Booking Questions

[Goof]

We are in the early planning stages for our first Disney Cruise. When viewing different rates and dates online, i find that the 7-night cruise is just a little more expensive than a 4-night cruise. Am i missing something here?

Just as with other WDW vacations we have taken, we were hoping to be able to book everything seperately and save a little. Such as, booking the land portion ourselves and then booking a 4-night cruise seperately but it doesn't look as though the savings are there.

For example: 7-nights Sept. 05 Family of 4 $2750
4-nights Sept. 05 Family of 4 $2400

we're first-time cruisers and we don't have a clue

 

[Goof]

Anybody?

 

[floridaminnie]

Nope not missing anything. That's the slower season of the summer for cruising and it's a great rate.

Usually it's cheaper to book your land/sea seperate. Your resort depends on your cat on the ship. You can usually find a cheaper rate at the hotel of your choice with a code. You can also purchase hopper tickets versus length of stay that comes with the land portion.

 

[Goof]

tks suzanne

 

[Pea-n-Me]

One would need a PhD to figure out exactly how DCL works their pricing magic .

I like to book myself for pricing and flexibility. I've booked early and gotten decent rates through DCL directly. I was puzzled recently, though. We cruise next month and when I called to upgrade our room two weeks ago, even though the ship is almost full, it was 50% cheaper to upgrade then then it was when I checked on the same upgrade in the spring . (I guess maybe it made more sense for them to take my money when they were probably going to have to give free upgrades on the ship anyway since it was so full). At the same time, some friends were contemplating cruising with us -their price for the same Category was quoted as $800 more than ours, and later that week it was even higher.

Besides these Boards, a great reference guide is Passporter's Guide to the Disney Cruise Line which explains everything you ever wanted to know about the DCL. It can be ordered at the Passporter website or at Borders, etc...

One thing which made me wonder about your quotes was that the Magic (7day) and Wonder (4day) sail on different days of the week and you had Sept 5 for both. You also didn't say if things like transportation and insurance were included exactly the same in each, or what category you were booking? Make sure you get the "bare bones" price for the same category for each and then if you want you can add in the extras also. I personally like to talk to a DCL rep as opposed to booking online as I usually have questions and like to double check things. You also didn't say if you were planning for Sept 2004 or 2005. If it's 2004 that would explain it since the prices get higher the closer you get to the cruise.

Hope this helps. Remember, planning is half the fun !

 

[vossjemi]

We got a category 10 for 4 in sept 05 on a 4 day for $1447, so quite a bit lower than the price you mentioned above. I guess it depends on the TA and the category you are seeking. A really good comparison website for prices is allseastravel.com. We didn't end up booking w/them, but their pricing was pretty close to DU and shows what months/categories are more expensive than others on a very simple chart.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Sorry, thought you meant Sept 5th with Sept 05 .

 

[Goof]

Originally posted by vossjemi
We got a category 10 for 4 in sept 05 on a 4 day for $1447, so quite a bit lower than the price you mentioned above. I guess it depends on the TA and the category you are seeking. A really good comparison website for prices is allseastravel.com. We didn't end up booking w/them, but their pricing was pretty close to DU and shows what months/categories are more expensive than others on a very simple chart.

tks for the heads-up I went back and re-entered again and came up with a rate this time that made sense:

4-nights in Sept. 2005 4 people $1567.00
these prices were quoted directly from DCL website.

We have also sent a request for quote from DU for 4 nights but would much rather have the 7-night pkg.

tks for all the help and info

 

[kcashner]

Ok...ways to save $ on DCL cruises.....

First, September cruises are sometimes discounted when they don't fill. However, this year, they seem to be filling pretty well (at least when I check availability). DCL sets a rate for each cruise/cabin. The rates are in tiers. What tier you are in depends on how full the ship is when you book. If you book a cat 11 and later want to change to a 6, you will stay in the same tier (even though the price of the 6 may be higher when you make the change than it was at your original booking, you will pay the lower price.) Discount travel agents can give you a better rate than DCL either by giving you a rebate of part of their commission or by buying up blocks of cabins at discount rates and re-selling them to the public.

How to save money on land/sea packages....the real question is what resort specials may be running and whether you will use all the features in the ultimate park hopper passes. Land/sea packages include the UPH passes. These are the most expensive park admissions available, and expire when you check out of the hotel. Park Hopper Plus passes are available with almost the same features and never expire (unused days are good on a future trip.) SO...will you go to the parks on the day you arrive and the day of the cruise? Will you go to the water parks and to Pleasure Island? If the answer to either of these questions is "No," you will save money with Park Hopper Plus passes. For instance, we do a character dinner on the day we arrive, and usually hit the hotel pool. THat way, DD can unwind from the trip and get a little disney experience without using a "park day" for just an hour or 2. It saves us a day of park admission. We frequently do a character breakfast the morning we leave for the ship, and we don't do the parks that day.

Also, your cabin category ties to a particular level of resort at WDW. Do you want a higher or lower hotel category than your ship cabin gives you? You can be more flexible AND maybe save money.

Check www.mousesavers.com for hotel specials that might be available for your dates...get Park Hopper Plus passes online or at the Disney store......