Family Group thinking of Disney Summer 2012 any advice

[CleoSushi]

Hi all, a group of us (8 adults and 5 kids ranging in age from 1-9 yrs) are planning on doing either the Dream or Fantasy next July.

 

We are die hard Disney fanatics and this would be our first disney cruise. We are very excited.

 

Any tips in terms of when to book, possible sales, group rates, etc that anyone can share with us. We have only heard great things about the disney cruise lines and we look forward to this trip! Any great tips would be awesome!

 

Thanks,

[Friend100]

Only one advice if you want to cruis in July 2012: book early. This is high season sailing and it is possible some of the lower cabins for quad occupancy are already sold out.

[CleoSushi]

Only one advice if you want to cruis in July 2012: book early. This is high season sailing and it is possible some of the lower cabins for quad occupancy are already sold out.

 

 

wow thanks, sadly we cannot book until September since one group is saling in early sept already of this year and another is doing a european cruise this July. So we will have to wait till September to book. :( Thanks though.

[bus man]

Any chance your group could travel in May instead of July? I'm in the same boat you are, in that I'm also considering a Disney cruise for a group. I'm nowhere near ready to book (I'm thinking of 2013, not 2012), but when I did a quick search of 2012 prices for comparison purposes, it looked like the May prices were substantially lower than the summer.

 

Of course, I realize that this would entail taking some of the kids out of school, which may or may not be feasible. Another possibility for you to consider would be a late-August cruise. Depending on when the kids in your group return to school, this might be feasible. The rates begin to drop off from their summertime peak around mid-August.

 

Good luck, and happy sailing!

[CleoSushi]

Any chance your group could travel in May instead of July? I'm in the same boat you are, in that I'm also considering a Disney cruise for a group. I'm nowhere near ready to book (I'm thinking of 2013, not 2012), but when I did a quick search of 2012 prices for comparison purposes, it looked like the May prices were substantially lower than the summer.

 

Of course, I realize that this would entail taking some of the kids out of school, which may or may not be feasible. Another possibility for you to consider would be a late-August cruise. Depending on when the kids in your group return to school, this might be feasible. The rates begin to drop off from their summertime peak around mid-August.

 

Good luck, and happy sailing!

 

 

Luckily only one of the kiddies are school age (the rest will be 5 and under when we cruise) but we are traveling in July since two of the adults can only travel during that time due to work restrictions :(.

[bus man]

Luckily only one of the kiddies are school age (the rest will be 5 and under when we cruise) but we are traveling in July since two of the adults can only travel during that time due to work restrictions :(.

 

Unfortunately for you, it looks like your group is tied down to one of the most expensive months of the year. The only thing I can suggest is to avoid traveling around the Independence Day holiday. Even if the cruise itself is not more expensive, airfare to Florida probably will be, and also pre/post-cruise hotels, etc. Good luck!

[CleoSushi]

Unfortunately for you, it looks like your group is tied down to one of the most expensive months of the year. The only thing I can suggest is to avoid traveling around the Independence Day holiday. Even if the cruise itself is not more expensive, airfare to Florida probably will be, and also pre/post-cruise hotels, etc. Good luck!

 

 

Thanks. We are keeping our fingers cross that it all works out but we are really excited since we are big disney fans!

[imsulin]

Hi all, a group of us (8 adults and 5 kids ranging in age from 1-9 yrs) are planning on doing either the Dream or Fantasy next July.

 

We are die hard Disney fanatics and this would be our first disney cruise. We are very excited.

 

Any tips in terms of when to book, possible sales, group rates, etc that anyone can share with us. We have only heard great things about the disney cruise lines and we look forward to this trip! Any great tips would be awesome!

 

Thanks,

 

Just curious. Are the kids' ages you've quoted their ages now, or the ages they will be when you cruise 14 months from now, in July, 2012? TIA.

[CleoSushi]

Just curious. Are the kids' ages you've quoted their ages now, or the ages they will be when you cruise 14 months from now, in July, 2012? TIA.

 

Cruise time ages will be 11 months, 3 yrs, 4 yrs, 5 yrs and 9yrs. Yes a very active group along with 8 just as disney active adults :) LOL

[karajeboo]

Try to book the Magic or Wonder to save money. We just got back from a week on the Magic and are already rebooked for next year!!! The Fantasy sets sail next spring and the rates are astronomical for her sailings. And the Dream is only 3-5 night cruises. We absolutely LOVED the Magic and are a little turned off by the Dream reviews we have seen (too crowded, pools too small, etc). Of course, I always take those with a grain of salt, but from first hand experience, the Magic was incredible!!!

[CleoSushi]

Try to book the Magic or Wonder to save money. We just got back from a week on the Magic and are already rebooked for next year!!! The Fantasy sets sail next spring and the rates are astronomical for her sailings. And the Dream is only 3-5 night cruises. We absolutely LOVED the Magic and are a little turned off by the Dream reviews we have seen (too crowded, pools too small, etc). Of course, I always take those with a grain of salt, but from first hand experience, the Magic was incredible!!!

 

 

That sounds like a good idea, thanks. The magic is now leaving from NYC for next summer so this is an incredible option :)

 

How are the kids room?

[Friend100]

That sounds like a good idea, thanks. The magic is now leaving from NYC for next summer so this is an incredible option :)

 

 

Just FYI, the price of those DCL Magic 8-nights Bahamian cruise has already included a 1-day WDW ticket with Park Hopper and complimentary roundtrip transportation between the ship and the resort, in case you've not already known.

[CleoSushi]

Just FYI, the price of those DCL Magic 8-nights Bahamian cruise has already included a 1-day WDW ticket with Park Hopper and complimentary roundtrip transportation between the ship and the resort, in case you've not already known.

 

 

REALLY??? I did not know that. THANKS!

[bus man]

Any chance your group could travel in May instead of July? I'm in the same boat you are, in that I'm also considering a Disney cruise for a group. I'm nowhere near ready to book (I'm thinking of 2013, not 2012), but when I did a quick search of 2012 prices for comparison purposes, it looked like the May prices were substantially lower than the summer.

 

Of course, I realize that this would entail taking some of the kids out of school, which may or may not be feasible. Another possibility for you to consider would be a late-August cruise. Depending on when the kids in your group return to school, this might be feasible. The rates begin to drop off from their summertime peak around mid-August.

 

Good luck, and happy sailing!

 

Amazing how things can change in the space of a week. We decided not to wait so long, and now we're booked on the Magic for April 2012. The rates seemed pretty reasonable (by Disney standards); I think it's because it's during the short period of time when the Magic and the Fantasy will be overlapping in the Caribbean, and most people want to try the big, new, shiny ship.

 

In any case, given that you (the OP) are from New York, I would second the previous suggestion to check out one of the cruises that DCL will be doing from there, next year. Not having to buy a dozen plane tickets for your group would save you a boatload (pardon the pun) of money!

[CleoSushi]

Amazing how things can change in the space of a week. We decided not to wait so long, and now we're booked on the Magic for April 2012. The rates seemed pretty reasonable (by Disney standards); I think it's because it's during the short period of time when the Magic and the Fantasy will be overlapping in the Caribbean, and most people want to try the big, new, shiny ship.

 

In any case, given that you (the OP) are from New York, I would second the previous suggestion to check out one of the cruises that DCL will be doing from there, next year. Not having to buy a dozen plane tickets for your group would save you a boatload (pardon the pun) of money!

 

 

Yes that is a good suggestion which we are looking at since it will save alot of $$ in airfare. All but one of the kiddies will be paying full price for air fare so this would help. W

 

We are so giddy for next year :)

[kitty9]

Generally speaking, you need to book at least 8 cabins for a group discount. If you do book that many, cruise lines will give a discount for one of the cabins, and that savings could be passed on to everyone.

 

Are you working with a travel agent? If so, they may be able to give you some price breaks, especially if they're a high volume dealer for Disney cruises. If you can find such an agent, they can provide perks that you can't get if you book directly with the cruise line. Some will give on board credit, some will pay your gratuities. It's worth a shot to call some of your local travel agencies to see if they're willing to book your group and give you some perks.

[CleoSushi]

Generally speaking, you need to book at least 8 cabins for a group discount. If you do book that many, cruise lines will give a discount for one of the cabins, and that savings could be passed on to everyone.

 

Are you working with a travel agent? If so, they may be able to give you some price breaks, especially if they're a high volume dealer for Disney cruises. If you can find such an agent, they can provide perks that you can't get if you book directly with the cruise line. Some will give on board credit, some will pay your gratuities. It's worth a shot to call some of your local travel agencies to see if they're willing to book your group and give you some perks.

 

 

Thanks for the great tip. We may have found an agent that deals with Disney cruises. We are working on getting the info confirmed and hopefully maybe have something booked by end of summer.

[YOWmom]

wow thanks, sadly we cannot book until September since one group is saling in early sept already of this year and another is doing a european cruise this July. So we will have to wait till September to book. :( Thanks though.

 

If the other members of your group happen to be sailing on Disney this July and September, then the best deal may be for them to do the onboard rebooking and book for your entire group at that time (I believe you can book one room per guest for a future cruise, so theoretically, a family of 4 could book 4 rooms for a future cruise, not just one). You get 10% off whatever the going rate is, plus a $100 OBC (depending on the length of the cruise) and a reduced deposit. As Disney doesn't tend to have many special offers, especially during peak season, this may be the best deal...

[YOWmom]

wow thanks, sadly we cannot book until September since one group is saling in early sept already of this year and another is doing a european cruise this July. So we will have to wait till September to book. :( Thanks though.

 

If the other members of your group happen to be sailing on Disney in July or September this year, you might want to think about having them do an onboard rebooking and book for your entire group at that time. I believe you can book one room per guest for a future cruise (so theoretically a family of 4 could book 4 rooms, not just one), and you get a 10% discount, a $100 OBC (varies based on length of the cruise) and a reduced deposit. Since you're travelling in peak season, that might be the best deal...

[CleoSushi]

Thanks Marie73, sadly no one in our group is cruising this summer or before hand on Disney :(

 

That would of been awesome :)

[imsulin]

Cruise time ages will be 11 months, 3 yrs, 4 yrs, 5 yrs and 9yrs. Yes a very active group along with 8 just as disney active adults :) LOL

 

Just curious....how do you know you will have an 11-month old in July, 2012??

[bus man]

Just curious....how do you know you will have an 11-month old in July, 2012??

 

A baby that would be 11 months old in July 2012 would be born in August 2011. Right now (May 2011), the baby's mother would be six months pregnant.

[CleoSushi]

A baby that would be 11 months old in July 2012 would be born in August 2011. Right now (May 2011), the baby's mother would be six months pregnant.

 

 

BUSMAN is correct! LOL. Our friend is due early August of this year. :)