Full Payment Required Early

[GTPilot]

Good evening guys. I am trying to book a cruise on the Disney Fantasy for their July 7th sailing and my TA is stating that full payment is due now rather than the usual 75 days out. I've never been on a Disney cruise before and was wondering if this was normal for them to require this for certain cruises. I appreciate any insight anyone can provide.

 

[firsttimemom]

I got an email from a TA (one I used a looong time ago) about some special pricing on July sailings. I checked DCL's website and saw these restrictions:

• New bookings only. Existing reservations cannot be modified to these new categories.
• You are reserving a stateroom within the selected stateroom type: Inside, Oceanview or Verandah.
• Disney Cruise Line will assign your specific stateroom at a later time, based on availability.
• Full payment is required at the time of booking for all Guests and is non-refundable.
• Sail date and stateroom category changes are not permitted.
• The stateroom offer cannot be combined with any other discounted or promotional offer.
• Full legal names of all Guests are required at time of booking and no name changes are allowed.

there may be other categories available w/o these restrictions, but the price savings are pretty sweet. Just a matter of how certain you are about your travel party/dates and if you're comfortable with guarantee status.

 

[mmouse37]

Good evening guys. I am trying to book a cruise on the Disney Fantasy for their July 7th sailing and my TA is stating that full payment is due now rather than the usual 75 days out. I've never been on a Disney cruise before and was wondering if this was normal for them to require this for certain cruises. I appreciate any insight anyone can provide.

That particular cruise is a "last minute discounted" cruise price so has special restrictions.

You can find all the info for these types of discounts below. A regular rate cruise finaly payment is usually due 75 days out.

In January 2011, Disney will begin offering a new way to save if you are flexible about your stateroom location and willing to book "last minute," meaning 21-75 days prior to departure.

When offered, new "Restricted" room categories be offered on select sailings at the discretion of Disney Cruise Line operations. If offered, here’s what you will see online:

Inside Stateroom with Restrictions (GTY IGT)

Oceanview Stateroom with Restrictions (GTY OGT)

Verandah Stateroom with Restrictions (GTY VGT)

These categories may provide a great rate if you are flexible with your stateroom location, but as the name suggests, they are heavily restricted, with a lot of rules.

Important details you need to know:

You will not be able to select a stateroom number or make special requests as to stateroom location. The stateroom is assigned at the discretion of Disney Cruise Line within a week of cruise departure. The only guarantee will be Inside, Outside or Verandah (based on the bookable category code listed).

Applies to new bookings only. Existing reservations cannot be modified to these new categories.

Full payment is due at time of booking. Booking holds are not permitted.

Reservation is non-refundable.

Reservation and applied payment are non-transferable.

Full legal names and birthdates for all stateroom occupants are required at time of booking.

Name changes after the reservation number is confirmed will not be permitted.

Sail date, stateroom category and cruise itinerary changes are not permitted once a reservation number is confirmed.

Not combinable with any discount or promotional offers, with the exception of $25 onboard credit for bookings made online and Disney Visa benefits.

The “Verandah Stateroom with Restrictions” category allows for a maximum of four stateroom occupants.

Restrictions and booking rules are subject to change.

So in this instance your TA is correct that full payment is due when you book. Just make sure you are going on this cruise as there are no refunds.....I would also suggest taking out travel insurance.

For whatever reason Disney is offering this July cruises at discounted rates (well discounted is a relative term as we are paying less than these discounted rates because we booked the first day the booking opened)...but they still a good deal compared to the rest of the summer.

MJ

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I got an email from a TA (one I used a looong time ago) about some special pricing on July sailings. I checked DCL's website and saw these restrictions:

• New bookings only. Existing reservations cannot be modified to these new categories.
• You are reserving a stateroom within the selected stateroom type: Inside, Oceanview or Verandah.
• Disney Cruise Line will assign your specific stateroom at a later time, based on availability.
• Full payment is required at the time of booking for all Guests and is non-refundable.
• Sail date and stateroom category changes are not permitted.
• The stateroom offer cannot be combined with any other discounted or promotional offer.
• Full legal names of all Guests are required at time of booking and no name changes are allowed.

there may be other categories available w/o these restrictions, but the price savings are pretty sweet. Just a matter of how certain you are about your travel party/dates and if you're comfortable with guarantee status.

This is for the last-minute restricted (IGT, OGT, & VGT) categories. I don't know it that's what the OP is looking into.

I do know that certain "special" cruises have earlier final payment dates. As to what makes a cruise be "special" I don't know.

 

[GTPilot]

Thanks so much for your help. I guess I did a poor job of researching the DCL website before asking the question. That does help explain the lower pricing though.

 

[mmouse37]

Thanks so much for your help. I guess I did a poor job of researching the DCL website before asking the question. That does help explain the lower pricing though.

Not at all......the quotes above are from a TA email and from a previous thread on here discussing the discounts. There really is not that much info on these rates at the DCL site. You would have to actually go through the quote process to see if one of those IGT, OGT or VGT categories were available and then it would give you the restrictions. They are not offered on every cruise...only when DCL is trying to fill a ship....

MJ

 

[mmouse37]

This is for the last-minute restricted (IGT, OGT, & VGT) categories. I don't know it that's what the OP is looking into.

I do know that certain "special" cruises have earlier final payment dates. As to what makes a cruise be "special" I don't know.

I am pretty sure he is talking about the last minute discounts for their July cruise....i got a similar email and it specifically lists IGT, OGT, VGT.

MJ

 

[ravensilverlight]

This is for the last-minute restricted (IGT, OGT, & VGT) categories. I don't know it that's what the OP is looking into.

I do know that certain "special" cruises have earlier final payment dates. As to what makes a cruise be "special" I don't know.

From what I've heard, the "special" cruises that require earlier paid-in-full dates are mostly repositioning ones - Panama Canal, Transatlantic, etc. Haven't booked one myself, but just what I've heard. Perhaps another poster can confirm this?

 

[lark]

All 4 of the Fantasy July cruises now have IGT/OGT/VGT pricing. (They just added it to the July 14 cruise yesterday.) As noted above, when you book these categories, there are restrictions.

But you don't have to book these categories. You can still book one of these cruises in the standard categories and for reserved staterooms, which don't require full payment until April. They just aren't as inexpensive.