When Do You Officially Become A Castaway Club Member?

[cathie]

We went on our 1st Disney Cruise in February & were wondering if you receive something in the mail about the Castaway Club or do you have to book another cruise first? Is there a website where you can sign up? Thanks for any info. Cathie

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

We cruised in January, and haven't gotten anything yet. If they want our business so bad, they'll send out the literature.

 

[SueEllen]

About 6 weeks after we cruised we got a welcome packet and a Castaway Club card. As soon as you have cruised you are in the Castaway Club. You do not need a card or anything, as they can look up your CC# in their system when you book another cruise as long as you let them know you have cruised before.

Sue Ellen

 

[Señor Ferrari]

You are automatically a member after cruising once. However, they are kind of inconsistent as to how soon they send out your membership information. I've been told that people sometimes have to call in and get their number. Others (myself included) received their membership packet a month or so after cruising.

All you really need is the membership number. The Castaway Club info number is 1-800-449-3380. If you call them and let them know when you cruised, I think they'll be able to get your number for you (for use when booking a new cruise) and possibly to expedite the shipping of your membership packet.

 

[joyful1nh]

Thanks for the info. I cruised in January and still haven't gotten anything.

 

[cathie]

Thanks for the info about the Castaway Club. We'll call the number you gave. Another quick question...how far ahead do you have to book your next cruise to get the early booking discount? Thanks

 

[Señor Ferrari]

how far ahead do you have to book your next cruise to get the early booking discount?

I don't believe that there's any set time during which you have to book to receive an early booking discount. Rather, the cruises are priced based on how well a particular sailing is selling. The further in advance you book, the more likely you are to get a substantial early booking savings. However, booking a Christmas cruise two years in advance and booking an October cruise two years in advance will not be the same price. The cruises that historically sell better will be priced higher. Also, as a cruise begins to fill, the price will go up. So really the earlier, the better is a good rule of thumb in most cases.

The converse of this is that prices will be reduced again as a sailing nears if it is not selling well. Disney does not seem to have this problem very often, though.

Your best bet is to have several dates in mind and get quotes for all of them. Make sure you're comparing apples to apples (i.e. the same category of cabin, etc.).