The $200 deposit?

[off to neverland]

Hey guys,

My excellent travel agent from Dreams Unlimited says that the $200 per person deposit is a requirement of Disney.......

It seems so high, considering a family of four can go for about $900 on a four day cruise in September.... The deposit would be $800, which is most of the cost. Disney would be sitting on my interest bearing $800 for the next 18 months!

We just got back from a WDW trip and would like to book a cruise for 18 months from now, but I just can't see swinging $800 so soon after our WDW trip.

Anyone else in this situation?

 

[needalatte]

Yep, makes sense. We're going on our first cruise this summer but I've already planned to rebook. To save money, I'm just going to rebook for myself (one person, one deposit) and add DH and DS later. We're going to change the dates, anyway, probably to 2007, so I can just add them on when I do that.

Experienced cruisers, will this work?

 

[mommasita]

Yep, makes sense. We're going on our first cruise this summer but I've already planned to rebook. To save money, I'm just going to rebook for myself (one person, one deposit) and add DH and DS later. We're going to change the dates, anyway, probably to 2007, so I can just add them on when I do that.

Experienced cruisers, will this work?

Yes, just be careful when you want to add the others to the ressie..Especially children, do it early enough, because they do fill up.. IT seems like you are far enough out, so you should be ok..I have just heard about it happening..

 

[off to neverland]

So would the price of the kids and the other adult be much higher later on, do you think?

Are you booking early simply to get the stateroom you want, or the cheaper rate for yourself?

Just curious..........

 

[mmouse37]

I believe DCL will charge whatever the going rate is at the time when you add people later on....does not make sense to me to book for only one now....I would at least book for 2 and then add the 3rd later on.

MJ

 

[off to neverland]

I'm thinking I should book for the two most expensive people... hubby and me, and add the kids later. That's a $400 deposit instead of $800.

Just looked at my credit card statement from the trip in May. And we have property taxes due in two weeks. Ugh. But, being the Disney fanatic I am, I can make this work.

Even if I don't feed the family for a while! (JUST KIDDING, OF COURSE!)

Would I add the kids later through Dreams Unlimited who makes the original ressie, or would I have to go thru Disney?

Thanks for the input!

 

[StuartMI]

I believe the $200 deposit for for a 3 or 4 day cruise only.

When we booked our 7-day cruise, we had to lay out $250 per person.

In addition, I believe concierge guests lay out around $500 per person deposit.

 

[ivanova]

I believe DCL will charge whatever the going rate is at the time when you add people later on....does not make sense to me to book for only one now....I would at least book for 2 and then add the 3rd later on.

MJ

They've changed their policy ... when you add people to your room later, you pay the rate at that time, not the rate you would've paid at the time of your original booking.

So for example, at the time of booking if each adult is $1,500 and the kids are $1,000 each a family of four would sail for $5,000. But you only book one person in the room to pay only one deposit.

A few months later you go back to add adult #2 and the two kids, but the rates have increased and it's now $1,900 for adult #2 and $1,300 each for the kids. Your cruise total just jumped to $6,000. You are paying $1,000 more overall to save how much on interest?

And as a previous poster pointed out, you can face the risk of the kid count maxing out and being told you cannot add the kids to your room later on.

The new deposit requirements are more in line with the industry on a whole. DCL charges a $200 deposit per person for 3 and 4 night cruises, and deposits for 7 night cruises are $250 per person ... and deposits for 10+ night cruises are $350 per person (I think) and any length of cruise at concierge level is $500 per person.

 

[StuartMI]

Thanks Susan!

 

[needalatte]

Silly me, I didn't even think of prices going up. I'm going to have to rethink my strategy.

Thanks!

 

[mmouse37]

That's what I tried to say...that the prices would go up and DCL would charge the current rate when they added people (not the original booking date rate)......sorry if it did not come out that way.....

MJ

 

[jgalecpa]

Even at a generous interest rate of 2% (if you can find that in a bank), you are only losing $24 in interest for a year and a half.

My cruise at xmas has gone up over $1800 since we originally booked.

That's a 75:1 return!



Jim

 

[needalatte]

My reason for doing that was different than the OP. I was really just afraid I wouldn't have $500 (or $750) left on my credit card by the end of the cruise for the deposit. Would it make that much difference, do you think, to rebook for myself and then add DH/DS in a month or two once I have $$$$ again?

 

[ivanova]

My reason for doing that was different than the OP. I was really just afraid I wouldn't have $500 (or $750) left on my credit card by the end of the cruise for the deposit. Would it make that much difference, do you think, to rebook for myself and then add DH/DS in a month or two once I have $$$$ again?

If you are booking a cruise 18 months in advance, then a 1-2 month time frame might not be horrendous for adding DH/DS.

If you are not booking a popular cruise time (like you are booking in the off peak season) then a 1-2 month time frame might be okay.

But if you are booking a popular cruise that's 6 months in the future, you're taking a chance.

 

[scrapperjill]

But don't you also get a savings of 20% or something in that range when you rebook onboard..ontop of the early booking discount? That wouldn't be the case if you just booked yourself...then added the rest of the family at a later date. Well...you'd get the savings for yourself...but not for those that were added later.

Also depending on when your cruising...you may want to add the kids before adding the hubby...just to make sure they made the kid cut off #. I would think if you added another adult to the room at a later time...you'd get and adjustment for the child rate...anyone know?

And if your booking just yourself or you and your hubby...make sure you book a room that will hold everyone in your party. (we did this for my parents this last fall...we put down a deposit for them...and made sure we picked a room large enough so if they wanted to add our neice they could. This worked out well for them...they added her 7 mo after we booked...and got the same rate as we got for our kids. (minus the onboard rebooking discount)