how to afford a Disney cruise

[Texans_loyal]

Hey guys!

I was just wondering, how do y'all afford a Disney cruise?
compared to other cruises, it seems super expensive.
I have mastered going to the parks for cheap but it seems like you can't cut corners when it comes to the cruises.
any advice would be great

 

[Otimon]

You can cut corners on the cruise depending on which category you choose, what you decide to buy or not buy, cutting down or eliminating alcohol drinks, choosing or not choosing an excursion, etc. May take a little longer to save for a Disney cruise but the wait will be worth it!

 

[darnheather]

For us it was just a little more than six days at the parks in the resort I like to stay at with free dining in off season.

 

[dcassetta]

The least expensive rates are usually found on the opening day of booking. Keep an eye on the boards here and you'll know when that's coming. It tends to be less expensive to sale when schools are out, and during hurricane season. You can also sometime save money with specials at a particular ports, Disney has occasionally offered some discounts out of Galveston. You might also look for fares that are close to the sailing date, these guaranteed, or GT, fares can be a good deal. If your family is military, there are also sometimes discounts for military families.

 

[Jennifer777]

Go off season and wait for a GT room rate or book opening day. Another thing we do to help a little with the cost is pay for our whole cruise with gift cards purchased from Sam's Club, which are an almost 5% discount. Then we upload them into a Disney Vacation Account to get another $20 for every $1,000 we spend. Mostly, we afford it because we have just chosen to make travel, including Disney cruises a priority for our family. Now that we've made that choice, we look for ways to spend less elsewhere so we can afford to travel. We drive older, used cars, we don't finance anything other than our house so we aren't paying interest to the banks or credit card companies, we haven't had cable in over a decade and we cut corners where we can, planning meals at home instead of eating out, clipping coupons and using rebate apps like Ibotta. It all adds up to help fund our travel. We also put all our purchases and bills on an airline miles card (paying it off in full each month) so we usually get at least a couple of our airline tickets for pretty close to free each year.

 

[Jillywilly143]

I did a few things to afford mine.

1. I watched and watched until I found a cruise within my budget that was long enough for me to feel like it was worth it.
2. I booked through Costco and am getting $180 back in Costco gift cards.
3. I bought Target gift cards through Raise and turned them into Disney gift cards. This saved about 11%.
4. Disney lets you pay interest-free, and I booked over a year in advance.
5. I chose a cruise that I can fly to, but can rent a car to drive home from.
6. I am flying into Seattle and used cc points. It was $5.65 a ticket. I also used points for my Seattle hotel.

All in all, this cruise will be about as expensive as any other vacation I go on.

 

[cosnit]

Jillywilly143, how long ago did you do step 3 above? Can you still use Target gift cards to buy Disney gift cards?

 

[Kuzcotopia1]

Start saving!

 

[Pooh2]

We booked Alaska in May vs June, saving $1,000 on the same room category. Book early and make monthly payments. Book with a travel agent for onboard credit. Book a cheap room category. Do some research for doing excursions on your own.

 

[Jillywilly143]

Jillywilly143, how long ago did you do step 3 above? Can you still use Target gift cards to buy Disney gift cards?

It's been a couple of weeks. I think you can.

 

[ludari]

My vacation days are flexible so I've always cruised during the slower cruise season but the savings seem to be less and less with each passing year. I also always try to purchase a cruise as soon as it's released to get the best rate/category. Once on the ship I always book a place holder for a future cruise to save 10% and for additional shipboard credit. As a solo cruiser my only complaint would be the lack of a single supplement discount like other cruise lines but I know that going in so it's not a real surprise.

 

[livie1205]

Just save ... They make it pretty easy to book a year out and just pay on it . We normally pay around 2200.00 for 3 but because we budget all year we could just pay for it but we book in advance and pay on it and go at least once a year ( in May ) . We are a one income family but still manage to make it work .

 

[wcw57]

how do I pay for a Disney cruise?

well, let's just say that I miss my first born son........

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

but it seems like you can't cut corners when it comes to the cruises.

One thing to keep in mind when you look at that cruise fare is it includes everything. Unless you want alcohol or a spa package or to do excursions that's all you'll pay. I save money buy always going an inside stateroom and cruising in the off season (February and September being my top choices). I buy gift cards when target runs promotions and use my RedCard to get 5% off. One thing I did this year is they did a deal where it was 10% off Target gift cards. I bought those then used those to buy Disney gift cards at Target. So 10% off my cruise right there. In addition, I use my Disney Visa to get cashback and I pay it in full every month (unless like right now where I have a trip booked on it and I'm making payments). That way I'm getting 1-2% back of what I spend in a Disney gift card. We had a 250 gift card for our last cruise which covered half of one of our fares for a short 4 night Bahamian. Also, I told my family members that I felt comfortable asking years ago to stop buying me Christmas/ birthday gifts and just give me a Disney gift card instead so I can save. They're happy to get the pressure of picking a gift off their back and I get something I really really love!

compared to other cruises, it seems super expensive.

One thing I'll say to be weary about with other cruise lines is that there are a lot of hidden fees in my experience, and not so with Disney. We are taking an RC cruise this April and I think it'll probably be our last non Disney cruise. The fare started out at about $290 a person. They raised it to $380 a person because I wanted to use credit card rewards and couldn't have any other discounts. Then I found that unlike Disney, their advertised rates don't include fees, taxes, etc. So that added another $80 per person. We 're up to $469 per person now which is approaching what Disney charges for the same cruise if we were willing to go in Feb instead of April (which we would be). If we didn't have what is essentially buy one get one free with my mom's RC credit card (which she is done using after this fiasco- rather just earn Disney dollars) I'd cancel this cruise and go through Disney instead. As it stands, it's only going to be about 469 for both of us plus we get a 150 stateroom credit because of our credit card rewards so why not? I've been on one RC cruise before though and I had a nice time.

 

[Sytrace]

1. Sail in the off season when the prices are a bit less if you can. We love September the most
2. I buy discounted Target cards on Cardpool and then turn around and purchase Disney cards at full value for less. For example, I just bought 150.00 worth of Target gift cards for 142.50. Then I purchased $150.00 in Disney cards for $142.50 at Target.com and did not pay for shipping. Every little bit adds up. I put all of my Disney gift cards onto 1 card up to $1,000.00 each and use those to put on my onboard account to pay for excursions, drinks, etc. Anything that is not used goes back onto the GC. Sometimes I just go into Target and buy a few hundred dollars worth at a time for the discount. But if I have time, I buy them via Cardpool.
3. We don't have cable so that cuts down about $120.00 a month in useless expenses for us, which I turn around and use to put into my vacation account.
4. I am a TA, so my commissions go back into my travel account as well.
3. The prices change based on category, length of cruise and destination. Also if it is a special cruise (like Star Wars Days at Sea) or such the prices tend to go up.
4. Book either as far ahead as a year or try and get those GT rates closer to the sail date. The IGT, OGT and VGT rates are actually pretty close to opening day prices anyway, but you don't get to choose your cabin. And it is a restricted fare so there are all kinds of rules on those. For example, must be paid in full on booking (as they are usually offered after the PIF date for that sailing), you will get a cabin in any of those areas you selected but you just don't know where on the ship it will be and you don't choose. But the flip side is that you might end up with a cabin that is a better category than you would have chosen. We did that on our January cruise and we were quite pleased with what we ended up with. So much so, that now we choose that cabin for our cruises. lol
5. Look at your expenses and see if there is anything you can cut out of it.Some friends of mine were Starbucks fans, but then decided to try Dunkin Donuts and have never gone back. That might be taking it a bit far though if you are a Starbucks kind of person.

It is affordable, you just have to figure out what your family's needs and travel wants are and then go from there. There are some on here that sail in Inside cabins and some that swear by Concierge...and everything in between. Decide what you want and you will do fine!

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

It is affordable, you just have to figure out what your family's needs and travel wants are and then go from there.

Very good point! This was something I struggled with. I was just in the habit of doing certain things, like shopping at a certain grocery store or going to the movies on Friday nights. When I started getting more frugal to save for Disney I realized I didn't really care what grocery store I shopped at and I could save like 20% if not more on groceries by shopping around and that the dollar theater near my house is the best invention since sliced bread! Now I look at everything it terms of Disney dollars before I make a purchase- if something costs $30 I think "What could $30 buy me at Disney?" If I'd rather have that than the thing I'm considering purchasing I don't buy it!

 

[Texans_loyal]

The least expensive rates are usually found on the opening day of booking. Keep an eye on the boards here and you'll know when that's coming. It tends to be less expensive to sale when schools are out, and during hurricane season. You can also sometime save money with specials at a particular ports, Disney has occasionally offered some discounts out of Galveston. You might also look for fares that are close to the sailing date, these guaranteed, or GT, fares can be a good deal. If your family is military, there are also sometimes discounts for military families.

Thank you! i live an hour away from galveston, will keep an eye out.

 

[Disneybridewifemama]

For me-I always try and book opening day for the cheapest rates. We settle for inside rooms to cut costs and usually try and do excursions on our own to cut back from DCL prices. We don't do the specialty dining, FE exchanges and don't spend much on alcohol since Disney always allowed us to bring our own on. Now that has changed and I'm super bummed.
We always bring princess dresses from home rather than buying on board, same goes for little souvenirs. I find great deals on Disney store online sales/amazon and sneak them in the suitcase and surprise my daughter. She has no idea/no concern over where they came from and it saves us a lot of money in the gift shop!
We also travel during the school year when rates are lower. My daughter has projects she does on the airplane for school and missing a week has never been a big deal. DCL prices usually make us have to space our vacations out more to be able to save up for them, but in the end it is ALWAYS worth it. We did a Disney cruise when our daughter was 4,6 and have one booked for when she'll be 8. Totally worth every extra penny for Disney!

Happy cruise shopping!

 

[Texans_loyal]

how do I pay for a Disney cruise?

well, let's just say that I miss my first born son........

that's exactly how it feels

 

[Disneybridewifemama]

Hey guys!

I was just wondering, how do y'all afford a Disney cruise?
compared to other cruises, it seems super expensive.
I have mastered going to the parks for cheap but it seems like you can't cut corners when it comes to the cruises.
any advice would be great

Honestly, We've cruised both Royal Caribbean and Princess and the difference is that once on board with Disney, you aren't nickel and dimed for every little thing. Even the photographers don't hound you the way they do on other lines.

I've always gone with the motto that "you get what you pay for". DCL has proven this to me in many ways.