Considering a cruise

[cdh]

My family is considering a Disney cruise but I’m concerned about the problems that people are reporting when they need to reach guest services by phone. We frequently change the dates of our vacations. I’m worried that if we book a cruise and pay in full then it will be a major pain to reach guest services if we have an issue or need to reschedule. Thoughts? I plan on buying the insurance but I don’t think that helps in terms if reaching guest service if you need them. What happens if you test positive for covid at Port Canaveral? Does rescheduling require an hours long phone call?

 

[Mommb]

If you don't want to deal with Disney Cruise guest services after booking, you could book through a travel agent (at no cost to you). That agent would then be responsible for making calls to change reservations.

You would still need to contact your travel agent, but many work through email. For example, I have booked several cruises on the first day that they were available with no waits on the phone. I simply email my travel agent the previous night, and she sends a confirmation in the afternoon after she makes the reservation. When I've made changes to dates or people, or needed to book transportation, I similarly just ask her to do it, and she does. I still book all of my onboard activities myself online, so I can make adjustments based on availability.

You are correct that insurance won't help with reaching guest services. Insurance is used in case you need to cancel after penalties begin or if you have issues during the cruise (such as needing medical treatment).

My understanding is that if you test positive for Covid-19 at the port, Disney Cruise will offer you a refund or a credit that can be used for rebooking, so you won' tneed the insurance but you would need to call, or have a travel agent call, to rebook.

 

[lanejudy]

Just be aware that scheduling a cruise is a little different than tweaking a hotel reservation on land. Cruises are priced differently, different weeks/months, different itineraries, different ships. And prices typically increase the more staterooms are sold. When changing dates you will be subject to "current" pricing at the time you make that change, which may be very different from the original fares.

Insurance doesn't really kick in until after your PIF (payment in full) date. Depending on itinerary, that may be 120 - 90 days prior to embarkation. At that point, you would need insurance to offset any cancellation penalty. Prior to the PIF date, there is no penalty for changes (unless booked concierge), and just be familiar with your insurance to know whether it's portable (to the new date) or if you lose it and have to re-buy a new policy for the new date. (Insurance bought through DCL isn't actually "purchased" until the PIF date, but it may or may not be the best coverage for your needs.)

As to reaching DCL - yeah, it's been tough to reach either DCL or WDW by phone or the past couple of years. Hopefully that smooths out, no idea when. All I can say is try to plan dates that you can be relatively sure won't change. Or book through a travel agent who will make the contact for you.

If you test positive at the port (meaning at embarkation testing), no phone call at that time. You are given the option of a refund, which they take info for immediately, or a credit - which would require contacting for a new cruise date. If you test positive prior to arriving at the port, you would need to contact DCL to cancel/rebook (or have your TA contact).