Disney Cruises

[carnival kid]

We have been to DL twice and are planning to go again in 2014.

This time i would LOVE to add a Disney cruise to this trip... but..... they are so expensive.

Any tips on how to get them a bit cheaper?????

And for anybody who has been lucky enough to go on one would love to hear you thoughts (good or bad) about them.

Any info greatly apreciated

 

[Kangarucci]

Do it!
They are fantastic!

 

[alicia1506]

haven't been, but had a 2012 cruise planned & paid for that we had to cancel, and now have 2013 & 2014 cruises booked & paid for.

i look at the price as comparable to accom, dining & entertainment costs for the same length of time on land. eg my upcoming trip is costing me $1480pp for a 7 night cruise. roughly $210/night for accomodation, all i can eat, theatre shows, character interactions, nightclub, entertainment, access to spas, shops etc. comparing that to the mainland attractions and it works out pretty similarly

having said that, disney does offer some deals. right now, the following are available:

Enjoy great rates on select sailings in January 2013 from the new Disney Cruise Line departure port of Miami, Florida! Rates start at just $399 per person, based on double occupancy for 4-night Bahamian cruises and $499 per person, based on double occupancy for 5-night Western Caribbean cruises.

For a limited time, kids ages 17 and under sail FREE when traveling with 2 full-fare Guests in the same stateroom on select sailings departing from Galveston, Texas. Taxes and Fees not included.

For a limited time, kids ages 17 and under sail FREE when traveling with 2 full-fare Guests in the same stateroom on select sailings departing from Miami, Florida. Taxes and Fees not included.

also, if you book with a travel agent, sometimes they offer 'on board credit' which is essentially free money added to your shipboard account that you can use to spend on ANYTHING on board, ie paying your tips, spa activities, buying items in the shops, playing bingo, port adventures etc.

disney doesn't usually offer sales on the cruises. but also remember that the newer ships do have a slightly higher price than the older ships because they are newer, offer newer and nicer amenities, new features (better kids clubs, nemo's reef, aquaduck and aqualab etc)


hope this helps

 

[becpee]

We're lucky enough to have been on one Disney cruise and have another booked.
I've never been on any other cruise line though, so have nothing to compare it to.
We loved the ship (The Fantasy), loved the facilities on board, Our DS loved the kids club, the food was great.
We weren't too worried about the shore excursions, we all pretty much just loved the ship itself LOL
We've booked the Eastern Caribbean for May2014, yes it is a bit pricier than other cruiselines, but for how much we enjoyed our last cruise, we're willing to pay for it.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I haven't been on my Fantasy cruise yet, but I have been on 3 other non-Disney cruises before. It's such a wonderful way to travel.

With Disney, the cruises are much more affordable if you take a gamble and travel in the hurricane season.

I'm cruising in September and was initially weighing up between The Fantasy, RCI Oasis, or any cruise to Alaska. At that time of the year, Disney was coming up as no more expensive than either of the other two options.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

We have been on 1, 5 night it wasnt long enough, the kids. it and they are desperate to do another one and dont want to try any other cruise line, at the moment we are looking at a 4 night one but I am hoping we can do a B2B and make it 9 nights. Last time a special came out and we rearranged things to take it 2 weeks before we left on our trip and am so glad we did, I think when you are looking at the price you need to remember what it includes.

 

[zanzibar138]

I haven't done one, but it's definitely on my to-do list!

I've seen some great prices if you book at the last minute. Unfortunately it's not always practical for us Aussies though I saw a 14-day trans-Atlantic one for $599 once! I was about ready to book flights but it was for travel in 2 weeks and I was unable to get time off work with such short notice. Flights can be expensive if you book at the last minute too.

As others have said I think you can get good prices in hurricane season, but I personally wouldn't want to risk it if it's something I'm only going to do once.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

I was reading the cruise board last night some people were recommending cruisecompete.com I signed up and the quotes I have had have a really good amount of OBC much more than normal so I think I will use one of the company's that quoted!

 

[Marlea98]

We've cruised twice, once on P&O and then on DCL. I'd choose Disney over P&O any day. For us the cruise cost was about the same but we got a verandah room on Disney for about the same as we paid for an outside porthole room on the other. In addition all our snacks and soft drinks were free (from the drinks station) on Disney which the kids loved, they could go and get an ice cream or drink whenever they wanted rather than having to have us buy them on on thd P&O. And Disney was less of a party boat so we felt comfortable letting our kids being able to walk about on their own.