1/28/2013 5 - Night Bahamian Cruise, Miami FL Who's going?

[jbennett82]

Hello everyone! Just wanted to say a very huge heartfelt thanks to everyone who organized and/or participated in the FE exchange. It made our first cruise that much more magical!! We are already planning our next cruise and this time around I will feel so much more prepared.
We got home early yesterday, then watched our Baltimore Ravens beat the Superbowl and then I had to be at work at 7:00 am! I wanna go back to the WONDER!!!!!

 

[RedxPanda]

Hi everyone! We drove straight home from Miami, we were back by 12:30pm on Saturday. It took me the rest of the weekend to recover! I get some serious Sea Lag, complete with fatigue and phantom ship movement. Fun Times!

We had a great cruise! We had a slight issue with DD not napping enough... too much fun stuff going on all the time. We enjoyed the pool at the Cayman Turtle Farm (DD is in diapers still and can't use the ship pools) and Mr Sanchos Beach Club AI in Cozumel. Even with the rain in Cozumel we spent the whole day at Mr Sanchos. Their food was AMAZING and the drinks a plenty . In between rain showers we hopped into their pool with a swim up bar... fantastic!

The FE was a small group but still a lot of fun. I was more than happy to organize that at the last minute! It was hard, but it had to be done.


Who's ready to plan another cruise? Our family is thinking we might try to do a Panama Canal next, probably not with DCL... because I'm pretty much the only DIS freak in the family!

 

[GetGlowing]

I already rebooked onboard. We're going to do the Magic 4 nts out of Port Canaveral next January. This is a cruise for hubby & me, no other travel agents

After I got off the ship I went directly to Port Everglades to tour the Oasis of the Seas. WOW what a fantastic, amazing, jaw-dropping ship, ... that's not for me. I think I'll stick to more traditional ocean liners. But it was something to behold.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using DISBoards

 

[Ancaster]

I already rebooked onboard. We're going to do the Magic 4 nts out of Port Canaveral next January. This is a cruise for hubby & me, no other travel agents

After I got off the ship I went directly to Port Everglades to tour the Oasis of the Seas. WOW what a fantastic, amazing, jaw-dropping ship, ... that's not for me. I think I'll stick to more traditional ocean liners. But it was something to behold.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using DISBoards

Was there an advantage doing this as we booked with 25% off online last Dec?
(>10% offered on board)
Or can you stack any discounts you come across?

 

[GetGlowing]

You can't stack discounts, but I've found that if you look at historical pricing, *gt rates aren't necessarily a savings off an early booking fare. And i don't qualify for FL resident or military pricing (without the parents, and we are NOT sharing a room, or even a cruise this time around). Plus there's no guarantee a discount rate will be offered for that date.

But here's my prediction : Disney has yet to release details of the Magic's drydock later this year. Once they do, I think the ship will be a hot property because it will be the fresh new thing. That will tick the prices higher and also tighten the availability. Just my speculation. We'll see. I'm anxious for official word. All I know for sure is the ship is getting the Dream/Fantasy bedding, but a 2 week refurb is ample time to change all the sheets. so something else is afoot.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using DISBoards

 

[Ancaster]

Are you saying that if this had not been our first DCL and we booked on board last year for 10% off for the cruise we were just on, that total would actually be lower than the 25% off Canadian promo we got in Dec for the same?
(Using historical pricing and comparing the respective grand totals with discount)

Just wondering for next time, thanks.

 

[GetGlowing]

Here's what I will say -- if you know you want to cruise, it's better to book onboard for next time, whether it's a dummy date or your actual date, and get the 10% discount, onboard credit, and reduced deposit, than not have any of those benefits on your reservation. You are never guaranteed a last-minute offer for a cruise. If/when a discount offer comes out, you can compare it against the onboard booking you already made to see which is the better offer for you, keeping any cancellation penalties in mind. You might even be able to move your onboard booking to a different date and book any new offer that comes out.

 

[Ancaster]

Ok, thanks. I guess the 10% does not entice me enough and we like to travel beyond DCL but it will definitely be in our top 5 every year!

 

[RedxPanda]

Ok, thanks. I guess the 10% does not entice me enough and we like to travel beyond DCL but it will definitely be in our top 5 every year!

Its not just 10%, its the Disney OBC that can be stacked with the travel agency you book with. I plan on using my dummy date with some kind of 7+ night cruise. That'll yield $200 OBC from Disney + $100 or more from the TA. That's what is worth it to us.

We have a dummy we booked from our last cruise. It was going to be used on the 2-2-13 Wonder, but when the FL rates came out we switched to this cruise. Thing is, good rates don't always come out for DCL... especially on ships like the Fantasy or itineraries like Alaska. I'm saving my dummy date for the right cruise to use it on. If we don't use it, no big loss, we can get the deposit back.

But, I do agree, we like to go to other places too, so DCL isn't always top of the list for us either. I wish it could be though.

 

[ecormack]

We had a great cruise, too. Can you tell me what you mean by a "dummy date" with respect to the cruise booking? Also, you mentioned $100 back from the TA - is that a promotion we could perhaps find by going through a travel agent? We are DVC members and used points to go on this cruise (because our daughters near bankrupted us by BOTH getting married in the last six months!) so it was a relief not to lay out so much cash. I'm not sure it's a good use of my points though. I would never think to use a TA because I'm very comfortable booking online, but if it would benefit me, I'd love to know more!

 

[Ancaster]

Thank you Kristina for the astronaut ice cream!

My daughter took it to show and tell today.

 

[RedxPanda]

Can you tell me what you mean by a "dummy date" with respect to the cruise booking? Also, you mentioned $100 back from the TA - is that a promotion we could perhaps find by going through a travel agent?
...
I would never think to use a TA because I'm very comfortable booking online, but if it would benefit me, I'd love to know more!

I am the same way, but for my last 3 cruises I have booked with a TA that offers additional perks to us.

The dummy date thing comes from DCLs policy that allows you to fully change your whole reservation without penalty, as long as you are BEFORE the pay in full date (75 days for most cruises). Many people book a cheap cruise on board (3 night bahamas) as a placeholder. Then, when the new dates are released they move their reservation to a cruise they actually want to do. Benefit is reduced deposit (10%), 10% off current fare, and OBC $100 or $200 depending on length of cruise. The OBC is from Disney themselves. A TA isn't necessary, you could still book it yourself.

 

[RedxPanda]

Thank you Kristina for the astronaut ice cream!

My daughter took it to show and tell today.

When I was a kid, Space Ice Cream was my favorite 'souvenir' from Florida! Happy to share it with all the FE's .