Dollars and Sense - Disney Cruise Line on a Dime

Much like spending your nights at Walt Disney World sleeping at the Grand Floridian in a Club Level room with a theme park view at rack rate, the Disney Fantasy Royal Suite price make these vacations seem astronomically expensive. And, oddly enough, nearly the same prices for the Walt Disney World high end packages as the Disney Cruise Line suites.
They don't have to be ridiculously expensive and in many cases can even be more affordable for the average American family than a trip to Walt Disney World.



Over the years I've used varying tips and tricks to minimize my vacation expenditure so that I can enjoy a few more excursions, pedicures and Cove Café drinks without the bills following me long after the pixie dust settles. All of the below tips are either things I or one of my friends have successfully utilized, but as always, your mileage may vary.

My Top Ten Fourteen DCL Dollar Stretching Tips:

14.) Get Hired By Mickey
Cast member discounts can really save you a load of dough.  I've considered working at Disney Store just for this perk before and may yet one of these years, especially since watching several friends I've made in my Disney travels use their discounts to cruise more frequently.

13.) Book Last Minute.
If you aren't sure where you're going to want to vacation in October two years from now, let alone what you're planning to eat for dinner tonight, this may be more your speed. If a ship doesn't fill up as the cruise date nears the three week to ten weeks out, last minute restricted stateroom or "Restricted Guarantee" staterooms may be offered.
Listed on the website as IGT (interior stateroom with restrictions), OGT (ocean view stateroom with restrictions) and VGT (veranda stateroom with restrictions,) these are an excellent choice for the last minute cruiser. They price comparable to opening day bookings. However, I only recommend these for VERY flexible people.
IF:

• Your aren't picky as to your stateroom or location, they will assign you a room and not move you.
• You don't already have a cruise booked, this is new bookings only.
• You have the entire cost of the cruise sitting in your bank account, as they require it on booking the *GT rates.
• You realize that it is nonrefundable, nontransferable and non-negotiable.
• You have all party members full legal names and birth date at booking (these cannot be changed.)
• You have a maximum of four party members.

Please read any fine print! And then go with the flow.

12.) Book your next cruise while on board!
Aside from the 10% off most stateroom categories (not the concierge rooms) and on board booking stateroom credit ($100 credit for 3-6 night cruises, $200 for 7 night or longer cruises), they often run specials on board that they aren't yet running on land or the website.




20% Off Cruise fare? Don't mind if I do!

We "reshopped" (the DCL term for asking a future cruise desk cast member to price compare a cruise you've already booked to the price he can offer) our April cruise while we were on board last year. Aside from adding onboard credit, they offered twenty percent off of the cruise. So they lowered the price of our cruise by $800. (After taking into account the price rising over the year since we'd booked it, 20% off the current rate was still a deal).  Not bad for ten minutes waiting. If you are unsure when you want to sail again, ask the agent at the desk to explain "dummy dates". Basically you will book a far out date to get the promo code, then transfer it to a date you pick later.

11.) Move to Florida.
They offer last minute discounts as Florida Resident Rates from time to time. Proof of residency is required at check-in.


Scrollwork on the Bow of the Disney Magic

10.) Join the Army or Department of Defense
They periodically offer special discounts, see the website, call DCL directly or your favorite travel agent(s).

9.) Keep your Options Open
Let's say you've selected the third week of May 2014.  Between the four ships, if you'd like to book seven nights of cruise time, take the time to look at your options.  The Fantasy offers an Eastern Caribbean 7 night cruise starting at $3,161 for two adults.



Which Ship? Which itinerary?

The Dream offers the option of a back to back (a three night and four night booked on consecutive cruises) starting at $2,740 combined.  The recently refurbished Disney Magic offers a back to back for slightly more than the Dream. Looking outside of Port Canaveral, the Disney Wonder offers back to back cruises out of California ending in Vancouver starting at $3,716. If your travel to one of these ports is significantly less (like you live in LA and can drive or get dropped to the port), it makes it much more economical. I searched for these today.  Your mileage will vary.

8.) Surf the Web
Both Travelocity and Expedia occasionally offer last minute (under six months out) special fares.




Reference materials, Snacks and The Internet. Research commencing!

Kids sail free and other promotions appear from time to time under the Special Offers section of the Disney Cruise Line website. Surfing is a great way to find out what's available currently.

7.) Leave the Country (or just the state)
Occasional rare discounts are offered to Canadian residents and southern California residents. Check the website, DCL directly or your travel agency for availability.

6.) Make New Friends
Travel agencies, discussion boards and podcasts occasionally book a very large block of rooms for a group trip (example: Podcast Cruise 5.0) at a savings if you book early.


Casey, We Wish Y'all Lived Closer!

Contact a Disney specialist travel agency or find a group you want to cruise with, make friends and save money.

5.) Charge It
If you book on the Disney Visa, they offer a (not combinable with other offers) $50 on board credit. As a cardholder, you occasionally receive notices of special offers for DCL, WDW and other Disney parks. Using your Disney Visa card earns Disney Rewards Dollars in lieu of a cash back reward. If you run all of your utility payments through the card, this can add up. I surprised DH with a cruise last year that I paid for entirely in Disney Rewards Dollars. FREE CRUISE! For paying my utilities, groceries, gas and restaurant purchases, that's not shabby.

4.) Book with a reputable Authorized Disney Vacation Planner (Travel Agent) or Become a TA
All reputable Disney TAs work for you for free and nearly all offer (sometimes substantial) perks ranging from gift baskets to on board credits. Shop around and find one you're comfortable with before you book your cruise. I prefer booking my own so that I can adjust and tweak to my heart's content without going through a TA, but a good TA is priceless if you are a bit adrift, still learning the ropes or just out of your depth. If you are a Disney Vacation Planner, Disney occasionally offers TAs promotional rates on cruises.

The Big Three

3.) Book really, really, REALLY far in advance.
How far in advance?
Currently I'm waiting for the 2015 cruise itineraries to get released. They might be released as early as October 2013 or as late as February 2014. The way Disney Cruise Line pricing works, bargain cruise fare is released on opening day and then as the ship fills, the pricing ratchets up. I've spent time watching a stateroom jump in price over a thousand dollars as the ship fills for the same room on the same cruise in under a week.  If I think I'm interested in a stateroom, I book it when I see it. I prefer this as it let's me have ample opportunity to plan.

2.) Encourage your Kids to Drop Out of School
Or just pull them out for a week. The cheapest rates for cruising are when children happen to be in school. Cruise prices (quite literally) double by booking an identical cruise in mid-August rather than mid-September when schools are in session. Best bets for low tide fares? September, October, the first half of December, January and April all have lower rates. Basically anytime that there are not normally school breaks. If you are in a punitive school district, there are some people who admit to withdrawing children from school before vacation and re-enrolling afterwards.




Doing some catch up so she won't be behind in preschool.
Or just giving her something to keep her out of her brother's hair.
You decide.

There is always homeschooling.
No joke, I know a lady who homeschools so that it doesn't interfere with their annual weeks in Walt Disney World during the month of October. Not my thing, but if it's yours, enjoy the educational opportunity of cruising while the rest of us are locked into school schedules.



Lapbook Exploring Semaphore, Seagulls and Maps of our Adventures

If you want something a bit less extreme or work for the school districts and can't leave, look for the odd weeks your schedule affords. Do you have an October break? Check that week for cruise rates. Do you start super early but finish at the start of May? Check the first week you have off in May. Do you start super late? Check the end of August or start of September. It's bound to be cheaper than the middle of summer.

1.) Embrace Lower Category Rooms
I have traveled fully half of my cruises in interior staterooms and am honestly happy wherever I am so long as I'm on board when the ship leaves port! For less than twenty percent of the rate of concierge, you can enjoy all the same stage shows, dining rooms, service, food, cast members, pools, lounges and characters. 80% off? Don't mind if I do!
If you really want to feel like an insider on the classic ships (The Magic and the Wonder), check into the secret porthole rooms.  These rooms are priced as interiors (category 10A), but offer real portholes (albeit with a slightly obstructed view).



Secret Porthole Room, Child Not Included.

Free porthole? Don't mind if I do! And those rooms are extremely convenient to the Oceaneer Club, Oceaneer Lab, Walt Disney Theatre and atrium as well as being in a very quiet section of the ship.

 ♥ºoº .•:*¨¨*:•.ºoº♥

Of course, that's not to say I won't be enjoying my tenth anniversary in the Walt Disney Suite on board the Disney Wonder, but since I'm endlessly thrifty, I still found ways to save (booked on opening day, during the school year).



View of the Magic from Castaway Cay

What's your favorite penny pinching cruise strategy?