Booking our first cruise and have questions

[Nik's Mom]

Hi,
I did a search and couldn't find the answer to my question. We are thinking of doing a cruise for our 10th wedding anniversary in late August 06. When is the best time to book the cruise? Does anyone know if AAA offers discounts.
I'm a little worried about sea sickness. Do a lot of people get sick on the ship?
Last question, would you stay away from the land/sea package? It seems like I could book seperately and it might be cheaper?
Thanks for being patient with me!

 

[mommasita]

Hi there, the best time to book the cruise is ASAP, as they work with a tier system, and it moves quite quickly upward...

AAA, I am not sure about that one...But Dreams Unlimited (top of this page) is fantastic for a quick quote, and usually a great rebate..THey show some pricing, as does allseastravel.com...

Sea sickness varies with the person, and the cruise...We have been on 3, and only last September's cruise, my son got a tad ill...I would go prepared, as there are many different types of medications for this..

YEs, it is usually cheaper to book these seperately..I would really price them carefully to be sure...

I hope this helps, and you do cruise..You will not regret it..

 

[lindakmonty]

TYPICALLY... booking the sooner the better but shop around. I have used AAA but have found others with much better prices!! Dreams Unlimited, Allseastravel.com, magic for less, mouse ear vacations, costco... just to name a few... I was 2 months pregnant my first cruise and I was fine I would either buy dramamine, or the patches to put behind your ears... they have several options for sea sickness...It takes a little getting use to but nothing major to worry about...it is usually cheaper to book land/sea separately... hope this helps a little

 

[crisi]

When is the best time to book the cruise?

Yesterday. We booked October 06 months ago. Book it now, they will send your deposit back if you cancel (have to cancel 90 days out or something). Some people have found waiting a day to cost a few hundred dollars!

Does anyone know if AAA offers discounts.

Probably. So does Costco. Dreams Unlimited, which sponsors this site has some nice rebates. Shop around.

I'm a little worried about sea sickness. Do a lot of people get sick on the ship?

Some do, some don't. We didn't, but had a relatively calm cruise. Booking during a calm seas part of year helps. So does bonine, ginger, sea bands, or whatever sea sickness remedy you like.

Last question, would you stay away from the land/sea package? It seems like I could book seperately and it might be cheaper?

You can get the same deal cheaper seperately. Personally, I wouldn't combine trips - unless you can go for an extended trip. I don't think three or four days worth of WDW is nearly enough. Packing for a cruise is difficult enough (how many pairs of shoes?!) without adding the theme park clothes. And spending much of a day switching vacations seems like a waste. But plenty of people do the land/sea and love it!

 

[Sinderelli]

I originally posted this on another thread...I am copying it here for you. This is in regards to your questions about the land/sea package.

<<<Thought I'd share my situation with you. I am a 1st time cruiser so I wasn't really sure what I was doing. I originally booked a Cat 5 land/sea trip. we were going to stay at the BC. THEN, I discovered these boards and realized I could have saved a lot of money! I also really wanted to do the MYW + dining and I couldn't do that with the land/sea package. SO, I cancelled the land portion of my package and instead am staying at the CBR. I was able to add an extra night and the dining package for about the same price as my original land/sea package. I would like to do more than a 3 night but we are going during our Mardi Gras break and a 4 night was not offered at that time. I was thrilled to have an extra night in WDW (5 instead of 4) and have all of my dining prepaid for. Hope this information helps.>>>

 

[Sinderelli]

Ok, not sure what happened up there but I'll sum it up for you....
In regards to the land/sea package, I'll share my experience with you. I originally booked the package, 4 nights on land at BC and 3 nights at sea (Cat 5). Then I discovered these boards and realized I could've gotten it a lot cheaper. Also, I REALLY wanted to do the MYW + dining, but it was not offered for the land/sea package. SO, I cancelled the land portion of my trip and rebooked it seperately. I booked the CBR, preferred room, for 5 nights instead of the original 4, and included the dining package. I was able to get an extra night AND my dining AND an extra day at the parks for about $200 more than my original package. I think I got a much better deal, and having my dining prepaid for really appeals to me. Hope this helps!

 

[Vanvmom]

AAA offers $150 ship board credit for CAT 9 and higher. The shipboard credit is less for Cat 10 -12, and may be only $75.

 

[GreatDaneMom]

AAA gave us a $50 shipboard credit for a category 6 on a land/sea package. If I had it to do over again I'd look elsewhere. It wasn't worth $50 to have to fight the traffic to go to their offices (at their convenience) to pick up my cruise docs. The price I paid through AAA was identical to what was listed on Disney's website. Another downside was that I couldn't access my own reservation at Disney online. Only AAA could do that.

Others on this board have said that if you hit a block of cabins AAA has prebooked for one of their special events you can get cheaper rates. Maybe that would make it a better deal. But do your research about the cabin you want. Our AAA agent booked us across from the laundry room...

 

[Nik's Mom]

Thanks, everyone! I'll definitely talk to dh about the cruise infor so we can come to a decision quickly! I didn't realize you had to book so early to get a good deal. Glad I asked! We never really put much thought into taking a cruise before, but I came across a DCL cruise brochure and it seemed like so much fun! It would be perfect for our anniversary! I am a little worried about hurricane season, though, since our anniversary is in August.

 

[crisi]

Disney cruises are a little different than a lot of cruise lines. Many cruise lines offer lots of last minute discounts, repeat cruiser discount - basically, they have lots of cabins to fill and need to work to fill them. Often they cater more to adults than kids, so you can often get good deals during the summer, for instance.

Disney has two ships. And demand for those ships is pretty high. Few cruises sail at less than 80-90% capacity and many are booked solid. Disney appeals particularly to cruisers with families, so booking early over school vacations is important.

 

[LucEeyore]

I have had a different experience. I booked at land/sea package for Dec 2005 through AAA. The cost was better through AAA than other online agents I haven't worked with (and I did not know about this board at the time) The reservation in paid in full so I can access my reservation online for the purpose of booking excursions and making reservations.

I would agree with the other posters, check all options thoroughly. I would include AAA. As we live over 1 and 1/2 hours from the local agency, they said they would mail our documents or arrange to have them when one of us would be in town anyway.

Hope this is helpful. The land/sea package was about the same maybe $10 more than if I had done it myself (and as I only have a week anyway) I can't add days. I am also not interested in magic my way dining(it isn't free during that time).

Have a great time. I hope this is helpful

 

[sln88]

AAA gave us a $50 shipboard credit for a category 6 on a land/sea package. If I had it to do over again I'd look elsewhere. It wasn't worth $50 to have to fight the traffic to go to their offices (at their convenience) to pick up my cruise docs. The price I paid through AAA was identical to what was listed on Disney's website. Another downside was that I couldn't access my own reservation at Disney online. Only AAA could do that.

Is this typical? A TA booked my cruise, but I am able to access my info online.

 

[Nik's Mom]

O.k., 2 more questions. We've narrowed our choice to a category 6 room because we want a private verandah. Any good room suggestions for category 6? I saw a mention of room 6550, but that was about it.
Also, do they offer pre-boarding for disabled guests?
Thanks, everyone!

 

[Sinderelli]

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/cruise-new/roomlist.cfm
Read the reports & you can get a better idea of what you prefer. We are staying in 6050 for our March cruise.

 

[mommasita]

O.k., 2 more questions. We've narrowed our choice to a category 6 room because we want a private verandah. Any good room suggestions for category 6? I saw a mention of room 6550, but that was about it.
Also, do they offer pre-boarding for disabled guests?
Thanks, everyone!

You could hit staterooms on the top here, and then the report section, to get some ideas, and Yes you do board first along with the concierge guests...

 

[imomtojd]

"Another downside was that I couldn't access my own reservation at Disney online. Only AAA could do that. "

I booked through AAA and I can access everything online. Once they give you the Disney conf. number (after your deposit has cleared) you can do everything online just as you booked with Disney.

Lisa

 

[Vanvmom]

"Another downside was that I couldn't access my own reservation at Disney online. Only AAA could do that. "

I booked through AAA and I can access everything online. Once they give you the Disney conf. number (after your deposit has cleared) you can do everything online just as you booked with Disney.

Lisa

I agree. We booked with AAA and were able to access our info online. Like all cruises, you cannot book your excursions until the final payment has cleared (but it did not matter who you booked your cruise through).

 

[GreatDaneMom]

I agree. We booked with AAA and were able to access our info online. Like all cruises, you cannot book your excursions until the final payment has cleared (but it did not matter who you booked your cruise through).

I'm glad to hear that everyone else had better luck with AAA. I paid in full up-front, got the reservation number, but was never able to access it on Disney's website.

But it's nice to know that my experience was unique! This was the first travel we had ever booked with AAA so I was leary, although we've been members for decades. We want to book some European trips and I feel better about trying AAA again after all you guys have said. Thanks everyone!!

Cheryl

 

[M & M]

I would book my vacation through disney first them transfer it to a TA if they offer a better price or if you want to deal with someone local. Personally I recieved better service and advice booking with Disney direct.