Couple of questions regarding our first Disney Cruise.

[durangojim]

We're planning on taking a cruise in May 2012 on the Dream to celebrate our 10th anniversary. I'm a very hands on type of guy when it comes to making my reservations. Is there any advantage or disadvantage for me to book the cruise myself through Disney as opposed to using a travel agent? Also, right now there aren't many discounts for the cruise we've selected, if a discount becomes available at a later date, is it possible to apply that discount, like you can with room reservations? Thanks!

 

[DisneyJoe]

We're planning on taking a cruise in May 2012 on the Dream to celebrate our 10th anniversary. I'm a very hands on type of guy when it comes to making my reservations. Is there any advantage or disadvantage for me to book the cruise myself through Disney as opposed to using a travel agent? Also, right now there aren't many discounts for the cruise we've selected, if a discount becomes available at a later date, is it possible to apply that discount, like you can with room reservations? Thanks!

Some travel agents will offer onboard credits (basically a kickback to you of their commission) to attract clients.

A big difference between Disney cruise pricing and hotel pricing is that cruise pricing is at its lowest when it is initially released to the public, roughly 18-24 months in advance. As the ship fills, and the sail dates get closer, the cost increases - so if you book very early, and discounts are released close to the sail date, the price most likely won't be any lower than what you paid due to the increases that have occurred.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

We offer onboard credits.

The real advantage to booking through us is our knowledge. I've been on5 Disney cruises and several of our agents are sailing on the Dream this month on a preview cruise. I can answer just about any question you can think of, and give you lots of tips that only come with experience.

Some discounts can be applied at any time before your cruise, others will only apply if you are outside the penalty phase.

That's another advantage of booking through us. We watch for those discounts and keep up with them for you.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Oh, and Joe is right. As a general rule, with Disney, the earlier you book the better. If discounts come out that you can apply, we do it, and in the rare case where the price drops for your cruise, we will reshop it and get you the lower price.