Quick question before booking...

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Hi!
As our date is close to opening for booking (1st week of June 2005- we've decided on this date so as to not interfere with school AND our youngest would be almost 5- therefore she could go to 3-4 group or 5-7 group with her older brother- whichever works best for her at that time... we'll see...)- I have some questions I need help with before booking please!

I'm leaning towards either 2 connecting navigators verandah rooms OR 1 bedroom cat 3.

Question: is the navigators verandah big porthole really OPEN? I thought it was- since I had read mention of not being as windy as a normal verandah.. but then I read somewhere else a description of it as being a big GLASS porthole. Does that mean it's really just a see-through glass? Or is it really open? Please let me know!

Question: Do you find you get the best rates through DCL (online or call them?) or through a TA or allseastravel or ??? Which way would you recommend to get the best price? And if you call DCL (say for instance to book cat 3) -where do you find the # to do so?

When you book- can you try and request certain staterooms in the cat you are booking? I ask because if we go with navigator verandah rooms... I'd really prefer to be on deck 5 (I believe- would have to check the website again to be sure) near the kids clubs and such... which I'm sure others would also like so they might be harder to get? So if you book early enough- can you try to get requested rooms? Or do they just give you whatever and you try to change it later?

Last question: if you book by phone- will they need the deposit amount right then like by credit card or something? Or give you a specific amount of time to mail deposit pymt? I ask because with 5 of us our deposit would be over $1000 and my credit cards have a max of $1000 per day (and it cannot be changed- I've tried it before). If they MUST take credit card pymt for deposit right then- can they take more than one to make the pymt in full at over $1000?

Thanks if you can help!

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Oh and before I book when it opens for that date to do so- any special codes I should know about to get a discount and/or stateroom credit? Or do you just get early booking discount by booking so early? Does the early booking discount only apply if you book through DCL?
Sorry so many questions!

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

I'll give these a shot:

- The Navigator's Verandah porthole is open. No glass, it's open air. The giant porthole windows (i.e. with glass) you've heard mentioned are in the category 8 and 9 (deluxe oceanview) rooms.

- I've never used All Seas Travel, but Dreams Unlimited's price will almost always be less than if you booked directly with DCL. They basically give you a rebate from the DCL price, essentially sharing part of their commission with you. DCL reservations is (800) 951-3532.

- You can ask for specific rooms. If they are open, you'll get them. Note that the deck plan I have shows that the only connecting category 7 rooms are on deck 6, and there are only two sets of them, so you'll have to book early.

- I think you have something like 72 hours to make your deposit before the reservation will expire. This has changed with some cruise lines, so I'm not positive if it still works this way with DCL. The past couple of cruises I've booked with them have been inside 60 days, so I had to pay for the whole thing when I booked.

- I'm unaware of any current codes, but the early booking rates do apply to travel agencies as well as if you book directly. It's basically how they price the cruise. The price goes up once certain numbers of staterooms are booked for a specific cruise. The "early booking savings" isn't for a set period of time, and will vary based on sailing date and even with different categories for the same date, I think.

Hope this helps.

 

[yourtravelpro]

Costco Travel has the best prices, if you are a member.

 

[jel0511]

I deleted my response, since after re-reading your post, I was incorrect!!!

 

[shelly3girls]

I can't comment on which type of room is better for you, but we loved the convenience of the cat. 3 room. The concierge service made our first day very relaxing. We just booked our second cruise through Dreams Unlimited. I cannot express how wonderful Regina has been in answering all of my questions. DU will fax inventory control to request the cat. 3 room even before the cruise is open for booking. We sent in our request last spring for Dec. '05 and just received confirmation today. I have about two weeks to pay the deposit. I think the key to getting a discount is to book early and you will automatically get the early booking savings. I also received a rebate for booking through DU.

 

[AKB]

We also used Dreams to book our cruise. Requested the catagory and room number we wanted. Since we booked early we got exactly what we wanted. We put our down payment on our debit card, which has a $1,000 per day limit. Not thinking I filled up with gas the morning I sent down payment through. Dreams notified me that the deposit did not go through. They offered to put 1/2 through that day and remainder the next day. However I was able to call the bank and they extended my limit for that day. We have been very happy with Dreams.
Good Luck!!! and Have Fun!!!

 

[kcashner]

Booking early will almost always get you the best rate. If by some chance Disney reduces the price on your cruise and they are contacted by your travel agent, they will refund the difference to you. This happens mainly in cat 11 cabins in the fall and winter.

You commented that your 4 year old will be able to go to the 3-4 or 5-7 group. You do know that she must be within 30 days of the birthday AND have permission of the counsellors to go to the older group...don't you?

You have 72 hours after booking with your TA to make your deposit. SO...yes, it could be made in 2 payments on 2 consecutive days.

Various discount code and onboard credit codes are released at different times, and must be applied at booking. The early booking credit does not need a code. I just keep my eyes open for onboard credit codes...they come in travel mags, credit card bills, etc. Your TA should be aware of any current ones that would apply to your sailing. Technically, it makes no difference whether you book thru DCL or a TA. I like having an outside agent to interface with Disney in the event of a problem (it only happened once, but....) The only way a TA would give you a better rate than DCL would be if they were giving you a portion of their commission as a credit to the trip.

Yes, you can request a particular stateroom when you book, and you will know immediately if it is available. My TA will usually get DCL on another line, so she can talk to both of us at the same time if I have special requests. You can also request a category or deck if you don't know a particular stateroom.

Yes, deck 5 is where the club and lab are. It's a great place to stay...but I found advantages to almost every deck we've been on.

As to cat 3 vs. Navigator rooms...look at the prices, then decide which is better for you. The concierge service is nice, but certainly not necessary.

Have fun....

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

They are booking to Dec '05 already? Lordy... I thought they were JUST NOW doing through May 7th according to another thread I read? eek! I better hustle...

I really like the idea of cat 3, plus concierge and all that too- I'm just not sure how we'd do on a higher deck. First cruise for all of us- and with 5 I'm not sure how many of us (good odds atleast one of us) are going to have issues with sea-sickness and all that. So I figured lower deck might help with that issue if it arises?

I also thought I read in another thread that it cost MORE to go through DU? So now I'm really confused.... LOL

You're right- looking again the cat 7 on deck 5 aren't connecting rooms! Bummer... But thanks for confirming that it IS open, not a closed window there.

Thank you all so much! Now I think I just need to decide WHO I'm going to go through to book it... and ofcourse decide either cat 3 or connecting rooms at cat 7. Decisions decisions... if I could just figure out who's the best to call to book with- I'm sure I could decide then which cat I want to go through- main issue being if I CAN get connecting cat 7 or not.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Oh oh oh and also.... about insurance. If I book with the ship only and take care of flight/transportation myself (ie: book the flight myself and go with FLTours limo for transportation)- what exactly is the DCL insurance paying for? Is it worth it to get the insurance then? What does it cover me for? I'll try to find that info about insurance again -but perhaps someone can help me with that in less time than it would take for me to hunt that info down again. LOL

As for her age- she would be within a week of her birthday (almost 2wks at beginning of cruise- 1wk at end of cruise). I figure it is up to the counselors- but if she's having issues being the oldest in the class and they think she'd rather be in the older class AND being with her brother where she might behave and/or enjoy it more- I figure they'll most likely allow it? I personally think she'll enjoy the 3-4yr old activities/etc more, but who knows how she might change by that time? We're talking a year and a half there- she could change a lot. But I figure since any summer months is when we'd go, and later is in hurricane season, might as well go when atleast there MIGHT be the option of going to one or the other for her. Yanno?

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

How much is "taxes, transfers and port charges"? I ask because it seems that is not included in the prices quoted? Atleast for prices quoted for what is showing so far on DU and DCL... ofcourse they aren't showing June 2005 yet- but still, that's something to know to consider when deciding which stateroom by knowing how much that is going to add to it! I have NO CLUE how much taxes, transfers and port charges will add... and is it per person or per stateroom?

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Shelly3girls- thank you also for your post about DU and booking in advance. I've gone to the DU site and I can't figure out how to reach them by phone. I can't request a quote because the date I need is not showing there as an option yet. So I assume you contacted them directly to book ahead of time like that? How can I find a number to call them? When you booked ahead like that- were they able to tell you price? The reason I ask is that I'd like to compare cat 3 vs. two connecting cat 7's before deciding which to book. Thanks for your help!

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

I believe the port charges are included in the cruise fare. I think they have to be, since some cruise lines would advertise their fares without them, making the cruise look like it cost less than it actually does. I could be wrong about this, or thinking of a different charge.

Anyway, the taxes will vary based on the itinerary. For the eastern, it's $48.35/pp; the western is $50.77/pp, the 3- and 4-day are $32.85/pp (same ports, same charge).

These are all based on cat. 7, but I think the charges are the same regardless of category.

The transfers are $49/pp for airport to port and back. I think they're $65 for airport-resort-port and back to the airport. The transfers aren't mandatory, and for a group of more than two, you can almost certainly save money by either renting a car or booking a towncar.

 

[shelly3girls]

I do not have a number for DU, all my communication has been through email. I simply emailed them my request. I think I just sent it to a general reservations email then someone emailed me back quite quickly. The cat. 3 rooms book fast so it really helps to have them fax inventory control ahead of time. They were not able to give me a quote because the cruise was not booking yet. I did my own research. I asked others on this board what they were paying for similar type cruises and last spring I called DCL to get a quote on this Dec. I thought it would atleast give me a ballpark figure. The agents at DU are very informed and may be able to give you an idea of the price difference. We were debating a couple of options and an agent was able to give us cost comparissons using historical numbers although they did not have the exact quote. I would not be discouraged that you don't have a number to contact them, I find the email very convenient and less confusing. I have all the info in writing which gives me a great deal of comfort. It also allows me to send them questions whenever I think of them.
Hope this helps.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Hi!
The "taxes, transfers and port charges" I referred to is listed just like that (I copied/pasted) at the bottom of DU- saying that is not included in the quote price. I believe that's what it said..

I can't find a general reservations place on the DU website- so I just filled out a reservation request for the latest date showing and then explained about what date/room I wanted in the explanation box. Correspondence by email is fine with me also.

(I get what you mean about comparing by historical numbers- I've looked for this years June rates also to compare- the thing is that isn't booking as early as it is booking NOW for June 2005- so I can assume it would be a little less with the early booking discount? Rates generally go higher the closer to sailing date- right? So would say comparing rates to June 2004 generally be the same or a little less since booking it so early?- oh and also... I can find rates to compare to for June 2004 for cat 7- but not for cat 3. The only thing I can find for cat 3 is a generalized listing of the "range" of the cost for cat 3- and there is about a $1000 difference of range there per person- so that's a huge range to work with x 5 people!)

 

[gottabelieve]

Shelly3Girls..
I am just interested to know how you were able to book a Dec 2005 cruise if the rates are not out yet.. I tried to send a request to DU for July 2005 Western Cruise but that date was not available. is there a telephone number for DU.. When i called DCL they told me that noone would have any other dates other than what they would have..
thanks

 

[shelly3girls]

We booked the Dec. '05 Christmas cruise 12/24 - 12/31. It is my understading that this is the only cruised beyond May that is available to book. Must have something to do with the fact that it is a holiday. I had to call DCL to get a price on a Cat. 3, I couldn't find any websites that listed it.