8 Reasons to Book Early for a Disney Cruise
There are many reasons to book your Disney Cruise early and this article looks at the top eight. While on the Disney Cruise I often try and strike up conversations with first time cruisers and ask them a few questions about how they booked their cruise, if they have made their Palo dinner reservations, and more. Most of the first time cruisers I talk to say they hadn’t made Palo or excursion reservations in advance because they weren’t aware that they needed to. To help my fellow Disney cruisers, especially the first time Disney cruisers, I am providing the following tips to help you get the maximum value out of your Disney Cruise. Being prepared and organized, with a solid plan upfront, will allow you to go on your Disney Cruise vacation feeling more relaxed and confident which will translate to more enjoyment for you and your entire family!
1. Get the lowest price. As a general rule, the farther out you book your Disney Cruise, the lower the price. Last minute specials are often enticing but usually come at a significant cost in flexibility, availability and schedule. Most people don’t understand that on a Disney Cruise, when the cabin inventory becomes available to book, it is at its lowest price, and as time goes on and as cabin inventory starts to become more scarce, the prices start inching up and up. This is especially true for any sailings during the prime summer months and holidays when most people are wanting to take their vacations. Then, once the prices are higher, if Disney decides that they want to fill the last few remaining cabins rather then letting them go empty, they will offer some incentive or discount but it is rarely, if ever, lower than the price you would have received if you had booked your cruise the moment the inventory for that cabin became available.
2. Create a payment plan. Booking your Disney Cruise early allows you time to work a payment plan into your existing budget, which means less stress and anxiety leading up to and during your vacation. Having the cruise paid for along with some spending money available when I board the ship allows me to relax and truly enjoy my vacation to its fullest. If you are interested in setting up a payment plan, here are some ideas:
- If you use online banking, set up a recurring payment to transfer money into your own savings account which will be used later to pay for your cruise
- Ask your travel agent to make a specific payment on your cruise each month or at designated intervals/dates
- Seek out 0% interest deals through the Disney VISA card
3. Pick a prime cabin. The Disney Cruise allows you to typically lock in a cabin assignment up to 18 months in advance of your departure date with a minimum deposit. Your overall experience may be completely different with a cabin located midship vs. a cabin located at the bow or stern. This is especially true for those who are sensitive to movement and are prone to sea sickness. There are online resources such as WDWInfo.com’s Room Reports around the internet that may help you in deciding which cabin category and location is best for your needs.
4. Get the dining time you want. Historically, first seating dining (5:45pm to 6:15pm) sells out first on all Disney Cruises. If having first seating dining is important to you, you must book early. Otherwise, once early dining is closed, you will have to take the late dining and try to change it once you board.
5. Special itineraries. For 2009 there are exciting new itineraries which are sure to sell out quickly. These include:
- 7-Night Eastern Caribbean Cruises with ports of call to St. Croix or Tortola
- One 7-Night Western Caribbean Cruise that will visit Castaway Cay twice, affectionately known to Castaway Club Members (previous Disney cruisers) as a “double dip”
6. Special onboard reservations. On a Disney Cruise you are able to book several special onboard reservations in advance of your sailing date based on your cabin category and whether you are a Castaway Club member or not. You will want to book your special reservations as soon as you can based on your status. You will want to book your Palo dinner reservation as soon as you are eligible. If you forget to book your Palo dinner reservations in advance, Disney claims that they hold a few reservations for guests to book once they board the ship so you may want to try that approach. Additionally, early reservations can be made for shore excursions, spa appointments and the children’s programming including Flounders Reef Nursery.
Special onboard reservations may be booked at: (note: your final payment must be made before booking any special onboard reservations)
- 105 days prior to departure for Concierge Level Guests
- 90 days prior to departure for Castaway Club Members
- 75 days prior to departure for First-time Cruiser
7. More time to shop for airfare. For now the days of ultra-cheap discount fares are gone. We recently priced out round trip non-stop tickets from Washington National Airport to Orlando International Airport traveling in mid-July that came out around $400 per person. With three of us, that was going to be nearly $1200 and based on previous summer trips we were accustomed to only paying about $180 per person if not less. If air travel sticker shock has you down, you can always drive like we recently did. Our round trip mileage was 2250 miles. So, as an example, if your car only gets 25mpg, and you pay an average of $4.00/gallon for gasoline, then your total cost would be approximately $360.00 – about the same as a single round trip ticket to Florida but you will also have the added flexibility of being able to now bring your 50lbs+ suitcases without getting hit with a surcharge – just watch your back loading them into the car. By booking your cruise early, you will have time to watch the airfares and try to catch a deal when you can.
8. More time to plan. So you have decided to take a Disney Cruise, now what? Do you want early or late dinner seating? Which excursions and special events are you going to book? What night do we want to go to dinner at Palo’s? What day do we want to brunch at Palo’s? What day do we want to go to high tea at Palo’s? What will the family wear for Pirate’s night, Palo night dinner, the Captains Dinner, the Sail Away party, to the beach, to the pool, around the ship, etc.? Booking the cruise was the easy part! Having extra time to carefully plan your cruise will eliminate the stress and makes the planning more fun.
Bernadette Stark is a Certified Travel Agent and owner of Vacation Dreams Travel which specializes in Disney World and Disney Cruise Vacations.
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