Book With A Travel Agent My #1 Tip
Ill be honest, I feel foolish for saying this because this was so against our initial instincts. In fact, we booked our first 8 cruises without a travel agent because we always thought we could get the best deal. A travel agent can get you the same pricing you will find anywhere else, plus they offer onboard credit to spend on the ship and will help you plan the whole thing.
We use Tinks Magical Vacations for all our Disney trips because they know Disney Cruises, Disney World and Disneyland better than I will ever know. I highly recommend their services. Not only do they help with the planning, you get the best deal available + onboard credit!
All Inclusive Cruise Feel
When you walk into a Disney ship you walk into a classic ocean liner lobby, not a shopping mall. Other cruise lines go for a Vegas feel, with indoor malls filled with high priced items, extra water and soda drink packages, and up sell after up sell. On a Disney Cruise its pretty much all inclusive. Sure you have to pay for drinks like cocktails, beer, and wine, but sodas and water are part of your package already. Kids Club is included so you are not having to pay for Build a Bear, $20 to make a T Shirt, etc. You can have your kids go to the kids club and then go enjoy an adult night out, catch a show, go to the adult only pool, or go to one of the late night clubs. Or if you want a family night out, go see the Toy Story production in the Walt Disney Theather, catch a new release Pixar movie, or dress up as pirate for Pirate night under the stars. There is no lake of things to do on a Disney cruise and you dont have to reach into your pocketbook everything you want to do something.
Whats Included In A Disney Cruise
Disney cruises generally include a little more than you would get on other cruises. For example, youll get free soft drinks, ice creams and room service throughout your cruise. Those small extras can add up when you have to pay for them every day.
That said, on Disney cruises you will need to budget extra for the daily gratuity charge, alcoholic drinks and wifi. These are extra on most other cruises too, although some premium cruise lines like Celebrity Cruises include those in the cruise fare.
Your Disney cruise ticket includes:
- Accommodation on the ship
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Can I Cancel My Cruise
The cruise line said guests with COVID-19 symptoms or exposure may cancel their bookings within 14 days of sailing and get a full refund or apply their fares toward future sailings without Disneys usual cancellation fees. Guests without COVID-19 concerns will have a relaxed cancellation fee schedule this year.
Guests who book sailings by July 31 for travel this year can change their sail date up to 15 days before their scheduled departure.
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Travel Protection Options On Disney Cruises
We want our Clients to have the vacation of their dreams! So weve created a travel protection plan just for you. The Disney Cruise Line Vacation Protection Plan is a package of benefits that help prepare you for the unexpected before, during, and even after their trip. The Plan includes travel insurance, 24-hour assistance, and Disneys Cancel For Any Reason feature. This feature delivers a credit of up to 75% of the cancellation fees to be used toward a future Disney Cruise Line sailing so if you cancel for a reason that may not be eligible under the insurance portion of the plan, you still receive a credit for a future cruise! For bookings made prior to March 6, 2014, the feature provides a credit of up to 100% of the cancellation penalties towards a future Disney Cruise Line sailing.
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What’s Included In Your Disney Cruise
With those prices, you might want to know what you get for that price.
Your cruise fare will include much of what other mainstream cruise lines include, plus a few extras:
- Stateroom cabin
- Food, including most room service
- Non-alcoholic beverages, including soda
- Activities: mini golf, basketball courts, etc
- Castaway Cay private island
- Kids Club
Your cruise fare includes a good amount of value, although there are plenty of extras you should factor into your vacation budget.
While you could theoretically spend nothing more on a cruise, it is very unlikely that will occur.
Here is a look at what is not included in your cruise fare:
- Transportation & accommodations before and after the cruise
- Specialty dining
- Alcoholic drinks & bottled beverages
- Kids club for kids under 3 years old
- Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
- Souvenir photos
The Difference Between Disney Cruise Ships
There are four, and soon to be five, ships in the Disney Cruise Line fleet. The Wonder and Magic were the first two cruise ships and more recently the Dream and the Fantasy joined the ranks. The two newest ships are also the biggest. The latest refurbishment was to the Disney Wonder in 2016. The renovations helped to update the ship to more closely resemble The newest ships in the fleet, though its size is significantly smaller.
The Wonder does offer Caribbean cruises although it also sails in Alaska. The Magic is the same size as the Wonder and sails from a variety of European locations as well as New York, Miami, Puerto Rico and more. The Fantasy and the Dream offer round trip cruises in the Caribbean and Bahamas respectively. with the Fantasy alternating between Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises. Both ships stop at Castaway Cay, Disneys private island in the Bahamas. The Wonder docks there on certain itineraries as well.
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Costs Of Different Types Of Cruises
Every cruise line has its own unique personality that appeals to a different style of cruise passenger. When considering how much does a cruise cost?, the cruise line you choose will have a big impact.
There are a few different ways to break up the types of cruise lines but to keep things simple, weve split them into three categories:
- Mainstream $50-$450
- Premium $280-$680
- Luxury $600-$1,000
What Are The Names Of The Two New Disney Cruise Ships
The fact that this annual fiscal report refers to a delay in the delivery of all three vessels indicates that there are still plans for the entire trio of Triton class cruise ships to join the Disney Dream, the Disney Fantasy, the Disney Magic, and the Disney Wonder this will bring the Disney Cruise Line fleet to an
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Incredible Meals With A Splash Of Disney Magic
Meals are included with your cruise fare. Each ship has rotational dining where you will visit one of three restaurants each night. Your waiter travels with you as you dine at each new location, and the waiters on the ship are truly a blast. Many have done magic tricks for our kids and all are the most caring people you will meet.
In addition, there is a buffet, and plenty of places to get food around the clock. There are several quick-service spots where my husband loves to grab a pizza, as well as 24-hour room service, where you can even get Mickey Ice Cream bars delivered to the room.
Unlike most cruises on Disney cruises, Guests can also enjoy endless soda for no additional fee. Tea and coffee are also included while aboard in addition to all-you-can-eat soft serve ice cream with all the toppings. The only food which is extra charge is at the fine dining of Palo & Remy and Vanelopes sweet shop.
Disney Cruise Line Tips
How much are tips on Disney Cruise Line? Disney Cruise suggested tips are $13.50 per person per night as of the time of this writing. This amount is automatically charged to your onboard account. You can ask them to remove the Disney Cruise gratuities from your bill, but given that the employees work hard, I would not recommend that.
There is nothing stopping you from leaving extra as well if you choose to do so. These tips can be left in Disney Cruise Line gratuity envelopes.
The Disney Cruise tips per day are broken down as follows:
1. Dining Room Server $4.50
2. Dining Room Assistant Server $3.50
3. Dining Room Head Server $1.00
4. Disney Cruise Stateroom Host $4.50
You also need to tip people who deliver room service and bartenders.
Should you care?: Im going with yes on this one. The Disney Cruise employees certainly deserve their tips, but it would be nice if they were included like at all inclusive resorts.
Disney Cruise Pro tips: Consider a Disney Cruise travel agent who offers a Disney Cruise onboard credit to book with them to cover this cost.
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Disney Cruise Discounts For Military
Members of the US military and their families qualify for special cruise rates.
As of December 24, 2021, the following cruises had availability in the Military category. Prices given are lowest available fares for a single stateroom, in US dollars, including taxes, fees and port expenses, rounded to the nearest dollar. All sailings are from Port Canaveral unless noted otherwise. The room category available at that fare is in parentheses.
Please note: a single guest gets charged essentially the same price as two guests. Also note that 5-passenger rooms are rarely discounted for military members, but they do show up occasionally. If a price isnt listed, that doesnt mean the category is sold out, just that it isnt available with this discount.
Select number of guests to see total sailing price :
Valid for new bookings only. Other stateroom categories may be available at other rates. Rates based on double occupancy. Occupancy restrictions may apply. Excursions are not included. See Disney Cruise Line brochure for details and applicable terms and conditions. Other discounts do not apply. Only one discount may be used at a time. Rates in US dollars. The following are eligible for the Military rate: active duty or retired military 100% disabled retired military reservists for National Guard and Army Reserve with active duty orders Department of Defense personnel.
How To Book A Cruise With Dvc Points
Booking a Disney cruise with your DVC points is actually quite easy. The first step is to transfer your DVC points into Reservation points. To do this owners just need to contact DVC Member Services to request the transfer. One DVC point is equivalent to one Reservation point, so no loss in point value occurs when completing this transfer. Keep in mind that once points are transferred into Reservation points they will expire within one year and they cannot be transferred back into DVC points.
Members can then head to the DVC member site to search and book the cruise of their choice. Disney offers a wide range of cruises from Mediterranean sailings to Alaska cruises to short trips to the Bahamas.
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Broadway Quality Musicals And First
When it comes to entertainment, there is probably no cruise line that offers as much quality as Disney Cruise Line. Shows include Broadway-quality musicals, often retellings of popular Disney movies. These shows happen in state-of-the-art theaters that bring Disney magic to life.
You can also see first-run movies on a Disney Cruise as of the day they premiere all over the world. And you dont have to pay for an extra movie ticket to watch!
How Much Is A Disney Cruise Compared To Other Cruise Lines
I looked up the average price per person for a seven-night Caribbean cruise based on two people sharing a balcony cabin. As well as the cruise fare, I also factored in the cost of gratuities and noted whether drinks are included or extra.
As you can see from the table below, Disney cruises are more expensive than other mainstream cruise lines. They are priced at around double what you would pay for the average cruise.
| Cruise line | |
|---|---|
| extra | $988 |
In August 2021 I cruise with Disney Cruise Line and also with MSC Cruises. Let me tell you, they are worlds apart! You may also be interested in this guide that I wrote upon my return: Why are MSC Cruises so cheap?
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Comparing Prices: A Specific Example
In general, on very similar itineraries, youll a pay a premium sometimes a huge premium to take your teens and toddlers on a Disney ship instead of a Royal Caribbean ship, and both of those lines will cost you more than Carnival. Just how much more? We priced similar summer sailings to the Caribbean on the three lines and found a hypothetical family of four would pay about 2.6 times more to get aboard a Royal Caribbean ship than a Carnival ship and more than four times that to sail with Disney.
For the comparison, we looked at specific seven-night Eastern Caribbean sailings offered by each line out of Port Canaveral, Florida, at the beginning of August. We chose this routing because it allowed for one of the most apples-to-apples matchups you can make between the brands. All three of the companies have positioned one of their newest, snazziest vessels in Port Canaveral for seven-night Caribbean sailings.
In Carnivals case, its Carnival Breeze, which debuted in 2012 and is one of the lines newer Vista-class vessels. For Royal Caribbean, its Harmony of the Seas, which began sailing in 2016 and is part of the lines popular Oasis class. Disneys contender in the market is Disney Fantasy, the lines newest ship. It debuted in 2012, just two months before Carnival Breeze.
What Does A Disney Cruise Cost
These prices are accurate from the date we wrote this post and are always subject to change. As mentioned above, many factors affect these prices.
Youll pay anywhere from about $2,500 to $5,600 for a three-night cruise on the Disney Dream for a stateroom with 4 people. This cruise goes to Nassau and Disneys Castaway Cay. This is a great option as a first cruise because its less expensive than the others and is a short commitment.
You can book a four-night Bahamian cruise out of the Miami cruise port for about $3,100 to $6,700 for four people. This excludes Christmas week when the price is significantly higher.
Alaskan Cruises are about $6,100 to $15,500 for a seven-night cruise. Concierge rooms are higher, however. Although its a lot more expensive for a verandah, youll probably use it quite a bit in Alaska so it may be worth the splurge. Keep in mind that the excursions and airfare may add quite a bit to this price.
European cruises can vary quite a bit. You can get a 7-night European cruise out of Dover starting at about $5,500, but rates can go up to almost $19,000 for a verandah room on a 10-night Mediterranean cruise. Dont forget to factor in airfare and shore excursions, which can definitely increase the price of your vacation.
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Other Types Of Drinks Packages
There are other types of drinks packages available on cruises but these vary by the cruise line. On some, you are able to buy beer or wine specific packages and may be able to buy a certain amount of drinks for a certain price. For example, you may be able to buy ten bottles of wine for a reduced price.
Character Meet And Greets
This is one huge area where Disney Cruise Line excels. They offer character meet and greets every day while onboard and during port hours at all times of the day with minimal wait. When you are visiting any one of the Disney Parks, waiting in line is almost guaranteed. There are even Fastpass tickets for guests to meet a number of Disney characters, which end up cutting into your ride time on popular attractions. By checking your Disney Cruise Line Navigator App, guests can see what characters will be in certain areas at what exact time. The longest a guest will wait is about 10-15 minutes. While the cast of characters varies slightly on each ship, most of the characters are the ones you would expect to appear. This is a huge perk that makes a Disney cruise experience special.
Often characters are dressed in themed outfits. For example, on Pirate Night, Mickey and friends wear pirate gear, while on the formal evening, they wear tuxedos and evening gowns. Characters also make appearances on Disneys private island, Castaway Cay, in the Bahamas. Here you can find Goofy, Donald and even Stitch wearing board shorts. On Halloween themed cruises, the characters themselves wear costumes too. For those on a European sailing, the characters even have that special touch. For example, Goofy dresses like a Venetian gondolier.
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Disney Cruise Line Pricing And Reservations
It is absolutely impossible to predict the price youll pay for your Disney Cruise, as there are several factors that influence this. First is the time of year that you will be cruising. Spring and Fall are usually the best time to find deals.
Your best bet is to book your cruise as FAR IN ADVANCE as possible. Disney Cruise Line offers tier pricing, and you can find the best savings if you book early enough. There are also other discounts available on some Disney Cruise Line sailings.