possible to book now for 2015 and then get them to apply the OBB discount when you are on the 2014 cruise? Con would be you have to pay the full deposit, but 2014 should be well before the 2015 PIF date so there should be no reason for them NOT to let you cancel and re-book, right?

 

[tinkerbell 766]

We were on this cruise also and i booked a placeholder. They told me I would get an email. The cruise desk said they didn't print confirmations on the ship anymore, just emailed them... I never got an email, called my TA to confirm and my TA forwarded the email from Disney.

Strange, I was also on this cruise and booked a placeholder cruise. I paid the deposit and was told that I would receive an email, but have not.
How do you go about changing the place holder to the actual cruise you want to sail on. Do you need to call them or can it be done online?
Thanks so much!!