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!

 

[Minnie1222]

Sorry I have more questions (and many more to come):

Are Breakfast and Lunch served buffet style? Are the tables assigned or can you grab whatever is available?

For dinner, we have to sit in an assigned table with strangers?

 

[Skippyboo]

Sorry I have more questions (and many more to come):

Are Breakfast and Lunch served buffet style? Are the tables assigned or can you grab whatever is available?

For dinner, we have to sit in an assigned table with strangers?

The buffet is open for lunch and dinner. On the Wish, Treasure, Destiny , the CM serve the food in the buffet with other ships are self service. No assigned tables in buffet. That’s only for dinner in the 3 dining rooms

There will also be a dinner room that’s open for breakfast and lunch that you can go to.

You can request a private table for dinner but it’s not a guarantee. It’s quite likely that you will be seated with other people especially if you’re a smaller party.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

The buffet is open for lunch and dinner. On the Wish, Treasure, Destiny , the CM serve the food in the buffet with other ships are self service. No assigned tables in buffet. That’s only for dinner in the 3 dining rooms

There will also be a dinner room that’s open for breakfast and lunch that you can go to.

You can request a private table for dinner but it’s not a guarantee. It’s quite likely that you will be seated with other people especially if you’re a smaller party.

They stopped dinner buffet after covid, at least on the Dream class and classics.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

One dining room is always open for sit down breakfast and lunch, if you prefer that. Which one is open varies but you could look on the app to see which one is open. They would seat you at your own table.

Dinner in your assigned dining room is assigned tables. You get the same table number in all 3 dining rooms. We only share with others when we feel like it which is probably around 10% of the time. Sometimes we feel like chatting with other DCL-loving people. Sometimes we just want to relax and don't feel like small talk.
Our first 10-15 DCL cruises were with our kids and my parents so when we're a group of 6, we prefer our own table. Nowadays, it's usually just the 2 of us so we're more into chatting with others. Do what makes you happy. It's your vacation.

 

[Skippyboo]

They stopped dinner buffet after covid, at least on the Dream class and classics.

That’s a typo on my part. I fixed it.

 

[Mommb]

I don’t think Disney Cruise keeps wait lists for specific cabins, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask. Your best bet is to just keep checking. Some people do switch to larger or smaller cabins before the final payment date (90-120 days in advance).

Dining is a big differentiator for Disney cruises, and while there are room service and quick-service options, they do not offer a lot for dinner. My family wasn’t happy the first time we were unable to get the early dining time, but once we realized there are plenty of snacks available in mid-afternoon, we liked being able to see the earlier show, or just chill in our room after a day ashore, and then go to dinner, rather than rushing to return and change for dinner. We have been happy with late dining ever since.

 

[Minnie1222]

Thank you so much for all your quick replies
I spoke to Disney earlier and they're currently holding my reservation for 24 hours. One thing I didn't understand was the Travel Protection Plan. Is that trip insurance? I booked 90% of our travel and honestly never bought insurance. I'm not worried about flight delays or lost luggage. We have very good health insurance, so I hope they will cover any misfortune.
I'm not sure what the Travel Protection Plan is for, but it sounds like I have to buy it at the time of the deposit (which will happen sometimes today or tomorrow).

Thanks.

 

[Mommb]

Yes, the Disney Cruise Vacation Protection Plan is insurance that will cover if you need to cancel or interrupt the trip for a covered reason (such as illness or natural disaster) or if you have medical expenses during the cruise. Make sure you know whether your insurance will cover care in the locations to which you will be traveling — some US insurance, for example, would not cover treatment for a broken leg in Mexico.

The VPP purchased through Disney Cruise will also provide a credit of 75% of your unreimbused cruise fare to be used on a new cruise over the next year if you cancel for a non-covered reason (such as pet sitter cancellation or best friend’s wedding).

If you are confident you could pay for any trip expenses, then you may not need the insurance.

Unless you are sailing in Concierge or on a restricted fare in which full payment is due at booking, you should be able to add the Disney protection plan at any time before the final payment date, since your cruise is fully refundable until then. You could also shop for insurance from a different company, which may have different costs and amounts of coverage.

 

[Minnie1222]

Update: Very disappointed!

I wanted a 1 or 2-bedroom suite but nothing was available online, so I called earlier and they found a 1-BR. It was great until I saw the email just now. They put us in a ️ accessible cabin. We're not handicapped. We would never take a room from someone who needs it. I called back to ask for another room and they said that's the only one available.

I canceled the reservation

 

[Minnie1222]

There goes my brief interaction with Disney Cruise Line