Potential first time cruiser 🛳

[Minnie1222]

Hello,
Do many guests cancel/modify their cabins on a Disney cruise? How far in advance do they typically do this? I am interested in booking but the cabins I want are currently unavailable.

Thank you.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

It's very random. We've cruised DCL 32 times. The only time I've ever cancelled was my April 2026 cruise on the Treasure. I cancelled a few days before the final payment due date because beyond that date, there are financial penalties to cancel and at that time I was not 100% certain I could cruise.

Oh wait, we did cancel a cruise the day of the cruise when a huge tree fell on our house in 2016.

When are you looking to cruise? Sometimes they have special restricted way of booking closer to the cruise date where you don't get to choose the specific cabin, in exchange for a pretty good discount. You simply choose the type: inside, outside, verandah. You must pay in full at time of booking and they don't allow any name changes. We have done that a few times, as recently as October.

I prefer to book early and choose our cabin. We also strongly prefer early dining and that is usually sold out when booking closer to the cruise date.

 

[Minnie1222]

When are you looking to cruise?

We only have a 10-day window this September when both our kids are free. It would be fun to try a cruise. Maybe I'll call tomorrow to see if they have a wait list for specific cabins?

 

[Minnie1222]

We also strongly prefer early dining and that is usually sold out when booking closer to the cruise date.

Are there other options to eat if we don't choose a dining time?

 

[hardcorestitch]

Are there other options to eat if we don't choose a dining time?

Lots of room service selections to enjoy! You can order up hamburgers, fries and lots of tasty bites… even Mickey shaped ice cream! Most of those items are at no extra cost to you, however some items like alcoholic beverages, canned Coke, specialty drinks and other items will have extra costs as indicated in the room service menu. If you don’t feel like going to rotational dining for instance, you have the option to order from the room service menu!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Are there other options to eat if we don't choose a dining time?

There are also several places to eat on the pool deck. The regular buffet, available for breakfast and lunch, is not available for dinner.
You will be assigned to late dining by default. You can sometimes change to early dining but it sells out every cruise so it's a matter of early planning.
The dinners are much better quality food and it's usually a fun experience, even for kids, so I would not want to miss out on the main dining room for an entire cruise. It's part of what you're paying for.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I recently changed my cruise date right before my pay in full date. I had a good room too on my original cruise, so it popped up for someone!