How far in advance to book? (?'s from a 1st-cruiser)

[hAm53]

My fiance convinced me to add a 3 night Wonder cruise into our upcoming WDW Wedding and honeymoon. We'll be spending a week in WDW (including the wedding at the Poly), then 3 days on the "Mickey Boat", then another 5 days in WDW.
she fell was totally psyched when she saw the pics of the staterooms w/ the obsturcted porthole". and we'd love to get one of these.
how far in advance should we book? we're sailing sept 8, 2005 (4 days after the wedding and 1 day after my birthday). i see dreams unlimited (who rocks!!!) is running a special where you get 50 bucks back if you book by the end of the month. is this too soon to book?
it seems like you can actually request one of these rooms? how does that work? and are you guarenteed that room?
since its my birthday the day before we leave, i really wanna spend every waking moment in wdw. it seems like the vast majority of people stay near the port the night before. are we shooting ourselves in the foot by leaving wdw that morning?
sorry for all the questions, and i'm sure i'll have a ton more in the future.

~ chris

 

[kcashner]

There is NO downside to booking early. You get your best discounts by booking early "early booking credit." IF by some rare chance DCL discounts the price of your cruise, your cabin, they will refund the difference to you IF YOU REQUEST IT. This is where an excellent TA like DU comes in--they constantly recheck the prices for all their clients. IF DCL raises the price (the price goes up as the ship fills), you have already locked in at the lower rate. If something horrible terrible happens and you have to cancel, you have until 61 days out to get a full refund.

So...the only small downside is that you have tied up your deposit money--small price to pay for the benefits and the wider choice of cabins.

Not sure if by "obstructed porthole" you are referring to the "secret porthole" cabins...but if so, they go fast. The sooner you can book, the better! We all love to get a bargain.

 

[KyCruisinSusan]

And it is also ok to leave WDW the morning of the cruise. It's not that far of a drive and you aren't allowed to enter the terminal until 10:00am and they don't start registration until about 10:30am. So you won't be shooting yourself in the foot if you stay in WDW until the morning of the sailing.

Oh yeah....congradulations on your upcoming marriage.