Activities Booking Window - Need Clarification

[Debonna]

This is our first cruise, so we have no status for early bookings of excursions, tastings, etc. The Navigator app says my final payment is due Jan 6. (Sail date is April 5.) It further says that I can book activities once I'm paid in full. Elsewhere I saw on the app, my booking window opens Jan. 21.

Additionally, I was watching a Vlogger give cruise tips and hacks, and she said that you don't have to wait until your booking window. You can book activities once you've made your final payment in full.

Can someone please clarify? I assume I will still have to wait until Jan. 21st, even though I have to pay it off by the 6th. Help!

Thanks in advance.

 

[dwg]

You have to be paid in full to be able to book activities. You will have to wait until your booking window opens which is usually 12:00 am (midnight) on the start of the day your booking window opens. If you haven't already done so you can see all of the Castaway Cay Club benefits and time frames for the different levels under "Already Booked" near the bottom of the menu list under My Account. You do not need to be signed in to see the general benefits by castaway Club tier.

Do not take everything you see online at face value. I don't know where that vlogger got their information, maybe they were referring to special requests like a private table or food allergies, etc which can be made as soon as you book your cruise.

 

[Debonna]

You have to be paid in full to be able to book activities. You will have to wait until your booking window opens which is usually 12:00 am (midnight) on the start of the day your booking window opens. If you haven't already done so you can see all of the Castaway Cay Club benefits and time frames for the different levels under "Already Booked" near the bottom of the menu list under My Account. You do not need to be signed in to see the general benefits by castaway Club tier.

Do not take everything you see online at face value. I don't know where that vlogger got their information, maybe they were referring to special requests like a private table or food allergies, etc which can be made as soon as you book your cruise.

Thank you. I certainly understand there's a lot of info out there that's not accurate. It was the info on the app that wasn't clear to me, and the vlogger mentioning it that reinforced my confusion.

 

[dcassetta]

This is our first cruise, so we have no status for early bookings of excursions, tastings, etc. The Navigator app says my final payment is due Jan 6. (Sail date is April 5.) It further says that I can book activities once I'm paid in full. Elsewhere I saw on the app, my booking window opens Jan. 21.

Additionally, I was watching a Vlogger give cruise tips and hacks, and she said that you don't have to wait until your booking window. You can book activities once you've made your final payment in full.

Can someone please clarify? I assume I will still have to wait until Jan. 21st, even though I have to pay it off by the 6th. Help!

Thanks in advance.

The paid in full date for Disney cruises depends on the length of the cruise. You either have to pay in full 90 or 120 days before your cruise. It looks like yours is 90. The booking windows depend on your castaway status. Since this is your first cruise, you can book things at 75 days before the cruise. People with higher castaway statuses can book earlier, but not before they have paid their cruise off in full. For instance, platinum castaway members can book 120 days in advance. Since your cruise requires full payment, 90 days in advance, a platinum member would need to pay their balance 120 days in advance to take advantage of the early booking date. I would guess that the Vlogger you were watching has a higher castaway status, and so paying off their balance early makes sense for them.

 

[Debonna]

The paid in full date for Disney cruises depends on the length of the cruise. You either have to pay in full 90 or 120 days before your cruise. It looks like yours is 90. The booking windows depend on your castaway status. Since this is your first cruise, you can book things at 75 days before the cruise. People with higher castaway statuses can book earlier, but not before they have paid their cruise off in full. For instance, platinum castaway members can book 120 days in advance. Since your cruise requires full payment, 90 days in advance, a platinum member would need to pay their balance 120 days in advance to take advantage of the early booking date. I would guess that the Vlogger you were watching has a higher castaway status, and so paying off their balance early makes sense for them.

Ahh, I get it. Thanks so much for the explanation. Makes sense now.

 

[LordVader]

This is our first cruise, so we have no status for early bookings of excursions, tastings, etc. The Navigator app says my final payment is due Jan 6. (Sail date is April 5.) It further says that I can book activities once I'm paid in full. Elsewhere I saw on the app, my booking window opens Jan. 21.

Additionally, I was watching a Vlogger give cruise tips and hacks, and she said that you don't have to wait until your booking window. You can book activities once you've made your final payment in full.

Can someone please clarify? I assume I will still have to wait until Jan. 21st, even though I have to pay it off by the 6th. Help!

Thanks in advance.

We're also going on our first cruise. I don't know if you have little humans or not but I was able to book everything we wanted without any fuss. My wife and I weren't interested in Palo so that one wasn't a concern. Bibbity was available and within 30 days of our cruise date, I was able to grab Royal Gathering!

Biggest thing I did was ensure I set an alarm at 8:30pm (West Coast open at a 9pm) and I had my phone with a world clock with seconds and my laptop, I was already signed in and on the activity page. At 8:59:59, I refreshed and grabbed all I wanted.

For Royal, since it opens the same day you can check in. We grabbed Royal before doing our online checkin because we have Disney Transportation so trying to secure an early boarding group wasn't necessary. Good luck getting all you want and happy cruising!

 

[soniam]

Also, midnight is Eastern/WDW time.

 

[CarolynFH]

Our booking window opens tomorrow night, so I'll sign in to our cruise reservation, which is already PIF, a few minutes early. Will the list of available port adventures open when I click My Plans (at midnight Eastern time), or do I need to be somewhere else on the website? Will the excursions for each port be listed on the date we're in that port, or all together and need to be sorted by port?

 

[Debonna]

We're also going on our first cruise. I don't know if you have little humans or not but I was able to book everything we wanted without any fuss. My wife and I weren't interested in Palo so that one wasn't a concern. Bibbity was available and within 30 days of our cruise date, I was able to grab Royal Gathering!

Biggest thing I did was ensure I set an alarm at 8:30pm (West Coast open at a 9pm) and I had my phone with a world clock with seconds and my laptop, I was already signed in and on the activity page. At 8:59:59, I refreshed and grabbed all I wanted.

For Royal, since it opens the same day you can check in. We grabbed Royal before doing our online checkin because we have Disney Transportation so trying to secure an early boarding group wasn't necessary. Good luck getting all you want and happy cruising!

Thanks! I have teens who will want to do castaway excursions. And DH and I would like to do Palo, if possible. Fingers crossed!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Our booking window opens tomorrow night, so I'll sign in to our cruise reservation, which is already PIF, a few minutes early. Will the list of available port adventures open when I click My Plans (at midnight Eastern time), or do I need to be somewhere else on the website? Will the excursions for each port be listed on the date we're in that port, or all together and need to be sorted by port?

I don't know if it's changed, but it used to be that your options didn't open, if you were signed in before your window opened. You had to sign in WHEN the window opened.

 

[LordVader]

Our booking window opens tomorrow night, so I'll sign in to our cruise reservation, which is already PIF, a few minutes early. Will the list of available port adventures open when I click My Plans (at midnight Eastern time), or do I need to be somewhere else on the website? Will the excursions for each port be listed on the date we're in that port, or all together and need to be sorted by port?

I would recommend being under My Plans already and when you refresh the screen it'll show you the list of days available for activities.

I attached a screenshot. You'll see a blue "Add Activities" button on the top left of each day. When you click that you'll see option, onboard fun (drink tasting, Olaf's picnic, royal gathering), port adventures, spa & fitness. Each date will have these options. For example, Royal Gathering is only available on sea day, etc.

Hope this helps and best of luck! It did help me to already be on the page and refreshing.

 

[LordVader]

I

I don't know if it's changed, but it used to be that your options didn't open, if you were signed in before your window opened. You had to sign in WHEN the window opened.

Think that changed because I was already signed in prior to when it hit midnight eastern.

 

[Calantha]

I

Think that changed because I was already signed in prior to when it hit midnight eastern.

I also sign in early and the page seems to do background auto-refreshes and the links pop up.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Also, keep in mind that Palo holds back reservations to get after you board. So, if Palo isn't available online, go to the specified location once you board where Palo will be to take reservations that may still be available.