Disney cruise - Any way to find deals

[coolmonk]

Hi, I go to Disneyworld every year in December and usually get a PIN code to save a good percent on lodging.

Is there anything like this for Disney cruises? I'm starting to look into taking my first cruise with the family and don't even know where to begin finding good rates.

Many thanks!
Mark

 

[love__goofy]

There is a Disney Cruise forum lower down on the Disboards main page. I have been looking too for good rates for our first cruise

From what I have discovered so far, the past 2 September's they offered kids sail free in dates of January, February, and March of the following year...if that makes sense. There was a stipulation of having to get a verandah room this past year.

Also, there is discussion about possibly Disney offering last minute discounts. Other than that, I think that is all.

Pixie dust for you and I for finding a great deal!

 

[okeydokey]

Book as early as you can. The lowest rates are the furthest out. They will adjust your rate if they do decrease the price. Also, book off season. We went in Nov and it was one of the cheapest times of year.

 

[papamouse1]

ditto to okeydokey...

The best deals are not found waiting late to book but actually booking earlier. With the limited ships and rooms, DCL tends to book out more so than other cruise lines.
Some of the Disney specialist travel agencies will actually keep track of your booking and try to upgrade you to any new deals that might come down the line for kids free, etc.

 

[Juliet25]

In 2009 we took advantage of Kids Sail Free for a 3 day cruise. We (family of 4) stayed in a Category 12. I think after taxes it came to about $910. Since then I really haven't seen any deals. I priced out a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean for 2011/2012 and it came to $6000+ for a family suite. Guess we won't be sailing again any time soon!

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

We are looking to do our first DC in March of next year. I sure hope we get the KSF deal.

So let me make sure I understand. If we book now and rates either go down or the KSF promo comes up, we can adjust our rates. Is that correct?

Who do you guys usually book through? Are there payment plans?

 

[sdjen]

I am counting the days for my first Disney cruise and can help with a couple of questions.

You will have to pay a deposit when you book the trip - the amount depends on the amount of your trip but is usually around 20% I believe. Then, you have to make the full payment 75 days before you sail (for everything except suites, those are 90 days).

You are able to make as many smaller payments as you want between the time you book and 75 days out. So, if it works for you, you can pay monthly instead of all at once.

One other option - the one I did - was to use the DIsney Visa to pay for the trip. You get 6 months free interest for each payment to Disney Cruise. For example, I paid the deposit last September and had until February to pay that amount interest free. Then, I paid the balance of the cruise in November and have until May to pay that amount interest free.

This also has an added benefit that if you use your Disney Visa to pay for the whole cruise you currently receive a $50 on board credit. This can be used for tips, excursions, etc... and is a nice little bonus. There is also a $25 OBC credit if you book it yoursef online through the Disney Cruise website.

Hope this helps!

 

[Pakey]

We are looking to do our first DC in March of next year. I sure hope we get the KSF deal.

So let me make sure I understand. If we book now and rates either go down or the KSF promo comes up, we can adjust our rates. Is that correct?

Who do you guys usually book through? Are there payment plans?

For us, the KSF promo was announced after we passed the deposit refund booking window. It would have cost us more to cancel original reservation and rebook the KSF. We didn't get to "adjust our rates".

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

How do you get on the list to have current promos emailed to you?

 

[Sinderelly]

We are looking to do our first DC in March of next year. I sure hope we get the KSF deal.

So let me make sure I understand. If we book now and rates either go down or the KSF promo comes up, we can adjust our rates. Is that correct?

Who do you guys usually book through? Are there payment plans?

Email Dreams Unlimited for a quote. They sponser the cruise line forums. An agent will respond with a quote. They will give you a far bigger OBC than you can get by booking it directly with DCL. Dreams Unlimited will watch for any promotions/discounts that come out that can be applied to your reservation. Good luck and have a wonderful time on your cruise! We love cruising with DCL!

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

Thank you so much for all of this great info!

 

[williamson_ja]

We got the ksf offer for our March cruise to Mexico. A 10a cabin with 4 people ended up to be $2000. We're going during spring break, so thats not too bad. I think the promo we got came out around June.

 

[ArielsMommy]

We booked our 4 day DCL cruise through Costco and got $150 Costco giftcard. Most places will have the same cruise prices but some offer better promotions like OBC or gift cards than others.

 

[blessedby3]

We are a family of 6, with only one being considered a child (kids are 3,12, 15 and almost 21).....our last (and only) Disney cruise was 17 years ago when it was the Big Red Boat, and we only had one kiddo. Are there any deals for families of 6? I think it would be so unreasonable because we would need 2 rooms, but I would love to do a Disney Cruise again...on the beautiful new boats

 

[Jenny-momof3]

We are also a family of 6 ( although one is 1 year old today ). We would love to do a cruise but just pricing out a 4 day one for all of us is ridiculously expensive! So we just keep going back to Disneyworld several times a year.

Any tips for a large family?

 

[adventure_woman]

We're going on our first cruise in 17 days!

For large families you would do better getting 2 rooms...instead of trying to put everyone in the same cabin.

We were going to go with the lowest category room, but with the Kids Sail Free promo we got to get a verandah for only $100 more. (that was such a dream come true...as we would NEVER pay an extra $1500-$2000 more to have a better view)

Book through a TA who offers an OBC. We used DU.

 

[DLW8]

Getting PINs for the cruises are as random as the ones for WDW. Sign up for the DCL video to check it out, you never know if that will trigger a PIN being sent to you.

Check the DCL website for any specials as well, and shop around for OBC (on board credit) that some TAs will give if you book with them. I have found DU (the sponsor of the DCL board here) to have the highest OBC offered. Just go to their site and request a quote. They will also watch for specials for you that will save you money if any promos are announed (and you haven't paid in full yet). You can combine their OBC with a Disney Visa OBC offer.

Once you sail, be sure to re-book a date onboard the ship. You will get 10% off the fare (not including taxes and fees) and DCL usually offers OBC for booking that CAN be combined with your DU OBC if you name DU as your TA at the time you rebook. Don't know when you want to sail for sure? Book a dummy date and you can move the date and still keep the 10% discount and OBC.

We did a 3 night cruise in 2009, rebooked for a 7 night that we did in November and have booked for a future cruise, probably in 2013.

As others have said, the best rates are when you book early....or very last minute. They often have last minute FL resident rates if you can be flexible and make those quick reservations.

Enjoy!

 

[kaseyC]

We are looking to do our first DC in March of next year. I sure hope we get the KSF deal.

So let me make sure I understand. If we book now and rates either go down or the KSF promo comes up, we can adjust our rates. Is that correct?

Who do you guys usually book through? Are there payment plans?

Depending on the Promo, they will not always just adjust your rate. Many promos are for new bookings only, so you will have cancel and rebook. If rates have increased greatly since you booked originally, the promo price could end up being higher than your original booking.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

As others have said, the best rates are when you book early....or very last minute. They often have last minute FL resident rates if you can be flexible and make those quick reservations.

Enjoy!

How do you find out about the last-minute FL resident rates? I live less than 30 minutes from Port Canaveral and we can go at the last minute. I've never been able to find a good deal, though. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places?? Is there a way to have the hot last-minute deals emailed to you?