Is a "budget" WDW Cruise possible? Any ideas to help us plan?

[bedogged]

I think that if you are dead-set on doing a Disney cruise, but want to stick to a budget, your best bet is to bring your own booze. We are planning on taking a bottle of rum in our carry-on the next time around (next week!)

My husband and I went for our honeymoon in 2009 and the drinks were, by far, the most expensive part of the trip. Wait, scratch that. We played WAY too much bingo. Stay away from the bingo!!

Most cruise lines do not allow you to bring your own "booze" aboard. Just a heads up.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Most cruise lines do not allow you to bring your own "booze" aboard. Just a heads up.

DCL actually does allow you to bring your own alcohol on board. It must be carried on, can't be checked with the porters, but you can bring as much as you can carry that will fit through an airport sized scanner.

 

[nilseks]

Just as a cost comparison...we did a land/sea package 5 years ago and paid about $7k. That was with 4 of us but DS was 2 at the time so he was free. DH and I are doing a Carnival cruise in February to the Cayman Islands and Mexico, and cost was less than $1000. Comparable cabin types on both ships, but our land portion was at Poly.

Granted, Carnival is "the Walmart of the Seas" and Disney is much more high-end. Disney has Castaway Cay but that's the only thing that could possibly sway me back to another Disney cruise. Yes it is magical, but Magic has it's price.

I agree with others, if you're really on a budget, doing a few days at Disney and then getting a charter to Port Canaveral for another cruise line is the way to go. Or if you can get over to Tampa, some of Carnival's smaller ships go out of that same port and you can save even more $$$.

 

[bpesch]

I went on the Disney Dream earlier this year with my 78 year old mother. It was a wonderful cruise and although there were lots of kids and families, we didn't really notice. The ship is absolutely beautiful and everything about the cruise was great.

That being said, it's expensive. I don't associate anything Disney cruise wise with "budget". The good thing is that it is possible to know exactly what you're going to pay and stick to it. But in all honesty, if you do anything beyond the cruise and included food, it's going to cost you, a lot.

 

[alluna]

Most cruise lines do not allow you to bring your own "booze" aboard. Just a heads up.

Yep, I am a Disney vacation planner, so I researched this one. Oh, also, I'm headed to the Dream, so I really had to know!! Thankfully, they let you take alcohol on board!~ Must be in your carry-on.

 

[MrsPete]

OP, there are ways to cruise DCL less expensively, and it's a great cruise.

1. Book early, they are rumored to be releasing the 2013 dates in October, keep an eye out and book ASAP. You don't have to pay in full, and the 20% deposit is fully refundable.

2. Book inside GTY. The cabins on DCL are larger than the cabins on other cruise lines, even more so on the older ships (more on that in a sec), so an inside stateroom for a party of 3 is going to be the same size, maybe a bit bigger than a hotel room.

3. Book on the older ships on non-premium itineraries. The Dream is new this year, and is selling out every trip, even the off season trips, the Fantasy will start sailing out of Port Canaveral next year doing the 7 day cruises, and will probably be booked up as well. The more booked a cruise gets, the more expensive it gets. The Wonder is sailing the Mexican Riviera and Alaska cruises, and I think will stay on that itinerary for 2013, but they're not selling like hotcakes, so the cruises are less expensive, this rules out a WDW trip built in, but you can hit Disneyland.

As of right now, we don't know what the Magic will be doing, they're going to be sailing from Galveston and NYC in 2012, but those ports are selling very well and are expensive for the cabins that are left.

4. Do your own excursions. When you do find a trip to book, book your own shore activities, going through the ship gives you a guarantee you won't be left behind, but it also comes at a premium price (this applies to ANY cruise line, not just DCL.)

You're absolutely right in saying that you can use these tips to reduce the cost of a Disney trip . . . but, in all fairness, you can use them on the other, less-expensive lines too. So, even using all these good ideas, the Disney cruise remains about twice the price of the other mass-market lines.

I'll throw out a couple more ways to save on any cruise line:

- After you book, keep watching your prices online. If your prices goes down, call in and ask for a "price match". I've had a price reduction on EVERY cruise I've taken except our Disney cruise and a holiday cruise on Royal. In contrast, if the price goes up, you're already "locked in" at the lower price. So book early -- you have nothing to lose.

- On that note, avoid holidays. You'll pay a premium price AND the ship'll be packed. I sailed once on Thanksgiving and will not do it again.

- While you're watching for a price reduction, keep an eye on the cabins a step up /step down from your choice. Not long ago I booked six of us into two connecting oceanviews, but a price drop came along for balcony rooms -- I was able to move us to three balcony rooms and my bill went down.

- Do buy cruise insurance, but don't buy it from the cruise line. They'll sell you a full package that'll cover you for medical, evacuation, travel interruption, and maybe more -- it's all they offer. I know that my medical will pay outside the US (I'd have to pay up front, but I'd be reimbursed). We drive ourselves to the port, so we don't need to worry about missing a flight /them losing our bags. We JUST want accident & evacuation insurance (because if a medical emergency happened, it could cost 50K or more for us to be evacuated back to the US). If you go with a private insurer, you can get JUST what you want. For our family, this cuts the cost of insurance by about 80%.

- Be sure to bring along all the over-the-counter meds, sunscreen, disposable cameras, etc. that you're likely to use. Not only are these very expensive onboard, the stores aren't always open.

- Unless you drink soda non-stop, don't buy the over-priced soda package (for one thing, it's watered-down fountain soda). Instead, bring a few screw-tops from home or buy cans one at at time. Disclaimer: We do buy the soda package for our teenaged daughters. They spend time in the teen club, and we emphasize the importance of keeping one's drink in sight. We don't want them to feel forced to drink a soda that was out of their sight for even a moment; but this isn't a financial choice.

- This last tip really isn't about budgeting; rather, it's about value for your dollar: All rooms aren't created equal. Some Disney ships have a couple "obstructed view" rooms that give natural light, yet cost the same as an inside room. On Royal Caribbean, the aft cabins have balconies literally the size of the stateroom, yet they cost the same as any other balcony. Also, a few rooms on Royal are balconies connected to oceanviews; many parents like to book these connectors for themselves & their children. How does one reserve one of these coveted rooms? Be first! You have to know what you want and watch for the dates to open because these few coveted rooms go fast. No, this tip won't save you a penny, but it'll get you a better room for the same price.


One more thing that's essential for budgeting:

Always plan to arrive in your port city a day ahead of your cruise. We have always sailed on Sundays, so we drive to Florida on Saturday. We have a nice dinner, stay in an inexpensive hotel, sleep late the next morning, and are among the first to board. It's less stessful than facing a long drive the day of embarkation, but it's also cheap insurance: If your flight were delayed or you had car trouble, you could literally miss the ship. You MUST be in the terminal 1.5-2 hours before sailing -- it's a homeland security law -- and unless you're a local, too many things can happen that could prevent you from arriving on time.

Many driving cruisers like to choose a hotel that offers free parking for the duration of their cruise (Port Canaveral is great for this). You park at the hotel, ride their shuttle to the terminal, and you save the $15 or so a day that the cruise terminal charges you to park. This makes your pre-cruise hotel "free".

 

[usd2bmd]

I agree with several other posters...DCL are much more expensive. We just came back from a 7 day cruise on Carnival, we took DD15. We had a balcony room and for the three of us we paid just over $2100. this included tips as we paid them ahead of time. my husband priced out a Disney cruise and it wass $5000 for only two of us for the same room type. If you are really trying to do it on a budget, I suggest trying a different cruise line. If you are doing shore excursions not booked through the cruise line, be careful. I have heard stories of them going both ways, good and bad. We are not big drinkers so it is not a problem that alcohol is extra, we just don't drink much. Carnival, I am aware has somewhat of a reputation as being a lowend cruise line, but we were very happy with it and did not have problems.

 

[Jey12]

It depends on your budget and what you mean by low cost. Last year we did a 4 day Bahama on the Wonder, stayed at a hotel the night before the cruise, then stayed at the nick hotel and went to magic kingdom one day and universal the next day all after the cruise. Our total price for 2 adult and 1 child for the cruise, 3 nights of hotels (nick was super expensive IMO, especially for what it is) Magic Kingdom, and a park hopper to both universal parks for one day, plus airfare and ground transportation and we didn't spend over $3400 total. My suggestion is find a 4 day early after 2013 dates are released on the Magic if she is still going to do a cruise or two there.

Try to book a date off season. September is a good month due to hurricane chances. We actually went between 2 large hurricanes during our trip and thankfully I don't get sea sick so I pretty much had an empty ship to enjoy the night the waves were the worst. The weather was beautiful so I couldn't complain about some waves.

To get the most out of the ship if you go to the bahamas either don't get off the ship at the Nassau port (I won't ever do this again) if you want to explore hop off for an hour or two, honestly that's probably all you'll need. Get back on the ship and enjoy while most people are gone.

If you want an alcoholic drink bring it with you or buy it before you board. You can bring your own booze onboard, just no more than can fit into a carry on bag. It must be in a bag of some sorts. You have full access to a few juice drinks and sodas if you want to mix your own. Bring some big tuff plastic cups from home and fill them with a complimentary beverage of choice so you don't have to run back and forth to the drink station all day. Food is plentiful so no worries there. You will not go hungry. We had some extra snacks the kids had picked up on the ship and we used these as snacks in the park after the cruise.

Normally Disney gives you at least $25 on board credit to use on the ship, if you book through an approved travel agent sometimes they will match this amount. So there's $50 for gifts.

As for your knee you'll need to request a handicapped room, book an inside stateroom. You won't be in there but to sleep. If you're low key adults and don't wish to hit the clubs all night Disney is just fine for you. After 9pm the ship is all but deserted and you can lounge and enjoy peace on the open decks. If you cruise on the older ships there's a deck on the aft side of deck 7 I believe that no one seems to know about, the door is between the aft staircases. I spent quite a few hours out there reading while my 4 year old napped. No one ever came out and joined us. Be very careful when walking, just the normal sway of the ship can throw you off balance. The entire ship from what I remember is handicapped accessible, except for the pools.

As for the shows being G rated and family friendly, that's probably one of the reasons you enjoy Disney. These are high quality shows and nothing like you are going to see on another line. I have found from friends that cruised on other lines after they were nickle and dimed with soda, different meal plans and other odds and ends they really weren't saving that much on another line.

Tips and gratuities are not included but they are minimal. We always tip more, the service deserves the extra. The adult only areas were wonderful and peaceful. You could not have convinced me our ship had over 800 kids on it and was at capacity. The only times I felt crowded on this ship was at the sail away and pirate deck parties, as well as the mickey pool on the at sea day.

Do not miss a minute of Castaway Cay. No children are allowed near there. The adult area is one of the most amazing areas I have ever seen. Food on the island is plentiful and there's plenty of character meets and entertainment as well. If you go to the far end of the beach early it's not near as crowded and all but the beach would be easily accessed by a scooter. The beaches are fairly flat, and depending on your knee condition at the time you should be able to get to the water if you wish.

If you book towards the end of September you can pick a time where you attend the halloween party at magic kingdom. The ticket price for this is cheaper than a full day ticket and you can be in the park from 4pm (so far, the ticket says 7pm) until midnight. The shows, parade and fireworks are awesome and we experienced very short or no lines for many of the popular rides. Not enough time to see all of the park but you get a good dose of extra magic. Look at the budget boards for many great ways to save at the parks.

It can be done. After our experience I feel the service we received, the shows, the food and the cruise itself was way worth the price. If the Disney service isn't that important to you and you just want to cruise then at least check out other lines. Kids or no kids I doubt we'll ever sail any line except Disney.

 

[leight]

Op- congrats!

We have done RCL 2x on one of the mega ships, and older carnival 3 day trip & a 3 day Disney Wonder Cruise.

We did the DCL with another family and because it was kids sail free. My two girls were 12 & 10 at the time. We only get inside rooms because we are just not in the room that much and not having a window doesn't bother us. Supposedly the rooms were a bit bigger on DCL but honestly I felt RCL was better organized so they I didn't feel DCL was a bigger room. The food and service was very good and PALO is a must! Well worth the extra money- budget for it for sure. The ship was lovely and their island was great. THe shows were wonderful. I loved bringing my own wine onto DCL- but there were corkage fees if you bring it to dinner. For us- the adult activities were a bit lacking after 10pm and we missed the variety of activities that a RCL mega ship provides. If we didn't have another couple to hang out with- we would not have enjoyed it as much. But only you can determine the value of what each ship/cruiseline offers.

We adored RCL's mega ships because we like the different activities- many of which are sports related for dh. I like the several different options that were available for me such as wine tasting and cooking lessons. There are many later activities for adults such as 'adult comedy', kareoke, a piano bar, and well planned adult games on RCL. (disney had a few but not as many options- and they ended well before 11pm and conflicted with the shows). There are different bar options throughout as well as the casino (we're not big gamblers-so usually average only an hour the whole cruise) Also, we loved the variety of shows on RCL- vegas like shows, comedy & singing and they were all great (not like the amateur hour we experienced on the carnival elation). RCL also has late nite parties on the deck as well as dancing clubs. For us, late night activities are what we look for on the cruise as our girls are in the kids club late nites and we get some date time alone that we don't have at home.

As a PP said- a great resource is cruise critics. We found a much less expensive way to enjoy Atlantis than with the Disney cruise excursion. But I am careful not to go to many areas without the cruise line-Jamaica for example- I don't like walking on my own with machine gun- armed guards walking on the streets.

DCL was much more expensive even with kids sail free we paid $2100 for 3 days on DCL and $1800 on a 5 night cruise with RCL- and that's with two rooms on RCL. So for us RCL is the way to go. DO your research, weigh your options and have a great trip!

 

[bdink921]

The times you are able to cruise are premium for all lines -- summer vacation. I have to echo checking into other lines as other posters have suggested. RCCL and CCL also sail out of PC in the summer. We had a great experience on Carnival for a 7 night cruise. It was so inexpensive we added on a couple of nights at the Poly and had a great time. To me it was the best of both worlds -- got my Disney fix and we were able to book some great excursions on the islands we visited. It was by far our favorite family vacation ever -- we love cruising!!! We've been on 2 Disney cruises and loved them but -- this last 4 nighter cost more than our 7 night Carnival cruise + the 2 nights we spent at the Poly -- just sayin .

 

[MaleficentRN]

Y/

- Unless you drink soda non-stop, don't buy the over-priced soda package (for one thing, it's watered-down fountain soda). Instead, bring a few screw-tops from home or buy cans one at at time. Disclaimer: We do buy the soda package for our teenaged daughters. They spend time in the teen club, and we emphasize the importance of keeping one's drink in sight. We don't want them to feel forced to drink a soda that was out of their sight for even a moment; but this isn't a financial choice.

Fountain soda is free on Disney cruises.

I want to reiterate that you have to book out as far out as you can. I was priced out of the Easter cruise I wanted because DH dragged his feet. I picked a date that is a month later, but in my price range. Put down that deposit. You can change it if need be.
I found a travel agent through cruisecompete. You put in what cruise you want and how many people are sailing and agents will email you their price and on board credit offer. I got free insurance and a nice on board credit that will cover my tips and Palo dinner!

 

[StuckInKS]

I really, REALLY want to do a DCL cruise, but unless we catch a kids free deal, it isn't going to happen. With that deal, we'd still have to pay for 2 of our kids, but it bring the cost down significantly (esp since they want us to pay $500 for an infant and a toddler for 4 nights ). The cheapest cruise I could find for Fed, March, April or May was May 14th (DD's 9th b-day ) for $4062. This was for a 4-day cruise with two outside rooms. There were inside rooms available, but for some reason they were more than the outside ones . There was also a 3-day cruise that month, but it was more expensive.

So, I checked RC and the cheapest they had was a 4-day cruise in Feb. I choose two outside rooms just to compare apples to apples and the total was $2,460 for all of us. We could save a little more by doing inside rooms. That would be comparable to what are total would be with a kids free DCL promo. I know one is in Feb and one in May, but I did check DCL for Feb and all of their cruises would be more expensive than the May one. These are all Bahama crusies BTW.

Also, a 4-day cruise for 8 people in 2 staterooms on Carnival would be $1675. Anyone had good experiences with them?