Totally made a mistake while on the Dream, and am regretting it.

[VTNuke]

We didn't book a place holder for our next cruise. We were on the Dream in April and I literally told my DW to keep me away from the "book your next cruise" desk. We already had a 7 night Fantasy cruise booked for May of 2020 and I didn't see us booking another one before we could get a place holder on that trip.

Our plan was to do the May 2020 cruise, then do a Fall 2020 Disney World trip, a Spring 2021 Disney World trip (without the kids), another Fall 2021 Disney World trip, and then do another cruise in 2022 from the place holder I'd book while on the May 2020 cruise. Of course, we get back and start talking about taking a mini-vacation during Thanksgiving without the kids. Somewhere warm.

Well, we now have a 3 night cruise booked for November 29th on the Dream. So regret not getting a place holder I could have used for the November cruise, even if it would have only saved us a few hundred dollars. It would have been 100% refundable.

We're addicted. Can't even control ourselves to keep from booking extra vacations. Please help, or at least let me know I'm not alone. Hi, my name is VTNuke and I'm a vacation addict. I've heard the first step is admitting you have a problem, although I'm not sure I'm in the right place to get "cured" here.

 

[ktate82]

We didn't book a place holder for our next cruise. We were on the Dream in April and I literally told my DW to keep me away from the "book your next cruise" desk. We already had a 7 night Fantasy cruise booked for May of 2020 and I didn't see us booking another one before we could get a place holder on that trip.

Our plan was to do the May 2020 cruise, then do a Fall 2020 Disney World trip, a Spring 2021 Disney World trip (without the kids), another Fall 2021 Disney World trip, and then do another cruise in 2022 from the place holder I'd book while on the May 2020 cruise. Of course, we get back and start talking about taking a mini-vacation during Thanksgiving without the kids. Somewhere warm.

Well, we now have a 3 night cruise booked for November 29th on the Dream. So regret not getting a place holder I could have used for the November cruise, even if it would have only saved us a few hundred dollars. It would have been 100% refundable.

We're addicted. Can't even control ourselves to keep from booking extra vacations. Please help, or at least let me know I'm not alone. Hi, my name is VTNuke and I'm a vacation addict. I've heard the first step is admitting you have a problem, although I'm not sure I'm in the right place to get "cured" here.

Question being.....do you want to be "cured"? I know I don't.

 

[VTNuke]

Question being.....do you want to be "cured"? I know I don't.

My wife says she wants me to be, but she's just an enabler! I don't see her staying home on any of these vacations.

 

[brentm77]

It could be worse, we cruised DCL in early April and booked a Greek cruise a few weeks after getting off, passing up a very significant discount, not a few hundred dollars. At the time we were on the cruise, we didn't think we would be cruising again so soon because of a planned trip to Europe. But that plan turned into a cruise in Europe after missing being off the ship so much.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Always book the placeholder... even if you're not using it. Well, assuming you can afford to part with the money for 2 years. If nothing else, in these times of basically no interest on savings, think of it as a windfall 2 years from now, if you don't use it.

 

[quickcat]

Ha- I don’t think you came to the right place for your cure
Sometimes Disney will send out a 10% off your next sailing... maybe you will get lucky and receive one of those. Those are very sporadic though....although that will probably be more of “enabling” your addiction then helping cure it!
We always say after our next cruise we are going to take a break from it....hasn’t happened yet and it’s been about 13 years of trying to stop.....Welcome to the club!

 

[pixiedustedme]

We didn't book a place holder for our next cruise. We were on the Dream in April and I literally told my DW to keep me away from the "book your next cruise" desk. We already had a 7 night Fantasy cruise booked for May of 2020 and I didn't see us booking another one before we could get a place holder on that trip.

Our plan was to do the May 2020 cruise, then do a Fall 2020 Disney World trip, a Spring 2021 Disney World trip (without the kids), another Fall 2021 Disney World trip, and then do another cruise in 2022 from the place holder I'd book while on the May 2020 cruise. Of course, we get back and start talking about taking a mini-vacation during Thanksgiving without the kids. Somewhere warm.

Well, we now have a 3 night cruise booked for November 29th on the Dream. So regret not getting a place holder I could have used for the November cruise, even if it would have only saved us a few hundred dollars. It would have been 100% refundable.

We're addicted. Can't even control ourselves to keep from booking extra vacations. Please help, or at least let me know I'm not alone. Hi, my name is VTNuke and I'm a vacation addict. I've heard the first step is admitting you have a problem, although I'm not sure I'm in the right place to get "cured" here.

You want us to cure you? That would be the blind leading the blind.

Don't feel too bad about losing out on the OBB- it's a common rookie mistake. It happened to me on our first cruise. I didn't know that just getting a placeholder was even a choice, and there was no future cruise I wanted at that point, so I missed out. And our second cruise was a 7-night, so it was a big waste of money. But that happens to a lot of beginning addicts- I mean, cruisers...

 

[FigmentSpark]

Ha- I don’t think you came to the right place for your cure
Sometimes Disney will send out a 10% off your next sailing... maybe you will get lucky and receive one of those. Those are very sporadic though....although that will probably be more of “enabling” your addiction then helping cure it!
We always say after our next cruise we are going to take a break from it....hasn’t happened yet and it’s been about 13 years of trying to stop.....Welcome to the club!

You mean it's possible DH will say yes to another one after this? Right now he's adamant that this is the last one.

 

[darnheather]

Been there done that!

 

[RAD]

If we have the $250 available we alway book a place holder. You never know what the future brings and except for DCL having your $250 you really don't lose anything if you decide you don't need it.

 

[tlprice]

I went on 4 cruises between December 2017 and September 2018 so had 4 placeholders. I used two of them, but lost one because I had to cancel a cruise because of some unfortunate circumstances. I had one that I didn't think there was any way I would end up using, but then I realized I could do the WBTA cruise and was so happy I had it. I still have one left that is good until September 2020. My very first cruise I didn't book a placeholder and I realized it was a big mistake. Now I always book one every cruise because you never know what will come up in the future!

 

[VTNuke]

You want us to cure you? That would be the blind leading the blind.

Don't feel too bad about losing out on the OBB- it's a common rookie mistake. It happened to me on our first cruise. I didn't know that just getting a placeholder was even a choice, and there was no future cruise I wanted at that point, so I missed out. And our second cruise was a 7-night, so it was a big waste of money. But that happens to a lot of beginning addicts- I mean, cruisers...

I wouldn't say we are rookies, which makes this mistake so much worse. I was just determined that we wouldn't do another cruise other than the May 2020 trip.

This newly booked Nov 2019 trip will be the 5th DCL for DW and I. The kids will have to wait until May to get their 5th. They are getting old enough that we're looking at the point where we stop paying for their vacations. Or they stop going on most of the trips with us. But don't think I'm folling myself about any of that talk either. I'm fully aware I'll be paying for their trips much longer than I'm expecting/planning right now. Just another part of the addiction.

 

[cadien]

We deliberately skipped the placeholder on our last cruise to force ourselves to do something different next year.

 

[NancyIL]

I also didn't book a placeholder on my April 2018 Panama Canal cruise, because I didn't think I'd cruise in 2 years. Well...in December I booked the Feb. 2020 San Juan to New Orleans cruise on the Wonder! It was a pretty inexpensive cruise, so the 10% would've amounted to maybe $150. Still - $150 is $150!

 

[Bonnie1222]

DH and I made Platinum about 4 years ahead of schedule because of place holders We have taken 4 cruises in the last 18 months and #5 scheduled just after the 2 year mark. Between the Placeholder discounts/OBC and 6 months free financing on the Disney Visa it makes it so easy and it works within our budget we are like kids in a candy store - we just can't say NO!

 

[scgustafson]

I also didn't book a placeholder on my April 2018 Panama Canal cruise, because I didn't think I'd cruise in 2 years. Well...in December I booked the Feb. 2020 San Juan to New Orleans cruise on the Wonder! It was a pretty inexpensive cruise, so the 10% would've amounted to maybe $150. Still - $150 is $150!

Don't forget the onboard credit of $100 for cruises of 6-nights or fewer, and $200 for cruises of 7-nights or longer.

 

[scgustafson]

We deliberately skipped the placeholder on our last cruise to force ourselves to do something different next year.

But placeholders are good for 2-years, so you would still have it for the following year.

 

[lorimay]

Welcome to the club!!!

 

[cadien]

But placeholders are good for 2-years, so you would still have it for the following year.

Technically. But that was our plan last time and we ended up booking something less than 12 months later.

 

[NancyIL]

Don't forget the onboard credit of $100 for cruises of 6-nights or fewer, and $200 for cruises of 7-nights or longer.

Oh yeah! In that case - $250 is $250!!