When to book and other considerations

[cissy]

Okay, I think I have our date planned for October of 2011 on the Dream. But DH does not want me to book it cause we are about to move and he does not want me to tie up any deposit money. But I do not want to miss the rates currently advertised on DCL. My question is.....if I go ahead and convince him to let me book and then we have to change our date (we don't know if our kids will be in traditional or year round cause it depends on where we move) is there a penalty or can we change it "at will."

And, if we wait, do prices change radically over a few months time or is there a time of year when the price changes usually happen?

I just don't want to lose out on a good deal but I respect the fact that we are a party of four and 800.00 is a lot when looking at a move. Thanks for any advice!!

 

[cosmicrays]

I think the longer you wait the price can change. I think as long as you arent in the penalty dates you can modify your dates.

 

[lbuher]

If you do credit cards and are comfortable with it, I would suggest getting a Disney Visa right away, and then put the deposit on that credit card. It will give you 6 months no interest to pay off the deposit, so you wouldn't have to actually pay the deposit for quite some time. I applied for the Visa online and received in just a few days' time, so you won't lose much time by doing that. But definitely the longer you wait, the more the price can go up, and you can always move your date later with no penalty as long as you are more than 75 days out from your sail date (that's when you have to pay-in-full).

 

[kcashner]

You can change your dates or cancel all together as long as you do it before your penalty period starts (74 days on most cruises).

The prices increase as the ship fills. No one can predict how fast the ship will book...sometimes the prices change every hour or more frequently (as on the day the Panama sailings were released), other times they remain at the lowest tier until the sailing date. You won't know that the rates are going to increase until they do!

The only "harm" to booking ahead is that your money is tied up. Moving dates is a matter of a phone call.

 

[cissy]

Great info! I have a Disney Visa so I will call to see if the six month plan is in effect right now. My next question has to do with travel agents.....I will post a new thread. THANK YOU!!