Please help a newbie

mguimond1990

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Im trying to plan my first cruise. We would like to go either next september to celebrate our anniversary or jan 2015 because that is the month we met years ago. I am a big disney fan, and we went to WDW for our honeymoon last month, but im just having such a hard time getting over the prices of a disney cruise. I could go on a carnival cruise for almost half the price. Someone please tell me why DCL is so much better, im trying to justify in my head spending all this money on a cruise :) Another question is, is 4 days long enough to enjoy most of whats offered? Or should I splurge even more and go with the 7 day? Im so indecisive and any tips and help is much appreciated :)
 

englanddg

One Little Spark...
Im trying to plan my first cruise. We would like to go either next september to celebrate our anniversary or jan 2015 because that is the month we met years ago. I am a big disney fan, and we went to WDW for our honeymoon last month, but im just having such a hard time getting over the prices of a disney cruise. I could go on a carnival cruise for almost half the price. Someone please tell me why DCL is so much better, im trying to justify in my head spending all this money on a cruise :) Another question is, is 4 days long enough to enjoy most of whats offered? Or should I splurge even more and go with the 7 day? Im so indecisive and any tips and help is much appreciated :)
Short answer, splurge and do a 7 day if you can. I need to be off to work, but once there I have a long boring meeting I have to sit through, so I'll cheat and explain more. <grin>
 

Disneyfalcon

Well-Known Member
If you can swing it, splurge and go with the 7 night. If you can't, 4 nights are great!
Disney cruises are amazing. The service is top notch and the whole experience is an incredible vacation.
If you're flexible with dates, there are some good deals to be had out there right now!
 

FlyTriPacer

Well-Known Member
Before my wife and I sailed for the first time in 2011, I put a spreadsheet together to compare the costs between Royal Carribean, Disney, and a 3rd (not Carnival). With all of the extra charges added in (soft drinks, tips, excursions, etc), Disney was only ~$100 more - total. We sailed on the Dream at the end of September, so Disney's prices had dropped from their summer rates. We did a 3-night for our first cruise and I thought it was too short. We just did a 4-night Dream cruise at the end of August with the kids. While a few more nights would have been nice, the 4 nights were fine. We did book a dummy-cruise onboard and will move that to a 7-night when the 2015 dates open. I've stopped comparing prices between lines because Disney is a very enjoyable cruise with or without kids and that's who we plan to cruise.

Now for the question about the length of the cruise, are you certain you'll like cruising? If so, and you can afford it, go for the 7-night. If you're uncertain, try the 4-nighter...you'll be rebooking onboard anyway if you like it (we did, twice).
 

mguimond1990

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Before my wife and I sailed for the first time in 2011, I put a spreadsheet together to compare the costs between Royal Carribean, Disney, and a 3rd (not Carnival). With all of the extra charges added in (soft drinks, tips, excursions, etc), Disney was only ~$100 more - total. We sailed on the Dream at the end of September, so Disney's prices had dropped from their summer rates. We did a 3-night for our first cruise and I thought it was too short. We just did a 4-night Dream cruise at the end of August with the kids. While a few more nights would have been nice, the 4 nights were fine. We did book a dummy-cruise onboard and will move that to a 7-night when the 2015 dates open. I've stopped comparing prices between lines because Disney is a very enjoyable cruise with or without kids and that's who we plan to cruise.

Now for the question about the length of the cruise, are you certain you'll like cruising? If so, and you can afford it, go for the 7-night. If you're uncertain, try the 4-nighter...you'll be rebooking onboard anyway if you like it (we did, twice).

Thanks so much for the info! It's like you read my mind haha, I said to myself earlier "well what if I don't even like cruising. I've never been"...so I think we are going to try a 4 night or there's a 5 night that goes to castaway cay twice. I hear such great things about that place that I'd love to do it twice :)
 

Disneyfalcon

Well-Known Member
Thanks so much for the info! It's like you read my mind haha, I said to myself earlier "well what if I don't even like cruising. I've never been"...so I think we are going to try a 4 night or there's a 5 night that goes to castaway cay twice. I hear such great things about that place that I'd love to do it twice :)

Oh yes. Do the two stops at Castaway Cay! That is the BEST itinerary!
 

EOD K9

Well-Known Member
My wife and I tried our first ever cruise in February and it was of course on the DCL (Dream). While there are some negatives about things in the parks, overall, Disney has a great sense of quality and service. If you enjoy that, then DCL is a higher quality than on land. We enjoyed our four nights and did three nights (Dream) this past August just to get our DCL cruise fix.
Seven nights is a little expensive for us, but we booked four nights on the Magic in March just to be different. Their quality is better, level of attention, ambiance, service, standards, are all pretty high. That's why I enjoy cruising with them. Hope that helps a tad.
 

mguimond1990

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks for all the info! My next question is, can you add flights after you've already booked the cruise? I chose add air transportation but it was gonna be $775 per person which is outrageous. When we went last month we only paid $99 each way. So I'll hold off on booking the flights but can I add it later and still do the transportation from the airport to the ship? Or does it all need to be done at once
 

Bolna

Well-Known Member
What about one of the 5-night cruises out of Miami? I did one of those and thought it was the perfect length for my first cruise. And those Miami cruises tend to be more affordable than those out of Port Canaveral.
 

englanddg

One Little Spark...
Thanks for all the info! My next question is, can you add flights after you've already booked the cruise? I chose add air transportation but it was gonna be $775 per person which is outrageous. When we went last month we only paid $99 each way. So I'll hold off on booking the flights but can I add it later and still do the transportation from the airport to the ship? Or does it all need to be done at once
Yes, you can. It does not have to done at once. When you book your flight call Disney cruise lines and give them your flight number.

I never book my flights through Disney travel...too pricy.
 

Disneyfalcon

Well-Known Member
Thanks for all the info! My next question is, can you add flights after you've already booked the cruise? I chose add air transportation but it was gonna be $775 per person which is outrageous. When we went last month we only paid $99 each way. So I'll hold off on booking the flights but can I add it later and still do the transportation from the airport to the ship? Or does it all need to be done at once

That's correct, you can add on air at any point. You can also book your own air and give them the flight info if you want transfers.
 

sweetpee_1993

Well-Known Member
Thanks for all the info! My next question is, can you add flights after you've already booked the cruise? I chose add air transportation but it was gonna be $775 per person which is outrageous. When we went last month we only paid $99 each way. So I'll hold off on booking the flights but can I add it later and still do the transportation from the airport to the ship? Or does it all need to be done at once

You don't have to book your air thru the cruise line. You can do it separately. If you can get the air cheaper then there's no reason to do it any other way! You can also add the transfers with the cruise line at a later date. I've added, removed, and added them again. LOL!

Also, it's kinda a gamble but I'll put it out there just in case. You said you wanted to cruise in September. September tends to be slow for the cruises and the prices don't go crazy high as fast as summers, spring break, and holidays. Sometimes once you get close enough to the sail date that you're inside the 75-day penalty period (less than 75 days before the cruise you want sets sail) DCL will release discounts to fill the ship. This kinda stinks for people who paid regular fares because oftentimes the discounted amounts are less than they paid. If those people tried to switch to the discount rate they'd have to pay a penalty. Not always but mostly that's the deal. So, if you're a gambler and willing to take a chance on a discount fare by waiting until it's fairly close to sailing you *could* score a good deal. Two examples: Hubby booked us in an inside stateroom on a 3-night Dream sailing for September 2012. He paid full price when he booked at the end of June, early July. I kept an eye on the discounts. A week or so into August a FL resident rate opened up. I got us a refund PLUS bumped up from an inside stateroom to a verandah. This year we knew we wanted to sail the 9/14 Fantasy Western. I was very tempted to go ahead and book an inside stateroom but I was also pretty sure some amount of discount would release as it got closer. Closer and closer. I was so nervous! At about 55 days prior to sailing I was able to book the 2 of us under a guaranteed verandah rate that was actually less than the inside stateroom would've been. We sailed in a nice verandah stateroom for I think like $2100. Not too shabby. So, if you're looking for September sailings it may be worth your while to sit on your hands and wait. Worst case, you may pay a little bit more. Probably not much more. But, there's probably a little better chance you could sail for less than what you are currently seeing for prices. Nothing is ever promised. If it makes you feel better do some research across the various cruise / Disney forums to see historic discount data for the time you are looking for. ;)
 

mguimond1990

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Maybe someone on here knows, but JetBlue and orbitz currently have specials of "no deposit required" on cruises 7 nights or longer. I've messed around with dummy trips and all of them ask for $500 deposit. What exactly is the "no deposit" promotion, does anyone know?
 

sweetpee_1993

Well-Known Member
Maybe someone on here knows, but JetBlue and orbitz currently have specials of "no deposit required" on cruises 7 nights or longer. I've messed around with dummy trips and all of them ask for $500 deposit. What exactly is the "no deposit" promotion, does anyone know?

I'm not sure about this no deposit cruising thru Orbitz. Is it for DCL cruises? Not sure how they skirt the deposit because Disney definitely wants some money when you book. DCL's standard deposit amount is 20% of the total cruise fare. When I booked our Royal Caribbean cruise about 16 months ago they required $500 per stateroom. Disney doesn't price that way. They want a percentage of the cruise fare.
 

mguimond1990

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
this is what it says "Book now and pay later: no deposit required at the time of booking on any cruise reservation sailing 7 nights or longer and made 110 days or more prior to cruise departure. This unique promotion will cover up to $500 ($1500 for luxury cruise lines). Your original deposit must be paid 10 days before final payment is due." Ive made fake reservations for RCL, Carnival, and Disney. None of them work. When you choose a date, under the price it says "no deposit required" and "EXCLUSIVE: Up to $500 hotel credit". Bizarre.

Edit: The fine print says "not valid on bookings requiring non-refundable deposits or final payment 110 days or more before departure."...i dont know of any cruiseline that doesnt require a non-refundable deposit.
 
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sweetpee_1993

Well-Known Member
this is what it says "Book now and pay later: no deposit required at the time of booking on any cruise reservation sailing 7 nights or longer and made 110 days or more prior to cruise departure. This unique promotion will cover up to $500 ($1500 for luxury cruise lines). Your original deposit must be paid 10 days before final payment is due." Ive made fake reservations for RCL, Carnival, and Disney. None of them work. When you choose a date, under the price it says "no deposit required" and "EXCLUSIVE: Up to $500 hotel credit". Bizarre.

Edit: The fine print says "not valid on bookings requiring non-refundable deposits or final payment 110 days or more before departure."...i dont know of any cruiseline that doesnt require a non-refundable deposit.

Actually, your deposit on regular staterooms on DCL is fully refundable until the paid in full date which begins the penalty period, 75 days prior to sailing. Deposit rules can be slightly different for concierge and some assorted sailings such as holiday cruises or cruises that originate outside the US.

I'm guessing the website must be fronting the money to the cruise line. It makes sense. They want the deposit paid to them by 10 days prior to the final payment date (75 days prior to sailing) so they have time to get that deposit back if you cancel or don't pay them the deposit. Ya know? Interesting.

Generally I book using one of my onboard booking offers that I have placeholders on. That gets my deposit down to 10% vs. the usual 20%. Even with a 10% deposit it's easy to exceed the $500 those offers have. Like our 15-night Panama Canal had a cruise fare (before fees & taxes) of like $6500. 10% of that was a $650. Without an onboard booking offer the deposit would've been double that. I fussed when we had to pay $1000 deposit for our 2 staterooms on RCI but then it ended up being nice not to have such a big balance to pay down.
 

mguimond1990

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Actually, your deposit on regular staterooms on DCL is fully refundable until the paid in full date which begins the penalty period, 75 days prior to sailing. Deposit rules can be slightly different for concierge and some assorted sailings such as holiday cruises or cruises that originate outside the US.

I'm guessing the website must be fronting the money to the cruise line. It makes sense. They want the deposit paid to them by 10 days prior to the final payment date (75 days prior to sailing) so they have time to get that deposit back if you cancel or don't pay them the deposit. Ya know? Interesting.

Generally I book using one of my onboard booking offers that I have placeholders on. That gets my deposit down to 10% vs. the usual 20%. Even with a 10% deposit it's easy to exceed the $500 those offers have. Like our 15-night Panama Canal had a cruise fare (before fees & taxes) of like $6500. 10% of that was a $650. Without an onboard booking offer the deposit would've been double that. I fussed when we had to pay $1000 deposit for our 2 staterooms on RCI but then it ended up being nice not to have such a big balance to pay down.

I wish I could cruise like you do :p maybe after my first cruise experience ill be an addict and wont be able to help myself *fingers crossed*
 

sweetpee_1993

Well-Known Member
I wish I could cruise like you do :p maybe after my first cruise experience ill be an addict and wont be able to help myself *fingers crossed*

You never know. You could end up afflicted like me. LOL! On your first cruise be sure to at least do a placeholder even if you aren't sure entirely if or when you'll sail again. I know that sounds crazy but it's the easiest way to ensure you have the option of a discount for the future. Worst case, down the road you cancel your placeholder (before the paid in full date) and get a full refund. I recently booked 2 placeholders while on 2 cruises and the deposit amount for 2 adults was only like 80-something bucks for each. It's awful hard to argue with that. Ya know?
 

mguimond1990

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
You never know. You could end up afflicted like me. LOL! On your first cruise be sure to at least do a placeholder even if you aren't sure entirely if or when you'll sail again. I know that sounds crazy but it's the easiest way to ensure you have the option of a discount for the future. Worst case, down the road you cancel your placeholder (before the paid in full date) and get a full refund. I recently booked 2 placeholders while on 2 cruises and the deposit amount for 2 adults was only like 80-something bucks for each. It's awful hard to argue with that. Ya know?

Im becoming more and more of an addict as you keep explaining haha. If they offered me something and I only had to put $80 down, SOLD! I havent even booked a cruise yet and im all excited haha.
 

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