Wondering what to expect to pay booking early vs. later?

[DannyDisneyFreak]

I've heard over and over that the earlier you book the lower the price. I want to plan a cruise late 2017 or into 2018 and trying to figure out what's in my budget. I want to do a Fantasy 7-night (or Dream if can get a cheeper rate but prefer Fantasy because it's the one we haven't sailed on yet). For my family of 4 in a veranda stateroom I'm seeing dates available now for around the $5000-$6000ish range. When new dates are released and if we book right away how much could I expect to save by booking early? And do you get to book before the general public if you've sailed DCL before? Maybe silly questions idk but I've always booked late in the game and thinking maybe I can be the early bird that gets the worm this time.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Hello. If you have sailed DCL before it depends how many times as to how early you can book. Platinum castaway cay members get 2 days before release I think and that is 10 plus sailings. Gold get 1 day I think ... Somebody else may correct me. There is also silver but not sure silver get an advantage. But booking on the day of release in my experience has always been the best price expect where you book a placeholder onboard. Then you get 10% of a future sailing to be taken in 24 months and onboard credit. Then book on day of release score!

I book through a TA also and score more OBC. Not silly questions at all. My head spins with it all!

 

[Flossbolna]

You can check how the pricing changed in the past with the touringplans fare tracker or www.cruisefish.net. Here is a link to the fare tracker for the Fantasy: https://touringplans.com/disney-cruise-line/tools/fare-tracker?utf8=✓&itinerary=&ship=4

Just pick the itinerary you are thinking about. For a non-peak season cruise, I would suggest that you add about 10% for the 2017/2018 cruises over what you see that opening day prices were for 2016.

If you are a gold or platinum Castaway Club member (i.e. more than 5 or 10 sailings on DCL) then you usually can book one day earlier than those who are silver Castaway Club members (1-4 sailings) or who have never cruised. However, that first day only bookings via phone will be accepted, no online booking.

As the PP said, if you use a travel agent, many will give you an onboard credit for booking through them. That can be used for gratuities, excursions or whatever you spend money on oboard. Many book through costco travel as they give a very nice amount as a costco card to use for spending at costco. If you are thinking about a travel agent, you can already contact them now (not sure about costco though) and let them know that you want to book through them when the prices come out.

Also, remember that when you book a cruise you only have to pay 20% of the cruise fare now and will have time until the pay in full date to save up the full fare. The PIF date for a Fantasy cruise should be 90 days before the cruise (however, this may change, so better check on your booking!).

 

[lanejudy]

In addition to the links noted above, you can also check the opening day rates that were reported here on the DISboards. This is the thread for the latter part of 2016: http://www.disboards.com/threads/op...-sept-dec-magic-wonder-dream-fantasy.3411411/
Compare those fares to what you see now -- that gives you an idea of the difference in pricing. How much and how quickly a cruise increases in fares depends a lot on the popularity of the itinerary as well as time of year (school vacations and holidays). Off-peak cruises may not increase as dramatically as an Easter cruise or special itinerary.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Excellent, great info thanks!