Placeholder refund?

[cutigress]

So my family took the "trip of a lifetime" in December on the Christmas Fantasy. We had saved for quite a while and seriously had the best trip ever.

We put a $250 placeholder down in hopes that we could return for maybe a summer 2018 trip. Looking at prices that our TA sent us today, I don't see how it's feasible (we do have a kiddo in school and my husband is also a middle school teacher - so "missing a few days of school" is not a possibility). We've hit a couple of financial issues in the last month that hit our savings and I don't see any way we will be able to make it happen. (Sad face!)

I remember them telling me when we booked it, that the money was refundable if we didn't use it. Do we have to wait until the end of the 24 months? Or can we get it back now?

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

So my family took the "trip of a lifetime" in December on the Christmas Fantasy. We had saved for quite a while and seriously had the best trip ever.

We put a $250 placeholder down in hopes that we could return for maybe a summer 2018 trip. Looking at prices that our TA sent us today, I don't see how it's feasible (we do have a kiddo in school and my husband is also a middle school teacher - so "missing a few days of school" is not a possibility). We've hit a couple of financial issues in the last month that hit our savings and I don't see any way we will be able to make it happen. (Sad face!)

I remember them telling me when we booked it, that the money was refundable if we didn't use it. Do we have to wait until the end of the 24 months? Or can we get it back now?

You can get it back now, just have to let your TA know in writing.

 

[Ravenne]

You can get it back any time before the 24 months is up. It'll credit back onto your original form of payment. However, unless you really need that money right now, might I suggest hanging onto the placeholder in case you can use it? They are some really nice perks.

 

[cutigress]

You can get it back any time before the 24 months is up. It'll credit back onto your original form of payment. However, unless you really need that money right now, might I suggest hanging onto the placeholder in case you can use it? They are some really nice perks.

That's true. I don't technically need that money right now... and who knows what will happen. Thanks for the tip.

 

[cheribelle]

You sound like me today. We did the Christmas Fantasy and rebooked in hopes of summer 2018. Prices are not great for the dates we need. We used to travel at the end of august which was cheaper (check into the 8/25 fantasy - big price difference) but we can't with my older ones starting high school and need to go to orientation.
I did book anyway to hold a room (love those aft balconies) but my husband is already saying don't count on it. I'm so sad today. But I will see if in a year, things may change for us.

Right now I'll hold the room and price (already noticed some rooms on that cruise went into GTY).

But check the end of august and see if that works for you. There really was a big difference in costs.

 

[Ravenne]

Just make sure you set a reminder for yourself. When I booked ours, the CM who helped me said I HAD to put in a request for a refund or I'd lose it. Somehow I doubt that, as the paperwork states you automatically get the refund, but why chance it?

 

[cutigress]

You sound like me today. We did the Christmas Fantasy and rebooked in hopes of summer 2018. Prices are not great for the dates we need. We used to travel at the end of august which was cheaper (check into the 8/25 fantasy - big price difference) but we can't with my older ones starting high school and need to go to orientation.
I did book anyway to hold a room (love those aft balconies) but my husband is already saying don't count on it. I'm so sad today. But I will see if in a year, things may change for us.

Right now I'll hold the room and price (already noticed some rooms on that cruise went into GTY).

But check the end of august and see if that works for you. There really was a big difference in costs.

Thanks for sharing the idea. Unfortunately, my husband is a teacher. He reports back to school a week before the kids, and he can't miss that time per his contract. He's an amazing middle school teacher and loves his job, so we stick to the rules so he can keep his job. That means we have to be back by August 6-8ish. If it was just kiddo, we wouldn't mind pulling her out for a few days here or there but we are bound to the standard summer/Christmas/Easter travel time..
I'm not mad at Disney I'd get all the money I could too if I worked in a business. Our daughter told us that she would rather us not take any vacations for 3-4 years if we had to, just to save enough for another Disney cruise. She's 9, by the way.

 

[mort1331]

You can get it back any time before the 24 months is up. It'll credit back onto your original form of payment. However, unless you really need that money right now, might I suggest hanging onto the placeholder in case you can use it? They are some really nice perks.

What perks are there? 1st timer here and was wondering if I should put a place holder down when we go.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

What perks are there? 1st timer here and was wondering if I should put a place holder down when we go.

10% off your future cruise and an on board credit, definitely do it! Enjoy your first cruise, they're highly addictive.

 

[GoofyLovingFamily]

10% off rate and onboard credit except in concierge. Plus 10% deposit on 7 night or longer cruises.

 

[The Fox Menagerie]

10% off rate and onboard credit except in concierge. Plus 10% deposit on 7 night or longer cruises.

We are going on the double dip on 7/9/17. While on board that cruise, I can book a 7 night Mediterranean for August 2018 and get the 10% cruise discount and the 10% deposit, is that correct (plus an onboard credit)? I want to be sure we don't have to cruise again within one year, we just have to book non-concierge while we are on our cruise this year. Thank you very much for the information.

 

[CM Dad]

We are going on the double dip on 7/9/17. While on board that cruise, I can book a 7 night Mediterranean for August 2018 and get the 10% cruise discount and the 10% deposit, is that correct (plus an onboard credit)? I want to be sure we don't have to cruise again within one year, we just have to book non-concierge while we are on our cruise this year. Thank you very much for the information.

Cruises for summer 2018 have been released and can be booked. Looks like there are no Mediterranean cruises in August 2018. The Magic will be cruising Northern Europe/Norway/Iceland during that time.

If there is a summer 2018 cruise you want, I would go ahead and just book it now. When you sail on your 7/19/17 cruise, price the same cruise with the on board booking benefits and see if you can save any money. Its possible that the price of the cruise will have increased in the meantime so that booking now will be the better price. If cheaper onboard, then book there and cancel the original. Note that if you use a TA, then the agent will be that one that has to do the cancelling.

You will have 24 months of the date you make the onboard booking to use it can keep the benefits..

 

[n2mm]

Thanks for the info. My daughter may be in this situation too. Her placeholder expires oct 2018 and her company is moving out of state, after she worked there for 22 years. We have a cruise for September 2017 that is going forward, but that placeholder may never happen within that timeframe. We will hold it, but a cancellation may happen on that placeholder.

 

[AngelDisney]

I put down a placeholder in 2015 while cruising Alaska. I was not planning on cruising in 2017 but did not want to regret and did it anyway. We went to Beijing, Seoul and Hong Kong in 2016. As I was planning a 2017 Japan trip last August (checking hotels, Disneyland Tokyo and flights), DD told me that she had to do her MCAT in the summer of 2017. It is cheaper to go to Japan in early July vs. August. So I changed plan. I used the placeholder and booked a Western Caribbean cruise. I had been thinking of cancelling it and I was glad I hadn't. Unless you need the money right away, hold on to the placeholder for now and things may change.

 

[Ravenne]

What perks are there? 1st timer here and was wondering if I should put a place holder down when we go.

Ditto what others have said.
You need $250 for a placeholder, which gets applied towards your deposit when you go to move it to an actual booking. Deposit will be 10% instead of 20%, so you just pay the difference in that 10%. You get an onboard credit of $100 for cruises 6 nights or less, $200 for 7 night or longer cruises. You also get a 10% discount. Blackout dates apply, but I believe that mostly affects the 10% discount. You still get the other perks. I don't have experience with booking the blackout date cruises with a placeholder so others that do, please correct me if I'm wrong on that.

 

[LSUfan4444]

So my family took the "trip of a lifetime" in December on the Christmas Fantasy. We had saved for quite a while and seriously had the best trip ever.

We put a $250 placeholder down in hopes that we could return for maybe a summer 2018 trip. Looking at prices that our TA sent us today, I don't see how it's feasible (we do have a kiddo in school and my husband is also a middle school teacher - so "missing a few days of school" is not a possibility). We've hit a couple of financial issues in the last month that hit our savings and I don't see any way we will be able to make it happen. (Sad face!)

I remember them telling me when we booked it, that the money was refundable if we didn't use it. Do we have to wait until the end of the 24 months? Or can we get it back now?

It's sad. I sail in May and I'm considering not even booking a placeholder. After looking at the 2018 prices and itineraries, I just can't justify another DCL Cruise. I could do a 7 night on Viking cheaper.

 

[The Fox Menagerie]

Cruises for summer 2018 have been released and can be booked. Looks like there are no Mediterranean cruises in August 2018. The Magic will be cruising Northern Europe/Norway/Iceland during that time.

If there is a summer 2018 cruise you want, I would go ahead and just book it now. When you sail on your 7/19/17 cruise, price the same cruise with the on board booking benefits and see if you can save any money. Its possible that the price of the cruise will have increased in the meantime so that booking now will be the better price. If cheaper onboard, then book there and cancel the original. Note that if you use a TA, then the agent will be that one that has to do the cancelling.

You will have 24 months of the date you make the onboard booking to use it can keep the benefits..

Thank you for this advice. We can go in June or July 2018, I think I must have been looking at the 2017 cruises for August. I will go ahead and book the one that we want and assess the price when we are on board, that is a great suggestion.